A sharp clang echoed in his ears as the swords clashed.

His opponent was his only family and master, with hair as dark as ebony.

Though it had become a routine to cross swords with her over time, he had never truly grown accustomed to it.

“Si-woo, didn’t I tell you that you must focus entirely when wielding the sword?”

“Ugh…!”

Look at that; even now, she ruthlessly capitalizes on the slightest opening to launch her attack.

Perhaps due to her belief that fighting someone stronger is the best way to improve one’s skills.

When she spars with him, she always maintains a gap that feels overwhelming yet doable.

Despite hearing every time that he was growing frighteningly strong, the distance he felt when facing her remained unchanged then and now.

Thus, when facing her, he had to pour everything into his sword.

He had to, but—

“Ah.”

Was it because his thoughts slipped away and he couldn’t suppress them?

His reaction was half a beat slow, and he saw her sword rushing toward his neck.

Given that she rarely held back in sparring, that sword would surely strike soon.

As he prepared for the pain, thinking he should focus better next time, her blade suddenly halted right before his throat.

“Why?” He stared blankly at her, who was gazing at him with a sigh.

“Haah, let’s call it a day for today’s sparring. It seems difficult to have a proper match with your mind in such turmoil.”

At Lucy’s remark, Yoon Si-woo forced a bitter smile.

There was nothing incorrect about her words.

His mind was indeed in a complicated state.

With a resigned sigh, Yoon Si-woo slumped down and closed his eyes, lost in thought.

—I killed him.

The image of Luke filled his mind.

Do people know?

That most of the words he spat out yesterday were full of lies.

They probably don’t.

Because he had lied, claiming that all of his words were the truth.

He didn’t like lying much.

But he had no choice.

There was a common existence he wanted to protect at all costs, both for himself and for Luke.

So even if it meant burying the accusation that he had committed murder because of his lies, he thought it was unavoidable.

However, he never imagined it would lead to such an outcome.

“……”

In the end, both he and Luke were able to achieve the goal of protecting Scarlet.

He, by lying.

Luke, by taking his own life.

How stunned he was when he heard the news that he had died this morning.

He had underestimated his resolve.

He never expected him to go so far as to sacrifice himself to hide Scarlet’s existence.

But it was just that.

He had chosen to do so, and since he hadn’t thought he would go that far, it was unnecessary to feel guilty.

It was simply just that.

“Ha…”

He kept thinking.

Was it my lie that caused his death?

He remembered the expression on his face when he was leaving the meeting, like he had decided enough was enough.

If only he had realized that then and begged him not to proceed, could he have been stopped?

Such thoughts popped into his mind now and again.

“Si-woo.”

At that moment, he heard Lucy’s voice calling his name nearby.

Guided by the gentle pull of her hand, he instinctively rested his head on her knee.

Through her soft strokes, he caught a glimpse of her onyx-like eyes.

Although there were no words exchanged, it felt as if they spoke.

It’s not your fault, so it’s okay.

A slight sense of relief washed over him.

Perhaps he needed reassurance.

So, just for today, it would be acceptable.

With his eyes closed, Yoon Si-woo quietly accepted Lucy’s tender gestures.

*

After taking a short break, Yoon Si-woo discovered a text message on his mobile phone.

[Si-woo, can we meet for a moment and talk?]

It wasn’t anything special.

However, the moment he saw who it was from, Yoon Si-woo winced.

The sender was Mark Aegis.

The principal of Aegis Academy.

And at the same time, the brother of the deceased Luke.

Honestly, he was someone it was awkward to face right now, but it wasn’t something he could just reject outright.

He texted back: Where should I go? Shortly after, he received a message that told him to come to the principal’s office.

What could he want to talk about?

Despite feeling anxious, Yoon Si-woo made his way back to the academy’s grounds.

As he arrived at the principal’s office and opened the door, he found Mark, who seemed busy rummaging through papers, distracted by his entrance.

“……So, you came.”

“Ah, yes…”

While answering, he found it hard to hide his awkward feelings.

Honestly, it was unavoidable.

No matter how much he reassured himself, the guilt hadn’t entirely faded, making it difficult to look Mark in the eye, knowing he would have been shocked by Luke’s death.

So he thought to finish the conversation as quickly as possible, asking Mark directly.

“What… did you want to talk about?”

“Ah, um…”

He hesitated, looking somewhat vexed by Yoon Si-woo’s question.

Seeing his demeanor, Yoon Si-woo wished he would finish quickly.

“……I called you because I wanted to confirm that you lied during the meeting yesterday.”

His expression hardened at those words, which seemed to imply doubt in him.

Had he been caught lying?

No, there was no certainty yet.

He had asked him to confirm, hadn’t he?

Determined not to show any signs of agitation, Yoon Si-woo maintained his composure and replied.

“……Lied? What do you mean?”

“We asked for your help in determining the truth of the matter, but in reality, we can’t know if you lied or not. There were just some suspicious parts in the words Luke spoke, you see. So, we wondered if you and Luke might have conspired together.”

“I did not conspire with anyone.”

Honestly, his heart was racing, but he declared it confidently as if it were nothing.

After all, there would be no way to confirm whether he’d lied or not.

If there was such a way, they would have no need to borrow his strength.

Mark gazed at him for a moment.

Then, he muttered in a low voice.

“Scarlet Evande.”

Unintentionally, Yoon Si-woo flinched at the name that slipped from Mark’s lips and muttered inwardly.

How?

And in response to that, Mark asked again.

“Is that girl?”

In that moment, what should he have answered?

Should he have said no?

Or should he have dodged the question?

But realizing that the name they had tried so hard to hide had slipped out of the man’s mouth, he couldn’t speak.

He felt the crack in the poker face he had desperately maintained.

And he saw the glint of certainty in Mark’s eyes as he questioned him, making Yoon Si-woo realize that he had just made a significant mistake.

“……So it was true. Luke tried to hide the existence of that girl… so does that mean she was the subject of his plan?”

Words flowed from Mark as if he had realized everything.

How did he know? He began to think, but he soon realized that such thoughts held no meaning now.

Since everything was already revealed, it was the end.

Luke’s attempts to hide her existence at the cost of his own life had thus come to naught, rendered pointless.

Yoon Si-woo looked at the man before him.

What was he thinking?

Perhaps he cursed the one who led his brother to death.

Or maybe he aimed to expose her identity to the world and seek revenge.

If that’s the case, what should he do?

Yoon Si-woo quietly gazed at the man before him.

He looked at the man who had discovered Scarlet’s identity.

Then, before it could go any further—

“Could you avoid looking at me like that…?”

Amid his deep contemplation, Yoon Si-woo heard the man’s voice.

The man, trembling in fear, then broke into a wry smile and muttered.

“I have a rough idea of what you’re thinking, so don’t worry about it. I have no intention of going around telling anyone either.”

The Sword of Truth signaled that the man’s words were true.

But still not trusting him, Yoon Si-woo blankly asked.

“……Really?”

“Yeah… so just relax your gaze.”

At Mark’s words to loosen his tense eyes, Yoon Si-woo realized he had been glaring at him and discreetly blinked.

He saw Mark’s face smiling serenely.

He didn’t appear to be lying, easing some tension, but he still found it hard to trust those words.

After all, it was directly linked to the death of his brother.

Moreover, due to his position as a member of the Central Committee, he couldn’t simply cover up anything associated with a witch.

Thus, carrying that question, Yoon Si-woo asked Mark.

“……Why don’t you want to speak openly about it?”

“Because…”

Upon receiving that question, Mark chuckled softly.

“……Well, there are various reasons. I owe her a debt, I’ve seen that she was a good girl when I met her. But more than anything…”

“……”

“When Luke talked about her, he always smiled.”

A smile filled with both sorrow and longing.

“Luke’s choice to keep that girl’s identity hidden is because she was that precious to him. He was a good brother, after all… so I thought I should honor his last wishes.”

Having said that, Mark shook his head as if to brush away the gloomy feelings.

“I wonder if you’re starting to trust me a little now. If you have any matters to discuss regarding her later on, come to me. I’ll take care of her as best I can, for the sake of my brother’s face. Anyway, now that I understand the situation, I’ve said all I needed to.”

“……Thank you.”

“Thank you? It’s nothing. Pretend you didn’t see that I lied, and you’re free to go.”

After bowing in gratitude to Mark, who waved his hand dismissively, Yoon Si-woo felt as if he genuinely owed him.

Truly, truly, he was incredibly thankful.

He had managed to miss the worst-case scenario he had anticipated.

*

After Yoon Si-woo left, Mark remained alone in the principal’s office, dealing with the remaining paperwork.

The door opened, and someone stepped in.

Since it was clear who would come here, Mark didn’t even look up and greeted the newcomer.

“Did you come?”

“……Mark, it’s fine to speak informally.”

“No matter what, how can I speak informally to someone so much older than me?”

Only then did Mark lift his head to see who had entered.

It was Eve, the acting principal and teacher at the academy.

She was one of the few people he could truly speak his mind to.

At Mark’s words, Eve smiled subtly but then cautiously asked him.

“Did Si-woo come by?”

“Yes, he shared what I mentioned earlier.”

“……I see. So you decided to keep it under wraps.”

“You hoped for that, didn’t you? I have no major complaints about that.”

At his words, Eve sweetly smiled, sighing softly.

“……Thank you.”

“……Please stop patting me on the head; I’m not that young anymore, and I’m starting to lose my hair.”

“Oh, I’m sorry… it was just a habit.”

Mark chuckled and then muttered with a smile.

“If it were him, he might have liked it even at this age.”

“……You mean Luke?”

“Yes, he used to say he would marry his teacher when he grew up.”

As Mark reminisced about joyful memories, he gazed into space.

“If he was going to do that, he should have been the principal himself. He dumped the responsibility of lying on me because he had no confidence to face people…”

“……”

“……But it seems he lied pretty well himself. That rascal…”

By now, Eve silently took Mark’s hand, which had begun to redden from unshed tears.

After a moment, with his emotions calmed, Mark recalled his younger brother, holding onto Eve’s hand.

Seeing how deeply involved they were, even in the place he ran from so desperately.

Perhaps that was the fate of the Aegis family.