Chapter 645
Chapter 645
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 645
Chapter Title: The Sword Witch (3)
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1.
It had already been three days since I'd been confined to the Fragrant Moon Tower.
Just hearing that I'd been kidnapped by the coven and dragged to their city made it sound like some blood-pumping adventure was in store...
But the reality couldn't have been further from that.
I hadn't taken a single step outside the Fragrant Moon Tower, and aside from Rinne, I hadn't crossed paths with any other coven members.
The worst-case scenarios—like ending up as a lab rat or being dissected alive—hadn't come to pass either.
My daily routine boiled down to sparring from dawn till dusk.
After that, I'd half-crawl back to my room, get healed up by Yebin, and crash like the dead.
If I looked on the bright side, I was honing my skills clashing swords with Rinne, so I could think of it as Spartan training.
But this was a problem.
I'd gone to the trouble of reworking my "Dimensional Shift" spell for a quick getaway, even plotting an espionage op to snag Hexennacht intel if things went south.
Yet every sparring session ended with me passing out the moment I hit the bed, leaving me unable to start a damn thing.
At this rate, my stay would drag on indefinitely.
Sure, things looked stable for now, but I couldn't forget the truth.
Si-woo's treatment hinged entirely on Rinne's whims.
"Ughhh..."
The sparring kicked off at the crack of dawn, and by the end, Si-woo was sprawled in the corner of the training grounds, dry-heaving nonstop.
No need to mention the physical exhaustion, but that final kick to his left abdomen had been a killer.
As he lay there feeling the agony only a fighter could relate to, Rinne's indifferent voice rang out.
"Tomorrow's a rest day."
"Wha?"
Si-woo blinked in utter bewilderment.
Rest.
A word he'd longed for but given up on ever hearing from Rinne's lips.
"What a shame."
He desperately kept his face solemn, fighting the grin threatening to spread.
Did he really need to keep up the act after getting pummeled daily? Still, he didn't want to risk experimenting with any changes.
"Why?"
That made it crucial to pay attention to this sudden shift in Rinne.
Rinne wasn't like Master.
The moment she stopped seeing value in their spars, Si-woo's worth would plummet.
Realizing that, he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at how he'd been holding back his smiles.
"Rest is important."
Si-woo zoned out for a second.
It felt like watching the Pope declare "God is dead" at a formal event.
He might've bought it if she'd said there was a schedule conflict, but "Someone who knows that is the one drilling me this hard?" That was fair.
His days had been pure hell lately.
"The doctor's mana is tapped out too. I need to recover."
"Can't argue with that."
Her follow-up explanation made perfect sense.
Si-woo kept forgetting since he regenerated mana himself through repeated amplification, but generally, using mana was easy—recovering it was the hard part.
The variance was huge, so pinning it down exactly was tough, but an average great witch needed a full month to naturally recover from total depletion.
To add more detail, this process happened as the "self-actualized" mana left in her stigma assimilated neutral mana, so the more she had remaining, the faster the recovery—and vice versa.
Si-woo and Rinne had been regulating their output during spars, so their recovery hadn't lagged, and they had reserves.
But Yebin, who'd been called in daily to heal both of them, had run dry first.
"Come with me for a bit. I'll brew some tea."
Si-woo silently trailed Rinne into the tea room.
Ever since that chance philosophical exchange, their "conversations" had been purely physical clashes, so this was only his second time here.
The dim room brightened a touch as coals smoldered in the brazier, heating the kettle.
Rinne wordlessly prepared the matcha with practiced hands.
Pouring it into the bowl and whisking until froth formed—her every motion was flawless enough to demo a tea ceremony.
This was why you couldn't judge by appearances.
Show this scene alone, and everyone would peg her for a royal princess in bridal training.
He was musing "So why'd she call me here?" when—
"Shin Si-woo."
As always, she fixed him with her unyielding gaze.
He could sense the faint goodwill seeping in without trying.
"Become my disciple."
Si-woo paused briefly before replying without missing a beat, lips dry.
"I've been waiting for those words, Master."
2.
To sum up Rinne's swordsmanship in one word:
Sinister.
Her strikes shot out from unexpected angles like a hidden serpent, yet clung like molten tar—impossible to track, defying all perception.
Utterly unlike Master's pure martial arts, it was a prime chance to broaden his horizons, with plenty to learn.
But Si-woo snapping up her offer wasn't—obviously—because he'd betrayed his adorable Master Eloa.
In this city, securing even minimal safety and freedom required Rinne's approval.
The title of disciple to the Sword Witch was no light matter.
That was why he'd spat out rude banter unfit for his station and fought like a mad dog without complaint—to hear those words.
"Good. Let's make it work."
Of course, this alone wouldn't smooth out his future plans.
He'd spent far more time clashing blades with her than actually talking.
Still, he knew one thing.
Her master-disciple bond wouldn't be as warm and tight-knit as Eloa's.
Which was why Si-woo planned to play the ideal disciple for the time being.
He'd show her a sparring partner beyond reproach, radiating endless fighting spirit and drive for improvement—just as she wanted.
"That said..."
Could he really pull it off?
He didn't fully buy her teaching philosophy of "lose to grow stronger," but damn if it wasn't effective.
These near-real-battle spars in Sword Witch Rinne's Spartan dojo had elevated his spearwork leaps and bounds.
He'd picked up what he could mimic, filling the gaps in his spear arts.
Techniques that raw speed and power alone couldn't achieve.
Yet even with all this growth, the gap never narrowed.
He wasn't the only one improving.
Rinne was pioneering new realms off their bouts too.
The key: he couldn't fall too far behind.
To avoid getting used up and discarded, he had to stay appetizing as a disciple.
This wouldn't be easy.
"I'm all ready..."
Lost in thought while changing, Si-woo noticed Yebin shuffling over with hollow eyes.
Somehow, they'd ended up roommates.
As a side note, Rinne didn't care if Si-woo shared a room with Yebin or what they did at night.
From what he'd observed, she always retreated to the tea room post-training for meditation or tea.
Anyway.
Not only did she heal him daily, but she gave thorough massages after.
Could ask for more.
Normally he'd decline, but without her, surviving these three days would've been impossible.
"You okay?"
"Yeah... fine."
"Sorry you've had it rough because of me. Today off's partly for you too, so rest up."
"No, I'm glad to help like this..."
Of course, Yebin's puffy eyes weren't from overexertion or mana drain.
Night after night in a fancy ryokan-style room, alone with a handsome guy.
Plus, every "well-meaning" massage exposed her to his ideal musculature half-naked, and flipping him over brought even stronger visual shocks.
Days of gulping saliva and doing nothing had maxed out her mental fatigue.
"Hot springs, though. Nice perk."
"Never tried 'em myself."
Chatting idly, they headed to the tea room where Rinne waited.
Today's agenda had two main items.
First: a simple herbal bath soak.
He'd thought this treatment—famous from Gehenna's Revana Grand Bathhouse—was niche, but it apparently had deep traditions.
Dunk mana water and Rinne's handmade herbs into the springs, lounge half a day, and it'd mend a good chunk of mana and ethereal wounds.
Next up: Si-woo and Rinne heading out alone beyond the Fragrant Moon Tower.
While Yebin, with more mana to recover, soaked all day, their schedule was set for Arcana Town.
No clue what Rinne had in mind since she'd announced it unilaterally.
But prime chance to scout the city.
Bonus if he could analyze the "gates."
"Master, coming in."
"Pardon the intrusion."
The tea room's low, narrow entrance—forcing a humble crawl—left Si-woo taken aback as he wriggled in.
"Drink this, then we move."
It was Rinne's outfit.
Always in loose Eastern-style training garb of vague origin.
Practical and roomy, sure, but "pretty?" Debatable.
Like admiring taekwondo dobok aesthetics.
But now, in silk embroidered with gold thread, seated demurely—she evoked a painter's masterpiece beauty.
Slender neckline bared, hair pinned sleekly, a white fluffy scarf draped at her knees would perfect the scene.
Yebin gawked wide-eyed, sharing the sentiment.
"The kimono suits you perfectly."
But awe was fleeting. Si-woo seized the moment for a goodwill boost.
A classic from ancient times—even prickly early Amelia had warmed to it.
"This is a yukata."
"Ah."
Rinne sliced through it coldly, slurping her tea.
So icy that Yebin beside him pondered if it was a joke needing a reaction.
The awkwardness didn't linger.
Rinne drained her cup quick, and they were off to the springs together.
One utterly unforeseen twist, though...
"Wait, all of us?"
"Importing hot spring water to the mortal realm ain't cheap."
The herbal treatment he'd assumed had screens or partitions? Budget issues made it a mixed bath.