Chapter 220
Chapter 220
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: Reflection (4)
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After the one-sided bout that was embarrassing to even call training,
Eloa returned to the hotel where she was staying.
She had an appointment with Sua Branch Manager that afternoon, but the training had wrapped up earlier than expected, leaving her some free time.
She sat in the lounge, ordered a cup of coffee, and mulled over the day's events with furrowed brows.
In the first place, it had been Eloa herself who proposed teaching him how to wield the Contract of the King of All Diseases proficiently.
There were two layers of meaning behind it.
One was what she'd stated upfront: to protect and keep an eye on him from close by, lying in wait for any potential interference from Ea.
The other was...
A faint hope that, by watching him, she might catch even a fragment of Rafi's beautiful sword dance—the one she'd never see again.
That was about all she had left to remember Rafi by now.
"........"
But Eloa's hopes had crumbled spectacularly into nothing.
The Contract of the King of All Diseases was undoubtedly one of the most invaluable Nature Magics for close-quarters combat.
It naturally guided you on how to move your body and handle your weapon.
Yet even if you put an ordinary person and a pro athlete on the same high-performance motorcycle, their outputs would be worlds apart.
Siu's movements didn't even come close to Rafi's toes.
And she probably would never see it again.
"It's just regrettable."
She knew this wasn't something to blame Siu for.
In truth, she wasn't blaming him at all.
She was just directing a bitter sneer at herself for harboring such foolish expectations.
"What do you mean, my lady?"
Sua Branch Manager settled into the seat across from Eloa, who had muttered to herself while sipping her coffee.
Despite the grueling days spent cleaning up after the recent incident, she showed no signs of fatigue—her usual poised and elegant self.
A vibrant, multicolored hanbok, unaltered by modern fashion.
Just her sitting there made the lavish hotel lounge feel steeped in classical grandeur.
"Earlier than I expected."
"I wouldn't dream of keeping you waiting, my lady."
Sua replied with a refined smile.
She rarely used such endearing speech patterns, so it was safe to say Sua was in high spirits today.
"I heard you've taken on a new apprentice."
"It's hardly worth calling discipleship. I'm just offering a bit of meager guidance."
"If you're vouching for his status, backing him up, and even passing on your martial arts, how is that any different from taking a disciple?"
"Teacher, you're unusually teasing today."
Sua beamed at Tiphereth, who looked a touch embarrassed.
She had watched over Tiphereth from the sidelines for a very long time.
She'd seen her burn herself out solely for revenge after losing her apprentice.
And after her target vanished, she'd watched her deny reality, crumbling into emptiness and futility.
Now, finally free from the shadow of vengeance, she was forging new bonds. How could an old friend not rejoice?
Tiphereth gave a wry smile and sipped her coffee in front of the grinning Sua Branch Manager.
"But what do you mean by being disappointed?"
"Well..."
Tiphereth recounted her light sparring session with Siu that morning.
"His spirit in rising again and again, no matter how many times he falls, is admirable... but whether it'll last is another question. I'm not even sure that tenacity will do him any good."
"Hmm..."
Sua's expression grew subtle.
Eloa had mentioned it casually, but Sua could clearly sense it.
Having lost both her apprentice and her revenge target, Eloa was projecting her lingering emptiness for her disciple onto this man named Shin Siu.
She claimed it was for surveillance, but perhaps her self-imposed role as mentor stemmed partly from a desire to glimpse Rafi in him?
"Maybe it would be best to stop for his sake. Chasing two rabbits halfway often means losing both."
"My lady."
Sua gently reproved her with a voice like jade chimes.
"Not everyone is born with the overflowing blessings of martial prowess that you possess."
"But..."
"Wasn't the purpose of teaching him your arts—at least in part—to give yourself a moment's respite?"
Sua phrased it as obliquely as possible, avoiding any mention of Rafi.
Eloa was stronger than anyone Sua knew, yet weaker than anyone too.
She knew well the state of the woman who neither took on new apprentices nor valued her own life, wielding her blade recklessly.
Like a porcelain vase riddled with cracks, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
"I have no right to rest."
Even to this cautious plea, Eloa responded in a stiff, resolute tone.
It wasn't resentment toward Sua.
It was the unrelenting severity she turned on herself, the one person she couldn't forgive.
"Even a mere beast needs time to catch its breath. To achieve what you desire..."
"Teacher Sua, I have no desires left."
Her voice was weary.
Sua could say with certainty that this was the first time she'd ever heard Eloa voice such outward weakness.
That was why a chill ran down her spine.
A sudden shiver gripped her.
From long experience, she could guess what thoughts Eloa harbored.
Ending her given life on her own terms.
In other words, suicide.
The only reasons she hadn't ended it yet were probably just two.
No 100% certainty on Ea Sadalmelik's survival.
And she was in the midst of hunting the Red Knight.
"My lady, even so... couldn't you wait just a little longer?"
"Wait for what?"
"One day, one spar—it might not be enough to judge his potential. There are late bloomers among talents too, aren't there? Not that I'm questioning your discernment, of course..."
Sua's words, usually so eloquent, came to an abrupt halt.
Not from interruption or hindrance.
The visceral fear that her closest friend might vanish any moment stole her breath away.
"...You have a point."
Eloa's expression didn't look convinced in the slightest.
Sua could tell she was just making excuses, seeing her own pallid face drained of color.
"Anyway, any progress on the Red Knight?"
"Considering the 'White Knight' you discovered and the surrounding circumstances, it's highly likely they're colluding with Public Enemies. Probably the work of the 'Witch of Cowardice,' but..."
"I see. Contact me anytime there's progress."
As Eloa rose first, Sua called out to her belatedly.
"Tiphereth."
Eloa paused briefly before slowly turning back.
Recalling the last time a smile had bloomed on that face felt like delving into ancient history.
"What is it?"
Suddenly, she felt an urge to say it before it was too late.
"...Thank you for being my friend all this time. And please, take care of me going forward."
"Even you, Teacher Sua, saying such embarrassing things."
Eloa gave a wry smile and turned toward her room.
Sharon had spent the night examining the Stigma that Siu had forcibly broken open with his overwhelming mana.
Seated in lotus position within a ritual circle of the four elements for the first time in ages, Sharon closed her eyes and peered into her inner self.
Her consciousness, drawn unconsciously into the depths, endlessly contemplated and observed the Stigma's state.
It was astonishing.
Three of the strokes, completely inert from incomplete inheritance, now had faint threads of mana flowing through them.
It wasn't enough mana for Sharon to consciously control yet, but the mere revival of the unresponsive Stigma was a miracle.
If she had to compare, it was like toes on the verge of falling off from total necrosis down to the capillaries suddenly regenerating.
Even seeing it with her own eyes, it was hard to believe.
"Hoo..."
She'd done her utmost to draw out and analyze the knowledge within the Stigma, but it was impossible.
Still, there was no cause for regret.
Compared to the past when she couldn't even approach it, this alone was monumental progress.
By the time Sharon opened her eyes and emerged into the living room, Siu was sprawled on the sofa, utterly drained.
"What? When did you get back?"
"About... thirty... minutes... ago..."
After two or three hours of rolling around repeatedly, Siu was crawling along the floor like pulverized pork cutlet.
Looking back, he had no idea how he'd even made it down from the rooftop to the sofa.
"You get hit a lot?"
"Not painfully, but... just exhausting."
How could he emerge unscathed from being flung around like a sack, shaken off, and pummeled?
Still, since he'd volunteered eagerly, he hadn't quit—but it felt like being tenderized for tonkatsu.
"How was it?"
"What?"
"Duchess Tiphereth."
"Insanely strong. Couldn't lay a finger on her."
"Well, yeah. You don't get full on the first bite."
It felt like being toyed with by a fighting game pro.
The difference? Instead of mocking him with "Go memorize the frame data first~," she'd pointed out what needed fixing.
But her advice was all easier said than done.
Actually trying to implement even one was next to impossible.
"Aww, poor Siu, all worn out. Guess I need to cheer you up."
"Ack! Don't cling—I'm sweaty!"
"So what?"
Sharon sidled up coyly and hugged him tight.
His hair was soaked with sweat, enough to feel gross.
Yet she showed no hesitation.
The problem was the agony shooting through his limbs from the vice-like grip, where he'd already been yelping.
Insane muscle pain.
No wonder—even pro fighters collapsed after sparring, and Siu had pushed on relying solely on his astral body's durability.
"Gotta wash you up."
"Can't you just magic it away...?"
"Nope. I'm washing you myself."
Grinning mischievously, Sharon levitated Siu's body with magic.
She laid him in the spacious tub fit for two, then stripped off his clothes.
"Arms up. Arms up."
"I can undress myself."
"No, no—you're beat. Just stay still."
Siu grumbled but obediently raised his arms.
His sweat-soaked shirt peeled away, revealing a chiseled torso rippling with muscle.
Sharon swallowed unwittingly.
Not bulked up blindly through workouts, but honed in real combat.
Combined with the astral body keeping his physique optimal, it sculpted a body like a Greek statue.
And drenched in manly sweat to boot.
Sweat should be gross.
But it didn't feel that way at all.
Instead, why was her heart pounding like this?
Pheromones, maybe.
Then she recalled the fridge escapade before his duel with the duchess.
That rough voice and behavior that pinned her body immobile.
Layered atop that memory, her own body ignited with desire.
"G-Gotta take off your pants too."
"No, I can do it myself..."
"Nope! You're exhausted!"
"This is more exhausting."
Their bickering tug-of-war ended in Sharon's victory after a while.
Victorious yet flushed scarlet, she stripped off his pants and underwear.
Feeling like he'd regressed to his slave days, Siu glanced sheepishly up at Sharon.
He could now guess her thoughts from the mood alone.
"Sharon, sorry, but I'm really tapped out stamina-wise..."
Without a word, Sharon shed her own shirt.
Then hastily ditched her dolphin shorts baring her pale thighs and the underwear covering her mound.
She slipped into the wide tub, perfect for lounging together.
Even as exhaustion threatened to knock him out, glimpsing her nude form sent blood rushing southward involuntarily.
"Just leave it to me... I said I'd cheer you up, didn't I...?"
"H-Hey, wait..."
Silent now, Sharon pressed her body atop his sweat-slicked one.
Sex for Stigma recovery or anything else fled her mind.
Just the raw desire to melt into his arms.