Chapter 889
Chapter 889
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 889
Chapter Title: Typhoon (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1.
This was a story utterly lacking in realism.
The talk of some Homunculus King this and that was news to him in the first place, yet now that very beast was supposedly leading a legion of named Homunculi straight south toward the East Sea, gearing up to smash the Korean Peninsula to bits.
Even if this world were a novel, wouldn't it make anyone tilt their head and mutter, "Isn't this rushing the plot a bit too much?"
And that made sense, because even with a chain of disasters ravaging South America and claiming hundreds of thousands of lives in total, Gehenna remained this serene.
Siu himself had only just learned of the incident through Professor Sua's lips.
The people gathered here were the Jemernai Countess and Professor Sua.
And Siu, Amelia, Sharon, and Lurye.
"For a horde of vile monsters to invade the homeland of my dear Siu... I must give them a proper thrashing right away."
Lurye spoke with unusual gravity, her indignation clear in her tone—a far cry from her usual demeanor.
One could sense her burning resolve to head to the mortal realm at once and annihilate the monster legion.
Lurye wasn't exactly the friendly, human-loving type of witch, but the fact that Siu's hometown was in peril was a grave matter nonetheless.
"If I can be of help, I'll lend my strength."
Amelia felt the same.
Having spent the night working on her perfumery, her entire body wafted a captivating fragrance as her eyes gleamed coldly.
"Korea's my second home. I'll help too, Siu."
Sharon, who had become a landlord thanks to Siu's gift and spent most of her witch days in Seoul, chimed in with firm resolve.
Siu pondered for a moment before speaking.
Unlike his three lovers, his mothers-in-law maintained a calm demeanor, suggesting Professor Sua had known about this for quite some time.
That raised a question.
"Why tell us only now? About the Homunculus King appearing, I mean."
Professor Sua hesitated uncharacteristically, selecting her words carefully before giving an answer that fell squarely within expectations.
"My deepest apologies. The Tiferet Duke earnestly implored me to keep it secret from Young Master Siu..."
"......"
Siu didn't consider himself some paragon of justice.
He'd gained inhuman powers, but he'd never thought he could change the world or aspired to become a hero.
He simply wanted to protect and cherish the happiness within his reach.
Facing down unidentified magic head-on had always terrified him.
Every wound hurt, and he wanted to avoid life-or-death battles whenever possible.
Wasn't it perfectly understandable for someone who wasn't mentally a witch to cherish their one and only life? A thoroughly ordinary, small-minded attitude.
"I see."
That was why Siu was surprised—at himself.
He wanted to go.
He wanted to fight.
Not for some grand cause or sense of justice to protect people.
He hadn't realized such an inexplicable impulse burned within him.
"I understand Master's concerns. But I'll help too."
"No, Siu."
It was Albreo who cut Siu off decisively, not Professor Sua.
Albreo turned to Sua immediately.
"Professor Sua, is there any guarantee this series of events isn't connected to Hexennacht?"
"It happened so abruptly that I couldn't confirm."
"How likely do you think it is that there's a connection?"
"It's hard for me to say definitively..."
"Even roughly."
"...I'd say it's fifty-fifty."
Though phrased as questions to Professor Sua, they were really meant for Siu's ears.
"You heard that, right? You need to be more cautious than most, Siu. You were just dragged off to Hexennacht not long ago."
"But... I can't just sit here knowing the place I grew up is on the brink of chaos. Besides, Professor Sua, you're in a situation where you need help, aren't you? That's why you told me despite Master's request."
"How long has it been since you came back after making all those people worry their hearts out? And now you want to crawl right back into the battlefield?"
Albreo pressed Siu sharply—rare for her to confront her son-in-law so pointedly.
"That's..."
Her point was enough to silence him.
Though most situations had been unavoidable, it was true that Siu had caused his lovers no end of heartache.
As a last resort, he glanced at Professor Sua for support.
Having taught him and witnessed his growth potential and strength firsthand, she might side with him.
But the moment their eyes met, Professor Sua averted her gaze and spoke.
"Young Master Siu, I'm sorry, but I share Countess Albreo's view. It's far too dangerous."
"You've seen what I can do, Professor. I could be a decent help."
"I can't deny that... but if the Homunculus legion is tied to Hexennacht and was manipulated to invade Korea, your direct involvement on the battlefield could play right into the enemy's hands."
"Lady Agatha."
Amelia, who had been listening silently, quietly interjected.
Amelia didn't want Siu heading into danger any more than anyone else.
But if it was his wish, she wanted to support him.
If it were her, she wouldn't sit idly by if her precious gulpinu forest came under attack.
What might happen later could be dealt with, even at the cost of her life.
"If it's connected to Hexennacht, wouldn't they have any reason to commit forces in waves like this?"
"Amelia's right. I heard South America got hit too—who sets fire to their own front yard?"
Sharon cautiously backed Amelia, but Albreo and Deneb held firm.
"Amelia, it's true the hardliners in Hexennacht have gained power. But that doesn't mean all of Hexennacht wants all-out war right now."
"In short, this raid could be a probe. With Hexennacht in disarray after the attack and losing the ringleader, it'd make for convenient propaganda. And without clues pointing to the culprits, they can just play dumb."
"The South America incident doesn't need overthinking either. Deploying that many Homunculi requires some 'fuel.'"
"Filling up on fuel in their home territory before launching isn't a stretch."
"In any case, Siu, going to the mortal realm is absolutely forbidden."
As countesses who had been involved in the world's greatest war twice over, neither Amelia nor Sharon could easily refute them.
Siu was in the same boat.
"Worry not. Does he not have me?"
At that moment, Lurye stepped forward regally and clapped Siu on the shoulder.
With her shoulders squared and her 23rd hierarchy mana field subtly on display, she tilted her chin up proudly.
"I ask thee—who am I?"
"Lady Lurye."
"Again! Who am I?"
"You are the great Queen Lurye Nukelabi, heir to the Nukelabi dynasty."
Siu answered with a sigh, in no mood for games.
But Lurye shook his shoulders, dissatisfied, and pressed again.
"Wrong. Thy answer is incorrect."
"Pardon?"
"Of course I am the queen of the Nukelabi dynasty, but before that, I am the woman of one Shin Siu."
Siu knew well how much pride Lurye took in her queenship.
Yet here she was, placing that value on equal footing with him—without a hint of hesitation.
"Without thee, I would still be holed up in Akula, mistaking that narrow world for all there was. I wouldn't have made fine friends, realized world conquest was such a distant dream, or—most importantly—met a wonderful man like thee. Thus, I am grateful to thee."
"Lady Lurye..."
"Thinkest thou this Lurye Nukelabi would stand by while thy homeland is trampled? None on the seas can oppose me! So chin up—play with the twins until I return sounding the victory bells. Understood?"
Lurye was showing a truly queenly dignity for the first time in ages.
"Siu, don't worry. I'll help too. It's the place where you and I first traveled together."
Amelia warmly clasped Siu's hand.
Sharon, caught up in her own hierarchy surge syndrome, wouldn't stay quiet either.
"I'm going too. Don't try to stop me."
Amelia's hierarchy rise was recent, and Lurye had only recently inherited her stigma, but both were at the 23rd hierarchy.
A realm higher than the 22nd, where Siu could barely hold his own even pouring everything into it.
Even if he stayed behind, sending those two to the battlefield eased his worries somewhat.
But Sharon was 21st hierarchy.
He worried she might get caught in real danger.
"Don't look at me like that! I haven't just been playing around."
Having spent so much time together, she saw right through his thoughts.
The somewhat scatterbrained Sharon, who occasionally acted spoiled, now asserted herself with true Grand Witch poise for the first time.
"I'll definitely protect my real estate and come back. Professor Sua, we're all heading out right now."
Professor Sua had been staring blankly at the lovers' exchange when Sharon called her back to reality.
Amelia and Lurye fixed her with expectant gazes, urging her to lead the way.
Sua knew well the witches' instinct to cherish their own lives above all.
She hadn't held out much hope.
After all, they were heading to extinguish an unprecedented catastrophe whose spread was unpredictable.
Yet all three declared their willingness to join without a moment's hesitation.
Not mere witches, but Grand Witches through and through.
It was solid support indeed.
"Truly, my deepest gratitude."
On the way to the Immigration Office with the three after exchanging final words with Albreo and Deneb, Professor Sua mulled over one question.
"May I pose one question?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
"Had Young Master Siu not been here, what choice would the three of you have made in this situation?"
"I would have remained in Akula."
Lurye's immediate reply left a long silence from the other two.
"Hm..."
"Well..."
This was normal.
Even among humans, few fretted much over the impoverished in distant, nameless countries starving by the minute.
Empathy varies with awareness; tragedies far from one's scope draw little attention.
How much less for witches in another space, of a different species—for them, outside deaths were mere statistics.
Like other witches in Gehenna, they probably wouldn't have cared much, or moved only if it became a massive issue.
In other words, the linchpin of this sturdy reinforcements was Shin Siu.
Siu's power wasn't just magical ability and inaction.
It lay in his relationships too—the very romantic entanglements Professor Sua had once fretted over as messy human ties.