[I despised the world.]

[I hated a world that would burn people just to survive.]

[The flames erupting from my body gave birth to endless pain,]

[The pain of my body ablaze gave rise to endless rage,]

[The rage that consumed my body birthed endless flames,]

[Thus, the flames did not cease to burn.]

[I did not know how to stop it,]

[Nor did I intend to stop it.]

[So, I decided to burn everything.]

[Burn,]

[Burn,]

[As I continued to burn,]

[There was nothing left around me,]

[And at the end, there was only one thing remaining.]

[I even burned that one last thing with my own hands.]

[You too,]

[Will become like this.]

—

“Uff…!”

I jolted awake, practically bouncing off the bed.

My entire body was slick with cold sweat.

I had a dream, probably a nightmare.

It didn’t seem like a pleasant dream, but…

…I couldn’t quite remember it well.

If it was a nightmare, it would be better not to recall it. Yet for some reason, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it contained something I shouldn’t forget, leaving an uncomfortable sensation in my chest.

I tried to grasp at the hazy memories of the dream, but even just after waking, most of it had evaporated, leaving only a vague memory of something fiery.

With a sigh, I wet a towel in the bathroom to wipe down my sweaty body, hoping to wash away the uncomfortable feeling.

Having only one arm meant there were still parts I just couldn’t reach.

I felt a strong urge to take a shower, but unwrapping the bandages around my left shoulder seemed like a task I wouldn’t be able to manage on my own, so I decided to skip it.

After wiping myself down, the hospital meal arrived.

Maybe because of the dream, I had overslept, and lunch ended up being my first meal of the day.

I let out another sigh as I put food in my mouth.

The dream’s content didn’t matter anymore.

Today’s lunch was absolutely delicious.

Then surely breakfast must’ve been something tasty as well?

The fact that I missed out on a delightful breakfast while sleeping made me quite sad…

Determined to make up for missing breakfast, I was enthusiastically devouring my lunch when the door swung open, and a middle-aged man with messy hair entered the room.

It was that guy who claimed to be my legal guardian.

Why is he here? I wondered for a second before realization hit me.

Considering I was hospitalized, it was only natural to notify my legal guardian.

I nodded slightly to greet him.

He waved back lightly and quietly pulled up a chair, sitting in a corner of the room away from my meal.

Should I start a conversation since he’s visiting me?

As I paused in my eating, he gestured toward the bowl in front of me as if to say, “Keep eating.”

Since he insisted, I resumed my meal.

I wasn’t the type to have trouble eating just because someone was watching me.

He sat there in silence, observing me with a complicated expression until I finished my meal.

After that, an awkward silence filled the room.

This is awkward…

Staying in quiet company with a stranger was a bit challenging.

As I hesitated to initiate conversation, the man sighed and moved his chair closer to the bed.

“That arm… I heard you lost it protecting others…”

He immediately opened with a heavy topic.

Well, what else would he have to talk about with me right now?

He glanced at my missing arm for a moment, then spoke in a voice filled with regret as if he was blaming himself for my condition.

“…Do you regret it?”

“I don’t regret it.”

I shook my head and replied right away.

I genuinely didn’t regret it.

I did what I did to avoid any regrets.

That was why I could answer without hesitation.

His eyes trembled slightly upon hearing my immediate response.

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

“…Why?”

He asked why I had no regrets.

Well, there were several reasons.

I could go on forever detailing each reason, but ultimately, the answer was simple.

“Because people survived.”

That was enough for me.

Seeing people die right before my eyes would probably be harder than losing an arm.

Since I prevented that, I thought losing one arm was an acceptable trade-off.

Upon hearing my answer, he lowered his head.

His shoulders trembled, and in a teary voice, he murmured.

“…Scarlet, you’ve become such a kind person…”

The man looked both happy and sad as he said that.

I couldn’t even guess what he was thinking, so I just remained silent.

“…Thank you, truly.”

“……”

“Thanks to you, I can also avoid having regrets…”

He mumbled softly and lifted his head again.

His eyes were red, but his expression seemed somewhat relieved.

As he was sniffling, I reached over to the tissue box on the bedside table and pulled out a few tissues, stretching forward to offer them to him.

In that moment, something fell out of his pocket with a thunk.

It was the black fragment I hastily shoved into my pocket the night before.

The instant he noticed the object drop, his eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly picked it up.

“This is…!”

He stared at the fragment, bewildered, then seriously handed it back to me.

“…You must never lose it. Always keep it on you. And if possible, don’t even show it to others.”

I took the piece and placed it back in my pocket. He seemed to know what it was.

Since he appeared to know something about my past, I wanted to ask him about the bizarre happenings from last night and other strange matters.

At that moment, a sudden vibration sound echoed from somewhere.

He took out his phone, looked at the screen, and with a grave expression, stood up.

“We’ll talk later. And remember my words: never show that to anyone.”

Saying that, he hastily left the room.

I had things I wanted to ask, but it didn’t seem worth detaining someone who looked so urgently pressed.

Since he was my guardian, I figured there’d be other opportunities to see him again.

I reached into my pocket, feeling the black fragment.

What on earth is this that he warned me not to show anyone?

The questions only multiplied, yet I had no means to answer them.

Rolling the black fragment in my hand, I pondered for a moment, and feeling full and drowsy, I laid back down to sleep.

—

I found myself sleeping once more.

Perhaps it was the hospital that made me feel like I was sleeping more than usual.

It’s strange, but sleeping too much doesn’t necessarily leave one feeling less tired…

In fact, I felt a bit foggy from all the sleep.

As I tried to shake off the drowsiness, the door creaked open.

“Sniff…”

Turning toward the sound, I saw Jessie, already ready to burst into tears.

She entered the room, sat beside me, grabbed my hand tightly, and then started sobbing.

“Wahhh, why’s your arm like that…”

Well, you saw what happened…

I had a feeling this would happen when Mei mentioned that Jessie would come to visit, but seeing her actually crying left me feeling awkward.

“Scarlet is still a patient and needs to rest,”

I made a distressed face, but just then Daniel entered and said that to Jessie while Andre lifted her off me.

Oh, they came too.

I subtly sent a silent thank you gesture to Daniel as he winked back at me, and Andre nodded.

With two people to support her, Jessie didn’t end up crying loudly as expected; she quieted down to just a few sniffles.

As I patted Jessie’s head with my right hand to comfort her, Daniel spoke up.

“Sylvia asked me to express her apologies for not being able to visit due to responsibilities post-battle.”

The heir of the high-profile family must indeed be busy.

Being familiar with Sylvia’s personality, I figured she must be rather gloomy about not being able to come, so I nodded and resolved to reassure her later.

“…What’s going to happen with your arm?”

Daniel cautiously broached the subject, and Jessie momentarily stopped her sniffles to listen for my answer.

It seemed they’d all been quite concerned.

“The doctor said I’ll need a prosthetic arm.”

Upon hearing this, Jessie wiped her tears and said,

“…If you’re getting a prosthetic, please have it done at our company.”

When I tilted my head in confusion at her words, Daniel provided further explanation.

“Their family is quite renowned in that field.”

He quickly showed me something on his phone, revealing an incredibly large company.

The shock of it didn’t surprise me, as it made me realize the children from the Aegis Academy were rather intimidating.

“Since I owe you my life, I’ll make sure to cover the costs.”

Jessie’s fierce determination in her eyes suggested she was serious.

Worried she might actually spend all her money on my prosthetic, I waved my hands rapidly.

“There’s no need for that. I’ve heard they’re covering all the expenses anyway.”

“Fully… ? Does that mean there’s no concern about how much it costs?”

Her eyes lit up at the word “fully.”

“Then we’ll make sure you get the highest quality product, so if you have any specifications, just let us know! With enough money, you could even fire magic blasts from it!”

Feeling a hint of madness in her words, I nodded hesitantly.

Well, if something came out of my hand, it wouldn’t be a prosthetic anymore, would it?

To be honest, I was a little tempted, but I decided not to worry about that for now, as an ordinary prosthetic would probably fall short when facing monsters anyway.

Seeing me appear rather composed, the kids gradually began relaxing their expressions.

It felt like we’d been talking for quite a while until Andre finally pulled Jessie and Daniel away, concerned it might be unbeneficial for me to linger in one place too long.

While most of the chatting was between Jessie and Daniel, it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable time.

Soon, it must be dinner time.

I was excitedly waiting to see what was for tonight’s meal when I heard the door open.

Turning around to check the menu, my expression soured.

Standing in the doorway was Yoon Si-woo.