Chapter 240
Chapter 240
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Repaying Gratitude
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Thanks to Sua-sensei's kindness, they were able to rent a penthouse on the top floor of the Wizpoint building.
It had originally been prepared as a residence for the branch manager, but Sua said she spent all her time in her office anyway, so they should feel free to stay, and she gladly handed over the card key.
Pleasant sunlight poured in through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows along the wall, just as always.
Not the ideal brightness for someone sleeping soundly, though.
Siu lay fast asleep on the bed, and Sharon beside him breathed evenly in her sleep.
Eloa knelt at the bedside, gazing at Siu.
She looked like a mother tending to her sick child, or a priest in prayer.
"........"
Eloa silently stroked Siu's cheek.
In just one night, his skin had turned noticeably rough and dry.
There were no injuries, but his pallid face and deeply sunken eyes spoke volumes of last night's ordeal.
"......."
If she had lost him this time too.
If it had happened exactly the same way—helplessly, without a chance to lift a finger.
Could she have stayed this calm?
Even if it was selfish, even if it was immature relief, so be it.
She was grateful—profoundly so—that Siu had returned without grave wounds.
Eloa gripped Siu's hand tightly and held back her tears.
She had no right to think thank goodness and weep freely here.
Pretending to be his mentor, forming this presumptuous bond, promising protection—yet plunging him into crisis with half-baked plans.
Sharon had already suffered severe injuries, and without Periwinkle's aid, the outcome could have been far worse.
On what face could she shed tears of joy?
"Mm..."
At that moment, Siu's hand—entwined in Eloa's slender fingers—twitched.
He frowned deeply, as if rousing from a nightmare, then slowly looked down at his hand before turning his gaze to meet Eloa's.
"...Duke?"
"Are you with us?"
Eloa greeted his return with a smile tinged by unease.
As Siu pieced together the situation, his body convulsed violently, jerking as if seized by spasms.
The last scene before he collapsed.
Black, icy seawater rising to his waist.
The rusted harpoon piercing Sharon's body.
And Sharon slowly toppling—along with his own powerlessness.
It all surged back, vivid as reverse playback.
"Right now...!"
"Easy now, calm yourself... come here."
"D-Duke, where's... Sharon...?"
The Drowned Witch.
A monster Sochitl had gnawed on for over a century—its nature was already thoroughly analyzed.
Eloa, who had hunted countless Public Enemies, knew its true identity.
The Drowned Witch preyed on its foe's deepest fears.
Physical strength didn't guarantee mental fortitude.
Facing it without proper countermeasures would shred the mind like paper; sanity would shatter.
The brain would boil under unbearable stress.
So she simply extended her arms and pulled Siu close.
His body trembled like a malaria patient.
Each quiver transmitted through her.
"Miss Sharon... she's fine for now. All physical wounds are mended; the lingering poison can be purged slowly. See? Right there."
Pupils contracted in terror, breaths ragged.
Reacting like a survivor of a terrorist attack, Siu gradually quieted.
Eloa held him fast, as if refusing to let go, patting his back.
"There, better?"
"Th-thank you. First... I want to check on Sharon."
"Of course."
Of course, a mere embrace hadn't healed everything.
His lips still quivered, his movements adrift, as if yanked from a horrific nightmare.
Seeing Sharon sleeping soundly right beside him, the rigid tension drained from his body.
"Thank... goodness..."
Relief shadowed his face—mingled with something else Eloa knew all too well.
Self-loathing. Guilt.
Emotions that gnawed at the heart like disease—she knew them better than anyone.
And how effectively, relentlessly, they crumbled a person, like pests devouring a young tree.
"Siu..."
She tried to offer clumsy comfort.
But a voice thick with regret cut in first.
"...I couldn't do a thing."
"......."
"Why?"
In movies and comics, heroes flung themselves into danger, sacrificing all to save their comrades.
The real world brimmed with such tales too.
Siu himself had risked his life for others more times than he could count.
On smaller scales: slaves in Border Town, the swindler at the magic tool shop, Larissa the boss at the Blue Snake outpost.
On grander ones: Odil and Odet, Sharon, Amelia.
Most times, he was penniless, punching above his weight...
Yet his body moved first.
Because he believed it right.
No calculations in that moment, powerless or childish justice be damned.
He might never be a hero.
But he'd striven to be a courageous human.
This time was different.
A helplessness that chilled to the bone.
As Sharon fell in that hopeless crisis, all he managed was...
Pathetic trembling.
"Just cowering in fear. You've taught me so much, Duke... and I couldn't use a single thing properly."
Siu turned every blade inward, gnashing the words.
He looked utterly tormented.
Was what he'd called courage just reckless bravado?
Doubt slithered like a viper, coiling around his heart.
"Siu."
Eloa didn't spout excuses like the Drowned Witch's magic was beyond you or you couldn't have beaten it at your level.
She knew such words were useless.
Because the question tormenting Siu was one she wrestled with every sleepless night.
She hugged him tightly once more.
To soothe his wounds with a gentle voice.
"You know I lost an apprentice witch."
"...Yes."
"Her name was Rafi. A wonderful girl—nothing was too precious for her."
"......."
"When I buried her in my heart... can you imagine how I felt?"
It was the first time she'd spoken of it openly since the loss.
But if it eased Siu even a little, she'd gladly bare it.
Memories from endless dreams resurfaced.
Her heart and voice sank, heavy as if swallowing the seasons.
Yet somehow, she faced the past with unexpected calm.
"I clung to her right there and wept for two days straight. Ugly, pathetic—bawling without a thought. If I'd chased the Aquarius Witch then, maybe I'd have avenged her. But I didn't.
After that, it felt like my heart was carved out. My chest was hollow. I couldn't imagine filling it, and I never did. A tormented walking corpse, flesh lingering while life fled.
Because every day, every moment, I had to confront the truth: nothing could change."
Eloa eased back slightly, stroking his cheek.
"Losing someone precious is that horrific, that shattering. Don't torment yourself too harshly for freezing in the moment."
Their noses nearly touched; her gaze brimmed with warmth, drawing him in.
True solace, shared only by those who'd endured the same pain.
"Besides... aren't you different from me? Miss Evergreen was hurt, but never in mortal danger. You have every chance to mend it, prevent a repeat. And you possess the talent to do so—a shining one."
"Duke..."
Siu's eyes, dulled like a whipped dog's, began to sharpen.
"The first step to any achievement is recognizing your shortcomings. You've only just taken yours."
During spars, Siu's eyes always gleamed.
Sensing his growth, with his innate focus on learning—it was natural.
Continued training under her would have yielded fine results.
His progress was already remarkable, hard to compare to before.
Yet if she dared be greedier, one lack stood out.
Siu wanted a clear goal, firm drive.
She hadn't pressed it.
Not everyone needed desperate purpose.
She knew how crushing a life dominated by goals could be.
His zeal mismatched his loose sense of direction; she let it slide.
"I want to get stronger."
Now, she felt the final piece slot into place—that missing spark.
"Well thought."
"Farther than now. Overwhelmingly strong. To the heights."
"I'll make it happen."
Eloa gently stroked his hair.
2.
While Eloa was briefly away, an unexpected guest arrived.
"How fares your health?"
Siu, seated by Sharon's side stroking her forehead, bolted upright.
After yesterday's ordeal, he reflexively tensed—wondering if it was a Public Enemy.
"Pray, do not startle. I am Sua Agasara, branch manager of the Wizpoint Gwanghwamun branch."
Only then did Siu relax.
Even among the many witches he'd met, Sua stood out as unique.
Like a lady from a noble yangban house, perhaps?
It wasn't modernized hanbok for comfort.
She wore traditional attire so authentic, it briefly turned the penthouse into a serene hanok.
Amid witches with vibrant hair and eyes, her black locks and eyes seemed plain.
Yet they enhanced her refined beauty—like an ink-wash painting, exuding a hydrangea-like grace.
"I've only heard of you until now. Pleased to meet you. I'm Siu Shin."
Siu bowed politely and offered a handshake.
Sua eyed his hand in mild surprise before responding with formal courtesy.
"I came to speak with you briefly."
"Yes, I have plenty of time."
She sought conversation?
He wondered what she might want, but she'd long piqued his curiosity anyway.
He'd wanted to ask why she'd notarized for a total stranger like him, too.