Chapter 887 – #193_Teacher Sua (4)
#881
1.
Not long ago, Dorothy extracted a video from the Memorial Stone.
The uncertain authenticity was revealed in less than a week.
Homunculi gain power by consuming human spirits, souls, and connections.
Those of lower ranks hunt by directly creating barriers, but the larger ones cause large-scale disasters.
The King of Beasts and the named entities around him showed without reservation what happens when the first-ever Homunculus legion stays in one area.
While the flames of the call Russia ignited still disturb the current state of affairs,
the South American continent, with the end of the year just around the corner, suffered a series of disasters.
The Iguazu Province in northern Brazil was hit by a devastating flood.
Days of rain, exceeding the capacity of the rainforest, resulted in tens of thousands of disaster victims, epidemics, and casualties.
In Huancayo, south-central Peru, a massive landslide occurred without warning.
About 20,000 people, including those who came to relax at nearby hot springs and local residents, were swept away by the collapsing earth overnight and lost their lives.
In the Cundinamarca Province in central Colombia, a large-scale fire broke out.
Despite efforts to extinguish it without identifying the cause, the massive fire in the narrow and densely populated city caused unprecedented casualties and property damage, and even after a week, the extinguishing work was still not finished.
In Rosario, Argentina, the third-largest port city and the largest trading port in South and Central America, a sudden massive earthquake of magnitude 8.0 occurred.
The earthquake, which destroyed buildings and road infrastructure and brought despair, subsided only after causing several times more damage with a massive tsunami.
“This concludes the report from Tiferet, Your Excellency.”
Sua calmly handed the report to Albireo.
Countess Albireo is a Gehenna witch who, unusually, has a great interest in stability in the present world.
She donates a considerable amount of money to the location points every year.
“Haa, really…. It seems like the world is about to end. Is there no particular reaction from Hexennacht? South and Central America should be their business territory.”
Albireo frowned, looking troubled.
The wealth of the Geminai family is in the trillions, just in assets that can be immediately converted into cash.
Even if all their businesses in the present world were to fail, they would have enough resources to spend money lavishly on magical research for generations to come.
Their magic crop cultivation business in Latifundium and their magical tool business within Gehenna are also solid.
However, it was unpleasant that the foundation of the results of their considerable time and effort was being shaken.
Currently, the activity of the beast legion is limited to South America, but no one knows where the next target will be.
“They have not yet shown a large-scale response.”
“I would rather they were in Antarctica or the Arctic, where we could do something, but why South America of all places…”
“The Witch of the Path has gone to South America to gather information and prepare countermeasures. We must hope for good news.”
“That’s right…. Well, shall we stop talking about such headaches?”
Albireo, who washed away the bitter aftertaste of the grim story with wine, looked at Teacher Sua, who was sitting upright and drinking tea.
“How is Siwoo doing? You’ve been taking care of him for three days now.”
“As Lady Eloa had promised, he is a remarkable talent. He is growing faster than any witch I have ever taught.”
“If it’s Teacher Sua’s teaching, it would be magic for fighting against beasts, right?”
“Yes, and I have also discovered that Sir Siwoo’s use of magic is biased towards improvisation, so I am helping him to standardize and refine it. But his speed is so extraordinary that I cannot help but be amazed.”
“Hmm, that’s a relief.”
“It is clear that you care deeply for Sir Siwoo.”
“Who? Me? For Siwoo?”
“Yes.”
Albireo, who stroked her lips, noticed the slight upturn of her mouth and let out a hollow laugh.
“That can’t be. The number of nails I’ve hammered into my heart because of Siwoo…. Ugh.”
Even though he is a son-in-law she hates, and he has given her all sorts of heartache and headaches, seeing him being recognized by others makes her feel proud.
Is she becoming more foolish as she gets older?
“May I ask you one thing?”
“Yes, please feel free to speak.”
“Is it possible… that the part of Sir Siwoo that worried you is related to his relationships with women?”
Albireo felt a throbbing pain in her stomach.
Although it was settled now, she was reflexively terrified that Sua might have noticed the relationship between Deneb and Siwoo.
“Well, it is…”
“That is also a part that I am concerned about. There is no such thing as a large, sweet melon, but other than that, he is a promising and truly righteous young man…”
“Teacher Sua…”
“The beginning and end of relationships are not for humans to decide, and affection is not something outsiders should interfere with, so I cannot say anything, but I cannot help but be concerned.”
“……”
Sua, suddenly cut off from the conversation, was slightly flustered and looked at Albireo.
And she realized that she was the teacher of Odile and Odette, and that she was the person who had been thinking about this issue more deeply than Sua.
“I apologize. I have spoken out of turn…”
However, Albireo’s silence was not the result of displeasure.
The reason she kept her mouth shut was because this time, it was not her stomach but her eyes that were throbbing.
“Right? Even Teacher Sua sees it that way, right?”
“Yes, yes?”
Albireo, who launched herself off the chair like a spring and grabbed Sua’s hand,
“It’s not just me who thinks it’s strange, everyone thinks so, right?”
“What on earth are you talking about…”
“I mean, it’s strange to make a girlfriend like that, right?”
“Yes? Yes?”
Albireo, not only grabbing her hand so hard it felt like it would break, but also with tears welling up in her eyes.
Sua, who could not understand the dramatic reaction that seemed like a scene from a play, realized that the emotions Albireo was feeling were not so simple.
He would disappear, get kidnapped, almost die.
And more terrifyingly, every time that happened, he would come back with a new girlfriend.
This had happened so many times, and even her intelligent younger sister had been caught up in the flow of his charm, that Albireo had begun to doubt her own common sense.
The fact was that, among the people attending the banquet, except for Albireo, there was not a single woman who had not slept with him.
Was this even possible?
She had felt like the one-eyed person in a village of the blind.
And then, a sensible reaction appeared, a person with two eyes.
How could she not be happy?
“As expected, you are the wise and renowned Teacher Sua. Yes, yes.”
“Ah, Countess Albireo, please maintain your dignity…”
Teacher Sua, who had only ever seen the countess in a dignified manner, wanted to slowly pull her hand away from the countess’s sudden emotional change.
2.
This operation was top secret.
Hexennacht was already greatly provoked during the process of seizing Shin Siwoo.
If they found out that the traitor Dorothy had stepped into their front yard as part of Gehenna’s operation, it could be the fuse that breaks the cold war.
The atmosphere of Hexennacht was already as chaotic as a beehive that had been turned over, so it was impossible to tacitly accept the spying activities of a spy.
Under Gehenna’s consensus that it was premature to engage in an all-out war with Hexennacht, if they were discovered during the operation, it would be announced as Dorothy’s solo action.
There would be no possibility of negotiation or prisoner exchange.
It was expected, and it was something to be taken into account.
Therefore, it took two days for Dorothy to arrive at the Caribbean Islands near Colombia, her reconnaissance destination.
Sometimes by air, sometimes by land, and sometimes by sea, she had to act secretly to avoid any possible surveillance, which took quite some time.
Dorothy, who first arrived at her own island near the Dominican Republic, was relieved to see her villa intact.
“It’s a relief that it’s okay~”
Since Dorothy’s betrayal was revealed, her business had also taken a huge hit.
Warehouses that had been dispersed and hidden were attacked, and hideouts hidden in various parts of the world were also damaged.
It was Hexennacht’s own form of retaliation.
If she had not been in the process of closing down her business, she would have shed tears of blood.
Fortunately, it seemed that this villa, which Dorothy liked the most, was safe.
-Tick tick tick tick
As soon as she entered the office, Dorothy picked up a heavy-looking telephone.
It was a satellite phone that could transmit and receive signals anywhere in the world using satellites.
If she used the positions of the constellations, long-distance communication between continents was not impossible, but it was magic, so there was a possibility of being monitored.
It was more comfortable to use science and technology.
[Tiferet, the First]
“Yes, Your Excellency. I’ve arrived.”
[Were there any particular problems?]
“I had a bit of a hard time squeezing my body into a stuffy cargo hold~ but I’m safe. I think I’ll be able to smuggle myself into Colombia via Cartagena by tomorrow.”
[Always be vigilant and careful]
“It has to be this dangerous~ for my darling to love me more.”
When she replied playfully, a sigh mixed with a wry smile tickled her ear from the other side of the receiver.
[As you know, I will still urge you. Avoid direct combat]
“Thank you for your concern. Of course~ that’s what I plan to do.”
It was impossible for her to handle the King of Beasts, whose level of danger could not be estimated, and even the named Homunculi alone.
The point of this operation was to be as discreet as possible and only take what was essential.
[I’ll say it again, thank you]
“Your Excellency, I’ve been thinking~ isn’t it the first time I’ve ever received a thank you from the scary Tiferet?”
[That’s true]
“If I return safely, will you show me a lot of great whiskey too?”
[Of course, I’ll treat you]
She ended the call with a simple greeting.
Through the glass window facing the beach, there was a beautiful white sand beach that God might have put more effort into when creating the world.
The endless horizon was slowly turning into a field on fire with the setting sun.
“I want to come here with my darling someday~”
It was a scenery that she had become quite accustomed to now, but she wanted to see this sunset with Siwoo someday.
Looking at the way the world was going right now, it seemed like she would have to wait a long time.
At that moment.
-Beep beep beep
A dry beep sounded from the satellite phone she had put down a moment ago.
The caller was one of Dorothy’s subordinates.
It was Salome, a banished witch who was in charge of South American transactions.
Dorothy was not an irresponsible superior, so she was aware that her subordinates would also be retaliated against if she betrayed Hexennacht.
Therefore, she should have notified them through the emergency contact network to hide in their respective hideouts….
But for her to call right after arriving at the villa.
The timing was too coincidental.
-Beep beep
Perhaps Salome had already been captured, and they were periodically contacting each hideout to pinpoint Dorothy’s location.
“……”
In the past, she would not have answered the phone.
Salome and Dorothy were just a boss and subordinate who were intertwined in a business relationship.
However, after much deliberation, Dorothy picked up the receiver.
[Dorothy, please help me….]
“What’s wrong? If it’s a personal request~ I hope it’s not a trap with a bad ending.”
A voice that sounded like a sob bursting out.
Dorothy’s eyes flashed with a cold light at Salome’s tone, which seemed to have found a ray of light in despair.
