Chapter: 201
A few more days had passed since I received the letter from Uncle.
The story about the suicide of Uncle and the mistakes made by Astra quietly disappeared without being made public, like something on the news.
[…Well, distrust in the committee had already grown due to various incidents. If the details of that experiment got out, it could lead to various troubles, so it was best to let it go quietly. No one could ignore the principal’s request for that to happen.]
I could hear this reason from Sylvia over the phone.
It seemed that the principal was worried about the negative discussions surrounding her deceased brother among the people.
After all, given that the actual situation was linked to an experiment with witches, it wouldn’t seem good to the public.
Considering the principal’s request and the possible repercussions if the story spread, I couldn’t disagree with the idea of letting it slide quietly.
Additionally, what I heard from her was that some of the main initiators behind the Witch Weaponization Project had faced consequences.
Although they had tried to stop the plan halfway realizing their mistakes and there were no victims aside from the direct experiment participants, the punishment was still at least house arrest, which, after all, was still a punishment.
As a result, Sylvia now had a heap of responsibilities to shoulder because those in power had collectively taken that course.
[Ugh, there are way too many things I need to approve… Save me, Scarlet…]
Thanks to that, Sylvia, who had become extremely busy, would often call me to vent her frustrations.
These days, my routine involved encouraging her.
[Thank you… I’ll do my best… By the way, is anything going on with you, Scarlet?]
Upon encouraging her, I couldn’t help but smile when Sylvia, after hesitating, asked if anything was wrong.
I wasn’t completely oblivious; I knew that the increasing frequency of her calls wasn’t just out of the blue but because she was genuinely worried I might be heartbroken over Uncle’s death.
I had noticed she was subtly checking on my wellbeing with each call, but I didn’t let her in on it.
I appreciated her concern, and more than anything, those brief conversations we shared were precious to me.
“Yes. Nothing happened.”
[…Is that so? That’s a relief…]
So today, just like always, I responded and listened to her mutter in relief, smiling softly.
Usually, our conversations would end shortly with such a vibe, but today, Sylvia added a bit more to her words.
[You’ll be coming tomorrow, right?]
“Yes, I decided to go with Maria and the kids from the orphanage together.”
As I answered her question, I thought about the people who would join me for the event tomorrow.
Maria, who had been gravely injured by a demonic beast, had recovered enough to live a normal life thanks to timely first aid.
I felt truly grateful that I could go with her tomorrow.
It would mean a lot to her in various ways.
[Then tomorrow, we’ll finally see each other. See you tomorrow, Scarlet.]
“Yes, see you tomorrow.”
With that farewell, my call with Sylvia ended.
Putting my mobile phone away, I opened the door and stepped into the living room.
On the sofa, Yoon Si-woo was sitting rigidly, staring intently at the TV.
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but smile wryly and sat down next to him.
“…Nervous?”
“…I thought it wouldn’t be, but I’m more shaken than I expected.”
He replied while anxiously fidgeting with his hands clasped together like in prayer.
I gently placed my hand over his trembling ones and said, “It’s okay. Yoon Si-woo, you can do this.”
“…Yeah, thanks, Scarlet.”
I looked at the TV screen where his face was being shown.
Tomorrow would be the day of Yoon Si-woo’s appointment as captain.
*
After seeing Yoon Si-woo off early in the morning for rehearsal and finishing up my preparations, I headed to the orphanage.
“Brother Yoon Si-woo is going to be the captain! Amazing, right!”
“He’s so cool!”
“Okay, everyone, calm down and line up. You need to hold hands tight and follow the director properly, okay?”
“Yes!”
As I arrived at the orphanage, I saw the kids chatting excitedly with bright faces, while Maria was trying to settle them down.
“Director, I’m here.”
“Oh, Scarlet!”
Greeting me with a bright smile, the director’s face made me bite my lip slightly.
It was because of the bandage wrapped around one of her eyes.
Most of the wounds she had suffered were neatly healed, but her left eye, which had been completely removed, was deemed irrecoverable.
I couldn’t help but wonder if everything would have been different if I had gone to save her a bit earlier.
As I was lost in troubled thoughts about the bandage, the director seemed to notice my gaze and asked while pointing to it.
“Are you bothered by it? This?”
“Ah… I’m sorry for staring…….”
“Sorry for what? I’m actually grateful to you, Scarlet.”
The director looked at me with warm eyes and continued.
“If you hadn’t come, I might not have seen the children’s faces ever again. I wouldn’t be able to attend a glorious day like today.”
“…….”
“You are my savior, Scarlet. Thank you. Truly.”
The director tightly held my hand, genuinely expressing her gratitude.
Even in her difficult time, she thought of my feelings first.
Yes, with her saying that, it would be rude for me to remain gloomy.
I nodded with a smile, and the director replied with satisfaction.
Suddenly, I remembered her words from the hospital, asking who else would look after the children if not me.
Respect welled up within me.
I wanted to be someone who could deal with hardships as calmly as she did.
“Miss….”
As I engaged in conversation with the director, Rion had come up to me, tugging at my sleeve with eyes that seemed to seek attention.
“Alright, Rion. Shall we hold hands?”
“Yup! Hehe…”
Holding her hand as I smiled, Rion beamed brightly.
With our hands tightly clasped, we headed to the square where the appointment ceremony would be held, along with everyone from the orphanage.
*
Upon arriving at the square, I noticed a significant crowd buzzing with excitement.
Sylvia had told me they were intentionally holding a large-scale event.
To assure the anxious people that the city still had vitality despite various incidents.
I remembered hearing that they had pushed for city recovery at a much faster pace than before due to these circumstances, which made me chuckle slightly.
They really were working hard.
It was fine for me, given my condition, but others who weren’t as fit were practically exhausted.
Anyway, perhaps due to all the effort, the faces of the people in the square didn’t seem bad at all.
Of course, part of this was due to the efforts of Sylvia, sitting up on the platform.
When I waved at her and our eyes met, I noticed her subtly waving back, glancing at others around her.
There was undeniable fatigue etched around her eyes from all the hard work she had put in over the past few days.
Yet, when they had announced just days prior that Yoon Si-woo would be appointed as captain, the public sentiment hadn’t been as positive as it was now.
It wasn’t surprising, given he was quite young for such a role.
Many were anxious, and some even protested against it, claiming it was ridiculous.
But historically, there was no better way to change peoples’ minds than media.
With the TV running a 24-hour special on Yoon Si-woo titled “Reasons He Should Be Captain,” showcasing “The Journey of This Youngest Hero,” it turned out the arguments weren’t completely ridiculous after all.
Initially, some people thought, “Hey, does that even make sense?” but after watching the broadcasts for a few days, it shifted to “…If they say so, maybe it’s worth watching.”
Astra, meaning Sylvia, was behind that promotion.
She had pulled late nights for several days to create this outcome we were witnessing in the square.
Of course, Yoon Si-woo complained to me that he felt an enormous pressure as a result because of her hard work.
Thinking about this, an announcement rang out that the ceremony would begin soon.
As the announcement played, the lively chatter faded, and everyone held their breath, gazing up at the platform, while at that moment, the sky began to shimmer.
Against the clear blue sky, dark clouds began to gather.
People murmured with surprise at the unexpected weather, but I couldn’t hide my smirk.
I knew how many mages were working behind the scenes just for that effect.
Including Dwight, who had just returned from the frontline, and Martina, they had volunteered to help set the stage for Yoon Si-woo.
In any case, as those mages created the dark clouds, the area was engulfed in gloom.
Everyone was staring up at the sky.
Thus, no one noticed the boy in armor stepping onto the platform.
Only I was watching the boy, not the sky.
I wondered if he would be fine since he had been so nervous yesterday.
Worry washed over me as I quietly murmured to Yoon Si-woo, “Do your best.”
Then, even though it shouldn’t reach him from this distance.
It felt as if Yoon Si-woo had smiled back at me.
“O light that can illuminate even the darkest shadow.”
At that instant, the light from the ground cut through the dark clouds.
Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the clouds, shining upon the boy.
It felt like the day the boy had saved the city.
Captivated by that grand scene, the people staring at the sky gazed upon the boy in awe.
Even I, who already knew, felt my heart race.
What must those who were unaware of it feel?
That moment when the lingering anxiety and doubt in the crowd flipped to anticipation and cheers.
Yet the boy stood there with an air of calmness that seemed almost foreign, entirely embracing the gazes of the crowd.
“How did he grow so dignified…?”
Maria, looking emotional with tears in her eyes, gazed upon the platform.
I turned to hold her hand and then looked back at the stage.
There, I saw Yoon Si-woo.
As if it were a matter of course, he looked this way and smiled brightly.
In response, I smiled back at him.
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