Chapter 624 – #126_Night In The Desert (4)
#624
1.
After roughly finishing my conversation with the Mercury Witch, I returned to the jeep and prepared for bed.
Unlike other witches who can choose to sleep or not as complete spirits, she requires short but essential sleep.
It’s the price of the ‘contract’ for the usual spirit enhancement.
There’s no proper lodging, just a barren desert.
I was worried that sleeping in the car would be too uncomfortable, but it was an unnecessary concern.
Fortunately, the off-road jeep was really big.
By reclining the back seats, it was almost like a bed.
I temporarily removed the items piled in the trunk behind the seats, folded them to the limit, and laid out a mattress.
This created a makeshift bed that was a bit cramped for two people but perfect for one.
While I was preparing the bed, Siwoo said,
“Master.”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
“Did I do something worthy of thanks?”
Eloa covered her cheeks, seemingly embarrassed by the sudden gratitude.
But Siwoo remembered clearly.
Alice, who had been picking a fight with Siwoo in a very witch-like manner.
Eloa, who had shown no reaction to the rudeness directed at herself, had coldly become angry.
“You were really cool.”
When I explained the meaning of my gratitude again, my master squirmed even more, as if she was even more embarrassed.
“I was just doing what was natural. You shouldn’t just listen like a fool, you should say something too.”
The stern Duchess is such a shy person when we’re alone like this…
The gap is really lovely.
Perhaps the privilege of monopolizing this side of her is only for Siwoo.
“Since it’s cramped, I’ll be in the passenger seat.”
Unlike Eloa, Siwoo, who can choose when to sleep, gave up the comfortable spot and got into the front seat.
At that moment.
My master, who had somehow moved, was already in the driver’s seat.
“Shall we go see the stars together?”
“Aren’t you supposed to sleep?”
“I got some sleep on the plane, so I’m still fine. And we have plenty of time, don’t we?”
The prophecy didn’t predict the exact time of appearance.
According to the file Takasho gave me, it would probably be tomorrow evening or night.
As she said, we had some time to spare.
Plus, it was my first time in the desert.
Even if all I could see was sand and sky, the scenery of nature itself was full of things to appreciate.
A leisurely drink while gazing at the stars.
Isn’t that romantic?
“Shall we?”
“Then I’ll move.”
“Not here?”
“This place is nice, but there are too many campfires and such.”
“Okay, okay.”
At best, the dim light from campfires and camps was all there was, but even that was light pollution.
Eloa, who was behind the wheel, started the car, and the two of them drove into the night desert.
The desert night was quite cool.
Compared to the daytime when it easily exceeded the mid-40s, the outside temperature on the thermometer was around 11 degrees.
Thanks to the windbreaker that had blocked the scorching sun and sandstorms during the day, we could enjoy the coolness.
-Vroooom!
More than that.
The distance we were traveling was much longer than I thought.
“Is there a good spot somewhere?”
“W-What do you mean?”
“It seems like you’re going a bit far.”
It had already been about five minutes since she took the wheel.
The jeep was still going aimlessly.
“The farther away we are, the better we’ll see the stars, wouldn’t you say?”
If my master says so, then it must be so.
Siwoo nodded, having heard the explanation.
Since we had time to talk leisurely, I asked what I had been curious about since earlier.
“Master, by the way, what is the Prophecy Institution?”
It’s a neutral institution managed by the ‘Witch of Revelation,’ one of the old witches, where apprentice witches are designated so that witches who cannot have children can continue their lineage.
I know that much for now.
Eloa also realized that Siwoo wasn’t asking a superficial question.
She, too, had been designated as an apprentice witch by Lapi, and began to speak, recalling that time.
“The Prophecy Institution is… let’s say it’s a lake where encrypted information ripples. It’s a unique neutral zone that belongs to the present world but also doesn’t belong to it.”
“Like Gehenna?”
“Hmm… it’s hard to explain in words.”
But she quickly ran out of words.
She could convey the fact that it was a lake where thoughts, concepts, and the threads of fate were materialized, but the appearance of the Prophecy Institution was described differently by each person who encountered it.
The only commonality was that there was a large lake and a huge tower that could not be approached stood tall in the middle.
“How about we take a look after this is over?”
“Is that possible?”
“Of course. The Prophecy Institution doesn’t discriminate against any witch. Even exiles or even public enemies can step into the lake without any restrictions.”
“And you can see the future there?”
Eloa nodded.
“The moment you are alone and immerse yourself in the lake, countless futures unfold. But most of that information cannot be interpreted. Only the permitted prophecies can be understood.”
“Then, what is an oracle?”
That was actually the crucial question I had.
What exactly was an oracle that so many witches could access and seek out?
“An oracle is a rare, interpretable piece of encrypted future. The numerology witches who reside near the Prophecy Institution sell them for a high price. No matter how much I explain, it would be more tangible to go there yourself. You’re still far from succession, so you won’t receive any prophecies, though.”
Eloa, smiling as if her curious disciple was cute, took the wheel again and looked ahead.
Siwoo didn’t notice, but her expression was quite solemn.
Isn’t this far enough?
Eloa spread her senses wide, checking for any signs of movement around her.
Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any witches diligent enough to follow a late-night drive.
“This should be fine.”
Nevertheless, Eloa, expecting caution, parked the car close to a sand dune and took out the brandy she loved from her bag.
“Wow, you can really see well from here.”
“Take your time to appreciate it. How about some alcohol?”
“Sounds good. Your unworthy disciple will offer the drink.”
Except for the sound of the two people talking, there was a suffocating silence.
The desert in the moonlight shone as if it had been baptized in silver.
For Eloa, this scenery was too familiar to feel beautiful.
For over 100 years, she had been tracking homunculi and public enemies, and about 30% of that time had been spent in deserts like this.
If she had been alone, she wouldn’t have bothered driving out just to see a monotonous landscape.
In other words, the reason she had driven about 10km away from the witches’ camp was only one: to spend a passionate night with Siwoo.
Showing him the stars was just a side benefit.
Eloa and Siwoo had crossed the master-disciple barrier and become an official couple, but the frequency with which she had relations with Siwoo was significantly lower than other couples.
It was comparable to the twins sneaking into the outpost while keeping an eye on Count Jemena.
Of course, the moment she was in his arms was nothing but happiness.
However, the stinging guilt and the self-reproach of having relations with her disciple still remained.
Therefore, she had subtly avoided relations in Gehenna, where she could easily be caught by others, and when they did have relations, she always drank until she was thoroughly drunk.
“Would you wait here for a moment?”
But this was the middle of the desert, just the two of them, wasn’t it?
There was no better place to secretly share love with him.
“Where are you going?”
“It’s a bit chilly. I’ll just put on some more clothes.”
Eloa, having fooled Siwoo with a calm act, rummaged through the carrier in the back of the jeep.
She had packed it in advance, remembering that he was crazy about the bunny girl outfit.
She was planning to change into this outfit, wrap herself in a large towel, and then appear before him with a ‘ta-da’ moment…
“Ugh… ugh…”
Was it because she was too impatient?
The thought that Siwoo might suddenly come looking for her made it difficult to put on the outfit.
In the first place, it had taken her a long time to put it on before, and she had received Sharon’s help.
Putting on clothes in a confined space was even more difficult than before.
“This won’t do…”
As Eloa struggled alone with the leotard,
Siwoo, who had been left alone, walked to the jeep, noticing that she was taking longer than expected.
He was thinking of helping her if she was having trouble finding her clothes… but.
The tires were so large that they easily exceeded Eloa’s waist, making the vehicle quite high.
Through the window that was at his eye level, he could see a faint object moving gently.
“……”
It was a rabbit ear.
The rabbit ear headband that always stood up sharply.
It was an accessory that came with the bunny girl outfit she had worn at the harvest festival in the past.
He had wondered if that was why she had come all the way out here to see the stars, but he had dismissed it as an overinterpretation.
Because his master had always been passive.
Most of the time, when Siwoo visited her room, or when they were drinking, they would naturally end up in bed after a kiss, and she rarely set the stage herself like Sharon or Amelia.
For such a master to make up all sorts of excuses to drive the jeep out and create a situation where they were alone, and even prepare an outfit…
It was cute and lovely.
It seemed like she hadn’t noticed yet, so he couldn’t help but feel playful.
-Thump!
“……!”
When Siwoo opened the car door, his master, who had been in the middle of getting ready, looked at Siwoo with surprised rabbit eyes.
She had only properly put on the rabbit ear headband, the cuffs on both wrists, and the shirt collar with a bow tie.
She was naked, not even wearing stockings or high heels properly.
Her naked body, which was much more alluring than when she was completely naked, was right there.
“Siwoo! I told you to w-wait!”
Her face turned pink, like the color of her hair in an instant, and she hurriedly covered her body, but it was not enough to cover her full breasts and overall toned naked body with just two arms.
The exposed fair skin here and there made his eyes dizzy.
“Oh, is this an event?”
“This, it’s not like that! I just wanted to wear it after a long time. Get out of here!”
She probably knew that such an excuse wouldn’t work.
Even if the strict master was angry with embarrassment, it only looked like a terrified rabbit squeaking.
She probably had no intention of actually stopping Siwoo.
“I’m coming in.”
She didn’t push him away even when he climbed into the back seat, which had been transformed into a makeshift bed.
-Click!
The sound of the car door closing.
Soon, the off-road jeep, which boasted excellent suspension, began to shake roughly.
