“Ugh…!”

“Damn it! We’ve got casualties here! Is there anyone to take over?!”

“Take over my ass! You think there’s time to breathe? Just come to my side! Hang on and somehow survive…!!”

Chaos.

Scarlet and Yoon Si-woo were fighting, with the Witch of Gluttony in sight, but the battle for those left behind could be summed up in one phrase.

No matter how much Scarlet and Yoon Si-woo managed to take down the stronger enemies like dragons, there were still plenty left, and the number of heroes was woefully insufficient to handle them all.

Injuries and deaths mounted everywhere, with even the wounded unable to drop their weapons as the situation grew dire.

Through this turmoil, the heroes endured, holding onto the belief that the two they sent would defeat the witch.

And just like that, the fierce and desperate battle came to an abrupt end.

“What… what’s going on…?!”

“The enemies just…?!”

The multitude of enemies vanished like a mirage, scattering before their eyes.

As the foes that had been charging at them suddenly disappeared, the heroes stood dumbfounded, capturing the bewilderment on their faces.

But their confusion didn’t last long.

“C-could it be…!!”

“They did it… the two managed it…!!”

They realized the sudden vanishing of their enemies was because of the two they had sent forth.

“We… we won!!!”

“Woahhh!!!”

Cheers erupted from the mouths of those who understood the victory, their voices echoing through the battlefield.

“…Damn it, hold on just a little longer, you idiots.”

“Ugh, Joseph… open your eyes. We won…”

Many heroes perished during the battle, leaving those who mourned their loss in a somber acknowledgment.

“…Well, we won anyway! I was really worried about how it would turn out!”

“…Right! Mourning the fallen is something we can do because we survived. So let’s rejoice right now!”

Yet, since this pivotal battle determined the fate of humanity, the atmosphere was more one of celebration than mourning.

As the mood brightened in the battlefield, a shining star streaked across the sky.

“Lady Scarlet…! Young Master Yoon Si-woo…!”

It was the starlight created by Sylvia, who was casting her flight spell to maintain the sacred barrier for those behind while suppressing the witch’s magical recovery.

It was a role she absolutely had to fulfill to confront the witch, but that meant she was forcibly tied to the rear.

Upon seeing the enemies disappear, she immediately released the barrier and soared into the sky.

She had been anxiously waiting since hearing that her two friends had gone to fight the witch, suppressing her rising anxiety by muttering to herself.

“…They’ll be fine, it’s not like they lost, so there shouldn’t be anything major.”

So, she decided not to think of any weird ideas but rather contemplate what kind of praise she should give the two who accomplished this monumental task.

As Sylvia thought this, she flew overhead, heading to the location where the two were confronting the witch.

“…Huh?”

However, once she reached their side, Sylvia found herself swallowing hard at the situation before her.

“…Scarlet?”

Why?

With the victorious atmosphere lightening the battlefield so much, why was it that the mood where they were felt so heavy it was choking her?

She didn’t even need to voice her questions.

Sylvia had seen it herself.

“It’s my fault… because of me, Scarlet, you are like this…”

A boy sobbing in sorrow, and,

“…It’s okay, I’m fine.”

The girl who had burned far too much for the victory of humanity.

*

Flames erupted.

From the heart of the Witch of Gluttony, where a sword was lodged.

“Haah, haah…”

An unmistakable decisive blow.

But having seen that terrifying regenerative ability, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t let his guard down just yet.

As a moment of silence blanketed the battlefield,

– I’m not hungry…

With a soft murmur that seemed like liberation, the witch wobbled and collapsed to the ground.

Finally, the witch had completely stopped moving.

…So, they truly won.

“Phew…”

Only then did Yoon Si-woo release his tension and let go of the sword he had gripped tightly.

And just when he prioritized checking Scarlet’s condition,

“We… we did win, right…?”

A small voice came from behind him.

Despite being utterly exhausted, the voice belonged to Scarlet, who still seemed somewhat conscious.

Hearing her, Yoon Si-woo sighed in relief internally and replied.

“…Yeah, we won. You did really well, Scarlet.”

Having realized the implications of Scarlet’s ability, he had briefly been plagued by horrifying imaginations.

What if, after the fight ended, Scarlet didn’t wake up like he had after collapsing the day before?

Just realizing that such a worst-case scenario hadn’t happened was enough for Yoon Si-woo to feel relieved.

The anger he had harbored towards Scarlet for hiding the side effects of her ability could be released simply because of that.

At that moment, he heard Scarlet’s quiet voice again.

“I can’t feel any more energy from the Witch of Gluttony, so I think it’s true… We did it, didn’t we? Haha, thank goodness…”

In that mutter, Yoon Si-woo felt something was off.

It felt like the conversation was hitting a wall.

Why was Scarlet not reacting to his words of praise?

Moreover, there was another odd detail.

Why had their ally, Mei, not spoken a word since earlier?

Finally turning around, Yoon Si-woo looked back.

The ally who had helped them, Mei, was staring at him with a shocked expression, her hand covering her mouth.

No, her gaze wasn’t on him.

It was directed at someone behind him.

“…Scarlet?”

Feeling uneasy, Yoon Si-woo called out to the one he was carrying on his back.

But there was no response.

Trembling, he slowly peeled off the girl’s arm that was tightly wrapped around his neck.

Then, turning around to see her, he caught sight of the girl.

“……!!!”

A silent scream erupted from Yoon Si-woo’s lips.

He remembered her.

The girl who had burned like a flame.

The girl who was always full of life, draped in red.

“Scarlet…!!”

Yet, that girl was nowhere to be found.

After flames had burned, only ashes remained.

Thus, the girl was left with only a gray hue.

With the trademark red hue that was her personal color gone, her appearance dyed the color of ash was so fragile it seemed she could be blown away by the slightest breeze.

“You, what is this…!!”

So, Yoon Si-woo, in shock, shouted, clutching Scarlet tightly.

What the hell happened?

Even knowing that this was a side effect of using her ability.

He couldn’t help but ask such a question due to her utterly devastating state.

But despite his shout, Scarlet showed no reaction.

As if she couldn’t hear his voice right in front of her.

And that wasn’t all.

Yoon Si-woo noticed the girl’s eyes, having lost their redness.

He saw her eyes struggling to focus on him before her.

Seeing this, Yoon Si-woo bit his lip and shouted internally.

…No, please tell me it’s not true.

But what came from the girl’s mouth was far from his expectations.

“Um, just to confirm, the person holding me right now is you, Yoon Si-woo, right?”

That only served to solidify his fears about the girl’s condition.

Finally, Yoon Si-woo collapsed completely.

“Ah… Aaaa…!!!”

The weight of despair crushed him.

“…Yoon Si-woo, I mentioned before that I had something to confess to you. It’s actually about my ability. I was going to tell you once everything was over. But, well, looks like I’ve been found out in between. Haha…”

She swung her sword.

With each swing, she knew she was causing herself problems.

But, it felt like this was the only way to protect herself from the Witch of Gluttony.

“You probably figured it out when you saw my legs earlier, but… There are side effects to my ability. Because of that, I… I can’t hear well right now. And my sight… is also… not clear.”

But, this was the outcome.

She could no longer hear sounds.

Couldn’t see anything.

To live as a person, at least one of the two senses must be fine.

She could no longer survive in this world on her own.

Who was it that swung the sword until she reached this state?

Who had held the sword to protect her, but ended up relying on her strength, unable to solve anything on their own?

If only Yoon Si-woo had been stronger, so strong that he wouldn’t need to lean on her.

Scarlet would never have ended up like this…

A cycle of sorrow and self-reproach flowed ceaselessly from Yoon Si-woo’s eyes.

“…It may look a bit pathetic, but I don’t regret it. Thanks to this ability, I could protect people. So please, don’t feel sorry for me… Wait, are you crying?”

Perhaps because she couldn’t see, Scarlet cautiously reached out, trying to touch Yoon Si-woo’s face. She realized he was crying only when her fingers brushed against his tears.

At first, she panicked slightly but then forced a smile, embracing Yoon Si-woo slowly and muttering.

“Hey… I actually wanted to tell you not to blame yourself for this. Yoon Si-woo, it’s not your fault; I’m okay. So, please stop crying.”

“No… it’s not okay… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… because of me… because of you…”

As always, her reassurance sounded unbearably painful to Yoon Si-woo.

Thus, he wept, muttering endless apologies into Scarlet’s ear.

Knowing full well that those words would no longer reach her.