Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 313

As I was saying that, even if it wasn’t a secret, we were still friends, Yoon Si-woo was smiling.

“Ahem, Si-woo. Sorry to interrupt the good atmosphere, but can you spare a moment? I have something to tell you.”

Lucy, who had been quietly sitting next to us, cleared her throat and called out to Yoon Si-woo.

Sylvia, seeing Lucy for the first time today, flinched at the sudden sound that echoed through the room, then muttered to herself with a look of wonder at the talking sword in front of her.

“You’re the Witch of Pride, Lucifel, right?”

“Yes, just call me Lucy if you wish. Anyway, Si-woo, this is important, so don’t let it go in one ear and out the other.”

As Lucy emphasized the importance of her words, Yoon Si-woo looked at her with a puzzled expression.

It was as if he was wondering why they didn’t just communicate through thought if they could, instead of saying it out loud for everyone to hear.@@@@

“I need to make sure these guys hear it too, so that Si-woo will take it more seriously. You have a tendency to treat your body too roughly, after all. I didn’t mention it earlier, but I’ll make it clear now.”

Giving a jab at Yoon Si-woo’s previous question, Lucy murmured and then added,

“Si-woo, from now on, try to refrain from using my power as much as possible.”

Then she followed up with something very serious.

“If you keep using it thoughtlessly like before, you will die.”

Hearing those words, my mind went blank for a moment.

...Die? Yoon Si-woo?

What kind of nonsense was that?

Yoon Si-woo was right here, perfectly alive.

How could I have a conversation with him again like this?

However, no matter how much I denied it, unless I had misheard, Lucy definitely just said that.

That Yoon Si-woo would die.

As the realization sank in, a scene slowly unfolded in my mind.

The image of Yoon Si-woo collapsing.

But this time, it was the sight of Yoon Si-woo who could never open his eyes again, cold and lifeless.

“W-What do you mean?! Yoon Si-woo, he’s going to die?!”

I still vividly recalled how he had been unable to move like a corpse not too long ago.

Feeling chills at the thought of Yoon Si-woo never opening his eyes again, I almost convulsed in fear as I shouted towards Lucy.

Then, in a calm voice, Lucy spoke to me.

“Calm down. I’m not saying he will definitely die, just that it could happen if he abuses my power.”

“Not die, huh...?”

With Lucy’s calm demeanor soothing me, I managed to gather my scattered thoughts and regain my composure.

However, since Lucy wasn’t denying the possibility of Yoon Si-woo dying, I felt compelled to clarify that doubt, so I asked her.

“...Now that I’m calmed down, please explain properly.”

“You know, being a witch, you understand that magic is not something humans should wield. For ordinary humans, magic is nothing but a ferocious energy that harms the body.”

As Lucy said, magic was a power that humans shouldn’t handle.

If I had to find a comparison with my meager knowledge, it would be something like nuclear power.

If utilized, it could produce great strength, but touching it would lead to radiation exposure, making it unusable; magic was that kind of power.

“Si-woo is an exception. He possesses the Holy Sword of Protection, which greatly enhances his body’s healing abilities and increases his resistance to magic, allowing him to endure it. So until now, he could use my power without much trouble, as long as he didn’t overdo it. Even if he used magic beyond his body’s limits, he had means to recover.”

As expected from the protagonist of the original work, Yoon Si-woo was someone who could wield such magic.

He also, like me, was human but burdened with the power of the Holy Swords.

Perhaps the means of recovery Lucy mentioned was the ability of the Holy Sword of Resilience to restore the body at the cost of its own lifespan.

Realizing that, I couldn’t help but stiffen my expression.

I knew how high the cost Yoon Si-woo had paid to save me when Evanjelin had taken my body just the previous day.

But what was terribly ironic was that I only knew that fact because of my knowledge of the original story.

Originally, I shouldn’t have had any way of knowing that.

Yoon Si-woo had woken up after paying such a cost but hadn’t uttered a word about it to me.

He hadn’t mentioned how high of a price he had paid, nor had he indicated that I should be grateful for it.

But I knew.

I knew it all.

How much Yoon Si-woo had sacrificed for me.

Knowing that he didn’t mention it because it would have weighed heavily on me made me even more thankful and apologetic.

It was a ridiculous farce.

Some wanted to keep it a secret, while others had to pretend not to know, even while fully aware of everything.

In that moment, as I smirked at the absurdity in my mind, Lucy spoke up, seemingly reading my thoughts.

“However, that is no longer possible. The girl named Scarlet. Do you have any idea how much Si-woo sacrificed to save you?”

At that moment, Lucy’s words startled Yoon Si-woo, who had surely wanted to keep it a secret from me.

“Si-woo, as I said, if you want to live, you should refrain from borrowing my power. Well, given your tendency to mistreat your body, I don’t expect you to heed my words... but now that others know, there might be someone to stop you even if I’m not around.”

“Lucy, you... you’ve been saying this from the start...”

Yoon Si-woo muttered as if taken aback by Lucy’s words.

But I immediately grew anxious at his lack of a clear answer.

Why...? Why wouldn’t he say he wouldn’t use it right away...?

As the thought of Yoon Si-woo being shattered and unable to respond came rushing back, I quickly grabbed both his shoulders and asked.

“Yoon Si-woo... you won’t use it, right? You know your life’s at stake...!”

“......”

There was no answer.

I felt my insides heating up as I yelled out in frustration.

“Hey!! Why aren’t you answering! Promise, promise me! Promise that you won’t use it, like before!”

I released his shoulders and grabbed Yoon Si-woo’s right hand.

I clung to him, pleading for him to promise, trying to link my pinky to his.

I felt like I would go mad if I didn’t do this, out of anxiety.

If only he would say he promised, I could relax.

Yoon Si-woo hates lies.

That’s why a promise made with Yoon Si-woo would be one I could trust.

So all I wanted was to hear that one word of promise.

“...Sorry, Scarlet. I don’t think I can promise that.”

But instead of a promise, Yoon Si-woo said that while smiling apologetically, grabbing my struggling hand with his other.

I stared blankly at Yoon Si-woo’s face in shock and asked,

“Why... why...?”

“I won’t use it if possible, but still, if the moment comes when I must borrow it, I will.”

“But... you’re going to die...”

“I know. But if it’s to protect something more precious than my life, I believe I’ll have to fight.”

Yoon Si-woo’s words made me feel betrayed.

He had just promised not to leave me behind.

I had been relieved because he had agreed, but now he was saying he’d be fine dying...

I turned to Yoon Si-woo, my expression wounded by betrayal.

“You promised earlier... that you wouldn’t leave me behind... but now you’re saying it’s okay to die...?”

“Ah...”

Yoon Si-woo let out a bitter smile, as if he hadn’t considered that.

“I suppose I can’t take that back...?”

“...If you say you’re taking it back, then it’s a breakup. Even if you break the promise, I’ll consider it a breakup.”

“That would be troublesome, haha... I don’t want to be dumped...”

When he said something nonsensical, I shot him a serious glare as he laughed sheepishly.

I felt that it would be impossible to change his mind, but I still pleaded one last time.

“...Just promise you won’t use it?”

“...I don’t want to lie. Not to you, my friend Scarlet.”

“No matter what it takes...?”

As I wondered how I could turn Yoon Si-woo’s heart around, he asked me.

“If you were in my place, could you promise not to use it?”

If I were Yoon Si-woo...

I couldn’t help but close my mouth at that question.

Of course, I couldn’t.

I could have responded and said I could do it even if it was a lie, but what would be the point of saying it to someone who wouldn’t accept a lie?

Moreover, after hearing him say he didn’t want to lie to me, I wouldn’t want to do so either.

So, as I sat quietly without a reply, Yoon Si-woo smiled as if he expected this.

Seeing that infuriating smile, I stood up and shouted.

“...Fine, I’ll just take care of everything, so you don’t have to fight!”

I pouted, feeling slighted by Yoon Si-woo not saying a single promise, and was about to walk away when I turned around just before exiting.

“...But still, keep the promise you made earlier, okay? If you don’t, I really will consider it a breakup.”

To that, Yoon Si-woo replied.

“Hmm, I’ll try my best to keep that promise.”

...Truly, he was an infuriating guy to the end.