The Birth of a Hero
After finishing his conversation with Eve, Yoon Siwoo left the academy gates alongside Scarlet. He walked at a slow, measured pace, matching hers, though she seemed lost in thought. They hadn't exchanged many words, yet he felt an inexplicable sense that she wanted to talk to him. Or rather, to be honest, that was just an excuse. In truth, it was likely he who wanted to talk to her. The thought that the time he could spend seeing her face might drastically decrease in the future filled him with a desperate urge to be by her side for even a moment longer.
Scarlet, unaware of his inner turmoil, simply kept walking with a troubled expression. Eventually, she stopped at a nearby park. Without a word, she took a seat on a bench, then glanced at him, signaling for him to sit down as well. When they had come here together after running into each other at the market, they had sat with a bag of groceries between them, sharing a conversation. This time, there was no bag to act as a buffer, and as he hesitated, her eyes—fixed on him with a steady, expectant gaze—made him swallow hard and hurry to sit beside her. He sat so close that he worried their shoulders might touch if he shifted even an inch, but thankfully, she didn't seem to mind.
As he struggled to suppress his racing heart and the heat rising to his cheeks, Scarlet’s voice broke the silence.
“Just yesterday, everyone was walking around with smiles on their faces...”
She spoke while watching the people on the street with sad eyes. The passersby cast glances toward them. Those who had once looked at them with warmth simply for wearing the academy uniform now occasionally radiated hatred and anger. The world had changed so much in a single day. Her voice, heavy with a profound sense of gloom, sounded as if she were lamenting the state of the world.
“...As I thought, no one is smiling anymore.”
Her voice mirrored the expressions on the faces of the people passing by. After watching them for a long time, Scarlet muttered quietly.
“I came up with this plan because I wanted people to smile like they used to... but, well, it’s a bit complicated, isn't it...”
With those words, she reached out her left arm toward the sky. She stared blankly at her hand stretched toward the heavens. After a moment of silence, she furrowed her brow in frustration and muttered,
“If only I were a little stronger, I could have just told them to make me the hero instead...”
Her gaze, which had been fixed on the sky, slowly shifted to the side. She lowered her hand from the air, rested it on her lap, and looked at him with a complex expression before bowing her head.
“...I’m sorry. You must have had things you wanted to do while attending school, but becoming a hero means giving all of that up. By all rights, this is something I should be doing since I’m the one who came up with the plan. I feel like I’m putting too much of a burden on you because of me... I’m truly sorry...”
She kept apologizing, as if she felt guilty for forcing such a choice upon him. He always thought the same thing: she was kind, but because of that, she was also incredibly foolish.
After a moment of hesitation, Yoon Siwoo steeled his resolve and gently placed his hand over hers, which rested on her lap. There was something he wanted to say to her, as she kept apologizing. As she lifted her head and their eyes met, Yoon Siwoo opened his mouth.
“You don’t need to be sorry to me. I chose this path because I wanted to.”
Yoon Siwoo recalled the way she had spoken to him about sorrow. She had seemed so calm, but he couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of immense pain she must have endured in the past to be able to speak of it so plainly. However, he remembered her words—that if one has someone to lean on, they can forget their sorrow. He wanted to be that person for her, if only a little.
Of course, as she said, it wasn't as if there weren't things he would miss. It was certainly a shame that the time he could see her at school would decrease. But what he truly wanted to see was her walking through the school halls, smiling happily. That was why he could say it without hesitation.
“I want people to be able to smile like they used to, too.”
Because only then could she, who thought of others more than anyone else, be happy.
“...Still, I’m sorry.”
Even after he said that, her guilt remained evident. As he wondered what he could say to make her stop, he felt something rustling in his pocket. Remembering what he had tucked away, Yoon Siwoo asked her,
“Hey, Scarlet. We’re friends, right?”
She seemed to ponder his question for a moment before slowly nodding. Watching her, he pulled the item from his pocket. It was the macaron she had given him yesterday. It seemed like something she only gave to people she was close to, and he had longed for the day he might receive one himself.
Yoon Siwoo unwrapped the macaron, which had miraculously kept its shape despite all the running around he had done the night before, and popped it into his mouth. It was incredibly sweet. He didn't particularly like sweets, but it was a flavor he couldn't help but cherish. With a faint smile, he said to her,
“Between friends, you say ‘thank you’ instead of ‘I’m sorry.’”
At his words, she replied in a small voice.
“...Yeah, thank you.”
The faint smile that graced her lips at that reply made him incredibly happy.
A few days had passed since the major incident that shook the city. Today, a joint funeral service was being held to mourn those who had sacrificed their lives that day. Countless people attended the ceremony at the plaza in the city center. As the plaza filled with the sounds of people sobbing as they bid farewell to their loved ones in their own ways, a voice rang out.
[A few days ago, we lost countless precious lives.]
The voice originated from the podium in the center of the plaza. Standing in a row on the podium, dressed in black, were members of the families known as the city's leadership and several widely recognized heroes. People like Sylvia Astra, the heir to the Astra family, and Eve, known as the greatest illusionist. The owner of the voice currently echoing through the plaza was Lucas Aegis, the principal of Aegis Academy. He spoke to the massive crowd of citizens gathered in the plaza.
[As I have stated through the media, it has been revealed that this incident was the work of a Witch.]
At the mention of the word "Witch," the citizens expressed their hatred. Hatred toward the existence that had stolen their families, friends, and acquaintances. However, the flames of anger born from sorrow did not point in only one direction. To the people of this era, who had only encountered Witches in books, the existence of a Witch was no different from a natural disaster. Just as one does not direct anger at an earthquake itself even if it kills many, there were those who turned their arrows of rage toward the leadership and the heroes who had failed to properly prepare for the Witch.
As murmurs of condemnation rose from all sides, the people on the podium bowed their heads. Eve, who had taken the microphone from Lucas, also bowed her head and spoke.
[Although this was an unexpected attack, the first in several hundred years, we will not turn our eyes away from our responsibility. The duty of a hero is to protect the people, and the failure to perform that duty properly is clearly our fault. We offer our deepest apologies regarding this matter.]
They say that if you apologize for things that aren't your fault, it becomes a problem. Just as the anger of the crowd, searching for someone to blame, was about to turn toward the podium, Eve lifted her bowed head and spoke again.
[However, even while the heroes were failing to fulfill their roles, there was one who steadfastly performed the duties of a hero. Aegis Academy first-year student, Yoon Siwoo. Step forward.]
At Eve's words, a pure white boy, dressed in the white-based hero uniform, stepped out from among the people in black mourning attire. The boy who stepped to the front of the podium drew a sword that emitted a golden light in the air. The sight was like a single ray of light shining alone in the darkness, and even the people who had been raising their voices from all sides fell silent, their gazes captured by him. Eve’s voice rang out across the quiet plaza.
[He discovered the monster that was the source of the incident early and eliminated it, preventing damage that could have grown far worse, and in doing so, saved countless lives. In recognition of that merit, I appoint him here as a hero.]
With those words, the boy spoke to the world.
[I solemnly swear here and now.]
What came from the boy's lips was an oath, announcing that he had become a hero. It was a historically unprecedented event. This was the first time a first-year academy student had been officially appointed as a hero at such a young age. But as if to prove he was worthy, the boy emitted a brilliant light from the sword he held in his hand.
[I swear to act for others before myself.]
Among the people gathered in the plaza, there must have been those who remembered that light. The light that had driven away the darkness covering the sky at the moment they were drowning in despair. The light starting from the boy’s hand stretched toward the sky. Those who witnessed the sight, whether through broadcast or in person, held their breath and etched the majestic spectacle into their eyes. What were the people seeing in that light? Some would call it a blessing, others a miracle. And some would see hope in that light.
[I swear that no matter the situation, I will never abandon my comrades.]
The boy looked at the gazes of the people gathered toward him. The expectations contained within them weighed heavily upon him, but the boy bore them as if it were nothing. He had already steeled himself long ago.
[I swear that even when everyone else is in despair, I will never stop.]
So that the girl would no longer be hurt while protecting someone, he would become stronger than anyone else to protect everyone. So that the girl would no longer be sad, he would create a world where she could spend her remaining time happily. Compared to that resolve, the weight of people's expectations was nothing to him.
[I swear on my honor and my name, until this life fades away.]
The girl had said it. Please become a hero for everyone. Please become their hope.
[I swear to fight only for the peace and well-being of humanity.]
The boy thought. If everyone could be happy because of this. If, because of this, you could be happy.
[I swear it here and now.]
Ah, I will gladly walk that thorny path. Amidst that brilliant light and the expectations of the people, a hero of a new era was born.