Chapter: 283
“…Did I hear that wrong? Say it again.”
Ms. Martina glared at me, her eyes piercing through.
I instinctively averted my gaze, but there was nowhere to hide.
Everyone else around was looking at me with serious expressions too.
These were the people I had urgently gathered after sensing the sealed Witch of Gluttony’s presence.
The expressions on their faces were grim because of what I had said when calling them together.
Despite their hardened features, there was a desperate plea hidden in their eyes, begging me to tell them it wasn’t true.
But sadly, I couldn’t fulfill their desperate wish.
What was happening now was a reality that couldn’t be prevented by mere wishes, and as the only one in this city who knew, I had the obligation to inform them.
That being said, it was not a pleasant thing to convey.
It felt terrible to deliver such news to people who had just barely begun to hold onto hope after the challenging battles they had faced.
Thus, I couldn’t bring myself to meet their eyes and, with my head bowed low, spoke as if I was confessing to a crime.
“…I’ll say it again. Until recently, the presence of Gluttony was completely undetectable, but now I can feel it faintly again. Moreover, that presence is gradually growing stronger over time.”
“…That means.”
They had already realized what was happening, but they seemed unable to accept it, stumbling over their words.
Yet, reality wouldn’t change, so I pressed on, striving to make them face this devastating truth.
“…Yes, the seal is breaking. The Witch of Gluttony will awaken again.”
“Ah…”
Someone let out a gasp of despair, cutting through the tense silence.
Most people bowed their heads, looking dejected as if resigned to a fate they believed to be inevitable.
But there was nothing I could say to them.
The news of the Witch of Gluttony awakening was as desperate as it was grave.
Silence weighed heavily on everyone’s shoulders.
Then suddenly, a loud bang shattered the stillness.
Startled by the noise, I turned my head toward it, where I saw Ms. Martina, trembling and pounding her fist against the wall.
“…Damn it!”
She cursed angrily, her body shaking as she turned sharply to me and shouted.
“If the seal is breaking, then what happens to those people! What happens to Ms. Eve, Leon, and Natalia, who sacrificed their lives to seal the Witch of Gluttony?! If the seal breaks… their deaths would just be meaningless sacrifices…!”
Ms. Martina’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.
The feeling of despair at the awakening of the Witch of Gluttony paled in comparison to the agony that the sacrifices of those three people had been rendered futile.
Seeing her unable to bear it, I could only lower my head in silence.
I understood her feelings all too well.
I had been furious too when I realized the seal was breaking.
If I felt that way, how must Ms. Martina, who had known those three for so long, be feeling?
As I glanced at her, consumed by conflicting emotions, I saw her take a deep breath, steadying herself.
Finally, with a calmer head, Ms. Martina bowed her head and spoke to me.
“…I’m sorry for getting mad. It’s not your fault; I just got carried away.”
“No, it’s okay. I was really angry about it at first too, so I understand.”
Ms. Martina nodded slightly, as if grateful for my understanding. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she asked me.
“…So, when do you think the seal will break?”
“I’m not sure… but judging by the way the presence is intensifying… it might not be much longer.”
“…Right. So, we don’t have much time left until the Witch of Gluttony awakens?”
Ms. Martina nodded slowly at my answer, her expression twisted in frustration.
…Time left.
That phrase was an exceptionally grim description of our current situation.
If the Witch of Gluttony were to awaken now, this world would truly face its end,
and so, the time we had left until the awakening was our last chance.
“Is there any… way to stop it?”
Someone asked if there was a way.
But no one could answer that question.
We all knew better than anyone that fighting the Witch of Gluttony in a straightforward manner wouldn’t work.
That was precisely why Ms. Eve sacrificed herself to seal the Witch of Gluttony, and now, Ms. Eve was gone.
What could we possibly do in such a situation?
As everyone wore serious expressions of confusion, Ms. Martina sighed, displaying a bittersweet smile.
“Well, if we all brainstorm, we might come up with something. But with such a gloomy atmosphere, I don’t think we can find an answer, so let’s wrap this meeting up for today.”
With those words, the meeting came to an end.
Everyone left with heavy hearts, acutely aware that an end was approaching.
*
On the way back to the mansion with Sylvia, whom I had called, we walked in silence for a long time. As people wandered the streets, Sylvia suddenly spoke up.
“…Everyone seems so peaceful.”
“…Yeah.”
As Sylvia pointed out, the people in the city were enjoying peace.
It was precisely because we had intentionally withheld the news that the Witch of Gluttony was about to awaken.
Looking at their peaceful faces reminded me of an old sci-fi movie we watched in school.
It was a struggle to stop a meteor heading towards Earth.
In that film, people kept the approaching meteor a secret until it was visible—
I had once thought it was cruel to hide such information, but now I saw it differently.
Perhaps it was better that they didn’t know about the unavoidable catastrophe approaching.
Knowing would turn the remaining time into a hell of anxiety.
In that sense, it was quite a contrast.
Here we were, trembling with anxiety and desperately racking our brains for solutions, while the street outside remained so peaceful.
In moments like these, I felt that it was enough for those who were suffering to be the ones who knew.
Having these thoughts, Sylvia, perhaps sharing the same sentiment, gave a wry smile and said,
“It should remain this peaceful.”
“…Yeah.”
Responding in agreement, I continued walking with Sylvia through the peaceful street back to the mansion.
“…Yoon Si-woo, I’m back.”
The first thing I did upon returning to the mansion was to find the sleeping Yoon Si-woo.
Even though I flung the door open, he didn’t even flinch.
Well, even if a meteor were about to fall, he wouldn’t wake up, so what could I do?
Smiling at that thought, I dragged a chair over and sat beside the bed Yoon Si-woo lay on, taking hold of his hand.
And in that moment,
“What should I do…”
a sense of anxiety, hidden deep within, burst forth as my trembling fingers gripped Yoon Si-woo’s hand.
“I need to protect…”
I had to protect the peaceful streets.
I had to protect you, who lay unconscious.
“I can’t let their sacrifices be in vain…”
I couldn’t let them be meaningless sacrifices.
Those who had sacrificed themselves to seal the Witch of Gluttony.
“What… what should I do…?”
But I couldn’t find an answer.
My body trembled with a mind racing with frustration.
The sci-fi movie I watched when I was young had left a deep impression on me because it ended happily, with the meteor being stopped and Earth saved.
Yes, it was the duty of those who knew about the impending disaster to protect the peace of the people.
But unlike the movie, where they had a way to stop the meteor, we had no means at our disposal now.
There was no way to protect everyone from the awakening Witch of Gluttony.
Ms. Eve had said so.
In the past, we had been able to defeat the Witch of Gluttony because we possessed Sacred Remnants.
But all we had now was the World Tree.
How could we possibly defeat an enemy we needed at least three Sacred Remnants to compete with?
In the midst of such thoughts, my wandering gaze unintentionally fell upon Yoon Si-woo’s bedside.
There lay the White Dagger, which Sylvia had borrowed from Yoon Si-woo and returned recently.
And the moment I noticed it—
“…Ah.”
A memory suddenly flickered in my mind.
It was of the fierce battle we had fought not long ago.
The Witch of Lust, manipulating countless Demonic Beasts with her powers.
“…Right, the Sacred Remnants.”
And I had certainly seen it that day.
The dark gem that had shone from the enemy’s throat.
That must have been the Sacred Remnant she had mentioned!
Recalling that, I quietly gazed at the White Dagger placed by Yoon Si-woo’s side.
The White Dagger was known as the Holy Sword of Truth.
Its abilities included discerning the truth of words and locating specific targets.
If there’s no way…
Then I’ll just take it back.
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