Chapter: 122
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago.
In a certain forest, a girl opened her eyes.
With black hair and red eyes, the girl stared blankly at the sky and thought.
Where am I?
And who am I?
The girl had no memories.
She had no purpose.
She had nothing.
So, the girl spent her days aimlessly sitting and wasting time.
Until one day.
While sitting there again, the girl encountered another being for the first time.
A girl with dark violet hair and lazy-looking eyes.
When the girl discovered the one sitting blankly, she tilted her head and asked.
– You. I feel a similar energy from you. Who are you?
The girl couldn’t answer that question.
Because she didn’t know who she was either.
The girl with dark violet hair asked the girl who was silent.
– …It seems like you’re alive. Can you understand my words?
This time, the girl nodded.
Then, the girl with dark violet hair looked at her for a moment and mumbled as if realizing something.
– …Hmm, perhaps I felt this way when I was new too. By the way, you look so empty, it might be fun to watch you.
With a strange smile, the girl with dark violet hair said to the girl.
– Hey, I’ll give you a gift since you have nothing. Now, follow me. Evangeline.
– …Evangeline?
– Yes, Evangeline, which means someone who will relieve my boredom, is now your name.
– …I, name, Evangeline.
The girl quietly murmured the name she had just received.
The girl who had nothing became a girl with a name.
Thus, the girl became Evangeline.
*
From the day she got her name, the girl began to change a little.
Things she used to see blankly started to look new after a while.
The clouds floating in the sky, the tall trees, the flowing stream, and the blooming flowers.
The girl began to wonder if they had names like her.
If they didn’t have names, it would be quite a pity.
The girl was very happy when she got her name, and she wanted to share that joy with others.
So, she asked everything that caught her eye.
– You, name?
And all the nameless things that couldn’t answer that question.
To the clouds, trees, stream, and flowers, the girl gave names.
Hoping they would be as happy as she was, she attached simple sounds to them, like Ah, Oh, Ee, Oo.
One day, while wandering through the forest and naming things she encountered.
– Hmm? A human? In such a deep part of the forest?
– You, name?
– Huh? My name is Liru…
– I, name, Evangeline.
The girl met a being for the first time that answered her question.
– Oh, I see… So your name is Evangeline. Evangeline, where’s your family? Where do you live?
– …?
– …What? Are you living alone in the forest without a family? No way… Oh no, could it be that you had an accident and lost your memory?
The little elf named Liru grabbed the girl’s arm and said.
– …Um, Evangeline, would you like to stay with us at our house?
Maybe following her would allow the girl to meet many more named things.
The girl was intrigued by this being named Liru, so she decided to follow her.
– Evangeline, this is the village where I live.
– …Village.
Following Liru, the girl arrived at a strange place called a village for the first time.
– Yes, and over there is our home.
– …Home.
In the village, there were many large, square houses.
– Liru? Who is this little human? Didn’t we talk about not letting strangers into the village?
– Ah, Dad, um, she wandered in the forest and lost her memory… She looks like my age, and I thought it would be sad to leave her alone… Could we let her stay with us until she remembers?
– …Sigh, I understand. I’ll have to tell the chieftain.
Inside, many little and big Lirus were living.
– I, name, Evangeline. You, name?
– …You really don’t have any memories, do you? Yes, Evangeline, I am Arun, Liru’s dad.
– Dad, Arun.
– I am Luna, Liru’s mom. Nice to meet you, Evangeline.
– Mom, Luna.
The biggest Liru was Dad, Arun.
The second biggest was Mom, Luna.
– Wah.
– Name, Wah?
– No, that’s my little brother, Eru.
– …Brother, Eru.
And Liru and the smallest Liru, brother Eru.
The girl began to live in the house where Liru and family lived.
– Evangeline, from today, you are part of our village.
Thus, the girl had a place to stay.
*
The days the girl spent with Liru were a continuous learning experience.
She learned a lot while staying with Liru.
She realized that the things she had named as Ah, Oh, Ee, and Oo were actually named clouds, trees, stream, and flowers, and that Liru was part of a race called elves instead of just Liru.
– Evangeline, try this. It’s a baked potato, and it’s delicious.
– …Fire, hurts.
– Woah?! What are you doing sticking your hand in the fire?! It must be so hot! Are you alright?!
– …It hurt, but I’m okay now. Ah… the potato is delicious…
– Phew, that’s a relief. You seem fine…
She learned that fire is hot and hurts, but still, the hot potato baked over fire is tasty.
– Liru, are you going out to play with Evangeline again today?
– Yes! Hehe, today we’ll catch fish at the pond!
– Okay, just be careful not to go to dangerous places!
The joy of going out to play with Liru.
– I, caught a lot of fish with Liru. I’ll give this to the uncle who works hard to protect the village.
– Ahahaha, thank you. Here’s an apple that the village people just brought. Want to take one?
– Delicious apple, I gratefully accept. I promise to pay it back with even tastier fish later!
She learned the joy of returning kindness with kindness.
And beyond what she learned, she gained so much.
– Why does Liru always play only with Evangeline? Evangeline is unfair! Liru used to be closest to me!
– I want to become friends with Palein too. If Liru and I and Palein play together, it would be even more fun.
– …Huh? Uh? Really?
She gained new friends.
– Liru, I read in a book that I don’t have a mom and dad. Do I… not have a family?
– …Don’t worry about it. No matter what anyone says, Evangeline is my family.
– …Family. Liru and I are family.
She gained the invaluable treasure of family.
The girl was grateful to the world.
For giving her such precious things.
That’s why the girl was happy.
She thought such happy days would last forever.
Then time passed, and one day the girl could speak like others, and Eru, who was small, grew to be about the same size as Liru when she first met the girl.
– Today, we’re all going to the forest to find a birthday gift for you. We’ll bring back something that will surprise you, so Evangeline, wait at home today. Okay?
– I’m going to the forest with Evangeline to make a bouquet of flowers for Evangeline! Ah, this was a secret!
That day was the girl’s birthday.
More precisely, it was the day to celebrate when the girl came to the village after meeting Liru.
While everyone of her age went to the forest to find a gift for her, chaos broke out in the village.
The children who had gone to the forest in the morning didn’t return until night.
It was unthinkable for elves to get lost in the woods, so something must have happened.
All the villagers searched for the children throughout the night but couldn’t find them. The girl couldn’t sleep, praying for everyone’s safe return.
Then, the next morning, the fastest member of the village squad returned with a terrifying expression.
– …We found the children’s corpses, no, signs that the children have died.
That moment shattered the girl’s happiness into pieces.
Evangeline wanted to be close to all the village children.
The village children were all her friends.
That’s why they all had gone into the forest to find gifts for her birthday.
And they all died.
Even the somewhat insincere Palein, the tearful Nia, brave Erica, cowardly Ronan.
Even Eru, who always followed her, and Liru, who was her most precious friend and family.
All of them.
Death was the saddest thing the girl knew.
When the wisest and kindest village elder passed away, the girl cried.
But now, she couldn’t even shed tears.
Amid the grief that felt like the world was collapsing, the girl heard the village squad’s voice.
The demonic beast that seemed to have killed all the children was heading towards the village.
The girl had read in books about how strong the demonic beasts controlled by witches were.
So she also knew that the village’s strength would not suffice to defeat that demonic beast.
But the villagers, who had lost their children, cried endlessly, even at the squad’s words to escape immediately.
At that moment, from the edge of the village.
[■■■■■■■■■■■■!!!!]
A gigantic roar echoed.
The girl realized.
If this continued, all the villagers would die.
A sorrow greater than what she was currently experiencing would come.
So, the girl stood in front of the massive monster that had approached the village with heavy footsteps.
And shouted.
– Don’t touch the people! Leave now!
The demonic beast looked down at the girl for a moment, then turned and disappeared in the opposite direction of the village.
The girl felt relieved.
At least this way, the remaining villagers could avoid death.
Then, a villager who was watching muttered.
– Evangeline commanded the demonic beast…
And someone murmured the word witch.
That murmuring spread among the villagers.
Witch, witch, witch. She’s a witch!
The murmuring turned into shouting.
The girl saw that the villagers’ eyes were filled not with sorrow, but with another emotion.
The warm-hearted villagers now glared at her as if they wanted to kill her.
– That girl was a witch! It’s her fault our children died!
– Evangeline made the demonic beast kill the children!
– We treated you so well, why?!
No, the girl said, but her words were drowned out in the villagers’ shouts.
The villagers’ rough hands grabbed the girl.
Although the girl screamed that it wasn’t her, the villagers paid no attention.
– It’s revenge! Burn the wicked witch to death!
– I’ll return the pain the children suffered a thousandfold!
– Witch hunting! Witch hunting!
The girl was hung on the burning platform by the villagers.
Wood was piled beneath the girl.
Oil was poured over her body.
– Burn her!
– Burn her!
– Burn her to ashes!
The girl screamed that she was wronged, but the villagers ignored her.
Flames sprang up.
The flames spread over the girl’s body.
The fire was much hotter and more painful than the girl knew.
But what hurt more than the flames was the villagers’ attitude.
They were the people she cherished.
And the dead children were precious friends and family to her.
The girl was sad about the children’s death and wanted to prevent more sorrow.
But why could they treat someone who was just as sorrowful as them, someone like them, so cruelly?
Why? the girl asked, but no one answered.
They just cried out to burn her.
Why? the girl asked, but no one answered.
They just shouted for revenge.
The girl realized.
They were very sad, expressing their anger.
They were looking for someone to blame.
The girl felt sorrow for that.
Because she was no different from them, her sorrow turned into anger.
The emotion called anger was hot and painful like flames.
Red tears flowed from the girl’s eyes, emotional damning her being.
Her hair turned as red as that emotion.
For the first time, the girl hated the world that had made her experience this heat and pain.
She wanted revenge against the world, to return this heat and pain back.
She wanted to burn everything down.
The people screamed.
For the witch, for revenge.
Thus, the girl became a witch.
Thus, the girl executed her revenge.
In the place where the flames had burned, nothing remained.
Similarly, nothing should have remained for the girl.
The girl looked around the world she had once been so grateful for.
As she burned, she cried and laughed.
She still had so much left to burn.
Then, the girl with dark violet hair, riding a giant demonic beast, appeared before her.
– Hehe, poor Evangeline. You’ve been wronged.
The one who gave her the name Evangeline.
The girl realized she was the witch.
– Actually, it’s all my fault. Bad people, they don’t even know.
She was indeed the bad witch who took everything from her.
– Hehe, such a big fire. It’s fun to play with fire. You want to burn me, right? Then let’s play hide and seek. To that giant tree over there. Got it?
The girl made a decision.
To burn everything: the witch who took everything from her, and the world that caused her pain.
*
[Ddingding~ Good morning~ Ddingding-]
As she regained consciousness, her head throbbed painfully.
As usual, she felt like hitting her head, but her body didn’t seem to want to move.
Was she under pressure or something?
As she frowned and opened her eyes, she realized her whole body was restrained somewhere.
Could it be another kidnapping? Just as she thought that, the bed-like thing restraining her stood up, revealing a scene where quite a number of people were gathered.
Some familiar faces were looking at her with stiff gazes, like the high-ranking officers of the city she saw at Yoon Si-woo’s hero coronation ceremony.
There were also familiar faces like Ms. Eve, Sylvia, Yoon Si-woo, and Martina.
What is this situation? Is it a dream? Just as she tilted her head in confusion,
“It seems you’ve regained consciousness. Then let’s get started right away.”
One of them opened their mouth.
“Answer truthfully, Scarlet Evande. Are you the enemy of humanity?”
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