Chapter 262 – #59_Salvation
#261
1.
Siwoo wasn’t excited.
He didn’t cheer with the joy of victory or jump around.
He was just feeling the sensation left on his fingertips.
His heart was still pounding.
In the subtle thrill, the feeling of cutting through metal like paper remained.
He felt like he was left alone on the night street with only those two things.
The sensation that the sword he was holding had disappeared.
Or rather, would it be more fitting to say it felt like they had become one?
What he knew in his head, what he had only felt instinctively, the memory of his body that seemed to have manifested as it was, breaking his preconceptions, sent shivers down his spine even at this moment after the battle.
A clean, flawless movement.
It wasn’t Siwoo’s own unique movement.
It was just drawing out ‘someone’s talent’ that was dormant in the contract of the King of All Diseases.
“Siwoo!”
While he was reminiscing about the clean defeat of the enemies, still caught in the afterglow, Eloa came running.
Then, she stopped in front of Siwoo and began to rejoice as if it were her own accomplishment.
“Well done, very well done. You executed everything you’ve learned so well.”
Eloa didn’t seem to care much about how Della ended up in this state or why the White Knight had been chasing her.
She was only happy about Siwoo’s achievement and growth.
“You can do it too, can’t you?”
“I guess so.”
The realization belatedly washed over him.
The sense of accomplishment that he had cleanly cut down five powerful enemies, whom he had struggled to face even one of just a while ago.
Even if it wasn’t five, even if there were more, he felt like he could win against any number.
“Come here.”
Eloa stretched her hand upwards.
Wondering what this was about, Siwoo looked at her, and Eloa, who seemed even more excited than him, urged him impatiently.
“Lower your knees a little.”
“Like this?”
“That’s right.”
Eloa’s hand stroked Siwoo’s head, where his helmet had been removed.
Was this some kind of reward?
Siwoo felt both bewildered and awkward, but seeing her smiling brightly, he didn’t feel like stopping her.
“You must be sweating a lot…”
“It’s okay, it’s nothing dirty. Come here, I need to praise you more.”
But when it continued for more than a minute, he thought he should stop her.
“Master, that’s important, but shouldn’t we transport Redcliffe first…?”
Siwoo pointed to Della, who was still lying on the ground.
Eloa seemed to belatedly come to her senses and gasped.
“O-oh, I forgot.”
As a witch, it wasn’t a severe injury that would lead to death.
Conversely, it could be said that if she were human, she would be soaking her feet in the Sanzu River.
Siwoo, taking Della instead of Eloa who had come to her senses,
The two headed straight to the location point.
2.
As it was an ambiguous time, the location point was deserted.
Since Branch Manager Sua, who had been contacted in advance, had finished preparing for treatment, Della was able to receive emergency treatment immediately.
While Siwoo was waiting outside because she had to take off all her clothes due to severe injuries all over her body.
Sua and Eloa had a private conversation inside the branch manager’s office.
“Hoo, she’s in a terrible state. It’s been a while since I’ve seen an injury like this.”
Della’s body, lying on the bed, was covered with dense gold and silver needles.
Below them, a magic circle in the shape of a cross was blinking with a faint light.
“How is her condition?”
“Superficially, it’s a severe injury, but the situation is not as bad as it looks. Seeing that there are no organs that have necrosed or failed, it must be that the Cowardly Witch had taken appropriate measures.”
The terrible penetrating wounds and burn marks that seemed to have been cauterized to stop the bleeding made her condition look worse, but what was more important for healing was the state inside her spirit body.
In that sense, Della was in better condition than Sharon before.
It was as if a torture technician with specialized skills had tortured her in a way that would not affect her life as much as possible.
It was fortunate that none of her limbs were severed, and above all, her organs were not severely damaged due to magical contamination.
It would probably take a week for her to fully recover.
It seemed like she could regain consciousness within the day.
“If Redcliffe was detained by Sochitl, there is a high possibility that she knows what kind of conspiracy she is plotting. Conversely, she may be secretly cooperating with the Cowardly Witch.”
“Yes, I will make sure she recovers enough to be interrogated as soon as possible.”
Sua folded the sleeves from which she had taken out the gold needles and asked Eloa.
“Your Grace, could you tell me the circumstances when you encountered the Ash Witch?”
“There’s no difficulty in that.”
Eloa explained the situation of suddenly encountering Della while driving after finishing training with Siwoo.
It would be more accurate to say that she had bumped into her with her car.
Anyway, after that, five White Knights appeared.
And Siwoo’s magnificent defeat of them.
“It was a truly wonderful blow. Isn’t it amazing? Even though he inherited only a part of the contract, he is a child who hasn’t even been training for half a year. To show this level of achievement in such a short period of time.”
“Is that so?”
“It was like seeing Lapi. He was truly admirable. I wish Teacher Sua had seen it too…”
“It is truly a fortunate thing.”
Sua smiled softly at Eloa, who was rambling on about Siwoo’s heroic deeds.
It was clear that a great danger would soon come.
However, it had been a long time since Tiferet, who had been wandering around in search of the purpose of life, had looked as lively as a child, so Branch Manager Sua was able to forget her worries and smile for a while.
After that, Eloa, who had been bragging about Siwoo for a long time, came to her senses and awkwardly rubbed her cheek with the back of her hand.
“I showed a poor sight. I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing. Seeing Your Grace happy makes me feel like I could jump for joy as well. However, since the treatment is not completely finished yet, could you please leave for a moment?”
“I understand, let me know as soon as she wakes up. I’ll be waiting upstairs.”
“It is expected to take about 4 hours. Please rest comfortably.”
She couldn’t interfere any more when the treatment wasn’t finished.
Eloa nodded and came out to the hallway where Siwoo was waiting.
In the middle of the dark hallway with the lights off, Siwoo was slowly practicing swordsmanship.
He had nothing in his hand, but he seemed to be reviewing the sword strike from earlier.
Even Eloa could see that his movements were quite systematic.
“Ah, Master.”
She had intended not to interrupt him as he seemed to be concentrating, but Siwoo found Eloa first and spoke to her.
“How did it go?”
“They said it’s not a serious injury. It seems like there’s no need to worry too much.”
Siwoo nodded.
Della was a bad witch who had tormented Sharon, and she had also bickered with Siwoo.
She wasn’t a witch with a particularly good relationship.
However, he was the one who had dealt the final blow to someone who was already injured and running away, so he felt a little guilty.
In that sense, the news that her condition was good was a welcome one.
It meant that there was no need to have a restless night.
“What on earth is going to happen?”
“There’s no way of knowing. We’ll have to ask Redcliffe thoroughly after she regains consciousness.”
So far, they had not been able to find any evidence of what the Cowardly Witch was plotting.
She was an exile who was originally good at hiding herself.
In that sense, Della, who seemed to have been detained by Sochitl, was no exaggeration to say that she was a hint that would put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
The situation that had entered a lull would also change.
Eloa’s ability to sense the war clouds she had built up so far was guessing that this night before Della woke up was the last peace.
Then what should be done before entering the battle?
Needless to ask, it was proper rest.
Eloa grabbed Siwoo’s sleeve.
“There’s nothing we can do right now anyway. Let’s rest a bit.”
“Ah, are we going upstairs?”
“Don’t you need to sleep?”
And so, they returned to the penthouse after a long time.
The only difference was that Sharon, who was always lying in bed, was now in Gehenna.
Since she was under the protection of the Jema Nai family, there was no need to worry about her safety.
Enough time had passed, so wouldn’t she have regained consciousness by now?
Siwoo suddenly wondered how Sharon was doing.
They finished bathing in separate bathrooms and changed their clothes.
Eloa was in loose pajamas.
Siwoo also changed into comfortable clothes and gathered again in the living room.
As if it were natural, there were two glasses of whiskey and a bottle, and some chocolates for snacks on the table.
The leisurely drinking session with Eloa was no exaggeration to say that it was the end of the daily routine.
“Wow, I’m really tired.”
“It’s understandable. You were put into actual combat right after the sparring, weren’t you?”
As soon as he leaned back on the sofa, a groan came out involuntarily.
Morning sparring, afternoon sparring, followed by a real battle at night.
Even if he strengthened his body through magic, his muscles felt stiff as much as the load he had taken, and he felt like he had muscle pain.
“You did very well today. As someone who has watched your efforts, I am proud.”
“It’s all thanks to Master.”
“How can this be my credit? I just showed you the way. It is your part that you did not give up and persevered.”
-Clink
Siwoo and Eloa lightly clinked their glasses.
Seeing Siwoo smiling pleasantly between his drowsy eyelids, Eloa’s face also unconsciously lit up with a smile.
An indescribable ticklish feeling was tickling her heart.
She had been in pain ever since she lost Lapi.
She was also lonely.
In the pain of loss, she had been sewing together her shattered life, just breathing and cutting down enemies.
It was not something that could be called a human life.
What had been supporting Tiferet’s knees, which were about to collapse, was only the desire for revenge.
Hatred for Ea Sadalmelik, who had taken away her most precious thing, and anger at Eloa herself, who had done nothing due to carelessness and mistakes and had let Lapi be lost.
And then she met Siwoo.
It would be difficult to say that it was a good first meeting, even if it was just because she felt sorry for Siwoo.
Eloa, who had misunderstood, had punched Siwoo and knocked him out, so she felt embarrassed even when she thought about it again.
“Master?”
“Do you know?”
“Yes?”
Even when she was teaching him, who was clumsy in everything, she only thought that it was a futile act.
That the scar engraved in her heart would not be erased.
She had only thought that it was a karma that would follow her like a tag until the day her breath was cut off.
Eloa got up from the sofa and approached Siwoo.
“I am…”
However.
With his attitude of not giving up even knowing his shortcomings, with his diligence in following Eloa’s harsh training without saying a word,
Siwoo, who had recreated Lapi’s swordsmanship that she thought she would never see again.
“…I was saved by you.”
It was a salvation like a beacon in the midst of wandering for Eloa Tiferet.
A serious voice and moist eyes.
Siwoo couldn’t understand all of Eloa’s words.
But he knew what he had to do for Eloa, who was standing close to him.
As he slightly opened his arms, Eloa shook her pink hair and snuggled into Siwoo’s arms.
She put her hands behind his back and around his waist, hugging him tightly as if she was holding something very precious.
“I want to hug you, but you’re too big.”
“Well, I’m a man, after all.”
At Siwoo’s somewhat clueless answer as usual, Eloa laughed in his arms as if she was ticklish.
“There’s something I want to promise you.”
“Yes, Master.”
Eloa took her head off for a moment and looked up at Siwoo and said.
“Even if the whole world becomes your enemy. I will become your sword and cut down the world. I swear in the name of Tiferet at this very moment.”
“…This is kind of embarrassing? But thank you so much. I don’t intend to do anything that grand though.”
To turn the whole world into an enemy.
It was something that could not be done even if one tried their best without having a decent ability.
Siwoo smiled bitterly and patted Eloa’s back.
“I know. I just mean it as a figure of speech.”
But Eloa, without thinking of blaming Siwoo’s irreverence, smiled gently and buried her face in his chest once more.
By the way, this position is getting too close.
It had been a struggle to breathe through her mouth so that it wouldn’t show since earlier.
It was very embarrassing to say, but she could also feel her master’s chest softly touching her lower abdomen.
“Shall I take you to the bed?”
“What do you mean take me? I can walk…”
“Hey, you look tired, so I’ll help you.”
Siwoo, without listening to Eloa’s answer, easily lifted her up in a princess carry.
Eloa’s eyes widened so much that all of her crimson jewel-like eyes could be seen.
“…I’ll leave it to you.”
Eloa suddenly lowered her gaze quietly and curled up in Siwoo’s arms like a docile cat.
He thought she would take it playfully, but he didn’t expect such an ambiguous atmosphere to form.
Siwoo was inwardly flustered, but he didn’t show it and laid Eloa on the bed.
“I need to get some sleep too.”
“Siwoo, sleep well.”
“Have a good rest, Master.”
The two, lying side by side on the bed a little apart, finished their greetings and fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.
When the two woke up in the early morning after sleeping for about 4 hours.
A sudden phone call rang.
It was a message from Branch Manager Sua that Della had woken up.
The second fan art provided by PCHN!!
It’s Master pretending to be asleep!
Personally, I really like this kind of pencil-drawn style, and this person is really good at drawing.
It also goes well with Tiferet’s atmosphere!
Thank you so much!!!
