Chapter 301
Chapter 301
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 301
Chapter Title: Three-Way Battle (4)
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Daylight broke.
I stretched lazily and rose from the plush bed.
Last night, after enjoying a lavish meal, I'd been given quarters in a separate annex.
It was a two-story stone building—smaller than the main mansion but closer to it than the villa itself.
Of course, the facilities and upkeep were impeccable, so my sleep had been nothing short of perfect.
Peering out the window, I saw that dawn had only just begun to tint the sky a dim gray.
The neatly manicured lawn of the garden glistened with dew in the early morning chill.
"It's 6 a.m."
Lately, I'd been sleeping in more often than not, but my eyes had popped open on their own.
Maybe it was the five years in Gehenna, rising at the crack of dawn like a slave—my internal clock was still wired that way, jolting me awake automatically.
I mulled it over half-seriously.
"Phew..."
I stepped out onto the terrace for my morning smoke.
The crisp late-autumn breeze and fresh air chased away the fog in my head.
As I tapped ash into the conveniently placed ashtray, I ran through my to-do list for the day.
First up: the tasks in Gehenna.
Find research materials to fully master control over the 'Red Branch'.
Right now, all I could manage was keeping its distortion field from radiating wildly.
And even that wasn't foolproof—using spatial transfer with the branch wrapped in ribbon was out of the question.
At best, I could squeeze through a 'Gate'.
The official Gehenna entry 'Gate' had been crafted by the Kether Duke herself, far more stable than my makeshift spatial spells.
Next: visit Takasho.
Nothing major—just catching up with an old friend I'd missed.
Then check on Sharon's condition.
Taken care of yesterday.
After that: meet up with Amelia for a talk...
"Hmm..."
Something about it just didn't sit right.
To me, Amelia was like an ex-girlfriend—a sharp pang in the chest every time she crossed my mind.
We'd parted on bad terms, not someone I could hate outright, nor cherish purely happy memories with.
After regaining my memories and our relationship shattered completely, I'd left a note before heading back to the present world.
It was scrawled in a drunken haze, and enough time had passed that the details were fuzzy...
Sorry for the harsh words.
We both messed up, so it's hard to pin the blame on just one side.
Once our emotions settle, I'd like to talk it out calmly.
Something along those lines.
But there'd been radio silence from Amelia ever since.
She'd quit her associate professor gig, and there was no contact, no visits.
Deep down, I'd assumed it was truly over—bittersweet as that was.
Did I feel guilty or indebted? Not really.
Up until her attitude flipped in the end, Amelia had been the absolute worst boss imaginable.
Still, she kept popping into my head.
The way she'd doted on me back when I was young.
And the tears streaming down her face as she heard my furious resentment at the very end.
I wanted to at least try talking it out.
Maybe her pride—or her clumsy, awkward nature—kept her from showing up honestly.
"Hmm, Takasho first?"
I'd push the heavy stuff back a bit.
Knock out the quick errands first.
My visit to Gehenna hadn't shaken up the twins' packed schedules much.
That meant cramming like Daechi-dong cram school kids until the holiday tomorrow.
Countess Jemernai had that strict-parent vibe, after all.
So today—my one free slot—seemed perfect for seeing Takasho.
-Knock knock
After a quick wash-up and getting dressed...
I knocked on my master's door.
Eloa must've tipped off Countess Jemernai ahead of time—we'd ended up in adjacent rooms in the annex.
It felt a tad overprotective, but knowing her past, I got it.
"You asleep?"
Nothing urgent.
Just the habitual morning check-in.
No response, so I turned to go.
"...Come in."
Her voice sounded utterly exhausted.
I opened the door and found Eloa just sitting up in bed.
True to her tone, dark circles shadowed her eyes.
Even so, a witch is a witch.
Her signature, faintly ruinous beauty shone through the tousled hair and smeared makeup.
I poured her a glass of water while she straightened her pajamas.
"You okay? You look pretty rough."
"I'm fine."
She didn't sound fine at all.
Her voice lacked its usual strength.
"Dressed to head out, I see. Where to?"
"Trinity Academy—to meet a friend. Told you about the one who helped me out a ton while I was here?"
"Takasho?"
"Yeah, him."
It was casual chit-chat, but when our eyes met, Eloa's head snapped away.
Her reaction hit too close to home—I could guess what was up.
The noise from the inn room the other night, plus the countess's questions at dinner, must've dredged up some awful memory for her.
She really had been hung up on it.
Made me feel awkward too.
Saying "don't worry about it" right then would've just made things weirder...
"See you at dinner, then."
I tried to slip away smoothly.
"...Siu, hold on a sec."
Eloa's voice caught me as I reached the door.
I turned back, and she avoided my gaze again.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"...I'm sorry."
"Pardon?"
"There's something I need to apologize to you for."
That's when it clicked.
Eloa wasn't just embarrassed about dredging up old memories.
That day we'd had no choice but to do priestly sex to replenish her mana...
Eloa had pushed me into it, promising "I'll apologize properly someday" while shoving her forehead under my nose to let me catch her scent.
For someone as straitlaced as her, even if it was necessary, it'd felt like forcing seduction on me.
Of course, the circumstances were extreme.
And sharing a bed with a stunner like Eloa? Nothing grueling about that.
But to my by-the-book master, she might've seen it as assault.
She'd never mentioned it since, but now she was apologizing out of the blue.
Too ashamed to bring it up until she'd finally steeled herself.
Naturally, I'd accept the belated apology.
Honestly, I didn't even feel like I deserved one.
"It's fine. I knew about it all along."
"...What?"
"You think I didn't notice?"
Eloa's eyes went wide like a startled rabbit.
Her pretty irises darted about before locking onto me for the first time since I'd entered.
Fine strands of pink hair that would sway gently in the breeze.
Framed by it, her magenta eyes quivered in turmoil.
"......"
Eloa fell silent, lost in thought for what felt like ages.
Nearly a full minute passed—things were getting awkward.
Then, as if double-checking one last time, she asked:
"...You mean yesterday...?"
Yesterday?
I puzzled over it for a second before it hit me.
At dinner, when talk turned to me, she'd bolted from the table.
Countess Jemernai had asked about my exploits, and she'd given no answer before storming out midway.
The mood at the table had tanked hard.
I already knew why she'd reacted that way.
Bringing up yesterday now tied right back to the priestly sex in the rain tunnel—it was all part of the same apology chain.
I nodded simply.
"Yeah, that too."
"You'd already figured it out...?"
"Of course."
Eloa's pale face flushed crimson in an instant.
From peach blush to full-on ripe strawberry.
She mumbled in a tiny voice, utterly mortified.
"I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention... I just acted on impulse... I have no face to show you..."
Her apologetic tone was beyond ordinary.
Like she'd committed a heinous crime.
She looked ready to offer her other cheek if I slapped the right one.
It left me a bit stunned.
"Why... if you knew... didn't you say anything?"
All for being late on the apology and tanking dinner?
She'd been agonizing this much over something so minor—it was pitiful, and oddly endearing.
So very much like my master.
"Well, might sound weird, but... I enjoyed it too. It was a good experience."
"Enjoyed... it...?"
I hadn't thought much of it when I said it, but now it came off a little off-kilter.
Translated, it sounded like: "Ahh, mana-recharge sex with Master. The best."
But if it lightened her burden, a bit of embarrassment was a small price.
I didn't want to see her beating herself up like that, so I spoke from the heart.
"Yeah. I'll treasure it as a precious memory. Anyway, gotta run—busy day."
Staring at each other's faces any longer felt too awkward.
I gave a final wave and slipped out.
"Over nothing. Geez..."
I'd let the mood carry me into calling it a "precious memory"—mortifying in hindsight.
Couldn't just pretend it never happened, though. Time would smooth it over.
Anyway, time to head to Takasho.
During those five years as a slave, if I had to name my biggest pillar of strength, it'd be him without question.
He hadn't just handled errands—he was my one and only friend.
To repay that debt properly, I'd come loaded.
Two massive duffels big enough for an adult woman, stuffed to the brim with goodies from the present world.
For reference, present-world items fetch top dollar in Gehenna.
The border town's 'Gate' isn't free travel.
Shipping goods requires massive resources, so most imports are luxuries for witches.
No contest that hauling Persian silk carpets beats carting in 100 boxes of potato chips.
That's why stuff like cola or cup ramen—"way too cheap for the hassle"—is perpetually scarce.
I'd stocked up on exactly those kinds of sundries.
"Good, all packed tight."
After a final once-over, I prepped my spatial transfer spell for Trinity Academy.
The firmly shut door.
Eloa stared quietly at the spot where Siu had exited moments ago.
No words escaped her lips, but her mind churned in a storm of turmoil.
She'd tossed and turned late into the night, wracked by guilt and self-loathing.
All because the memory of secretly peeping on Sharon and Siu's intimate moment—and how it had soaked her underwear—haunted her relentlessly.
And she'd reached a conclusion.
The latter could stay her private sin.
But the former? She had to apologize properly.
For the voyeurism where her will had clearly played a part, she needed to confess the truth and atone.
Or so she'd thought.
Siu had come in for his usual morning greeting.
After agonizing until the very last second, she'd stopped him at the door and apologized.
The response she'd wrestled so hard to hear was more than enough to shock her.
'It's fine. I knew about it all along.'
Siu had known everything from the start.
'...You mean yesterday...?'
To make sure it wasn't a mix-up, she'd pinpointed yesterday specifically.
Siu had confirmed it.
'Yeah, that too.'
'You'd already figured it out...?'
'Of course.'
Yes—even knowing it all, he hadn't rebuked her.
But simple gratitude wouldn't cut it—not after what came next.
When she'd asked why he hadn't said a word despite knowing, Siu had answered:
A little sheepish, a touch embarrassed.
'Well, might sound weird, but... I enjoyed it too. It was a good experience.'
'I'll treasure it as a precious memory.'
Enjoyed it?
A good experience?
Having sex with Sharon while being watched?
And he'd treasure it as a memory?
From there, it veered wildly off Eloa's rails of common sense.
She wasn't well-versed in man-woman relations.
She knew that was her weak spot.
But even with her limited knowledge, Siu's response screamed abnormal.
Did he have some kind of fetish like that?
Or was gentle Siu just shouldering the blame to spare her further embarrassment?
The latter seemed far more likely for him...
With his words and actions so cryptic and baffling either way, all Eloa could do was groan and opt for a cold shower.