Chapter 558
Chapter 558
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 558
Chapter Title: Survival Report (2)
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1.
“Haa...”
Deneb Jemernai let out a long sigh.
The young head of the Jemernai Count family, where the twins had unusually inherited a single Stigma.
Scattered across the desk where she normally handled procedures for worldly business were glasses and empty bottles instead of pens and contracts.
Staring fixedly at the scene with a look of deep concern was Albireo Jemernai.
The elder head of the Jemernai Count family and Deneb's older sister.
“Sob, sob sob...”
Deneb, who had been blankly gazing at the sky, sighing once and taking a sip of alcohol in repetition, now pulled out her third handkerchief to dab at her tears.
“Deneb.”
“Yeah, sister... When did you get here?”
“What are you talking about? I've been right here.”
She had been there for the past hour.
“Oh, right... That's right. You were comforting me. Sorry.”
The blend of heartbreak and intoxication had turned Deneb—who was usually sharp and decisive in every way—into a blubbering drunkard.
Albireo grabbed her sister's wrist as she poured another round, her expression worried.
“No more drinking.”
She had no idea how many bottles it had been already.
In truth, her spirit body wasn't frail enough to suffer hangovers from acute alcohol poisoning, but alcohol still gnawed away at the mind all the same.
If downing drinks could make anyone forget all their worldly worries, the world would be several times happier.
“Just one more bottle... please.”
“Do you know how many times you've said that already?”
Unable to watch any longer, Albireo confiscated the bottle from her sister.
Deneb didn't resist, merely sniffling as it was taken away.
It had been over six weeks since Shin Si-woo had been abducted by the Witch of the Deep Sea, with all contact severed.
In truth, though no one spoke it aloud, even the notion of abduction was a hopeful assumption.
If the Witch of the Deep Sea had intended to kill him, she would have had more than enough time to do so several times over.
As such, a heavy pall like that of a funeral parlor hung over the once-vibrant count family estate.
And for good reason—Shin Si-woo was the twins' fiancé.
After news of his disappearance spread, the twins had wept and wailed endlessly...
When they threw tantrums demanding to join the search efforts in the mortal world, Albireo had to drag them back, only for them to go on a hunger strike in defiance.
She had spent ages soothing them alone, plagued by headaches all the while.
“Sister... I'm sorry. Because of me... What should I do...?”
“Why would this be because of you?”
“But... I have no face left to show the twins...”
Albireo patted Deneb's back as she listened to the complaints that had dragged on for weeks now.
As time wore on, as could be seen, Albireo had managed to regain some composure.
There was no point in fretting endlessly—nothing would improve from it.
She simply threw all her efforts into providing material and moral support to the witches out on the search.
Deneb, however, couldn't so easily shake off her guilt.
She had been able to escape the Witch of the Deep Sea only because he had chosen to stay behind in her place.
And if she mulled over a certain hypothesis she kept to herself...
Though it had been under the pretext of mana replenishment, they had shared their bodies multiple times—might her innocent little sister have started seeing Shin Si-woo not merely as a son-in-law, but as a man...? Albireo pondered it somewhat.
There was a world of difference between a mere son-in-law vanishing and the man to whom she'd given her heart going missing.
And though she wanted to deny it, to Albireo's eyes, her sister's heartbreak seemed closer to the latter.
“Sister... I'm fine now. Go take care of business.”
“You sure? Planning to drink the second I leave?”
“No, I'm going to sleep. Think I'll take a nap. Sorry for tying you down like this...”
No, surely not.
Albireo shook her head to dispel her own pathetic delusions.
It was improper from the start to entertain such unseemly hypotheses and harbor sticky feelings toward a son-in-law whose fate was unknown.
Besides, Deneb might have her immature side, but even if—by some slim chance—she truly had feelings for Shin Si-woo, Albireo trusted without doubt that her sister would handle it well.
The moment Albireo, who had briefly removed her gloves, slipped them back on and rose from her seat—the office door flew open.
“M-Master! Master!”
“Master! Master! Master! Master! Master!”
A pair of identical dolls practically shattered the door in their rush inside.
No, not dolls—the adorably doll-like Odil Jemernai and Odet Jemernai.
Normally, Albireo would have scolded them to stop acting so rashly and enter quietly, but not this time.
There was only one thing that could revive the twins, who had grown sallow and dry as withered moss since Shin Si-woo's disappearance, into vibrant flowers brimming with life.
“Sister... my head's ringing... Could you quiet the twins down...?”
The twins bounded toward her in jumps, while Deneb slumped over the table, cradling her head.
“Master! It's a telegram! A telegram! The assistant's safe and doing well!”
“I knew it! As if the assistant's the type to die anywhere!”
The twins leaped into Albireo's arms in unison.
The tears welling in their eyes hinted at the anguish they'd endured.
“Wha...!”
Deneb shook off her hangover and buzz in an instant, bolting upright from her seat.
Her lips pressed tight, trembling, before she swept the twins into a fierce embrace, sharing their joy.
2.
Rewinding the clock a little—to Auckland, New Zealand's largest city and former capital.
A peculiar object had recently been discovered off the coast near Auckland.
It looked like just another piece of ocean trash at a glance, but since it periodically emitted mana waves, the Auckland branch chief had immediately moved to recover it.
Inside were numerous letters, photos tucked into envelopes, and several cassette tapes.
At first, their origins were unknown, but the branch chief soon realized what they were.
The man in the enclosed photos matched exactly the image of the male witch that had been distributed to Location Points worldwide under direct orders from the Tiphereth Duke.
The branch chief contacted her immediately via their dedicated hotline, and less than a day later, Amelia, Eloa, and Sharon received the box containing the messages.
The three immediately booked a hotel room and huddled together.
With trembling hands, they opened the box.
Inside were multiple letters written in Si-woo's handwriting.
Letters to Amelia, the twins, Sharon, Eloa, and various others who would be worried—notifying them of his well-being and explaining why he hadn't been in touch.
Roughly piecing together the densely packed contents of the ten pages per recipient yielded the following summary.
He had been abducted by the Witch of the Deep Sea but had built a good rapport with her and was living comfortably.
He hadn't been able to contact the outside due to Leryu's extreme aversion to external communications.
Once he overcame the trials, he would return, so there was no need to worry too much.
He was sorry for causing them concern.
In truth, this alone wasn't enough to fully dispel the trio's suspicions.
Their worries weren't so light that they could simply take the letters at face value and move on carefree.
“It could have been written under duress.”
“I was thinking the same. It's a letter written under the scrutiny of the Witch of the Deep Sea from the start. Or perhaps a ploy to obstruct the search.”
“And we can't even tell when the photos were taken.”
Even amid such anxieties, the three couldn't hide the color returning to their faces.
Their lover's very survival had been in doubt.
Finding even a clue that he was alive felt like a long-awaited rain to souls parched of hope.
-How have you all been?
As they teared up, caressing each letter and word, the moment they played Si-woo's voice through the old cassette player, the tears they'd been holding back finally spilled over.
“Listen carefully. If you notice anything off, say so right away.”
Even amid it all, Eloa strained to catch every nuance of Si-woo's voice.
Even if it was a coerced message, they had spent time together.
There might be hidden codes signaling crisis, or emergency signs only those close to him would understand.
But after listening to the nearly hour-long recording with bated breath, she felt a measure of relief.
For one, the recording was extremely long.
If the Witch of the Deep Sea meant to lull them into complacency by confirming the hostage's safety and disrupting the search, then the shorter the message and the less information it contained, the better.
Yet Shin Si-woo had casually detailed his submarine life in full, his voice brimming with embarrassed apologies—thoroughly at peace.
It was hard to imagine the Witch of the Deep Sea hadn't considered the very things Eloa had.
In other words, it was highly likely the recording had been made freely, with his safety assured, free of any lies or fabrications.
-So... please don't worry too much and wait for me. Once I complete the trials, I'll return soon. Oh, and there's something else I need to tell you... Actually, better to say it in person when I get back. Sorry again for worrying you. Take care.
With a click, the tape ended, and the voice message concluded. The three let out long sighs.
“Thank goodness... really, thank goodness.”
“I had a feeling Si-woo would be just fine, wherever he was.”
“Of course. Whose disciple is he?”
They didn't find even the slightest regret in the anguish they'd suffered while he lived a life of unexpected comfort.
What better news could there be than that their beloved, whose life had hung in the balance, was unscathed?
“We still need to keep up the search.”
“Naturally.”
“Let's shift the search base to the waters near Auckland.”
Of course, that didn't mean they'd twiddle their thumbs waiting for his return—not for a second.
There were any number of “what if” scenarios, and he might even have been ensnared by mental magic.
They could narrow the search area by analyzing local currents, so the three prepared to move out at once.
“What's this?”
As Eloa and Sharon rose to resume the search, they spotted one more cassette tape wedged into a corner of the box's padding.
While the letters, photos, and the recording they'd just heard had been neatly packaged, this one looked like someone had hastily shoved it in.
“Must be an extra tape. Let's check it.”
The lovers huddled together once more.
-Click!
They rewound it to the end and hit play.
-Rustle rustle
The sound that followed was somehow different from Si-woo's recording.
Unlike the previous one, where the mic had been held right to his mouth for a crude but clear audio quality, this felt distant, as if secretly recorded.
-Still writing those letters?
A woman's voice rang out, pitched high enough to rival the twins'.
The utterly unfamiliar tone undoubtedly belonged to the Witch of the Deep Sea.
-Yes. There are so many I need to pass on.
Si-woo's voice came from a bit farther away, suggesting she was the one recording.
Sensing something amiss, the three exchanged silent glances.
Then they leaned in to listen to what followed.