On the way home, Yoon Si-woo was still deeply immersed in the afterglow of the zoo visit.

Just thinking about the photo that had become his mobile phone wallpaper made him smile uncontrollably.

Perhaps that’s why he found himself looking at Scarlet walking beside him with warmer eyes than before.

It was the first time in his life he felt a day could be this enjoyable.

And that joy was only possible because the girl walking next to him was there.

With that thought about Scarlet in mind, Yoon Si-woo expressed his heartfelt gratitude to her.

“I really had fun today. Scarlet, thanks to you, I think I had a great holiday.”

Scarlet nodded silently at his words.

He wished she had enjoyed it as much as he had.

As he pondered that, a certain desire began to arise within him.

Debating whether to voice it or not, Yoon Si-woo ultimately made his decision.

Though it wasn’t his initial intention, having what felt like a date with Scarlet today meant he had to muster the courage to express what he desired.

So, he shut his eyes tightly and spoke to her.

“Hey, if it’s okay, let’s hang out again sometime. If you want to go anywhere, just let me know anytime.”

He wanted to suggest hanging out just the two of them, but he couldn’t say it outright. Still, he tried to be honest and brave, but unfortunately, the response he sought didn’t come.

With a reluctant look, she averted her gaze slightly as if disinterested, and the courage he had mustered felt like it vanished into thin air, leaving Yoon Si-woo dejected.

“I… It’s not that we have to… Just if you want to go somewhere…”

Feeling deflated, he continued walking, and before he knew it, they had arrived home. As soon as they reached home, Scarlet bowed her head as if to apologize and said.

“Sorry, I’m a bit tired. I’ll go to my room first…”

With that, Scarlet closed the door behind her and went in.

Was she really that tired?

She had usually served meals diligently whenever they came back after such outings, so concern welled up within him.

For a moment, Yoon Si-woo stared at the door she had just gone through, then nodded and made up his mind.

She did seem tired, and since he owed a debt of gratitude for the fun he had today, he would take care of dinner tonight.

If he was going to do it, he wanted to make something delicious with some expensive ingredients.

Thinking that he needed to do some grocery shopping, he turned around and stepped back outside.

What kind of food would she like?

He recalled that she seemed to enjoy sweet desserts the last time they were out, so maybe he should buy some ingredients for a dessert along with the main dish.

Lost in such thoughts and heading toward the store, Yoon Si-woo suddenly felt his heart race without any forewarning.

It was an unsettling and ominous racing that sent chills down his spine.

It was too intense to dismiss as mere gut feeling.

That sensation made Yoon Si-woo stop in his tracks on his way to the store.

He had recently been learning about the true abilities of the Holy Swords through Lucy.

Thanks to that, the abilities of the Holy Swords he already possessed had slightly strengthened, and now his senses were exceptionally heightened, to the point where they could be described as superhuman.

From basic sensory perceptions like sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch to that indescribable sixth sense often deemed mysterious.

And that sense was trying to convey something ominous.

It was telling him that something bad was about to happen.

As he pondered what kind of misfortune might be looming, a sudden memory of what had happened earlier flashed through his mind.

When he returned from getting drinks at the zoo and asked Scarlet, who was holding a stiff expression in front of sleeping Leon, what was wrong.

Her response of “It’s nothing” had conjured an ambiguous reaction from the Holy Sword of Truth—it neither confirmed nor denied her statement.

The sudden memory of that moment cast a shadow over him making his expression grow somber.

Yoon Si-woo turned on his heels and began walking quickly back towards the house.

Please, let it not be anything serious.

As he muttered this internally, with each step closer to home, the ominous racing in his heart only intensified.

When he finally neared home,

He heard a faint sound that was a mix between a thud and a crack from somewhere.

It was a chilling sound, the kind made when something flesh-bound was smashed against something solid.

Repeatedly, the sounds echoed like a series of distressing sounds from his own—

Before he could finish that thought, his legs were already sprinting towards home with all their might.

And when he flung open the front door, the sound rang out.

A large crash, akin to shattering glass.

The sound of the beautiful day being shattered.

And then,

“NOOOOOO!”

A scream that flared from the depths of despair emerged from Scarlet.

The scream carried the pungent scent of blood.

Rushing toward the origin of that foreboding scent, he forcefully opened the door and was met with a vision flooded in red.

The walls stained red with blood and scattered shards of mirrors reflecting that crimson hue on the floor.

And within it stood a red-haired girl, clad in a dress stained with blood, aiming a sharp piece of glass at her own chest.

The mirror shard glinted ominously.

Incredibly fortunate, it was his hand that reached her arm before that mirror shard could reach her heart.

Successfully grabbing her arm was indeed a stroke of luck.

Had he been even a moment later or gone any further, unimaginable horror would have unfolded before his eyes.

With her twisted expression and panting breath, he asked her.

“…Why, why are you doing this, Scarlet?”

“…Please, don’t stop me.”

Her plea not to stop her appeared so strangely desperate.

The moment he loosened his grip, her arms tensed with all their strength, prepared to strike down the mirror shard.

Yoon Si-woo could not understand her actions.

The gap between the Scarlet who had shown warmth at the zoo and the one before him now felt insurmountable. He couldn’t comprehend why she would resort to such actions.

“…Tell me the reason, there must be a reason for this.”

When he asked, she hesitated, then finally answered.

“…The drawing on the bed.”

Scarlet pointed towards the bed as she spoke.

Glancing toward it, Yoon Si-woo saw a piece of paper that resembled a sketch torn from a sketchbook lying on the bed.

He carefully pried the shard from her hand, worried she might hurt herself, and reached out to the paper on the bed.

Upon examining the drawing, he inadvertently gasped.

It was a drawing soaked in red.

The background seemed ablaze with reds, and in the center of the drawing was a girl with red hair and a sorrowful expression, a knife stabbed into her chest, alongside a boy with white hair collapsed at her feet.

Even at a glance, it was undeniably a depiction of himself and Scarlet.

But what on earth did this drawing signify? He asked her.

“…What is this drawing?”

“Leon… Leon drew it.”

His heart sank at the mention of Leon’s name.

The cute boy who showed particular affection for Scarlet at the orphanage had created such a grim depiction?

As if sensing his bewilderment, Scarlet elaborated.

“…Leon can see the future. This was drawn by him after watching you and me today. Do you understand what that means…?”

Can see the future?

Yoon Si-woo looked back at the drawing.

Did this mean that this horrific image represented the future awaiting himself and Scarlet?

No matter the claims of foresight, it was hard to accept that notion easily.

However, it seemed that Scarlet couldn’t accept such a future either, as she clutched at his arm, begging.

“I… I can’t stand the thought of you dying because of me. I absolutely hate that… So please, let go of my hand… It’s better to die before that happens…”

The instant he heard her words, it felt as though his heart was being ripped apart.

What terrified her was not the thought of her own death.

What frightened her was the thought of his death.

She was desperate enough to even consider making such an extreme choice rather than allow that fate to occur.

She was, simply put, remarkably kind-hearted.

“…Scarlet.”

“…Or would you rather do it? Do you remember that promise we made back then?”

When he called her name, she brought up that promise.

Yoon Si-woo clearly remembered it.

Someday, when she would no longer be herself.

When that time came,

Her lips parted slowly.

“Kill me.”

At that moment, Yoon Si-woo gasped.

The Holy Sword of Truth quietly revealed her heartfelt desire. It was so sorrowful.

And it made him incredibly angry.

He took a deep breath and exhaled again.

“…Hah.”

Then, in silence, he drew the Holy Sword of Truth.

Pointing it at Scarlet, she slowly closed her eyes, seemingly lost in delusion.

But he had no intention whatsoever of killing her.

“I’m just going to cut a little.”

He softly said to her before trimming a few strands of her hair.

“…Remember when you said that you trust me more than anyone else in the world?”

As he spoke, he tied her hair to the hilt of the Holy Sword of Truth.

He didn’t say it out loud, yet her eyes widened in shock as she slowly opened her eyes to look at him.

“Was that a lie?”

“…It wasn’t a lie.”

“Do you really not trust me?”

“…Not like that.”

“Then why?”

It wasn’t because she seemed to trust the drawing more than him.

“Because you don’t trust me more than a mere drawing.”

That she felt more insecure because of a piece of paper was due to a lack of faith he had instilled in her.

Feeling angry, he declared firmly.

“I’m strong, probably a lot stronger than you think. But if you’re still worried, I’ll become even stronger. Strong enough to fight and defeat the witch.”

He reiterated his strength.

He would only continue to grow stronger.

So she should rest assured.

Although he considered tackling her and completely overpowering her to instill the belief that she could never defeat him, he didn’t want to resort to such foolish methods.

Instead, he gripped her shoulders firmly.

So that she could find some semblance of reassurance.

And then he said.

“So, there’s no way I’ll die at your hands. Not ever. So don’t worry about that drawing, alright?”

“But…”

“Scarlet.”

Seeing her eyes glimmer with anxiety made his anger flare.

As angry as he was, he felt equally sad.

Because he was lacking, she had to utter such words.

Because he hadn’t given her enough confidence, she felt compelled to speak as she did.

So he told her.

“…If you don’t want to die, then just say you don’t want to die.”

The truth was she didn’t want to die.

That was her genuine feeling.

Unless it meant being deprived of herself by the witch, stripped of her identity in the absolute worst case.

It was only natural to feel unwilling to choose death due to an overwhelming fear of the uncertain future.

Despite her displaying acceptance of death, she was fundamentally a normal person.

A regular person who wanted to experience joy and seek happiness.

Seeing her make such statements betraying her heart infuriated and saddened him immensely, prompting him to plead with her.

“If you’re exhausted to the point of wanting to die, don’t say you want to die. If you’re worried or scared, just be honest and say so.”

He pointed at the hair tied to the hilt of the sword, as if implying they were bound together.

“See? This way, if you find yourself in a troublesome situation, I’ll know right away. If you’re ever in danger, I’ll rush to you, no matter where I am.”

That was a pledge of sorts he was making to himself.

A heartfelt promise that he would rush to her whenever she was in danger.

Was that sentiment conveyed?

Seeing Scarlet with teary eyes made Yoon Si-woo reach out, carefully but firmly pulling her into an embrace.

He wished to see her stop crying.

“You promised me.”

To be happy.

With the feelings he once had, when they made that promise, he spoke to her.

“So, Scarlet, don’t think bad thoughts and only think about how to be happy. If something bad happens, I’ll handle it, no matter what. I’m someone who will see it through. Trust me. Got it?”

“…”

But when she couldn’t respond, he tightened his embrace and whispered.

“If that choice is difficult, I’ll help you with it.”

Therefore,

“Promise me, you’ll say you trust me.”

And then she responded.

“…Yeah, I’ll trust you.”

He patted her back, assuring her she made the right choice, and she fell into a quiet sleep in his arms.

Glancing at her as she slept, Yoon Si-woo quietly drew his sword.

If she believed in him, he would change whatever future awaited them.

Thus, he vowed and severed the future depicted in that drawing.

*

After wiping the blood off the wall and tidying up the room scattered with broken mirror shards,

With his eyes closed, he received Lucy’s help to wash Scarlet, drenched in blood, with a towel and changed her clothes before quietly lying down in his room, falling into thought.

In that place, Yoon Si-woo grasped his sword.

He promised that he would grow strong enough to defeat the witch.

And there were things he must do for that.

Quietly, with his eyes gleaming, Yoon Si-woo turned to face Lucy.

“Lucy, starting today, I’ll be training until I can wield your power.”

[Hmm, even though you can’t perfectly wield the other Holy Swords yet?]

“I need to become strong quickly. I need your power.”

With a resolute statement, Lucy murmured in response.

[Didn’t I say it would be better to take some time to train? And using this power isn’t good for you the more you use it.]

“I told you. I’m someone who gets things done.”

Lucy smiled subtly as she spoke.

[This power may end up making you unhappy.]

“I’ll only use it when necessary. If it’s for Scarlet.”

[If people find out, everything you’ve built up until now could vanish in an instant, you know?]

“That kind of thing doesn’t matter to me.”

[Even if that child doesn’t want you to do that for her happiness?]

Lucy’s question made Yoon Si-woo pause for a moment.

It was true that Scarlet might not wish for him to sacrifice himself for her happiness.

However.

“…I want to.”

He wasn’t a good person.

He didn’t act solely for her sake.

He acted for her because he wanted to.

Therefore, he wanted her to be happy.

“More than anyone else, I want her to be happy.”

Even if it meant he would become unhappy, he yearned for her happiness above all.

“What she thinks doesn’t matter. I want her to be happy.”

Even if she didn’t want to achieve happiness through his sacrifice, he wouldn’t hesitate to do so as long as it meant she could find joy.

“Thus, Lucy, just shut up and help me.”

Yoon Si-woo growled as such.

All for himself, not anyone else.

Hence,

[Si-woo, you are truly arrogant.]

Lucy smiled widely.

“So, what’s your answer?”

Yoon Si-woo asked Lucy.

Then she bowed her head and replied.

[Do as you wish. My master, my family, my contractee.]

To one so flagrantly arrogant, she chose merely to comply.

[You hold the right to be arrogant.]