Chapter 342
Chapter 342
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 342
Chapter Title: Pride and Prejudice
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1.
Diana returned home through the portal with light, bouncy steps.
She was in such a great mood that she walked at 1.2 times her usual speed, practically floating along.
It was just past noon, and according to her promise with Countess Yesod, she should still be out and about.
But today was a special case.
It was a day to reward herself.
She had poured her heart into a heated duel that left her head spinning, and emotions always drained one's energy anyway.
Having ridden the emotional rollercoaster from frustration in the morning to anguish, despair, and finally joy, Diana was more exhausted than anyone. She deserved a break as her prize.
And so, Diana floated lazily in the private pool of the Levana Grand Bathhouse.
With a whole cluster of grapes in one hand, she plucked them off one by one, throwing a solo celebration of joy.
"Ah~ so sweet~ so sweet~"
The grapes tasted sweeter than ever today.
It had been a truly exhilarating victory.
Especially since it crushed the opponent she had really wanted to put in her place.
"Pfft…!"
Diana recalled Siu's dazed expression and burst into laughter.
The look on his face the moment she said, 'I don't play games with losers~'—pure shock.
"Pfft… heehee…! Hahaha…!"
In truth, one of Diana's scores had come from a game where she didn't even fully know the rules.
"So what?"
Playing another round sounded like a hassle.
And in the end, Diana was the winner.
That was all that mattered.
"The world speaks through results anyway. Hehe…!"
Grinning from ear to ear, Diana lounged comfortably on the sunbed.
How long had it been since she'd felt this peace?
The flowing warm waters of the current pool under a glass dome.
Surrounded by lush tropical trees and flowers, it felt like the sky was her ceiling and the fresh floral scent her blanket.
Normally, she'd drift off to sleep, but she had something to do today.
"Hehe, shall we review that epic match from this morning?"
It wasn't anything strenuous.
Just watching the replay and admiring her brilliant plays.
In other words, time for some replay jerk-off.
Diana activated the Wizboard modifier orb she'd brought along and eagerly reviewed the morning's match with a pounding heart.
It had been chaotic, but she clearly remembered every move they made.
Replaying each one brought back the thrill.
Diana pressing fiercely!
Her opponent countering even more fiercely!
Diana suddenly on the defensive!
But seizing her opponent's mistake for a stunning comeback victory… that moment!
"Huh?"
Diana's smirk froze, her expression twisting.
Something off that she hadn't noticed during the match nagged at her.
It was right there, in the part where Siu kept messing up and Diana counterattacked.
A weird prickling sensation, like a fishbone stuck between her teeth while eating.
Diana replayed that section where Siu fumbled, skipping and repeating moves.
"Hmm…?"
But the more she did it… the stranger it felt.
Something was wrong.
It reeked of suspicion.
During the intense match, Diana hadn't had the bandwidth to think twice.
Her brain was fried from the frenzy, and Siu's mistakes had been a godsend in the dire straits.
But now that the game was over.
With a cooled head and careful review, a thick sense of incongruity settled in.
Diana sorted her thoughts calmly.
Q. Why didn't he gather his magic here and instead went for that reckless attack?
A. He didn't realize he had the advantage.
That could happen.
But.
Q. Then why did he pick a fight in that minor skirmish where Diana already had the upper hand, just to steal an unnecessary rune?
A. …Why?
His opponent didn't know Wizboard's standard openings.
But he understood magic perfectly.
Otherwise, he'd have crumbled right from Diana's initial chaos.
So that move was suspicious.
Compared to his sharp play so far, it was too crude, purely emotional.
"No way…."
Diana's face drained of color.
Her heart denied it, but her reason screamed otherwise.
"He threw the game?"
Making subtle mistakes to avoid detection, just waiting it out?
Diana reset the Wizboard and carefully replayed from the start.
But this time with a new assumption.
'What if he intentionally threw the last game?'
Suddenly, those meaningless flubs looked different.
Not entirely pointless, but focused on low-priority spots.
Looking closer, they were clever.
If 1 was a blunder and 10 a masterstroke, these were 6s or 7s.
Meaning, at that point, Diana wouldn't suspect he was throwing—perfectly ambiguous.
Was this really a mistake?
Could you even call such refined "errors" mistakes?
Diana desperately replayed, denying reality.
But the truth only sharpened.
Her beaming smile was gone.
The grapes in her hand were sadly crushed, juice dripping everywhere.
"He dared… to go easy on me?"
99% certainty.
From the point victory was assured, Siu hadn't shown his full strength.
Instead, he'd subtly handed her the threads of counterattack, naturally choosing defeat.
Oblivious Diana had firmly believed they were blunders, gleefully accepting the gifted win.
And not content, she'd even mocked him and given advice.
"Ugh, my neck hairs…."
Diana felt dizzy.
Rage at the thought of him seeing her as a joke.
Shame at her oblivious frolicking.
Horror at losing to a three-day newbie.
A storm of complex emotions raged.
How pathetic must she have looked, giving pointers and celebrating in front of him?
Mortifying.
Humiliating.
"I'll go find him right now and…!"
Planning to confront him and rematch without holding back, Diana shot up from the sunbed, grinding her teeth.
But looking back….
'You're not coming tomorrow?'
'Why would I? I already won. Sorry, but I don't bully people worse than me… Anyway, it was fun.'
…She'd even said that cringe-worthy line.
Go back the same day, or next, for a rematch?
Her already flushed face would explode from humiliation.
And if she brazenly demanded revenge and lost again?
Diana lacked the confidence to endure that disgrace.
"Hoo…. Hoo…."
Diana calmed her pounding heart and climbed out of the water.
Anger aside, she had to acknowledge it.
The opponent she'd dismissed with prejudice was a formidable foe.
A true equal, 5-5 match.
Her casual approach had been the fatal mistake.
Diana changed clothes.
She holed up in her room with a thick book.
No sloth or laziness now.
Wizboard came down to magic knowledge.
To repay this humiliation, she'd self-study for 8 hours straight, vowing as she opened the book.
2.
Countess Deneb Jemernai and Countess Lucy Yesod's tea party.
After chatting endlessly about business, they tidied their documents and slipped into small talk.
"Do you know how exemplary Diana's been lately?"
"Oh? What happened?"
Lucy Countess scooped Chancellor Pudding topped with caramel syrup, beaming widely.
Deneb nodded along, figuring it was another of Countess Yesod's eccentric daughter boasts.
"Well, as you know, our Diana is smart and beautiful but oh-so-reclusive."
"I remember you mentioning that."
"I worried she'd be in trouble like that, so I scolded her sternly and sent her out. Told her not to come back until evening after breakfast."
"Ah."
"And she's kept the promise for a whole week already? She's been out and about fine. A full week."
Deneb blinked her wide eyes, then offered a belated awkward smile.
She waited for more, but that was it.
Just being out playing was that praiseworthy?
For Deneb, who had an apprentice witch that vanished like she'd jumped the fence at any distraction—and whom she had to chase down every time—empathy was hard.
With that blissfully happy face, it was awkward to nitpick, so she chimed in.
"My goodness…. That's truly impressive."
"Right? Right?"
Countess Lucy went on for a while longer about how diligently Diana roamed about.
Then, as if suddenly remembering, she asked Deneb.
"Oh dear, speaking of which, I have something to ask."
"Yes, if I can answer."
"I know the Jemernai family is close with that male witch."
"You mean Mr. Siu? He's an important guest and benefactor, of course."
He'd saved the twins' lives, and they adored following him around.
"Yes, him. He's not a weird person, right?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Lately, Diana's been going to the host bar every morning to meet him. They play Wizboard together, and I'm worried he might be some vulture-like creep…."
"He's not a bad person, so no need to worry much. He's a rare upright young man these days."
"Really? Why's someone like that working at a host bar…."
"I hear he's helping a friend."
That's so very Countess Lucy worry, Deneb thought.
But this topic she could relate to.
Hadn't Deneb once fretted over the twins sticking too close to Siu?
Of course, trust had built up since, enough to allow trips together.
"Is Miss Diana showing interest in Mr. Siu? You know… romantically?"
Deneb subtly probed, inwardly worried even Yesod's apprentice might eye Siu.
Countess Lucy's response was firm.
"No way!"
She slammed the table and shot to her feet.
"My daughter's standards are sky-high. He's a male witch, so curiosity might draw her a few times, that's all."
Fair enough, for Countess Lucy's daughter.
Among orthodox witches, even the stubborn Deneb knew none more stereotypically witchy than her.
And Diana was no pushover either, from what she recalled.
"Don't worry too much. Being from Gehenna and a slave background, he understands witch physiology well. Not the type to do anything foolish."
"Phew, that reassures me, coming from you. Still, I should meet him soon."
Loving your apprentice was natural, but Countess Yesod seemed a tad excessive….
Deneb sipped her black tea, hiding a wry smile.
"You'll be shocked when you see him. He's really handsome."
"Hmph, all men look the same."
3.
The unexpectedly long tea party ended as night had fully darkened the sky.
Countess Yesod walked the bathhouse corridors to Diana's room.
Since they hadn't even had dinner together, she wanted a late report at least.
"My darling~ Wanna bathe with Mom after so long?"
Grinning at the thought of her beloved daughter, Countess Lucy Yesod opened the door.
And froze solid on the spot.
An unbelievable sight unfolded before her.
"Nngh…! Hnngh…!"
Diana sat at the table, gripping a pen made from a duke's feather.
Swallowing hard, she glanced sideways—stacks of magic books piled on the desk.
Diana was so engrossed she hadn't noticed Yesod enter.
The countess clamped her mouth shut.
Her nose stung, throat tightened.
Overwhelmed by this exemplary behavior beyond limits, tears welled up.
Good lord.
Diana self-studying this late?
She rubbed her eyes and checked again—same scene.
Frowning, tousling her hair in frustration, yet still buried in study.
Had Diana ever stuck with tedious studying before?
First time since taking her as apprentice; her chest swelled with emotion.
Fearing interruption, Lucy quietly closed the door and stepped out.
"Sniff… sob…. Hic-hic…! Good girl, Diana! Such a good daughter…!"
Unable to hold back tears at her daughter's sudden growth in that instant.
Tears of感動.