Chapter 622
Chapter 622
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 622
Chapter Title: Chapter 622 - #126_사막의 밤(2)
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 622
Chapter Title: Desert Night (2)
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1.
Master returned neither too late nor too early.
That is, right around the time the sun had fully set and bonfires across the sandy plains began belching black smoke.
"This is a problem."
She stored the contract sword she'd drawn in preparation for any contingencies back into the space beyond, shaking her head and brushing the fine sand that had worked its way into her hair.
"What happened?"
"The information seems to have leaked to more places than I thought. The other witches gathered here are after the Demon of the Labyrinth too."
As she said, at least forty witches had assembled at the campsite.
The only other time he'd seen this many witches in the mortal world was back at the Incheon Port junction.
And that was bad news for Si-woo, who wanted to monopolize and hunt the homunculus.
That many witches meant inevitable competition.
"Does this happen often?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Cases where a homunculus's appearance is predicted in advance, drawing witches like this."
"Hmm, not extremely common, but not rare either. It's an event that happens once every decade or so whenever the Oracle Agency interprets a prophecy. Homunculi are hard to find at the best of times, so this is a sure chance to take one down."
So the witch who'd passed the info to Takasho must have been a bit loose-lipped.
Or maybe the intelligence itself wasn't all that exclusive.
"How does it usually play out in situations like this?"
At Si-woo's question, Eloa pointed out the window.
There was an empty space dividing them along an invisible line.
"See that? They've split into two groups."
At a glance, witches were scattered about lighting fires and pitching tents here and there, but on closer inspection, the forty or so had divided into two camps.
"One side's Location Point witches or those from Gehenna. The other are exiles. Generally, whoever grabs it first takes it all. Fights break out over that sometimes, but not always."
"No bounties or anything?"
"None. Even if there were, they'd have run at the sight of me."
"Ah."
It was a crystal-clear explanation up to that point, but she added a few more words.
Bounty hunters usually avoided gatherings of witches unless they were organized by the same agency.
Not to mention Gehenna or Location Point witches—even exiles weren't trusted by their own kind.
"So, what'll you do?"
"......"
At least he had a rough picture now.
Not a duo raid with his master, but an artifact scramble.
Worst case, they might come all this way for nothing.
But turning back now felt like a waste after all the effort to get here.
Besides, finding another shot like this wouldn't be easy.
Homunculi didn't just pop up on demand.
And a named one like this was bound to drop something worthwhile.
"Screw it, let's give it a shot."
"Got it. Then let's move the car."
2.
Since Si-woo and Eloa were with Gehenna, they naturally parked on the outskirts of that camp.
Witches staring blankly into bonfires, or lounging long and lean while smoking.
From their demeanors alone, they looked like war refugees fleeing somewhere, but their striking appearances created a bizarre dissonance.
He could feel the witches killing time turning their gazes toward them all at once.
The murmur that followed hit Si-woo's ears loud and clear, even from a distance.
"What? Isn't that Si-woo?"
"Who's Si-woo?"
"You don't know the guy witch? He's famous these days."
"That's him?"
A black-ribboned eyepatch on his left eye, and a long spear.
Si-woo, a mere man wielding magic rivaling that of grand witches, was treated like a legendary Pokémon among them.
Sighs like this could be heard from some corners.
"Pack up. If the Tiferet Duke's here, we're done for..."
"Those damn junction bastards called it rare intel!"
"Airplane tickets wasted."
And nonsense like this too.
"Whoa... insane... he's ridiculously hot. I could live a hundred years off that face alone..."
"Ask him to join the hammock."
"Are you nuts? Can't you see the Tiferet Duke next to him? Apparently his disciple."
"Apprentice witch?"
"Nah, but something's up anyway. They came here alone together."
"Oh my my my... lovers, huh."
In Gehenna, they'd lingered so long—or maybe because of her backing—that the whispers had mostly died down.
They still drew lingering glances, of course.
"They're making a fuss."
It had been a while since such fervent reactions, leaving him awkwardly flustered.
His master beside him seemed deeply embarrassed too, fidgeting and turning this way and that.
"They must think we're lovers."
More precisely, she only seemed to remember the last part.
Her hand brushing his sleeve hesitated, twitching as if unsure whether to hold his or not.
"Maybe we should've just stayed put. Feels like coming was a mistake."
"Better to be as close as possible to the predicted emergence zone. It'll unfold the labyrinth the moment it appears—being nearby gives us the edge, right?"
"True, but still..."
Clearly, her reputation loomed larger in the mortal world than in Gehenna.
A few witches came over for greetings, some even to see Si-woo, but it didn't turn into idol-sasaeng fan madness.
Taking off his eyepatch, Si-woo confirmed it wasn't just that.
Their hierarchies weren't that high.
He could gauge them with his demonic eye from the start, and none reached grand witch level.
Average around the 18th Hierarchy, it seemed.
"It's been a while. Tiferet Duke, and Si-woo."
Among them, a familiar face appeared.
Fiery red hair like crackling flames, and deep ruby eyes.
The sole grand witch in this camp: Della Redcliff, Baroness.
Witches changed with experience, just like humans.
The venomous, spoiled noble vibe from their first meeting was gone.
Even accounting for the desert and ditching her signature red dress, her outfit was plainly modest, wrapped in rugged walkers instead of heels.
Yet her innate elegance remained; lifting her skirt hem lightly in greeting exuded aristocratic grace.
"Once again, my thanks for stopping my friend's rampage. And deep gratitude for your consideration in allowing a peaceful funeral."
With that, Della glanced back at her truck.
"It's nothing fancy, but may I invite you both for dinner?"
"Of course. We'd be delighted."
Eloa nodded gladly, then lightly patted Della's shoulder in affection and consolation.
The Paola Sochitl debacle.
One of the unforgettable incidents in Si-woo's memory.
Probably top-tier difficulty among the messes he'd been dragged into.
Even his master had ended up a wreck, needing months of recovery.
It wrapped up with Della donating her entire fortune to Location Point and retrieving Paola's body for burial.
Si-woo still remembered her side profile, staring blankly at her friend's remains without even tears.
It had given him plenty to ponder.
"I've been hearing a lot about you lately. They say you're out hunting homunculi?"
"Not enough to reach the Tiferet Duke's ears."
And the Della he met again felt like a different person entirely.
No trace of the arrogance or greed that had clung to her even through the formal speech.
If anything, her eyes held the kindly resilient gaze of a volunteer nurse at the front lines amid a hail of bombs.
Losing a dear friend had clearly left her with much to reflect on.
"Mind waiting a moment?"
A bonfire covered with planks and a tarp against the sandstorm.
Della set an iron skillet over the now-small hearth-like flames and deftly fried bacon and eggs.
Beside it, a soot-blackened teapot dangled, spewing steam.
Her skilled flip of the fried eggs showed plenty of practice.
As the savory aroma melted the stark desert night air...
Della pulled out barley bread, slathered butter, and topped it with the bacon and eggs to make sandwiches.
The drink to pair was brandy mixed with black tea at a 1:9 ratio.
"I hope it suits the Duke's taste."
"Nonsense—it's a splendid feast."
"Thanks, I'll dig in."
Meager compared to the lavish mansion meals he was used to, but the setting made it feel like a banquet.
He'd grabbed a quick bite before the charter flight, but Central Asian food just wasn't his thing.
The spices overwhelmed, and worst, the gaminess pierced right through.
"Here for the hunt?"
While Della and Eloa talked, Si-woo felt like a bit of a third wheel.
Apparently, since Sochitl's death, she'd been wandering the mortal world, hunting homunculi.
Atonement for a friend she couldn't save in time.
"Yes. Originally planned to handle just the Demon of the Labyrinth and bail..."
Like the other witches here, she'd come after hearing the prophecy.
But greeting her were about thirty witches—and more arriving on the news.
"I was going to leave at first. No need for this many people."
"Fair enough."
"But as you see, exile and Gehenna camps formed. I stayed to keep the balance."
While Si-woo mulled what "balance" meant, Eloa grasped it immediately.
"They've got a grand witch too?"
"Yes, the Witch of Mercury."
No one ordered it, but the split camps made it obvious: exiles and Gehenna witches didn't get along.
To Gehenna witches, exiles were potential criminals; to exiles, Gehenna witches were obnoxious sticklers.
If Della bailed now, only their side would have a grand witch—tipping the power balance.
A disrupted balance in the middle of nowhere, sans proper oversight, could easily spark violence from grudges.
Thus, Della stayed as the balancing weight.
An altruistic act unimaginable from the old Della.
"You've done a lot."
"I was just here."
Della humbly lowered her gaze in response, then made a request.
"Sorry to ask, but could you speak with the Witch of Mercury? For basic safety."
Eloa smiled kindly at the transformed Della.
She readily agreed to the request.
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