The Weight of History and Hidden Truths
The luxurious banquet hall in District 13, the heart of the city, was ablaze with the light of crystal chandeliers. The city's elite had gathered for the gala, and while there were many prominent figures in attendance, one stood out above the rest: Sylvia Astra, known to all as the heir to the Astra family. People’s gazes were drawn to her radiant beauty as she smiled and exchanged greetings with those passing through the center of the hall. Of course, none of them had any idea that the woman wearing that smile was in a foul mood.
"......I just want to go home and rest today."
Sylvia was emotionally exhausted, having even shed tears over the events that had transpired at the academy earlier that day. However, as the heir to the Astra name, she couldn't simply avoid an event where all the city's power players were gathered. While she grumbled internally, she kept up a bright, cheerful facade. As she pondered how to escape the center of the hall, her eyes landed on someone who had just stepped through the entrance.
It was a middle-aged elf with silver hair like her own, his gloved hand covering his face as he frowned at the interior of the hall. Seeing her chance, Sylvia quickly slipped away from the center of the room and approached him with a greeting.
"Uncle Sator. It’s been a while."
"Oh, it has been a while, Lady Sylvia."
At Sylvia’s greeting, the man’s expression softened. He adjusted his glasses and returned the greeting. He was a man widely known as an authority in the academic field of Esper Studies. He was her uncle, Sator Astra. Even though they shared the same Astra bloodline, they weren't particularly close, but Sylvia’s mind was currently filled with the singular desire to escape the center of the room, even if only for a moment.
Still, it was a rare occurrence. He was known to be obsessed with his work to the point of rarely showing his face at family events, and he was even rumored to have mild social anxiety. Sylvia asked, feeling curious.
"I never expected to see you in a place like this, Uncle. Didn't you say you didn't like crowded places?"
"It’s not so much that I dislike crowds, but rather that I dislike dusty places. Today, I had some unavoidable matters to discuss regarding the research lab......" Sator replied, waving his white-gloved hand in front of his face. He looked like he absolutely loathed being there.
At the mention of the research lab, Sylvia recalled an article she had seen earlier this year. It reported that a massive fire had broken out at the Esper Research Lab where Sator served as the director, burning the building down to the point where it practically needed to be rebuilt from scratch. Sylvia asked Sator,
"I heard about the lab. Is the reconstruction going well?"
"It seems it will take some time. Setting aside the research data, even the samples we were studying were all lost...... *Sigh*, all the research results from that time have vanished. I was only a few trial-and-error cycles away from a breakthrough, too."
"I hope things go well for you in the future. Would you like a drink?"
"......Thank you."
Sylvia took a glass from a passing staff member and handed it to Sator, who was sighing. As Sator took the glass, he stared intently at the ring on Sylvia’s left hand, his brow furrowing as he spoke.
"......By the way, what is that ring on your finger? It looks a bit, well, beneath your station compared to your attire. Shall I have a new one made for you?"
Sylvia was offended by the comment about it being beneath her station, but she didn't let it show on her face. However, there was a hint of emotion in her reply.
"It’s a ring I bought to wear with a friend. I, personally, picked it out."
"Oh my, I’ve been rude. More importantly, a friend... a friend, you say......"
Upon hearing Sylvia’s answer, Sator wore a complicated expression. After ruminating on the word 'friend' for a moment, he downed the wine in his glass and opened his mouth.
"Lady Sylvia, let me tell you a story."
Perhaps the alcohol was already hitting him, as his face was slightly flushed.
"I, too, have a friend. Someone I’ve known for a long time, and because we were like-minded, we had been researching together ever since I became the director. But that friend of mine stopped contacting me after the fire at the lab, and recently, they won't even pick up when I call. That was when I realized it. That, in the end, a friendship is only that kind of relationship."
His eyes, seen through his glasses, shimmered quietly as he spoke.
"So, Lady Sylvia, it’s better not to invest too much of your heart in friends. People are naturally inclined to swallow when things are sweet and spit them out when they are bitter, so a friendship can be severed in an instant."
"......I will keep that in mind."
"I’ve rambled on for too long. I have a mountain of people to talk to, so I shall take my leave. Lady Sylvia, I wish you good health until we meet again."
After bidding Sylvia farewell, Sator rubbed his nose with his gloved hand and slowly made his way into the depths of the banquet hall. As he moved away, Sylvia stroked the ring on her finger and thought: My friend would never do such a thing.
It was Saturday, and since it was a week where we had to attend school, I showed up. Even if it was every other week, having six days of classes a week—kids these days would probably be shocked to death if they saw this. During the history class scheduled for today, the teacher opened the textbook and explained the origins of our schedule.
"The reason our academy holds classes every other Saturday is to honor the achievements of the heroes who defeated the Witch of Gluttony, who was once considered impossible to defeat. A task force, including the great hero Aegis, who is also the founder of Aegis Academy, fought for six days and nights without rest and finally succeeded in sealing the witch. Well, it’s a famous story, so I’m sure you all know it."
Whether it was actually true or not, the kids nodded. I guess I was the only one who didn't know that story. It was a sad reality that such a tale was printed in a history textbook, of all things.
"This is a story that isn't very well known, but when Aegis first founded the academy, he made students attend every Saturday. He said, 'I fought for six days and nights, so what’s so hard about attending school for six days?' He was a man strong enough to survive two witch subjugation battles, so that’s how he thought. After changing it to every other week because of the students begging for their lives, Aegis left these words to his son when he handed over the position of principal."
The history teacher cleared his throat and recited what the great hero of the past must have said.
"'Aigoo, tsk tsk. Kids these days have no grit. No grit at all......'"
The children burst into laughter at the line, which was overflowing with humanity. It seemed that even the man called a great hero was human after all.
Seeing the children's reaction, the history teacher chuckled and said,
"It’s a saying meant to remind you not to think of attending school on Saturdays as too much of a bother. Even if witches no longer appear, constant training is necessary to protect citizens from monsters. Show me that you, too, have grit."
The children answered the history teacher’s words with loud voices. The class continued after that, and I slowly read through the history textbook. So far, there were a total of seven witches listed in the history books. Each was named after one of the seven deadly sins.
The Witch of Pride, said to have been subjugated by a man called a hero in the distant past. The Witch of Lust, who was submerged by a task force of 70 in the city of mermaids in the far western sea. The Witch of Wrath, who burned the World Tree in the northern forest and then perished alongside the subjugation force gathered by the Astra family. The Witch of Greed, who fell along with the island—the last base of the celestial race—where the celestial and bird-folk lived, shattering into pieces. The Witch of Sloth, who was buried deep underground along with the ancient history of the dwarf underground city beneath the eastern mountain range. And the Witch of Envy and the Witch of Gluttony, who were subjugated by the great hero Aegis.
Was it because it happened hundreds of years ago? Even though it was a textbook, the information wasn't detailed, so it felt like reading a storybook. The only one with relatively detailed information was the Witch of Gluttony, who had rampaged the most and was widely known.
I chewed over the words the history teacher had said. Witches no longer appear—is that really true? In the original work I read, the only witch who appeared as an enemy was the Witch of Gluttony, who had been unsealed and resurrected. But that only meant that the witch Yoon Siwoo fought directly was Gluttony. I wanted to believe that all the witches had been subjugated, but I knew things, and I had seen things.
I recalled the image of the girl with dark purple hair who had summoned monsters into the gymnasium. A world that controls information as a matter of course to prevent social chaos. It wouldn't be strange if they were pretending that witches who hadn't been defeated were actually subjugated. Excluding Gluttony, and excluding the one whose identity I already knew, there were five left. Then, which of those witches was that girl?
I agonized over it for a moment, then closed the history book.