[No matter how much I search, there’s not even a trace of the witch in this area! I came here following the signal indicating the witch headed this way, but what’s going on?]

[It seems that signal was a misfire! In this case, we need to expand the perimeter to the outer edge of the boundary region to prevent the witch from escaping and maintain a strict watch! Since it’s Yoon Si-woo’s nemesis, we absolutely cannot let her slip away!]

Voices of heroes echoed loudly through the communicator.

Having lost track of the witch, there was no other way.

The unfortunate incident occurred due to a single firework that was shot into the sky moments ago.

Contrary to the signal stating the witch had headed north, the actual direction the witch took was south.

While listening to the chaotic shouting from the communicator, the boy glanced down at his feet with a stern expression.

At his feet lay a small girl with orange hair, collapsed, clutching a magical tool she had already exhausted.

People probably wouldn’t know.

That this little girl here had caused a major incident, cleverly tricking all the heroes who were trying to chase the witch.

Having caused such trouble, and then passing out without caring for the aftermath.

“Pushing myself too hard…”

The boy let out a small sigh, cast healing magic on the battered girl, and mulled over what had just happened with a troubled expression.

The girl had left to kill the witch, her face twisted in a vicious expression.

He was asked to follow her because they didn’t know what she might do, but who would have thought he would witness such a scene?

Lost in thought, gnawing on his lips, the boy manipulated the communicator to connect to the first-year class B line, opening his mouth to the person who had asked him to follow the girl.

“…Mei, are you there?”

[…Yes, I’m listening. Dwight.]

The immediate response, as if she had been waiting for it, made Dwight reveal a complex emotion in his words as he spoke to Mei over the communicator.

“…You saw it too, right? I used the viewing-sharing magic earlier because I was concerned.”

[…]

The silence that followed reflected the complicated emotions Mei must have felt after witnessing everything.

“I… I don’t know what to do…”

Yet, the confusion was mutual, so Dwight sighed and directed his question to her.

[Um, I… I… ]

And, struggling to answer that question, Mei mumbled the same words repeatedly before finally saying.

[…Is it really okay?]

Not an answer, but another question.

But in that moment, Dwight realized that she shared the same sentiment as him.

He too had been wrestling with the same worries as she was, so the feeling that something that had tightened in his chest had faded led him to stop biting his lips and take a deep breath.

It wasn’t only him who thought the same thing.

That realization gave him courage.

With a determined look as if he had made a decision, Dwight spoke.

“…I’d like someone to come here. I’m going to start moving now, and I need someone to take Jessie to the hospital.”

[Dwight, you… ]

Seeming to sense something, Mei murmured. Dwight directed his gaze towards a particular direction.

“…I’m not sure about the others, but let’s just take action and think about it later.”

His gaze pointed straight towards the direction the witch headed.

*

Far off, the barrier laid out in the front line region came into view.

If only he could get past that, he’d be able to escape the city.

In that thought, as he quickened his pace—

“Everyone, keep a sharp lookout! Not even a single rat is to escape!”

“Don’t give the witch any chance to slip away! Stay calm and maintain the perimeter!”

At the sound of loud shouts, he quickly squeezed his body into an alley between the nearby buildings.

Peering out, he could see the encirclement spread out near the barrier he needed to cross.

Damn it, just a little bit further…!

As he pulled back his head, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

Indeed, it seemed they had no intention of letting anyone slip through.

He had managed to get this far, taking advantage of a gap in the once tightly packed perimeter, only to find his path blocked right in front of him.

If he wanted to get out, it seemed he’d have to create some kind of opening.

With that thought in mind, he tried detonating the fireworks he had set up earlier today, but—

“There’s a chance this could be a diversion like before, so only the scouts should go check it out.”

It seemed they wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice; aside from a few scouts, the perimeter didn’t budge at all.

It looked like this side wouldn’t be easy to breach, so he considered looking for another path just as he started to lean out again—

“…Ugh, what’s that?”

He spotted flying drones hovering in the sky and hurriedly pulled himself back.

They looked unmistakably like drones designed for reconnaissance.

With those watching the ground, there was no way he could wander outside recklessly.

Stuck in the alley, it was just then that voices began to reach him from nearby.

“Search them thoroughly! There aren’t many places to hide around here. If they’re hiding, it must be in this vicinity!”

“I’ll check this side; you check over there!”

With the appearance of the scouting team attempting to search the area, his expression crinkled.

Unlike the urban area where there were plenty of places to hide, this was the outskirts of the boundary region.

There weren’t many buildings, so the places to conceal oneself were quite limited.

If they started searching diligently, it would only be a matter of time before they discovered where he was hiding.

But even if he ran out, he doubted he’d be able to evade their watchful eyes.

It was a true deadlock.

In that situation where he couldn’t move forward or backward, suddenly—

“Scarlet, over here.”

A familiar face appeared as the air distorted from the other side of the alley.

“…Dwight?”

“Hurry. This way.”

As Dwight appeared unexpectedly and startled, he waved his hand urging me to come quickly, saying there was no time for hesitation.

Feeling desperate, he gritted his teeth and ran towards where Dwight was, merging with the surroundings as he did.

Simultaneously, the scouts’ heads peeked into the alley.

“…Did I hear something over here?”

“Hey, is there something over there?”

“No, I must have misheard! There’s nothing!”

…Did they leave?

Only after the sound of retreating footsteps faded did he let out a strained sigh of relief.

While he had managed to escape this critical situation…

With a bewildered expression, he turned towards the presence he felt beside him, whispering softly.

“…Dwight?”

As soon as he spoke, Dwight, who had been transparent, revealed himself and opened his mouth.

“Why? If you’re here to thank me, you don’t have to.”

“Yikes?! Hey…! Don’t speak so loudly…!”

“What are you so surprised for? If you’re worried about being discovered, don’t be. I cast magic to conceal our appearance and speech just now.”

With that sudden loud voice causing him to panic, Dwight pointed ahead.

Upon checking, he noticed a shimmering barrier encircling them.

Seeing that allowed him to relax, and he muttered, “You could’ve said so beforehand…”

He quickly refocused and cautiously asked Dwight.

“Um, is this really okay…?”

“What do you mean, is this okay?”

With his calm voice, Dwight seemed perplexed as to what he meant. He lowered his head and mumbled.

“I’m asking if it’s okay for you to help me like this. After all, I’m technically a witch… and I’ve even hurt Yoon Si-woo…”

“Well, considering it like that, I suppose it’s not right. To humanity, you’re an enemy whose existence they can’t condone.”

The words that your existence is an unforgivable enemy made him shudder.

But if that was the case, why was Dwight helping him?

As he wondered “then why?” with a questioning gaze, Dwight muttered in his usual stoic manner.

“Curious about why I helped you, huh?”

“…Yes.”

As he cautiously nodded, Dwight began explaining.

“While it’s something that shouldn’t happen, the reason I helped you is because there are two reasons for it.”

“Two reasons…?”

“Yes. The first is because I’m a magician.”

“What do you mean by that?”

As he tilted his head, not understanding what he meant, Dwight continued.

“Earlier, you were attacked by Jessie, right?”

“…You were watching?”

“Yeah. To be precise, I was ready to pull Jessie out whenever you tried to harm her while hiding. I was prepared to attack you if necessary. But you didn’t harm Jessie at all. Despite being attacked continuously, you even stopped for her sake.”

Being told that he had seen the event unfold left him both embarrassed and surprised, so he stayed silent while Dwight continued.

“Didn’t I mention this before? A magician only trusts what they see with their own eyes. But you showed me that you are different from the other witches. You’re not someone who intentionally hurts others. Since I’m a magician, I decided to believe what I saw with my own eyes. That’s why I helped you.”

“Ah… I see.”

“And the second reason is—”

While he was still slightly dazed from what he had just heard, Dwight continued.

“Because you’re my friend.”

Friend.

He never expected to hear such words from Dwight, so a moment of silence enveloped them.

When Dwight sensed that silence and asked how he felt about it, he spoke up with a somewhat sour expression.

“…Did I think that only I felt this way? But I considered you a friend.”

“Ah, no! You’re right…! It’s just that it was an unexpected response…”

“Then that’s fine. The point is, I trusted you because you’re my friend, and I helped you because you’re my friend. That reason is sufficient.”

Dwight said this with a nonchalant expression, as if it were nothing special.

But his own expression probably twisted in a way that contrasted sharply with Dwight’s calm demeanor.

Even in a situation where it wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up despising him like Jessie did, the fact that he still trusted him, the fact that he continued to think of him as a friend…

Why did it make his heart ache so much?

Holding back tears that threatened to spill at the realization that there was even just one person who considered him a friend, he spoke to Dwight.

“Yeah, I see… But you’re the only one who still considers me a friend, huh…”

Watching his reaction, Dwight muttered in a somewhat enigmatic voice.

“Who knows.”

At that moment—

“Maybe it’s not just me who thinks that way.”

Suddenly, fireworks burst forth from the far sky.

“?! Signals are suddenly being fired in succession…”

“What the…? Has the witch appeared over there?”

The heroes, who were putting all their effort into guarding the barrier, were so uneasy that he could feel it here. The fireworks were not just one or two.

Once one would die down, another would go off.

Then, yet another.

In quick succession, the fireworks pointed toward a single spot, but—

The location those fireworks were indicating was not where he was but a completely unexpected direction.

As he watched that scene, a dazed expression filled his face.

“It seems everyone has made up their minds.”

He heard Dwight murmuring as he looked up at the sky.

“Dwight, what is this…?”

Seeing that he seemed to know something about this situation, he asked.

“Don’t you know?” Dwight said, stretching out his hand to indicate the night sky illuminated by the fireworks.

“Your friends are all thinking of you as a friend still.”

At those words, he exclaimed,

“…Ah.”

His voice came out quietly.

Because he realized who was shooting up those numerous fireworks.

Because he understood who they were being launched for.

The sound of fireworks echoed through the night sky.

To that sound, he murmured quietly.

Mei.

With another pop of fireworks.

Daniel, Andre.

With yet another sound.

The names of those who might be launching fireworks somewhere else.

The names of his precious friends.

As those names filled his heart to the brim and overflowed until the night sky, which was lit up with fireworks, appeared distorted.

Holding all those names in his mouth, he silently looked at Dwight.

Dwight wore his usual indifferent expression.

But from his hand, which was slightly trembling, he felt the anxiety he hadn’t noticed before.

And this was only natural.

He must know best about the deeds he was committing right now.

Everyone must feel the same way.

They couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

But even so, they all…

“Everyone, why…”

Without realizing it, such a question slipped from his lips.

At those words, Dwight muttered.

“Perhaps everyone has similar reasons to mine, but since it seems an answer is required, I’ll tell you something someone told me.”

He nodded.

“When you are appointed as a hero, there’s a phrase in the oath you take.”

He nodded again.

“It says that you swear you will never abandon your comrades, no matter the situation.”

He nodded repeatedly.

“All of us became students at the academy wanting to be heroes, so we swore not to abandon our comrades.”

Was any other answer needed?

When Dwight asked that, he shook his head and buried his face in his palms.

Dwight lightly tapped his head as if to tell him to stop doing that.

Then he noticed the palm that was covering his face becoming gradually transparent.

“It’s a spell that makes the body transparent and another spell that blocks our presence. The duration may not be long, but everyone’s focused on the fireworks, so this should be enough. You won’t have to worry about your ugly face being found out.”

At his playful remark, he lifted his head and looked at Dwight with a face that was both smiling and sad.

“When you should be looking out for others, you should be worried about yourself… You’re sure going to get in big trouble…”

Dwight replied,

“Don’t worry. It’s only natural for a student to cause trouble and get scolded for it.”

Despite his usual stoic expression, he bore a smile on his lips as he said that.

Hearing those words made him chuckle, and he turned his body around.

He felt the gentle push of Dwight’s hand on his back.

“Go, I’ll see you again next time.”

“…Okay, thank you.”

*

Passing through the dazed heroes staring up at the sky.

Leaving behind the night sky filled with fireworks.

A single witch slipped out of the city.