Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Play Ball (1)
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Seeing Siwoo show no reaction to her rare proposal, Odile tilted her head in puzzlement.
His voice, brimming with confusion, echoed through the room.
"Odile, are we really the only ones here?"
"Here? Where?"
"In Latifundium."
"No one else is around. I told you—we rented out the whole place for the break."
"Then what's that black thing?"
A pitch-black shape peering intently into the administrative building from outside the window.
Siwoo called it "black" for one simple reason.
He couldn't describe its form any more precisely than that.
A shadow hunched atop a branch like it was clinging to it.
Shadows rippled around it.
This was no mere metaphor or figure of speech.
Actual shadows shrouded its body like heat haze.
"What?"
Odile slowly turned her head to follow his gaze.
The moment she did, the unidentified thing's body began to move.
Kikikik-grrrk.
Its neck twisted grotesquely, as if rusted at the joints.
Dark shadows scattered like mist, allowing Siwoo to finally make out its shape.
A massive black cat's head.
A body far too enormous for any ordinary beast.
A tail dangling limply, swaying like a pendulum, with a huge scythe at its tip.
"That's..."
Odile's face hardened.
-Kikikik-grrrk!
Along with a chilling screech like nails on a chalkboard,
it opened its eyes.
Eyes blacker than the abyss,
emerging from a head even more devoid of depth than the rippling shadows.
Three crimson eyes, like flowers blooming in hell,
gleefully spinning as they fixed on them.
Shadows began gathering around the unidentified monster.
The moment those shadows took on distinct form,
"Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum! Quia pius es!"
⟨ Song of Repose ⟩
A swift, precise chant.
Even Odile, who could hum through most melodies and skip parts, performed a full incantation this time.
And at that instant—
-Kiiiiiiiek!
A black spear clashed against the transparent barrier enveloping the entire administrative building, sounding like a grinder shredding steel.
A deafening roar.
Vibrations.
The clash of mana.
In that fleeting moment, Siwoo, who had been watching the monster, saw it:
Three spears woven from shadow hurtling toward the building, colliding with the barrier unfurling from Odile.
He couldn't comprehend why this was suddenly happening.
All he knew for sure was that the monster outside had launched a magical attack, and Odile had countered it.
"That was close as fuck!"
Odile's crude curse.
Siwoo blinked and asked,
"Is that... Gemernai?"
"As if!"
It was a reasonable question, but Odile denied it with exasperated disbelief.
Thankfully, it didn't seem like Gemernai had spotted some thug toying with her apprentice and come to eliminate him.
Though whether that was truly fortunate remained to be seen.
"Then what is it?"
Before Odile could answer, another fierce collision rocked the room.
Unlike before, it wasn't a boom but a vibration.
A deep, resonant thrum that rattled the air in their lungs.
Another shadow spear had slammed into Odile's barrier.
Her eyes, shimmering with violet mana reflections, glared outside as she said,
"Looks like a homunculus. But Master said there weren't any left in Gehenna..."
"You mean that's one of the Creation Witch's homunculi?"
"Doesn't it look like it?"
Siwoo sensed the situation was graver than he'd thought.
Homunculus.
The intelligent lifeforms said to have been created by the Creation Witch.
"Guardians" crafted to protect her legacy.
They lurked dormant or wandered silently somewhere in the world.
Witches obsessed with magic would light up with fervor and hunt them down whenever one was spotted.
Because slaying a homunculus yielded the Creation Witch's legacy: artifacts, research notes, elixirs, fragments of spell arrays, and more.
In more modern terms, they were like event bosses.
The Creation Witch's legacy held value enough to elevate any witch's achievements.
"This is bad. Assistant, look after Odette."
Odile stared unflinchingly at the shadow spears flying relentlessly from outside.
Her soft cheeks were taut with unprecedented tension.
But calling them "event mobs" was overly optimistic.
Homunculi were far too dangerous for that.
They were living beings handcrafted by the Creation Witch herself.
Each wielded unique self-generating magic, thrashing desperately to guard the legacy implanted within them.
Raid bosses fit them better.
They proudly claimed second place among "unexpected reasons witches vanish."
Even amid the chaos, Siwoo pulled the rigidly upright Odette away from the window.
"What do we do?"
"I don't know... I'm thinking. First, wake Odette."
The gravity of the situation was plain on Odile's face.
The girl who laughed off most crises was now pale as a ghost.
Witches who specialized in hunting homunculi advised those below the 15th hierarchy never to attempt it.
So, what was the twins' hierarchy?
"Odile, you don't have a stigma yet, so exact calculations are impossible, but roughly—what hierarchy of magic can you handle?"
Odile's eyes widened slightly, surprised by Siwoo's unexpected composure.
"Not shaking like a leaf—impressive. With Odette, we can manage 8th hierarchy using self-generating magic."
"Calling for outside help seems like priority one."
"Agreed."
Minimum required: 15th hierarchy.
Twins combined: 8th.
Severely lacking.
Even a witch devoting her entire life might fail to advance a single hierarchy.
-Kwa-gwang!
Siwoo peered intently out the window.
Odile's barrier enveloped the entire research building like a dome.
Each time a spear from the homunculus struck and dispersed, their view narrowed.
Shadows were spreading like ink in water, staining the surroundings.
This blurred the homunculus's form in the distance.
Unable to track the enemy's movements bred anxiety.
Another building-shaking rumble, followed by sparks of mana flashing outside.
Odette, whom Siwoo had been shaking, jolted awake at the sound.
"Eek! Wh-what... what's going on?"
Odette groggily scanned the room, and Siwoo gave her a quick summary.
"Th-then what do we do?"
Her reaction mirrored Odile's.
The twins had no combat experience to begin with, and even if they did, 8th hierarchy combined couldn't fell a homunculus.
Now was the time to flee and call for aid.
"Odile, how many more hits can you block?"
"Weaker than expected. Three or four per minute—should hold for ten minutes."
At least they had some time.
"Odette, any way to call Gemernai or another witch for help?"
For instance, Siwoo had once used Skyboard at the inn to summon Sophia.
The twins surely knew far better methods.
"There is, but... not usable here. Sis's 'Song of Repose' blocks not just inbound magic from outside, but outbound too."
"So we have to get outside?"
The research building was now an air-raid shelter.
Leaving meant braving the bombardment to fire a flare.
"Music box! The music box! That should at least buy us some cover!"
Odette rummaged in her cloak and pulled out a music box.
At that moment—
-Kiiik! Kiiiiik!
"Ass...istant..."
With Odile's call came a grating screech like metal frames being torn apart from outside.
Siwoo instinctively held his breath.
The massive cat cloaked in shadows was clawing at Odile's barrier.
It stabbed its scythe-like tail into the transparent wall, thrashing it wildly up and down.
"Kirik... kieek... kick-kak...!"
The homunculus bared its teeth, crimson eyes flashing.
Tarry shadows drooled from its mashed-open maw.
Even Siwoo, seeing one for the first time, understood its emotion.
It was laughing.
Delighted at having three toys to play with.
"Odette!"
"Got it, Sis!"
The twins exchanged signals.
No need for discussion—they knew each other's minds perfectly.
As Odile dropped the barrier, Odette thrust her arm out the window and began chanting.
"Requiem aeternam dona eis!"
⟨ Eternal Requiem ⟩
Grant them eternal rest.
Odette's chant was a requiem for the enemy.
-Kwaaang!
True to the incantation, pale light shot from her arm, striking the homunculus's face—still clinging to the barrier—in the blink of an eye.
The brief flash spiked the room's temperature by ten degrees.
The glass it merely grazed glowed red-hot, melting like sugar.
"No way...!"
The twins muttered in unison.
Such power.
A direct hit to the face should have dealt serious damage...
Kiiiik?
The homunculus tilted its head, utterly unscathed.
A chilling shiver ran down their spines.
"Dodge!"
Siwoo reflexively hugged the twins and ducked.
In less than 0.2 seconds, something whistled over his back.
-Bwoooong!
-Kwa-jijijik!
A miniature storm ravaged the room.
The homunculus's whip-like tail had swept horizontally through the research building's interior.
Crashing walls, splintering furniture.
Dust clouded their vision in seconds.
"Run... let's just run!"
What if they'd stood still?
Siwoo shuddered, glancing at the shattered wooden pillar as he yanked the twins by the scruffs and spun around.
-Kiiiiiiik!
A taut twang, like loading a crossbow.
The grating friction each time the beast hurled shadow spears at the building.
There was only one place to flee anyway.
"Jump!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
Siwoo dove off the dizzyingly high treehouse, clutching the twins.
Simultaneously, two spears exploded past his back with a boom.
-Thud-kwang!
In his plummeting view, the massive ancient tree propping up Latifundium crumpled like smashed styrofoam.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Flightless levitation was child's play for the twins.
Still, a 30-meter rope-free bungee jump was terrifying.
Siwoo screamed amid whipping winds and rushing ground.
The twins landed gracefully; Siwoo rolled roughly across the dirt.
"Assistant! You okay?"
Odette rushed over, while Odile eyed the homunculus still in the treehouse.
The massive cat strode forward, tail swishing playfully as it peered down.
The hunt had only just begun.
"Assistant, take Odette and run. I'll hold it here."
Odile stood firm, staring straight into the three glowing red eyes.