Chapter 58 – #14_Play Ball (1)
#57
1.
Seeing Siwoo’s lack of reaction to her rare suggestion, Odile tilted her head.
Siwoo’s voice, filled with confusion, echoed in the room.
“Odile, are you sure it’s just us here?”
“Here? Where?”
“At Latifundium.”
“There’s no one else. I told you, it’s the off-season, so we rented the whole place.”
“Then what’s that black thing?”
A black thing was staring intently at the inside of the management building from outside the window.
There was only one reason why Siwoo described it as a black thing.
It was because he couldn’t accurately describe its appearance otherwise.
A shadow was crouching as if clinging to a branch.
Around it, shadows were fluttering.
It wasn’t a description or a metaphor.
‘Shadows’ really were covering its body like a haze.
“What?”
Odile slowly turned her head, following the direction he was looking.
At the same time, the body of the unidentified thing began to move.
Creak.
Its neck bent grotesquely, as if its joints were rusted.
As the dark shadows scattered like mist, Siwoo was finally able to make out its shape.
The head of a giant black cat.
A torso so huge that it couldn’t be considered a normal beast.
Its tail, which dragged and swayed, had a huge scythe at its tip.
“That’s…”
Odile’s face hardened.
-Kkkkkkkkkkkk
Along with the chilling sound of nails scratching a chalkboard.
It opened its eyes.
From the head, darker than the abyss,
and more devoid of depth than the undulating shadows.
Three red eyes, like flowers blooming in hell,
swiveled around, looking this way as if amused.
Shadows began to gather around the unidentified monster.
As soon as the shadows began to take on a distinct three-dimensional form, Odile began to sing.
“cum sanctis tuis in aeternum! quia pius es!”
A very fast and precise song.
Even Odile, who usually hummed and skipped through most tunes, performed a complete incantation this time.
At the same time.
-Keeeeeeeeek!
Along with the sound of a grinder scraping against steel, a black spear collided with a transparent barrier that enveloped the entire management building.
A deafening roar.
Vibration.
A clash of magical power.
In that fleeting moment, Siwoo, who had been watching the monster, saw it.
He saw three spears woven from shadows flying towards the management building and the transparent barrier that had unfolded from Odile colliding with them.
He couldn’t understand why this was suddenly happening.
However, what was certain was that the monster outside had launched an attack using magic, and Odile had countered it.
“We almost got screwed!”
Odile’s harsh words.
Siwoo blinked and asked.
“Is that perhaps Jeminai?”
“No way!”
It was a reasonable question, but Odile denied it as if she was dumbfounded.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Jeminai had discovered a scoundrel harassing her apprentice witch and was trying to eliminate them.
Or maybe it wasn’t fortunate.
“Then what is it?”
Before Odile could answer, another fierce collision shook the room.
Unlike before, it wasn’t a roar but a vibration.
A deep tremor of air that resonated in the lungs.
Another spear of shadow was fired and collided with Odile’s barrier.
Odile, her eyes shimmering with a violet magical reflection, glared outside and said.
“It seems to be a homunculus. I heard from my teacher that there were no homunculi left in Gehenna…”
“Are you saying that’s the Creation Witch’s homunculus?”
“Doesn’t it look like it!”
Siwoo felt that the situation was more serious than he had thought.
Homunculus.
Intelligent beings known to have been created by the Creation Witch.
‘Guardians’ created by the Creation Witch to protect her legacy.
They either lie dormant somewhere in this world or quietly wander around.
Witches obsessed with magic would hunt them down with a burning passion whenever they found a homunculus.
Because killing a homunculus could yield the Creation Witch’s legacy, artifacts, research materials, elixirs, fragments of magic circles, and more.
To put it in a more modern way, they could be considered a kind of event mob.
The Creation Witch’s legacy was so valuable that it could elevate any witch’s achievements.
“This is bad. Take care of Odette, assistant.”
Odile stared at the spears of shadow flying in from outside, her eyes unwavering.
Her soft cheeks were hardened like never before.
However, upon further reflection, the term “event mob” was an overly optimistic expression.
Homunculi were far too dangerous for that.
Homunculi were creatures personally crafted by the Creation Witch.
Each used various self-magnetic magic and desperately tried to protect the legacy implanted within their bodies. The danger level of a homunculus was more akin to a raid boss.
After all, they were monsters that proudly held second place for ‘reasons why witches unexpectedly disappear.’
Even amidst this chaos, Siwoo hugged the still-unconscious Odette and moved away from the window.
“What do we do?”
“I don’t know, I’m thinking… First, can you wake Odette?”
Just by looking at Odile’s face, one could tell how serious this was.
She, who usually laughed off most things with boldness, now had a face as white as a sheet of paper.
Witches who specialized in hunting homunculi advised witches below the 15th tier not to attempt hunting any homunculus.
So, what was the twins’ tier?
“Odile, you don’t have a mark yet, so it’s impossible to calculate accurately, but roughly what tier of magic are you capable of?”
Odile raised her eyes as if surprised by Siwoo’s unexpectedly calm demeanor.
“I’m glad you’re not trembling. If I use self-magnetic magic with Odette, it’s about the 8th tier.”
“I think it’s best to call for help from outside first.”
“I think so too.”
The minimum required tier was 15.
Together, they were at the 8th tier.
It was woefully inadequate.
There were many cases where a witch could not even raise one tier even if they invested their entire life.
-Kwagwang!
Siwoo stared intently out the window.
Odile’s barrier covered the entire research building like a sphere.
And each time the spears the homunculus shot collided with the wall and scattered, his vision narrowed.
It was because the shadows were staining the surroundings like paint bleeding into water.
Thanks to that, the homunculus on the other side was becoming increasingly blurry.
The fact that only their side was unable to grasp the enemy’s movements accelerated their anxiety.
Once again, the sound of the building collapsing rang out, followed by a flash of magical sparks outside the window.
Odette, who had been diligently shaking Siwoo’s shoulder, startled awake at the sound.
“Hic! H-huh… What’s going on?”
Odette looked around with a dazed expression, and Siwoo briefly summarized the situation.
“Th-then what should we do?”
But Odette’s reaction was not much different from Odile’s.
In the first place, it was unlikely that the twins had any experience in magical combat, and even if they did, it would be impossible for the two of them, with a combined rank of 8, to hunt a homunculus.
Now was the time to simply run away and ask for help.
“Odile, how many more times can you block it?”
“It’s weaker than I thought. It’s attacking about 3-4 times per minute, so I can hold out for 10 minutes.”
The only good news was that they had more time than expected.
“Odette, is there any way to ask Jemina or other witches for help?”
For example, Siwoo had used a magic called Skyboard at the inn last time to ask Sophia for help.
Odile and Odette probably knew a much more efficient and better way.
“There is, but… it’s impossible to use here. The ‘Song of Rest’ that my sister has cast blocks not only magic from the outside but also magic from the inside.”
“Then, are you saying we have to go outside?”
This research building was a bunker.
Going outside now was comparable to the danger of leaving a bunker during a bombing to fire a signal flare.
“Music box! There’s a music box! This should help us avoid its eyes for now.”
Odette rummaged through her cloak and pulled out a music box.
At that moment.
-Creak! Creak!
“A-Assistant…”
Along with Odile’s call, an unpleasant sound like tearing apart a steel frame echoed from outside the window.
Siwoo instinctively swallowed his breath.
A giant cat covered in shadows was tearing apart Odile’s magic.
It was violently thrashing its tail, which was curved like a sickle, up and down while embedded in the transparent wall.
“Kilik… Keek… Kick-kack…!”
The homunculus opened its mouth, its three red eyes flashing.
From its mashed-open maw, sticky shadows like tar dripped down.
Even Siwoo, who was seeing the homunculus for the first time, could understand its emotions.
It was laughing.
As if it was overjoyed to have three toys to play with.
“Odette!”
“Yes! Sister!”
The twins exchanged signals.
For twins who knew each other’s intentions inside and out, detailed discussions were unnecessary.
As Odile withdrew the barrier, Odette, with her arms outstretched outside the window, began her incantation.
“Requiem aeternam dona eis!”
Grant them eternal rest.
Odette’s incantation was a requiem for the enemy’s tombstone.
-Kwaaang!
As the incantation dictated, the hazy light that emanated from Odette’s arm struck the homunculus’s face, which was clinging to the barrier, in the blink of an eye.
A light of intense heat that seemed to have raised the temperature of the room by 10 degrees just by existing for a moment before disappearing.
The glass, which had only been grazed by the magic, was glowing red and melting like sugar.
“No way…!”
The twins muttered simultaneously.
With that much power.
They had expected that a direct hit to the face would cause some damage, but…
“Keeeeeek?”
The homunculus, tilting its head, was completely unharmed.
A chilling sensation that made his spine tingle.
“Dodge!”
Siwoo reflexively pulled the twins into an embrace and lowered his head.
In a split second, something grazed over his back.
-Whoosh!
-Crackle!
It was as if a small storm had swept through the room.
The homunculus’s tail, which had been swung like a whip, had ravaged the inside of the research building horizontally.
Walls collapsing and furniture breaking.
The dust that rose in an instant obscured their vision.
“Let’s run… let’s run for now!”
What would have happened if they had just stood there?
Siwoo, grabbing Odile and Odette by the scruff of their necks and turning around, couldn’t help but shudder at the sight of the wooden pillar that had been smashed to pieces.
-Keeeeeeek!
A sound that felt as taut as a crossbow being loaded.
It was the grating sound that had been scraping their nerves every time the monster threw a shadow spear at the research building.
There was only one place to run anyway.
“Run!”
“Kyaaaa!”
Siwoo hugged the twins and dove straight down from the towering treehouse.
At the same time, with an explosive sound, two spears grazed his back, narrowly missing him.
-Thwack!
The sight of the giant tree, tens of meters tall, that had been supporting the Latifundium collapsing like styrofoam being crushed was replayed before his falling eyes.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
The magic of levitation, not flying, was very easy for the twins.
Nevertheless, a bungee jump from 30 meters without a rope was terrifying.
Siwoo screamed at the wind flapping his clothes and the ground rapidly approaching.
Unlike the twins, who landed lightly, Siwoo rolled roughly on the ground.
“Assistant! Are you okay?”
Odette rushed over, and Odile stared at the homunculus remaining in the treehouse.
The giant cat, taking large strides, was swaying its tail and looking down.
The hunt had only just begun.
“Assistant, take Odette and run. I’ll hold it off here.”
Odile stood tall on the ground, staring straight into the three red, flashing eyes.
