Chap 52-The Girl’s Past (Complete)

 

Emilia didn’t stop and continued to read Yeon Bennet’s record.

After that, Emilia could only watch the girl’s lonely and desperate life unfolding beyond the pages, holding her breath.

As time passed, Emilia’s expression grew increasingly stern, and her hands trembled slightly.

The record showed the events after Yeon entered the academy.

The incident where she brought Contamination into the academy.

The incident that everyone in the academy, including Emilia herself, firmly believed Yeon Bennet was the culprit of.

Because her past actions, reputation, and circumstantial evidence all pointed to her…

Surprisingly, the real culprit was someone else.

A weak and timid student who, under the curse of the Contamination Worshippers, was about to commit a terrible act without even realizing it.

Yeon secretly saved that student, lifted the curse, and erased the traces of what she had done.

At the same time, she willingly took all the blame for the student’s actions.

Acting as if she was the culprit.

The image of the girl silently accepting all the blame, accusations, and the risk of punishment that should have been directed at the other student.

The next page contained even more unbelievable records.

Just before the start of the vacation, a dangerous and ominous flow of Mana was detected near the front lines by Mana monitoring stations throughout Terra.

It was an ominous sign, but no one predicted exactly what it meant or what threat it would lead to.

Even the Grand Elder only issued instructions to strengthen defenses.

But Yeon Bennet was different.

As if she had seen the future, she predicted the identity of the energy and the terrible crisis it would bring to the front lines before anyone else.

And she didn’t hesitate.

Without informing her teacher, Dorothy, she secretly headed towards the dangerous front lines, unknown to anyone else in the world.

The record contained a desperate scene of Yeon fighting against countless swarming magical beasts alone.

She used her body as bait to lure the magical beasts, not afraid of getting hurt, and used the Evil God’s power to stop their advance.

Even Emilia, who was watching the record, found it hard to believe where such strength and courage came from in that small body.

As a result, thanks to Yeon’s unseen sacrifice, the front lines were able to overcome a major crisis.

It was a heroic act that saved the lives of countless soldiers and civilians.

But no one knew about her sacrifice.

An unrecorded battle, an unknown hero.

Instead, what awaited her upon her return to the academy was only cold suspicion.

The only thing left for her was misunderstanding and reproach for ‘wandering near the front lines and acting dangerously for no reason.’

Emilia turned the next page with trembling hands.

This record was not very old, it was about the time when the girl returned to the academy after the recent vacation.

According to the record, the girl was released after a formal imprisonment in Bastille Prison.

And she was on her way back to the academy with Bella Staren, who had been temporarily assigned as an instructor at the academy.

It was supposed to be an ordinary and quiet journey.

But they encountered an unexpected threat along the way.

A large group of magical beasts that appeared from somewhere was rushing towards a peaceful village nearby.

Residents who had not yet evacuated remained in the village.

In that situation, the girl in the record did not hesitate.

Together with Bella Staren, she willingly became bait and lured the numerous magical beasts away from the innocent villagers.

A life-or-death struggle ensued.

The record vividly documented the horrific scene of her being torn, ripped, and trampled by the magical beasts.

But she didn’t stop.

Rather, she turned that pain into strength and fought even more desperately.

And finally, she went through several deaths in the process, barely survived with the magical power left by the Grand Elder, and repelled the magical beasts.

As a result, the village was safe, but her soul was once again deeply scarred, and even the remaining number of resurrection spells was exhausted.

Yet, she continued to fight, sacrifice, and protect the world without a name.

Silently, in her own way, in a place where no one recognized her.

To that girl… what the world returned was…

The record contained an unfiltered account of what Yeon had to endure after returning to the academy.

Being unfairly targeted by an academy professor and being hit on the calves with a cane in front of everyone.

Even as blood soaked through and her skin broke, the girl simply endured it silently.

Being surrounded by her peers and receiving all sorts of hateful and contemptuous gazes.

‘Trash,’ ‘slut,’ ‘lump of Contamination.’

Words that were too terrible to utter were poured out on her.

Even being deliberately pushed, kicked, and splashed with water by other students in the hallway.

And…

The last recorded image was of herself, Emilia Gale.

Yeon Bennet, whom she had encountered in front of the headmaster’s office.

How cruelly she had slapped the girl’s cheek, blinded by anxiety due to the Grand Elder’s absence and her deep-rooted hatred for her.

Not only that, but her own ugly appearance, pouring out insults that were too terrible to utter towards the girl.

Even her own image of not being able to contain her anger and attacking her with Mana at the end.

Emilia could no longer read the record.

Something hot rose to her throat, and her vision blurred.

She realized how cruelly her actions had been added to the pain and sacrifice that Yeon had endured.

She now bitterly realized how foolish and cruel she had been, and how lonely and difficult a fight Yeon Bennet had been fighting.

Regret and guilt washed over her like a wave, engulfing her.

The ‘villain’ she had despised was, in fact, a hero who was enduring a more noble sacrifice than anyone else.

And yet, she… had inflicted an indelible wound on such a child.

“Ugh…”

Emilia couldn’t hold back the sudden surge of nausea and covered her mouth.

Her stomach twisted and her head felt like it was breaking.

‘What… what have I done?’

She knew all the truth.

Yeon Bennet. She was not a villain.

She was a hero who had silently protected the world, fighting against a terrible fate alone amidst the world’s misunderstandings and contempt.

A child who gained strength from pain with a bizarre ability, used that strength to prevent crises without anyone knowing, and even sacrificed herself by taking the blame for others’ sins.

What had she done to such a child?

Trapped in her narrow perspective and deep-rooted prejudice, she had not tried to see her truth.

She had only seen the label of ‘villain’ and despised and hated her.

Regret washed over her like a wave.

Why hadn’t she realized it sooner? Why hadn’t she read the pain and sorrow hidden in her eyes?

Why hadn’t she followed the Grand Elder’s orders and insisted on her own foolish judgment?

What she had done to the Grand Elder’s disciple, or rather, to a suffering girl before that, was an unforgivable sin.

Considering the weight of the loneliness and pain she had endured, the wounds she had inflicted were too cruel and cowardly.

Emilia dropped thick tears onto the record she had covered.

She had lived for nearly a hundred years and had not been shaken by most things, but she could not control her emotions now.

Her body trembled slightly in deep self-reproach.

What should she do now?

Should she go to Yeon Bennet and ask for forgiveness?

But did she even have the right to do so?

Considering the sins she had committed, she didn’t even have the courage to stand before her again.

As Emilia was tormented by self-reproach for a long time, a memory suddenly flashed through her mind like lightning.

It was what had happened in the headmaster’s office just a moment ago. And the being that had appeared there.

‘…The Reizel family!’

Her mind snapped back to reality.

While she was wallowing in Yeon Bennet’s past, the threat in reality was right in front of her.

Moreover, Duchess Reizel herself had come to the academy to target her.

“This can’t be…!”

Emilia shouted without realizing it.

Her heart felt like it was chillingly freezing.

A child who had silently fought and sacrificed for the world amidst misunderstandings and contempt.

The one who had endured all that pain for everyone was going to end up being miserably consumed as an experiment of a mere ducal family?

Such a story…

Such an absurd ending could not be allowed!

Emilia clenched her fist tightly.

Regret and guilt now turned into anger and determination and began to burn.

The way to atone for the sins she had committed was not simply to help her.

She had to protect her from everything that threatened her, especially from the greedy clutches of the Reizel family.

“I have to stop it… even now!”

Emilia staggered to her feet.

There was no time.

Duchess Reizel might have already taken Yeon.

She had to stop it.

Even if the opponent was an 8-level duke.

“Even if I have to risk everything…!”

Emilia no longer hesitated.

She burst out of the headmaster’s office.

To protect the Grand Elder’s disciple, and the small hero who had been supporting Terra without her even knowing it.

Emilia’s eyes shone with a strong will and determination that could not be compared to before.

…

“No, I said I’m not sending her!!!”

The headmaster shouted irritably.

He rubbed his forehead as if he was tired and glared at Emilia.

“…Pardon?”

Emilia asked back with a blank expression at the headmaster’s unexpected words.

Not sending her?

Hadn’t he been treating Yeon Bennet as a troublesome burden until just now and trying to hand her over to the families?

The headmaster sighed deeply and grumbled.

“I don’t know what’s so special about that useless girl that everyone’s making such a fuss about… Earlier it was the Saintess Candidate, before that Professor Bella, and now even you…? Why is everyone so protective of that girl…”

“Excuse me? What are you…”

The Saintess Candidate? Professor Bella? Had they also stepped up for Yeon?

The headmaster didn’t even give Emilia a chance to speak and winked at the vice-principal standing next to him.

The vice-principal grabbed Emilia’s arm as if he had been waiting for it and forcibly pushed her out of the headmaster’s office.

“Wait a minute!”

Bang!

Emilia’s shout was drowned out by the sound of the heavy door closing.

She could do nothing but stare at the firmly closed headmaster’s office door with a hollow expression.