Chapter 255
Chapter 255
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 255
Chapter Title: All Darkness Comes from the East
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As planned, they bought some clothes too.
The next item on the schedule was picking up ingredients from the department store's grocery section.
Eloa was surprisingly skilled in the kitchen, and whenever training wrapped up, she would invite Siu over and treat him to a home-cooked meal.
Today, she intended to return the favor for the clothes he'd bought her with a lavish dinner.
"Hum… hum hum hum…"
Eloa hummed a little tune, her shirt dress fluttering as her heels clicked rhythmically against the floor.
At her side, Siu pushed the shopping cart, stifling a grin.
Eloa was fundamentally a rather rigid sort of person.
Whether it stemmed from her awkwardness at self-expression or from the warrior's creed of never laying bare one's innermost feelings, she rarely betrayed her likes or dislikes.
The fact that she was displaying her good mood so openly meant today's shopping spree had been a resounding success.
After excitedly weaving through the aisles for a while, Eloa suddenly seemed to realize something and stealthily glanced at Siu.
She cut off her humming.
It was because she caught sight of the soft smile playing on his face.
"Why are you staring like that? With that dopey grin."
In truth, it was because she looked so adorable, bouncing around like a puppy out for a springtime stroll—but saying that to her face felt a bit much.
Instead, he complimented the outfit that seemed to suit her best.
"The clothes look great on you. And the shoes are lovely too."
He'd said it several times while they were shopping, but Eloa reacted the same way each time to praise about how well the clothes suited her.
Setting aside her dubious inner thought of Really?, she couldn't help the way her lips curved upward.
"I'm not so sure. It's my first time in heels like these… I do feel a bit taller, but… doesn't it stand out too much?"
"Everything suits you just fine."
"…It doesn't."
"It really does."
"Don't tease me."
Eloa would nod along as if it were only natural to compliments like "Your magic is incredible, Master!" or "Your martial arts are amazing, Master!"—but when it came to her clothes, she'd mumble things like "Don't tease me" and get incredibly bashful.
Even that reaction was endearing, making it all the more enjoyable to keep praising her.
"I forgot something."
"What?"
"Thank you for the nice clothes. Coming to a department store and shopping like this is a first for me."
"Strictly speaking, it wasn't even my money. Besides, I've received plenty from you, Master."
Eloa spoke firmly to the self-deprecating Siu.
"Countess Jemernai is a witch and a shrewd businesswoman. A true entrepreneur never squanders money, no matter how wealthy they are. If she provided you with material support, it wasn't out of casual favor or pity—it's because you deserve it."
"Um…"
Siu suddenly understood the feeling Eloa got from clothes compliments.
Awkward. Embarrassing. That sort of thing.
Tracing it back, the reason Siu could enjoy such abundance in the modern world boiled down to his willingness to stake his life against Ea Sadalmelik.
He had no idea what mindset had driven him to face that terrifying woman back when he couldn't even cast a decent combat spell…
Honestly, it didn't feel like such a big deal.
Anyone in his shoes probably would've made the same choice.
"Have a little more pride."
Eloa gave Siu's back a playful pat before striding ahead.
Having filled the cart to the brim with ingredients, Siu and Eloa climbed into the car.
The hypercar from Kybele Periwinkle.
At first, when he'd received it, Siu figured it'd just gather dust in the garage—he had no real intention of driving it.
For one, he wasn't into cars to begin with. And it pulled way more stares than the Ferraris or Lamborghinis you saw cruising Seoul streets.
But after gripping the wheel and hitting the road, Siu was already hooked on its allure.
A rich, unflashy exhaust note. A sense of oneness with the machine, like it was an extension of his body.
The craftsmanship was so exquisite it almost felt alive, utterly captivating him.
Siu smoothly pulled out of the underground parking garage.
Eloa fiddled with her outfit in the passenger seat.
She seemed in high spirits now—and it was about time to bring up what Periwinkle had told him.
After all, Periwinkle's words weren't solely about Siu's well-being.
"Master, there's something I need to tell you."
"No need to sound so grave. Speak freely."
Eloa reclined comfortably against the seatback, fighting back the smile tugging at her lips.
One phrase was all it took to freeze her expression solid.
"Do you know anything about the Periwinkle witch?"
The instant "Periwinkle" left Siu's mouth…
Eloa whipped her head toward the window without thinking.
Periwinkle?
Why was her name coming up all of a sudden?
Eloa had buried her thoughts of the VR porn she'd spied on over the past two days beneath the cheerful mood.
The 36 hours of voyeuristic sex-watching. The way her body had shamefully heated up at the sight.
An mortifying incident she could never breathe a word of to anyone flooded her mind.
Had Siu already figured out that she knew something?
Or was he slyly fishing for hints?
"I-I-I don't know her. I know nothing."
Her mind blank, Eloa blurted out the denial.
Siu cocked his head at her near-frantic response.
Were he not driving, he'd have spotted her ears burning scarlet through the gaps in her hair.
"I really don't know. No lie—it's true."
"I didn't think you were lying…"
It was an odd reaction, but he didn't see it as anything major.
"The other day, when I was away from home. We got a chance to talk one-on-one. Her divination said I'm facing a crisis soon. Uh, probably… death…"
He skipped the gruesome detail about his arm being severed and tacked on that it was already half-resolved.
He could guess how his words might land on Eloa, who already carried the pain of losing someone precious.
Even with his careful approach, Eloa's reaction was explosive. She whipped around to stare at him, eyes wide in panic.
"…What did you just say…?"
Trembling pupils. An atmosphere gone brittle.
Her breathing quickened, as if some trauma had been prodded. Siu hastily added more.
"Of course, thanks to her generosity, I got a way out too. An amulet that can save my life, no matter the crisis."
"Tell me everything."
A prickling wave of hostility poured from Eloa, enough to make his skin sting.
A murderous resolve to cleave apart anyone who threatened Siu.
It reminded him of their first meeting, when she'd slammed a fist into him.
She needed calming first.
"Please don't worry too much. It's not that serious."
"How isn't this serious? The Witch of Luck is a master astrologer. Her prophecies hardly ever miss!"
She claimed not to know Periwinkle, yet seemed awfully well-informed.
"If I lose again… if I lose even you… what am I supposed to do? I, I…"
Already envisioning the worst, Eloa cried out in a voice fragile as if it might shatter.
Siu panicked and pulled over to the shoulder.
"Who? Why? She say anything about what's causing the crisis?"
Eloa clung to his sleeve.
Siu soothed her calmly and laid out his thoughts.
"Periwinkle's leaving Korea for a bit. Her divination showed the crisis hitting within a month.
Given the Cowardly Witch's recent antics, she probably stirs up trouble within that timeframe—and I get dragged in…"
"She said that?"
"Yes. She was thinking the same."
In the wake of the Cowardly Witch's assault, a power vacuum gripped not just Seoul but all of Korea.
Witches, sensing the danger from the string of incidents, had fled back to Gehenna or abroad.
Sua Branch Manager had requested reinforcements from Gehenna and other Wizpoint branches, but the responses were lukewarm at best.
A witch's goal was never to save people in the first place.
Their aim was to elevate their Nature Magic to greater heights.
They tended to prioritize self-preservation over reckless adventures anyway.
For a witch, death wasn't just personal—it meant the extinction of an entire lineage. No one wanted to dive into a sketchy, low-reward mess.
"That's why I said not to worry."
Siu pulled two four-leaf clovers from his cigarette case.
One a fresh green, the other a soft pink.
Gifts from Periwinkle, meant to save his life.
"Even if death's my fate, these'll deflect it once."
Only then did a sliver of relief soften Eloa's cornered expression.
The Witch of Luck was renowned even among witches, and he'd heard tell of her clovers' power before.
"Forgive me. I made a fool of myself."
"No, Master—I sprung it on you too abruptly."
"So, what're your plans?"
"…I don't know yet."
He'd already suspected some incident tied to the Cowardly Witch was brewing.
But he couldn't abandon Sharon—and back-to-back escapes didn't sit right, so he'd put off deciding.
But did he really need to stick it out until a death prophecy?
If even a 20th-circle powerhouse like Periwinkle foresaw mortal peril, wouldn't evacuating with Sharon be smarter?
That was his thinking.
"Run."
Eloa stated it like it was obvious.
"Head to Gehenna and stay put until things calm down. You'll be safer there than here."
"But the Branch Manager said it'd take time to negotiate Sharon's entry."
"I'll handle that."
Gehenna's asylum reviews for exiles were notoriously stringent.
And their bureaucracy was glacially slow—going through official channels took forever, as a rule.
But a witch of Tiphereth's caliber, throwing her name and rank behind it? That could force things through.
Even stripped of wealth and influence, she was still one of Gehenna's three dukes in name.
"You can really do that?"
Siu let out a sigh of relief.
One less worry.
Above all, it meant Sharon—still comatose—could escape the eye of the storm.
"I'll sort it in two days. You and the Evergreen heiress…"
Flee to Gehenna together—she was about to say, when a thought grazed her mind.
"……"
"Master?"
Siu eyed the blankly staring Eloa with puzzlement.
Eloa tugged desperately at his sleeve.
"I'll get the Evergreen heiress to safety in Gehenna. But you…"
She gripped his hand tight, as if she'd never let go.
"…don't go anywhere. Stay by my side."