Chapter 405
Chapter 405
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 405
Chapter Title: Overlooked Matters (4)
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1.
A few days earlier, Countess Yesod, who had shared her body with Gehenna's first male witch, Shin Si-woo, realized that when he climaxed, it not only charged her with mana but also unleashed a unique mana wavelength.
Si-woo needed to investigate why this happened in his body.
And Countess Yesod needed to satisfy her innate magical curiosity as a witch.
So, the two agreed to have sex, recording the results in a crystal that measured the magical effects and mana fluctuations.
As she analyzed it, Countess Yesod uncovered something astonishing.
"This is..."
Shin Si-woo's ejaculation mechanism proceeded through five distinct stages.
Ejaculation—infiltration of mana—recovery of mana—amplification—return.
This process operated without Si-woo's conscious thought, much like autonomic defense, suggesting it was tied to instinct or the subconscious.
It was mysterious and astonishing in itself—and, though it might sound cold, useful.
Normally, for a witch to store mana in her stigma, she had to go through a finicky self-purification process.
Even with the highest-purity, refined mana water, it still took time—nothing changed that.
But his mana charging completely upended that convention.
Pure mana so flawless that no filtering was needed for assimilation.
It was pristine enough to inject into the delicate vessel of even the most sensitive apprentice witch without causing any harm.
The implications were huge.
As long as one could handle the overload and fatigue on the magic circuits, and the inevitable mental strain from computing spells, they could exploit this absurd cheat to fully recharge their mana over and over.
"Incredible..."
But the records Countess Yesod read from the crystal went beyond even that.
As he infused the mana, he was layering fragments of autonomic magic onto the existing ones in the stigma, like pouring into a mold.
A chill ran down her spine.
Was it due to the unique nature of his autonomic magic?
Or the inherent trait of being a 'male witch'? Without comparative samples, she couldn't confirm.
But one thought flashed through Countess Yesod's mind.
Could this enable a revolutionary new form of 'inheritance' that shattered the old mold?
As her heart pounded with thrilling anxiety over this discovery...
The remote communication crystal hummed to life.
Normally, she'd be annoyed at the interruption during such a grand revelation, but this was an exception.
"Oh? Si-woo is awake?"
A few days prior, her lover Shin Si-woo had confronted the Witch of Desire, rescued his friend, and emerged without serious injury.
This was news that he had risen from his sickbed.
2.
Albireo, who happened to run into Countess Yesod, looked slightly dazed.
The countess was practically running down the corridor in her towering high heels.
She was the one who had asked to be notified when Si-woo woke up, and she'd just gotten the call via crystal, so her presence here wasn't strange.
She had visited his bedside twice during the three days he lay there, after all.
Truth be told, it was a bit suspicious for Countess Yesod—mere temporary tutor and mother of his extracurricular student—to take such interest in Si-woo.
But Albireo hadn't worried too deeply.
She couldn't deny that a 'no way...' mindset had dominated her thoughts.
But when she saw the massive bouquet of red roses—at least a hundred stems—cradled in Countess Yesod's arms, Albireo sensed something was deeply wrong.
Flowers?
Roses, no less?
A hundred of them?
Scattered clues began to piece together.
Even so, up to that point, Albireo clung to the thought of 'surely not...'.
"Long time no see, Countess."
"Indeed."
"Do you happen to know where Si-woo is? I checked his room, but he wasn't there."
"Probably in one of the three eastern parlors..."
"Thanks. I'm in a rush, so excuse me."
Normally, even a chance encounter would lead to some light conversation.
Albireo was the lady of the house, after all, and Countess Yesod was just a guest.
But Countess Yesod exchanged only brief greetings, bouquet in arms, and brushed past Albireo.
There was only one situation where the upright Countess Yesod showed such ditzy behavior.
When it involved her apprentice witch, Diana.
But was this situation connected to Diana?
"Countess Yesod, are those roses a gift for Miss Diana, by any chance?"
Knowing it was impolite, Albireo couldn't contain her curiosity and asked anyway.
"What do you mean?"
"Like, maybe you received that bouquet from Miss Diana on your way here, or perhaps she sent flowers to Si-woo on your behalf..."
As Albireo tilted her head, Countess Yesod understood what she meant.
She hesitated over whether to be honest but realized there was no point hiding it now.
No reason to, either.
"Sigh... It's a bit embarrassing, so I wanted to keep it secret... But I can't fool Albireo's sharp eyes."
"Pardon?"
Albireo's mind echoed with 'no way, no way, no way' as she watched Countess Yesod blush and fidget like a girl in the throes of first love.
"Lately, I've found a new happiness. I'm so relieved he's back safe."
"......"
Albireo was momentarily speechless.
"A new... happiness?"
"Yes. Somehow, we ended up in a deep relationship... I never imagined enjoying such sweet days with inheritance so close."
It was the fateful meeting between the prospective mother-in-law and her son's mistress.
Albireo was so flabbergasted she forgot what to say.
Twins, then Sharon, and now Countess Yesod?
How much further would he stretch his legs? Unbelievable.
"Could you tell me more?"
Her gaze turned icy.
Seemingly oblivious, Countess Yesod spilled the details of her relationship with Si-woo as if boasting intimately.
"What else could it be but a deep bond between man and woman?"
"Ah..."
Even as she shyly flushed, it was obvious—even to Albireo, who had no experience with men or women.
Dizzying.
In her confusion, Albireo asked,
"Who proposed the relationship first?"
"Does that matter?"
By then, Countess Yesod seemed puzzled too.
She grinned slyly, like a lecherous old man teasing Albireo.
"Oh, are you eyeing him too? Heh, no need to worry. I have no possessiveness. We're just partners in fun games."
"Countess Yesod, tell me."
Albireo had no intention of playing along with the skit and sighed.
"I seduced him first. Various circumstances aligned our interests, so it continued."
Not content with stealing away the adorable twins—who wouldn't hurt even if swallowed whole—he was also entangled with Sharon and Countess Yesod.
Was there another playboy in history who'd laid so many witches? Whether the countess proposed first or not hardly mattered.
"I never thought you'd set your sights on him. In my memory, you were..."
"Let's drop it."
Abandoning any explanation, Albireo decided to guide Countess Yesod to Si-woo since they'd met anyway.
And give her philandering son-in-law a disapproving glare while at it.
As they walked the L-shaped corridor, her usual poise slipping into excitement, Albireo suddenly halted.
Through the window of the parlor opposite, she spotted Si-woo.
Not just Si-woo.
Shin Si-woo, locked in a deep, passionate kiss with Duchess Tiphereth on the sofa.
"Eek!"
At the unbelievable sight, Albireo squinted out the window and let out an odd yelp before she knew it.
No mistake.
Who else had that unmistakable pink hair, visible even from afar, but Duchess Tiphereth?
This headache of a mess now included Duchess Tiphereth too.
Albireo froze in stunned disbelief.
Until now, she'd tried pushing the twins toward him somehow.
But Duchess Tiphereth was on another level.
Even if she had little wealth left, her prestige and respect surpassed ordinary witches.
Her distinctive, alluring looks went without saying.
"Ha..."
Where to even start fixing this?
No—could it even be fixed?
"Something wrong?"
Countess Yesod tilted her head at Albireo's sudden stop and undignified cry, then saw the same scene.
"Hic...!"
Her face paled with a gasp in unison.
She'd heard Si-woo already had a lover.
But she never dreamed it was Eloa Tiphereth, the duchess.
For the countess, who'd been playing with fire lightly, this was the unexpected arrival of the main wife.
Purely in terms of influence or capital within Gehenna, the Yesod family outstripped the penniless Tiphereth.
But Countess Yesod had zero desire to face a furious Duchess Tiphereth.
"......"
"......"
The two countesses stood side by side, watching Si-woo and Eloa kiss and part.
Each nursing complex emotions.