Chapter 354
Chapter 354
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 354
Chapter Title: Chapter 354 - #77_가정교사(4)
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 354
Chapter Title: Home Tutor (4)
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It wasn't as if he had zero worries.
But they were minor concerns.
Back when he worked at the host bar, it was Diana who'd come first and pester him to play Wizboard.
Even after Count Yesod tipped him off that Diana was a massive slacker, he'd figured she'd bite if he just casually suggested they play a game together.
A shallow ploy, he thought: stoke her competitive spirit and use victory as leverage to get her to do this or that. It'd probably work pretty well.
Just look at the twin apprentice witches, fellow witches like her—he could control them with similar tactics. Why would this be any different?
But Diana's reaction had been an iron wall.
She showed zero interest in Siu and focused solely on escaping.
His heart sank a bit.
His one and only plan had gone up in smoke.
"Who're you calling scared? Ha...! Huh...! Unbelievable..."
That final borderline method had been instant magic on Diana.
She, who looked ready to bolt back to her room leaving Siu behind, scurried over and plopped down at the living room table.
She fetched the Wizboard, grumbled under her breath, and set it up at lightspeed.
For this moment alone, the nickname "Slacker Diana" rang hollow.
In the blink of an eye, preparations complete, Diana glared at Siu with eyes blazing hostility.
"You."
"Yes."
"You ready for this?"
"Ready for what?"
An aura was already rippling behind Diana.
A rare item that could only be crafted from someone annoyingly persistent finally crossing the line with an outrageous taunt.
The Aura of Rage.
"You provoked me. With that absurd slander about me running away."
Her voice was still soft and measured, but now rapid-fire, like a hurried whisper, words tumbling out.
"I wanted to sleep. Lay my head on a warm, fluffy feather pillow, roll around in comfy pajamas. But no, you ruined everything.
My original plan was to nap wrapped in a blanket in a sunny spot.
Winter's coming soon; I won't be able to do that anymore.
In short, you wrecked it all, and then you drag me here with your pathetic taunt that'd tarnish my honor if I ignored it."
Could you believe she rattled off all those words and sentences in one breath?
It was a monologue hefty enough to count as a workout.
"If you lose to me, don't think you'll get off easy. You'll pay a fitting price..."
Diana, fuming up a storm, cut off like a busted radio.
Here's Diana's train of thought:
A fitting punishment.
Punishment?
Spanking?
Demon delivery boy.
Tickled with feathers.
The delivery boy pins down the witch's writhing body amid tickles and pleasure, thrusting with his rock-hard cock...
"Ah, uh, anyway...!"
Siu eyed Diana curiously as her face flushed beet red mid-rant, words bursting like a dam break.
Diana couldn't even meet his gaze properly and had to mumble through the rest.
"Anyway, bring it. I'll crush that smug nose of yours."
"Understood."
Diana ground her teeth at Siu's beaming smile.
Why'd that scene pop into her head right then...?
She hadn't even finished saying what she meant to.
Thinking back, their last match hadn't properly concluded.
By the time she'd gritted her teeth, studied magic, and challenged him again, the Jemernai twin apprentices hit her with a mental attack, making her lose.
And when she tried rematching, she fled at the sight of the three calmly smooching.
Better to think positively: at least this rematch was happening.
Diana calmed her boiling heart—like pouring cold water on hot oil—and took a deep breath.
"It's been a while since we played together."
That irritatingly smirking guy was her tutor, hired out of courtesy to her mother whom she loved and respected.
That's why she was cutting him some slack.
She'd threatened to complain and get him fired tomorrow, but if he toed the line, she'd let him be.
But he'd crossed it first, giving her justification, so she had to speak up.
"Hey."
"Yes."
"If I win, quit on the spot. No arguments. From that ridiculous tutor gig."
"Hmm, that'd be a problem... To be honest, I got a promise of research cooperation in exchange for being Diana's tutor. Getting canned after one day means no help at all."
For the first time, a troubled look crossed the face of the guy who'd shamelessly trailed her.
She'd thought he was just here for pocket change from the Yesod household, but magic research?
He had a witch's spark after all.
But that was none of her business.
His predicament was pure joy for Diana, payback for the taunt.
"Ha...! Scared now?"
"Against you, Diana? Victory's impossible."
"You chased me for 30 minutes even though I said no. Don't even think about renegotiating."
And so, the duel began.
Diana claimed three mana sources out of habit.
Like most abstract strategy games, the opening was predictable barring surprises.
Except for this guy.
"What the...?"
Diana's eyes narrowed at Siu's mana source placement.
No matter how unique the strategy, you get a feel after a few games.
In fact, in their last close victory she'd gifted him—before the twins interfered—she'd held the advantage.
"Pulling some weird stunt again."
But this mana setup was utterly different from before.
Not orthodox by any means.
An equilateral triangle, but spaced incredibly far apart.
The opposite of clustering tight—like scattering eggs across a vast yard.
A strange new strategy, plus memories of being toyed with by his unpredictable play, stirred an ominous feeling in Diana.
She spat it out to shake it off.
"I'm not falling for that crude trick."
"Crude? It's a strategy I carefully prepared."
His opponent's a one-trick flash-in-the-pan.
Beginner mindset: "A clever strat makes a great one?" with a dash of skill.
Diana quelled her unease and thought calmly.
Clustering mana sources is inefficient for expanding spell formations.
But if it were just inefficient, she wouldn't have lost to it.
The clustered burst: split-second timing, pinpoint breakthroughs.
Those advantages exist.
But this?
Close enough for shaky resonance, but defenses and output weak.
No upsides, even squinting.
Still, Diana stayed wary.
She'd faced bizarre strategies before.
Don't panic, respond carefully...
She could repay the defeat's humiliation and banish this pesky guy.
And soon, she grasped his intent.
"Kuh...!"
Diana's style was pure orthodoxy.
Secure useful runes via skirmishes, solidify spell formations, then bulldoze in a natural power clash.
Textbook play.
In a word: "unlosable game." Or "know it, don't lose."
Today's counter from him: chaos.
Mad guerrilla warfare.
Frantic probes and skirmishes from scattered mana sources everywhere.
Without density, push power was weak, but the messy harassment ramped up.
And this poked Diana's trauma—highly provocative.
Their fifth game.
Just like now, a frenzy of blows.
Midgame? Clear loss for her.
After hair-pulling frenzy, she blinked and realized she'd lost.
But from then, Siu tossed the win away.
Not a true victory.
One stained black with scorn and hubris on the flip side.
Her ecstatic acceptance fueled her gritted-teeth dive into magic study.
"Trying the same trick to beat me...? That's arrogance."
"Perish the thought."
Diana's eyes gleamed.
She never forgot that humiliation—realizing mid-replay it was a courtesy game.
She'd studied hardest for chaotic melees.
A brutal slugfest followed.
Game level? Miles above pre-study.
Skirmish ferocity too.
Number of hotspots? Double, triple at least.
Before long, Diana forgot speech, lost in the match.
For now, no rage, no annoyance, no demon delivery boy.
Pure brainpower and computation duel.
Just number-crunching amid traps and bluffs on this d100 battlefield.
No words exchanged, no eye contact, after 100+ moves...
Diana's focus shattered.
"Ah..."
A sigh slipped out unwittingly.
Strong.
Hated to admit it again.
This man had a brilliant mind rivaling hers.
Of course, victory was hers.
"I win."
27 skirmishes total; she edged them out barely.
Like half a point in Go, but she snagged 25 of 27 runes.
No need for more chaos.
"I acknowledge your skill. This is sincere."
With so many runes secured, no need to engage his pushes.
Just bull ahead, smashing mana sources doggedly—even with knives in her back.
"Always thought this..."
A low voice as Diana mentally sealed victory—tinged with amusement, oddly.
"Diana, you need to see the bigger board."
-Clack!
A single move flipped the entire field.
One Diana never would've conceived.
Divine heresy, utterly off-book.
"Ah..."
Finally, she saw it.
That final puzzle piecing together amid the frenzy he'd prepared.
That move lit his two runes.
Those runes formed a sharp dagger shape.
Mana paths linked to the dagger.
Scattered "wasted" moves became a guidance tunnel.
The flung dagger shattered Diana's depleted mana sources post-battle.
Like toppling a flawless domino line.
Instant chain magic reaction: Diana lost in a flash.
"......"
Incomprehensible.
Why she lost.
Understanding took ages.
When did he envision this grand picture?
Awe at overwhelming talent and result?
Diana noticed goosebumps on her arms.
A colossal talent wall she'd never felt, now eclipsed by its shadow.
"So, uh... Telling the Count to fire you is me going easy?"
The first male witch in history, hands clasped cutely, begging with a charming pout.
Name: Sin Siu.
She wanted to learn more about him.
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