I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Suicide

Chapter 63

A quiet room.

A dimly lit space with only the faint glow of a light bulb, cluttered with cryptic documents and ancient tomes scattered about in disarray. On one side, a collection of ominous-looking potions and occult symbols lined the shelves.

In the midst of what resembled a witch’s lair sat an entirely out-of-place figure: a woman lounging in a dusty hoodie, slouched in her chair with an annoyed expression clear on her face.

The door opened, and another figure entered—a girl clad in a robe, appearing to be the resident of this space.

“You’re already here. You’re fast.”

“Is it true? Are you sure about what you saw?”

“Is that why you rushed over here? Who exactly is this girl anyway?”

“Just answer me! Are you sure?”

True to her fiery temperament.

She grumbled and nodded her head.

“Cream-colored, curly hair. I saw it clearly.”

“…”

Yeonhwa bit her lip hard, then asked the girl another question.

“What did her face look like?”

“Hm… It’s hard to put into words.”

“Then draw it, even if you have to sketch it.”

Leah stared at her with a baffled look.

“You know, it almost seems like I owe you a debt. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

“…Please. This is truly important to me.”

“Fine, fine. Give me a moment.”

Humming leisurely, Leah gathered paper and a pen. Every passing second felt agonizing, yet Yeonhwa could only pace anxiously, unable to complain.

Leah began sketching from memory, piecing together a montage.

“Done. She looked like this.”

“Your drawing skills are terrible.”

“…That’s harsh.”

Yeonhwa scrutinized the drawing with a frown.

It wasn’t the drawing itself that bothered her, but how different the face looked from what she’d hoped to see.

“Are you absolutely sure she looked like this?”

“Of course. What do you take a mage’s memory for?”

“Wasn’t she softer looking? A bit like a gentle herbivore…?”

Leah stroked her chin, reconsidering her memories before shaking her head firmly.

“No. She had more of a deadly vibe. Carnivorous, not herbivorous.”

Looking at the drawing again, the person depicted indeed had a cold, proud expression, exactly as Leah described. It wasn’t Leah’s poor drawing skills; it was genuinely someone else.

Despite the truth, Yeonhwa clung to this faint hope.

“Any other features? Like… maybe a mole on her cheek?”

“No, there wasn’t.”

Hearing the definitive answer, she felt all strength leave her body.

Of course, she thought. How foolish of her to cling to such a baseless hope.

Yoo Hana was already dead.

She had fallen from clouds so high they obscured the ground. There was no way she could have survived.

Even if, by some miracle, she had lived, the gate had already closed, making return impossible.

Why had she believed otherwise? People with similar hairstyles were everywhere.

Was it because she’d been seen with a demon? But Yoo Hana wasn’t a demon.

She brushed her hand over her face, letting out a deep sigh, releasing the weight in her chest.

Six months had passed, but it still hadn’t been enough time to fully let go.

Then again, the time she’d spent with that girl had been much shorter than that.

Watching her, Leah offered a careful word of comfort.

“Is it that friend you’re looking for?”

“I’m not looking. She’s already dead.”

“What are you going to do from here? Are you planning to keep living like this?”

A first-class criminal, Yeonhwa was practically treated the same as a demon now.

She was merely wandering, evading the Association’s pursuit as she traveled across the globe.

“I have a goal.”

“So you meant it when you said that last time.”

“I’m always serious.”

Their first encounter hadn’t been that long ago.

The circumstances had been drastically different from now, as the two of them had stood on entirely opposite sides.

“You said you wanted to destroy the academy? Even now, it sounds insane.”

“Maybe. But I mean it. It’ll take time, but once I’m stronger, I’ll destroy it for sure.”

Leah let out a small, bemused laugh.

“Is that really something you should say in front of an S-rank hero?”

“Who was it that helped me hide in the first place?”

She still couldn’t understand why Leah had protected her from the Association.

Whenever she asked, Leah would just mutter nonsense, never offering a satisfying answer.

“Just because I’m a hero doesn’t mean I have to like the Association, you know?”

“But isn’t there a law against hiding criminals?”

“Oh, come on, stop being so fussy. I… I can understand you, to some degree.”

Leah murmured with a complicated smile.

“That urge for revenge when you lose someone dear.”

“…”

“But just because of that doesn’t mean I’m about to help you tear down the academy. But hiding you isn’t a big deal.”

Yeonhwa clenched and unclenched her bandaged fists.

“I’m not planning to stay here. I need to get stronger to destroy the academy.”

“No bad stuff, though. I’m helping you because I don’t think you’re a bad person. You understand, right?”

“Understood. And I’m not driven by revenge.”

Leah tilted her head at Yeonhwa’s response.

But before she could say anything, Yeonhwa changed the subject.

“More importantly, what did you mean earlier?”

“About what?”

“You said she had a strange power. What exactly did you mean?”

“Oh, that.”

Leah paused, pondering how to explain it.

Then a certain word crossed her mind.

“…Hallelujah?”

—

“Hah… Hah…”

The girl continued to move forward without rest, her breathing ragged.

In the darkened sky, only the stars above illuminated their existence.

In the silence of the night, only her panting breath and the faint breaths of the woman she carried broke the quiet.

The Alps at night were shrouded in an overwhelming calm.

How far had they traveled? It had been a while since the faint city lights in the distance had disappeared entirely.

How much further? Despite walking for ages, the mountain range seemed endless.

She couldn’t just keep walking, yet going down to the city now was tantamount to suicide.

Their bounty had likely spread not only across France but all of Europe.

Why did they have to encounter such a monster at that exact moment?

There was no point in cursing their misfortune now; she needed to plan for the future.

“Ugh…”

pink falcon groaned, finally regaining consciousness.

Surveying their surroundings with half-lidded eyes, she murmured weakly.

“It seems there are no pursuers nearby… Argh!”

“Are you alright?”

“…It’s hard to say that.”

The injuries were too severe to pretend otherwise.

The wounds were so deep it was a wonder her limbs were even attached. She’d lost so much blood that even a moment’s relaxation might mean she’d never wake again.

pink falcon was certain.

This beautiful mountain was the last scene of her life.

Here, she would die. There was no path to survival.

“Could you set me down for a moment?”

“Yes.”

The girl carefully laid her on the soft ground.

Seeing her drenched in sweat made it clear how long she’d been carrying pink falcon without rest.

“…Do you remember the location of the cave we came from?”

“Yes. So please don’t worry. Let’s hurry back.”

“Go on ahead. I don’t think I can make it.”

Speaking itself was an effort.

pink falcon gazed at the full moon in the sky, savoring the beauty of the scene.

She wanted to keep this as her final memory before she closed her eyes.

“Go on. I’ll be fine.”

“No. I can’t leave you behind, Falcon.”

Falcon, she called her.

An odd title, on par with “Candidate.”

With that thought, the pain throughout her body faded, replaced by a comforting sense of peace.

A final rush of hormones flooding her brain in a last act of survival.

If this bliss were to carry her into eternal sleep, then…

It wasn’t so bad.

—

“Wake up.”

The voice brought a pure light that overtook her senses.

An unfamiliar, holy sensation. An uplifting feeling.

Tears unknowingly flowed from pink falcon’s eyes as she fully understood what sanctity meant.

The light that shone down on her.

The girl’s voice was both the Alpha and Omega of sanctity.

As she opened her eyes, the sight before her was so stunningly beautiful that it left her awestruck.

The night sky, once shrouded in darkness, opened, and through it, a divine light descended upon her.

Finally, as the girl extended her hand, the night of the Alps transformed, brilliant as dawn breaking.

It was nothing short of…

A miracle.

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