Beep-beep-beep-
The room I entered was filled with a rhythmic sound.
My eyes drifted to the source of the noise.
First, I noticed a patient monitoring device beeping on the screen, alongside IVs and breathing aids typically found in an intensive care unit.
And just a bit lower,
I saw a boy lying on the bed.
“…Yoon Si-woo.”
Sylvia sighed quietly as she took in Yoon Si-woo, who was connected to all the devices in the room.
His body was tangled in wires and tubes, making him look like a marionette.
Yoon Si-woo lay lifeless on the bed, his pale face resembling a doll.
As Sylvia reached out to him, she flinched the moment she grabbed his hand.
It felt like touching something inanimate, like a rock or dirt.
She knew he was still alive.
The rhythmic sounds of the machines were proof of his breathing.
Yet, the lack of vitality that should accompany life made her sigh once more.
So, this is what they meant by an empty shell.
Muttering to herself, she recalled her conversation with the doctor from last night.
[Ah, Teacher. Why did you call me… Is something wrong with Yoon Si-woo?]
[Well, I’ve done everything I can for now… I’m sorry, but I can’t give you any hopeful news.]
[…Is his condition really that serious? I only heard he’s unconscious.]
[To put it bluntly, it feels like everything that should be inside him has been drained away, leaving only the body. It’s like an empty shell…]
[An empty shell… Does that mean it will be hard for him to regain consciousness?]
[Yes… To be honest, it’s a miracle that he’s even hanging on… I have no idea why he’s in this state, but unless a miracle happens, I don’t see any hope.]
[What…! So does that mean Yoon Si-woo will be in this state for life? Is there, is there no way…?]
[Well… That’s why I’ve contacted you. I thought we could use the power you possess for healing.]
[You mean my ability to summon star spirits?]
[Yes. It’s said to be the power that counters miasma. If Yoon Si-woo is in this condition due to a witch attack, then maybe your power could help.]
[Do you think that would be effective?]
[…I can’t say for sure. I just wanted to grasp at straws since there seems to be no answer through medicine. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can refuse.]
[…No. Let’s try. Please move Yoon Si-woo to the mansion tomorrow morning. If we’re doing this, we might as well maximize our time for contact.]
That was why one of the rooms in the mansion became a hospital room for Yoon Si-woo.
Since Astra had a resident doctor, she figured it would be better for treatment to reduce the travel time instead of constantly moving between the hospital and the mansion.
Of course, whether this method would truly be effective was a different matter.
As Sylvia pondered this for a moment, she shook her head and focused her thoughts to draw out her power.
The starlight flowed from her hands, slowly soaking into Yoon Si-woo’s body.
As expected, that alone didn’t cause Yoon Si-woo’s eyes to open.
But miracles are said to come to those who sincerely wish for them.
Holding onto Yoon Si-woo’s hand tightly, she wished to the stars somewhere out there, just like when she was a child.
Please let this boy before me recover.
Please let a miracle happen for him.
At that moment, the door opened, and she heard the voice of their servant, Sebastian, from behind.
“…Miss. I’m sorry, but there was an urgent call from the Central Committee a moment ago.”
“…I understand. I’ll get ready now, so please wait a moment.”
An urgent call, huh.
Why the Central Committee was in such a rush to contact Sylvia was something she didn’t need to think hard about.
Before getting up from her seat, Sylvia took one last look at Yoon Si-woo, lying quietly in bed.
And she quietly asked him in her heart.
Yoon Si-woo, how did you end up like this?
Did you do this while trying to save Scarlet?
If so, don’t you regret what you did?
Of course, there was no response, but that was enough.
What she just said was merely to reassure her own heart.
As Sylvia stood up, she thought.
Yoon Si-woo.
If you don’t regret saving Scarlet, even after getting to this point,
Then I won’t regret it either.
*
Students lined up in a row, looking tense.
I could hear sounds of them swallowing hard here and there.
The sight of those students was quite the spectacle.
Some were clutching their heads as if they had a headache,
While others wore expressions that hinted they couldn’t comprehend their thinking.
“Seriously, what… Hah…”
It was so absurd that words wouldn’t come out.
A man standing in front stared at the students, mouth agape as if malfunctioning, before he finally asked with an exasperated voice.
“What on earth were you thinking…?”
“…”
“What were you thinking, I said!!”
When the man’s questions met with silence, he shouted angrily.
Well, I suppose this was a given.
Seeing the man’s reaction, Sylvia thought.
What could possibly warrant their gathering like this?
It was obvious that they were called up for the nonsense they pulled last night.
“Disobedience? Fine, I can let that slide. But people claiming to be aspiring heroes banding together to commit treason? You lot are really off your rockers, seriously…”
From how he spoke, it seemed he was already convinced that they were the culprits.
Class president Mei glared at the kids.
Weren’t we all supposed to keep quiet about it yesterday? Who let it slip?
Among the children who looked innocent yet guilty, there were a few who avoided eye contact, but Sylvia didn’t want to blame them.
There’s no way all these kids could deceive everyone, and honestly, it was silly to think they could do something reckless and not get caught.
Still,
“Who said we should do that!”
“…It’s me. I said we should do it.”
Since I said I’d take responsibility, I had to do something, right?
Thinking this, Sylvia stepped forward at the man’s inquiry about who initiated it.
“If it’s about what happened yesterday, I was the one who led it. So if you’re going to hold someone accountable, hold me responsible.”
“Ugh…”
When the Astra heir stepped forward, the man looked a bit startled, but quickly shouted loudly.
“What makes you think we’ll spare you just because you’re Astra?!”
“No. I didn’t think that.”
“Then what!? You say you were the ringleader, so you want us to blame you? Do you even know what the punishment for treason is?”
“Yeah. I do. Immediate execution.”
“Knowing that, you still—”
Sylvia interrupted the man’s speech by pressing her hand against her neck.
And then she covered her hand with energy.
With a swift motion,
Blood fell from the cut on her neck.
A moment of silence followed, and the man, seeing the blood streaming down his neck, panicked and shouted.
“What… what are you doing?!”
Sylvia calmly replied.
“I’m saying I’ll accept the punishment. I’ll take the punishment, so can you spare the other students?”
“Stop! Just stop! I get it, so stop with the responsibility and whatever!”
At the man’s frantic yelling, Sylvia halted the hand digging into her neck.
Blood flowed slowly.
That was close; it might have been slightly dangerous.
As she waved her hand dismissively at the children shouting that she was going to die, Sylvia thought.
Of course, I didn’t do this with the intent to die.
This was merely an act to seize control in this unfavorable situation and to show my resolve.
And this half-threat strategy seemed to have been somewhat effective.
“Hmm… So you did this knowing you might face execution. Let’s hear you out. Why did you do it as a group?”
At the words of Diakonos, who had been quietly observing her from the sidelines, Sylvia thought.
I’ve somehow created an opportunity to speak.
But if I can’t convince him, the one who ordered Scarlet’s death yesterday, it will all be meaningless.
This was the turning point that would determine how they would fare moving forward.
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.