Chapter 709
Chapter 709
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 709
Chapter Title: Witch of the Gold Coins (5)
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1.
Count Kohav silently cleared away the black tea that hadn't been touched even once, as if it were his duty.
He did so while stealing glances at Duke Erelim, who sat on the sofa sipping her tea.
"Yvonne, if you have something to say, then say it."
"No. It's nothing like that..."
"It's fine. Go ahead and speak."
After some hesitation, Yvonne finally broached the shocking news she had just heard.
"Si-woo and the Tiferet Duke were in a romantic relationship."
What followed were grumblings along the lines of 'How could a priestess relationship turn into that...?', as if she had witnessed something irreverent.
The Tiferet Duke surely knew better than anyone what a priestess bond meant in witch society, yet she had entered a lover's relationship anyway. That was the source of Yvonne's confusion.
But what Yvonne had said so far was merely a preface.
Noticing that there was more to it, Blanche remained silent, and Yvonne addressed her again.
"Why didn't you tell the Tiferet Duke? About how Si-woo's custody was to be handed over as part of the peace treaty."
That's right.
The ongoing peace negotiations with the Witch of Gold Coins included that very condition.
Had she spoken the truth, the Tiferet Duke might well have acted differently.
Yet Blanche had not revealed it.
"Yvonne."
"Yes."
"The moment I receive custody of the male witch, I plan to possess him in secret."
"......"
Count Kohav wasn't surprised.
He had vaguely suspected as much.
Otherwise, there would have been no need to continue backchannel negotiations, nor any reason to withhold the information from the Tiferet Duke.
What Count Kohav couldn't understand, however, was this.
"Is he really that valuable?"
Any other witch might fixate on an irregular who had reached the rank of Grand Witch in a single generation with a man's body.
She might invest her entire fortune, even risk public backlash, to secure him at any cost.
But who was Blanche Erelim?
Gehenna's sole 24th Hierarchy Duke.
An ancient witch who had lived for over a thousand years.
The witch who possessed the unprecedented self-magic known as the Heavenly Void Record.
And on top of that, Duke Erelim bore many responsibilities.
Secretly spiriting away Si-woo seemed like wagering far more than his worth.
If the truth came out, her relationship with the Tiferet Duke would sour irreparably.
Friction with the Yesod and Gemernai Count Families, with whom she maintained close ties, would be unavoidable.
Even her plans to ease Keter's restrictions and ally with Hexennacht could go awry.
Given all that, it was only natural to question whether such risks were truly necessary for just one male witch.
Duke Erelim needed only a single phrase to make Count Kohav understand.
"Yvonne, he has inherited Keter's vessel."
2.
It was an exceedingly rare sight.
Amelia, who always stuck to Gehenna's formal attire without any special effort, dressed in modern clothes.
The oversized carrier and windbreaker that she could curl up in and spend the night seemed to be an imitation of Eloa's.
After all, Eloa had the most experience in modern subjugation wars.
Tiferet deliberately said nothing about her conversation with Duke Erelim.
Nothing about how leaving for the modern world and entering Hexennacht would strip her of her title, or how the Erelim Duke's faction was skeptical about this rescue operation.
When it came to saving her beloved disciple and lover, what did a mere title matter?
Amelia had clearly steeled herself with the same resolve to stand here.
So Tiferet simply praised her.
"It suits you well."
"Thank you."
"And Sharon?"
"I haven't told her."
"Good call."
The two reached a silent agreement: only they would venture into Hexennacht to rescue Si-woo.
They couldn't bring the twins, who were still apprentice witches, but they had also decided against mobilizing Sharon and Lurye.
"She'll be disappointed."
"It's dangerous, and both Sharon and Lurye are still young witches."
"I know."
Eloa and Amelia were powerhouses at the pinnacle of witch society.
Combined, their strength might even repel an apocalyptic disaster.
Or bring one about, for that matter.
Even so, this mission was far too perilous.
Witch battles weren't a game.
Not some fantasy game where high levels and gear let you rampage unchecked.
Mana had limits for individuals, and in a head-on fight, the two could take on at most ten Grand Witches even at the absolute limit.
If high-ranking ones were among them, they'd get bogged down and surrounded in the worst possible scenario.
The key to this infiltration, then, was to avoid combat as much as possible and break straight through.
It was essentially a surgical strike to grab Si-woo and get out.
But the problems didn't end there.
Not knowing where he was or in what condition only lowered their odds further.
Eloa coldly assessed their success rate as under ten percent.
Even with Sharon and Lurye joining, it might barely hit twenty.
They couldn't drag two witches into that death trap—ones who had been full witches for less than twenty years, at that.
"I've roughly secured a map of Hexennacht through interrogation."
There was no time to stand still and chat.
Amelia and Eloa conversed as they headed for the immigration office.
"How do you plan to infiltrate?"
"Hexennacht's entry procedures are far stricter than Gehenna's. Even if they strip citizenship, the moment you use disguise magic in Hexennacht, you're subjected to inspection. You might pull it off, but I'd be exposed immediately."
"Instead, I've located a supply ship bound for Hexennacht. It's docked off the Caribbean coast. I've secured a cargo code in advance—commit it to memory."
On the white slip of paper were GPS coordinates along with cargo classification numbers like RP 3606432 and DX 1740332678.
They just needed to extract the cargo marked with those codes and slip inside.
As Amelia memorized the codes, she asked,
"I've heard their entry checks and processes are all extremely rigorous. Can we really sneak in just by hiding in cargo? They won't gloss over cargo carelessly."
At Amelia's point, Eloa handed over a Hexennacht citizenship card from her pocket.
The citizenship took the form of a red ticket.
"They can't inspect every single piece of cargo by hand. They'll probably use artifacts to expedite it. Typically, they scan with mana wave distortion detectors—similar to citizenship checks, from what I hear. Can you manage it?"
Amelia grasped Eloa's intent from that alone.
Reverse-engineer the artifact used for distortion detection based on the mana wave emitter embedded in the citizenship card, then craft a disguise spell to evade their scans.
Examining the citizenship card with particles, Amelia nodded.
"One day is plenty."
"Then all that's left is finding that cargo and hiding in it before the ship sails."
The two arrived at the immigration office like that.
The office itself was nowhere in sight.
Unless something major came up, she was always stationed there, yet even after that earlier commotion, she had stepped away. There was only one reason.
Without saying it outright, she was signaling that if Eloa ignored the exit ban and forced her way out, she'd blame it on neglect of duty and look the other way.
As Eloa silently expressed her gratitude for the consideration and turned toward the portal with Amelia, her expression resolute—
An utterly unexpected figure appeared.
"Oh, pink-hair! Thy timing with the fragrance is most fortuitous."
It was the Witch of the Deep Sea, Lurye Nukelabi, who had just finished entry procedures.
For the two trying to shake her off, it was a troublesome encounter.
Eloa was too honest to lie, and Amelia wasn't exactly the cunning type either.
"Did you just finish your trial?"
Amelia kept it brief, aiming only for polite greetings before ditching her.
She had gone outside for the trial in the first place, and those sparkling navy eyes screamed 'Praise me!'—instantly diluting the tension Amelia and Eloa shared.
"Indeed!"
Lurye thrust her chin up.
"We have regained our full power. The gold and treasures buried in our kingdom alone could buy Gehenna a hundred times over. Dost thou feel it? The power flowing through our body? Our wealth? Our elegance?"
"I do. I feel it."
Of course, claiming she could buy Gehenna a hundred times was pure exaggeration on Lurye's part.
But the royal secret vault had indeed welcomed her with a room full of gold bars and jewels, and stacked atop them were oil drilling rights and seabed development permits worth twice as much—all still legally valid.
And Dorothy, whom she trusted more than anyone, had assured her that Si-woo wasn't in any real danger.
She was in high spirits.
"Save the bragging for later."
Normally, Eloa would indulge her whims and listen, but not now—she had no such leisure.
However, unsatisfied with the praise, Lurye called out to stop Eloa.
"Halt, pink-hair witch. We have grave tidings to share with thee."
"I already said I'd hear it later."
Lurye would usually shrink back at the slightest killing intent from Eloa, but not today.
Instead, she puffed out her chest and stood her ground.
"Judge us not by our past self. The current we could best thee both with a single finger."
"Lady Amelia. Let's go."
"Yes. You're in the way, Lady Lurye."
Eloa passed Lurye silently, while Amelia tossed in a half-hearted compliment and tried to slip away.
Lurye scowled fiercely and dashed ahead, spreading her arms to block them.
"We said halt!"
"We don't have time for games."
"'Tis not a game!"
Undeterred even by Amelia's icy tone, Lurye declared,
"Si-woo is captured in the City of Archcriminals!"
"......"
"......"
For the two, it was belated news indeed.
But something was off.
Lurye should have been oblivious to Si-woo's kidnapping while undergoing her trial alone in the unsurveyed underwater kingdom.
She couldn't have learned of that closely guarded information the moment she returned to Gehenna.
To the surprised pair, Lurye continued triumphantly.
"We have a retainer within Hexennacht. Come, let us parley together for his rescue. Obey our command."
Amelia and Eloa's astonished gazes met.
It went without saying—this was a golden opportunity.