“……Did I hear you wrong? Please say it again.”
Martina glared at me with piercing eyes while asking.
I instinctively averted my gaze, but there was nowhere to hide.
Everyone around me looked at me with grave expressions on their faces.
They were the ones I had urgently gathered after sensing the sealed aura of the Gluttony Witch.
The reason for their expressions was probably because of what I had said when I called them together.
Their faces were tense, yet within them lay a desperate hope that I would tell them they had not heard rightly.
Unfortunately, I could not fulfill their earnest wish.
What was happening now was a reality that could not be stopped merely by wishing, and as the only person aware of it in the city, I had the obligation to inform them.
Nevertheless, it was something unpleasant.
Having fought so hard to finally regain a glimmer of hope, having to convey such news to the people was a bitter blow.
So, I couldn’t make eye contact with anyone and merely lowered my head, answering as if I had committed a crime.
“……I’ll say it again. The power of gluttony, which I couldn’t feel at all until recently, has started to faintly return. Moreover, it is gradually becoming stronger over time.”
“……That means.”
Although they probably realized what was happening, they seemed unable to accept it, fumbling for words.
Yet, no matter how they felt, reality wouldn’t change. I spoke to them bluntly to force them to face this dire truth.
“……Yes, the seal is breaking. The Gluttony Witch will awaken again.”
“Ah…”
With a gasp that seemed to resemble someone’s dying breath, silence fell over the group.
Most of them hung their heads in despair, as if to say it was all over.
But I couldn’t say anything to comfort them.
The news that the Gluttony Witch would awaken again was as much a message of despair.
The heavy silence that weighed down on everyone.
It was suddenly broken by the loud bang that echoed through the air.
Startled by the sudden noise, I turned to see where it had come from only to find Martina, trembling with her fist against the wall.
“……Damn it!”
With a curse filled with frustration, Martina whirled around and shouted at me.
“If the seal is breaking, then what happens to those people! What about Teacher Eve who sacrificed her life to seal the Gluttony Witch, Senior Leon, and Natalia—what happens to them…! If the seal breaks…their deaths would be in vain…!”
Her eyes, red and bloodshot, reflected a pain much greater than the despair of the Gluttony Witch awakening; it was the agony of understanding that the sacrifices made by the three who sealed her were rendered meaningless.
I could only silently lower my head, seeing her expressing her anger in a way that seemed unbearable.
I understood her feelings.
I, too, had felt an overwhelming anger upon realizing that the seal was breaking.
If I felt this way, how much more so would Martina, who had known those three for so many years?
As I looked at her in distress, I saw her take a deep breath, calming herself, and she finally lowered her head as she spoke to me.
“……I’m sorry for getting angry. It’s not your fault, yet I got so hot-headed.”
“It’s okay. I was really angry about that at first too, so I understand.”
Martina nodded slightly, as if thanking me for my understanding, and then sighed heavily while asking me.
“……So, when do you think the seal will break?”
“I don’t really know… But judging by the rate at which the power is intensifying… it probably won’t take long.”
“……I see. In any case, that means we don’t have much time left until the Gluttony Witch awakens?”
At my answer, she nodded quietly, her expression distorting as if driven mad.
……The remaining time.
That expression she used perfectly captured how terrifying our situation was right now.
If the Gluttony Witch awoke now, this world truly would end.
Thus, the time remaining until the Gluttony Witch awakened was, in fact, our last chance.
“Is there no way…?”
Someone asked if there was no way.
But no one could answer that question.
We, who had fought the Gluttony Witch directly, knew better than anyone that there was no way to defeat her with ordinary fighting.
That’s why Teacher Eve had sacrificed herself to seal the Gluttony Witch, but now even she was gone.
What could we possibly do in that situation?
As everyone wore serious expressions without an answer, Martina, watching us, gave a wry smile as if resigned and spoke up.
“Well, if we all think together, we might come up with something. But it doesn’t seem like we’ll find an answer with such a downcast atmosphere, so let’s disband for today.”
With those words, the meeting came to an end.
However, everyone’s steps were heavy, fully aware that the end was approaching.
*
Walking back to the mansion with Sylvia, who had been called out.
After a while of walking in silence, Sylvia finally spoke, staring blankly at the people walking about on the street.
“……It’s peaceful, isn’t it? Everyone.”
“……Yeah.”
Indeed, just as Sylvia said, the people of the city were enjoying peace.
It was because we had intentionally withheld the news that the Gluttony Witch would awaken.
Seeing that peaceful scene reminded me of a sci-fi movie we had watched in school.
It was about struggling to prevent a meteor from crashing into Earth.
In it, they had hidden from the public the fact that a meteor was approaching until it could be seen falling.
Before, I had thought that hiding such information was too cruel, but now my thoughts had changed somewhat.
Perhaps it would be better not to know about the impending disaster.
For if they knew, the remaining time would become a hell tormented by anxiety.
In that sense, it was very contrasting.
Both of us now desperately trying to think of a solution while trembling with anxiety and this peaceful street scene.
Seeing this made me realize that it was enough for those who knew to suffer.
As I pondered this, Sylvia seemed to have the same thought, her lips curling slightly in a wry smile.
“It should continue to be this peaceful.”
“……Yes.”
Responding like that, I walked past the peaceful street with Sylvia and returned to the mansion.
“……Yoon Si-woo, I’m back.”
The first thing I did when I returned to the mansion was look for Yoon Si-woo, who was fast asleep.
His figure didn’t flinch even when I burst open the door.
Well, he probably wouldn’t wake up even if a meteor were about to crash down, so I couldn’t blame him.
Thinking that, I chuckled and pulled a chair to sit next to his bed, holding his hand.
And in that moment,
“What do I do…?”
The hand holding Yoon Si-woo’s trembled, and the anxieties hidden inside me burst forth.
“I need to protect…”
I needed to protect the peaceful scene of the street.
And, I needed to protect him, who lay unconscious and could not wake up.
“I can’t allow it to end in vain…”
I couldn’t let it end in vain.
Not the ones who sacrificed themselves to seal the Gluttony Witch.
“What should I do… what should I do…?”
But I had no idea what to do.
I trembled, feeling like I was going to go insane.
The reason that sci-fi movie had left such a strong impression on me is that it ended with a happy ending where they ultimately managed to prevent the crash, protecting the Earth.
Yes, keeping the peace of the people was the responsibility of those who knew a disaster was coming.
But unlike the movie, where they had a way to stop the meteor, we had no method at all.
There was no way to protect everyone from the awakening of the Gluttony Witch.
Teacher Eve had said it.
In the past, they could defeat the Gluttony Witch because they had sacred relics.
But now, the only sacred relic we had was the World Tree.
How could we overcome a powerful opponent with only one relic when we needed at least three to have any chance?
Just as I was thinking that,
My gaze, which had been wavering, accidentally landed on the bed where Yoon Si-woo lay.
There, resting neatly, was the white dagger that Sylvia had borrowed from Yoon Si-woo and returned.
And in that moment,
“……Ah.”
A memory suddenly flashed in my mind.
It was of the fierce battle we had fought not long ago.
Reminding me of the Lust Witch manipulating countless lesser demonic beasts with her power.
“……Yes, the sacred relic.”
And I had clearly seen it that day.
“That… what is it, how dare you interfere with me!! You’re just an ordinary witch! I amplified my power with a sacred relic! Why can’t my abilities affect you!!”
I remembered the black jewel shining from the enemy’s neck.
Surely that was the sacred relic she mentioned.
Thinking of that, I quietly focused on the white dagger resting by Yoon Si-woo’s head.
The name of the white dagger was the Holy Sword of Truth.
Its abilities were to discern the truth of words.
And to locate specific opponents.
If there’s no way,
Then we would have to take it back.
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