I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Sui**de

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I exited the temple with my master and headed into the city.

I wasn’t sure which city it was.

Currently, not just us, but all the apostles have begun their activities.

Five teams are now on the move to major cities around the world.

We are waiting at the fountain in the square until the other teams are ready to launch the simultaneous terror attacks.

As I sat at the fountain, I stared blankly at the city’s scenery.

With the sunny weather, people’s expressions seemed quite bright.

No matter how bleak the era may be, within it, people find bits of happiness and draw solace from them.

This city might one day fall to the attack of the monstrous hands as well.

Countless cities, nations, and civilizations have vanished into dust.

Yet still, humanity fights desperately to survive, attempting to subdue the monsters and conquer the gates.

But why do they go so far?

Ultimately, brief happiness would be crushed under the despair that follows.

It is simply the era we live in.

Happiness without worries is merely a tale from the history books before the monsters emerged.

Children running around in the square laugh joyfully, unaware of the future that awaits them.

Thud!

“Ah! Hee-hee…”

Then, right before my eyes, a little kid tripped over his own feet.

Without thinking, I stood up and helped the child to his feet. The child gazed up at me. An ordinary person would see a common face devoid of any distinct features due to the magic of the mask.

“Thank you! Hee-hee!”

The little one bowed clumsily and ran back to his friend.

The two kids grabbed each other’s hands and began to play again like before.

A boy and a girl.

Just childhood friends, I suppose.

Still standing without sitting, we blankly watched as they gradually distanced themselves.

“I heard everyone has finished preparing. Let’s start moving.”

“…”

“Sehee?”

I barely regained my senses at my master’s call and turned my head.

“Is there a problem?”

Her indifferent tone posed a question.

I hesitated, intending to speak, as I briefly opened my mouth behind the mask.

She might listen if I spoke kindly.

There are plenty of S-rank heroes that can be called without resorting to such drastic measures.

Heroes could be killed without a second thought. They are threats to us.

But what about the ordinary people?

Do we have to kill those humans too? Must we?

“Other teams have already begun. We have no time to waste either.”

“…Yes.”

I couldn’t help but notice her gaze sweeping over the humans.

She did not see them as fellow beings.

To her, they were just bugs to be crushed. Nothing more, nothing less.

My master’s kindness seemed to be limited exclusively to her companions.

Whoosh!

An arrow pierced the heart of a man walking down the street.

Without realizing he was dying, he collapsed lifelessly.

A death so utterly futile.

Sadly, there was no one currently there to grieve for him.

In an instant, the square began to turn into a sea of blood.

Not just the square, but the entire city.

*

Shinwoo and his party burst into the principal’s office.

“Is it true!? That the apostles have started to act…!”

“Yes. Not only have the identified apostles acted, but individuals suspected of being apostles as well. 11 demons are simultaneously conducting massacres across the world.”

Eleven.

The very mention of the apostles was a nightmare.

Especially Shinwoo, who had seen the power of the Black Goat firsthand, knew better than anyone how strong they were.

To think that 11 of those monsters were moving all at once?

That truly was an unprecedented calamity for humanity.

Sihyun, listening closely from the side, frowned and asked.

“What’s the current situation?”

“It’s not good. Many cities have already been reduced to rubble. The number of casualties is immeasurable.”

“We need to stop this quickly!”

“We’re already trying to stop it. All available heroes, including 9 S-rank, have been deployed.”

The principal’s expression was very grim.

Undoubtedly, the situation was dire.

“Thanks to the heroes’ efforts, the damage to civilians has surely been reduced, but…”

The problem lies in the fact that the apostles are specifically targeting the heroes.

In fact, at this rate, it’s highly probable that their original objective is not the ordinary citizens, but the heroes themselves.

However, knowing this provides no means to counter it.

If we back off the heroes now, the massacre will start once more.

The reality is that we are forcing ourselves to protect the citizens while losing heroes in battle.

The precarious balance could tip to one side as soon as we lose even a single S-rank hero.

Undoubtedly, the association would strive to prevent such an eventuality.

I don’t know what future awaits at the end of this war, but it could never be the same as before.

“If it’s that urgent, we must step in! We cannot just sit idly by in the academy!”

“You are not heroes; you are students. It would be foolish to send unprepared students to the battlefield, only to lose them.”

Shinwoo bit his lip, but the principal showed no intention of bending his stance.

However, we can’t just stand by and watch.

Not out of some meager sense of justice for humanity’s crisis.

Knowing that one of the apostles is on their side and doing nothing isn’t an option.

If we’re careless, we might end up caught in a fight and have to send them away again.

I really don’t want that. I’ve just barely revived the spark of hope, and now it’s back to parting ways.

At that moment, the phone in the principal’s office rang, asserting its presence.

“Just a moment. Yes. Hello?… Yes. Understood.”

I wondered who was calling.

After hanging up, her expression grew quite serious.

The principal let out a deep sigh and looked at Shinwoo.

“Shinwoo student.”

“Yes?”

“The board wants to speak with you.”

“…The board?”

*

The board.

Not much is known about them.

Even students enrolled in the academy often graduate without ever having seen their faces.

Most public activities are carried out by the principal and the faculty.

The only information available is that they oversee the establishment and internal operations of the academy.

Sehee, who was guiding Shinwoo, stopped in front of the main building.

Now, he only needs to take the elevator up to meet the board.

They had requested only Kim Shinwoo.

With her status as the former student council president, Han Sehee wasn’t even an invited guest anymore.

“Be careful.”

She warned her junior whom she had once saved.

“I don’t know why they called for you, but those old men are extremely dangerous. You must not let your guard down.”

It was a far too ominous warning just to meet someone important.

But the boy nodded, taking it seriously.

“Yes. I’ll be careful.”

“Come back safely. I’ll be waiting with my brother.”

Shinwoo entered the elevator alone.

His destination: the very top floor.

Inside the small space, he closed his eyes quietly and thought.

He knew there were secrets hidden within the academy.

The shocking scenes he had witnessed six months ago— the underground secret facilities and military organizations.

The connection was undoubtedly related to Yu Hana’s death.

They were clearly intent on eliminating Hana with a murderous intent.

Just confirming that she was still alive wouldn’t change that fact.

Shinwoo’s determination to uncover the academy’s secrets and take revenge remained strong.

However, he felt a tinge of fear.

What if the secrets he was trying to expose were far deeper and uglier than he imagined?

What if they were intricately linked to humanity’s filthy side that he had long ignored?

Moreover, if it turned out that this was connected not just to the attempts on Hana’s life, but the very heart of those events themselves— what kind of attitude should he adopt then?

He questioned himself.

Would he be willing to betray humanity for just one girl?

The answer came surprisingly quickly.

“Yu Hana.”

Repeating the name of his childhood friend, Shinwoo steeled his heart.

Finally, the elevator stopped at the desired floor.

As the doors began to open, an entirely new, unknown space unfolded before the boy.

Into the abyss of darkness.

He took a step forward.

“Welcome, Kim Shinwoo.”

A voice echoed from the dark room.

The sound came from above. Squinting to focus, he saw only the silhouettes of people sitting around a high round table, resembling a podium.

Did they intend to look down from above on him?

The structure itself seemed to symbolize immense authority.

Shinwoo composed himself and spoke without panicking.

“I heard you called for me.”

“Indeed. The reason we called you was to commend you for your contributions.”

“…Contributions?”

I had heard that the war against the apostles was still ongoing outside.

Naturally, I thought related discussions would arise, but contributions?

“On top of protecting the Holy Grail, you safely escorted it here, so it’s only right you are praised.”

“Thanks to your accomplishments, the plan is accelerating. It means we are quite close now.”

I couldn’t grasp what they were talking about.

More than that, an unsettling discomfort lingered.

Why were these people so calm?

At this moment, when humanity faced its worst crisis.

These old men seemed rather prepared to celebrate.

“In that sense, there is something Shinwoo, you should help with.”

“It’s not that difficult. It’s merely a very simple task.”

Click.

Suddenly, the lights flicked on, illuminating the surroundings, and I frowned.

There was something in front of the boy.

Upon witnessing it, Shinwoo was struck with horror.

A person was hanging on a cross.

“A sinner.”