Academy Heroine’s Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 383

The witch of greed sought to bring about the world's destruction.

To prevent it, I willingly chose to sacrifice my life.

As long as I could protect my now dearly cherished friends and the people of this world with whom I had formed bonds, that was enough for me.

However,

"Scarlett!" "Scarlett!"

I, who had died, was brought back to life.

And then, my friends started becoming obsessed with me.

"Evan-de..."

Looking back at the events like this, it sounds like the beginning of some web novel.

Anyway, a few days had passed since I, who was supposed to have died, suddenly regained consciousness.

During those days, through Yoon Si-woo and Sylvia, I had learned more or less about what had happened to me.

To put it simply, it appeared that my resurrection, after burning away the demonic energy and losing my life, was Si-woo's doing.

Apparently, he used the power of the seventh holy sword in his possession to bring me back to life. When I first heard that, I was utterly shocked.

I even thought, "Couldn't he use that power to bring back the others who had sacrificed themselves for us?"

‘...Miss Scarlett, actually?’

But when I asked, I learned that the power wasn’t omnipotent and that it demanded a tremendous price each time it was used.

One such cost was that Yoon Si-woo would never see Lucy again, as part of the price he paid to revive me.

Si-woo had intended to hide that fact from me, perhaps out of concern that I'd feel guilty, but Sylvia discreetly told me, saying that I had the right to know.

So, upon learning that, I immediately went to confront Si-woo.

I asked him why he would go so far as to bring me back.

Knowing all too well what Lucy meant to him, I couldn’t help but ask that question.

But Si-woo answered me with this:

‘...Don’t worry about things like that. Just focus on living happily from now on. I won’t regret the decision, and I’m sure Lucy wouldn’t either.’

His reply, though accompanied by a faint, bittersweet smile, was firm. Hearing it, I couldn’t say anything more.

Since neither he nor Lucy regretted their decision, I had no right to comment on it.

In the end, all I could do was feel eternally grateful to Si-woo and Lucy for enduring such a sacrifice to give me my life back and vow to somehow repay that debt.

...Well, that’s enough about that story.

Let me tell you about what happened after I woke up.

First of all, as soon as I regained consciousness, I had to visit numerous hospitals and medical facilities.

It wasn’t because I was in pain or anything, so don’t worry. It was simply because Yoon Si-woo and Sylvia were so adamant that I undergo thorough examinations, just in case something was wrong.

I can understand why they were so insistent.

While for me it felt like no time had passed and I’d just woken up, for them, it had been two years since I had been in a deathlike slumber. Of course, they were worried.

But undergoing the same tests five times was a bit excessive, if you ask me.

Anyway, after hearing from the doctors no fewer than five times that I was perfectly fine, Si-woo and Sylvia finally relaxed enough to give me some space.

So, with them off at work, I finally had some time to myself for the first time since waking up.

As soon as I had that freedom, I went out for a walk alone.

I was curious to see how the city had changed over the two years while my eyes had been closed, and I also needed to scout out places for a new plan of mine.

That plan was to find a place of my own—to live independently.

At the time, I was staying at Sylvia’s mansion as a guest.

But I couldn’t keep living in someone else’s house forever, could I?

The reason I’d stayed with Sylvia or Si-woo before was simple: I wasn’t a normal person.

But after dying and coming back to life, I had become an ordinary human.

I could no longer spew flames or burn demonic energy like I used to.

At the same time, I no longer needed to live in fear of being consumed by the witch or worry about harming others, nor did I need someone to live with me to kill me if things went wrong, or someone to act as a guardian to vouch for my identity.

So there was no longer any reason for me to live with others.

Moreover, my bank account had swelled with what I assume was reward money for saving the world, so I could certainly afford my own place.

I had gone out to explore and find a new home... but at the time, I had no idea what my actions would lead to.

Initially, everything was fine when I went outside.

The city felt much more vibrant, likely because the threat of the witch had vanished.

Feeling somewhat proud, I walked with a grin on my face, but then I started to notice something strange.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but it seemed like everyone I passed on the street was staring at me.

Now, I was used to people staring at me. When I used to walk around as a witch, I could always feel the gazes of others.

But this time, the frequency was different.

People were not just glancing; they were outright gawking as I walked by, and whispers followed in my wake.

It felt like the attention of almost everyone around me was focused solely on me, and my initially relaxed pace gradually quickened.

But my steps came to a halt when I found myself face-to-face with a large crowd in a park.

Later, I would learn that the city was hosting an event to remember the heroes who had protected it.

I still vividly remember that moment.

At first, just one or two people noticed me, but before I knew it, everyone in the park was turning to look at me.

The murmurs of surprise quickly faded into a stunned silence.

And in that eerie quiet, someone asked me:

‘E-excuse me, are you by any chance Scarlett Evan-de?’

Without even thinking, I nodded in response.

I shouldn’t have.

Because the moment I did, the entire crowd lost their minds.

I had no idea.

While I had been asleep for those two years, I had become the subject of countless legends, movies, and biographies as the “Saint of Salvation.”

Thanks to that, I had become a household name, recognized by everyone.

Some of the money swelling my bank account had come from those very sources.

As a result, in the eyes of the public, I was a true hero who had sacrificed my life to save the world, only to miraculously come back from the dead.

And there I was, making my first public appearance in front of a gathering of people honoring those who had fallen.

Naturally, the crowd erupted in a frenzy, treating me like a pop idol visiting a military base, with people swarming me, clamoring for handshakes.

Not used to that kind of attention, I panicked.

So I tried to escape.

How?

By jumping over the park wall.

It wasn’t a bad idea.

That is, if I had still had the superhuman strength I used to possess when I could punch monsters and shatter their jaws.

Unfortunately, I was now just an ordinary human, and, in my panic, I instinctively tried to leap over the wall using my old strength, only to crash into it and fall.

So, there I was, with some minor bruises and a severely wounded pride after smashing into the wall in front of countless people.

It was in that state that Mei, having been dispatched to deal with the commotion, found me and escorted me back to my legal guardians: Yoon Si-woo and Sylvia.

‘M-Miss Scarlett! What on earth happened to you?!’ ‘...Seriously, I’m going to lose my mind.’

In the end, not even a few hours after being left alone, I had already hurt myself and returned in this state.

The aftermath was significant.

The incident caused both Si-woo and Sylvia’s concern for me to spiral into near-obsession, and, most importantly,

‘I’m absolutely against you living alone! Do you know what might happen if you live by yourself?!’ ‘Yeah, you’re not a witch anymore. What if someone tries to take advantage of you?’

My plan to live independently had to be postponed.

Sylvia was adamant that it wasn’t safe for me to live alone, so I had no choice but to compromise.

After some negotiation, we came to this conclusion:

‘...Fine, if Miss Scarlett feels uncomfortable staying at our mansion, this is a better alternative. At least I’ll feel less anxious knowing someone trustworthy is nearby.’

“Ah, Scarlett. Good morning.” “...Yeah, good morning, Si-woo.”

In the end, I moved in with Yoon Si-woo again, this time paying rent.

At least I had escaped being a freeloader, but I was still living in someone else’s house.

My dream of having my very own “sweet home” remained distant and difficult to achieve, caught between the obsession of my friends.