There is an organization in this city called the Central Committee.
It is a body that decides the affairs of the city centered around three prestigious families: Aegis, Astra, and Dolos, along with other influential figures.
Among them, one of the most recognized faces is Sylvia Astra, who is said to be the heir that will lead Astra in the future.
Despite being a lady from a renowned family, it was widely known that she attended Aegis Academy and regularly participated in volunteer activities, giving her a rather positive public image.
However, Sylvia was currently bowing her head in front of numerous people.
“I sincerely apologize to all of you who have suffered due to this incident. We, the Central Committee, promise to do everything in our power to ensure that such a tragedy doesn’t occur again as we strengthen the city’s defenses.”
As Sylvia spoke, she slowly lifted her head.
From the gazes directed at her, she felt profound sadness and emptiness.
In those gazes, she also sensed a mix of resentment and anger at times.
Although it was not them who caused the harm, but the witch and the demonic beasts, she couldn’t help but understand their feelings.
The people gathered here were either victims of the recent demonic beast invasion or their family members.
Expecting rational judgments from those who had lost precious loved ones or a healthy body part overnight seemed a cruel thing to do.
She could only feel pity for the sorrowful gazes they cast.
Thus, Sylvia bowed her head once more and spoke in apology.
“We will provide compensation to the victims and their bereaved families as much as we can. I am truly sorry once again.”
“…We don’t need compensation; please just return our mom and dad…”
At the sound of a young girl’s voice, trembling with emotion, Sylvia couldn’t bring herself to lift her head.
What people desired was certainly not mere compensation, as that child had expressed.
However, being merely human, they lacked the ability to return the precious things lost to them.
They likely knew that, too.
But accepting such a truth was another matter, and she could feel the swelling resentment that stemmed from that realization only getting stronger.
As the resentment grew, the atmosphere among the audience became increasingly heated.
Sylvia couldn’t help but feel relieved that she had come forward, thinking that if someone else who didn’t have her positive image had stepped up, it wouldn’t have been surprising if someone had already lunged at them.
However, there was no way to calm the escalating atmosphere.
The whispers of resentment that had once been barely audible were now growing louder.
It seemed that something unpleasant might happen if this continued.
But in that moment, someone’s voice rang out.
“Everyone, please calm down a little.”
The unexpected voice drew the attention of the crowd.
And just like that, the uproar came to a halt.
Instead, the people began to murmur among themselves.
“…It’s Yoon Si-woo, it’s Mr. Yoon Si-woo.”
“Isn’t he the one who defeated the witch?”
Amid the murmurs, Sylvia exchanged silent glances with Yoon Si-woo.
Then, she quietly stepped aside as if to make way for him.
The crowd, almost enchanted, focused their attention entirely on Yoon Si-woo.
Gone were the resentful gazes; instead, they looked upon him with friendly eyes.
Watching that scene unfold, Sylvia quietly moved to the corner.
She stood there, watching over Yoon Si-woo.
All eyes were on him, and in that situation, the first thing Yoon Si-woo did was,
“I know that everyone here has been affected by this incident. First of all, I want to sincerely apologize to you all. I am truly sorry.”
And he bowed sincerely.
However, the reaction from the crowd was worlds apart from what it had been moments earlier.
“No… why is it Mr. Yoon Si-woo apologizing to us…”
“That’s right. You don’t need to apologize.”
Even as they shook their heads in disbelief, Yoon Si-woo steadfastly repeated his apology.
“No. If I had tried a little harder, I could have reduced the harm…”
“…Please don’t say such things.”
One of the individuals in the crowd stepped forward, holding onto his hand tightly as he shook his head.
“Weren’t you the one who avenged our family’s wrongdoer? If it weren’t for you, we would have been unable to live with the resentment.”
“…Still.”
“Really, really thank you…”
The gratitude expressed in trembling voices seemed to trigger something in various pockets of the crowd, and soon, calls of thanks erupted.
“That person is right! Thank you so much for defeating the witch!”
“You’re a hundred times better than the other heroes who couldn’t come to help us!”
“Mr. Yoon Si-woo, you are the true hero!”
Cheers and praises poured in for Yoon Si-woo.
Yet, his expression soured upon hearing those words.
Was he uncomfortable taking all the good words while other heroes were being scorned?
Or maybe he felt burdened by their expectations.
Standing in front of people was never an easy task.
But now that it had come to this, Yoon Si-woo would have to get used to it.
Noticing him glancing at her with an uncomfortable expression, Sylvia mouthed a message to him.
“Manage your expression.”
Whether he received that message or not, Yoon Si-woo forced on a smile that seemed fabricated.
With a beaming face, he recited lines from the script he had prepared beforehand.
“…Thank you. I will do my best to ensure the safety of all citizens from now on. And I will make sure that compensation is given adequately through the Central Committee. I hope that this will help you all a little in overcoming your sorrow. So please, do not despair.”
The crowd erupted in cheers in response to his words.
“Wow, he has great personality too. Someone like Mr. Yoon Si-woo should be leading the heroes.”
“That’s right! If Mr. Yoon Si-woo became the leader of the heroes, no one would oppose it!”
“Yoon Si-woo! Yoon Si-woo!”
Amidst the roaring crowd, Yoon Si-woo maintained his cheerful demeanor, but Sylvia sensed he was struggling.
Did they even realize.
That the person standing before them was still just a young boy.
But it probably didn’t matter in the end.
What they saw was not a boy but the hero who defeated the witch.
As Sylvia shook her head at the excessive expectations placed on Yoon Si-woo, she couldn’t help but smile wryly, realizing she was no different.
They were the ones who had created this situation, after all.
As she observed this, she soon spotted Yoon Si-woo, who had been cheered on by the crowd, emerging with a tired face.
She approached him.
“You did well. Managing your expression must have been tough today.”
“…I still can’t get used to standing in front of people.”
Despite having stood in such places several times over the past few days, he frowned yet again.
Sylvia understood how he felt, but it was unavoidable.
“You can’t be at your wits end already. You’re going to be appointed as the captain soon. Of course, I don’t particularly like putting you through such things, but I think it’s necessary. Being appointed at your age is shocking enough. To avoid noise during that time, the committee believes it’s vital to establish a solid support base.”
“…Public sentiment. From what I’ve seen of their reactions so far, I don’t think we really needed to go this far.”
“…That may be true. You’re more popular than we anticipated. If it were during the monarchy, you might have taken the throne.”
At her words, Yoon Si-woo recoiled in shock and shook his head.
“Ugh, don’t say stuff like that. Just the thought gives me goosebumps. Instead, I expected it but man, the expectations of the people are more burdensome than I thought. It feels like there’s something heavy sitting on me.”
“Well, you don’t have to take their reactions too literally. We also planted some people on our side to create a favorable atmosphere for you.”
“…What? That’s what you were doing? I thought people were genuinely following me like that.”
Seeing Yoon Si-woo’s expression shift to relief, Sylvia simply smiled.
Although they did have some ‘supporters’, there was no need to burden Yoon Si-woo with that information.
Amidst her bittersweet smile, Yoon Si-woo sighed deeply and muttered.
“I’m exhausted. This is it, right? I just want to go home and rest.”
“Hmm, you don’t have to be so dishonest. You can honestly say that you don’t want to be stuck here a second longer and would rather be with Scarlet.”
As Sylvia giggled and repeated her version of the truth, Yoon Si-woo turned red and shook his head.
“That- that’s not it!”
“What’s wrong with wanting to see someone you miss? In that sense, would it be alright if I also went to your house, Yoon Si-woo? Since my schedule is finishing up with this, I’d like to see Scarlet’s face and talk to her for a bit.”
At that question, Yoon Si-woo made a troubled face and mumbled.
At first, Sylvia thought he was reluctant because he didn’t want to bring her, but as Yoon Si-woo continued, it became clear that wasn’t the case.
“It’s not that I don’t care, but I don’t know if Scarlet would be okay with it. She was really unwell until the day before yesterday. She seemed worn out yesterday and fell asleep early as soon as we got home…”
“She was unwell? Why didn’t you tell me? If that’s the case, I have all the more reason to go visit. I’ll go say hello to Scarlet while checking in on her. That’s fine, right?”
“…Sure. If you’re coming, feel free to follow. We won’t be stopping anywhere and will head straight home.”
Yoon Si-woo said that but his expression was stiff.
Was he really that uncomfortable with her going to meet Scarlet?
Maybe Yoon Si-woo was unexpectedly a bit greedy.
Thinking that, Sylvia quickened her pace alongside him on the way to his house.
*
Upon arriving at Yoon Si-woo’s home, Sylvia glanced at the exterior of the house.
‘Is this the place where Scarlet is staying right now? It’s definitely smaller than our mansion. But for Scarlet, it must be a lot more comfortable here than Astra’s mansion where someone was trying to poison her…’ Such thoughts made Sylvia feel a bit gloomy.
But soon, the thought of seeing Scarlet brightened her spirits again, and she hurriedly followed Yoon Si-woo inside as he rushed through the door.
At the entrance, the presence of a single pair of shoes indicated that Scarlet was indeed home.
“Scarlet! Are you there?”
Sylvia called out for Scarlet in an excited voice, but unnaturally received no response.
Had she really fallen asleep as Yoon Si-woo said?
If so, it would be a shame to wake her, so she might have to turn back.
As Sylvia pondered this, she turned her head and sighted something shocking.
Without knocking, Yoon Si-woo had opened the door to Scarlet’s presumed sleeping quarters without hesitation.
Even though they lived together, to just barge into a girl’s room like that without permission was rather rude.
Unless the two had established a bond that made asking unnecessary, it was an incredibly impolite action, so she immediately grabbed Yoon Si-woo to caution him.
However, upon looking inside through the open door, Sylvia had no choice but to tilt her head in confusion.
No one was in the room as she peered inside.
“What? Isn’t Scarlet supposed to be in here?”
Curious, she questioned Yoon Si-woo, who replied meaningfully.
“…She should be. She’s supposed to be in there.”
With that cryptic answer, Yoon Si-woo walked into the empty room.
Puzzled, Sylvia followed him inside and finally heard it.
A tiny sound that seemed to come from somewhere in the room, filled with anguish.
Could it be that a ghost was in the room?
For a moment, Sylvia thought of that, but she quickly pinpointed the sound coming from the closet.
Realizing this, Sylvia held her breath.
This was Scarlet’s room.
That meant there was only one possible owner of that sound.
“Scarlet! Scarlet!”
Having reached that conclusion, Sylvia rushed to open the closet door.
Coincidentally, it seemed Yoon Si-woo had the same thought.
Inside the closet they opened, huddled in a corner and gasping for breath, was a girl.
“Ah…”
And Sylvia finally realized.
That the person who always appeared strong and dignified could also cry like a small child.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.