Chapter 260
Chapter 260
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 260
Chapter Title: All Darkness Comes from the East (6)
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1.
Siu's training schedule had become a bit tighter than before.
It wasn't due to any particular reason; he simply felt the necessity to do something in a situation where he couldn't predict what dangers might come.
He had expanded his usual intense two-hour session around noon into one in the morning and another in the evening.
Of course, it was grueling to the point of death.
His strict and rigid teacher, Eloa, wouldn't go easy on him just because the schedule was packed—ending up battered black and blue in the morning meant getting thrashed again in the evening.
A sports car with a luxurious engine hum.
"So, I got half a day off per week. With help from my friend Takasho, whom I mentioned before, I bought daily necessities in Tarot Town. Well, they were mostly magic items, not exactly everyday stuff."
"……"
As Siu shared various stories from his time in Gehenna at Eloa's request.
Eloa reclined comfortably against the backrest, her eyes gently closed.
Siu, glancing at her sidelong, asked.
"Are you very tired?"
Her tightly shut eyelids fluttered, and Eloa opened her eyes.
"No, I'm listening. Sorry, I was the one who asked you to talk..."
In truth, this training—pushed forward at Siu's request—was a burden on Eloa as well.
Her chronic weakness was endurance.
In the process of recklessly refining her Nature Magic to pursue greater strength, the optimizations she had previously achieved were shattered.
She could unleash tremendous power in an instant, but conversely, she depleted just as quickly.
To put it simply, think of it as a race-tuned sports car that doesn't give a damn about fuel efficiency.
Moreover, compared to Eloa, dealing with Siu—who was endlessly frail—required more effort in "controlling her power to avoid seriously injuring him" than in "the strength of her swings."
If I had to compare, it's like holding soft tofu without crushing it.
Additionally, higher hierarchy doesn't necessarily mean one can handle greater amounts of mana unconditionally.
Depending on the form of the Stigma or the lineage of magic, the amount of mana each witch can wield or store varies greatly.
If that weren't the case, Siu—who could generate an enormous amount through repeated amplification—would have reached around the 25th hierarchy long ago.
Eloa wasn't particularly exceptional in mana storage capacity.
Thus, after the second training session, she often ended up like this: eyes closed, quietly resting.
"I wonder if I asked too much of you."
"Isn't the effect quite good? You must feel it too."
"Your teachings, Master—need I say more?"
"Teasing me again, are you?"
Siu spoke playfully, and Eloa let out a small chuckle.
"Still, it doesn't seem like you only have bad memories."
"I wouldn't go that far... but I do think of it sometimes. I miss my friends too."
"You were the exclusive servant of Baroness Marigold, right? Did she treat you well?"
Siu hesitated before answering.
"...Yes, at least after I became her exclusive, she provided a lot of conveniences."
It was only a slight delay, but Eloa quickly noticed the ambiguous shift in Siu's mood.
Whenever he talked about his slave days, he was quite lively, but he always clammed up specifically about Marigold.
He never brought her up first either.
"If we meet her again later, I should at least pass on your thanks."
"Have you met Amelia?"
"When I first heard the news of Ea Sadalmelik's death. Deneb arranged it. That wicked woman met her end at the baron's hands, after all."
"Ah..."
Come to think of it, there was that connection too.
He glanced at the passenger seat to check if she seemed down, but it was the usual Eloa.
Even with those sleepy eyes that looked ready to nod off any second.
"What was she like?"
"What do you mean?"
"Amelia, in that state..."
"Well, I wasn't in a state to observe closely at the time... but she was a strikingly beautiful witch, just as the rumors said."
A brief awkward silence followed.
Siu broke the slightly heavying atmosphere first.
"You're beautiful too, Master."
"Spare me the honeyed words. I told you not to, and here you go teasing again."
"It's true."
"Enough!"
Tiphereth always tried to maintain her dignity, but whenever Siu offered compliments like this, even the stern master couldn't hide her embarrassment.
She subtly enjoyed it, though, so he made it a occasional service.
"So, today..."
"Siu! Ahead!"
As they exited onto a quiet road adjacent to an alleyway.
Eloa urgently called Siu's name.
At her alert tone full of wariness, he looked forward and saw a shadowy figure in the headlights.
Siu slammed on the brakes immediately.
The tires screeched against the asphalt as he hit the emergency brake, his body lurching forward.
But no matter how quickly he reacted, the distance was too short.
The opponent had hidden perfectly in his blind spot and dashed out suddenly.
The impact was unbelievable for hitting just one person—the car jolted violently.
Amid the crashing sounds, something tumbled over the windshield and rolled across the roof.
"Damn...!"
As Siu hurriedly opened the door to get out, Eloa grabbed his wrist.
"I'll go first."
"Master, this isn't the time..."
"Siu, stay calm. It's not human."
Eloa, already having summoned her Contract Sword, pointed it diagonally at the car's bumper.
Siu swallowed hard.
It wasn't even that fast.
Maybe 60 km/h at most.
He'd braked hard before impact, and considering the supercar's excellent braking, the speed had likely dropped much lower.
Yet the car was nearly totaled.
It wouldn't be like this from hitting a human body.
Eloa opened the door and aimed her sword at whatever had flown to the rear of the car.
"……."
Siu followed, glancing at the wrecked bumper before approaching Eloa.
A woman lay sprawled on the asphalt.
Her clothes were torn in places, her body covered in horrific wounds and burns.
They didn't look like they came from the car collision.
Amid it all, that fox-like appearance and red hair were familiar.
"A witch."
"I know her. It's Della Redcliff."
Siu realized why Periwinkle's beloved car was smashed from such an impact.
Probably the autonomous defense activated at the moment of collision.
It hurt that the car he'd been growing fond of was beyond repair, but it was a hundred times better than hitting a person—he let out a sigh of relief.
"Redcliff? This one?"
"Yes, definitely."
Redcliff was Sochitl's close associate.
A classmate at Trinity Academy, and there were accounts of her spending long periods close to the Witch of Cowardice back when she was still the Witch of Longevity.
That's why Sua hadn't named Redcliff—who'd gone missing after the Dagon flute incident—as a accomplice, right?
"Step back."
Della lay unconscious, seemingly from the impact.
If she'd been in perfect condition, the autonomous defense wouldn't have ended with this much power.
It would have fully absorbed the impact and counterburned the car—and she wouldn't be pathetically collapsed like this.
But the wounds Della had apparently sustained before this were far from ordinary.
Even for a witch, leaving them untreated much longer could threaten her life.
Still, he couldn't let Siu approach a witch suspected as an accomplice.
As he tried to assess the exact situation.
A hazy dome-shaped barrier began to envelop the street area.
"This is..."
Simultaneously with the barrier field enveloping the night street, five White Knights appeared.
The White Knights, identical down to the decalcomania print, wielded long white spears.
They were the ones pursuing the fleeing Della.
Each flashed four eyeballs, glaring at Siu, Tiphereth, and the fallen Della.
No conversation, no visible communication among themselves.
Acting like crude artificial intelligences yet positioning perfectly to encircle.
A hunting formation.
No individuality, only a sense of unity as a group.
"Siu."
Eloa examined them before addressing Siu.
One thing that had always been lacking during his training assistance was Siu's real combat experience.
No matter how close to real they made spars, it inevitably differed from life-or-death fights.
Della didn't seem about to die immediately, and if worst came to worst, Eloa could instantly aid Siu if he got in danger.
"Give it a try. I'll check on Redcliff."
"Understood."
Siu nodded and wordlessly raised his shadows.
Since the White Knights appeared, tension and tremors welled up, followed by fighting spirit and curiosity.
He had undoubtedly grown from getting thoroughly thrashed by Eloa.
He'd perfectly mastered reinforcing his body with mana, learned footwork projection, and through countless repetitions, fully internalized the Contract of the King of All Diseases.
But with Eloa as the sparring partner, he couldn't truly feel the growth.
She always suppressed her power to his limits, even after his progress.
How much difference could sparring with a boxing champ who'd dominated eight weight classes show?
Beating street punks and thinking, "Hey, I'm getting strong."
Last time on the shopping mall rooftop against a White Knight, going all-out barely let him take down one.
Even that was one-on-one, after brushing death multiple times.
So, how about now?
After special training from Eloa—who boasted supremacy in close combat—had much changed?
"Rise."
The billowing shadows coiled around Siu like black smoke.
Sleek and sharp design.
They say a fairy's garb without a single stitch is heavenly embroidery.
In that sense, Siu's armor was an impossibly perfect suit in reality.
No vulnerable joints or gaps.
It fit every body part seamlessly, absorbed shocks, and allowed unrestricted movement like being bare.
A matte black armor reflecting no light.
As the helmet sprouted from his spine covered his face, only the golden glow from his mana-emitting left eye shone brilliantly.
Siu extended his hand: a heater shield covering his upper body in his left, the familiar longsword in his right.
His heart pounded fiercer; his limbs grew cold.
Fear assuming the worst filled his heart to bursting; chilling tension frosted his skin.
Indeed, fighting wasn't enjoyable.
If avoidable, avoidance was best.
But on the day Sharon was pierced by the drowned witch.
The day he could do nothing but watch that horrific tragedy.
Siu realized: those who cower in fear only lose everything.
Throughout months of training, Eloa always said:
Fear the fight.
Never deem it enjoyable.
But when the time to fight comes, do not retreat.
Now was the time to learn not to cower or flee.
Siu thrust his sword forward, assuming the defensive stance he'd learned through countless blows.
"Let's do this."
With his low mutter.
The five White Knights simultaneously kicked off the ground.