I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Suicide

Chapter 70

The Shrine’s Conference Room

Following behind Black Goat, White Sheep entered the conference room and scanned the faces of those present. Most of the apostles were gathered, with the exception of Blue Shark, who couldn’t attend due to the aftereffects of her ability, and a few others.

There were even three new faces she hadn’t seen before. White Sheep approached Pink falcon, the person she was most familiar with from their previous missions.

After all, she was the only comrade White Sheep had formed any real bond with.

“Are you feeling better, falcon?” she asked.

“I’m fine, thank you. And congratulations on becoming an official apostle. I suppose I should now call you White Sheep instead of Candidate.”

White Sheep noticed that the Pink falcon seemed in better spirits than before. Relieved, she settled naturally into the seat next to her.

“How are you, White Sheep? I heard there was a battle in Japan.”

“It was a bit dangerous, but thanks to Shark, I managed to escape safely… though I lost the Grail in the process.”

“Everyone stumbles sometimes. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

The warm encouragement soothed White Sheep. Although she wasn’t close to everyone yet, she thought Pink falcon was the kindest of the apostles.

Perhaps her teacher had considered that when assigning them to work together.

Suddenly, White Sheep felt a hand on her shoulder.

Startled, she turned around.

“Well, aren’t you adorable? So, you’re the new recruit, right? Looking forward to working with you.”

The voice carried an intoxicating charm, and the mysterious gleam in the purple eyes hinted at hidden power.

“Hello…” White Sheep replied cautiously.

“I’m Purple Fox. And you’re… White Rabbit?”

“White Sheep.”

“You’re cute enough to be a rabbit, though.”

Purple Fox smiled mischievously, reaching out to ruffle White Sheep’s hair without permission. Caught off guard, White Sheep could only sit there and accept the touch.

Finally, Pink falcon sighed and intervened.

“That’s enough. You’re making her uncomfortable.”

“Oh, so you’re protecting her because she’s your teammate? I’m a bit jealous—I’d love to have an adorable new partner too.”

“Then perhaps you should ask the captain.”

“Hmm, no thanks. The captain scares me.”

Though she said this, Purple Fox didn’t appear the least bit frightened, maintaining her relaxed smile. She gave a casual wave to White Sheep before returning to her seat.

“Let’s chat more later, cutie.”

“Yes, Fox.”

Watching Purple Fox walk away, White Sheep was slightly surprised. The fluffy, swaying tail near her lower back looked so real… could it be?

*Could that be a real tail?*

She was snapped out of her thoughts as Black Goat began speaking.

“It’s been a while since we’ve all gathered like this.”

As a rule, the apostles were a highly individualistic group. In fact, Black Goat, their leader, had essentially let them operate freely until now.

But from now on, things will be different.

“We’re moving forward with our core plan. Our long-standing goal—the ‘Descent.’”

The Descent.

White Sheep repeated the word to herself.

She didn’t know exactly what it meant. In fact, even as an official apostle, she still didn’t fully understand the apostles’ purpose. All she had were puzzle pieces of information.

They were a select group of powerful demons with unique skills. Each had their own distinct personality, but they all shared a common hatred for humanity. Led by Black Goat, they acted according to a plan to achieve a specific purpose.

That was the extent of her knowledge.

And even this could be a misunderstanding or distortion.

“The Grail is essential for our plan. We tried to obtain it but failed. Currently, the Grail is in the possession of an academy student.”

Golden Lion cleared his throat, showing obvious irritation.

It was understandable—no one would easily accept failing a mission, especially someone as confident in his abilities as Golden Lion.

“They’ll likely keep the Grail within the academy for protection, as there’s no safer place.”

“So, what’s your plan?” asked Green Horse.

“The goal remains the same. The academy will have to be destroyed sooner or later—it’s an obstacle to our plan.”

“Hm, it’ll be a tough fight.”

Black Goat nodded in agreement.

“The academy is nearly impregnable. Thanks to the archmage’s large-scale teleportation magic, we’d have to face all the S-rank heroes at once.”

While there was a difference in individual abilities, apostles and S-rank heroes were roughly on par. A full-scale battle between them would be an unprecedented clash.

In such a fight, the apostles would be at a disadvantage.

The academy was their opponent’s home ground, after all.

“So, before we attempt to retrieve the Grail, we’ll begin an ‘S-rank hunt.’”

“S-rank… hunt?” asked White Sheep, slightly startled.

“We’ll weaken their forces first, then proceed with the Grail retrieval.”

Red Dragon, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“The first couple of attacks might work, but the heroes will soon respond. What will we do if they focus solely on protecting the Grail within the academy?”

“Then we massacre civilians. They’re heroes, so they’ll have no choice but to come out and protect people.”

No one raised objections to the brutal strategy. After all, they were demons designed to hate humanity.

On the contrary, Golden Lion seemed delighted, grinning as he eagerly accepted the plan.

“So, you mean we kill as many humans as we can, and then kill the heroes when they arrive?”

“Exactly. Go wild without worrying about consequences. As usual, act in pairs.”

Throughout the meeting, White Sheep sat silently, deep in thought, as the plan took shape without her input.

Pink falcon observed her quietly.

Purple Fox asked a question.

“When does the operation start?”

“Immediately.”

***

“…I can’t believe it.”

Sehee murmured in disbelief, checking her own condition.

After several tests, she confirmed the truth.

It wasn’t a dream.

The pain that had plagued her was entirely gone, and her abilities worked without issue. In fact, she felt even stronger than before.

“Sister…”

“Si-hyun.”

The two sisters looked at each other and embraced, overcome with emotion. The boy who had witnessed this touching reunion from the sidelines, Si woo, watched quietly. Then Sehee wiped her tears and expressed her gratitude to him.

“Thank you… Thank you so much for healing me.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

He had merely borrowed the Grail’s power.

The slight fatigue he’d felt after using it quickly faded.

Once they’d calmed down, they began to talk.

“You’re certain she’s Yoo Hana?”

Since Si-hyun had been unconscious after the attack, she hadn’t witnessed the rest of the events.

Without hesitation, Si woo nodded.

“Yes, it’s definitely Yoo Hana.”

“Did you see her face?”

“…No, I didn’t.”

He hadn’t been able to see Yoo Hana’s face due to the interference at the last moment.

But his intuition told him it was her. Her reaction to his final shout had been unmistakable.

He could feel the turmoil in her gaze at the mention of the name Sophie.

“That girl…”

Sehee muttered, her expression conflicted.

The girl who had stabbed her and fled the academy. A girl who had chosen death as a human rather than become a demon.

Though she didn’t remember the incident itself due to her loss of consciousness, Sehee couldn’t shake the lingering resentment from the suffering that had followed.

There had been times when she resented Yoo Hana.

But as time passed, she began to wonder if Yoo Hana had her reasons. Forgiving her outright was out of the question, but perhaps meeting her was the first step.

Yet, how could they?

By all indications, Yoo Hana had lost her memory and joined the apostles.

And while she was human six months ago, it was uncertain whether she still was.

“Did you check her blood?”

“No…”

If her blood was black… If she had become a demon, the outcome would be grim.

Si woo answered in a low voice.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“What?”

“Whether she’s human or demon. This time, I’ve decided not to let it bother me. I’m determined to do everything for Yoo Hana.”

It was a dangerous statement.

One might interpret it as him siding with the demons, betraying humanity.

But Si woo’s resolve was unwavering. There wasn’t a trace of doubt in his demeanor.

Just then, the door burst open, and someone entered the lounge where they were gathered.

It was Valentina. She looked at Si woo and the others and shouted urgently.

“We’re in trouble! The apostles are attacking again…”