The luxurious banquet hall in the city center, the 13th district, was brightly lit by the chandeliers. Among the many distinguished figures gathered for the banquet, one person stood out: Sylvia Astra, known as the successor of Astra. People's attention was drawn to Sylvia, who was standing at the center of the hall, exchanging greetings with those passing by, her radiant appearance captivating everyone. However, no one knew that she was feeling terrible despite her smile.
"......I just want to rest today."
Sylvia, who had shed tears at school earlier that day, was emotionally exhausted. However, as the successor of Astra, she could not avoid attending such a gathering of influential people in the city. Despite her inner complaints, she had to maintain a cheerful appearance. As she pondered how to escape from the center of the hall, her eyes caught sight of someone who had just entered the banquet hall.
A middle-aged elf with silver hair, similar to hers, was frowning as he looked around the hall with his gloved hand. Seeing an opportunity, Sylvia quickly moved away from the center and approached him, greeting him.
"Uncle Sator. It's been a while."
"Oh, it has been a while, Sylvia."
When Sylvia greeted him, the man's frown eased, and he adjusted his glasses before returning the greeting. He was a renowned authority in the field of superpowers, her uncle, Sator Astra. Although they were from the same family, they did not see each other often, so they were not particularly close. However, Sylvia's mind was filled with the desire to escape from the center of the hall, even if only for a moment.
It was a rare occurrence. Sator, who was known for his obsession with work and his slight social anxiety, rarely attended family events, let alone such gatherings.
Sylvia, puzzled, asked, "I didn't expect to see you here, Uncle. I thought you didn't like crowded places?"
"I don't dislike crowded places as much as I dislike dusty ones. Today, I had to come because there were some matters related to the research institute that needed to be discussed..."
Sator waved his white-gloved hand in front of his face as he answered, clearly showing his discomfort with the place. Sylvia recalled an article she had read earlier in the year about a major fire at the superpower research institute where Sator was the director, which had almost completely destroyed the building.
Sylvia asked, "I heard about the incident at the research institute. How is the reconstruction going?"
"It will take some time. The research materials are one thing, but all the samples we were working on were lost... Sigh, all our research achievements have gone up in smoke. We were so close to getting results after a few more trials."
"I hope everything goes well for you. Would you like a drink?"
"......Thank you."
Sylvia took a glass of wine from a passing staff member and handed it to Sator, who was sighing. As he took the glass, he looked at Sylvia's left hand, which was holding the glass, and frowned.
"......What's that ring on your hand, Sylvia? It seems a bit... out of place with your outfit. Would you like me to have a new one made for you?"
Sylvia was angry at the comment but did not show it on her face. However, her response carried a hint of emotion.
"It's a ring I bought to match with a friend's. I bought it myself."
"Ah, I apologize. Speaking of friends... friends..."
Sylvia's response made Sator's expression complicated. After mulling over the word "friend," he took a sip of wine and spoke.
"Sylvia, let me tell you a story."
His face was slightly flushed, perhaps from the alcohol.
"I have a friend. We've known each other for a long time, and we've worked together on research since I became the director. But after the fire at the research institute, he started to avoid me, and recently, he doesn't even answer my calls. That's when I realized that friends are only as close as they need to be."
His eyes behind his glasses quietly flickered as he spoke.
"So, Sylvia, it's better not to get too attached to friends. People are naturally fickle, and friendships can end in an instant."
"......I'll keep that in mind."
"I've talked too much. I have a lot of people to talk to, so I'll be going now. Stay healthy, Sylvia."
After saying goodbye to Sylvia, Sator rubbed his nose with his gloved hand and slowly moved deeper into the hall. As he walked away, Sylvia stroked the ring on her finger, thinking to herself that her friend would never do that.
*
It was Saturday, and I had to come to school because it was a week when we had classes. Even though it was every other week, having classes six days a week would probably shock the kids of today.
During history class today, the history teacher opened the textbook and explained the origin of our school's schedule.
"The reason our academy has classes every other Saturday is to commemorate the achievements of the heroes who defeated the Gluttony Witch, who was once thought to be invincible. The Great Hero Aegis, who was also the founder of Aegis Academy, and his team fought for six days and nights without rest, finally sealing the witch. It's a famous story, so you all probably know it."
The children nodded in agreement.
I guess I was the only one who didn't know this story. It was sad to think that such a story was included in the history textbook.
"There's a lesser-known story. When Aegis first established the academy, he had classes every Saturday. He said that since he fought for six days and nights, having classes for six days wasn't that hard. He was so tough that he survived two witch hunts. Because of the students' complaints, he changed it to every other week and passed the principal's position to his son, leaving this message."
The history teacher cleared his throat and recited what the great hero Aegis was said to have said.
"Tsk, tsk. These young people these days have no perseverance. No perseverance..."
The human touch in his words made the children laugh.
Even the Great Hero was human, it seemed.
The history teacher chuckled at the children's reaction and said, "He was telling you not to think of coming to school on Saturdays as a bother. Even if the witches no longer appear, you need constant training to protect the citizens from monsters. Show that you have perseverance."
The children responded loudly to the history teacher's words.
The class continued, and I slowly read through the history textbook. There were seven witches listed in the textbook, each named after one of the seven deadly sins.
The Pride Witch, who was said to have been defeated by a hero in ancient times.
The Lust Witch, who was said to have been drowned by a team of seventy in the city of mermaids in the far west.
The Wrath Witch, who burned the World Tree in the northern forest and was destroyed along with the team that Astra called to hunt her.
The Greed Witch, who fell with the island, the last stronghold of the Celestials, when it crashed from the sky where the Celestials and the Jinn lived.
The Sloth Witch, who was buried deep underground along with the ancient history of the dwarves' underground city in the eastern mountains.
And the Envy Witch and the Gluttony Witch, who were defeated by the Great Hero Aegis.
Perhaps because these events took place hundreds of years ago, the textbook lacked detailed information, making it feel more like a storybook. The only one with detailed information was the Gluttony Witch, the most notorious and well-known.
I pondered the history teacher's words. "No more witches appear," is that really true?
In the original story I read, the only witch that appeared as an enemy was the Gluttony Witch, who had been released from her seal and revived. However, this only meant that the witch Sylvia fought directly was the Gluttony Witch.
I wanted to believe that all the witches had been defeated, but I knew better. I recalled the image of the girl with purple hair who had summoned a monster in the gym. In a world where information was controlled to prevent social chaos, it wouldn't be strange if the defeat of a witch was a lie.
Excluding Gluttony and the one whose identity I knew, there were five left. Which one of them could the girl be?
After much contemplation, I closed the history book.
Author's Note:
Tsk, tsk... These young people these days...
It's already episode 50. To everyone who leaves comments and recommendations despite the inconvenience, to those who support me with fan art, and to those who show their support through donations, I am deeply grateful. Thanks to all the readers who have read my story, I have been able to write this far.
I will continue to write Evan's story to bring joy to everyone. Thank you so much. 5000 times the gratitude!