Chapter: 311
After wrapping up things nicely between Yoon Si-woo and Ari, I shared the remaining stories with Yoon Si-woo along with Sylvia.
As I summarized the tales, I ended up recounting the story of defeating the Witch of Lust.
“So, I went inside this gigantic centipede to defeat the Witch of Lust and brought back the Sacred Remnants.”
“Wow, you fought the witch one-on-one and won? That’s impressive! Did you struggle during the fight or anything?”
Of course, Yoon Si-woo had to ask about the time when I fought the Witch of Lust.
I knew he was asking out of concern, but hearing that question made my lips twitch uncomfortably.
Memories of me panting and addressing him as ‘Master’ in a humiliating state came flooding back.
Anyway, I’d previously answered Sylvia’s similar question by saying nothing happened, and I couldn’t just expose my embarrassing history.
So, I calmed my racing heart and responded to Yoon Si-woo’s inquiry as naturally as possible.
“Oh no, it was a piece of cake.”
“…Hmm?”
Right after my reply, I noticed the subtle expression on Yoon Si-woo’s face and instantly regretted it.
Crap, I realized Yoon Si-woo has the Holy Sword of Truth!
It was my first time sharing this story, and I completely forgot that lies won’t work!
“Um, Scarlet… did something happen when you fought the witch?”
Unfortunately for me, Yoon Si-woo seemed intent on digging deeper into my dubious statement.
With Yoon Si-woo, half-hearted excuses wouldn’t work, and if things continued like this, my embarrassing secret risked becoming public.
Just as I faced this dire social death situation, a loud noise suddenly erupted from outside.
Desperate to escape the life-ending scenario, I shouted the moment I heard the noise.
“Hey, wait! Doesn’t it sound like something’s going on outside?”
“Oh? Oh, you’re right. What could it be?”
Fortunately, my frantic diversion seemed effective, as Yoon Si-woo paused his questioning and opened the window to check the commotion outside.
As soon as Yoon Si-woo opened the window, we heard voices shouting.
“Hey! Look! It’s Yoon Si-woo!”
“The news that he’s awake is true!”
We could see a crowd gathering in front of the mansion.
“…Captain Martina?”
“It seems the Academy kids are here too…?”
With familiar faces filling the crowd, Yoon Si-woo and I exchanged confused looks. Sylvia, noticing the scene outside, smiled at us.
“Hehe, I contacted everyone a little while ago to let them know Yoon Si-woo was awake. Looks like everyone heard the news and came rushing over.”
“Ah… so that’s why…”
Hearing Sylvia’s words made me a bit embarrassed.
Thinking back, I should’ve started by announcing the joyful news of Yoon Si-woo waking up, but I was too caught up in my own relief to remember that.
I couldn’t help but feel grateful to Sylvia for reminding everyone of what I should have done.
Moreover, it was a stroke of luck that people showed up when they did, sparing me from the crisis of my secret being exposed!
Thanks to that, I was saved, Sylvia…!
“Yoon Si-woo! I was really worried about what would happen if you didn’t wake up!”
“Thank goodness you’re awake, truly!”
“Hahaha… Sorry for causing worry.”
Anyway, the news of Yoon Si-woo being awake quickly filled his room with people.
From Captain Martina to the Academy kids, and even members of the squad Yoon Si-woo led, it was quite a spacious room, but still packed to the brim.
So, to not disrupt Yoon Si-woo’s reunion with everyone, Sylvia and I stepped back a little and left the room.
As we waited outside for the chatter to wind down, Dwight slipped away from the crowd and approached us.
“Ah, Dwight. You’re here to see Yoon Si-woo too? Have you talked to him?”
“No, but it seems many want to speak with him. For now, it’s enough to confirm he’s awake.”
Dwight answered me with a somewhat serious tone as he took a seat in front of Sylvia.
“But Sylvia, was that news about the Sacred Remnants true? They say the Miasma that was tainting it just vanished when it woke up?”
“Yes, it’s hard to believe, even as someone who witnessed it myself. We should confirm it first, though.”
Dwight, who seemed to be probing about the news Sylvia had shared earlier, she handed him the Sacred Remnants for him to see.
Unlike yesterday, he held the glowing Sacred Remnants in his hands, examining it while murmuring in disbelief.
“It’s real… I can’t feel the Miasma at all, though it used to be so potent. What on earth does this mean…?”
Dwight appeared somewhat deflated, likely because he had spent the entire night trying to deal with the Miasma, but that mood didn’t last long.
After a brief chuckle, Dwight shook off the gloom and spoke cheerfully.
“Still, now that we can utilize these, it’s definitely good news. Like how we treated Yoon Si-woo, we can find countless uses for this elsewhere. This will definitely be worth researching.”
There’s a saying that as long as you get to Seoul, it doesn’t matter which way you go.
With his original goal of normalizing the Sacred Remnants confirmed, Dwight looked reinvigorated.
Just as the three of us were brainstorming all the possibilities for using the Sacred Remnants, someone spoke up from the crowd.
“By the way, Captain Yoon Si-woo, there’s something that’s been bothering me for a while. Can I ask a question?”
“What is it?”
“Well… Scarlet mentioned that Captain Yoon Si-woo saved her but ended up in critical condition. Is that true?”
My ears perked up at the mention of my name, and I heard someone, probably one of Yoon Si-woo’s subordinates, talking about something I couldn’t easily ignore.
As I focused on the conversation, Yoon Si-woo answered his subordinate’s question.
“Yes, that is true.”
“Wait, so it really happened?!”
“…Is there a problem with me helping Scarlet?”
The subordinate seemed incredulous at the reality of the statement, and perhaps he sensed Yoon Si-woo’s rising irritation.
Yoon Si-woo asked coldly, and the subordinate answered in a flustered manner.
“N-No, it’s not that! It’s just hard to believe. Captain Yoon Si-woo wouldn’t have known that Scarlet was a witch, right? So, it’s honestly hard to believe you’d risk your life to help a witch going crazy and burning down the city…”
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but nod along; he raised a valid point.
From the perspective of anyone unaware of the situation, it would seem that Yoon Si-woo had been taken in by me, not that he collapsed after helping me.
I figured that there would be plenty of people who wouldn’t believe me, no matter how I explained it.
Well, now that I’ve got the people’s acknowledgment, I thought it didn’t matter much, but still…
“…Just to clarify, I actually knew that Scarlet was a witch way before that incident. That’s why I helped her. Scarlet doesn’t lie, so please don’t doubt her words.”
It seems not everyone felt that way.
With Yoon Si-woo’s sudden escalation in response, I could only be taken aback.
Wait, if you answer like that…!
“Wait…?! You knew all along?!”
“Hold on, so you kept that a secret even though you knew it?”
Of course, those kinds of reactions were to be expected; what a fool…
“Yes, I knew and kept it hidden. I apologize.”
Yoon Si-woo immediately apologized to the shocked crowd, but I felt a headache creeping in.
Honestly, that remark didn’t need to be mentioned at all; it was only going to damage Yoon Si-woo’s reputation.
It would be received negatively that someone appointed as a captain was aware of a potential threat and said nothing about it.
It wouldn’t lead to anything lethal, but people wouldn’t look at it favorably.
“Captain Yoon Si-woo… I don’t think you need to apologize for it since things turned out well, but honestly, it’s a bit concerning.”
Even among the gathered crowd, there was an air of disapproval, as if they felt Yoon Si-woo hadn’t done a great job.
“Now that we’ve seen everything that’s happened, we can be sure that Scarlet isn’t a bad witch, but you were in a situation where you couldn’t be certain, weren’t you…?”
“Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit questionable… There was no solid reason to believe Scarlet wasn’t a bad witch, and yet you risked everything to help her. While I also helped Scarlet escape alongside everyone, I can’t say that your situation was anything but a gamble, right…?”
As people talked, it became clear that their negative opinions stemmed from the fact that Yoon Si-woo’s actions were essentially a gamble in their eyes.
I mean, if I really were the bad witch they suspected, Yoon Si-woo’s actions could have led to catastrophic consequences.
How could he trust and help me without any proof?
If Yoon Si-woo couldn’t properly explain that, it could become a problematic situation.
Those present might have friendly ties with Yoon Si-woo, so it might be okay, but what if the news reached outsiders?
That could easily turn into malicious rumors like, “Yoon Si-woo is a reckless fool who gambled with citizens’ lives!”
In the worst-case scenario, Yoon Si-woo could lose his captain position or face disciplinary action over this incident.
I did think that might be the worst-case scenario, but still.
Just as I was caught in a flurry of apprehension, I heard Yoon Si-woo’s voice.
“Then, what do you think would be the basis for me being certain that Scarlet isn’t a bad witch? Isn’t that what I need to explain?”
“…Yes? Well, yes, that’s true.”
“It’s simple, really. Could everyone step back a bit? I’ll show you that basis now. I doubt you’ll have any doubts after seeing it.”
People began moving back, looking puzzled by Yoon Si-woo’s words.
As the crowd parted, I made eye contact with Yoon Si-woo.
He wore a playful smile, and I realized what he was planning.
What a crazy guy.
“About that earlier apology for hiding that Scarlet is a witch, there’s something else I’ve been keeping hidden. So please, don’t be too shocked.”
Then, at the same moment, Yoon Si-woo muttered to the crowd.
“Holy Sword, revelation.”
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