Chapter 288
Chapter 288
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 288
Chapter Title: The Twins and Sharon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After the incident in Seoul had finally wrapped up in every way,
Siu sent word through Eloa that he would head straight to Gehenna.
He had heard that Sharon, who collapsed after being struck down by the Drowned Witch, had recovered, so he wanted to see her face.
He had to check on the twins, who were no doubt waiting eagerly only for their assistant.
He needed to keep Takasho company too, the poor guy left all alone without any friends.
And there were things he wanted to tell Amelia, who had suffered the worst kind of farewell... but.
An unexpected situation cropped up, delaying his visit to Gehenna just a little.
"Hmm... a problem, a problem."
Siu stared at the 'Red Branch' sitting on his desk.
Around it lay rolls of enchanted paper embroidered with the most intricate magic formulas imaginable.
Lately, Siu had been pouring his efforts into controlling the Red Branch.
With his body now turned into an immortal spirit that couldn't even die of old age, and as the world's first male witch to boot.
Who knew what the endless years ahead might bring?
Even setting aside any sense of justice or duty, he felt the need to prepare for his old age, so to speak.
"Haa... does this even make sense?"
Generally speaking, an artifact was an item containing embedded magic.
For example, the Orgel that played the Song of Silence semi-permanently, or the Janissary the twins carried for protection.
But taking it a step further, relics were artifacts that could wield magic on par with Nature Magic or serve as catalysts in their own right—like Sharon's wand or the Red Branch.
To elaborate a bit more, artifacts were relatively mass-producible rare items that were easier to craft, while relics were unique or legendary items.
But as the saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Siu had gotten his hands on a great item for once, but he couldn't even touch the Red Branch properly.
"No clue where to even start."
Siu sighed as he gazed at the Red Branch, now wrapped tightly in a black ribbon until it was as thick as a tree trunk.
The delay in heading to Gehenna was all because of this thing.
Even wrapped thoroughly in ribbon, its overwhelming distortion field scrambled the portal pass's coordinates on its own.
Attempting to enter Gehenna like this could lead to who-knows-what disaster, so he'd given up and holed up at home to analyze it.
"If I could just make proper use of it..."
The Red Branch constantly emanated a hazardous distortion field like a nuclear fuel rod.
For now, he'd managed to get it down to a 'portable' level by using the Virgin's Loom and tweaking the weaving method, but that was just a stopgap.
No matter how carefully Siu wove the ribbon, the distortion field slowly corroded it.
So even wrapped up this tightly, he had to replace the ribbon entirely once a day, and it still leaked faint distortion waves into the surroundings.
But on the flip side, if he could fully harness this terrifying power, it would mark real progress in his retirement preparations.
That's why he'd buckled down to study it seriously... but.
It wasn't as easy as it sounded.
No matter how closely he observed the flow of mana with his own eyes, his existing knowledge of magic hit a hard limit.
The distortion field itself was as inscrutably complex as some form of Nature Magic.
He finally had a unique item in hand, but equipment restrictions kept him from using it—such a shame.
"Not working out, huh?"
Just then, the door creaked open, and Eloa came stomping in.
Her ponytail, prettier than spring cherry blossoms, swayed side to side.
In her hands was a tray loaded with coffee and fruit.
"Thank you, Master. This is trickier than I thought."
Siu stood from his seat, took the tray, and sat on the sofa.
Eloa often brought him snacks like this, since he'd been buried in research all day for days on end.
Eloa peered at the enchanted paper Siu had been scribbling on, a warm smile on her face.
"I wish I could help somehow. How about getting some exercise? Sitting at that desk all day will only narrow your thinking."
Of course, Eloa was an exceptional witch herself.
But regrettably, her Word of Power magic didn't use mana fields at all, so she couldn't assist with interpreting the Red Branch.
And even if she took the time to analyze it, Siu couldn't just replicate her Nature Magic framework perfectly anyway.
"You're already helping plenty. I'll put off training for a bit. I want to get into Gehenna first, anyway."
Siu gave a wry smile, turning down Eloa's suggestion.
Sparring with her was certainly beneficial and fun, but it took a ton out of him physically.
Right now, focusing on research seemed like the right call.
"I might be able to use better materials or research tools in Gehenna, so for now, I'll tweak the ribbon's weave just enough to cross the portal with it."
"How long do you think that'll take?"
"If it's just that much, two or three days should do it."
One of Eloa's eyebrows twitched up in slight surprise.
If he was right, that meant he'd nearly perfected shielding an entirely unfamiliar type of mana field in under a week.
Instead of groaning like that, he had every right to brag.
That he didn't show off in moments like this was so very Siu.
"You looked so frustrated, I thought you'd hit a wall. As expected of my disciple."
"There you go again."
Eloa, who'd gotten a taste for praising him, smiled faintly as Siu scratched his head in embarrassment.
Watching her disciple grow—even if it was just a temporary fix—was a teacher's joy.
But lately, she found even more delight in teasing Siu and watching him flustered.
Yeah, this distance was just right.
This warm, harmonious relationship brimming with mutual trust.
So Eloa thought as she fed Siu a piece of apple speared on a fork.
2.
While Siu was still puzzling over how to carry the Red Branch through the portal,
Sharon paced back and forth in front of the twins' study door.
She circled endlessly over the red carpet laid across the entire corridor, designed to block external noise from the lesson.
She steadied her anxious heart.
"Hoo..."
Last night, Sharon had gone to Albireo and accepted her proposal.
It sounded simple to explain, simple to say—but it had taken endless agonizing to decide.
So that the next time she saw Siu, she could stand proudly as his equal partner.
She wanted to transform from the Sharon who'd only received into the Sharon who gave endlessly.
If she could steel herself for that somehow...
Right now, as she was about to start the lecture, a different issue was tying her stomach in knots.
"Okay, no problem."
Sharon, spinning in place like a puppy chasing its tail, took a deep breath and opened the classroom door.
Right away, she saw the wall-mounted fireplace taking up one side and the window overlooking a beautiful garden.
Opposite the lectern and blackboard sat desks placed side by side.
At those desks were the noble lady twins, who looked exactly alike.
Their glossy black hair gleamed unrealistically, and their signature oversized half-bonnets jumped out immediately.
Sharon, clutching the lesson materials she'd prepared to teach the twins, feigned composure.
But the moment she entered, she realized her predictions had been spot on.
"......"
"......"
It wasn't her imagination—a chill silence hung in the air.
Sharon and the twins had met face-to-face once before.
When the twins had made a surprise visit to the present world with Countess Deneb, they'd watched movies together and eaten all sorts of delicious things.
Back then, the twins had felt like cute little sisters.
In fact, they had followed Sharon around like an older sister.
But.
Now that they'd reunited, the vibe was completely different.
"......"
"......"
Sharon swallowed unconsciously.
The twins stared at her with eyes so calm they were icy.
Their jewel-like pupils locked on firmly as Sharon moved from the door to the lectern.
It was exactly like the first time they'd spotted Sharon living with Siu.
Wary.
Suspicious.
With some deep-seated resentment or scheme hidden away.
This much was expected when Countess Albireo intervened personally in the romance department.
If winning love was war, then Sharon was squarely an 'enemy nation' to the twins.
The countess might not have said it outright, but for her to get so involved in her apprentice witches' love lives meant the twins had likely asked her to.
But she wasn't backing down yet.
They were just apprentices, after all.
Sharon was a rank-20 great witch who'd fully overcome incomplete succession.
Rival or not, competing for Siu or whatever—this was class time.
To lead these tomboyish twins, she needed to seize the initiative right away.
"Hello. I'm Sharon Evergreen, and starting today, I'll be handling lectures on four-element theory and applied elemental magic."
But for all her bold resolve and cool demeanor, Sharon was faint of heart.
Even as she spoke sternly, her heart pounded wildly for some reason.
"Hello. Glad to see you're better."
"Hello. You look healthy— that's a relief."
The twins greeted her politely, as if by prior agreement.
It was a far cry from how friendly they'd been during their short time together in the present world.
A subtle battle of wills that instantly created distance.
Sharon felt bitter and a bit hurt inside at how the twins she'd thought were close had changed so suddenly.
Without showing it, Sharon picked up the chalk and launched straight into the orientation.
Before diving in, she needed to discuss what they'd cover and where prep was needed.
For apprentice witches, studying magic was like laying the foundation before building a structure.
How solidly it was built determined how quickly and deeply they'd internalize spells from the Stigma—truly crucial.
"Alright, we'll divide it into 12 parts total over the year. There'll be weekly assignments based on what you've learned, and regular exams at the end of each month to check your progress."
"Yes."
"Yes."
Any chance for further talk ended curtly with one-word answers.
"Any questions?"
The twins exchanged a quick glance.
Without a word, they nodded to each other and replied.
"No."
"None."
"...Then let's jump right into the first chapter."
Sharon referenced the textbook and scribbled elemental magic formulas on the blackboard.
First, it was time to gauge the twins' skill level.
"Miss Odil, could you solve this problem first?"
"Yes."
Odil rose smoothly from her seat and walked to the blackboard.
The lesson continued under constant tension, like a ceasefire negotiation table stretched taut from start to finish.