Chapter 884
Chapter 884
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 884
Chapter Title: Sua Agatha, the Witch of Taboo
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Sua Agatha.
Waypoint Gwanghwamun Branch Chief, 557 years old this year.
Her epithet as a witch is the "Witch of Taboo," 22nd Hierarchy.
Her specialties are sealing and barrier arts, perfectly matching her title.
Moreover, as the close friend of Tiferet Duke, she had heard more than her ears could bear about Siu.
"Teacher Sua, Siu is a genius. It's a talent bestowed by the heavens."
"Isn't it impressive? To already grasp the essence of spear arts."
"Talentless? Well... Of course, his personal martial prowess is outstanding, but his skills as a witch are top-notch too."
"I guarantee it. He'll surely reach heights beyond our imagination."
Eloa had lost her smile ever since losing Rafi to the vile criminal Ea Sadalmelik.
She had burned through her remaining years for revenge, and after the Water Bearer Witch—her target—vanished without a trace, she seemed to lose even the will to live.
Pitying her, Sua had quietly come to terms with it in her heart.
Eloa would soon end her own life, for there are burdens even the closest of friends cannot bear in another's stead.
But after taking Siu as her disciple, Eloa changed.
She smiled far more often, replacing her fragile, brittle demeanor with an unprecedented firmness of resolve.
"Teacher Sua, I love Siu. More than just a master-disciple bond."
"Why pry so much? L-Lovers. Our relationship?"
"Nonsense?"
"Enough! Stop beating around the bush! You have a bad habit, Teacher!"
From that blushing, embarrassed conversation, Sua guessed the source of Eloa's newfound strength.
In short, Siu was not just an indispensable disciple to Eloa—he was the lover who had halted her rush toward ruin.
"I ask this of you."
Thus, when Eloa requested training for the Great Monster War,
and lavished unprecedented praise on Siu,
Sua listened with appropriate context in mind.
The Eloa she knew judged impartially, unbound by personal bias—but were those judgments always strict?
She figured it was like parents calling their child a genius for taking their first steps a bit early: affectionate overestimation.
Besides, the last time Sua checked his training level, it was only 17th Hierarchy.
That alone was unprecedented growth, inexplicable without the word—but only two years had passed since then.
"Thank you for stepping up."
Still, Sua gladly accepted Eloa's request because she felt deep gratitude toward Siu.
For the level check, she summoned a phantom of one of her familiars: the Azure River Iron Dragon.
Since her specialties were sealing and barriers, her familiars focused on defense.
However.
"W-Wait...!"
Sua saw it.
Siu's back as he assumed his stance and gathered mana—and the unpredictable magnitude of his power.
-Kiiiiing!
Golden mana amplified far beyond her expectations, and the Red Branch—the one that turned the enemy knight into the worst homunculus—let out a roar.
It was a full-force thrust with no thought of counter or evasion, but the power was unbelievable.
-Kuuuuh!
In a split second, divided into tens of thousands.
With his stepping foot, the red onslaught surged straight ahead, devouring the Iron Dragon.
What Sua identified was a single thrust.
She realized it was a triple linked strike only later, from the three-pronged aftershock blast wave.
"......"
The aftermath was enough to shatter even Sua's composure.
It was beyond debating "spear arts."
In truth, his spear tip hadn't even touched the Iron Dragon.
The mere shockwave had vaporized the phantom without a trace.
Three long gouges scarred the horizon, as if dug by massive construction equipment.
The thick distortion field sparked and scattered, prickling her skin.
Blinking in shock, Sua hurriedly looked to Siu.
The Red Branch was a dangerous weapon.
Wielding such power might have caused irreparable self-injury.
"Lord Siu."
It was a mistake.
She should have warned him not to overdo it from the start.
A young witch like Siu might get carried away by self-affirmation and pour out excessive power...
"Ah, tweaked my back..."
But contrary to her fears, he was perfectly fine.
He was just wincing and rubbing his lower back—not injured by the Red Branch's recoil.
"Ah..."
Sua realized why, seeing the shattered armor fragments scattered around.
Had he swung the Red Branch without precautions, his limbs might have been mangled amid those shards.
The fact it wasn't meant he had prepared from the outset, accounting even for recoil—ready to transfer the burden fully to his armor.
"Lord Siu."
After carefully choosing her words, Teacher Sua approached him.
"Your humility exceeds all bounds."
"Humility... I don't think so. Situations like this don't arise often in real combat."
Eloa hadn't lied or misjudged.
She had measured her disciple—and lover's—potential with cold precision.
"Situations like this?"
"Waiting for the prep time on a spell this large, no interference, no dodging. But since you wanted to see maximum firepower first, I demonstrated."
Yet after their brief exchange, Sua was impressed anew.
After showing such ability, any young one would want to brag, boast, and bask in praise—human nature.
How many young witches had lost caution to power's intoxication and met tragic ends?
"Truly remarkable."
"I have a long way to go. I'm full of shortcomings."
Yet he showed no trace of arrogance or indulgence.
He genuinely believed his abilities lacking, not mere pretense.
"Would this even be usable in real combat? In the Great Monster War. I'm honestly not sure..."
He had reason to doubt.
Siu had always grown dazzlingly, but each time matched against even stronger foes.
Cautiousness had taken root over confidence.
"Heh."
Watching him intently, Teacher Sua spoke.
When Eloa first asked, Sua hadn't planned to get so serious.
Just basic homunculus concepts and tactics, perhaps.
"As you say."
But now was different.
He had proven himself.
Thus, Sua must apply stricter standards, forging him into one who could face any homunculus.
"Large wind-ups give even monsters time to react. The spell's precision isn't perfected either. Concentrating power to a single point proved difficult, so splitting into three for amplification makes sense—but it ends up scattered, not unified."
Pointing to the three-pronged destruction scars, she pinpointed the flaws.
"As I thought..."
"Fear not. I shall aid you."
"Thank you. Then, where should we—"
"I'll draw up a training schedule, so today's lesson ends here."
Feeling reassured by Teacher Sua's flower-like gentle smile, Siu headed back to the mansion.
What he had worried about from the start happened.
"Hm? Siu, who's this woman?!"
Lurye, who had holed up assembling the plastic model Siu gifted her, came rushing with a massive ship model—and ran into Sua.
"Ah, Lady Lurye. This is..."
"Another rival? You really are incorrigible."
"No, it's not like that..."
Lurye was kind and cute, but had one flaw.
She utterly failed to read the room—blunt and fearless.
In other words, a loose cannon who could blurt out Siu's secret harem dreams without filter.
He had no intent to hide it forever, nor thought he could—but some mental prep was needed, right?
"Excuses later. I shall inspect her myself. Let me see..."
"Greetings."
Lurye stomped forward provocatively, while Teacher Sua offered refined courtesy without flinching.
After openly sizing Sua up, Lurye spoke arrogantly.
"I am the rightful heir to the great Nukelabi Dynasty. Lurye Nukelabi."
"Lady Lurye, oh no...! Sorry, Teacher Sua doesn't know yet... Lady Lurye, come here a moment."
"Unhand me! You are utterly shameless!"
He tried to intervene in the powder-keg exchange, but Lurye stood firm.
She probably already saw Teacher Sua as a "rival in love."
Teacher Sua signaled Siu it was fine and stepped forward.
"The renowned Abyssal Witch, I presume? I am Sua Agatha, currently serving as Waypoint's branch chief."
"Ho, amusing speech, but you have an eye for quality."
Lurye's own speech was hardly normal, but she wouldn't care about such nitpicks.
"Lady Lurye."
"Call me Your Majesty."
"I have one question to ask."
"Granted."
Lurye puffed up more at Sua's deferential posture.
This backwater city lacked even a speck of respect or awe for the queen.
Thus, Sua's polite treatment pleased her.
But neither Siu nor Lurye knew.
Teacher Sua could cow foes with a smile, without raising her voice.
"As the ancient saying goes: Serving a gentleman is easy, but pleasing him is hard; serving a petty man is hard, but pleasing him is easy."
"A gentleman's heart is calm and benevolent, easy to serve; his bearing grand and upright, hard to please.
A petty man's heart is cruel and stingy, hard to serve; his bearing biased and selfish, easy to please.
Moreover, a ruler must cultivate a gentleman's virtues to lead the masses."
"What drivel is this in the dead of night?"
"One who arbitrarily judges others' words and deeds, raising their voice first. One who neglects propriety, showing arrogance and hubris. Which are they—gentleman or petty man?"
Tilting her head, Lurye realized Sua meant: "Your attitude irks me. Think queen trumps all?"
"Hmph, I am queen. Gentlemen, petty men—such useless—"
"One wielding absolute power must set an example, embracing servants with character and virtue—that is the ruler, the queen. A queen satisfied with coerced submission through authority receives no heartfelt respect or reverence."
"......"
"What kind of queen do you wish to become, Lady Lurye?"
Lurye's mouth clamped shut in a straight line.
The fastest Lurye-class sinking Siu had ever seen.