It had been a few days since I received the letter from the uncle.
The story about his suicide and the mistakes made by Astra had quietly faded away without being publicized on broadcasts or anywhere else.
[… Given that distrust in the committee has been growing due to various issues, it was best to let this slide quietly. Principal’s request to keep this under wraps couldn’t be ignored by anyone, especially as revealing the details about the experiment could lead to various troubles.]
I heard this reason over the phone from Sylvia.
It seemed that the principal was worried about the negative gossip surrounding her deceased brother among the people. After all, given that he was involved with an experiment linked to the witch, it wouldn’t be looked upon favorably by the public.
With that request from the principal in mind, and considering the potential ripple effects if the story spread, I couldn’t help but agree with the need to let it go quietly.
Additionally, I heard that some of the main figures involved in Astra’s plan to weaponize witches were punished. Although the punishment was lenient, like being confined at home, it was still a punishment since there were no victims aside from those directly involved in the experiments, as they had realized their mistakes and tried to halt the plan midway.
Since those in power faced consequences collectively, Sylvia found herself burdened with a lot of responsibilities.
[Ugh, there’s just so much I have to approve… Help me, Scarlet…]
Because of this, Sylvia, who had become quite busy, often called me to vent her frustrations.
It had become a part of my daily routine to encourage her lately.
[Thank you… I’ll try to do my best… By the way, is there anything wrong with you, Scarlet?]
When I encouraged her, she seemed hesitant before asking if everything was alright with me. I couldn’t help but smile slightly.
I was perceptive enough to realize that Sylvia’s increase in calling wasn’t solely for the purpose of venting about her hard work. I had figured out long ago that she worried about whether I was feeling down due to the uncle’s death and was subtly checking in on my well-being over the phone. But I chose not to let her know that I was aware of her concern.
I appreciated her thoughtfulness, and more than anything, these brief moments of conversation that we shared were precious to me.
“No. Nothing much happened.”
[…Is that so? That’s a relief…]
So today, like always, I replied and listened to her voice as she murmured in relief, chuckling lightly.
Typically, it would be common to end such a short conversation like this, but today, Sylvia added a bit more.
[You’ll be coming tomorrow, right?]
“Yeah, I’ll be going with Maria and the kids from the orphanage.”
I responded to her question while thinking about the event happening tomorrow.
Maria, who had suffered serious injuries from the Lesser Demonic Beasts, had fortunately recovered to the point of being able to resume her daily life due to prompt emergency care.
I was genuinely glad that I would be able to go with her tomorrow.
It would be a significant occasion for her in many ways.
[Then we’ll finally get to see each other tomorrow. See you then, Scarlet.]
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
With that farewell, my call with Sylvia came to an end.
After putting my mobile phone away, I opened the door and stepped into the living room.
On the couch sat Yoon Si-woo, rigidly fixated on the TV.
Seeing that, I smiled wryly as I sat next to him and quietly asked,
“…Feeling nervous?”
“… Yeah. I didn’t think I would be, but surprisingly I am.”
He replied while his hands trembled, pressed together in a praying gesture.
I gently placed my hand over his shaking ones and said,
“It’s okay. Yoon Si-woo, you can do well.”
“…Thanks, Scarlet.”
I looked at the TV screen where his face was being shown alongside Yoon Si-woo’s grateful response.
Tomorrow would be the day of his appointment ceremony as Captain.
*
I saw Yoon Si-woo off early in the morning for the rehearsal and finished my preparations before heading to the orphanage.
“Yoon Si-woo is becoming Captain! Awesome, right!”
“Super cool!”
“Alright, everyone calm down and line up. Make sure to hold hands tight so you don’t get lost and follow the principal well, okay?”
“Yes!”
When I arrived in front of the orphanage, I could see the children chatting excitedly with bright faces and Principal Maria trying to calm them down.
“Principal, I’m here.”
“Oh, Scarlet!”
As she greeted me with a bright face, I couldn’t help but bite my lip.
It was because of the eye patch covering one of her eyes.
Most of her injuries had healed completely, but the left eye that had been completely removed was deemed irrecoverable.
I wondered if things might have turned out differently if I had gone to save her a bit earlier.
As I gazed at the eye patch with mixed emotions, Maria seemed to catch my gaze and pointed to the eye patch, asking,
“Does it bother you? This?”
“Oh… I’m sorry for staring so hard…”
“Why apologize? In fact, I’m more thankful to you, Scarlet.”
With warm eyes, she continued to speak.
“If you hadn’t come to help, I might never have seen the children’s faces again. On a joyful day like today, I wouldn’t have been able to come out at all.”
“…”
“You are my savior, Scarlet. Thank you. Truly.”
Maria truly expressed her gratitude as she held my hand tightly.
Even at her difficult moments, she prioritized my feelings over her own.
Indeed, it would be rude to remain gloomy when Maria had expressed her gratitude like that.
Nodding with a smile made Maria beam with satisfaction.
Suddenly, I recalled her saying in the hospital, “Who else would take care of the children if not you?”
Respect welled up within me at the memory.
I too wanted to be someone who could face my difficulties with such composure.
“Hey, big sister…”
As I was talking with Maria, Leon had come up to me, tugging at my sleeve as if he wanted some attention.
“Sure, Leon. Want to hold hands?”
“Yeah! Hehe…”
As I laughed and held his hand, Leon beamed with joy.
Holding Leon’s hand tightly, I headed towards the square where the appointment ceremony would take place with everyone from the orphanage.
*
Upon arriving at the square, a considerable crowd was already bustling around.
According to Sylvia, they were intentionally making this a large-scale event.
The aim was to reassure people who were anxious due to various incidents that the city still had the strength to recover.
I remembered hearing that the city’s recovery efforts had been pushed to be more intensive than before, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the circumstances behind it.
It seemed they were putting in a lot of effort.
For me, it was manageable given my condition, but the other kids who lacked stamina were practically exhausted lately.
Anyway, it seemed the efforts bore fruit as the faces of those in the square didn’t look too bad.
Of course, that was also a result of Sylvia sitting up on the platform over there.
When I waved to her, she subtly waved back while being conscious of the people around her.
But there was an unmistakable weariness evident in her eyes from the fatigue of the past few days.
It was only natural considering how hard she’d been working.
In fact, when the news of Yoon Si-woo’s appointment as Captain was announced a few days ago, the public opinion wasn’t as positive as it is now.
It was understandable because he was too young to become a Captain.
Many were uneasy, and some even protested that it was absurd.
However, it has been historically proven that there wasn’t any more effective means of changing people’s minds than through the media.
Broadcasting programs like “The Reasons Why He Should Become Captain” and “The Journey of this Young Hero” ran around the clock, and when you actually watched them, it wasn’t entirely nonsense.
Initially, people reacted with disbelief, saying things like, “Hey, does that even make sense?” But after a few days of broadcasts, they started to respond like, “…If they say so, maybe we should just wait and see.”
Sylvia was the one who spearheaded that campaign.
She had been working tirelessly night after night, leading to the result that was reflected in the current atmosphere of the crowd in the square.
Of course, yesterday Yoon Si-woo lamented to me that all that pressure had doubled for him because of it.
*
As I was lost in thought, the announcement that the appointment ceremony was about to start rang out.
Once the announcement echoed, the previous bustling atmosphere quieted down, and everyone held their breath as their eyes turned to the stage, while at that moment, the sky began to shimmer.
In the clear sky, dark clouds began to gather.
While the unusual weather prompted murmurs among the crowd, I couldn’t help but hide a smirk.
I knew just how many magicians had worked behind the scenes to achieve that visual effect.
I heard that they had enlisted both Dwight, who had just returned from the front lines, and Martina to help with the production for Yoon Si-woo.
As the clouds conjured by the magicians cloaked the sky, the area darkened.
Everyone was gazing up at the sky as the atmosphere shifted.
Thus, no one noticed the young boy in the conqueror’s garb stepping out onto the platform.
Only I was focused on the boy, not the sky.
I wondered if he would be okay despite the jitters he had yesterday.
Worrying, I quietly murmured towards Yoon Si-woo.
Hang in there.
And yet, even though it shouldn’t have been possible for him to hear me from this distance, I felt as if Yoon Si-woo glanced in my direction and smiled slightly.
“A ray of light that can illuminate even the darkest of shadows.”
Immediately after, a beam of light shot forth from the ground, piercing through the dark clouds.
Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the clouds to illuminate the boy.
It was as if the boy on the platform was saving the city just like that fateful day.
In that majestic sight, the people staring at the sky looked entranced as they gazed at the boy.
Even I, who already knew what was to come, felt my heart race at the breathtaking display, so I could only imagine how those who were unaware felt.
In that instant, the faint unease and doubt lingering in people’s gazes transformed into anticipation and cheers.
Yet, the boy appeared poised and composed, accepting the gazes of the crowd without a hint of his previous nervousness.
“When did he grow so dignified…?”
Maria, seemingly nostalgic, looked up at the platform with watery eyes.
I turned my head to hold her hand and then looked back at the stage.
And there was Yoon Si-woo.
Noticing me, he gazed directly at me, beaming.
In response to his expression, I smiled back brightly.
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