Did I eat too much for breakfast?

As Sylvia prepared to head out, the excited expression from earlier had vanished, replaced by one that looked quite strained.

It didn’t seem like the kind of situation where we could go out together like this…

“Sylvia, are you okay? You don’t look so good… If it’s because you ate too much for breakfast, should I go out and buy some antacids?”

“…It’s not that, I’m fine. I just suddenly got a bit worried thinking about all the nagging I’m going to get from Sebastian because I only called him once and stayed out overnight…”

I asked out of concern, and that was the response I got.

I was relieved to hear it wasn’t a stomach issue, but…

Wasn’t it ultimately my fault that Sylvia ended up staying out overnight like that in the first place?

Thinking that I was the reason behind that expression on her face, I couldn’t help but feel responsible.

“…If Sebastian tries to nag you about that, just call me over. Since it was because of me that you stayed out, I’ll take the reprimanding.”

I said that while clenching my fist, and Sylvia, who had been looking at me with a complicated expression, finally broke into a small smile as she let out a little laugh.

“Well, I probably won’t get in too much trouble, so it’s not necessary. But it does make me happy to hear you say that. You’re so kind, Scarlet, making me want to help you too… By the way, I’m ready to go now, so let’s head out. I think if we finish our errands quickly, I can avoid getting nagged as much when we return to the mansion.”

“Oh, okay!”

After saying that, I nodded and quickly followed Sylvia out the door.

For a while, Sylvia walked ahead of me confidently, then glanced back and slowed her pace to walk beside me.

“…You know, Scarlet.”

Then, after a brief hesitation, she called my name, reached out, and gripped my sleeve with a bright voice.

“I really don’t want to have regrets.”

Her sudden declaration left me tilting my head in confusion, and Sylvia, with a face that seemed to have cast off some lingering thoughts, smiled brightly.

I wasn’t quite sure, but she seemed to be in a better mood, and I found myself smiling back.

Sylvia held tightly onto my sleeve as we walked to our destination.

She held on as if she would never let go.

*

I followed Sylvia without any particular questions about where we were going, but along the way, I began to feel that something was off.

The more we walked, the fewer people I saw around us.

But I contentedly followed, thinking that Sylvia wouldn’t do anything extreme, and eventually, we stopped in front of a shabby-looking building.

With the shutter down and no sign of life, it looked like the store had been closed for a long time. I tilted my head and asked Sylvia.

“Um, is this really the place you need to go?”

“…Just a moment. This should be the location I was told to come to…”

It was my question, yet Sylvia seemed equally taken aback, glancing around with a perplexed expression.

When they said to come, did that mean someone was waiting for us?

Just then, I heard a screeching sound come from somewhere.

Both Sylvia and I flinched and refrained from peeking as the shutter slowly began to rise.

What’s going on? Just as I was watching the shutter open, a hand suddenly slipped out from the slightly ajar shutter, like in a horror movie.

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Fortunately, it wasn’t a corpse.

The hand, emerging from the almost closed shutter through which only a person might manage to squeeze, began waving as if urging us to come inside.

Looking at the suspicious gesture with a ‘Is this right?’ expression, I glanced at Sylvia, who swallowed hard and then lowered herself to enter through the shutter.

I felt a little tense and followed her inside. What awaited us was—

“Um… Uncle?”

“…Haha, long time no see, Scarlet.”

Waiting inside was the haggard-looking guardian uncle, Luke.

What? The person I was supposed to meet was you, Uncle?

With slightly stunned expressions, I looked at Sylvia askew.

“Was the person Sylvia wanted to meet you, Uncle?”

“…After all, you’re the one who knows the most about Scarlet’s condition. I thought a consultation might help prevent something like yesterday from happening again, which is why I scheduled this meeting.”

“I see…”

It made sense; after all, he was the one who created this body, so he might offer some useful advice.

Besides, he was one of the few people I could consult about the issues I was facing.

As I nodded along to Sylvia’s words, she turned to Uncle and asked.

“By the way, Uncle Luke, why did you want to meet in a place like this?”

I was curious about that too.

Normally, when meeting Uncle, we’d try to evade prying eyes, but today seemed a bit overboard, to put it mildly.

Did we really need to be as cautious as this, like in a movie where drug deals take place? I glanced at Uncle, who wore a troubled expression.

“It’s because there are people who are watching me. I need to be cautious around them in order to meet you,” he answered.

“…You’re being watched? By whom?”

At his revelation, I was stunned and asked, and Uncle simply gave a wry smile without a word.

He didn’t say anything, but Sylvia appeared to understand something and muttered with a serious expression.

“…It must be Astra.”

“…That’s what I suspect. Since Sator got involved, they’ve constantly asked me about his whereabouts. I’ve denied knowing anything, but they seem convinced I know something.”

“…But are you in any danger?”

“Well, not yet. At worst, it’s just that when I leave, there’s evidence that someone visited while I was gone. They probably installed listening devices or cameras. That’s why I’ve had to create these kinds of hideouts.”

His use of ‘not yet’ made Sylvia’s expression darken.

Doesn’t that mean something worse could happen at any time, she seemed to be thinking.

Trying to comfort her, Uncle lightly tapped Sylvia’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much, young lady. Even though I’m a thorn in their side due to being involved in those experiments, they probably won’t directly touch me until they find out what happened to Sator. Just being watched isn’t anything to worry about.”

Of course, even with those reassurances, Sylvia’s expression didn’t brighten.

Seeing how haggard Uncle looked, one could tell he had been through quite a lot of mental strain.

It didn’t feel irrelevant to me either, which made me uneasy in various ways.

Sensing our subtle tension, Uncle deliberately changed the subject.

“Speaking of which, didn’t you say there was something you wanted to consult about? I caught a glimpse of the situation briefly, but I’d like to hear more details.”

“…I understand. Scarlet?”

At his words, Sylvia shot a glance at me.

I nodded slowly and began to recount what had happened yesterday.

Regarding the barrier, the lack of magic, and other related matters.

As Uncle listened with a serious face, he grimaced at the point where I almost killed Jessie.

Perhaps he was distressed by the fact that something he created almost killed someone.

With a troubled expression, he stared at me silently.

I quietly asked him while he was looking at me without saying a word.

“…Aren’t you going to scold me for almost making a big mistake?”

“…What could I say? You’ve probably already chastised yourself enough for this. You’re the kind of person who would do that.”

But Uncle spoke as if he knew everything, and added, “…Scarlet, it must have been very hard for you.”

At those words, I suddenly felt a lump in my throat.

Because, indeed, it had been very difficult.

As I suppressed the emotions rising within me, Uncle’s voice came back.

“…I’m sorry. I couldn’t find a fundamental solution to improve your condition. All I could think of were these temporary measures.”

Saying that, he handed me something.

It was a box containing small capsules.

When I gave him a puzzled look, he whispered quietly.

“I prepared these just in case something like this occurs. They’re capsules made by extracting magic from demonic beast corpses. Use them if you need to cross the barrier or if symptoms of magic deficiency appear, but don’t let anyone else find out.”

At those words, Sylvia gasped beside me.

“That’s… illegal. Unauthorized magic collection…”

“Yeah, it’s illegal. But did you know? I’ve committed dozens of illegal acts while conducting those experiments. I’m already a sinner with a mountain of debts to pay. It’s just that this makes it a little heavier.”

Sylvia was left speechless by his detached mumbling.

He turned his head away from her and focused on me.

“Scarlet, to be honest, I think I’ll struggle to provide you with meaningful help at this point. Your condition has already exceeded the limits of what I can comprehend. So, all I can tell you is this.”

Then, he took my shoulder and, with a voice that emanated a level of self-reproach and desperate longing that was almost incomprehensible, he said:

“Hang in there.”

The words he spoke stuck with me for some reason, as if they were imprinted in my memory.

*

A few days passed since that incident.

Nothing significant happened during that time.

I was merely helping with the restoration work in the city, which was still ongoing.

By the time discussions were being held that it would wrap up by next week, I received a call from Sylvia just as I was about to eat breakfast.

“…Scarlet, I have some news to share. Please don’t be too shocked…”

With her somber voice, I sensed something bad had happened.

“Uncle Luke…”

And with what she continued to say, I unconsciously dropped my mobile phone.

Uncle Luke was dead.

The cause was suicide.