After finishing his conversation with Eve, Yun Siwoo walked out of the school gate with Scarlett. He walked in step with her slow pace, noticing that she seemed lost in thought. Though he didnât say much, he felt that she wanted to talk to him.
...Actually, to be honest, that was just an excuse. In truth, he might be the one who wanted to talk to her. Thinking that the time he could see her might drastically decrease, he was filled with the desire to spend as much time with her as possible.
But Scarlett, seemingly unaware of his feelings, just walked with a face full of worries. After a while, her steps stopped at a nearby park. Upon arriving, she silently took a seat on a nearby bench and glanced at him, as if inviting him to sit beside her.
They had once sat here, with a letter containing long-distance plans between them, and talked. This time, there was no such letter, so he hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to her. He sat so close that he worried his shoulder might touch hers, but fortunately, she didnât seem to mind.
His heart was pounding so hard that he felt his face might turn red. While trying to suppress it, he heard Scarlettâs voice from beside him.
âEveryone was still laughing just yesterday...â
She watched the people walking on the street with sad eyes. The people on the street, who used to look at them with friendly gazes because they were wearing the academy uniform, now occasionally sent looks of hatred and anger.
The world had changed so much in just one day. Sighing as if lamenting the worldâs transformation, her voice was filled with deep melancholy.
â...Indeed, no one is laughing anymore.â
Her voice matched the expressions on the faces of the people passing by. After watching them for a long time, Scarlett murmured quietly.
âI thought of a plan to make people laugh again, but... itâs a bit difficult, isnât it?â
She stretched out her left arm toward the sky. Gazing at her outstretched left hand, she remained silent for a moment before frowning slightly and muttering.
âIf I were a bit stronger, I could have just said, âMake me a hero.ââ
Her gaze slowly turned toward him. Placing her hand on her knee, she looked at him with a troubled expression and bowed her head.
â...Iâm sorry. You must have had things you wanted to do at school, but becoming a hero means you have to give all of that up. I should have been the one to do this, but I feel like Iâm making you bear too much responsibility... Iâm really sorry.â
She kept apologizing, seemingly regretful for making him choose this path. He always thought she was kind, and because of that, she was also very hesitant.
After hesitating for a moment, Yun Siwoo gathered his courage and placed his hand gently on top of hers.
There was something he wanted to say to her, who kept apologizing.
Looking into her eyes as she raised her head, Yun Siwoo spoke.
âYou donât need to apologize to me. I chose this because I wanted to.â
He recalled her sad expression when she talked about her past. She seemed so calm, but he couldnât fathom the immense sorrow she must have experienced to speak so calmly.
But he thought about her words that having someone to rely on could help forget sorrow. He wanted to be that person for her, even if just a little.
Of course, he wasnât without regrets. It was certainly regrettable that the time he could see her at school would decrease. But what he truly wanted to see was her smiling and happily attending school, so he could say it without hesitation.
âI also want people to laugh again like they used to.â
Because only then could she, who always thought of others, smile.
â...Still, Iâm sorry.â
Despite his words, she still looked apologetic. While pondering what to say to make her stop feeling that way, he felt something rustling in his pocket.
Then, Yun Siwoo remembered something he had in his pocket and asked her.
âHey, Scarlett. Weâre friends, right?â
She seemed to ponder his question for a moment before slowly nodding. Watching her, he slowly took out what was in his pocket.
It was the macaron she had given him yesterday. He had always hoped to receive one from her, as she seemed to give them only to close friends.
Yun Siwoo unwrapped the macaron, which fortunately still maintained its shape despite his running around last night, and put it in his mouth.
The sweet macaron. Though he didnât particularly like sweets, he couldnât help but enjoy this one.
Smiling slightly, he told her,
âFriends say âthank youâ instead of âsorry.ââ
She responded in a small voice.
â...Yeah, thank you.â
The faint smile on her lips made him incredibly happy.
*
A few days had passed since the major incident that shook the city. Today, a joint memorial service was being held in the city to honor those who had been lost.
In the central square, many people had gathered for the joint memorial service. The square, filled with the sounds of people weeping for their loved ones, echoed with someoneâs voice.
[A few days ago, we lost countless precious lives.]
The voice came from the podium in the center of the square. On the podium stood people from the cityâs ruling families and some well-known heroes, all dressed in black.
People like Sylvia Astra, the successor of the Astra family, and Eve, known as the best illusionist. The person whose voice was now echoing through the square was Lucas Aegis, the principal of Aegis Academy.
[As we mentioned through the media, this incident was the work of a witch.]
The word "witch" from his mouth sparked hatred among the citizens. Toward the entity that had taken their family, friends, and acquaintances.
However, the flames of anger born from sorrow didnât point in just one direction.
For people who had only encountered witches in books, the existence of a witch was akin to a natural disaster. Just as people wouldnât be angry at the earthquake itself if it caused many deaths, some directed their anger at the ruling class and heroes for not properly preparing for the witch.
In response to the voices of blame from various places, the people on the podium bowed their heads.
Eve, who had taken the microphone from Lucas, also bowed her head and spoke.
[Though this was an unexpected attack after several hundred years, we will not turn a blind eye to our responsibility. The duty of a hero is to protect people, and we clearly failed in that duty. We offer our deepest apologies.]
Thereâs a saying that if you apologize for something that isnât your fault, it becomes your fault. Just as the anger of many people, looking for someone to blame, was about to be directed at the podium, Eve lifted her head and spoke again.
[However, there was someone who, despite the heroes failing in their duty, steadfastly fulfilled the role of a hero. Yun Siwoo, a first-year student at Aegis Academy.]
At Eveâs words, a white-clad boy, the only one in a heroâs uniform among the people dressed in black for the memorial, stepped forward to the podium.
The boy drew a sword glowing with a golden light from the air. The sight was like a single beam of light shining in the darkness, and even those who had been raising their voices in the square fell silent, their attention captured by him.
Eveâs voice echoed through the now quiet square.
[He discovered the culprit of the incident, the monster, early and eliminated it, preventing an even greater disaster and saving countless lives. In recognition of his deeds, we appoint him as a hero here today.]
With those words, the boy spoke to the world.
[I solemnly swear here today.]
The oath he made, declaring himself a hero, was unprecedented.
It was the first time a first-year student from the academy had been officially appointed as a hero. But the boy, as if to prove his worth, emitted a brilliant light from the sword in his hand.
Some of the people gathered in the square would remember this light. The light that had driven away the darkness in the sky when they were in despair.
The light began from the boyâs hand and stretched toward the sky. Those who witnessed it, either through broadcasts or on-site, held their breath, taking in the magnificent scene.
What do people see in this light?
Some will call it a blessing,
some will call it a miracle,
and some will see hope in it.
[I will act for others before myself.]
The boy looked at the people who had gathered to watch him. The expectations in their gazes weighed heavily on him, but he bore them as if they were nothing.
He had long been prepared for this.
[I will never abandon my comrades, no matter the situation.]
To ensure the girl wouldnât get hurt while protecting someone,
to become stronger than anyone to protect everyone,
to make the girl stop being sad,
to create a world where she could live happily for the rest of her life.
Compared to his resolve, the added expectations of the people were nothing to him.
[I will fight solely for the peace and safety of humanity,]
The girl had said,
become a hero for everyone,
become their hope.
[I swear here today.]
Ah, I am willing to walk this thorny path.
Thus, in the midst of the brilliant light and the peopleâs expectations,