Gasping for breath and making a wheezing sound, I took a deep breath.
“Scarlet! □□□ □□─!”
Perhaps noticing that my condition wasn’t good, Silvia hurriedly ran towards the front of the stage, shouting something at me.
In that moment, I realized I needed to say something to the people, but that was all I could think of.
My mind, already engulfed by the overwhelming hostility, felt as if it had been bleached, turning completely white and unable to articulate a single word.
All that escaped my lips were wheezes and sounds like “ah…” or “uh…”
As I remained unable to collect my thoughts, someone’s shout rang in my ears.
“Just say something! Why did you do that? Why did you make Yoon Si-woo like that!”
At the sharp scream filled with hostility, I flinched and shook my head.
There were certainly many things I wanted to say regarding that matter, but my head was spinning.
I couldn’t breathe properly.
“Ugh… no… it wasn’t… intentional…”
Ultimately, all I could muster as a response was such a pitiful excuse.
And that answer only fanned the flames of their ire.
It’s not like it wasn’t intentional! You made Yoon Si-woo like that!
How can we believe you when you say it wasn’t intentional! It’s clear you’re lying! You terrible witch!
Despite being a dreadful answer, it remained a fact nonetheless.
I never intended for Yoon Si-woo to become like that.
It truly wasn’t intentional.
But regardless of how I articulated the truth, the accusations against me were relentless.
All I could do was desperately shout the words that came to mind.
“No, no…! Really, it truly wasn’t intentional! Please believe me…! I’m not a bad witch…!”
Thus, I cried out that it wasn’t intentional regarding Yoon Si-woo’s situation.
I pleaded with those who wouldn’t believe my answer to trust me.
I lamented to those calling me a bad witch, feeling wronged.
Yet I already knew that such words would not reach them.
“Revenge! Burn the wicked witch alive!”
“I’ll return the pain the children suffered, twice as much!”
“Witch hunt! It’s a witch hunt!”
Amidst the shouts of the people, those words seemed to mix in.
The scene that Evangelin once experienced was overlapping with my current situation.
The platform I stood on felt like a pyre.
This place had become another site of witch hunting.
And the voice of someone already branded a witch, the cries of the despised, no matter how loudly I shouted, would not reach the people.
What audacity do you have to step into this town after making Yoon Si-woo like that!
With the hostilities filling the air, a stone suddenly flew towards me from somewhere.
I merely stared blankly at the stone flying toward my head, aiming directly at me.
The stone, accompanied by a thud, struck my head before dropping with a soft thump at my feet.
It was merely a stone thrown by a common person.
It wouldn’t injure the witch’s body, and if it did, it would be an attack merely enough for a quick recovery.
But, why did it hurt so much?
The spot that was hit hurt so, so badly.
Warm liquid trickled down my cheek as if a wound had appeared that wouldn’t heal.
I stared blankly ahead.
It seemed like that stone had become a signal, as stones and various items began to rain down from all directions toward me.
Some missed, but several struck my body.
It hurt.
However, even more painful than that was.
If we accept you, we’ll end up like Yoon Si-woo!
You want us to believe you? After doing such a thing?
Uuuugh!! The bad witch should leave the city immediately!
People’s barbed words and jeers flew alongside the objects being thrown at me.
Each one impaled deep in my heart, causing wounds of their own.
In that pain, I struggled and involuntarily sank to my knees on the ground.
Still on my knees, I looked at those injuring me.
They all seemed to share the same anger.
In that moment, I felt a hot emotion surge from deep within my chest.
To return the pain I was feeling to them.
It felt like the flames that once swallowed Evangelin.
Yet, I shook my head against the whispering temptation.
Because I knew the people had done nothing wrong.
They were merely individuals who, somewhere inside, were hurting and grieving, and could do nothing but lash out at someone.
Just as I wished to do now, they were people engulfed by flames, spewing their anger at someone else.
To refuse that temptation was hard.
So there was no fault in them.
I decided to think that way.
If I thought otherwise, I would someday regret it like Evangelin.
And if there was anyone to blame, only one thing remained.
“I… was wrong…”
So I bowed my head, on my knees, and apologized.
If they bore no wrongdoing, then the fault must lie with me.
“I was wrong…”
Yes, it was all my fault.
Yoon Si-woo is the protagonist of this world, while I am nothing more than an extra.
I was just a witch, not even a person.
It was wrong for Yoon Si-woo to become like that because of someone like me.
So it was my fault from the beginning.
My very existence was a mistake.
If I hadn’t existed in this world, Yoon Si-woo wouldn’t have turned out that way.
So I decided to blame myself instead of someone else.
The flames that had turned toward me didn’t harm others but instead injured myself.
But I thought that was enough.
That would suffice.
And then, at that moment.
“No!!”
A shrill voice suddenly pierced through the shouts and jeers surrounding me, reaching my ears.
As I lifted my head in surprise, I could see a small figure struggling through the crowd, running toward me.
Even though my vision was blurred by tears, I recognized who it was immediately.
It was Leon, that little girl from the orphanage who always followed me.
She ran onto the platform, sobbing.
Climbing up with difficulty, Leon hugged me tightly and then looked up at me.
As our eyes met, Leon asked, her voice trembling.
“Wheeze… Sister… you’re not a bad witch, are you…?”
Caught off guard by Leon’s sudden question,
“I, I…”
I couldn’t answer.
But Leon, as if asking why I hesitated, shouted loudly.
“You’re not a bad witch, sister!!”
Leon declared that with certainty, then stood up straight, turning her back to me and facing the crowd with her arms wide open.
It was as if she wanted to protect me with her tiny body, pointing at me prostrate before her.
But Leon’s legs were trembling.
The gaze of countless people must surely be frightful for a child like her.
Yet, even in fear, Leon mustered her voice to shout at the people.
“Wheeze… my sister isn’t a bad witch…!!”
In a place filled with the deepest hostility towards witches, the little girl cried out like that.
Despite everyone saying I was terrible, she boldly said those words.
“Wheeze… my sister played with me a lot…! She drew pictures with me and took me to the zoo…! Wheeze, so… so my sister isn’t a bad witch…! She can’t be a bad witch…! Waaaah…!”
With that, Leon burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but pull the child into my embrace.
I tried to soothe my little advocate, whose tears began to dampen my clothes with my trembling hands.
My heart felt heavy.
As I denied my own existence, the fact that this child stood up for me with such intensity while crying.
Her tiny hands clutching my clothes as if urging me not to go anywhere.
Rather than a feeling of gratitude, the sorrow inside me took precedence.
The hatred people had for witches was immense.
It was more than what this child could bear.
Even if she tried her hardest alone, Leon would someday face the same despair and hurt I had realized in my childhood.
I felt sorrowful, wishing for the child who had done her best for me not to get hurt any more than this.
I embraced Leon tightly, covering her eyes and ears to shield her from the hostility aimed at me.
At that moment, holding Leon in my arms, I suddenly realized something.
The surroundings had gone silent.
The barrage of insults and objects flying towards the stage had seemingly ceased.
Perhaps they couldn’t unleash their hatred at the girl crying and shouting on the platform, as she was simply there out of love.
Leon probably hadn’t thought of this, but her actions had compelled even the raging storm of hostility to momentarily settle, bringing calmness.
Only Leon’s sniffles could be heard in that silence.
Seeing the previously chaotic crowd quiet down made me think of it as a miracle Leon had worked.
But such a miracle was fleeting.
Had nothing happened after that moment, the people would have returned to pouring hostility upon me like before.
It surely would have.
However, at that moment,
“That girl is right! Scarlet is the one who came to our orphanage to play with us whenever she had the time! She saved me and my family from those demonic beasts! There’s no way she could be a bad person…! Yoon Si-woo’s incident was certainly an accident!”
Suddenly, a voice shouted from among the crowd.
The sound rang booming even to my distant ears.
I turned to see who had spoken, spotting Maria, the director of the orphanage, standing in a corner of the crowd with veins popping from her neck as she yelled.
“Exactly! Sister Scarlet isn’t a bad witch! She saved us!”
“She’s the nice older sister who plays with us…!”
Following Maria, the children from the orphanage, who clung to each of their caregivers, raised their voices.
One corner of the crowd that had been hurling accusations at me was now filled with their supportive words instead.
In the midst of such chaos, there were people willing to speak for me.
Though I felt immensely thankful for their words, they were only a grain of sand among all the hostility.
Understandably, their statements alone couldn’t change the people’s view of me.
But suddenly,
“That… is true! That young lady helped my family!”
Another voice chimed in, declaring from somewhere in the crowd.
“…I’ve received help from her too! Wasn’t it an accident? Wouldn’t it be alright to give her a chance?”
It seemed like others were also contributing their voices.
Like a dam bursting, one supportive statement after another began to flow out.
Until now, their cries had been drowned out by the cacophony of hostility, yet now they grew more pronounced and louder.
“Uh… um…?”
I stared blankly at the scene, unable to process it.
How could this be happening? I should have been a target of hatred, an enemy of these people.
Yet here they were, speaking out for me, extending their voices…
“What’s up with those people…?”
“Good! A lot of them have come out for you.”
As I pondered the mystery of these people, Principal approached me, muttering softly.
“Last night, Scarlet’s friends toiled away, finding each and every person who received help from you. They asked if they could come out today to speak up for you. I certainly wouldn’t want to see Eve’s saddened expression either.”
With an awkward smile, the Principal pointed towards the distance, where kids and Eve were waving their hands.
I felt tears welling up as I looked at the sight of those people gathering to speak up for me.
What could I possibly do to repay this kindness?
The only thing I could say was thank you, so I tried to utter those words.
“Thank… thank you─.”
“You don’t have to say thanks.”
Then, the Principal spoke to me.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
Indicating the place where people were lending their voices,
“They’re just returning the kindness you’ve shown them.”
At that, I stared blankly ahead.
I looked back at the faces of those who were speaking up for me.
There stood,
There stood…
“That sister once saved me when I nearly got hurt! She’s such a nice sister!”
There was a boy who had given me a band-aid decorated with a teddy bear.
“That young lady has helped me carry my packages. There’s no way someone with such a kind heart could be a bad person.”
There was also an elderly lady I had helped with her belongings once.
“That sister saved us when our father became aggressive!”
“Yeah, we should definitely thank her, right?”
There were the mother and daughter I saved when the demonic beasts invaded.
“If that young lady hadn’t helped us escape through the sewers a while ago, we would have all been killed!”
“Right! She even made us a torch to keep us from getting scared!”
There were those saved from the sewers alongside Silvia.
“The reason so many of them came forward is not because we asked them to but because, Scarlet Evande, you performed great deeds and showed signs of sacrifice and devotion. It wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.”
The Principal said while I stared blankly at the scene.
“So don’t feel like you have to thank them.”
With a tone of casual normalcy.
“It’s only natural for those you’ve helped to help you back.”
With that, while looking at me with a proud face, he patted my shoulder.
And with those words,
“Ah…”
Suddenly, flames erupted from my being.
I could see the people around me startled by the sudden flame but quickly realizing that it wouldn’t burn anything, they gazed at it with intrigue.
Leon, who had been crying, stopped and giggled at the sight of the flames.
Unlike her, I couldn’t stop my vision from growing hazy.
I had denied my own existence.
I thought it was better to not exist in this world.
For no matter what actions I took, being a witch meant I would naturally be hated.
Even if I showed kindness, I would only receive hostility in return, which was sad.
I had given up on expectations of the world, even if just for a moment.
Yet, the fact that so many people were trying to help me, remembering my past kindnesses—
The voices responding to the kindness I’ve shown.
Were proof that my existence, my life thus far, was not meaningless.
Regardless of how selfish people may be, there were still those who remembered kindness.
No matter how harsh the world may be, it still allowed good deeds to return.
I felt nothing but joy from that realization, flooded with happiness.
“Ah… ugh…”
I couldn’t stop the tears flowing uncontrollably.
“When the demonic beasts tried to invade the gym, she risked her life to stop them. That would make her our savior…”
“Someone like that can’t simply be labeled as a bad witch just because she’s a witch!”
“Let’s give her a chance!”
So many were shouting in chorus.
I needed to remember the faces of those kind people.
Yet the tears kept flowing, bizarrely so.
No matter how much I wiped them away, they wouldn’t stop.
I could no longer discern the faces of the people.
Yet, amid such chaos, I could still sense one thing.
The hostility enveloping us weakened against the rising voices.
“…That witch seems to have done a lot of good.”
Those who claimed they could never forgive me now bore looks of uncertainty.
“…Honestly, I’m still uneasy, but maybe just this once.”
Those who had shouted against me contemplated the idea of giving me a chance.
Before long, the once oppressive hostility began to wane.
“…It seems like things have settled down.”
The Principal said after scanning the room.
Indicating toward me, he gestured for me to stand.
I wiped at my persistent tears and grasped Leon’s hand, rising to my feet.
“Scarlet Evande.”
The Principal stood directly across from me, adopting the most solemn expression.
“Though you are a witch, you protected 12,493 precious lives from the demonic beasts that invaded the academy, and in many incidents, you demonstrated a selfless nature in protecting others. If that isn’t false, please answer us.”
With utmost seriousness, he asked me.
“Can we trust you?”
“…”
At that question, I pondered for a moment before turning slightly.
This answer was something I had to give to the many eyes focused on me.
“…I understand that there will be many who will find it hard to believe, but I promise.”
Therefore, I spoke before them.
The moment I uttered the word ‘promise,’ it became something I could not break.
This was a pact I made with myself as a witch.
A vow to myself, one not to break my promise.
And it was a pledge regarding my future life as well.
“I will act for the sake of others before myself.”
Every hero swears that oath when they are appointed.
“No matter the situation, I will not abandon my comrades.”
I uttered those words.
“Even when everyone is in despair, I shall never cease to move forward.”
Though I had not been formally inducted,
This was the best answer I could give for those who made it possible for me to find meaning in my life, one I had even denied.
“I will stake my honor and name on this pledge, even if it could cost me my life.”
Thus, as a foreigner from another world,
A witch who had been hated by the people,
Finally, I resolved to protect this world.
“I will fight, solely for the peace and well-being of humanity.”
With tears streaming down my face,
And yet smiling joyfully.
“I swear right here.”
I swear right here.
I will become a hero.
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