Chapter 753
Chapter 753
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 753
Chapter Title: Let's Call It Quits (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Si-woo and the rest of the group who had arrived in the modern world.
If you looked purely at their combat strength, you'd think they were heading off to war rather than reconciliation. It was that solid a lineup.
They had all stepped up for Si-woo, the born troublemaker.
"Ooh, so those are all buildings, huh..."
"Ugh, talk about country bumpkins."
"Getting excited over a sight like this? The Nukelabi Kingdom must not be all that impressive."
"When did I say I was impressed? I've seen things like that a few times in movies. It's nothing compared to New York's nightscape. I was just sighing about it."
"Have you ever been to New York?"
"...I'll go soon enough!"
Lurye, who was seeing a massive city like this for the first time in her life, gaped in awe at the skyscrapers.
Meanwhile, the twins—who had only visited the modern world twice—joined in the admiration while striking poses full of bravado.
-Vrooom
A black limousine glided smoothly into the parking lot of Han River Park and came to a stop in front of the group.
They had half-suspected it from the moment they spotted the elongated limo, the kind used for official ceremonies, and sure enough...
The elderly gentleman who stepped out from the driver's seat removed his hat and bowed politely to Albireo and Deneb.
"Madam Chairman, I trust you're well."
"Oh my, you didn't need to come greet us yourself."
"William, it's been too long. Good to see you."
"After two years, I finally get the chance to chauffeur you both personally. How could this old man just sit idle?"
"Hehe, old man? To me, you still look like a strapping young man."
"My humble skills can't fend off the march of time."
He was the living embodiment of a "versatile and devoted old butler," chatting back and forth with the mothers-in-law.
His hair and beard were fully white, but the fire in his eyes and the inexplicable pressure he exuded were no different from a young man's.
That said, this grandpa looks kinda familiar...
Am I imagining things?
"How's your daughter doing?"
"All thanks to you, Madam."
"Perfect timing, then. Odil, Odet, say hello. This is William Rand, who handles all our modern-world business affairs. You were too young to remember him."
"It's been a while. Miss Odil, Miss Odet."
""Hello.""
The twins, who had been chattering away moments before, now observed proper etiquette and greeted him politely.
William watched them with a pleased smile before turning to Albireo.
"Both young ladies have grown into such fine women. They look incredibly sharp."
"Of course. Who do you think raised them? Albireo Gemernai, that's who."
The old butler and the mother-in-law even exchanged lighthearted banter.
Scenes like this made it clear why witches tended to stick together.
Witches who knew the pain of farewells from their succession processes.
For them, getting close to humans who lived on entirely different timelines must be a bitterly poignant affair.
"Please, allow me to drive you. I've coordinated with the local authorities for traffic control, so we should have a smooth ride."
He courteously opened the door and escorted them inside before heading to the driver's seat.
Si-woo finally got to see what the inside of a limousine looked like for the first time in his life.
"Wow."
To sum it up in one word: the twins' luxury carriage brought to life in the real world.
Of course, there was no space-expansion magic at play, but the interior was spacious enough for eight people—Deneb, Albireo, Odil, Odet, Amelia, Eloa, Lurye, and Si-woo—to lounge around comfortably.
Not that a limo was meant for that, but with some creativity, it could double as a camper van.
Polished wooden floors, a wine cellar on one side, red curtains, and even a petite chandelier.
With facilities like these, it probably cost about as much as the Bentley Si-woo had once wrecked.
The engine was nearly silent, and the ride was indescribably smooth.
Albireo and Deneb settled in casually as if it were the most natural thing and pulled out a chilled bottle of champagne.
The triplets clung to the seatbacks like they were peering out a subway window, taking in the outside scenery.
Amelia clutched at Si-woo's collar with a grave expression, as if trauma from her last amusement park ride in the modern world was kicking in.
Surprisingly, his master seemed perfectly at ease.
She simply sat with her eyes closed in meditation.
"Master, you're not all that impressed, huh."
It had been an awkward reunion due to the issues with Rinne. He tried broaching the subject carefully.
His master probably felt the same way.
They wanted to celebrate their reunion with unbridled joy, but problems had jammed the brakes midway.
The way she had chosen a seat somewhat apart from Si-woo proved it.
"I've ridden in these plenty back in the day."
"Yeah, figures."
She was the one who had established waypoints connecting the political world and Gehenna's hotline, and she had racked up major contributions in the homunculus subjugation efforts too...
She must have received treatment like this many times over.
"......"
"......"
But the conversation ended there. With so many people around, it didn't stand out, but it had abruptly cut off.
"Si-woo, look here."
Just then, Eloa rose from her seat and stroked Si-woo's cheek.
At the same time, a pinkish mana flowed into his body along with its power.
It was one of Eloa's contract spells: "Guardian's Contract."
Even with this many people and their strength, they were taking no chances now that they were in the modern world.
During the last desert incident, someone had tampered with it and severed the link effortlessly, so Eloa had refined and reinforced the contract repeatedly.
"Ah, thank you."
"It's for my disciple."
Eloa replied curtly and returned to her seat.
His master seemed troubled by various issues in her own way.
"Ah."
Then, a sudden realization hit him.
Si-woo finally remembered where he had seen that butler's face before.
It had been so long ago, and the image didn't quite match, so he hadn't recognized him earlier.
"Deneb."
"Yes, Si-woo."
The little mother-in-law, who had been chatting with Albireo, turned to him with a bright smile.
"Si-woo, don't talk to Deneb. If you have questions, ask me."
The big mother-in-law put up her iron wall. Anyway, that wasn't the point right now.
"I think I saw that butler in Times magazine."
You know, that "100 CEOs Who Changed the World" or whatever—pretty high up on the list, too.
"That's right, it's William Nordhaus himself. He's acting head for our count family here in the modern world."
"......"
"He was just a boy selling apples from a street cart when we first took him in. Time flies, huh? Hehe."
Si-woo had known it intellectually, but it was awe-inspiring to confirm the Gemernai count family's wealth and influence anew.
Meanwhile, the limousine smoothly pulled into the Periwinkle Hotel near Gwanghwamun.
2.
After unpacking in the best suite, they immediately dove into planning "Operation: Bring Sharon Back."
They hadn't come to the modern world for tourism in the first place—it was all for this.
The team consisted of the following:
Si-woo, who would kneel before Sharon and shout for her to come back!!!
Amelia and Eloa, who needed to apologize for going off on their solo operation without her.
And the twins, who insisted, "Of course we're coming too, Assistant! What kind of talk is that?" and "Sharon's our rival! We can't just retreat from the front lines like this!"
But even the confidence that had swelled up to their chests thanks to Takasho's encouragement deflated like a punctured balloon as they neared the new officetel.
The streets were etched with memories of Sharon everywhere.
Walking through them brought back images of Sharon beaming happily, only for them to overlap painfully with the Sharon who had turned away coldly last night.
"Si-woo, you okay?"
"Huh?"
"Your face is pale."
Come to think of it, weren't they just running on blind optimism?
If Sharon had already made up her mind, and they all showed up en masse saying, "We know your real feelings aren't like that!"...
Wouldn't that just give her the perfect excuse to cut ties for good?
"Ah, yeah. I'm fine."
"If it's too tough, maybe we turn back?"
"No, we can't do that."
Truth be told, he wasn't fine.
He was scared out of his mind.
He'd rather risk life and limb in battle than go through something like this again.
-Beep!
He pressed the elevator button and took a moment to steady his nerves.
Rehearsing what he needed to say, the apologies he couldn't forget, plans for improvement going forward, and so on.
Si-woo arrived at the front door amid a heavy silence.
According to the big mother-in-law, Sharon had definitely returned to this officetel today.
She couldn't have gone out again this late at night—Sharon was right behind that door.
Should he ring the doorbell?
Or enter the doorlock code?
No, punching in the code would make him no better than a stalker from there on out.
He figured the doorbell was the way to go when he heard a familiar beeping from the dial.
-Beepbeepbeepbeepbeep beepbeepbeep!
-Beepbeepbeepbeep!
"Sis, that's not it. See? Wrong again. I told you, it's 1322837."
"You're talking nonsense! I remember it clearly. That's totally the wrong number."
The twins' bickering reflected in Si-woo's trembling eyes.
They had crouched down slightly, turning password-guessing into a little contest.
"Urghhh..."
While Si-woo let out some inexplicable groan,
-Ding!
"1883738... See? Told you I was right."
"No way... What? It didn't used to be that before..."
The doorlock let out a cheerful chime and unlocked with a click at Odil's try.
Odil shrugged her shoulders.
"Assistant's so scatterbrained."
"Yeah, we even remember places we've only been once."
"Alright, time to go drag Sharon back!"
"Assistant, fighting!"
With zero mental preparation, Si-woo was shoved straight into the officetel.
The dark interior felt familiar, like it had only been visited recently despite the long gap.
"......"
And even more familiar than the space itself was Sharon, standing there in dolphin pants and a tank top, holding a can of beer in a daze.
She stared at Si-woo with bloodshot, swollen eyes.
