After wrapping up the matters between Yoon Si-woo and Ari, Scarlet Evande began sharing the remaining stories with Yoon Si-woo alongside Sylvia.
As I carefully summarized the tales, we soon found ourselves discussing the time we took down the Witch of Lust.
“—So, I went inside the gigantic centipede’s body and defeated the Witch of Lust, bringing back the sacred relic,” I explained.
“Wow, you fought her one-on-one and won, that’s impressive! But did you struggle or anything during the fight?”
Yoon Si-woo happened to ask about the battle against the Witch of Lust. I knew he meant well with his concerned question, but I couldn’t help my lips from tightening at the moment I heard it.
After all, it brought back the embarrassing memories of my past when I struggled and called out to my Master pathetically, completely overcome by my abilities.
In any case, I had previously told Sylvia that nothing had happened, and I couldn’t just lay out my shameful memories in the open.
So, I took a deep breath to steady my racing heart and answered Yoon Si-woo’s question as naturally as possible.
“Ah, it was no trouble at all. It was an easy win,”
“…Hmm?”
Immediately after my response, I noticed the awkward expression that formed on Yoon Si-woo’s face and realized my slip-up.
Damn it, come to think of it, he has the Holy Sword of Truth, doesn’t he?!
It had been so long since I’d told the story that I completely forgot my lies wouldn’t work…!
“Um, Scarlet… did something happen when you fought the witch?”
Unfortunately for me, Yoon Si-woo was keenly attentive and seemed determined to pry into the specifics of that incident.
There was no way a flimsy excuse would fly with him, and if this continued, my embarrassing secret would be fully exposed.
As I faced a social catastrophe and began to break out in a cold sweat, suddenly—
-#$%^&…!!!
A loud commotion erupted from outside.
In a desperate attempt to escape the situation that might have ended my life, I shouted out, having heard the noise.
“Wait a second! Isn’t it a bit chaotic outside?”
“Hmm? Ah, you’re right. What’s going on?”
Fortunately, it seemed that my distraction worked, as Yoon Si-woo halted his questioning, opening the window to check what was happening outside.
And the moment he opened the window,
“Hey! Look! It’s Yoon Si-woo!”
“The news about him waking up was true!”
We could see a crowd gathered in front of the mansion.
“…Captain Martina?”
“It seems the academy students have come too…?”
As Yoon Si-woo and I stared in shock at the sea of familiar faces, Sylvia, who had sneaked a peek outside, smiled at us.
“Hehe, I contacted the people just a little while ago to inform them. It seems everyone came flocking once they heard Yoon Si-woo had awakened.”
“Ah… so that’s why…”
Hearing Sylvia’s words made me feel a bit embarrassed.
Upon reflection, I should have been the one to share the wonderful news of Yoon Si-woo‘s awakening with everyone, but I completely forgot to do that, caught up in my excitement.
I was just grateful that Sylvia didn’t forget and took care of what I should have done instead.
Moreover, the fact that people had arrived just in time meant Yoon Si-woo’s attention would be entirely focused on everyone, thus allowing me to escape the imminent risk of my secret being exposed!
“Yoon Si-woo! I was genuinely worried about you not waking up!”
“I’m so glad you’re back!”
“Haha… I’m sorry to have worried you all.”
Anyway, the room filled up quickly with the crowd gathered due to the news about Yoon Si-woo.
From Captain Martina to the academy students and even members of the squad Yoon Si-woo led, despite the spacious room, it was overflowing with people.
Thus, Sylvia and I stepped back a little to avoid interrupting Yoon Si-woo‘s reunion with everyone.
While waiting outside the room with Sylvia for the chatter to subside, I noticed Dwight, who had been mingling with the crowd, discreetly making his way toward us.
“Hey, Dwight. You came to see Yoon Si-woo too? Have you spoken to him yet?”
“No, there seem to be many others who want to talk to him too. For now, I just wanted to confirm that he’s awake.”
Responding to my inquiry, Dwight took a seat in front of Sylvia, appearing to have a more pressing matter on his mind.
“By the way, Sylvia, is it true about the sacred relic? You said the Magic that was tainting it disappeared when it woke up?”
“Yes, it’s hard to believe for me as well, having witnessed it firsthand. But it’s probably best to check it out directly.”
Since Sylvia had shared not just Yoon Si-woo‘s story but also the one about the sacred relic, she handed it to Dwight for him to see.
With the glowing sacred relic now in hand, Dwight scrutinized it, his expression shifting from disbelief as he muttered in astonishment.
“Unbelievable… I can’t feel even a trace of the vile Magic that was once present. What on earth happened here…?”
Filled with previous sleepless nights trying to combat its Magic, he seemed somewhat deflated but, not for long.
After a brief, bemused grin, he wiped away any sign of disappointment and declared cheerfully.
“Well, regardless, we can now make use of the sacred relic, so this is definitely good news. Just as I treated Yoon Si-woo, there’s boundless potential for its application elsewhere. This is something worth researching.”
There’s a saying that as long as you arrive in Seoul, it doesn’t matter which route you take.
Having verified the normalization of the sacred relic, Dwight seemed full of ambition about the possibilities.
Just as the three of us were delving into discussions about how to utilize the sacred relic,
“Speaking of which, Captain Yoon Si-woo, there’s one thing that has been bothering me, may I ask a question?”
“What’s on your mind?”
“Well… Scarlet mentioned before that she fell into a critical state while you were helping her, is that true?”
Upon hearing my name suddenly echo, I perked up, realizing that Yoon Si-woo was being questioned by one of his squad members, likely a fellow team member.
As I kept quiet to focus on the conversation, Yoon Si-woo managed to respond.
“Yes, that is true.”
“Oh, so it really is true?!”
“…Was there a problem with me helping Scarlet?”
The squad member couldn’t hide his surprise at the revelation, prompting Yoon Si-woo to respond coolly, sensing a heat in the air.
“There’s no problem… it’s just that it’s hard to believe. After all, you, Captain Yoon Si-woo, wouldn’t have known that Scarlet is a witch. So to hear that you risked your life to assist a witch who was causing chaos by burning down the city is frankly hard to believe…”
I couldn’t help but nod in agreement; it was a fair question.
For people unaware of the circumstances, they’d simply think that Yoon Si-woo had succumbed to me—would they imagine he collapsed while helping me?
I had anticipated there would be quite a few who wouldn’t believe me, no matter what I said.
Well, since I’ve been acknowledged now, I thought it wouldn’t matter, but—
“…But I have to share this now; in fact, I knew about it long before. I’ve known that Scarlet is a witch for quite some time, and that’s why I helped her. Please don’t doubt her words because she doesn’t lie.”
It seemed there was one person who thought differently.
Caught off guard by Yoon Si-woo’s sudden declaration, I was left stunned.
Hey, why did you have to answer like that…!
“Wait…?! You knew all along?”
“Hold on, are you saying you hid that fact from us?”
Given this kind of reaction was inevitable, I could only think of how naïve he was.
“Yes, I knew and chose to hide it. I apologize.”
Yoon Si-woo immediately apologized to the surprised crowd, while I felt a throbbing headache coming on.
Frankly speaking, that discussion didn’t need to come up now; it would only harm Yoon Si-woo’s reputation.
To have someone appointed as captain choosing to ignore a potential danger to the city would certainly not sit well with people.
While it wouldn’t lead to catastrophic consequences, it wouldn’t be viewed favorably by the public either.
“Captain Yoon Si-woo… Considering the outcome, I don’t think there was a need to apologize, but honestly, it’s still a bit concerning.”
Among the crowd, an atmosphere lingered that suggested Yoon Si-woo hadn’t done something terribly wrong, yet it also didn’t seem he did something commendable.
“It’s true that considering the events, we can believe Scarlet is not a bad witch now, but under Captain Yoon Si-woo’s circumstances, it’s hard to say for certain…”
“Now that you mention it, it does seem kinda iffy… There wasn’t enough evidence to believe that Scarlet wasn’t a bad witch, yet you risked yourself to help her. While I assisted along with the others to help Scarlet escape, I can’t say I trusted her like you did….”
As evident in people’s conversations, the negativity stemmed from the perception that Yoon Si-woo had engaged in reckless gambling.
As they pointed out, if I truly were the bad witch they referred to, then Yoon Si-woo’s actions would’ve led to a disaster.
What led him to believe in me without any evidence?
If Yoon Si-woo couldn’t explain himself properly, it would undoubtedly become problematic.
While these individuals were all friendly with Yoon Si-woo, I worried what might happen if the story reached others.
“Yoon Si-woo’s playing a dangerous game, risking civilian lives on an uncertain gamble!” Such malicious rumors could spread.
In a worst-case scenario, it could end up costing Yoon Si-woo his captaincy or even disciplinary action.
That was my worst-case scenario in my mind, but it was still a possibility.
As I paced back and forth ruminating over what to do, I then heard Yoon Si-woo’s voice.
“Then all I need to do is answer: what grounds I had to believe that Scarlet is not a bad witch?”
“…Yes? In that case.”
“It’s simple, really. Please step back, everyone. I’m going to show you that evidence right now. I believe it will help you all understand immediately.”
At Yoon Si-woo’s prompt, the crowd looked puzzled but began to step back.
In the newly created space between them, I made eye contact with Yoon Si-woo.
He wore a somewhat mischievous grin.
I realized then what Yoon Si-woo was about to do, muttering to myself.
What a crazy guy.
“I’d like to apologize for hiding that Scarlet is a witch, but in fact, I have one more thing I’ve concealed. Please don’t be too shocked.”
At the same time, Yoon Si-woo spoke to the crowd.
Holy Sword, reversal.
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