Chapter 300
Chapter 300
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 300
Chapter Title: Three-Way Battle (3)
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The dining hall in the main building of the Jemernai estate.
A vase of freshly picked flowers from the garden sat atop a table so massive that it would take eight billiard tables joined together to match its size.
Seated at the head of the table, farthest from the entrance, were Albireo and Deneb. Facing each other at the seats closest to the hosts were Siu and Eloa, with the twins beside Eloa. Sharon sat next to Siu.
Even with just these seven guests at the banquet, the servants relentlessly served course after course, filling the enormous table to the brim with dishes.
A feast of delicacies spread out before them.
Roast songbird, whole suckling pig, and rare seafood from Gehenna piled high. Forks and knives—ten in total—lined up to the left and right of each plate. Five elegantly curved glasses stood ready. Separate spoons and knives sat in front of the plates, their purposes a mystery.
It felt like another world altogether.
This scene straight out of Harry Potter, upgraded and unfolding right before his eyes, left Siu inexplicably tense.
The servants who had served the food didn't retreat but stood behind each guest like bodyguards. With the table so vast, they were probably there to fetch dishes from distant corners.
The maid (or so she appeared) behind Siu leaned in discreetly, refilling his glass with wine as he fumbled awkwardly.
"If there's anything you need, please let me know."
Unlike the wide-eyed, bewildered Sharon and Siu, everyone else remained perfectly composed—even Eloa, whom he'd always thought of as quite down-to-earth.
To Gehenna's upper crust, this was just standard table fare.
"Thank you for accepting our invitation, Duchess Tiphereth."
"Welcome to our estate, Siu."
Albireo and Deneb greeted Siu and Eloa with beaming smiles.
"...I'm the one who's grateful."
"Oh, thank you. This is my first time at such a splendid dinner."
"You're both important guests of our family."
"We've prepared dessert separately, so please enjoy yourselves."
The two countesses, as hosts, elegantly draped their napkins over their laps, and the meal began.
But Siu had no clue where to start or how to proceed.
He followed suit, picking up the fork and knife from the outermost edge, as the countesses did.
As he reached for the songbird dish that caught his eye, the maid behind him smoothly portioned some onto his plate.
This mix of convenience and discomfort was oddly burdensome.
"Siu, we've heard about your exploits in Seoul. No injuries, I hope? Gehenna's been buzzing with tales of you lately. The rumors even reached beyond our estate walls."
Deneb, with whom he had the most prior connection, asked first in a warm tone. Her refined smile and speech were impeccable.
"It was a big deal, but the duchess was with me. What could I have done?"
"Oh, but word is you shone brightly yourself."
"No, really, I just pitched in a little."
"You're always so humble, Siu. Perhaps we should hear from the duchess herself?"
Conversations naturally shifted toward Eloa.
"......"
But since the meal began, Eloa hadn't uttered a word. She stared blankly into space, slicing her steak without even looking at it—but not bringing any to her mouth. After mincing the meat finely, she turned to shredding the asparagus garnish.
"Um... Duchess...?"
Deneb called out quizzically as the conversation stalled.
Yet Eloa continued dismantling the asparagus.
"Teacher."
"Ah...!"
Only after Siu called her name did Eloa's gaze refocus, snapping out of a trance. She blinked in confusion at the stares directed her way, then locked eyes with Siu. She immediately averted them, stiffly turning to Deneb.
"Wh-what did you say?"
"We were asking about Siu's activities in the mortal world."
Eloa had her own reasons.
She had spied on Siu and Sharon having sex.
Not stopping there, her body had heated up shamefully, leaving her in a half-panic.
Deneb's words triggered a bizarre chain of thought in her mind.
Siu => mortal world => exploits.
Rainwater tunnel => mana replenishment => priest sex.
This automatic mind map made her already hazy head spin even more. As if to sever the stray thoughts, her voice rose unwittingly.
"I-I know nothing about it!"
"Pardon? Ah... I see."
"Deneb, that's rude. It seems the duchess prefers to keep Siu's feats to herself."
"Oh dear, I had no idea..."
Eloa's vehement reaction flustered everyone. Albireo tried to smooth it over with a laugh, but the awkwardness lingered.
In truth, Eloa was still reeling from the shock.
She had fled the villa in a hurry upon realizing her underwear was soaked.
The aftermath still left her in turmoil.
It hit harder than viewing through Siu's eyes.
Spying on the Periwinkle coupling was an accident, not her choice.
Embarrassing and mortifying, but rationalizable as an unforeseen mishap.
But today...
She had chosen to voyeur Siu and Sharon for quite some time.
She'd justified it with various excuses at the time, but tangible evidence shattered those flimsy rationales: the love juices soaking her panties.
Despite claiming to be his temporary mentor, she had seen him as a man.
Even after rationalizing her embrace as necessity, she had peeked at their intercourse uninvited, projecting herself onto Sharon's position and feeling sexual arousal.
This realized truth was enough to plunge Eloa into shock.
She couldn't even look him straight in the face.
Shame and guilt burned her cheeks.
"I'm not feeling well, so I'll take my leave first. Sorry to cut out on such a gracious invitation..."
Knowing it was rude to rise first from such a meticulously hosted table, Eloa bolted upright anyway.
Ignoring the startled countesses' gazes, she exited the dining hall.
"Siu, did I perhaps offend the duchess somehow?"
Deneb blinked in wide-eyed surprise at Tiphereth Duchess's reaction. Like mother, like daughters—her expression mirrored the twins perfectly.
Siu vaguely guessed Eloa's sudden outburst and explained on her behalf.
"She overexerted herself back then. She's been unwell lately, skipping meals often."
"Ah, that's a relief, then."
"We should introduce her to a good healer."
The minor hiccup passed, and the meal continued.
Deneb and Albireo only tossed in brief questions now and then, allowing Siu to enjoy the food at ease. Even the twins were uncharacteristically quiet.
"Sharon, try this. It's really good."
"Eat plenty. I'm good with this."
"Come on."
"Ugh, fine."
This time, Sharon replied curtly, not coldly chilling but worlds apart from their recent bedchamber intimacy.
Sharon had her own circumstances.
She had breached her contract with Countess Albireo.
No video review needed—she'd hit a home run just three minutes into meeting Siu.
Her employer was the countess, after all. She planned to maintain some "appropriate distance" going forward.
With no clear guidelines, Sharon brazenly decided, "As long as we don't have sex every day?" If called out later, they'd hash out proper rules then.
That aside, flaunting closeness with Siu felt a tad uncomfortable.
Unaware of her backstory, Siu found it baffling—more so than Eloa's oddity. He turned awkwardly to the twins.
"Lady Odil, Lady Odet. Try this. It's delicious."
"We're fine, assistant."
"We've eaten plenty. You have more."
Even the reliable twins acted strangely.
Normally—or at least from their first meeting cheer—
"This dish was made by Jemernai's exclusive chef [Name]—it's [Dish]!"
"Mortal food was tasty too, but you'd fall head over heels! It's [Dish] made by [Method] with premium [Ingredient]!"
That would've been normal.
Instead, they politely declined and whispered among themselves.
But the twins had their reasons too.
"Did you count, sis?"
"Yeah, in the time our eyes met his four times, he locked eyes with Sharon ten! And we're right in front...!"
"Look at Sharon pretending not to be close. That's all deception."
"Infuriating."
After peeking on Siu and Sharon's romp today.
The twins held strategy time.
Key discussion points:
What killer move could only they pull off, not Sharon?
What was needed to wedge into the near-lovers' gap?
With little time till dinner and a rushed invitation, they could only observe at the table: how Sharon treated Siu, how Siu treated Sharon.
Mindful of their teacher possibly eavesdropping, they stuck to surface chat but pondered deeply.
Thus, Siu's sole conversation partner left: the countesses.
"By the way, Siu, how long do you plan to stay in Gehenna?"
"Not sure? Probably about a week."
"Hm, shorter than expected. We could provide a separate villa if you'd like..."
"No plans to stay as our family guest? We'd treat you as an honored dignitary."
For the Jemernai countesses, keeping Siu in Gehenna was advantageous.
They hoped he'd pair with the twins.
Staying at the estate would increase twin contact; tasting the sweet fruit of "Jemernai" would make other witches pale in comparison—that was their scheme.
"That'd impose too much. Thank you for the thought."
"Hmm, is that so? Oh, right—I almost forgot."
Albireo let out a meaningful hum and gestured. A nearby attendant approached Siu with a small gift box.
A sleek wooden case revealed a platinum card upon opening. Engraved with the family emblem of twin birds, it had slots on the side.
"What's this...?"
"A credit voucher for your stay in Gehenna. Show it anywhere, and they'll bill it to our family."
"Unlimited limit—use it freely."
"Thank you."
Even "unlimited" aside, Albireo knew Siu's spending habits.
He splurged on food but wasn't extravagantly wasteful.
This was ostentation to impress both Siu and Sharon with their wealth.
Tucking the precious platinum card away, Siu expressed gratitude and chatted idly with the countesses.