Chapter 594
Chapter 594
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 594
Chapter Title: I'm Home (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Siwoo's cock was equivalent to the King of All Diseases—but only for those branded with his stigma.
However, it wasn't some magical cure that could heal every injury like a miracle.
Lerue's wound, inflicted by Dorothy's hand, was at the core of her mana circuits.
In other words, there was nothing Siwoo could do about it right away.
So, after returning to Gehenna together, the goal was to expedite her treatment and reunite with his lovers who were undoubtedly waiting anxiously there.
They arrived at the border town's immigration office.
Lerue had no citizenship, so her identity check came with restrictions.
"Please contact Countess Jemernai."
The immigration officer approached with wary eyes at this sudden illegal entry by an exile.
One sentence was enough to convince her.
No matter how you sliced it, Siwoo was a celebrity known to everyone in Gehenna, and it was common knowledge that Duke Tiphereth and Countess Jemernai backed him.
Of course, Gehenna's system wasn't so lax that merely name-dropping would let an "exile" waltz in.
Lerue was made to wait in the lounge under the officer's supervision, while Siwoo was allowed to go meet Countess Jemernai first.
"Your Majesty, I'm telling you one last time: absolutely no causing trouble. You just sit here, okay? I'll be right back."
"Aaaah! I get it already! How many times do I have to hear this?!"
He could understand Lerue throwing a tantrum.
Even before leaving for Gehenna, he'd warned her endlessly until his words must have fallen on deaf ears.
Though Lerue had decided to follow Dorothy's sincere advice and Siwoo's counsel to obtain Gehenna citizenship, her hostility toward Gehenna witches had been confirmed multiple times.
Even if her usable power was now limited to apprentice witch level, she could still cause plenty of chaos, so no amount of caution was excessive.
"And what's with this cheap black tea? Have them bring something better, stat."
Indeed, Lerue was still Lerue, even outside the submarine.
One might expect her to be a bit intimidated on her first visit to Gehenna—especially as an exile with uncertain status—but there was no change in her demeanor.
"Yes, yes, got it."
After barely soothing Lerue's various complaints, he received word that Countess Albireo was en route to the immigration office.
His stomach started to churn.
He could easily imagine how things had unfolded while he was missing.
That month of total radio silence must have been hellish for everyone involved.
To outsiders unaware of the circumstances, it looked like he'd been kidnapped by a former witch teetering on the edge between public enemy and exile.
And now, the son-in-law who'd caused all that worry shows up dragging the kidnapper along, saying, "She's my new girlfriend. Haha!"?
He already lacked the confidence to withstand the glares and backlash.
A short while later.
After a private meeting with his flustered, out-of-breath great mother-in-law, he spilled every detail of what had happened and the current situation.
Siwoo would never forget the changes in Albireo's expression as she listened to his long-winded tale.
A smile mixing relief and joy => furrowed brows straining to suppress simmering anger => tightly clenched teeth holding back contemptuous glares and scoldings.
Afterward, Albireo sipped her tea with an exceedingly kind expression and a gentle tone he'd never heard from her before.
"Siwoo, let me ask you something. If a son-in-law who vanished for a month, then stayed untraceable for two more, suddenly popped up asking for citizenship for his new girlfriend... how do you think that mother-in-law would feel?"
Of course, her outward composure didn't reveal all her emotions.
A tremendous fury lurked beneath her refined, elegant voice.
Siwoo's back grew slick with sweat.
"I-I'm truly sorry."
"Oh? Do I look like someone who wants an apology? Ho ho, it was just a question. Answer properly."
Albireo covered her mouth, giggling merrily.
It must feel like being a condemned prisoner in the electric chair, with the executioner toying over whether to flip the switch.
"You'd... be pretty angry."
"Ah, angry? Yes, quite. The twins were bawling their eyes out, throwing tantrums nonstop, while Deneb fell into depression and shut herself away... leaving me to handle everything alone."
Her breathing grew increasingly ragged with agitation.
"Oh, and do you know how much a military-grade sonar costs? I learned for the first time on this occasion... it's exorbitant. For the person who launched dozens of ships across the vast ocean, fretting over whether her precious son-in-law was even scratched, suffering endlessly..."
Her smile, meanwhile, morphed into a terrifying blank mask, as if ripping off a clay facade.
"And you have the gall to make that kind of request?!?!"
Siwoo shrank, breathless under the overwhelming aura pouring from her entire being, as Albireo's lion-like roar thundered down in utmost rage.
A true grand witch's presence.
"Get up right now!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Albireo slammed her teacup down roughly and closed in on Siwoo, who stood ramrod straight with hands behind his back.
Then, without mercy, she jabbed his joints with the pointed heel of her shoe, laying into him.
"What could our darlings possibly lack for you to build an army of lovers like this?! And you still can't stop seducing anyone who catches your eye!"
"Eek! Eek! Eek!"
"Even Deneb! You slept with her once for that verification, and now you're curious about the others too?"
"Th-there were circumstances...!"
"I know! Magic recharge, or whatever! Even so...! You should've avoided it, even if it meant grinding your bones to dust!"
Albireo knew she was grasping at straws unfairly.
In truth, she had no intention of holding him accountable for that, even after he returned.
Though he'd formed an unspeakable bond, Siwoo had taken the fall in his place, allowing Deneb to return safely.
When weighing merits and faults, she owed him gratitude, not blame.
But seeing him now, wheedling for citizenship after seducing the abyssal witch, erased every last drop of that hard-won goodwill.
"What kind of man are you? My little sister, the twins, Duke Tiphereth, Miss Merigold, Miss Evergreen, Countess Yesod—and who else?! Spill it!"
"Wh-what do you want me to say...?"
"Name every woman you've been with!"
Should he even say it?
It felt like pouring oil on Albireo's already blazing fire, but dodging wouldn't fly either.
"Uh... Yebin..."
"I know about that. Therapeutic purposes, so I'll let it slide."
"And Periwinkle..."
"The Witch of Luck? How'd that happen?"
"She saved my life once, and there were various incidents."
Albireo, wearing a stunned expression, pressed her forehead and flopped back into her chair.
As Siwoo hesitated over whether to mention Dorothy, Albireo squeezed her eyes shut and waved him off.
"Enough, enough. Ugh, I'm dizzy..."
"I'm so sorry..."
Letting out a sigh of mental exhaustion, Albireo—now too drained to stay angry—finally spoke after a few heavy breaths.
"Fine. Let's see how far you'll go."
"I'll make sure nothing like this happens again."
"...I'd sooner cosign a debt than believe you..."
Albireo pulled paper and a fountain pen from her bosom, scribbling furiously.
A glance revealed "Arbitrary Bail Claim Form."
Despite everything, it looked like she was willing to help, which touched him a little.
"I wasn't planning to ask blindly. Tell me what I need to do."
"Of course I was. Is that even worth saying?"
Obtaining Gehenna citizenship again as an exile wasn't easy.
Not even Countess Jemernai, who wielded real influence there, could guarantee it outright.
Even when applying for amnesty to heal Siwoo's prior injuries, it had required hefty bribes and pressure.
"Still, the abyssal witch is a former witch with no prior exile record, so that'll work in her favor during review."
"Yes, ma'am."
"...To gain citizenship, she must prove she's beneficial to Gehenna without being a threat."
"How... do we do that?"
"Security clearance under the Jemernai name will go smoothly. What's left is proving her benefit... the simplest way is a donation."
Albireo had often accommodated Siwoo out of past gratitude, but this time, she wouldn't budge.
She intended to extract every ounce owed.
"I'll loan it to you. But repay it with your own efforts—no squeezing it from other women around you, or I'll never forgive you."
"Understood."
"Don't feel wronged or think I'm being stingy. This is your test."
"Of course not."
Once the twins inherited the stigma, they'd inherit vast wealth too—but from what Albireo had observed, Shin Siwoo was a money sink.
Rather than leave such a liability unchecked, she wanted proof he could stand on his own.
Of course, her true sentiment was not wanting her lecherous son-in-law to splurge donations on his new fling.
"If you can't overcome a trial like this alone, give up on seeing the twins."
Albireo said it with serious eyes, knowing full well the twins wouldn't abandon him even if he did—but Siwoo didn't retort, aware of her concerns.
It wasn't the time anyway.
"Yes, I'll prepare it no matter what. So... how much?"
"Ten thousand gold pounds. Repayment deadline... let's say two years from now. No funny business—report the sourcing in detail."
He'd expected a hefty sum, but not this hefty.
Even with his dulled sense of money from rolling with rich witches, it was a fortune.
Still, he had some pride.
He didn't let the shock show openly.
It would've been impossible before, even selling cloned organs—but now Siwoo had various ways to make money.
"Understood."
Seeing Siwoo's composed response somewhat cooled Albireo's anger.
"Good spirit. I'll go apply for the bail with the director, so wait here."
"Yes, ma'am."
With a countess pulling strings, the bail approval was swift.
Apart from Albireo grilling him about whether he had a "young witch fetish" upon learning the abyssal witch was a newly inherited one—not the ancient witch he'd assumed—they returned to the mansion relatively smoothly.