What She Should Have Received

Bella sat upright in her chair, facing Dorothy.

"All right. I'll tell you about that child. But in exchange..."

Dorothy smiled softly. To Bella, that smile felt terrifying.

"I'm going to read you with a Scribe's eyes. It'll only take a moment."

Scribe.

A unique ability granted only to a rare few born with the talent for it.

The power to enter the Starry Library — home of the Akashic Records, the absolute archive said to hold every truth, every record, and every past that had ever existed in the world.

Those qualified as Scribes could, simply by turning the pages of those records, pierce through a person's past or the truths bound to a place.

Of course, not every record could be peeked at so easily. Most of them carried restrictions equal to their weight. The higher the level of the beings involved, the more formidable the security — which meant a Scribe of low ability could only access a limited range of records.

Naturally, none of that mattered to Dorothy, a Level 10 Transcendent.

"I need to confirm whether you're a danger to that child. Is that all right?"

"Yes. That's fine."

It meant laying bare her entire life before someone else — and still Bella gave her permission without hesitation. There was something far more important than that.

The space around them trembled, growing hazy, as if she were looking at the world through a transparent veil. Dorothy's eyes glowed faintly.

Bella's breath caught in her throat. It felt as though she were being stripped bare down to her deepest core. Dorothy was reading everything — Bella's emotions, her actions, her memories.

Dorothy's gaze wavered for a moment.

"That's enough. I've seen what I need."

She closed her eyes, exhaled slowly, then opened them again. At the same time the oppressive energy in the room unraveled, and the crushing tension dissolved.

Bella gasped for air.

The records that had seeped into the space gradually faded, and the light that had settled in Dorothy's eyes went out.

"...Haa."

Dorothy let out a short sigh. A hard tension had settled over her once-calm mouth.

Her gaze turned to Bella Staren — immeasurably heavy and cold, yet threaded with sorrow.

"You killed her... with your own hands. That child."

The voice was quiet, but it carried a restrained fury. The temperature in the room seemed to plummet.

Bella did not answer. She simply pressed her lips together and bowed her head. She offered no excuse, no justification. She knew full well that she had no right to deny that sin.

Dorothy watched her for a moment, then pressed her fingers to her temple.

And soon, the heavy atmosphere eased.

Dorothy looked at Bella once more and continued.

"It must have been that child's choice. I don't have the right to be angry with you."

A faint smile mixed with a thread of bitterness in those words.

"I forgive you. But you must apologize to her."

Bella lifted her head. Her lips trembled slightly.

"Would she... forgive me?"

Fear was woven into the question. She knew a single apology could never wash away the wrongs of the past.

"Are you going to avoid even apologizing because you're afraid you won't be forgiven?"

A brief silence fell. Bella slowly nodded.

"Understood. I will apologize. Sincerely."

"Good. Then I'll tell you now."

Dorothy regarded her quietly.

"Before that, though, I have something to ask you first."

A held breath of silence stretched for several seconds before Dorothy finally spoke.

"That day — could you understand the things Envia said?"

The question came out of nowhere. Bella hesitated for a moment, then shook her head honestly.

"I could hear what Yeon said. But that monster — Envia — I could barely understand a word of it. I heard the sounds, but for some strange reason, I couldn't comprehend them."

At that, Dorothy gave a slight nod and let out a breath of relief.

"Good. It seems the restrictions are still in place."

"Restrictions?"

"Monsters cannot speak the truth about Yeon."

"Because," Dorothy's eyes slowly turned toward Bella, "right now, Yeon is the real Evil God."

"What do you mean by...?"

Bella's face went rigid.

She wondered for a moment whether she had misheard, whether she had simply misunderstood — but there was no wavering in Dorothy's tone.

Dorothy continued, her voice heavy.

"The Evil God currently has no name. The name of the Evil God recorded in the Akashic Records right now is 'Yeon Bennet' — that child's name."

"How... how is that even possible?"

"I can't tell you that. But as promised — the path that child has walked. I'll tell you everything from here on."

Dorothy quietly raised a finger and pointed at the empty air.

"System."

She lifted her finger toward the void once more.

"First, let's take out a little insurance."

"...Excuse me?"

Bella blinked.

"Monsters can't do it — but humans can speak the truth freely."

Dorothy's voice was lower and heavier than usual.

"That's why, until now, I've controlled who knows about her — only a handful of people I can trust with the information. And right here, right now, that number is about to increase by one."

Bella pressed her lips shut. Responsibility and confusion both lived in her eyes.

"I trust you, Bella Staren."

Dorothy wore a cold smile.

"But... you're still weak."

At those words, Bella's shoulders flinched slightly.

Dorothy opened her palm, and a system window bloomed above it.

After that, the truth the Headmistress revealed was devastating.

Yeon Bennet was nothing like the person the world believed her to be — no. She was the exact opposite.

"What the hell have all of you been doing this whole time?"

After hearing the truth about Yeon, Bella lost all reason and shouted at a Transcendent. Under ordinary circumstances it would have been unthinkable — but Dorothy did not call out the insolence. She simply accepted Bella's rage in silence.

Bella looked out the window ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the peaceful academy grounds and went on.

"You're telling me all of this... was built on the sacrifice of one child?"

It was horrific. And revolting.

And she herself had known nothing.

I'm no different.

She had no right to be angry either. Bella clenched her fist without thinking. The sensation still clung to her fingertips — hot blood. The feel of a heart being pierced. The memory of that moment seemed to dig into her palm.

Yeon sat awkwardly on the bed, gazing out the window. She looked exactly as she had the first time they met — the same figure Bella had once believed to be a villainess.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

But she looked different now.

Bella quietly drew a breath and took a step toward her. Yeon slowly looked up. Her eyes were as calm as ever.

"I'm sorry... No. I apologize, My Lady."

The moment she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had driven a blade through that heart. The child who had only smiled through what must have been unbearable agony.

That smile... she still could not forget it.

"Hm? All of a sudden?"

Yeon asked it back with an expression that genuinely seemed to wonder whether Bella had anything to apologize for — as if nothing had happened at all, as if she had already forgotten everything. That only made it worse.

"Your heart... it must have hurt..."

"You don't need to bring that up. I planned it that way from the start. And besides — in the end, you saved me, Senior."

She forced a bright expression and kept talking.

"I was grateful then. So it's fine. You're more softhearted than I thought, Senior. Heh."

She waved it off with a light laugh, as if it truly were nothing.

Bella pressed her lips together and looked at her again.

Yeon Bennet — who had held off six high-rank monsters alone and still thanked her.

Who saved whom, exactly...

She really was... the biggest fool in the world. And looking at that fool, Bella felt a strange tightness in her chest.

She drew a deep breath and bowed her head low toward Yeon.

"On behalf of every person living in Tera..."

She could feel Yeon's gaze. Bella kept her head lowered.

"I thank you. From the bottom of my heart."

"For dealing with the monsters."

"For holding back the Evil God alone."

"For everything you have done all this time."

Yeon's expression faltered. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

Bella lifted her head slightly and looked at her in quiet silence.

Had this child ever heard words like these from anyone?

The people who had tried to condemn her. The ones who had pointed and called her a villainess.

The entire world had been her enemy.

And yet — a girl of barely twenty had simply smiled... and protected the very people who had wounded her.

"Thank you... truly. Thank you, My Lady."

She felt disgusting even to herself.

Changing her attitude now, offering gratitude only after the fact. After everything she had done to corner this girl.

Even so...

The gratitude Yeon should have received.

The words she had every right to hear.

Bella wanted to give them to her, even if it was late.

She bowed her head deeply once more.

"Thank you. Truly, My Lady."