Chapter 43 – Comfort

Ȓｅɑđ​ оｎ Кɑț​Ṛεа​đіոցḈаｆė

To avoid any deeper involvement with the vampires, I told Suhyeok there was no need to follow their trail.

-Hm? Is that okay? I feel like if we investigate, we might find some connection to Hemorrhagia.

That was exactly why I told him not to look into it. I had a feeling I’d be seeing them more often from now on.

As unsettling as they were, for now, they were technically on my side. I planned to use them for tasks I found difficult to handle myself or to dig up information about what kind of person the Elder really was.

But if Suhyeok ended up tailing the vampires and happened to see me meeting with them, I couldn’t even begin to predict how things might spiral out of control. That’s why I told him not to go.

..That was my real intention.

“I’m saying you don’t need to dig any deeper in that direction. You saw what happened yesterday, right? Whatever it is my mother was involved in… And if you end up getting bitten while chasing them, it’d be a disaster.”

I laid out a detailed explanation, using the kind of reasoning that Sung Mina, the vampire who came to scout him, might have used to convince him not to pursue them.

Most of it was lies layered upon lies, but about 5% of it was my genuine concern.He could end up in serious trouble if he got tangled up with other vampires for no reason.

…Not that I was worried about him or anything, it was just to prevent things from getting even more complicated. Dealing with the current situation was already more than enough of a headache.

After listening to everything, he stayed quiet for a moment, as if deep in thought, and then said he understood. He promised not to do anything unnecessary.

“…I’m not saying it’s unnecessary, but the timing is just really bad right now. Anyway, until further instructions come down, try to avoid getting involved with them. Got it?”

-I understand. Then should I just continue investigating Hemorrhagia?

“Hemorrhagia… well, I’ll leave that to your judgment. I don’t think it’s a great idea, but if you want to pursue it, I won’t stop you.”

Honestly, I didn’t care much either way, so I decided to leave it up to him. It wasn’t like I was going to be showing up in front of him often anyway.

If I told him not to pursue it, he might take it the wrong way, so I just let him do whatever he wanted.

“Oh, but don’t overdo it. And don’t provoke them too much either. I really don’t want a repeat of what happened yesterday…”

-I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.

Adding a word of caution, he agreed so straightforwardly that it felt endearing, yet a faint sense of guilt crept in.

..Because if he knew it was a lie, he would be furious, and here I was, deceiving him with lies and using him as I pleased.

Still, it’s for a good cause… so it’s fine, right? Those scientists just needed a test subject, but I genuinely want him to succeed.

So, that makes me innocent.

“Oh, right. Wait, don’t hang up just yet. You said you escaped back then, right? So, are you still being chased?”

I stopped him as he was about to hang up, as if it were the most natural thing to do. There was still one more thing I needed to deal with right away.

-You’re asking the obvious. I’m still being tracked. Why else would I crawl into a place like this?

“Then… if I need to handle your identity issue… do you have any idea how I should go about it? I don’t mind taking in a fugitive, but it would be better to handle it in a way that doesn’t cause trouble later, don’t you think?”

I knew the location of the research lab.

But I figured it would be better to ask him first, as handling things without consulting him might make him feel uneasy.

-If I knew, do you think I’d be in this situation? I have no idea. Since the government is after me, unless I blow up the government itself, I’ll probably keep being chased.

Suhyuk, despite his pessimism, muttered something about how if he stayed out of sight for about ten years, they’d probably give up on their own.

“Hmm, is that so? Then do you remember where the lab you were held in was located?”

-Why are you asking that? If you’re thinking of avenging me, forget it. It’s impossible for you to handle alone.

“No, it’s not that. I was just wondering if there might be a way to… you know, sort out the whole identity issue. Can you tell me?”

Suhyuk went quiet for a moment before speaking to me in a tone that sounded like he was scolding me.

-I really appreciate the thought, but I have no intention of telling you. If you go there and something goes wrong, what do you think will happen to me?

“Ugh… yeah, you’re right. That’s a shame. I just thought it might be fun to go out together~”

If he wasn’t willing to tell me, there wasn’t much I could do. I couldn’t force him to talk, so for now, I had no choice but to wait.

Besides, there was a chance I could get more out of Radiant White, so I decided to put off the idea of tracking down the lab for the time being.

“Take care of yourself. I’ll come meet you at the usual spot soon.”

With just those words, I ended the call with him.

Alright, that’s one thing sorted with Suhyeok.

Now, there’s Shining White and Radiant White left.

..Should I go with Radiant White next?

Honestly, I was scared to make the call. I had no idea what kind of state she might be in right now. Would she be sad, blaming herself, or furious?

I couldn’t predict anything.

But just because I didn’t know, it didn’t mean I could run away…

I should at least try calling her once.

*

-White, don’t blame yourself too much. It wasn’t something you did alone, right? The Association President and the other Magical Girls agreed to it too. No one could have predicted that the monster was hiding such power.

As I stayed by Sky’s side, who still hadn’t woken up, Pegasus kept sending me words of comfort through the speaker.

“…I know. I know the Association President, the seniors, and the juniors all agreed. I know everyone agreed that we couldn’t tolerate someone insulting my sister.”

-White…

Sky looked as if she was having a bad dream, her expression uncomfortable.

“I’m not trying to blame myself. Like you said, no one knew it was hiding that kind of power.”

Even though it was my idea to begin with, I knew it wasn’t entirely my fault since no one stopped me.

If we were to assign blame, it would have to be on all of us for not anticipating that something like this could be hidden.

“…But, Pegasus, if I hadn’t brought it up in the first place, I feel like none of this would have happened.”

-White. I’ve told you many times, it’s not just your fault. It’s the fault of all of us who were too complacent in peace.

I appreciate the sentiment, but I didn’t need comfort.

What I needed was a target. A target to project all this anger, all this resentment onto.

“That’s why I have to take responsibility and end this. Because if you’re a hero, you have to know how to take responsibility.”

I will kill Hemorrhagia.

..If possible, I’d like to capture them, but capturing them felt like an impossibly distant goal.

Killing them might be the only option.

It was at that moment, as I was making my resolve.

The phone rang.

It was Mina.

“Hello.”

– Uh… Hello? Is this Radiant White…?

“Yes, this is Radiant White.”

I answered dryly, and Mina cautiously asked if I was okay.

– Um, White… I mean… Are you okay?

“I’m not okay.”

When I said that, Mina apologized to me in a slightly trembling voice.

– I’m really, really sorry! It’s my fault for saying something unnecessary..

“No, I don’t particularly blame you. It’s my fault for recklessly dragging us to a crowded place.”

I didn’t blame Mina. That would be blaming the wrong person for it. Her strategy actually worked, so I guess I should be thankful instead.

The ones to blame are me, for recklessly dragging the fight right in front of the Association, and Hemorrhagia, for launching such an attack without a second thought.

– I see…

Mina kept muttering “I mean” as if she didn’t know how to console me, then, after seemingly organizing her thoughts, she continued speaking.

– Don’t beat yourself up too much. I… I had no idea something like that was hidden there either… If I had known, I would’ve definitely told you to take it to an open area…

“Yeah, we didn’t know either. But if we had been just a little more careful, we could’ve taken it to an open area. We were too hasty.”

I felt bad for Mina, but honestly, that was the same kind of comfort Pegasus had already given me, so it didn’t really help much.

Still, the fact that Mina felt sorry did bring me some comfort.

Because the moment I saw that slash, I couldn’t help but wonder if Mina had said those things to me on purpose, knowing this would happen.

– …So, Jua, what are you going to do now?

“You’re asking the obvious. I have to finish this.”

Even if I couldn’t win, I had to do it. Because that’s what my sister would have done.

– I see… Then, let me tell you some of the weaknesses of vampires.

Mina said that to me and began explaining, one by one, what vampires were weak against.

– And, I’m not entirely sure, but I think the light you emit caused significant damage to Mother. I can’t say for certain, though.

“Light, huh…”

The attacks from the other seniors had caused some damage, but I had seen how my attack almost severed her arm, so I had a hunch.

But hearing someone else say it like that made me feel more certain.

“…Got it. Thanks for letting me know.”

– I’ll tell you more things that might help later. So, don’t push yourself too hard, okay?

Her concern, though the reason was unclear, felt strangely kind.

It’s odd, isn’t it? She’s not even my sister.

Why does it feel so warm?

“I don’t know why you’re worried about me… but alright. Thank you for caring.”

-Oh, uh, okay. I’ll hang up now. Sorry for bothering you when you’re busy!

..

Even so, there is someone who worries about me.

It felt like, just a little, my mood was getting better.

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