Chapter 889 – #194_Typhoon(2)
#883
1.
This story is so unreal.
I’ve never even heard of a Homunculus King, and now this stag is supposedly leading a named Homunculus army, suddenly heading south to the East Sea, preparing to smash and destroy the Korean Peninsula.
Even if this world were a novel, wouldn’t you raise an eyebrow and think, ‘Isn’t this a bit of a sudden development?’
What’s more, even with the series of disasters in South America that caused hundreds of thousands of casualties, Gehenna is so peaceful.
Even Siwoo only just learned about the incident through Sua’s teacher.
Gathered here are Count Geminai, Teacher Sua,
and Siwoo, Amelia, Sharon, and R’lyeh.
“A group of imbecile monsters dares to invade the homeland of my consort. They must be taught a lesson immediately.”
R’lyeh spoke with unusual seriousness, her usual indignation replaced with a fierce determination.
It was clear she was ready to head to the mortal realm and annihilate the monster army.
R’lyeh isn’t exactly a pro-human witch, but the fact that Siwoo’s homeland is in danger is a serious matter.
“If I can be of any help, I will.”
Amelia felt the same way.
She had been working on her fragrances all night, and her whole body emanated a sweet aroma, but her eyes were cold and sharp.
“Korea is my second home. I’ll help too, Siwoo.”
Sharon, who became a building owner thanks to Siwoo’s gift and spent most of her witch years in Seoul, also agreed to help.
After a moment of thought, Siwoo asked.
Unlike his three lovers, his mothers-in-law were calm, indicating that Teacher Sua had known about this for a while.
That made him curious.
“Why are you only telling me now? About the story of the monster king appearing.”
After hesitating several times, Teacher Sua gave an answer that was within the expected range.
“I apologize. Tiferet-gong specifically asked me to keep it a secret from Siwoo-gong….”
“……”
I don’t think of myself as a particularly righteous person.
I’ve gained otherworldly powers, but I don’t think I can change the world, nor have I ever particularly wanted to be a hero.
I just want to protect and enjoy happiness within my reach.
I’ve always been afraid of situations where I have to face unknown magic head-on.
It hurt every time I got injured, and I wanted to avoid life-threatening battles as much as possible.
Even if I’m not a witch at heart, isn’t it a perfectly acceptable, small-town attitude to cherish my one and only life?
“I see.”
That’s why Siwoo was surprised.
I want to go.
I want to fight.
It’s not because of some grand cause or sense of justice that I need to protect people.
I didn’t realize that I had this inexplicable urge within me.
“I understand your concerns, Teacher. But I will help too.”
“No, Siwoo-gun.”
It wasn’t Teacher Sua who cut Siwoo off, but Albireo.
Albireo immediately asked Sua.
“Teacher Sua, is there any guarantee that these events are not related to Hexennacht?”
“It happened so suddenly that I could not confirm it.”
“What is the probability that they are related?”
“It is not for me to say definitively….”
“Even roughly.”
“…I would say it’s about fifty-fifty.”
Although the question was directed at Teacher Sua, it was essentially meant for Siwoo to hear.
“Did you hear that? Siwoo-gun needs to be more cautious than others. You were dragged into Hexennacht just recently, weren’t you?”
“But…. My hometown is about to be devastated, and I can’t just stand by. Besides, Teacher Sua needs help too, which is why you told me despite my teacher’s request, right?”
“How long has it been since you caused so much heartache and returned, and now you’re going back to the battlefield?”
Albireo questioned Siwoo with a sharp voice, something she rarely did, as Siwoo was opposing his mother-in-law.
“That’s….”
Her point was enough to shut Siwoo up.
Although most of the situations were unavoidable, it was true that Siwoo had caused his lovers a lot of worry.
He glanced at Teacher Sua, hoping for some last-minute help.
She had witnessed his growth potential and strength while teaching him, so he thought she might take his side.
But Teacher Sua, who met his gaze, looked away and said,
“Siwoo-gong, I apologize, but I agree with Count Albireo. It’s too dangerous.”
“Teacher Sua, you saw it too. I would be of considerable help.”
“I cannot deny that…. But if the monster army is related to Hexennacht and was manipulated to invade Korea, then Siwoo-gong going to the battlefield himself might be exactly what the enemy wants.”
“Agatha-nim.”
Amelia, who had been listening to the conversation without interrupting, quietly added her voice.
Amelia also didn’t want Siwoo to go to a dangerous place.
But if it was his wish, she wanted to support him.
If Amelia’s precious Gulpitree forest were attacked, she wouldn’t stand idly by either.
Whatever happens in the future, she would do everything in her power to stop it.
“If it’s related to Hexennacht, would there be a need to deploy troops gradually?”
“Amelia-yang is right. I heard that South America was also attacked, but who would set fire to their own backyard?”
Even Sharon joined in, cautiously supporting Amelia, but Albireo and Deneb’s opinions were firm.
“Amelia-yang, it’s true that the pro-war faction has gained power in Hexennacht. But not all of Hexennacht wants an all-out war right now.”
“In short, this attack can be seen as a probe. After being attacked and losing the instigator, it would be a good propaganda tool within the chaotic Hexennacht, and if there are no clues to identify the mastermind, they can just play dumb.”
“There’s no need to overthink the events in South America either. To mobilize that many Homunculi, they need some ‘fuel’.”
“It’s also a plausible assumption that they filled up on fuel in their home territory before deploying, right?”
“Anyway, Siwoo-gun. Going to the mortal realm is absolutely forbidden.”
As a countess who had been involved in two of the world’s largest wars, neither Amelia nor Sharon could easily refute her.
The same was true for Siwoo.
“Don’t worry too much. I am here, am I not?”
It was R’lyeh who stepped forward with dignity and patted Siwoo’s shoulder.
R’lyeh, with her shoulders puffed up and subtly radiating a 23rd-tier magical field, raised her chin and said,
“I ask you, who am I?”
“You are R’lyeh-nim.”
“Again! Who am I?”
“You are Queen R’lyeh Nuckelavee, who succeeded the great Nuckelavee dynasty.”
Siwoo, not in the mood for jokes, sighed and answered.
R’lyeh shook her shoulders as if she didn’t like Siwoo’s answer and urged him again.
“No. Your answer is wrong.”
“Huh?”
“Of course, I am the queen of the Nuckelavee dynasty, but before that, I am the woman of Shin Siwoo.”
Siwoo knew how much pride R’lyeh had as a queen.
Yet, R’lyeh was placing that value on par with Siwoo without any hesitation.
“If it weren’t for you, I would still be stuck in Akula, thinking that my narrow world was everything. I wouldn’t have made good friends, nor would I have realized that world domination is such a distant ambition. And above all, I wouldn’t have met such a wonderful man as you. That is why I am grateful to you.”
“R’lyeh-nim….”
“Do you think that I, R’lyeh Nuckelavee, would overlook the trampling of your homeland? There is no one who can oppose me on the sea! So, don’t be so discouraged and play with the twins until the day I return with the victory cry. Do you understand?”
R’lyeh was showing her queenly dignity for the first time in a while.
“Siwoo, don’t worry. I’ll help too. It’s the first place I traveled with you.”
Amelia also warmly held Siwoo’s hand.
Sharon, who was caught up in the tier-up syndrome, didn’t stay still either.
“I’m going too. Don’t stop me.”
Amelia and R’lyeh had both reached the 23rd tier, though it hadn’t been long since Amelia had ascended and R’lyeh had inherited her mark.
They were at a higher level than the 22nd tier, which Siwoo could only match if he poured everything he had into it.
Even if he stayed behind and sent his lovers to the battlefield, he could worry less if it was the two of them.
But Sharon was at the 21st tier.
He was worried that she might get into serious danger.
“Don’t look at me like that! I haven’t been just playing around either.”
It seemed that she could see through all his thoughts, as they had spent a long time together.
Sharon, who sometimes seemed a bit clumsy and sometimes a bit of a schemer, showed the dignity of a great witch for the first time and declared,
“I will definitely protect my real estate and come back. Teacher Sua, we’re all going right now.”
Teacher Sua was staring blankly at the lovers’ conversation before snapping back to reality at Sharon’s call.
Amelia and R’lyeh were also looking at her with straight gazes, as if urging her to guide them.
Sua knew about the witch’s nature of cherishing her own life.
And as such, she didn’t have high expectations.
It was a journey to quell an unprecedented disaster that could spread in unpredictable ways.
But all three of them declared their intention to participate without a moment’s hesitation.
Not just any witches, but all great witches.
It was a reliable support.
“I am truly grateful.”
After exchanging final words with Albireo and Deneb, and heading to the immigration office with the three, Teacher Sua pondered one question.
“May I ask you one question?”
“Yes? Yes.”
“If Siwoo-gong were not here, what choices would the three of you have made in the same situation?”
“I would have been in Akula.”
Silence from the other two, except for R’lyeh who answered immediately, grew longer.
“Hmm….”
“I don’t know….”
This was normal.
Even among humans, they don’t pay much attention to the fact that poor people in a distant, unknown country are starving to death every second.
Empathy varies depending on the realm of cognition, so they don’t pay much attention to tragedies that are far beyond their cognitive range.
For witches who exist in different spaces and are even of different species, the deaths outside are just statistical figures.
Perhaps they wouldn’t have paid much attention, like other witches in Gehenna, or they would have only moved when it became a really big problem.
In other words, the center of this reliable support group was Shin Siwoo.
Shin Siwoo’s power was not just his magical abilities and talent….
It was also in his relationships, the very relationships that Teacher Sua had expressed concern about, his lovers, his human relationships.
