Chapter: 169
As I pointed my sword at Eve, who had become an unwelcome guest at this moment, her trembling gaze met mine.
It was clear that she, who cared for her student more than anyone else, was deeply shocked at being threatened in such a way. I bit my lip tightly.
I didn’t want to do something like this at all.
If it was just my secret that had been exposed, I would never have thought of harming her to keep it hidden.
Causing harm to others for the sake of my own benefit went against my values.
However, this time, it wasn’t just me involved; Scarlet was also related to this situation.
Since I had witnessed a side of Scarlet that shouldn’t be seen, threatening Eve was the most certain way to protect Scarlet’s secret.
Muttering this to myself, I focused on her actions and tensed my body.
As a master of Illusion Magic, she was not someone to be underestimated. If this turned into a battle, it wouldn’t be an easy fight.
Yet, thanks to the Gwanghui Holy Sword, I could pierce through illusions, so strategically, I had an advantage.
If she showed any signs of wanting to use her abilities or escape, I decided I would immediately charge and strike.
Just then, Eve, who had been silently observing me, moved her body.
However, she did not swing her sword.
She raised her arms, palms facing me, as if to surrender.
“…Calm down. I don’t intend to fight. May I come over there for a moment and talk?”
She said this while still holding her arms up.
I didn’t respond directly, but perhaps she took my silence as consent, as she came through the hole in the ceiling and into the sewer.
If she had any intent to fight, closing the distance to me, who was a swordsman, would have been madness. Thus, I knew she didn’t plan to engage.
But just in case she tried to harm Scarlet, I stopped her as she carefully approached, seemingly not wanting to provoke me.
Eve nodded in understanding and cast a worried glance at the sleeping Scarlet behind me before asking.
“…Is Evande okay?”
“…Didn’t you say you saw everything?”
“…Yeah, I saw. It was Si-woo-kun holding Evande’s limbs.”
From her words, it became clear she hadn’t seen everything as I initially thought.
What she witnessed must have been the situation after the battle had ended.
I briefly doubted if she had been watching from hiding until Scarlet ended up in that state, but it didn’t seem likely.
If she had truly been here from the start, based on the personality I had seen from her, she could never have just stood by and watched Scarlet suffer.
The reason I respected her in the first place was because I knew her affection for her students was genuine.
However, there were still lingering concerns, so I maintained my guard and cautiously asked.
“…May I ask just one thing? Why were you watching us from hiding?”
“You all said it yourself. It’s a side that shouldn’t be seen by others. I was hidden because I figured you might worry if you knew I had witnessed such a scene.”
Upon hearing her answer, the hand gripping the sword trembled slightly.
“…So that means you never intended to tell others about it from the start?”
When I asked with my trembling hand, she answered.
“…You wanted to keep it a secret because you knew it would cause trouble if others found out, right? I have no intention of creating a situation that would cause you distress.”
I clearly knew she was speaking the truth, yet I couldn’t fully trust her words.
Was it perhaps because I comprehended the grave nature of the secrets that both she and Scarlet carried?
Ever since the day I became a hero, countless people had come up to me in the streets to voice their worries.
“Hero, please kill the wicked witch who took away our beloved ones.”
To them, witches were merely targets of animosity.
All witches were treated as enemies without acknowledging their individual personalities.
Yet, I couldn’t fault their perceptions.
After all, I had thought like that until I learned Lucy’s true identity.
Witches were the culprits who created the demonic beasts that took my parents away.
So it was only natural for them to be viewed as utterly evil beings.
Even though I wanted to believe Eve’s words, I found it hard to accept.
“…But as you saw, we are connected to a witch, right? A witch is an enemy of humanity, after all?”
Even when I rudely questioned her, she replied,
“But you aren’t like that.”
Her answer left me utterly perplexed.
“How can you say that so confidently…?”
In my confusion, the questions filling my mind spilled out unconsciously.
Then, she said,
“Because I am your teacher.”
She spoke with certainty.
“I’ve seen how you’ve treated each other while teaching. I know Si-woo-kun and Evande are truly good kids. If I, as your teacher, can’t believe in such students, who else will?”
Feeling the strength leave my hand gripping the sword upon hearing her warm words, I realized my hostility faded into nothing.
Ah, it’s the truth.
There’s no lie in what she said.
So, at least in this world, one person is looking at us without prejudice.
It brought me immense joy.
Yet, it simultaneously became a deep source of concern.
To her, both Scarlet and I were undoubtedly precious students.
But it was certain that she had more beloved students than just us.
Someday, I could not dismiss the possibility of her being a significant threat, knowing Scarlet’s secret.
As a member of the Central Committee that leads the city, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t exploit Scarlet’s secret for others’ sake.
I didn’t want to harm her.
But thinking of Scarlet…
I firmly gripped the sword in my hand once more.
In that moment of repeated internal conflict,
[…Si-woo, I don’t think you need to do that.]
Hearing Lucy’s voice, I spoke inwardly.
‘…But, for Scarlet’s sake…’
[So, that means you don’t need to worry about it. Have I ever said anything that would harm you? It doesn’t seem like she’s in a position to blabber about that child’s secret, so ease up. Besides, aren’t you reaching your limit soon?]
Considerably reassured by Lucy’s strangely confident words, I hesitated for a moment before sighing and relaxing my grip.
Right, as Lucy said, it was true that I was nearing my limit.
As I muttered ‘seal’ in my mind, the pitch-black sword once again turned pure white, feeling the power flow out of my body.
Realizing I had given up on harming her, I sensed my teacher relax her body.
Seeing her do so, a wave of guilt began to bubble up inside me.
As an apology for subjecting her to an unpleasant experience, I bowed my head and offered my apologies.
“…I’m sorry, Teacher. Given the circumstances, I became anxious…”
“…It’s okay. I understand your feelings, Si-woo-kun. It’s not easy to remain calm when you’re in a situation involving not just yourself but Evande as well. Hehe, youth, right?”
Her attempt to lighten the tense atmosphere made me blush.
…Why did everyone I met seem to know?
Had I been so obvious…?
Feeling bashful, eventually, the teacher’s expression became serious again as she muttered.
“…By the way, Si-woo-kun, did you take down that witch?”
At her question, I turned to glance at the corpse rolling on the ground with its limbs severed.
The witch, huh.
It would be better to tell the truth to my teacher.
Thinking that way, I nodded slightly and replied.
“To be precise, she isn’t a witch. She seems to be a humanoid demonic beast. She didn’t seem to be at the advanced level, but she was definitely stronger than the intermediate ones.”
“…I see. So that was the case…”
Looking as if she was pondering for a moment, my teacher then turned to me.
“…Um, Si-woo-kun. I’m a bit sorry to say this, but could you do me a favor in exchange for keeping quiet about what I saw today?”
“A favor…? Sure, I’d prefer that as it would be a bit more peaceful for me.”
“…Then, Si-woo-kun.”
As she looked at me, her expression resembled one I’d seen before.
A mix of remorse for putting a burden on me and guilt.
The same expression she had when I declared I wanted to become a hero.
With that expression, she spoke to me.
“…You just defeated the witch that attacked the city. Do you understand what I mean?”
Of course, I understood perfectly what she meant.
I had no hesitation in nodding my head.
Adding another burden to my shoulders was nothing at this point.
*
Screams and howls.
The voices of citizens who had yet to evacuate mixed with the cries of heroes striving to eliminate the demonic beasts flying in the sky filled the city center.
Amidst the chaos, no one noticed the boy standing on a building rooftop.
However,
“A single beam of light that can pierce even the thickest darkness.”
As a beam of light illuminated the sky, the city’s commotion began to quiet down as if it were a lie.
People gazed in awe at the boy standing atop the highest place, holding a sword shining brilliantly.
And it was as if only he had the right to voice his thoughts in this city.
To the now silent city, the boy declared.
“Rest assured. The evil witch that invaded the city has fallen by my hand.”
Surely those who witnessed this scene must have thought.
A hero had been surpassed, and a champion had arisen in this world.
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