Episode 40: Yu Eun-ha [1]

A violently swaying field of vision.

Yu Eun-ha’s eyes, trembling rapidly—whether from panic or something else.

And finally, the golden lightning bolt that pierced through the barrier to strike down Azathos.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the life-flashing-before-my-eyes kind of near-death experience.

Which meant I was still very much alive.

“Haa… haa…!”

I immediately patted down my body upon opening my eyes.

My last clear memory was…

‘I remember being tortured by Eun-ha, water dripping on my head…’

Ah, and then pushing Eun-ha away before inexplicably taking Azathos’ final strike for her.

There seemed to be more details… but it felt like my memories had been wiped clean. Nothing else surfaced.

-Throb!

“Agh…!”

They say getting impaled through the front is called “donutted.” What do you call it when you’re skewered through the side?

‘Kebab?’

Well, at least I seemed intact.

‘Everything seems fine, which means…’

I must have been successfully rescued.

The golden lightning I saw before collapsing—as expected, it had been Eve’s doing.

“But… my memories feel hazy.”

I clearly remembered being kidnapped by Eun-ha, water dripping on my head… and finally taking Azathos’ strike to protect her, getting impaled through the stomach… but the middle part was completely blank.

‘What do I do now?’

Another variable had emerged.

Azathos, the Demon King clad in a thousand armors.

In the original story, he constantly hindered the protagonist while helping him grow, eventually dying by the protagonist’s hand and dropping powerful items to boost his combat abilities—a crucial character.

‘And Eun-ha’s situation is unclear too. This is all so confusing.’

As I thought this while stretching my stiff back, the moment I reclined on the hospital bed—

-Throb!!!

“Agh?!”

When I carelessly moved and touched my waist, excruciating pain shot through me.

The dizzying sensation nearly made me roll off the medical bed.

-Crash!

‘Come to think of it, my body’s half-crippled now, right?’

The crucifixes Eun-ha stabbed into me during the torture—they seemed to be throwing weapons with regeneration-suppressing effects. Combined with that one-time curse… my mana circuits must have been shattered from within.

The pain from mana congestion throughout my body was indescribable. It felt like someone was squeezing all my internal organs by hand—utterly disgusting.

The reason I hadn’t felt pain until now was probably because my mana wasn’t circulating properly.

“Cough… keuk… aaaah…!!”

-Click!

As I screamed and convulsed, the hospital room door opened…

“Se-ah!”

Something incredibly soft yet heavy pressed against my head, and consciousness slipped away into darkness again.

…

…

“…Awake?”

Four hours later, I woke properly and could finally talk with Eve while sitting up in bed.

At first, she hugged me while sobbing with worry—I thought things might end there—but…

“Your body… is it okay?”

“Yes, I can move fine… but Miss Eun-ha…?”

“I’ve already seen everything through your memories. Yu Eun-ha is currently detained in our guild’s containment cell.”

“…What?”

Shocking words came from Eve’s mouth.

‘Kidnapping and torturing me is a serious crime, but…’

“I entered your memories to confirm what happened.”

Then Eve began explaining the situation in detail.

“Is… is that true?”

“Yes. Yu Eun-ha kidnapped you intending to kill you. When an unidentified monster fell from a black gate in the sky, you sacrificed yourself to save her. We confirmed this through her testimony and your memories.”

‘…She confessed that easily?’

Given how she’d hurled all sorts of insults during the kidnapping, I thought she’d deny everything to the end…

‘Why did I take that attack for Eun-ha?’

“It’s such a shocking case that we decided to confine her in the academy dormitory until formal proceedings. Until then, our guild is responsible for her custody.”

‘…This is problematic.’

Though Eun-ha kidnapped me and caused all this trouble… her dying here would be disastrous.

‘Honestly, seeing someone who killed me three times… I should eliminate her first for my own safety.’

After all, that’s exactly what I did to Yun Seong-ho.

Moreover, seeing the original protagonist Seo Jian burn to death before her eyes—any normal person would have gone mad.

‘…Eun-ha can’t exit the story here. Absolutely not.’

She was an original main character, one of the heroes who would help defeat Mephisto.

Most of Eve’s suggestions involved “life imprisonment” or “execution.”

I grabbed Eve’s arm and pleaded as earnestly as possible.

“Chairman-nim, I want to see Miss Eun-ha.”

“…Huh?”

But hostility radiated from Eve’s eyes—clearly indicating she wouldn’t let this go easily if I mentioned Eun-ha again.

“Absolutely not. The motive isn’t even clear from the interrogation—”

“I’ll explain everything later, please…”

-Creak

Summoning all my strength to clutch Eve’s arm and stare into her eyes only made her expression turn angrier.

But I refused to let go…

“Fine, do as you wish.”

Eve reluctantly accepted my request.

“…But I’m coming with you. If Eun-ha tries anything, the visit ends immediately. Understood?”

“Thank you. Truly.”

I couldn’t hear Eve muttering complaints behind me, but getting permission to see Eun-ha was victory enough.

Now, about moving…

‘…?’

My legs wouldn’t move.

“M-My legs…”

“Did you think you could walk properly after those injuries?”

-Whoosh

“I-I’ll take you.”

I entrusted myself to Eve’s teleportation magic while seated in the wheelchair she provided.

-Whoooooosh…!

“Guild Master, and… Miss Se-ah?”

“Long time no see.”

After teleportation ended, a Golden Guild member greeted us in what appeared to be a laboratory.

Then, turning my head… I saw it.

-Crunch!

“Kyaaaaak…!”

“Still won’t reveal the motive?”

“No. She confesses everything else except that.”

“Strong-willed.”

“Yes. We tried water torture, fingernail extraction, even limb dismemberment and reattachment… nothing works.”

The sight of Eun-ha screaming while restrained and tortured.

…

…

…

-Snap!

“Aaaaaagh!”

“Arm broken, Team Leader.”

“Cut it off and apply high-grade potion. Then restart fingernail extraction after regeneration.”

“Understood.”

Eun-ha’s arm broke, but the people inside the cell casually poured potion on the shattered limb before breaking it again.

Seeing the blood-smeared white marble floor and Eun-ha’s state…

“Open the door. Now.”

“…Yes.”

-Bzzzt…

“Wait, if you open that—! Yun Se-ah, your Evil Eye…!”

Eve panicked upon realizing I might use my Evil Eye, but this was my only chance.

“Move.”

-BOOM!

I violently blasted the interrogators away with Psychokinesis.

‘Thank goodness for high-grade potions. She’ll recover if we use all remaining ones.’

I saw Eun-ha collapsed powerlessly.

Unable to move my legs, I levitated myself with Psychokinesis and swiftly grabbed a high-grade potion dropped by a fallen interrogator.

“Miss Eun-ha!”

I desperately wanted to reach her, but—

-Swish!

“Urk?!”

“Yun Se-ah, what are you doing?!”

Eve’s magic net restrained me, pulling me back into her arms.

“L-Let me go!”

“I told you not to act recklessly.”

“She’s being tortured…! Is this how you treat a Raon Academy student? She’s just a kid…!”

“…And you?”

“Huh?”

What did she mean…

“Weren’t you tortured by her? You collapsed covered in holes! How can you not be angry?!”

‘…She said she saw all my memories… so she knows everything.’

Eve had witnessed Eun-ha hunting me in the gymnasium and torturing me with cruel words.

‘Wait, does that mean Eve knows Eun-ha is a regressor?’

“You did the same when that humanoid Demon King attacked! Why don’t you ever prioritize your safety?!”

Each word carried bitter anger laced with sorrow.

-The Guild Master is angry. Haven’t seen that reaction in… five years.

-Five years ago… when Vice Guild Master sacrificed himself sealing that S-Class Gate…

-Watch your words. That’s taboo here.

The guild members exchanged knowing glances—they understood Eve’s feelings all too well.

‘…I messed up.’

I’d momentarily forgotten Eve Maitner’s backstory—how much she’d lost.

In the original story… I’d been too obsessed with Eun-ha’s safety.

‘She never wanted to see her student hurt like this.’

Eve Maitner was warm-hearted and bright.

Despite her position as chairman, she often disguised herself as a student to mingle with them. She fiercely protected those she cherished—a genuinely warm person.

“…I’m sorry.”

I weakly hugged Eve.

Whether due to my critical condition or shock, Eve accepted my embrace without resistance.

Having never initiated such contact before, Eve fell speechless.

I caught a vanilla scent from her skin, but now wasn’t the time—calming Eve’s rage took priority.

“I’m sorry. I was only thinking of myself.”

“…No, I pushed too hard. Sorry, Se-ah.”

“…Please heal Eun-ha first. I’ll explain everything.”

“…Alright.”

At Eve’s signal, the interrogators poured potions to rapidly heal Eun-ha.

We then moved to what appeared to be an interrogation room.

“Stop the torture and focus on healing Yu Eun-ha.”

[“Understood.”]

“…You’ll need to convince me.”

I sensed Eve activating her lie detection ability.

…

…

…

“You… were bisected.”

‘Ah, I thought I just had holes in my sides. So I was actually cut in half.’

That explained why Eun-ha’s eyes trembled so violently before I collapsed. I thought I’d just been skewered, but I’d been split like a coffee-flavored ice cream bar.

“Chairman-nim, Eun-ha isn’t evil. She’s a hero fighting to protect this world.”

“…”

Judging my words truthful, Eve massaged her temples while muttering, “Then why did that girl…!”

‘Good. She’ll be safe.’

Satisfied with the outcome, I subtly clenched my fist in triumph where Eve couldn’t see. Now I just needed a private conversation with Eun-ha to understand what happened.

“Sigh… Fine, I won’t kill her.”

“Yes, thank you so mu—”

“But don’t even think about seeing her until you’re fully healed. No—I’ll make sure you can’t.”

“…What?”

The sudden thunderbolt announcement.

“So stop overexerting yourself today… and rest properly in my arms.”

“Wha… what are you—”

Eve must have cast sleep magic. A warm, drowsy sensation overwhelmed me as my eyes grew heavy…

…

…

“…So this is a Safe House.”

“Right? The Guild Master’s Safe House has the strongest security magic.”

“…Thank you. May I know your name, Hero-nim?”

“Just call me Yu Han-ra.”

“…Alright, Miss Han-ra.”

I awoke in what appeared to be Eve’s private mansion rather than the academy dormitory.