The barrier door connecting the Boundary Area to the outside world opened.
What appeared beyond the door was a horde of heroes with stern expressions.
As our gazes met, memories of the day I was chased from the city flooded back, and I found myself trembling involuntarily.
At that moment, I felt Sylvia grab my hand from the side.
Turning to her, I saw her face, which seemed even more tense than mine.
From our clasped hands, I could feel her nervousness transmit to me.
“……”
However, what was conveyed was not just that.
Amidst her anxious expression, I could see the determined glint in her eyes, and the way she held my hand tightly as if vowing not to let go made me feel her strong will to protect me at all costs.
With that hand, more reassuring than any words, I was able to face the approaching heroes without trembling.
The heroes, with their grim faces, surrounded me, Sylvia, and the Astra people.
It was a somewhat threatening sight, but I wasn’t scared.
Thanks to Sylvia, I could clearly see in their eyes that there was no hostility like before.
“Scarlet Evande.”
And then from behind the heroes, someone stepped forward, representing them and called my name.
“……Principal?”
It was Mark, the Principal of the Academy.
I didn’t have much interaction with the Principal, but being family to Uncle Luke made me feel a bit awkward.
Given our complicated relationship and some not-so-good experiences, he wasn’t someone I felt comfortable with.
Nevertheless, the Principal spoke to me in a completely different, business-like tone as if he weren’t concerned about such trivialities.
“I am Mark, representing the Central Committee. Yesterday, there was a meeting to decide your handling, and I’ll get straight to the conclusion.”
I swallowed hard at the mention of my handling, waiting for him to continue.
“We, based on the testimony from Astra and various circumstances, have decided that you are not a threat to humanity. Therefore, we have decided to cease any hostilities against you. You are no longer our enemy.”
Hearing that I would no longer be targeted filled my heart with warmth.
Doesn’t that mean I won’t have to worry about people trying to kill me anymore?
As I rejoiced and Sylvia nodded as if it were only natural, the Principal bent slightly and said,
“There will be no further acts of hostility towards you from our side, and I would like to offer my apology for everything that has happened until now. I am sorry for the trouble.”
“Oh! You really don’t have to apologize…! I’m okay with it…”
I flailed my hands in panic at the sight of someone I was already wary of bowing formally.
Although I had gone through some bad experiences, I honestly understood why they had treated me as an enemy.
If I were in their shoes, I probably would have done the same.
I mean, hearing that a witch turned Yoon Si-woo into that would scare anyone.
Just then, Sylvia asked the Principal,
“By the way, can Scarlet go back into the city?”
“……Well, you see. Our Central Committee and the heroes allied with us have agreed to accept Scarlet back, but…”
The Principal’s expression hardened, and he replied in a serious tone.
Upon his response, Sylvia sighed deeply and muttered,
“Ha, so there’s still a lot of opposition?”
“……Yes. Given the circumstances, we couldn’t make a unilateral decision. We consulted public opinion, and it wasn’t very positive. If we were to accept her without consideration, there was a risk of a riot. People are furious about allowing the witch who harmed Captain Yoon Si-woo into the city.”
At that moment, I realized.
There were still many who despised me.
While I thought it was only natural, I couldn’t help but feel my expression darken.
The Principal observed my reaction and continued.
“Given that situation, it was best for us to create a public opportunity to prove that Scarlet is not a bad person. Please understand our position, as we cannot ignore public sentiment when representing the city.”
Although the Principal spoke from an official standpoint, I could detect his hidden concern and regret in his eyes as they glanced at me.
So perhaps, this really was the best course of action.
I accepted this quietly and asked the Principal,
“I understand. So what do I need to do now?”
“……There is a prepared location. We have announced that if there’s something to say regarding Scarlet being accepted back into the city, we’d like you to come, so there’ll likely be quite a few people gathered. Go there and persuade the citizens.”
Persuade, I mulled over the Principal’s words for a moment before asking,
“If I persuade them, can I return to the city?”
“Yes. If there aren’t too many dissatisfied citizens, then naturally.”
Conversely, it meant if I couldn’t persuade them, I wouldn’t be able to return to the city.
Sylvia seemed quite dissatisfied with that, but I gently shook my head at her.
I once thought I would never set foot in the city again after fleeing in such a rush, but now an opportunity was presented to me.
So, I smiled.
Isn’t this enough, at least?
In truth, it was a facade to hide the anxiety that was slowly rising within me.
“I hope so too.”
“……I hope so as well.”
The Principal looked at me with a troubled expression and muttered those words.
Even though he tried to appear stoic, it was evident that he was a soft-hearted person.
At least I could be a little happy knowing that this person didn’t hate me.
“Then I will guide you.”
Afterward, I followed the Principal’s lead toward the place where my fate would be decided.
Though I was surrounded by heroes, making it feel like I was being taken in for questioning,
Was it perhaps because I was stepping back into a place I wanted to return to that I couldn’t feel any joy?
Maybe it was because I still held the status of a Stranger who had yet to be accepted in this city.
And so, I arrived at that very place.
The moment I arrived, I felt the gazes pouring out towards me.
Filled with hostility, mixed with resentment, punctuated with blame and scorn.
Gazes, gazes, gazes.
And in those gazes, I was reminded once again.
I was a despised being.
With a dazed heart, I stared at the scene before me.
The location designated for me to persuade the people was this place, an open area outside the barrier.
As a witch, it was impossible for me to step inside the barrier, which naturally made this location the only option.
And being outside the barrier simply meant a place known to be potentially dangerous for the general population.
Yet that place was filled with people.
Men and women of all ages crowded together.
So why had so many people gathered in this potentially dangerous place?
It was because of me.
They could not allow the witch who harmed Yoon Si-woo to enter the city.
Their resentment and distrust towards me made them risk that danger.
So many people were drawn here because they hated me.
That was the reason.
“Scarlet.”
As I blankly watched them, someone called my name, nudging me towards the prepared platform.
Standing on the platform, I could see the people’s piercing stares clear as day.
My body trembled.
“□□ □□□□─”
The person holding the microphone said something as they handed it to me.
I heard something but my mind was a blank.
All I could see were the gazes fixated on me.
“Ah, ugh…”
I struggled to breathe.
I thought I had grown immune to such gazes.
Yet, even when giving presentations at work or demonstrating during military training, I had never felt this suffocated.
Even though I was breathing, it felt like air wasn’t reaching my lungs.
It wasn’t just the sheer number of gazes that terrified me.
It was the animosity that anyone would feel so acutely.
A torrent of animosity.
It felt like it was washing over me in waves, threatening to swallow me whole.
I couldn’t breathe.
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.