Chapter 282
Chapter 282
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 282
Chapter Title: Interlude (4)
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Deep and dark space.
The darkness so profound it seemed endless stole away even one's sense of distance.
But what Sharon felt was none of the fear or dread the darkness might bring.
Rather, it was like returning to a familiar, cozy womb.
This was the world of the unconscious.
The conceptual space known as Ain, where all the magical assets accumulated by witches across generations were stored.
How much time had passed?
What was happening out there?
To Sharon in her current state, such things were utterly trivial.
In this profound space where she felt no emotions—as if her very personality might fragment into pieces—she focused solely on her magic.
At the center of Ain loomed a massive cross-shaped structure, dominating everything.
Encompassing the power of the five elements, it was the Elemental Orbit.
Countless motes of water, fire, earth, wind, and void floated through the darkness like fairies dancing.
"Beautiful..."
Even without clear consciousness, Sharon felt awe toward it.
She contemplated the cold, the warm, the solid, the brimming life force, and the harmony that unified them all—endlessly interpreting and analyzing.
Ain held more than just structures within.
There were elements. There was mana.
Mana that hadn't originally been Sharon's—the mana she'd received time and again—surged around the structure like fierce rapids.
And changes began to occur.
The Elemental Orbit resonated, vibrating as if shaking heaven and earth.
"Ah..."
In that instant, an intellectual ecstasy akin to rapture surged through Sharon's entire body.
It was enlightenment.
The flood of information and knowledge she'd felt upon first receiving the Stigma.
It was the process of absorbing the knowledge Sharon had been meant to fully inherit.
With each deafening roar that left her ears ringing, mana extended into the Orbit, as if reviving necrotic nerves.
The Stigma's disabled parts, crippled by incomplete succession, came vividly back to life.
At last, the elements thrashed in apparent joy at the birth of the great witch who had claimed her rightful authority.
Each element embraced Sharon, swirling around her body like whirlwinds.
She surrendered willingly to that torrent.
An intense shock pierced through the contradictions and quandaries she'd never understood.
With a light so blinding it stung the eyes...
"Ah..."
Sharon's eyes fluttered open as she lay quietly on the bed.
Regaining her senses, she found herself in a room bathed in pleasant slanted moonlight.
Spacious enough for a commoner family of four to live comfortably.
Turning her eyes—oversensitive to light from long disuse—she scanned every corner, finding it filled with antique yet luxurious furniture.
Narrowing her focus to the bed itself.
The feather pillow cradling her head felt like the finest quality.
The blanket draped up to her chest was equally top-notch.
Even the elegant canopy overhead was exquisitely embroidered, its premium craftsmanship obvious at a glance.
"...Ah!"
Her stagnant memories rushed back as consciousness fully returned.
The last thing etched in Sharon's mind: the drowned witch plunging a pike into her chest.
And Siu, left alone before the mighty Homunculus.
"Siu!"
Despite knowing full well he wasn't nearby, Sharon cried out urgently, frantically scanning her surroundings.
Until she could confirm his safety, even the completion of the full succession she'd so desperately longed for meant nothing.
"Ugh! Heuk!"
Her body merely touched the floor, and her autonomous defenses activated.
Her limbs had stiffened from lying motionless for so long.
How much time had passed since then?
What had happened to Siu?
Sharon flailed in near panic when her body suddenly froze.
The view outside the window had caught her eye.
"What...?"
At first, she thought she'd seen wrong.
She could guess someone had rescued her.
Inferring they'd treated her wounds and nursed her with meticulous care wasn't hard.
But the vast garden stretching out the window, and the landscape beyond it, defied explanation—her mind blanked for a moment.
Yes.
This wasn't the present world. It was Gehenna.
The pristine air free of even fine dust, and the room evoking the Belle Époque era, confirmed it once more.
"I see..."
Soon enough, Sharon accepted it.
"I'm dead..."
She'd returned to the Gehenna she'd longed for so desperately, and she'd recovered every last bit of the Stigma her master had passed down.
No witch with a fate as twisted as hers could possibly have things go this smoothly.
This had to be the afterlife, where every wish came true in blissful happiness.
Would Siu appear if she used her Siu-summoning spell?
No, this was heaven, so calling for him wouldn't kill him back in the real world, right?
Sharon's dazed mind wandered to somewhat absurd thoughts.
"Is that so? To my eyes, you look perfectly alive."
"Hii!"
A voice from behind made Sharon leap straight up in place.
She whipped around.
The realization shattered her delusions in an instant. In one second flat, she summoned her witch robes and wand, aiming squarely behind her.
The witch gazing at her with a half-amused expression was a familiar face.
It had been ages since they'd met face-to-face, but she'd only recently encountered the woman's spitting-image little sister.
"C-Countess..."
"Call me Albireo, casually."
Sharon's face drained of color as she hastily hid her wand behind her back.
A debtor's instincts were truly terrifying.
They'd rapidly cooled her muddled, just-awakened head.
"Guessing you'd be curious, I'll tell you upfront: Siu is safe. Word arrived that the disturbance in Seoul was resolved without issue. Also, this is the Jemernai Countess's manor, and there's nothing wrong with Evergreen miss's body."
"Yes...?"
"Everything turned out fine. No need to worry."
Sharon stood frozen in a daze for a long while.
Tears streamed from her wide-open eyes.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed in a heap.
Siu was safe.
That was enough.
"I'm so glad... so glad... thank goodness..."
Albireo watched the scene with a complicated gaze before handing over a handkerchief.
"Sniff... Thank you... But really, I'm so glad..."
"Shall we talk?"
2.
"Uh... do I have something to say?"
If forest fairy elves really existed, they'd probably look something like this: a lovable appearance, with large breasts and wide, childbearing hips that even a loose patient gown couldn't hide.
As Sharon's mint-green eyes glanced warily while Albireo lost herself in thought admiring the beauty...
Either way, the Jemernai Countess was the creditor, and Sharon the chronic debtor who'd failed to repay over long, long years.
If she tacked on extra debt under some pretext like nursing fees, Sharon would have no choice but to pay up.
"Sigh. I figured you'd be curious about what happened, roughly."
"What do you mean?"
"Recent events involving Siu. Strangely, he's only ever caught up in the big ones."
To the baffled Sharon, Albireo explained recent events step by step.
With her various networks and informants even in the present world, it wasn't odd that she knew the full story.
The string of Seoul incidents had been the Cowardice Witch's scheme.
Siu, cooperating with Tiphereth Duke, had subjugated the Red Knight and the Cowardice Witch.
They'd wrapped up the aftermath without major issues and planned to come to Gehenna to meet the twins and Sharon.
Sharon's face had crumpled like the sky was falling upon hearing only that Siu had been in danger—but she finally exhaled the breath she'd been holding upon learning it had all ended without serious mishap.
"You were in a coma, Sharon miss. At Siu's request, we of the Jemernai Countess house have been aiding your recovery."
"Thank you. I can't thank you enough..."
Albireo's gaze grew even more complicated as it lingered over Sharon's head, bowed politely in thanks.
Having heard Siu's recent updates from Deneb, Albireo couldn't deny her own miscalculation.
A man-woman relationship could be inferred easily from conversational hints.
The minutiae of mutual feelings and emotions, especially.
In Sharon's case, she might as well have been dropping blatant clues everywhere.
Considering the dramatically improved quality of her mana, it was clear she'd overcome the incomplete succession while unconscious.
The trigger had probably been drawing near the world of the unconscious.
Moreover, she'd been on the brink of death and pulled back.
For Siu to be the first person on her mind in that moment...
Albireo's diagnosis: Sharon's affection for Siu bordered on blind love.
Siu, too—prioritizing Sharon's evacuation even as he stayed behind in Seoul.
Not to mention the incident happening at a hotel. Their relationship's progress was plain as day.
They even seemed to be living together—quite literally a fiery romance.
Of course, expelling Siu from Gehenna had been Albireo's own decision.
Having noticed Siu treading dangerously close to the line with the twins, she'd judged it best to separate the three at least until the succession was complete.
They claimed it was only rearguard fun, but couldn't one careless slip happen someday?
The choice she'd made for the twins' sake now felt regrettable in hindsight.
In the end, the man the twins were so smitten with had been snatched by the formidable witch Sharon Evergreen...
She'd promised them he'd wait five years, and that was true—but knowing how harsh life in the present world could be, as the one who'd driven him out, she could hardly blame him for straying while leaving the twins behind.
But meekly conceding the field made her second-rate.
Albireo had her own plans.
She laid out the original reason for requesting this private audience with Sharon.
"Evergreen miss."
"Yes."
"Any thought of staying at our manor and serving as home tutor for the twins?"
"Yes...?"
"Marigold Baron's away, leaving the elemental magic instructor position vacant. The Evergreen school is the closest to orthodox among existing elemental magics—perfect fit. I've prepared a contract; take a look."
For the twins' sake, even if the means weren't entirely aboveboard, slipping in here was for the best.
Sorry as she felt for Sharon—even knowing hearts couldn't be controlled.
She couldn't just sit idle when it came to her beloved daughters' happiness.
"Eh?!?!"
Sharon jolted in shock while skimming the contract amid the sudden proposal.
The conditions were far too generous.
The twins were set to inherit the Stigma within five years.
In other words, maximum contract term: five years.
Whether they succeeded in inheriting or failed due to insufficient achievement, all remaining debt would be nullified.
Research materials held as loan collateral would be fully returned.
During the term: substantial research funding, living expenses, housing-cum-workshop, and dignity maintenance stipend.
Upon termination: recommendation to the Truth True Name Conference or an introduction to Trinity Academy.
Not just wiping the debt—it paved a solid path through her present and future.
"Wonderful! I'll give it my all!"
Sharon beamed, practically bouncing with joy.
If this worked out, she'd never need to lean on Siu again.
She could stand on her own two feet and be with him as an equal.
She could escape the problem that had tormented her for decades.
For Sharon, it was an offer too sweet to refuse.
"But there's a condition."
Ignoring Sharon's exuberance as best she could, Albireo spoke up.
"Keep your distance from Siu?"