After the meal, a pile of dishes awaited.
Washing the dishes is important.
If you don’t neatly tidy away everything stuck to the plates and utensils, it can lead to trouble later on.
Thus, Yoon Si-woo paid full attention to the washing.
He scrubbed, wiped, and polished the dishes that had held the food he served Scarlet, making sure they were spotless.
He cleaned them so thoroughly that they shone brighter than when he first bought them.
In truth, washing the dishes had long been finished.
There weren’t that many dishes to wash from just one person’s meal.
Yet, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t seem to tear himself away from the sink because, unlike the remnants stuck to the dishware, the distracting thoughts swirling in his mind clung to him like stains that wouldn’t disappear.
“…Ah, I’m really losing it.”
The heat hadn’t dissipated.
Even when he tried to settle himself, strange feelings from earlier kept resurfacing, unsettling him.
Lucy had taught him that the most important trait for a swordsman is an unshakeable mind, like still water.
However, his heart was rocking back and forth like a ship caught in a storm.
At this rate, when he saw Scarlet again, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to treat her as before, so he had to calm this feeling somehow.
That’s why he was washing dishes.
There’s nothing like monotonous repetitive tasks to organize a confused mind.
Just as swordsmen swing their swords in a meditative state when troubled, he was cleaning the dishes to find his own peace of mind.
He had already been holding onto one dish for close to ten minutes.
After scrubbing it clean for quite a while, making sure no moisture lingered by drying it with a towel, the dish sparkled, shining as if there were no more dishes left.
Looking at the gleaming dish, he felt his heart settle a bit as well.
Feeling unexpectedly proud, he lightly stroked the clean surface of the plate.
The surface was smooth.
Scarlet’s skin had been this smooth when he wiped the sweat from her earlier…
Wait, what am I thinking…!
Hastily pulling his hand away from the dish, he shook his head to rid himself of stray thoughts, but it was already too late.
Once the dam of intrusive thoughts was broken, they began to swirl around like a relentless tide.
He felt an overwhelming sense of self-loathing.
What was he? A frenzied beast? How could a swordsman let himself be so swayed by his emotions?
As he engaged in this internal self-reproach, Lucy’s voice echoed in his head.
“…Well, if you’re a man, isn’t that only natural? Though from my perspective, it’s a bit annoying.”
…Lucy, I’m sorry, but please leave me alone right now.
At her remark, Yoon Si-woo sulked inwardly, feeling like crying.
Fortunately, as if respecting his wishes, he felt the connection between the two of them start to fade, yet the scene he created was already an embarrassing spectacle.
Even if Lucy seemed distant, she actually had a mischievous side, and he couldn’t help but imagine her teasing him about this later.
Imagining that made his face warm with shame, and he sighed heavily as he jumped at the sound of a door opening nearby.
For some reason, Scarlet, whom he had just sent back to her room, seemed to be the one opening the door again.
He had thought she would fall back asleep since she wasn’t feeling well, but perhaps she wanted to wash something before heading back?
In any case, he didn’t have the confidence to face Scarlet’s face right now.
He was already trying his hardest to suppress the strange thoughts rushing through his head; seeing Scarlet now seemed like it would only make things worse.
So, he forced himself to focus on the washing, pretending to be fully immersed in the task.
But his sensitive instincts picked up unnecessary information.
Scarlet had stepped out from her room and was now slowly approaching him.
One step, then another, she was getting closer.
He desperately tried to ignore the presence creeping up behind him.
But she, undeterred by his efforts, stopped right behind him.
Unable to ignore her any longer, he asked with a trembling voice.
“…W-what’s going on? If you’re not feeling well, you should go back to rest.”
“…”
No response.
Instead,
“Hmm…?!”
An arm stretched out from behind him, slowly wrapping around his body.
At the same time, the soft sensation he felt against his back caused Yoon Si-woo to involuntarily let out a startled sound.
His mind went blank; he couldn’t grasp what was happening for a moment.
After a brief pause, he finally realized.
Scarlet was hugging him from behind.
And the moment he recognized it, the flames he had tried to suppress flared back to life.
The fire in his chest burned even more fiercely, possibly due to the reaction of having suppressed it before.
Yet whether she was aware of it or not, the girl murmured, still holding him from behind.
“…Yoon Si-woo, Yoon Si-woo.”
Hearing her softly call his name, he felt his patience slipping away.
He knew he had warned himself.
He tried to hold back.
He thought he was doing it for her sake, yet she kept behaving this way, unaware of his feelings…
He squeezed his eyes shut.
But still, the heat in his chest kept rising.
The rising heat threatened to burn the last remnants of reason he barely held onto.
So, he turned around, breaking free of her embrace.
He desperately tried to give one last warning.
Please, just go back into the room and sleep again.
And the moment he opened his eyes,
Yoon Si-woo swallowed hard.
“…Hello, Yoon Si-woo.”
In front of him was a girl greeting him.
She had red hair and red eyes.
The appearance of the girl he had always known.
But something was different.
The girl he knew never had such a gaze.
So, Yoon Si-woo found himself asking without realizing it.
“…W-who are you, really?”
Toward the girl who looked like Scarlet, but was someone he didn’t know.
Then the girl replied.
“Don’t you know?”
With a profound sadness in her eyes.
“You said you would kill me, didn’t you?”
Saying that with a smile.
“You said you would kill me, didn’t you?”
Upon hearing that, Yoon Si-woo realized.
This being was indeed the witch that Scarlet had warned him about.
As soon as the realization struck, memories of Scarlet‘s plea resurfaced.
“If one day I am no longer myself, then please, you must kill me.”
When he accepted that request, he hadn’t truly comprehended its weight.
He had never seen it with his own eyes.
But when faced with something resembling her, the thought of having to kill her didn’t come easily.
Did he really have to kill her?
Just moments ago, he had been talking normally with Scarlet?
Surely, he had promised to honor that request, but he had never truly thought about it.
That he would be suddenly placed in a situation where he needed to kill her.
As if suffocating, his breath became rapid.
The sensation of piercing her heart with the sword flooded his mind, causing his hands to tremble.
It felt like he might vomit.
Yet, disregarding that thought, the being that looked like Scarlet spoke nonchalantly.
“Regardless, nice to meet you. This is the first time we’re having a real conversation.”
He couldn’t accept her calm demeanor.
How could she be so composed after taking Scarlet away just like that?
“…What happened to Scarlet! Give her back!”
When he shouted, the witch answered in a tranquil voice.
“Don’t worry about her. She’s just taking a little nap. To let her guard down like this, while never showing a weakness normally… It seems she’s pretty exhausted from fighting.”
“…So, you mean she can come back?”
“Yep, so don’t fret. For now, I just want to have a chat with you.”
It was hard to trust her words, yet he felt a sense of relief as truth’s holy sword confirmed she was telling the truth.
Scarlet hadn’t vanished forever.
The mere fact that this was such a relief struck him hard.
With that comfort, he began to speculate about the identity of the one standing before him.
Could this truly be the witch that Scarlet had feared?
But somehow, she didn’t feel as threatening in that moment.
So he cautiously asked to confirm her identity.
“…Are you really the witch?”
“I can’t deny that. It seems I’m being called that.”
She nodded readily in response to his question.
His confusion only deepened.
Could it be that this witch was just like Lucy, a kind witch?
No, but more importantly, he had one pressing question.
“…How do you know about the promise between Scarlet and me?”
Upon hearing this, the witch chuckled lightly and replied.
“Well, I saw and heard everything.”
“…What?”
“Literally. I heard every word you said to her.”
…She heard everything?
That realization made Yoon Si-woo’s face turn red.
He was aware he had said some rather embarrassing things.
Yet, undeterred, the witch continued.
“When I hear your words, they resonate. Your true feelings. So I can’t help but see you positively. I know how much you cherish her. I also know you will stand by her side no matter what happens.”
“…Ugh.”
“And so, I must say…”
As he hung his head in shame, the witch took a step closer.
Then she wrapped her arms around him, looking up with a somewhat playful tone.
“Are you interested in me? I wouldn’t mind you, you know. What do you say?”
“?! W-what are you saying?! Don’t talk about that while wearing Scarlet’s body!”
Yoon Si-woo shouted in sheer panic.
He knew she was a separate being, but her body still belonged to Scarlet.
Moreover, as she said she wouldn’t mind him, it brought back memories of moments earlier, making him even more flustered.
“Hm, I was rather serious about it, you know. What a pity.”
When he pushed the witch away as she leaned in closer, she murmured this with a disappointed expression.
In that moment, she looked just like a normal person.
Yoon Si-woo quietly said to her.
“…Just looking at you now, you really don’t seem like a bad witch.”
Upon saying that, the witch paused momentarily, then replied.
“…Does it seem that way?”
“…Yeah, kind of. So, can’t you get along with Scarlet a bit better?”
“…Getting along, huh, hehe. Getting along.”
For a moment, the witch smiled, but her expression turned somber as she posed a question.
“You know what kind of witch I am, right?”
“…Yeah, the Witch of Rage.”
Yoon Si-woo recalled the story he knew of her.
One day, she appeared, burning down the elves’ forest and the World Tree, only to be defeated by Astra.
The one responsible for creating the Demonic Beasts of Rage that killed his parents.
However, she didn’t appear to be someone who could have done such terrible things.
And as she looked at him, he could see a hint of sorrow in her smile.
“If I had someone like you next to me, perhaps things would have been different.”
At that moment, the expression that had been filled with sorrow deepened.
Then suddenly,
Her demeanor changed.
“But there wasn’t.”
And at that moment, Yoon Si-woo realized.
He understood how alien this seemingly ordinary being was.
“There was no one for me.”
How suffocating it felt just to be near her with those profoundly painful emotions.
“Phaelins, Nia, Erika, Ronan, Eru, Liru… they’ve all perished.”
Yoon Si-woo felt the fragments of the emotions she held.
“All those who would believe in me are gone; no one believes in me.”
That deep and dark feeling surrounding her was almost overwhelming.
“Do you know what it feels like for no one to believe in you?”
It was sorrow.
“Do you know what it feels like to be cast aside by those you considered family? Do you know what it feels like to be scorned for actions taken for everyone’s sake? Do you know the feeling of being ignored shout ‘It’s not fair!’? Do you know how painful it is to have people’s gazes filled with malice? Do you know the pain of being consumed by flames while clinging to your precious ones? Do you know how much more sorrowful it is that not a single person believes in you than to be burned?”
Sorrow filled her eyes.
The sadness in her eyes was red.
The tears overflowing from her eyes flowed down her cheeks, reflecting a color like rage.
Yoon Si-woo did not understand her sorrow.
He couldn’t empathize with her pain.
He only knew that there was a reason she became this way.
“It hurt. It was painful. I hated a world that made me this way. I wanted revenge. I wanted to burn it all down. I wanted to set fire to this entire world and the witch that made me like this. So that’s what I wished for. But I wasn’t allowed to.”
Her eyes, which had been solely filled with sorrow, glimmered with a hint of regret.
Yoon Si-woo understood she had embarked on an irreversible path.
Once a course is set, there’s no stopping it.
As she shed endless tears of red, she gradually stopped, wiping her eyes as she spoke.
“…You said I don’t seem like a bad witch, right?”
When he nodded slowly, she forced a smile.
“That’s because I’m still in an incomplete state. And it’s also because those children are sharing my curse. The original me can only utter things about burning. So this chance to speak with you may well be the last.”
She muttered that, looking directly into his eyes.
“So next time you meet me, don’t talk, just swing your sword. Since I like you, I’m advising you as a favor. I’m not sure if you will, though.”
Her request for him to slay her echoed with Scarlet’s earlier plea for him to kill her.
At that moment, she swayed.
As she wobbled, he grabbed her shoulders to steady her, and she smiled, mumbling as if resigned.
“I think I’ve reached my limit.”
He saw her eyes slowly closing.
Leaning against him, she whispered what might be her final words.
“Take care, Yoon Si-woo. I’ll pray that you can keep your promise to that girl.”
With those final words, her body went completely limp.
As he quickly caught her before she fell, rhythmic breathing indicated she had drifted off to sleep.
The heat that had been within her body was now gone.
Would Scarlet return when he opens his eyes, just like she said?
Unlike the truth’s holy sword, he didn’t feel like she had lied to him, so he wasn’t overly anxious about it.
However, what left him uneasy was…
As Yoon Si-woo looked down at Scarlet lying on the bed, he quietly clenched his trembling hands.
Could he truly kill her with his own hands?
When questioned, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t provide a clear answer.
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