White Night, Salvation (2)
After running for what felt like forever, we finally arrived at Gwangwon.
Keter had told me to catch even a quick nap on the way, but my eyes wouldn't close.
My head was a mess.
All I could think about was what to do next.
There might be another way.
Clinging to that thought, I walked through the lobby.
It was quitting time, so the lobby was packed with guild members.
They whispered as they saw me today, too. I didn't have the energy to care.
So noisy.
Thud—
I wasn't watching where I was going and bumped into someone.
An unfamiliar face.
Even as they rubbed their shoulder, the person was smiling.
"Are you here to see the guild master? Want me to show you the way?"
"Move."
"Uh… yeah, okay."
I ignored the person standing there dazed by my words and kept going. No time to waste.
I took the elevator to the top floor.
Unlike my racing heart, the elevator crawled upward slowly.
I tapped my foot impatiently.
Keter watched me with concern.
"I understand how you feel, my lady, but you need to calm down a bit."
"How can I, when things are like this?"
The secondary erosion had already begun. Who knew how long it could hold out?
"We don't even know when it started."
"With Yujina's mental strength, there should still be plenty of time. And Hod is with her, isn't he?"
"That's…"
Yeah. Keter was right.
The speed of erosion from secondary to tertiary depends on mental fortitude.
Unlike regular magical girls who turned into witches quickly after secondary erosion, that was why my senior had held out for so long.
"From the outside, the erosion doesn't look too severe. She should still be fine."
Keter sighed.
"And nothing will get solved if you don't calm down first, my lady."
"Sorry."
Me getting worked up wouldn't stop Yujina's erosion.
My mind was too scattered. How could I save anyone like this?
Before I knew it, we'd reached the rooftop floor.
I opened the door, and Seoyeon, who had been quietly polishing her sword, looked up at me with wide eyes.
"Huh? Oppa? What are you doing here?"
Seoyeon glanced me over once, then set her sword down.
"Sit down first."
"Okay."
Seoyeon pulled some snacks from a drawer and set them in front of me.
Then she sat beside me.
They were my favorite biscuits, but I had no appetite. I just fiddled with the bag.
"So, what's up?"
Seoyeon asked, propping her cheek on her hand.
I slowly opened my mouth.
"I just came from seeing Yujina."
"Oh… Yujina unnie. I was there the day before yesterday."
Yeah. No one had noticed.
They weren't as sensitive to erosion as I was.
They had no idea what was happening with Yujina's left arm.
"Why?"
"I sensed strong secondary erosion from Yujina's arm."
"…What? For real?"
Seoyeon's hand dropped from her cheek. She stared at me, full of shock.
"Dead certain."
At first, I didn't want to believe it either.
Even while talking to Yujina, I'd kept hoping my instincts were wrong.
But on the way back, I felt it clearly.
That arm was completely tainted by erosion.
"She looked totally fine, though."
"Hod's powers must be holding it back for now."
"Oh… purification. Yeah, that makes sense."
Seoyeon tapped her fingers on the desk thoughtfully. A brief silence followed.
Then she spoke again.
"What do you want to do, oppa?"
"…I don't know. That's why I came here—I have no clue."
If it could be healed, I'd heal her in a heartbeat.
But once secondary erosion starts, there's no turning back.
The roots of erosion from the psyche spread into the body. No physical method can fix it.
"Secondary erosion means it's irreversible, right?"
"Yeah."
"Like with Inarin unnie back then."
We'd tried everything we could that time.
Used Hod's powers to suppress the erosion as much as possible.
Kept her far from erosion zones to rest.
But my senior couldn't hold out in the end. She became a witch.
"Did you tell Doa unnie?"
"No."
I shook my head.
I couldn't tell Kim Doa.
"…Afraid she'd want to 'handle' it?"
"Yeah."
After my senior's death, Kim Doa had hardened her heart completely.
Anyone who hits secondary erosion must be taken out before they become witches.
Even if it meant her getting tainted—she'd asked to be killed before turning.
But Kim Doa was partly right.
It's irreversible. So isn't it kinder to end things humanely before erosion takes control?
"This is tricky. I thought we'd never have to deal with this again."
"Same."
"When did it start? Yujina unnie hasn't been near erosion zones in ages."
Seoyeon bit her nail.
"…After the great subjugation, maybe."
"That long ago?"
"Otherwise, there's no timing for the primary erosion to have happened."
Her sudden retirement after the great subjugation.
Her avoiding us, claiming she was just a civilian.
It all fit if that was the case.
"True, but that's been a while."
"Well… there might've been a gap before secondary kicked in."
Primary doesn't always progress straight to secondary.
The exact timing is unpredictable.
Right after the subjugation was just the worst-case scenario.
"Got it. You didn't let on to Yujina unnie, right?"
"I was too scared to ask."
"No, you did good. Let's go see her together tomorrow."
"…Tomorrow?"
I stared blankly at Seoyeon's face.
"You look exhausted right now, oppa. You won't accomplish anything like this."
"What about Yujina?"
"I don't know when her secondary started, but if she was chatting normally with you today, she's still okay."
She had a point.
Even my senior, when tertiary was closing in, couldn't hold a conversation anymore.
"So don't worry—just go home and rest."
"Seoyeon is right, my lady."
Keter nodded too. No helping it. Even if I went now, there was nothing I could do.
"Fine. Keter, let's head back."
And so, with nothing gained, I went home praying Yujina's condition would hold steady.
My room.
I tried to sleep early, but bad thoughts kept swirling in my head.
Even my daily scroll through the magical girl gallery held no interest today.
I pulled the blanket over my head and curled up.
Back then and now—nothing I can do.
I'd thought justice and hope could solve anything.
That was the magical girl I'd dreamed of.
But after fighting on with justice and hope in my heart, this was all that was left.
Where did I go wrong?
Ah…
My hands trembled.
What was this feeling?
Terror that a comrade might become a witch?
Or anxiety that I'd relive that day again?
Either way, it wasn't pleasant.
Knock knock.
"Are you asleep, my lady?"
"No. Still up."
I crawled out from under the blanket.
Flick—
The room light turned on.
Keter cracked the door open. He held a cup in one hand.
"Just in case, I warmed some milk."
Saying that, Keter sat beside me.
"Thanks."
I took the cup from him.
Chocolate powder was mixed in—something he'd never add normally.
I blew on it and took a sip. Warmth spread through me right away.
Keter spoke quietly.
"My lady, do you know why I humanized?"
I shook my head.
No idea.
Even when I'd asked him directly, he'd always brushed it off casually.
"…Because I'm not good enough?"
"No."
Keter let out a small sigh and continued.
"After the contract, you were shouldering too much."
"Me?"
I hadn't taken on any special responsibilities.
That wasn't my style anyway.
"Yes. You always act like it's nothing, carrying everything alone."
"…When did I ever?"
"During the great subjugation, if the bureau chief hadn't stepped in, you'd have handled it solo. And when Inarin became a witch, you tried to fight alone without telling anyone."
"That was… just what had to be done."
As the oldest, it was on me to handle it before the kids got hurt.
"There's no such thing as 'what has to be done.'"
"If not me, who? Someone has to take responsibility."
I have to protect everyone.
From the moment I chose this, there's no backing down.
"You don't have to shoulder everything anymore. Doa, Seoyeon—they're all grown up now. And I'm here too, aren't I?"
Keter smiled faintly.
"Share the burden, even if just a little."
Keter's hand gently guided my head to his shoulder.
I felt his warmth. As comforting as the milk in my hand.
"I'm afraid you'll break, my lady."
Break. The word echoed in my mind. Had Keter always thought that? I'd worried him without meaning to.
I was slumping, not like myself at all.
"I'm okay. It won't break me."
Shouldering responsibility is familiar. Not my first time.
And I haven't avenged my senior yet. I won't bend until then.
I'll protect everyone until my flame goes out.
No matter what Keter asks, that won't change.
"Still, thanks."
I got a little frantic thinking about the past.
Who knows what I'd have done alone without Keter.
"Not at all."
Listening to his voice, I closed my eyes.
Maybe I was a bit tired after all.