[- As recognition for his contributions, we hereby appoint Hero Yoon Si-woo as the Vice Captain of Aegis Academy’s 2nd Unit.]

The ceremony for his appointment, which was initially staged to draw people’s attention, successfully concluded with Yoon Si-woo officially appointed as the unit leader.

“Wowwww—!!!”

As soon as the ceremony finished, cheers and applause erupted from all directions.

Seeing this, it seemed that the earlier show had indeed worked its magic. Even those who had been indifferent were now turned into enthusiastic fans.

I had been slightly worried that Yoon Si-woo might feel burdened by such attention, but it seemed that worry could be cast aside.

Look at him, smiling and waving to the crowd from the podium—who could perceive him as someone feeling pressure?

His presence echoed the excitement of a veteran idol engaging with fans, causing me to smirk in disbelief. Suddenly, I felt a tug on my sleeve.

“Sis! Look at this!”

Turning around, I saw Leon beaming with pride as he presented me with a flower bouquet.

So that’s what he was rushing around for earlier.

“Did you prepare this as a gift?”

“Yep! We all picked flowers together with the director to give it to Oppa! Isn’t it pretty? This one and this one are the flowers I picked!”

I thought the bouquet looked strange with its mismatched colors, but it turned out they had made it themselves.

That didn’t mean it was less beautiful compared to store-bought bouquets.

The children who held each other’s hands tightly, cheering for Yoon Si-woo, had gathered the flowers with those small hands, pouring their hearts into creating this bouquet.

Is there anything in the world that holds more value than that?

Yoon Si-woo would surely wear a smile as he received such a heartfelt bouquet.

With a warm smile, I patted Leon’s head, who was eagerly showcasing their handmade bouquet.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful. I’m sure Si-woo will be really happy when he gets this from you guys.”

At that, Leon tilted his head in confusion, as if questioning my words.

“Huh? No, you’re the one who’s supposed to give it!”

“Me?”

“Yep!”

Leon vigorously nodded when I pointed to myself.

Wait, after all that hard work, they want me to deliver it?

Flustered, I turned to the director, who was nearby.

“Um, Director? They want me to deliver that bouquet. Is that okay?”

“Of course! We made it with that intention from the beginning. Si-woo will appreciate getting the bouquet from you much more than from us.”

The director replied with a smile, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the answer.

Why would he be touched receiving a bouquet from someone he sees at home all the time?

I protested, feeling that the bouquet deserved more than that.

“That’s impossible… I don’t think he’ll feel anything special if I hand it to him… Wouldn’t it be better for you and the kids to give it to him?”

“…You really believe that?”

The director looked at me with disbelief.

When I responded with a look that echoed that it was, of course, the truth, she suddenly realized something and murmured,

“My goodness, Si-woo… you’re paving a difficult path…”

Gripping my hand tightly, she continued,

“Scarlet, look over there. The crowd is so dense. I’m worried if we try to go through it with the children, one of them might get lost… Plus, my age means my back starts to hurt if I walk too much. So, could you deliver that bouquet to Si-woo on our behalf?”

At the director’s words, I took in the crowd bustling in the plaza.

Indeed, as the director said, it wouldn’t be strange for a child to get lost in that throng while trying to navigate to the podium.

There was no helping it now.

If the director was requesting that, then it seemed right for me to go after all. I nodded and replied.

“…Alright. I’ll deliver it instead.”

“Thank you, Scarlet.”

“It’s no trouble. Si-woo will be really grateful to you, Director, once he receives this.”

The director chuckled softly, pleased with my words.

“Of course, he should be grateful. I went through this much trouble to prepare it.”

Seeing her speak that way, it was clear she had put a lot of thought into creating the bouquet.

*

As I made my way through the crowd to deliver the bouquet, I found the area around the podium filled with busy people tidying up post-ceremony.

“What’s up, Scarlet?”

While looking for Yoon Si-woo, I caught sight of Silvia, who was directing people around.

“Oh… I’m here to deliver this to Yoon Si-woo.”

Showing her the bouquet in my hand, she nodded knowingly and pointed to the back of the podium.

“Yoon Si-woo should be behind that waiting tent, so you can go and deliver it there. I sincerely apologize, but if you need to discuss anything, please keep it brief. He’s scheduled to transition to the frontline in 10 minutes for a live broadcast…”

“Don’t worry about that. I just need to deliver this.”

While acknowledging Silvia’s request to keep it short due to the schedule, I shrugged my shoulders.

By the way, what else is going on that Yoon Si-woo is so busy?

Well, it would be strange to leave the youngest-ever unit leader unattended.

Thinking this, I noticed that Silvia seemed just as busy, as voices calling for her came from all directions. We exchanged a quick greeting before heading toward the tent where Yoon Si-woo was.

“I never thought I’d be assigned such a ridiculous role in my life… Our youngest commander, how does it feel to be bossing around your former superior?”

“Haha…”

“Seriously, you’re commander now; it feels like just yesterday you joined us as a new recruit…”

“Right? I didn’t expect this either…”

As I approached the tent, I could hear voices conversing inside, suggesting there were guests.

Peeking through the slight opening, I saw Martina talking with Yoon Si-woo.

“It feels weird… I always thought if you became commander, it would have to be with our group.”

“Is that so? Although, I lost the random draw to be brought here against my will. That’s what the Natalia commander said the other time.”

“Hey! That’s not wrong! But still, how fondly I looked upon you!”

I hesitated to make my presence known while the two happily exchanged words. I figured I’d just wait outside until their conversation wrapped up since I was merely going to deliver the bouquet.

Then suddenly, the conversation took a turn.

“Anyway, it’s not for that reason… um, because of your parents…”

“Ah…”

I couldn’t help but catch that reference to Yoon Si-woo’s parents, a piece of information I couldn’t ignore.

Now that I think about it, aside from knowing they passed away when he was young, I didn’t know any details about Yoon Si-woo’s parents.

The original story never mentioned anything either.

And with that curiosity, I tuned into Martina’s voice.

“… The one who killed your parents, that flaming chicken, is under our jurisdiction. So I thought you might want to stay with us to take revenge. If that were the case, I would have knocked some sense into you.”

What I overheard was a shocking truth.

That flaming chicken Martina talked about likely referred to that monstrosity resembling a phoenix I saw when I was kidnapped last time.

Which means Yoon Si-woo’s parents were killed by that creature.

And that beast was a creature of wrath.

The mastermind that birthed it was,

“Ah…”

Inadvertently, the bouquet I was holding slipped from my grasp and fell to the ground.

Upon hearing that sound, Yoon Si-woo turned his gaze toward me.

“…Scarlet?”

Our eyes locked.

I wish just a bit of resentment toward me was reflected in his eyes.

Instead, his gaze brimmed with worry—perhaps he was concerned I had just overheard their conversation.

That look was a testament to how he had treated me all this time, knowing it all along.

So, knowing the truth, I couldn’t bring myself to face him.

“…I’m sorry.”

Leaving just the fallen bouquet and that one word behind,

I fled the scene, leaving Yoon Si-woo, who seemed confused and about to shout after me.

*

When I came to my senses, I was home.

“Haah… Huh…”

Having run all the way back, my chest ached.

…No, it wasn’t the running that caused the pain.

What hurt me more was the guilt that felt like it was digging into me.

The guilt that maybe Yoon Si-woo’s parents’ deaths were my fault.

…I was well aware how foolish that thought was.

I wasn’t the one who created that beast.

No matter what the Witch of Wrath did in the past, it wasn’t my doing, and I had no need to feel guilty about it.

“…Heh.”

But knowing that didn’t stop me from obsessively dwelling on it.

If the witch inside me was the root cause of Yoon Si-woo’s parents’ deaths, then perhaps I held some responsibility too—such a foolish notion crossed my mind.

I couldn’t shake off that thought because, for me, parents hold a significant place in my heart.

Both my mother and father were irreplaceable individuals in this world, the only ones who were precious to me.

And I reckoned Yoon Si-woo felt the same way.

Yoon Si-woo lost such dear ones to that beast.

If so, could I afford not to blame that beast?

Could I not blame the witch that birthed it?

Could I hold myself accountable— the one who lies dormant within, and not be filled with resentment?

I couldn’t promise myself that.

And it made it even harder to hold my head high around Yoon Si-woo.

“…”

How many minutes had passed since I got home?

Seeing that no one was arriving, it seemed Yoon Si-woo hadn’t followed me after all.

His expression before leaving was so frantic, I half-expected him to chase after me.

Thinking back, he had mentioned he had a schedule right after this.

Could it be that was the reason he didn’t come?

It was a relief he didn’t abandon his plans just to follow me.

If he had done so, I would have felt somewhat disappointed in him.

He broke our promise to prioritize everyone over me.

…Actually, that was a flimsy excuse, and I might just be relieved that I didn’t have to face Yoon Si-woo right now.

“…He said there would be a live broadcast.”

Huddled in the corner of the sofa, I recalled what Silvia had said and cautiously turned on the  TV.

It felt ironically absurd to be so afraid to see his face yet still searching for it  on TV.

Maybe I wanted to confirm whether he truly harbored resentment toward me or not.

“…Ah.”

The screen flickered to life, showing Yoon Si-woo fighting fiercely against the beasts.

The figure on the screen donned in white armor was unmistakably him, though I had never seen him in real life.

I recognized that ability from the original story I had read.

A laugh almost escaped me.

I knew such details about him, yet I was ignorant of anything regarding his parents.

I chuckled, but then my expression turned sorrowful.

On screen, Yoon Si-woo was brandishing his sword with overwhelming ferocity against the beasts.

Wielding his sword in that state, he appeared engulfed in rage.

Could it be that he loathed the beasts?

Perhaps deep down, Yoon Si-woo harbored resentment toward me as well.

But I was well aware that I deserved such treatment.

I had been parading around as a friend, completely oblivious to who was responsible for the tragedy that befell Yoon Si-woo’s parents.

As I scolded myself for being such a fool,

The thought of the bouquet I had failed to deliver came rushing back. The simple request to pass it along, and I couldn’t even do that right—what a stupid mistake.

Everything felt like it stemmed from my failures.

Not long ago, I had vowed to be happy, yet now I found myself questioning whether someone as foolish as me even deserved happiness.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a message.

[Turn on the TV.]

It was a text from Yoon Si-woo.

Staring blankly at the screen, I noticed Yoon Si-woo had since removed his armor, indicating the fight was over.

Through the screen, Yoon Si-woo, having just sent the text, was looking intensely in my direction, his expression suggesting he had something to say.