Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 247

“......A witch, you say?”

“Right. Where should I start this story... First—”

The story told by Eve began, shocking those who were taken aback by the revelation that she was, indeed, a witch.

As the long years she had lived flowed from her lips, those around her could only listen in a daze to the unbelievable truths she was revealing.

Their respected teacher and benefactor being a witch?

How were they supposed to accept this fact?

No, how could anyone even believe such a thing?

“──For 400 years, I’ve lived as a teacher at the academy and a legendary magician while hiding my true identity,” she said.

Thus, the silence among the people continued until Eve finished her story.

When the tale came to a close, it was hard for her listeners to believe what they had just heard.

After all, what they had just been told was simply too incredible to grasp.

Perhaps that was why a man broke the ongoing silence and asked Eve,

“If what you say is true... does this mean you are, in fact, Lady Luna?”

With a confused look on his face, the man asked.

Luna was the name of the previous legendary magician, the one said to have been passed down through a single hereditary line—Eve’s teacher.

He was told repeatedly by the elders of his family that he must never forget the gratitude owed to the woman who had helped them through difficult times, preventing his family from falling apart.

So, it was natural for him to have maintained a friendly demeanor towards Eve, a disciple of Luna. If what Eve was saying was true, it meant she was the one who had helped his family directly.

This was why he had no choice but to ask for confirmation, and upon seeing his earnest face, Eve smiled gently and asked,

“You must be Philip’s descendant, right?”

“......How do you know?”

The man was taken aback when she suddenly mentioned his great-grandfather’s name. Eve answered him with a wistful smile.

“If you are asking whether I was the one who helped that boy, who lost everything in an accident and was about to give up, then yes. I am Luna, who helped Philip.”

Eve murmured as she snapped her fingers.

In an instant, her appearance changed, and the man gasped softly.

Standing before him was the spitting image of the woman whose portrait hung in their home, which was a reminder never to forget the benefactor’s favor.

Watching the man’s reaction, Eve turned to the others who shared his bewilderment and spoke.

“It’s hard to believe, I know. But everyone you are imagining in your minds right now was, in fact, me.”

With her golden hair, Eve transformed herself once more into the figure of Luna.

“I am Maya.”

Then, she morphed into the next legendary magician, Maya, who had chestnut hair.

“I am Yuria.”

Eve transformed again, this time into Yuria, who had a black bob.

“And also, Abigail.”

Finally, she displayed herself as Abigail, the legendary magician who protected humanity from the gluttonous witch alongside the great hero Aegis, the one who created the barrier.

For them, she was no less than a legend.

Realizing that the person before them was such an extraordinary figure filled the onlookers not only with surprise but with the enormous shock that such a being was indeed a witch.

How could a revered figure be a witch?

Whether they could accept this truth or not, one person shook his head in disbelief and shouted.

“B-but if they are the same person, how could they all have participated in the succession ceremony at the same time...!”

Abigail’s magic was a legendary craft that was passed down through a single hereditary line. Thus, the one who inherits it needs to announce their succession through a formal ceremony.

Naturally, it was a ceremony in which both teacher and disciple participated, so if what Eve was saying was true, it raised the question of how the same person could exist simultaneously.

Eve simply answered such queries with ease.

“You all understand that deceiving others is my specialty, right?”

“With this kind of trick.”

With that, she created an illusory twin of herself that stood beside her.

Eve had the ability to act as if one person was two, never raising any suspicion that they were the same person creating an illusion.

And showing the people this evidence of her tale, Eve addressed them.

“Anyway, so you mean to say everything Teacher said is indeed the truth? Who would have thought Eve was a witch...”

“There are good witches among them, it seems...”

Once the explanation concluded, most of the people were dazed yet gazed at Eve with friendly eyes.

Her long-established meritorious deeds enabled such a response.

The wealth she had accumulated over the years, which she donated to help those in need and fallen heroes who had protected the world.

Her dedication in helping those in hardship rise again and nurturing countless students into heroes.

She had exhausted most of her strength fighting against the gluttonous witch, to the point where she appeared weak, unable to fell even a single high-ranking demonic beast. Yet she still smiled, stating that her strength was even enough for teaching, had enabled her to be seen by the people not as an enemy but as a teacher, a benefactor.

Even with all those extraordinary accomplishments, Eve spoke as if those weren’t important at all and addressed the people.

“Hey, everyone? More importantly, could you give Scarlett a chance?”

What mattered to her now was solely the student in a precarious situation.

In response to her unwavering focus, the people exchanged awkward glances and nodded.

“Yeah, well, I’m okay with it. If, as you say, Eve, we can give her another chance.”

“Honestly, I never thought she was a completely bad person from the start.”

The assembly gathered in the meeting room agreed that granting Scarlett one more chance was reasonable.

However, one big issue still remained.

“We’re fine with it, but you know if the citizens oppose it, we can’t do much.”

“Yeah... There’s nothing we can do about that. We’ll have to do our best to persuade them. But even if you agree, we can at least offer Miss Evande the bare minimum of opportunities.”

With a wry smile, Eve replied to someone’s question.

That was to be expected.

Scarlett’s story had already circulated widely among the citizens, and trying to reintegrate her into the city would undoubtedly face intense opposition.

Of course, if the central committee outright rejected it, then Scarlett wouldn’t even get a chance to return to the city, which was part of why Eve had risked revealing her identity to persuade them.

But Mark understood the truth.

That it would be extraordinarily hard for Scarlett Evande to seize any given opportunity.

Scarlett Evande was different from Eve.

Eve had built a reputation over the years as a good figure, so revealing her identity as a witch would trigger less backlash. But Scarlett had a tarnished reputation as the witch who harmed Yoon Si-woo.

Still, Mark wished Scarlett good luck.

He held positive thoughts toward her, more so because he didn’t want to see Eve looking sad.

*

After sending Sylvia off, I walked for a while and found myself arriving near the city as night fell.

“Miss Scarlett!”

Then, as if she had been waiting, I saw Sylvia flying over the barrier, glowing in the night.

I cautiously asked the hovering figure beside me.

“What... how did it go...?”

“Ah, well...”

Judging by the expression on Sylvia’s face, I could tell the situation was far from hopeful.

After all, they wouldn’t easily let a witch back into the city.

With such thoughts, I forced a bitter smile as I saw Sylvia flustered as she spoke.

“Well, the meeting itself went well! The citizens’ reactions are a bit of a problem... But I’ll figure that out! Astra has a terrifying legal team that even demonic beasts fear—”

As Sylvia spoke with a bright voice, I smiled slightly, assuring her I was okay and took her hand.

Seeing that, Sylvia murmured softly, as if she was feeling something deeper.

“...Please wait until tomorrow morning. Everything... will turn out well, Scarlett.”

“Okay. Thank you, Sylvia.”

“...”

And so the night passed, and morning broke.

I saw the city gates opening amid the rising sun.

And beyond the gate stood—

“......”

Heroes with stern expressions waiting for us.