I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Suicide

Chapter 74

Pale skin. A lifeless face.

At first glance, she looked like a sickly child.

But upon closer inspection, there was an unsettling feeling.

A figure that lacked the vitality of life, almost like a corpse.

The girl standing next to White Sheep had an arrow lodged in her chest.

The wound itself was not visible. It was impossible for that state to exist unless the arrow was a toy or if the wound wasn’t healing despite being pierced by the arrow.

“…What have you done to that girl?”

The arrow couldn’t possibly be a toy. It was her own arrow, after all.

Therefore, the cause of this abnormal situation could only be White Sheep.

Had she been healed because she hadn’t fully died?

That was unlikely.

It was impossible for an ordinary young girl to remain alive after being hit by her arrow.

White Sheep calmly responded.

“I thought about it, and I don’t think this girl necessarily needs to die.”

“That’s a meaningless question. The reason she died is because she is human.”

“If that’s all it is, then should I die too? I’m human, not a demon.”

Was she still unable to completely discard her human values?

If she was feeling pity for a fellow human and trying to protect her, that wasn’t a good sign.

Such questions were quite dangerous.

She herself could overlook it, but if the wrong ears heard it, it would certainly cause an uproar.

Especially to those like the Golden Lion or the Red Dragon, who despised humans.

“White Sheep, you are an apostle before being human. You work for our kind, cooperating in the eradication of humans. Do you think that girl could live like you?”

“We don’t know that. She might end up becoming an ally of ours.”

That was an absurd excuse.

With no time to argue further, she tried to cut off the conversation.

But before she could speak, White Sheep spoke first.

“So, I will give her a chance.”

“…”

Pink Falcon was stunned by the unfolding scene.

A sight she had never imagined before was playing out before her eyes.

The corpses scattered across the street began to rise one by one.

She could feel a presence behind her.

Sure enough, the Ice Knight, whom she had just defeated, rose with pale skin.

White Sheep spoke calmly as though unaware of the extent of her actions.

“Isn’t it better than dying?”

At that moment, Pink Falcon realized something was wrong with the girl.

—

Dark Night.

Si woo steeled himself and moved toward the designated meeting place.

Why this place? He thought it was quite a distasteful choice, but the boy opened the closed door.

The science lab, which he had last seen six months ago, was now desolate.

The equipment and desks that had been there before were all gone, leaving only a vast, empty space.

“Since that day, the science lab has been moved. This one’s abandoned now.”

“…You’re looking fine.”

The vice-principal, whom he had seen earlier that day tied to a cross, bloodied and disheveled, was now standing there in his usual neat attire, as if nothing had happened.

He smiled meaningfully.

“It’s all thanks to you agreeing to the deal. As long as the Holy Grail isn’t involved, my abilities are impossible to nullify.”

Was this really the right choice?

To betray humanity and side with the demons?

He decided not to care about such things.

Right now, there was only one thing that mattered to Si woo.

To reunite with Hana.

Thus, even if it wasn’t the right choice, the boy decided to walk this path.

“So, what is it that you wanted to show me?”

“Oh, the flaws of the academy. I’ll show you, but you must be careful.”

The vice-principal lowered his voice and spoke quietly.

“If you plan on revealing this to others, you’d better give up. Whether it’s politics, media, or business, those at the top of humanity are the board members.”

“I don’t plan on going that far. I just want to make my resolve firm and create my own allies.”

Some of the boy’s friends would surely trust him.

If they didn’t, he could show them the evidence.

Of how rotten the academy was.

“Alright. Then follow me. I’ll show you the real face of the academy.”

The two moved cautiously.

They headed to a place where the sunlight never reached—the underground.

But it was different from last time.

This one was much deeper and darker. The air was thin and hard to breathe.

“How far down are we going?”

Beyond the metal mesh of the elevator, the scenery constantly changed, continuing downward without stopping.

“This place is something far beyond any magic circle you’ve seen.”

The more the vice-principal spoke, the more uneasy Si woo became. But despite not knowing what awaited him, he had already made up his mind.

He had gone through unbelievable events several times.

Finally, the elevator stopped, and they stepped onto the ground.

To his surprise, the scene before him wasn’t shocking.

In fact, it was far cleaner and more orderly than the previous underground.

It felt like a secret laboratory.

Bright lights and white corridors.

It hardly felt like an underground space.

Moreover, after arriving here, it was much easier to breathe, probably thanks to some artificial air circulation system.

“Follow me.”

Si woo followed the vice-principal down a long corridor.

There were many closed doors, but it was hard to guess what lay behind them.

Finally, they entered the deepest room of the corridor.

It was a rather spacious room, but aside from a pedestal in the center, it was empty and meaningless.

“Where is this?”

There was still no shocking sight.

At this point, Si woo began to suspect the vice-principal was trying to mess with him.

But the vice-principal walked seriously to the center of the room.

He picked up a small vial placed on the pedestal.

“This is it.”

“Pardon?”

“This is what I wanted to show you.”

The vial? It didn’t look special at all.

There were no markings on the surface, so he couldn’t even tell what kind of medicine it was, but was it really that significant?

Si woo felt skeptical.

“What is this?”

The vice-principal fiddled with the vial and answered.

“It’s purified holy water.”

“…Holy water.”

It was a familiar term. Though it wasn’t one used frequently, it still felt familiar to his ears.

On the day everything had twisted six months ago, when the girl Longinus had stabbed him with a spear.

The red blood and clear water flowing from his side.

Longinus had referred to the clear water as holy water.

“Could this be one of…”

“It’s similar, but it’s a counterfeit. It’s just a replica made from the holy water that came from Hana.”

So it was made using the holy water from Hana. That was unsettling, but still not as shocking as he expected.

“The problem is the raw material for this. Come here.”

The vice-principal suddenly moved toward a blank wall.

Si woo, though confused, followed his instructions.

The vice-principal pressed a hidden switch, and the wall opened, revealing a secret space that had previously been invisible.

Upon seeing it, Si woo understood why the vice-principal had brought him here.

“This holy water is made using human blood.”

Behind the glass was a room full of corpses.

The room was so much larger than this one, it was filled with piles of bodies.

“These bodies were sacrificed just to fill this one vial. What do you think?”

What did he think?

It was horrifying. Far worse than any moment he had ever witnessed.

The corpses weren’t even intact. They looked like mummies drained of blood, as if they had been killed by vampires.

“Why…?”

He couldn’t understand it.

Why would so many people die for this holy water?

And it was the academy, the one that raised heroes to protect humanity, that was doing this.

Seeing this, he could no longer claim that the academy was on the side of humanity.

They were no different from demons. No, they were even more cruel than demons.

“The holy water can draw out the potential in humans. It means you can become far stronger, like eating a magic stone core.”

And all of this just for that.

Just for that one thing.

“Therefore, the committee will actually welcome the apostle’s attack. They can make more holy water by using even more human blood. All the blood scattered across the city will be turned into holy water to strengthen you all.”

“Wait. What do you mean? Are we using the holy water?”

The vice-principal responded with a cynical smile, turning the question back on him.

“Are you going to pretend you don’t know? You know well that only academy students will use that holy water. To the old men, you’re just an emergency backup.”

“….”

The academy was far uglier and more corrupt than Si woo had ever imagined.