Recently, a peculiar rumor had been circulating around Stella Academy. To call it 'peculiar' might be unnecessary since most of the students at Stella were already convinced it was true.
'Did you hear? Scarlet from the first year went missing a few months ago.'
'Yeah, of course. She was the most popular student in the first year, so of course everyone noticed when she disappeared'"
'And did you know that senior Baek Yu-Seol disappeared at the same time?'
'Obviously.'
'Turns out they didn't just disappear, apparently, under the principal's orders, Baek Yu-Seol personally led the Stella Knights to go find Scarlet.'
'What? Really?'
'Yeah. A friend of mine who works part-time in the student management office said they accidentally saw a file while shredding documents, and it even had the principal's official seal on it.'
The rumor was something along those lines.
It wasn't just baseless hearsay, as multiple students claimed to have seen actual evidence of it. As a result, the rumor became less of a rumor and more of a certainty.
As late autumn gave way to the chilly days of winter, Scarlet's sudden return to Stella naturally drew attention.
Baek Yu-Seol, who had long grown accustomed to the attention that followed him whenever an incident occurred, simply ignored it and went about his day.
But Scarlet wasn't so fortunate.
"Is it true? Were you really kidnapped by a dark mage?"
"...What?"
"And then Senior Baek Yu-Seol came riding in on a white horse from the heavens, slicing the heads off all the dark mage, and swept you up in a princess carry—"
"What kind of nonsense is that…?"
"I also heard that hundreds of Stella Knights were lined up behind him!"
...In other words, rumors were always a mix of 1% truth and 99% exaggeration.
It was true that Baek Yu-Seol had received the principal's permission and was officially given the authority to command the Stella Knights.
However, he never actually mobilized the Stella Knights.
While he had the paperwork to prove he could command them, he preferred to work alone and gather information on his own.
And Baek Yu-Seol didn't ride a white horse.
In fact, he never rode horses at all. Mainly because he was faster sprinting at full speed and teleporting across distances than any horse could ever be.
'Ugh… Damn humans.'
Scarlet was trying to eat her lunch, but the students swarmed around her, bombarding her with questions, making it impossible to finish her meal.
It probably didn't help that she had always pretended to be calm and composed, so no one knew about her sharp, fiery temper.
"But can you handle it?"
Among the crowd firing questions, a freckled girl smirked and spoke with a mocking tone.
"Handle what?"
"Oh, are you playing dumb? Or just pretending to be innocent?"
"...?"
"Senior Baek Yu-Seol. They say he was dating Princess Hong Bi-Yeon."
Finally understanding the girl's intent, Scarlet's expression twisted into something strange. She didn't know how to react, so her face contorted awkwardly.
The girl thought Scarlet was flustered and pushed even harder.
"So you did know? Do you think you can handle the consequences? You practically stole Princess Hong Bi-Yeon's boyfriend."
The girl deliberately emphasized princess over senior, clearly trying to imply: Hong Bi-Yeon is terrifying and powerful, messing with someone like her will be the end of you.
"Well, I mean…"
To be honest, Scarlet didn't care who Baek Yu-Seol had dated before.
A princess of Adolevit? Sure, the Adolevit royal family was impressive, and it was true that Hong Bi-Yeon had an extraordinary destiny. In the near future, she might even possess power equal to Scarlet's. But so what?
In fact, Scarlet thought having a rival would make things far more interesting than having none at all.
Her long, dull, and monotonous life needed excitement.
The idea of competing against another woman of equal stature for a man added a thrilling, exhilarating edge to her existence.
If, in the end, she managed to win Baek Yu-Seol for herself, how sweet and satisfying would that final victory feel?
It would undoubtedly be an unforgettable, extraordinary experience.
The girl seemed to want to say, "You dared mess with a senior who also happens to be a royal princess," but for Scarlet, the differences in rank or status were meaningless.
That's why she could smile casually and say:
"It's fine. He's mine anyway."
"...What?"
For a moment, silence.
Not only the girl who had been picking a fight but also her classmates and the seniors who had come to watch froze in shock.
Scarlet's bold statement was essentially a declaration of war against Princess Hong Bi-Yeon.
"You… Are you sure you can handle the consequences?"
"So what? And why are you trying to twist things about Princess Hong Bi-Yeon? From what I know, she's compassionate and broad-minded, someone who wouldn't let personal feelings interfere with trivial matters like this."
Scarlet said this with a subtle, knowing look aimed at the girl.
"You're not implying that you think otherwise of her, are you?"
As all the students' gazes shifted to the girl, she faltered, stammering nervously.
"N-no! When did I ever! I was just worried about you, that's all…"
"Then why use words like 'handle the consequences' or 'be prepared'? Princess Hong Bi-Yeon hasn't said anything to me. Are you her spokesperson or something?"
"I... I'm not… but…"
She was at a complete loss for words.
After all, a mere 17-year-old had foolishly tried to argue with Scarlet. How could she win a verbal battle when their lifetimes of experience were worlds apart?
"A-anyway, just be careful!"
"What nonsense."
In the end, the girl mumbled incoherently before running away, leaving Scarlet to let out a deep sigh as a wave of self-reproach washed over her.
What's the point of arguing with someone like that?
If she truly wanted to transcend humanity, she needed to overcome such petty emotions. And yet, she still found herself stooping to the same level as those children.
To put it nicely, Scarlet's mental age was youthful; to put it bluntly, she was acting like a child.
'Well... At least I've been told to keep a low profile'
She thought as she clenched and unclenched her fists before picking up her spoon.
Her trembling hands made it seem as if even the weight of the spoon was too much.
This wasn't just her avatar, it was her original one.
With the Witch Queen's original body finally out in the world, Scarlet had assumed her power would no longer be restricted. But reality proved otherwise.
In fact, controlling her magic was even more difficult than when she used her avatar.
Baek Yu-Seol had casually explained the phenomenon, saying, "Looks like your mana's gone numb."
According to his theory, it was similar to what happened when someone sat on their knees for too long, the blood flow would stop, and their legs would go numb.
Scarlet had sealed her mana for centuries, living with only a thin thread of it barely leaking out. Now that the seal had suddenly been lifted, the backlash had hit her hard.
Her original power would gradually recover over time, but regaining her former invincible strength would take a significant amount of time. Baek Yu-Seol had advised her to keep a low profile during that period, warning her that if any enemies attacked while she was vulnerable, it would spell disaster.
After enduring the overwhelming attention from the students and finishing her meal in small bites, Scarlet left the cafeteria as if fleeing.
Her next destination was the school's snack shop.
During her time trapped, she had been craving Stella's cream buns, and she couldn't wait any longer.
Stella's snack shops were divided into tiers: one for commoners with affordable options and another for nobles and the wealthy.
Scarlet typically used the commoners' shop, as the cream buns in the noble shop weren't nearly as tasty.
Pushing past curious students who tried to approach her with questions, Scarlet made her way toward the shop. But suddenly, something caught her attention, and she instinctively ducked out of sight.
"Is that all you have to say after being gone so long?"
"No, it's just that I haven't been participating in club activities enough… I got scolded for it as soon as I got back yesterday."
It was Baek Yu-Seol. And with him, another girl.
'Eisel Morph…'
Like Hong Bi-Yeon, she was one of the girls born with a special destiny.
For some reason, this generation seemed to have an abundance of individuals with world-shaking destinies, like Scarlet herself. Unfortunately, they all happened to attend Stella Academy.
"So, what's your point?"
"I'm saying let's have dinner together after today."
"Ma Yu-Seong will join us, right? He has great taste in restaurants."
"Nope. Just the two of us."
"...Why?"
Scarlet had excellent hearing.
Had.
Currently, it wasn't as sharp as before.
Since her powers hadn't fully recovered after being unsealed, she struggled to even use class 1 magic, let alone access her former abilities.
Because of this, she couldn't hear their conversation clearly, which frustrated her. She furrowed her brow, only to catch sight of her own reflection in a nearby window.
'Why am I acting like this?'
Why was she hiding just because the two of them were talking?
In the past, she would have either walked by confidently or interrupted them outright.
'…I'm worrying about something pointless.'
Scarlet tried to steel herself and move forward, but her feet refused to budge.
The truth was, Scarlet, who had lived for a thousand years, was experiencing this peculiar feeling for the very first time.
Unable to control her emotions, she found herself reduced to less than an ordinary human, a mere fool incapable of managing her own heart.
After quite some time, Eisel and Baek Yu-Seol finished their conversation about what to do for dinner and walked away, disappearing from sight. Only then did Scarlet finally step out from where she had been hiding.
"Ugh… Living like this isn't easy. Life really is a mystery, isn't it?"
"Since when did a little kid start philosophizing about life?"
Startled by the voice from behind her, Scarlet quickly turned around.
How weak have I become? She hadn't even noticed someone approaching her from behind.
She suddenly recalled how, just last night, Baek Yu-Seol had outfitted her with a series of astronomically expensive self-defense items upon her return to Stella. Clearly, he had a good reason.
"You're… Flame?"
"Address me as Senior Flame, you brat."
"Wh-why are you here?"
"Why? I was watching you."
"...These days, is blatantly staring at someone considered spying?"
Scarlet was mindful of Baek Yu-Seol's stern advice and made sure to speak respectfully to her senior.
"So what? You didn't notice, did you? That means I succeeded."
It was hard to argue with that logic.
Unbelievable. For someone who had lived a thousand years, being rendered speechless like this was rare. Scarlet silently marveled at Flame.
"So, why were you spying on Baek Yu-Seol?" Flame asked with a sly glance toward where Baek Yu-Seol and Eisel had been moments ago.
"I had my reasons."
"Yeah, I figured. There have been a lot of rumors lately about you and Baek Yu-Seol, so I was curious about what's going on."
With that, Flame looked her over, her expression softening slightly.
"But now that I've seen you, I'm worried."
"...Worried? About me?"
"You seem to be in a situation similar to ours. Anyway, time's up—I've got to go. Take care, older junior."
"W-what?"
As Flame hurriedly said her piece and dashed off, Scarlet widened her eyes in surprise.
'Similar situation? No, more importantly... does she know I'm a witch?'
The only ones at this school who knew Scarlet's true identity were Baek Yu-Seol and Elthman. And neither of them would spill her secret so easily.
Which meant… That girl must have figured it out on her own.
'Even though I've become this weak, is that even possible…?'
For Scarlet, who had no knowledge of the original plot or the novel, this was deeply unsettling.
Realizing belatedly that Flame was also one of the girls born with a special destiny, Scarlet pressed a hand to her forehead.
She had known from the start that claiming Baek Yu-Seol wouldn't be easy.
But now it seemed like there were far more obstacles in her path than she had anticipated, leaving Scarlet deeply worried about what the future held.