Chapter: 357
I was always tormented by worry.
Having witnessed the end of this world brought about by the Gluttony Witch, I desperately wanted to change that horrific conclusion.
So, when I defeated the Gluttony Witch and achieved my goal, I was overjoyed.
Even if the consequence was that my body ended up like this.
“…It’s okay.”
Hadn’t I always thought this way?
As long as I could save everyone, it didn’t matter what happened to my body.
So.
“──────….”
I felt the tiny tremors of the air through my skin, indicating that someone in front of me was speaking, yet no sound reached my ears.
Other areas were bright, and while I could tell someone was before me in the dark before my eyes, I couldn’t make out who they were.
…The world had become so dark and silent that, despite feeling a bit scared and worried about how to move forward, I resolved.
“I’m okay…”
I was okay.
I decided to think positively and muster my strength.
“…So stop crying, Yoon Si-woo.”
If he didn’t, it was clear that he and many others, including the one dampening my shoulder, would be much sadder and tormented than I was.
As I repeated this to myself, I soothed the crying Yoon Si-woo.
And just when I was wearing a wry smile because of Yoon Si-woo, who couldn’t seem to stop his tears.
Suddenly, I felt Yoon Si-woo shove me aside and jump up in alarm.
His actions were frantic as if he had been startled by something.
I soon realized that he was indeed startled by something.
Despite most of my senses being impaired, some were still intact.
“This is…!”
I felt it up close.
The energy of another witch, not mine.
*
“…You!!”
Yoon Si-woo, who had been crying, stood up and drew his sword.
It was because of the hooded woman who had appeared behind them without anyone noticing.
Yoon Si-woo recognized her.
She was the evil witch who had kidnapped Scarlet in the Northern Boundary Region in the past.
What kind of mischief was she here to cause this time?
Everyone was already exhausted from the battle with the Gluttony Witch.
If she was here to strike while they were weak, it would be a situation where they could do nothing but fall victim.
…No matter what, he would protect everyone, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.
Yoon Si-woo thought that as he pointed his sword at the woman.
But she seemed uninterested in him, muttering while looking somewhere else.
“…I never thought you’d really fall.”
The place she was looking at was where the body of the Gluttony Witch lay.
She walked towards the corpse, crouched down, and said.
“…I thought if there was a being left alive at the end of this world, it would be you. So, you can die too.”
Perhaps because she was the one who had unleashed the Gluttony Witch into this world.
Her voice sounded heartbreaking, like someone who had lost a precious person.
However, contrary to her words, a broad smile was spread across her face.
It was a grin that seemed unable to contain her happiness, as if something exceedingly good had happened.
The woman reached out her hand towards the lifeless body of the burnt Gluttony Witch.
As her hand touched the witch’s corpse, reduced to ashes by Scarlet’s flames, it scattered away completely.
Including the hearts that witches usually leave behind even in death.
“Aah, completely burned away… How can I use this like this?”
Feeling as if it was a desperate act of not wanting to be used by her after dying, the woman chuckled softly.
“Well, it’s fine since I already have enough.”
With that, she dusted off the ash clinging to her hands and rose, finally noticing Yoon Si-woo, who was aiming his sword at her, and spoke playfully.
“Oh dear, you startled me. I only just noticed, hee hee.”
The woman, speaking mockingly, raised her hands as if to indicate she had no intention of fighting.
“Haha, why are you glaring like that? Don’t worry too much. I’m feeling very good right now because of what you all did, even though I was halfway considering giving up. So today, I’ll let you be without doing anything. Just today.”
“…Just today? What does that mean?”
“Hmm, I don’t think I need to answer that. You’ll find out soon enough.”
The woman evaded Yoon Si-woo’s question in such a vague manner, wearing a sly smile.
“Yes, you will come to understand. No matter how hard you struggle, the conclusion of this world is already determined.”
With that ominous statement, the woman vanished as quickly as she had appeared.
“…To know soon, what does that even mean?”
Feeling a peculiar discomfort, Yoon Si-woo mulled over her words.
But soon he realized that dwelling on it was pointless and decided to stop.
“…What was that? Didn’t a witch just appear and disappear? What’s going on?”
…For now, calming down Scarlet, who was trembling in anxiety without knowing what was happening, took precedence.
“…It’s okay. Nothing happened.”
Yoon Si-woo said this as he tightly grasped Scarlet’s hand.
Even if she couldn’t hear his words, perhaps holding her hand provided her some comfort.
Scarlet finally stopped shaking and became calm.
“…Haa.”
Yoon Si-woo let out a bittersweet sigh at the unfortunate sight of the girl who couldn’t help but tremble over the smallest matters.
“…For now, let’s rest.”
They were all too exhausted to think about anything else.
*
A few days passed since then.
“Oh, is Sylvia here?”
Having become physically uncomfortable in various ways, I ended up seeking refuge at Sylvia’s mansion.
In fact, I had been staying at the Astra mansion before, but I had now become a bit more of a burden.
Since I could do nothing on my own, I had no choice but to accept help from others.
In that sense, I was receiving so much assistance from Sylvia that it truly felt apologetic.
Sylvia must have been busy too, yet she was practically beside me for more than half the day.
Even I thought it would be bothersome, and I had told her that this was unnecessary, but I ended up getting scolded by Sylvia.
She insisted that she would handle it herself, so I shouldn’t feel burdened.
Honestly, I couldn’t help but feel burdened, but every time I brought it up, Sylvia would cry, saying she felt hurt, so I had no choice but to quietly lean on her.
Ah, and I had developed my own way of communication that allowed us to exchange such thoughts.
‘Did. You. Have. A. Good. Night?’
“Oh, did you ask if I slept well last night? Yes, I did.”
In this way, we would communicate by writing one letter at a time on each other’s palms.
At first, it was a bit challenging, but I soon got used to it.
While it did take some time, in my case, that wasn’t really a disadvantage.
It was just that time was something I had plenty of.
Given my condition, even if I had time, there wasn’t much I could do.
‘Didn’t. Cry. Like. Last. Time. Because. You. Were. Lonely?’
“Are you bringing up a story from days ago, asking if I cried because I was lonely? I haven’t done that since then!”
Plus, I didn’t even cry! I merely whimpered a bit!
…This refers to that day after I had become like this.
I had been surrounded by people worried about my condition, and when night fell, I sent them off, saying they must be tired and should get some rest.
That was when I realized.
When you can’t see or hear, being alone feels unbelievably long.
When you can neither see nor hear, it feels like being left in a void of silence and darkness, and do you know what that feels like?
It’s both frightening and lonely, and I feel shy to explain it in detail, but that’s roughly the gist of it.
In that state, being alone makes one minute feel like an hour.
Even during my time on duty in the camp, I never felt time drag on like that.
Anyway, while I was there, it felt like a long time had passed, and even though I waited and waited, no one showed up…
I eventually gave in and unconsciously wailed out loud, “Si, Sylvia… where are you? Why aren’t you here? You didn’t leave me… did you?” Damn it.
And to make matters worse, Sylvia happened to witness it.
As a result, for a while, there was a side effect where Sylvia wouldn’t leave my room even at night, and even though I kept saying I was fine, she wouldn’t believe me until only recently was I able to finally alleviate that side effect.
‘Scarlet. Is. A. Crybaby.’
“…Yeah. I am a crybaby. Is that enough?”
After that side effect was resolved, I was now continuously teased about it, just like now.
…This must all be my karma, damn it. Why didn’t I hold back and whimper?
Whenever I think back on that, a sigh escapes me, and I find myself exhaling “sigh” inwardly. Just then, Sylvia, who had been teasing me, suddenly fell silent.
To be exact, I couldn’t feel her fingers writing letters on my palm.
For me, that silence felt like a void—an eclipse.
And I knew why that sudden silence occurred, prompting a slight wry smile.
Have you ever heard that those who cannot see often have better hearing?
The idea that those missing a sense develop their remaining senses more than normal for survival.
Honestly, I used to think that didn’t make sense, but after becoming like this, I found it to be true.
With four of my five senses impaired and only touch remaining, it became significantly more sensitive.
To the extent that I could sense through the subtle vibrations in the air whether the person in front of me was crying or not.
“…It seems like the crybaby is not me but Sylvia.”
I said towards the now quiet Sylvia.
In response, she wrote on my palm firmly, insisting that she wasn’t a crybaby.
‘No. I’m. Not!’
If you want to deny it, at the very least, wipe away the moisture on your fingers.
…Really, I wonder why people cry so much when they are talking to me.
I hope for people to laugh, but lately, it seems like I’ve made them cry too much.
I felt okay regarding my body and everything else, but that one thing felt a little sad.
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