Chapter 646
Chapter 646
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 646
Chapter Title: Arcana Town
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Overall, the Fragrant Moon House was quite a modest dwelling.
This wasn't just an impression born from Si-woo staying in one of Gehenna's grandest mansions, like the Gemernai Count Family's.
It held up even compared to a typical witch's estate.
Not to mention, it was narrower than the accommodations Trinity Academy had provided Amelia.
The antique rooms and floors were adorned only with simple vases and the occasional hanging scroll.
The bathroom connected to the back garden path stood out for its tidy calm and simplicity rather than any ostentatious flair.
Stepping up stone stairs blanketed in dry moss led to an indoor bath roughly ten to twelve pyeong across.
Thanks to the straight-line layout from the entrance straight to the opposite tub, the whole space came into view at a glance.
The floor was laid with dressed granite, while the walls and tub were all woven from red pine.
Steam was already billowing, shoving aside the crisp early-winter chill.
A thick herbal medicine scent overpowered the pine aroma, stabbing at the nose.
The curtained entrance held a simple shelf for clothes and folded towels, while the slanting ceiling grew lower the farther it went toward the front tub.
Where ceiling met wall at the edge sat an unpainted wooden lattice—likely for venting bath steam while offering a view of the night sky.
"Oh..."
Whatever else, the atmosphere was top-notch.
But now... how to proceed from here...
As Si-woo and Ye-bin both hesitated awkwardly, Linne began stripping without a second thought.
Untying the waist knot sent her clothes slipping off in a heap, revealing nothing but her pristine white skin glowing softly underneath.
Even her obi was black, making her back look all the whiter as it was laid bare to Si-woo without obstruction.
Her nude form shimmered like a mirage amid the flickering candlelight and steam—beautiful, regardless of whether such thoughts were appropriate.
Spiritual bodies possess a homeostasis that maintains an ideal physique.
For female forms, this means extreme training rarely alters appearance much.
The optimal skeletal structure and bodily traits suited to the individual are already set.
That said, what happens with repeated, relentless training?
Since their heights were similar, it was easiest to explain using his master's body as an example.
A two-trillion-dollar Apple hip took shape—an overflowing, bouncy peach of an ass brimming with juices.
Above it, a delicate waistline and the graceful curves of her erector spinae.
Thighs stretched long without an ounce of excess fat, calves sleek and smooth.
It was the pinnacle of slenderness, showing the extremes a female body could reach when focused on "line" over "volume."
Her entire form was taut with unrelenting firmness, save for one soft spot...
Between those long legs peeked a pair of plump, tightly sealed mochi cheeks.
Linne reached for a towel on the shelf without loosening her hair.
Her body turned slightly in the process, allowing a glimpse of her front as well.
In truth, he'd half-expected it from her training robes, but Linne's breasts weren't particularly large.
Her modest, pert mounds and nipples red like cherries lightly sugared evoked twins more than anything.
Yet from an aesthetic standpoint, no other size or shape could suit this physique—it was a perfect sculptural harmony.
"Not undressing?"
The moment of admiration was brief.
Linne, now wrapped in a towel, eyed Si-woo and Ye-bin—who stood dazed from the sudden exposure—with clear puzzlement.
Only then did it belatedly hit him: Oh, it's not full nudity—towels are fine.
"I'll head in first."
Linne parted the flimsy hanging curtain, cast a quick cleansing spell, and padded toward the tub.
Ye-bin's face was already beet-red despite nothing happening yet, while Si-woo felt oddly sheepish; they turned from each other, shed their clothes, and wrapped large towels around themselves.
Ye-bin's covered fully to her chest like Linne's, while Si-woo's draped loosely over his lower half.
After a simple cleansing spell, they entered the bath.
Like the bathroom, the tub was red pine—not huge, but decently deep.
An inner ledge allowed one to sit submerged, though it was barely visible above the waterline.
The surface was inky black from the heavy dose of herbs, and with only a few lanterns for light, the surroundings were dim.
Fearful of the rising steam, he tested with a toe first.
"Ack, hot..."
Did witches just relish extreme temperatures like Lurye's sauna? It was filthy hot.
Linne sat submerged to her chin with a towel atop her head, utterly unfazed—even her expression unchanged.
Slowly acclimating, he sank in fully, and a sigh of "Ahh, refreshingly cool" nearly escaped on its own.
The bone-deep fatigue that massage and rest couldn't touch melted as the hot spring water seeped into his skin.
Vital mana coursed through his circuits, soothing even internal wounds.
Refined pure mana quickly replenished Si-woo's somewhat depleted brand.
Expensive things do deliver.
Lurye's similar herbal bath treatment had cost the price of a luxury sedan per session—requiring vast mana water and processing rare magical crops.
Three times a day? She'd returned to the submarine in luxury.
Ye-bin, initially tense, now melted into the water, her face gone slack as she closed her eyes.
Only the soft lapping of waves and quiet breaths filled the air.
Linne shattered the trio's silence.
"You two."
"Yes."
"Yes, yep!"
"Replenish your mana once a day from now on. I'll explain how to fill the tub tomorrow."
Probably to avoid any interruptions to training from mana shortages or healing setbacks.
Daily baths were a joy, but it meant she'd wring them dry in training—not entirely welcome.
Still, think positive.
Per Ye-bin's exam, latent risks lurked unknown.
Herbal soaks would help maintain his condition too.
With conversation open, time for intel gathering.
Top priority: Linne, naturally.
The master-disciple bond had formed so easily it felt off—leaving him knowing precious little about her.
"Master, may I ask something?"
"Speak."
"Do you have a separate source of income in the present world?"
Linne nodded.
"Yes."
Usually, people elaborated—like "I do this and that."
He waited for more, but she kept her eyes shut and lips sealed.
"What kind of work?"
She'd been enjoying the bath meekly like a water-affinity cat, but at the second question, she cracked one eye toward Si-woo.
Annoyance plain as day.
No matter how you sliced it, she didn't treat disciples like cherished students.
Speculation, but perhaps to her, a "disciple" was just a rival walking the same path.
Even nominally bound, it was a primal reason not to let her guard down.
"Shateigashira."
"Shateigashira?"
Explanation followed for the unfamiliar term.
In short, an advisor role—forming a sworn brotherhood with a Yakuza organization's chairman to offer counsel and guidance.
Like a Mafia consigliere.
Truth be told, the details didn't fully click, but he well knew the deference Great Witches commanded in the present world.
At the 22nd Hierarchy, she was likely less "advisor" and more the organization's true power behind the throne.
"What have you been up to?"
Linne lobbed a question back, for some reason.
The basic level befitted a first meeting because they truly hadn't shared long talks before.
"As a human, I was a Gehenna slave. After becoming a witch, survival kept me busy."
Thus began disciple talk, fully excluding Ye-bin.
"I see."
"My pursuit of greater power stemmed from all that hardship."
Lies grew easier with practice.
Grounded in truth, he wove in fabrications to sustain the concept without cracks.
"I'm glad I can now focus solely on training without other distractions. All thanks to you, Master."
"Good attitude."
Thankfully, no major inconsistencies—Linne nodded approvingly at each point.
If it had been Dorothy, she'd have seen through everything; good thing Linne wasn't that intricate.
"Doctor, you stay."
"Yes...! Thank you...!"
Mixed bathing.
A thrilling term for any man, yet nothing noteworthy happened till the end.
Just catching glimpses of Linne's bare form and exchanging a few words.
If anything, Ye-bin's face turning red as boiled octopus deserved mention.
But what excitement could there be?
Linne had suggested mixed bathing so casually precisely because she didn't care about such situations.
After two hours sufficiently loosening up, Linne and Si-woo dressed and left Ye-bin behind.
The bath event ranked as a mere side quest by importance.
The main quest started now.
Four days after capture to Hexennacht—his first outing doubled as a scouting opportunity.
The austere master-disciple date to Arcana Town now raised its curtain.