Chapter 309
Chapter 309
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 309
Chapter Title: Barbecue on the Beach
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Sizzle!
A barbecue grill cradling hot charcoal embers.
Onto it goes a thick slab of pork belly, honeycomb-scored in the perfect 2.5cm golden ratio.
The cooler the twins had brought was packed solid with nothing but pork belly—veal and lamb discarded, just this hearty staple.
Nearly 5kg of it, no less.
And judging by the assortment of hard-to-find Gehenna ssam veggies and sauces they'd tossed in alongside, it seemed their first taste of modern-world eats had really hooked them.
"Gulp..."
"Gulp..."
"Gulp..."
Odil and Odet, along with Sharon, sat side by side at the table, gripping forks and knives in both hands.
Their sparkling eyes were locked unblinkingly on the barbecue Siu was grilling.
Delicious food has a way of smoothing over the rough edges in relationships.
That's why crucial meetings like summits or blind dates always happen over meals.
The subtle tension between Sharon and the twins had melted away; now they were all united, eagerly awaiting their share of meat.
The heavy mood from earlier had shattered with Sharon's bubbly arrival, and the four of them had spent the day reveling in beachside leisure.
They'd piled up sand with magic into a massive sandcastle.
Gulped down salty seawater in a swimming race.
Siu, not wanting to ruin his rare vacation, had thrown himself into hyping the fun—so everyone gathered here was ravenous.
And so, gazing at the sunset torching the deep blue horizon, they kicked off the highlight of any vacation: a barbecue party.
-Sizzle!
The twins' hushed whispers and Sharon's occasional interjections fell silent as everyone tuned into the symphony of crisping fat—more beautiful than any orchestra.
"Slurp..."
The savory aroma tugged at empty stomachs, and a trickle of drool escaped Odet's slightly parted lips.
"Looks about done?"
"That's plenty, Assistant. You can stop grilling now—they all look cooked to me."
"Pork's best at medium rare, anyway."
Under the twins' eager prodding, Siu slid the steaming pork belly onto a cutting board and sliced it up.
Was it because three beauties were watching?
Or because he'd boldly claimed he'd handle the grilling?
Either way, even on a tricky charcoal grill, the results were picture-perfect.
"Wow, grilled to perfection."
Crispy, golden-brown exterior.
The signature aroma of cooked pork mingled with herb seasoning, already flooding his mouth with saliva.
It was so flawlessly done that the knife crunched through like shattering a cookie.
Juicy meat juices instantly soaked the board the moment the blade sank in.
The creamy, marbled cross-section looked downright tantalizing, almost indecent.
Siu plated the meat prettily and set it on the table.
"Here you go~"
"Wooow!"
"Looks so tasty!"
The twins clapped and cheered.
In the meantime, Sharon wrapped some in a lettuce leaf from their supplies and popped it straight into Siu's mouth.
"Here, Siu—you worked hard grilling. First bite's yours."
"Mm, thanks."
The twins, fired up from the long wait and devouring their pork, froze solid at the sight.
It was the face of a politician who'd just lost a presidential race.
While they'd been busy stuffing their own faces, Sharon had naturally prioritized Siu.
Such effortless consideration.
For the twins, who had always been pampered, it felt like a glaring oversight.
Chewing their mouthfuls, the twins started wrapping ssam at lightning speed.
But compared to Sharon's ten years of Korean living, their wraps looked clumsy.
They laid lettuce on plates, origami-folded in heaps—heaps—of meat, and when it wouldn't hold shape, slapped on an extra leaf like a sandwich.
"Assistant, ahh~"
"We made some too!"
The results were bigger than the twins' fists.
Siu gave a wry smile at the massive wraps shoved right under his nose.
"Those are too big to fit."
"Nah, I thought the same, but it all went in last time."
"Exactly! Looks impossible, but give it a shot!"
Some sweat-inducing banter.
In the end, Siu unhinged his jaw, accepted the twins' offerings one by one, and chewed while heading back to grill more.
They knocked back the booze they'd brought, scarfed pork belly, munched grilled mushrooms—before they knew it, the sun had fully dipped beyond the sea.
Night had settled fully on the beach, and with just enough drinks in them, the vibe turned into a rowdy festival.
"One, two, three. One, two, three!"
"Two, two, three, two, two, three!"
"Odet! Stop stepping on my feet!"
"You're pulling too hard, sis!"
Odil and Odet stepped up for a talent show, clasped hands, and attempted a waltz.
The sandy beach felt like a ballroom amid their swaying steps, but Odet's drunken stumbles turned it into something hilariously offbeat.
Sharon and Siu watched the adorable spectacle, laughing till their faces flushed.
"Check out this bottle. Sealed tight, right? Watch me open it without touching."
Siu busted out a simple bar trick, leaving the twins wide-eyed.
"No way!"
"Magic without mana... that's revolutionary!"
"Assistant! Teach me! How'd you do it?"
The twins gasped, hands over mouths, then mobbed Siu for the secret.
The fun of magic lies in not revealing the trick, but Siu's secrets were ultimately pried out completely.
Nothing beats the twins' curiosity.
"My turn now? Ahem—no boos if I can't sing?"
Sharon belted a catchy verse, livening things up.
By the crackling bonfire, skewer in bottle like a mic, she sang like a glowing fairy.
After everyone had shown off their talents, a brief lull hit.
Water games by day, nonstop eating and drinking in the evening—they needed a breather after orientation time.
The four relocated their party to the villa's living room, overlooking the gorgeous night sea.
Too many bugs swarming outside, apparently.
"I'll step out for a smoke. Keep an eye on Odil and Odet—no mishaps."
Siu slipped out, leaving the revelry behind.
The cool sea breeze tickled his cheeks, cooling the heat in his head a bit.
"This is nice."
Carefree daily life, nothing major to worry about.
A seaside vacation in a swanky mansion he'd never dreamed of.
Plus the conquest-by-cuteness twins and devoted Sharon.
Would've been even better with Master here.
He secretly wanted to see Eloa in a swimsuit, too.
If only days like this could last forever.
Probably just greed, though.
Truth was, these happy times with Sharon and the twins hinged on Siu's soft, indecisive approach.
If he had to choose one...
Scenes like this might never happen again.
"Sigh..."
What if he embraced polygamy, that fine old custom?
Even assuming he could make all three happy, rationalize it as logically optimal...
"Do I even deserve that?"
...Doubts like that crept in.
Table that for now—more daydreaming.
Sharon had said she'd be fine as long as he came back, stayed by her side—didn't care who else.
But would the twins accept it?
This was Gehenna, city of witches.
Men who couldn't bear or bestow a stigma were subtly scorned among witches.
Lesbians and bisexuals dominated their ranks, after all.
Odil and Odet were greenhouse flowers, raised in the orthodox witch nobility of House Jemernai, steeped in Gehenna's culture.
Siu had qualms about their casual acceptance of stigma inheritance, but they took it for granted.
'How about we just make it a 4P thing?'—he couldn't even broach it, and their reaction was a total unknown.
Sharon, his first equal partner from the modern world, bonded through thick and thin.
The twins, slaves he'd saved and showered with excessive affection.
All precious.
"Haa..."
Takacho sure had it easy.
Bet he'd sorted it out perfectly.
Long tendrils of cigarette smoke curled from his lips.
"...!"
Then.
A bone-chilling shiver ran down Siu's spine.
Indescribable.
It was the atmosphere.
An overwhelming trace of mana—like being hurled into the pitch-black abyss of the deep sea, crushed endlessly.
No malice, no hostility detected.
Just presence alone screamed danger.
Siu turned slowly.
There stood a woman.
A modest witch's robe like a shrine maiden's—fully covering, chaste.
Snow-white hair like first snowfall, tips blending into a rainbow spectrum.
Under thick, lush lashes, dignified golden eyes pierced him.
Those mystical orbs seemed to gaze at the present—while deluding one into thinking they encompassed past and future too.
Sheer beauty.
But not the admiration for a pretty face.
Like beholding a galaxy that could reduce Earth to dust: awe and reverence for the vast and immense.
Siu knew instinctively who she was.
The eldest and greatest witch reigning over all.
The Duke of Kether, who had trodden the 30th demonic realm alone.
Nothing else explained it.
That absolute aura—like a sigh could erase him entirely.
"It's been a while, Shin Siu."
"......"
He couldn't blink.
Couldn't inhale or exhale.
He instantly grasped why even those arrogant, self-centered witches feared and worshipped her.
"Did my gift please you?"
Kether approached with languid steps, settling beside him.
Space rippled; time seemed to fracture.
Just standing near, her intense witchly scent overwhelmed.
A primal impulse threatened to shatter his sanity, heart on the verge of bursting.
Siu stayed stock-still purely from instinctual terror.
"Two before... two after. Four in total?"
"......"
"Pitifully few. When I even bestowed my 'vessel' upon you."
Kether extended a slender hand, tracing over his eyepatch.
Warm. Soft.
But the dread of being devoured lingered.
To rein in the maddening lust and fear from her scent, he could only stay frozen.
"Shall I interfere a bit more?"
Kether smiled faintly and stepped back.
Her golden eyes gleamed like dawn.
————!
The darkness at the edge of Siu's vision shattered from the corners.
From the fragments of night sky poured blinding white light.
"Revere."
If Kether willed it, the world would
shatter gladly,
and be reborn.
Before the white darkness that blinded, Siu's consciousness fragmented... and reformed.