Chapter 651
Chapter 651
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 651
Chapter Title: Spy (2)
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1.
Ye-bin had to treat Si-woo, who was injured during the sparring match.
Having been forced to soak in the hot springs all day to recharge her magic power, she was literally stewed to perfection.
Her face, and even her breasts peeking over the towel, were flushed a vivid red.
"G-Good... Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah... It's bearable...."
Si-woo slipped into the same bath as her, where she looked utterly exhausted.
At this point, Ye-bin was the one ally Si-woo could absolutely trust, with no chance of betrayal.
He knew her personality and tendencies well, and their connections ran deep in all sorts of ways, didn't they?
"That happened, huh..."
So Si-woo shared everything he'd learned that day with Ye-bin—the full rundown.
The layout of Arcana Town, the overall structure of Hexennacht.
His success in acquiring the Witch of Mercury through a lie and making her his servant.
Even the suspicious warning and proposal from the Witch of Gold Coins.
"So where's the Witch of Mercury now?"
"My master took her for a bit. She'll be here soon."
"Then... what do we do from here?"
Ye-bin gazed up at Si-woo, her face flushed red and pressed close against him.
Their unusually close proximity was to minimize any sound leaking out.
"Hmm..."
Originally, he planned to share most of the intel with the great escape team the moment he recruited the Witch of Mercury.
She'd have her own gathered info as a witch, after all.
And as an extra safety net, he intended to involve Manya and Marisha.
Given their tight bond, helping those two escape would make Alice far more likely to lend a hand.
She who'd been put up for auction, treated like merchandise and reduced to a slave—their interests aligned perfectly.
That was precisely why he'd summoned them to this remote bathhouse in Fragrant Moon Pavilion...
"For now, we'll keep it all under wraps and play it by ear."
"Everything secret?"
"Most of it, yeah. Anyway, that means we'll have to act the part. Could you play along with me?"
"Sure thing."
The plan had shifted.
The Witch of Gold Coins.
She was a witch he'd just met, and a member of Clifford's faction at that.
But her offhand warning—that Linne was far more scheming than she appeared—was reason enough to stay cautious.
And hadn't she even shown inexplicable goodwill, telling him to come see her in secret from Linne?
Of course, he had no intention of accepting some dubious invitation to a potential trap right now, when things weren't at their worst.
Still, brushing it off entirely felt off somehow.
On top of that, who knew what Linne and Alice might have discussed while keeping him at bay.
With Alice's position unclear, laying all his cards on the table could easily backfire spectacularly.
"You're smitten with the Witch of Mercury, took her as a gift-slave to make her your servant, right? And your relationship with the Sword Witch is a friendly priest-priestess thing?"
"Yeah, that's probably the vibe we'll go with."
He entrusted Ye-bin with one final, absolute top-secret—the number one thing that must never be discovered: the magic power amplification and brand duplication during intercourse.
"I absolutely won't get physical with her. You be careful too, Ye-bin."
This wouldn't help the plan at all and could become a massive obstacle if exposed, so he had no plans to reveal it even at escape time.
"Got it, of course."
Right on cue, their talk wrapped up.
Ffootsteps approached from outside.
2.
The victor devours, the loser is devoured.
The victor ravages, the loser is ravaged.
This rule threading through human history since ancient times spared no one—not even witches.
If anything, their heavenly beauty made their fate all the more obvious when they fell into the hands of those harboring vile lusts.
Just think of the unspeakable humiliations inflicted on the Witch of Silence these past few days.
Alice felt her stomach churn at the mere memory.
Some might ask:
Isn't sharing a bed with a beautiful woman a golden opportunity? Why the disgust?
Having grown up in witch society, steeped in female supremacy, with her lesbian inclinations—and always dragging Manya and Marisha along for sticky, debauched romps anywhere, anytime—isn't that just par for the course?
No.
Absolutely not.
Before being a lesbian, before being a witch, Alice was a woman.
Being forced into unwanted acts with a woman she felt zero affection for was no different from rape.
And now, she had to seduce a man.
Within three days, bed him and submit proof in the form of his semen.
She'd nearly offered herself to him before to save Manya and Marisha—what cruel twist of fate was this?
"Urk..."
A sudden wave of nausea surged from deep in her gut.
She didn't think it'd be hard.
Her silvery hair shimmered like sparkling silk, so lustrous and beautifully rippling.
Her obsidian eyes, black and elegant as a mirror.
Among witches with pale skin, hers was exceptionally soft and porcelain-white.
She trusted her charms could captivate not just women, but men with ease.
Sure, he'd rejected her once in the labyrinth, but she didn't chalk it up to her appeal.
Back then, he was nominally Tiferet Duke's disciple, so he'd held back out of deference to his master, avoiding immoral acts.
Yet the self-loathing hit hard at the thought of fawning over a man she'd always scorned like a cockroach—even if he was a male witch.
The pressure that Manya and Marisha's safety hinged on her chastity twisted her insides further.
"I have to do it. No matter what..."
She murmured it over and over, strolling languidly through the garden toward the bathhouse.
"But... why, exactly?"
At first, the sudden, bewildering demand had left Alice's mind blank.
But as she walked calmly, suspicious shards like shattered glass crunched underfoot.
Divide those shards into three main pieces, and they were these:
What was their relationship?
Why had Shin Si-woo lied so casually in front of Linne, his master who'd even gifted him a servant?
Why did Linne hold the power, authority, and foundation to control Shin Si-woo at will, yet delegate his surveillance to Alice?
If the two harbored different schemes, it was obvious who to follow.
Alice planned to obey Linne for the time being.
Despite the heavy thoughts dragging at her ankles, she soon arrived at the steaming bathhouse.
No need to drag this out.
The reason he'd brought her to this remote tub was obvious.
Alice bit her lower lip hard.
Time to soil herself.
She stripped off her clothes and wrapped a gown around her body.
Expecting it'd be roughly torn away soon enough.
"Uh..."
And then she saw it.
An Eastern witch with breasts so ample they bobbed buoyantly on the water's surface.
And Shin Si-woo, plastered right up against her, chatting away amiably.
3.
"Well then, I'll head back first."
"Yeah, see you in the room later."
The Eastern witch gave a light bow to the stunned Alice, then sauntered off with swaying hips back to her room.
Now the bath held only Alice and Si-woo.
"Care to join?"
Si-woo smiled brightly, gesturing naturally to the tub.
Until now, the odd friction between Linne and Si-woo, his inconsistent actions—it all left so many enigmas.
But seeing him brazenly initiate a mixed bath made Alice's expression harden.
A reevaluation was in order.
He really was just that brazen type.
That frail-looking woman might even be one of his so-called gift slaves.
"Is that okay?"
"Of course. We're all covered up anyway."
Calling this getup—where one tug on the sash would send it flying—"all covered up"...
But she had no real choice anyway.
Alice nodded silently and carefully slipped into the wooden tub.
Her body, stripped of even a scrap of magic power.
She'd gotten a thorough bath before being put up for sale, but amid tension and despair, sticky cold sweat had oozed out, leaving her grimy.
The herbal scent soothing the mind, the hot spring water washing away tension and fatigue clean.
Even in this situation, her heart melted softly.
"I just attend to you, right? What do you need?"
She had plenty she wanted to ask, but swallowed it all.
No point stirring up trouble unnecessarily.
She just had to faithfully carry out the Sword Witch's orders.
The key was to seduce him naturally without tipping off that it was her directive—while surveilling him.
"You've been through a lot, so just relax."
She'd braced for some pervy demand like "bathe me" the moment she entered.
But he simply closed his eyes and leaned back against the edge, making no real moves.
Putting on a gentlemanly act, was he?
After a long silence, he spoke first.
"Glad you didn't go through anything awful. Don't worry. I have no plans to force you or experiment or anything."
At face value, it sounded like mere reassurance.
But to Alice, now wearing colored glasses, it rang hollow.
Linne's attitude toward him was suspicious enough, but regardless, Shin Si-woo had become a public disciple in mere days.
Could a purely kind, good soul blend into witch society that quickly?
He had to be the type who could perfectly separate facade from true self.
So she couldn't buy his "you're safe as my servant" line.
His "no forcing" claim just sounded like veiled pressure: behave yourself.
"What did you talk about with Master?"
"Uh, just to serve me well..."
"Nothing else?"
"Nothing particular."
Si-woo, hiding his true thoughts, probing the situation.
Alice, tasked with collaring the unknown true nature of this male witch.
With both sizing each other up, smooth, honest talk was impossible.
"......"
It's fine.
This wasn't just for today.
Judging by how casually he mixed baths with the opposite sex and clung to that witch earlier, he was quite the lecher.
If she really put her mind to seducing him, bedding him would be a cinch.
Unsure whether to feel glad or despairing about that fact, Alice let a deep sigh sink into the water.