## Chapter 1147 – #272_The Last Everyday Life (3)
#1141
1.
This winter passed by faster than the hem of a stranger’s coat, quickly flipping through the calendar.
Perhaps it was because, compared to Siwoo’s eventful and tumultuous life, this period had been relatively smooth.
There were no life-or-death battles, no kidnappings, just occasional sweet moments with his lovers and a focus on managing the academy.
If I were to list the major events, the first would be this:
“So, you’ve finally reached it.”
“It’s clear that the position of Duke of Gehenna isn’t given to just anyone.”
The top output of Gehenna, Duke Erelim, had surpassed the 24th stratum.
It was an achievement that, as far as known, no one had reached except for Duke Keter.
Naturally, Gehenna was in an uproar, but it felt different from when Siwoo became a Count.
Siwoo’s case was more like, ‘No way? Really? Really? Is that for real?’ while this was more like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing. But if it’s Duke Erelim, it’s understandable.’
When Siwoo first heard the news, he couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine.
The stage where magic is imbued with color, the 10th stratum.
The stage where instinct and self-magic merge, activating autonomous defense, the 15th stratum.
The stage where one can twist the mysteries and principles of the world, modifying its settings, the 20th stratum.
Even at the 20th stratum, one is revered as a great witch, deserving of the title of a one-person army.
But the 25th stratum?
Isn’t that the stage where one becomes a law of the world, manifesting wonders and miracles without limit?
Siwoo had indirectly experienced the ’25th stratum’ and understood more intuitively than others just how powerful it was.
In truth, it might not matter to Siwoo who is at what stratum.
After all, Duke Erelim wasn’t involved in public affairs, and she was a high-ranking noble who had protected Gehenna since ancient times.
The problem was that she had expressed her dissatisfaction and annoyance towards Siwoo in several incidents.
It was quite unfair from his perspective, not knowing the reason, but the fact that such a history existed was important.
Now that she had gained new power, the thought that she might start her long-dormant checks in earnest kept him up at night.
But as it turned out, nothing happened.
There was only a small party within the Truth and True Name Society to celebrate Duke Erelim’s rise in stratum.
Even that lasted only a day, and Duke Erelim was said to have returned to her duties immediately.
This event, which was uncertain whether it was a blessing or a curse, turned out to be a blessing in hindsight.
The atmosphere in Hexennacht was already unsettling.
In that context, Duke Erelim’s transcendence would serve as another deterrent.
In fact, even after the ‘Gate’ was restored recently, there had been no significant movement from Hexennacht.
This had been cross-verified multiple times in the Tree of Sephirot, and the daughters who had returned to the Solidus Merchant Group confirmed that it was true.
‘Of course, the hardliners, the Qliphoth, weren’t just sitting idly by. They prepared many things.’
According to Frau, the hardliners had been grinding their teeth all this time.
Led by the ‘Aries Witch,’ they had taken a big step to reveal the existence of witches to the world and tried to achieve a golden age.
They even accidentally caused a ‘Flood’ and seemed to succeed, but they were ultimately blocked by the floodgates and lost two witches of the 22nd stratum, leading to their frustration.
With this incident, Psyche, who had been the representative of the hardliners, was dismissed, and Lydia regained power…
‘The Qliphoth took a rather bold move. They invited the ‘Proverb Witch’ to the city and made her their leader.’
The Proverb Witch.
She was said to be a 23rd stratum witch, the most ferocious among the old witches who had lived for over a thousand years.
The Qliphoth offered a huge price and made the Proverb Witch, whose whereabouts had been unknown, their figurehead, and they were preparing for a new leap forward while biding their time.
Then, Lydia Magnus was killed by Shin Siwoo.
Even her hunting dogs, the Rehar Group, were completely shattered, including their leader, Herya, to the point of being unable to recover.
‘The power shifted to the Qliphoth. The Solidus Merchant Group without the Matriarch… is not what it used to be.’
The Qliphoth moved swiftly, gradually absorbing the power of the Solidus Merchant Group, and grew larger than before.
However, none of the hardliner witches were smiling about this.
To be precise, they were more shocked and terrified than Gehenna.
Let’s say we conduct an interview with a prominent figure on the hardliner side.
The question would be this:
‘Can you win if you fight the Golden Coin Witch?’
The vast majority would answer like this:
‘I wouldn’t say there’s absolutely no chance. After all, that person doesn’t even fight on the front lines these days… We’d have to try to know.’
‘Are you not confident?’
‘The Golden Coin Witch uses that broken concept magic and even grinds witches to make tokens! How can you be sure you can win against that broken magic!’
Lydia was one of the top three strongest figures among the Hexennacht, and more broadly, among the public and the exiles.
That was true even if you excluded everything else and only considered her individual power.
Within Hexennacht, the Qliphoth and Solidus were bickering, but war is a team game.
If a war with Gehenna had broken out following the flow of public opinion controlled by the Qliphoth, the Solidus Merchant Group would have eventually joined, and Lydia would have been a great asset.
And yet, Lydia had died a dog’s death.
Combining all of this, the current situation is even more miserable compared to the heyday of Hexennacht.
The Sword Witch and the Way Witch, who had been members of the Qliphoth since the past, defected to the enemy camp.
The duo of the Reverse Witch and the Gluttony Witch went missing and are presumed dead.
The leader of the Rehar Group, the War Witch, and her subordinates died.
Even the Golden Coin Witch, who was a ‘Duke’ in Gehenna, died in vain.
In addition, many of the combatants from the Solidus Merchant Group who recently went to capture Shin Siwoo died (presumed).
Of course, the witches’ war is not a game where one high-stratum witch goes around doing a one-person show.
However, the importance of elite witches is still paramount, and seeing the witches die like that, many witches are leaving the war effort.
The internal strife and friction that arise in the process of absorbing the Solidus Merchant Group.
Meanwhile, in Gehenna, Shin Siwoo, the root of all evil, is thriving, and they even hear that Duke Erelim has reached the 25th stratum…
The number of exiles who defect to Hexennacht has drastically decreased, and some are even leaving the city.
The power balance, which was felt to be 4 to 6, has shifted to 3 to 7.
‘Considering these aspects, the possibility of Hexennacht declaring war is currently close to zero, Godfather.’
Siwoo fully agreed with Frau’s words, which were spoken with considerable conviction.
Thanks to Frau’s behind-the-scenes efforts, the number of daughters accepting Siwoo as their godfather was increasing, and no matter how he thought about it, there seemed to be no variables.
While Hexennacht was walking a path of fire, the Hesed Academy was once again receiving unprecedented attention.
The regular semester, which had been full of ups and downs, had opened with the arrival of spring.
With the pilot semester of the basic courses successfully completed, the application forms for academy membership overflowed the mailbox.
Curious if everyone was doing well, Siwoo secretly toured the lecture halls.
Sharon, dressed in her witch’s robes for the first time in a while, was introducing herself in a cheerful and energetic tone.
“I’m Sharon Evergreen, the head of the Elemental Department! Please take care of me for this semester!”
Sharon’s forceful words made everyone tilt their heads.
Among the murmurs, there were nuances like, ‘The Elemental Witch? Isn’t she the Uranium Witch?’
Sharon smiled brightly and continued her introduction.
“I’ve been the Elemental Witch since my predecessor. Please refrain from using strange nicknames like the Uranium Witch?”
“Yes.”
“Since your predecessor? Wasn’t she originally the Acorn Witch?”
“Shhh, be mindful.”
Siwoo, who was peeking through the window, chuckled at the laughable incident, while Sharon was seriously asserting her title.
In Siwoo’s view, it didn’t seem to matter much.
In the witch society, nicknames are given by others, and mischievous witches would take such protests as, ‘Oh? She doesn’t like it? It’ll be more fun to tease her!’
Stay strong, Sharon.
“Let’s get straight to the point. For witches who specialize in elemental magic like us, there’s a terrifying enemy. What is it? That’s right, research funding. Elemental magic mostly consumes ‘sacrifices,’ and in this process, expensive jewels are used up like crazy.
This class will delve deeply into the theory of how to measure the approximate values of experiments without directly consuming sacrifices.
Is this your first time hearing about such a lecture? Of course. I created it. Now, let’s start by looking at the element of fire. Who knows about the sacrifices used for the element of fire? Raise your hand!”
Actually, Siwoo wasn’t worried about Sharon.
Wasn’t she good at teaching others from the beginning?
It was Sharon who taught the basic knowledge to Siwoo, a self-taught witch who skipped the apprentice witch training, and brought him up to his current level.
Her clear diction and appropriate tension.
In addition, students could learn how to save research funds, so they listened intently, their eyes shining brightly, not wanting to miss a single word.
Faint smiles spread as Sharon mixed in jokes from time to time.
It could be said that Sharon’s elemental classroom was the best in terms of teaching ability and class atmosphere.
“I wonder if the others are doing well?”
Sharon was fine as expected, and the one he was most worried about was L’Riel.
He had given her enough warnings, but he hoped she wouldn’t cause any major accidents.
Siwoo headed towards the lecture hall where L’Riel was giving her lecture with hurried steps.
