Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Translator: Penny
Episode 40: Yoo Eunha [1]
Episode 40: Yu Eun-ha [1]
My vision swam violently.
Yu Eun-ha's eyes darted back and forth, either from panic or extreme agitation.
And then, the final image: a golden bolt of lightning tearing through the Barrier and striking Azathoth.
Thankfully, it wasn't a full-life flashback.
That meant I was still alive and well.
"...Hah!"
I jerked awake and immediately began checking my body.
My last memory was clearly...
I remember being tortured by Yu Eun-ha, even the water dripping on my head...
Ah, and pushing Yu Eun-ha away, then inexplicably appearing here and taking Azathoth's final blow.
There seems to be something more, but... it's like my memories have been erased. I can't recall anything.
Throb...!
"Ugh...!"
They say getting killed by a frontal abdominal piercing is being "donutted." What do you call it when it's from the side?
Skewered?
Well, at least I'm safe for now.
Everything's intact, so...
Was I rescued safely?
The golden lightning I saw just before collapsing must have been Eve's lightning, as I'd expected.
"By the way... my memories are so hazy."
I clearly remember being kidnapped by Yu Eun-ha, water dripping on my head, and at the very last moment, protecting Yu Eun-ha from Azathoth's strike and getting my abdomen pierced. But the entire sequence of events in between is completely missing.
Anyway, what do I do now?
Another variable had emerged.
Azathoth, the Demon clad in a thousand suits of armor.
He was a crucial character who constantly hindered the Protagonist, forcing him to grow stronger. In the end, Azathoth would be defeated by the Protagonist, dropping items that would significantly boost the Protagonist's combat power later on.
And I still don't know what happened to Yu Eun-ha. This is all so confusing.
Lost in thought, he casually lay back down on the bed, his back aching.
Throb!
"Agh?!"
As he shifted and touched his lower back, an excruciating pain shot through him.
The sensation was so overwhelming that he nearly rolled off the hospital bed.
Crash! Bang!
Come to think of it, my body is still half-crippled, isn't it?
The crosses Yu Eun-ha had impaled me with during my torture were clearly throwing weapons with a secondary effect that suppressed regeneration. Combined with the one-time curse I'd been subjected to at the time, having those crosses lodged in my body had likely shattered my mana circuits from the inside out.
The pain caused by the mana twisting throughout my body was beyond description. It felt like every organ inside me was being squeezed by an invisible hand—a truly vile sensation.
Could it be that I hadn't felt any pain until now because my mana hadn't been circulating properly?
"Gah... Keuk, Aaaah...!!"
The door burst open!
As I screamed and thrashed, the hospital room door flew open...
"Se-a!"
Immediately, I felt something soft and incredibly heavy land on my head. And just like that, my consciousness slipped back into the clutches of slumber.
"......Are you awake?"
After sleeping soundly for about four hours, I regained consciousness and was able to talk to Eve, who was sitting on the hospital bed.
At first, she clung to me, sobbing and expressing her concern, making me wonder if I could just let things slide...
"How's your body...?"
"Yes, I can move fine, but... what about Miss Eun-ha?"
"I've already seen all of her memories and yours. Yu Eun-ha is currently being held in our Guild's detention cell."
"......What?"
Eve's words were quite shocking.
No, kidnapping and torturing me is a serious crime, but...
"I entered your memories to find out what happened."
Then, Eve began to explain the situation in detail.
"Is that... really true?"
"Yes. Yu Eun-ha confessed to kidnapping you with the intent to kill you. She claimed that you saved her life by sacrificing yourself when she was attacked by an unidentified Demonic Beast that emerged alone from a Black Gate in the sky. We verified her account by examining your memories."
...She's confessing this easily?
When she kidnapped me, she hurled insults and curses at me. I thought she would deny her crimes to the bitter end...
But why did I take that attack for Yu Eun-ha?
"Given the severity of the situation, we've decided to confine her to the Academy dormitory for now. Until then, our Guild will be responsible for her safety."
"...This is complicated."
Of course, Yu Eun-ha had kidnapped me and caused all sorts of trouble... but it would be problematic if she were to die now.
Honestly, if I were to see someone who had killed me three times, I'd probably want to eliminate them preemptively, just to be safe.
That's exactly why I killed Yun Seong-ho.
And to think, Seo Jian, the original protagonist, had reportedly burned to death right before Yu Eun-ha's eyes. Any normal person would have gone mad from such a trauma.
Yu Eun-ha can't just exit the story like this. Absolutely not.
She's one of the main characters from the original story, one of the heroes who helps the protagonist capture Mephisto.
Eve's words mostly revolved around "life imprisonment" or "the death penalty."
I grabbed Eve's arm, pleading with all my might.
"Chairwoman, I just want to see Miss Eun-ha for a moment."
"...Huh?"
But I could feel the intense hostility in Eve's eyes. It was clear she wouldn't let me off easily if I mentioned Yu Eun-ha's name again.
"Absolutely not. The motive behind her crime hasn't even been fully revealed during the interrogation yet..."
"I can explain everything later, so please..."
Grip!
I squeezed Eve's arm with every ounce of strength I could muster, staring up at her. Her expression only darkened further, as if my desperation had only fueled her anger.
But I refused to release my grip on her arm...
"Hah, do as you please."
Ms. Eve reluctantly agreed to my proposal.
"...But only on the condition that I accompany you. If Yu Eun-ha tries anything foolish, the visit ends immediately, understand?"
"Thank you, really."
I didn't catch what Eve muttered to herself behind me, but the important thing was that I could finally see Yu Eun-ha.
Now, I just needed to move...
...Huh?
My legs... they won't move.
"My... my legs..."
"After sustaining injuries like that, you expected to walk normally?"
Clatter
"Here, I'll take you."
I settled into the wheelchair Eve had prepared and entrusted myself to her Teleportation magic.
Whoosh...!
"Guild Master, and... Miss Se-a?"
"Long time no see."
After teleporting, I emerged from what looked like a research lab to find a member of the Golden Guild greeting Eve.
As I turned my head, I saw...
Thud!
"Aaaaargh...!"
"Still refusing to reveal the motive behind her crimes?"
"Yes, she'll talk about everything else... but she absolutely won't disclose her motive."
"She's remarkably strong-willed."
"Indeed. We've subjected her to water torture, pulled out her fingernails, even severed and reattached parts of her body... but she hasn't budged."
The sight of Yu Eun-ha, completely restrained and screaming under various tortures, filled the room.
Crack!
"Aaaaaaah!"
"Her arm is broken, Team Leader."
"Just cut it off and inject a High-Grade Potion. Once it regenerates, start pulling out her nails again."
"Yes, sir."
Yu Eun-ha's arm was broken, but the people inside the chamber acted as if nothing had happened. They poured a potion over the shattered limb, then began breaking the newly healed arm again.
Her fingernails and toenails had already been removed, judging by the blood splattered across the white marble floor. Witnessing this scene, I...
"Open the door. Now."
"............Yes."
Whirr...
"Wait! If you open it like that...! Yun Se-a, your Demonic Eye...!"
Eve, clearly surprised that I knew how to use the Demonic Eye's power, momentarily lost focus. This was my only chance.
"Move."
KABOOM!
Using psychokinesis, I violently hurled away the unidentified figures who were touching Yu Eun-ha's body.
Thank goodness it's a High-Grade Potion. If I give her the rest, she should recover.
I could see Eun-ha lying limp on the ground.
Unable to move my legs, I used psychokinesis to levitate myself and swiftly retrieved the High-Grade Potion the fallen figure had dropped.
"Miss Eun-ha!"
I shouted Eun-ha's name, desperate to reach her immediately, but...
Whoosh!
"Ugh?!"
"Yun Se-a, what do you think you're doing?!"
My body was ensnared in the net Ms. Eve had created, and I was instantly dragged back into her arms.
"Let me go! Let me go!"
"I told you not to act rashly."
"She was severely tortured...! Is it okay to treat a Raon Academy Cadet like that? She's still a child...!"
"...And you?"
"Huh?"
What's with this sudden outburst...?
"You weren't harmed by that girl at all? You collapsed with every hole in your body pierced through! You're in this state because of her! Aren't you even angry?!"
Ah, she said she saw all my memories... So she must have seen everything.
She saw Yu Eun-ha hunting me down in the gymnasium and the subsequent torture I endured, enduring harsh words and torment.
Wait, does that mean Eve already knows Yu Eun-ha is a Regressor?
"It was the same when you were attacked by that humanoid Demon! Why don't you ever think about your own safety?!"
Each word Eve spoke carried a sorrowful fury, as if her resentment had crystallized into each syllable.
Guild Master, she's furious. This kind of reaction... it's been five years since I last saw it.
"Five years ago... the day the Vice Guild Master sent the Guild Master away and died sealing the S-Rank Gate..."
"Watch your mouth. That's a forbidden topic in the Guild."
The Guild members present glanced at me, as if understanding Eve's feelings.
I messed up.
I had momentarily forgotten Eve Meitner's backstory—the immense losses she had suffered. I had been too focused on the original work, specifically Yu Eun-ha's safety.
She wouldn't want her student to be hurt like this.
Eve Meitner was a warm and bright person. Despite her position as Chairwoman, she would occasionally disguise herself as a student and mingle with the Academy's students. She was truly a warm-hearted person who would support and protect those she cared about until the very end.
"...I'm sorry," I said weakly, pulling Eve into a hug.
Eve accepted my movements without resistance, perhaps because my condition was far more critical than I realized.
Since I had never acted this way before, Eve was speechless.
I could faintly detect the scent of vanilla from her skin, but now wasn't the time for such appreciation. My priority was to calm her anger.
"I'm sorry. I was only thinking about my own feelings."
"No, I pushed you too hard too. I'm sorry, Se-a."
"First, please heal Miss Eun-ha. I can explain everything."
"...Alright."
At Eve's gesture, the people who had collapsed earlier poured potions over Yu Eun-ha's body, rapidly restoring her health.
Then, I followed Eve to what appeared to be an interrogation room.
"Heal Yu Eun-ha and suspend the torture for now."
"Yes, understood."
"...You'll need to explain this in a way I can understand."
I could sense that Eve had activated her lie detection ability.
"You... you were cut in half."
Ah, I thought it was just a hole from one side to the other. So I was actually split in half.
That explains why Yu Eun-ha's eyes trembled so violently just before she collapsed. I thought she'd just gotten a hole blown through her, but she was actually split in half, like a coffee-flavored ice cream bar broken in two.
"Chairwoman, Eun-ha isn't a bad person. She's working to protect this world... she's a Hero."
"......"
Eve seemed to believe my words. She pressed her hand to her head and muttered, "Then why is Yu Eun-ha...!"
Thank goodness. She'll be safe.
Having extracted the best possible outcome from Eve, I clenched my fist tightly out of her sight, expressing my satisfaction. Now, all that remained was to speak with Yu Eun-ha alone and uncover what had happened to her.
"Haa... Fine, I won't kill you."
"Yes, thank you so mu—"
"But in return, don't even think about seeing that child's face until you're completely healed. No, I'll make sure you can't."
"...Huh?"
The sudden news struck me like a bolt from the blue.
"So, don't push yourself any further today... Just rest in my arms."
"What... do you mean?"
Then, as if Eve had cast a spell, a warm, hazy feeling washed over me, and I couldn't resist my eyelids drooping shut...
"So this is what a safe house feels like."
"Right? It's the most secure safe house among those used by the Guild Master, with the strongest protective magic."
"...Thank you for telling me. Um... Hero, what's your name?"
"You can call me Yu Han-ra."
"...Okay, Ms. Han-ra."
I woke up in a bed in a grand mansion, presumably one of Eve's private villas, rather than in the Academy dormitory.