Episode 42: Yu Eun-ha [3]

 

-Bang!

“My god, how could things come to this…!”

Her entire body was covered in burn marks as if electrocuted.

‘I heard they weren’t using torture…!’

Her arms and legs were covered in scars from bones repeatedly breaking and healing.

Blood slowly spread across the pristine marble floor from her untreated wounds, making me dizzy from the shock.

These were life-threatening injuries requiring immediate hospitalization – why had she come here instead?

‘No, if she dies like this it’ll be disastrous…!’

Just imagining Eun-ha dying here made my head spin.

‘That emergency call device I gave her…’

The switch Eve had given me for emergencies.

-Click

“Damn it, am I too late…!”

When I pressed the button, Han-ra Yu appeared carrying medical supplies as if expecting this, moving Eun-ha to a warm area before I could explain.

“My apologies, Miss Se-ah.”

“No, your quick response…”

“I should’ve broken all her limbs to prevent her from coming here…”

“……Excuse me?”

Did I just hear something I shouldn’t have?

“……..Ah, that is…!”

“No, explain yourself slowly.”

As Han-ra panicked, the pattern from my [Hypnotic Evil Eye] reflected in her pupils.

“Slowly and clearly. Tell me everything that happened to Eunha while I was away.”

What I learned from Han-ra was…

“That’s how it happened…..”

“……..Hah.”

It was truly shocking.

“So… Golden Guild members conducted beatings under the guise of ‘testing whether they could protect me’? With Eve Maitner being the most enthusiastic?”

“W-well… yes. Eunha-yang requested the training herself, and guild members who thought highly of you had heard the full story from the guild leader…”

“So active A-rank Heroes ganged up on a student-level girl?”

“Th-that… We’ll rectify this.”

‘Are they insane?’

They’d sworn there would be no more torture.

I grabbed my phone angrily.

‘We can’t afford more variables.’

[“Oh, Se-ah. Is something wrong…?”]

“Eunha-yang. Did the Chairman do this?”

After calling Eve to explain…

[“Se-ah. Th-there were reasons…”]

“Chairman Eve Maitner, I’ll take this as notice that teleportation to the Safe House will remain disabled.”

[“P-please don’t do that…!!”]

It seemed I’d be the Safe House’s sole user for a while.

“Eunha-yang, wake up.”

First, I needed to move Eunha to a bed. Whatever happened…

…

…

…

After escaping what felt like endless torture, Eunha awoke in an unfamiliar space.

“………Where is this?”

The place felt unbearably cold.

-She’s awake, what should we do?

-Dunno, beat her unconscious again?

-Sweetheart said not to touch her, remember? Any sleep magic users here?

-We have one, but sweetheart’s using Absolute Rest in the Safe House.

-Then we can’t call them.

-Arthur, would you really make a bedridden patient work?

Eunha didn’t care who “sweetheart” was.

“I couldn’t… do anything.”

Disgusted by her actions, Eunha fought the urge to strangle herself…

-Slap!!

A sharp slap to her own cheek barely suppressed the self-harm impulse.

“No, I still… have things to do.”

She muttered reminders about her “reason for regressing three times,” ignoring the whispers outside.

The memories remained painfully vivid.

-What sister would stay still when her sibling’s dying?

Words from her most despised person echoed those of her most respected.

“Seolhwa unni…….”

-Go, Eunha-yang. I’ll… stop Se-ah somehow.

Remembering how her big sister saved her from that rampaging monster before petrifying and shattering, Eunha swallowed tears.

Had her sister truly saved her? Or was it all an act?

“Se-ah… unni…….*sob*”

She never considered this regression might differ from her previous three. No, the thought never occurred.

Yun Se-ah had caused all three deaths…

But had everything remained identical across regressions? No.

Blinded by vengeance, she’d tortured and nearly drowned an innocent person who’d done nothing yet.

All she could think about was kneeling before Yun Se-ah to apologize.

“……..”

The image remained vivid.

Her sister blocking Azathos’ final strike, collapsing torn in half.

-Scratch scratch

Unaware her hospital gown was staining red, Eunha kept scratching her neck while reliving that moment.

…

…

…

After Yun Se-ah was impaled and torn apart, Eve Maitner arrived.

“Se-ah!!! Medics, pour every potion we have! Keep her alive!”

Healers used top-grade potions to reattach her bisected body, but…

“Why isn’t she waking? Her heartbeat, mana flow… everything’s normal!”

“Guild Leader, the trauma… she needs warmth and Absolute Rest…”

Seeing Se-ah unconscious from shock, Eve used memory-reading magic to investigate.

As the sole survivor, Eve included Eunha in the memory scan to quickly find relevant memories.

Eunha cooperated, knowing her actions would be exposed but unable to think straight.

Eve’s bright magic illuminated the memory space. Upon entering, Eunha froze.

She’d always believed Yun Se-ah was evil.

A psychopath who killed parental figures and took her and Seo Jian’s lives in past regressions.

That was Eunha’s assessment.

But seeing Se-ah’s memory world filled only with black and purple doors…

“Wh-why are they all black or purple…?”

Eunha’s world shattered.

She’d learned from Eve in past regressions that black/purple doors held unbearable memories.

But why would the daughter of kind Yun Sung-ho have no happy memories?

After Eve entered a black door saying “I’ll return soon”, Eunha was left alone.

Countless black/purple doors overwhelmed her. Accidentally grabbing a purple doorknob, she fell inside.

“Ugh, uweeeeeeek…!!”

The scene showed Yun Se-ah brutally experimented on by her “family”.

She never knew this past existed.

“I… said those things without knowing…!!”

“Parent-eating monster”, “psychopath hiding behind student council presidency”, “murder-obsessed maniac” – these were things she’d spat at tortured Se-ah.

The father figure was actually a psychopathic researcher, while the mother figure passively watched.

The respected big sister had driven her sibling to near-suicide out of jealous insecurity.

The Demon King’s Eye wasn’t voluntarily obtained – Yun Sung-ho forcibly implanted it.

Without verifying facts, she’d labeled Se-ah evil upon hearing of her father’s death.

“Aah, aaaaah….aaaahk!!”

Unwanted memories flashed by – Seven Archdemons appearing, Shena tearing her apart…

The shocking part came next.

Knowing the pain and danger, Se-ah ripped out her own eye to save Eve, replacing it with a monster’s.

More tragic memories flooded Eunha until the purple door’s end…

“Yoo-hyun. Please… take care of Eun…*cough*! Though not by blood… my only sister…”

The “sister” collapsing after blocking an attack meant for Seo Jian – identical to blocking Azathos’ spear.

“Aaaaah……….Uwaaaaaah!!!!”

Ejected from the memory, Eunha faced…

“………..You shouldn’t expect to leave unscathed.”

Eve Maitner’s furious lightning engulfed her.