Chapter 1176 – #280_A Reason To Return
#1170
1.
“Hoo…”
Siwoo let out a short breath, ending his meditation.
He had only been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, but sweat had formed from his forehead down to his chin.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Siwoo lightly wiped his forehead with the damp towel Elloa handed him and slumped down.
His head felt incredibly hot.
The reason Siwoo had become significantly stronger with each battle was because he sought enlightenment from each one, as if ruminating on it.
Meditating to review past battles was part of that process.
Because he had to face formidable opponents who forced him to surpass his limits due to his difficult matchups, these efforts always yielded significant results.
He had always achieved remarkable growth.
“How is it?”
“It’s not easy.”
“There’s no need to rush too much. If you’re chased by impatience, the results will only get further away.”
Even with his teacher’s comforting words, which were more generous than anyone else’s, Siwoo couldn’t quite relax.
What he had been reflecting on just moments ago was his battle with Lydia.
Lydia Magnus had reached the 24th level of power in the final phase of their fight.
Siwoo had managed to defeat her using the ‘Red Tree.’
Reviewing the enlightenment he had gained during the battle was a source of immense growth.
However, this battle was a bit different from the others.
First, when Siwoo fought Lydia, he had allowed the lotus and clover to grant half of the control to his subconscious.
The lotus had disappeared forever after reviving Dorothy, and he could no longer create clovers.
To be more precise, he had found a clue to lift the limit on the number of four-leaf clovers by replicating a part of Sister Periwinkle’s magnetic magic, but there wasn’t enough time to use it in the war right now.
Because he had achieved a victory that he couldn’t entirely call his own, it was taking him time to process the enlightenment he had gained.
“I’m pretty sure I’m at the 23rd level…”
In fact, just reaching the 23rd level made one among the strongest in the witch world.
It was a realm where one could reproduce countless miracles and wonders with their bare hands.
“The problem is, the opponent is a 25th-level monster. Ah, is this matchmaking luck starting again?”
Siwoo twisted his body like he was doing yoga and flailed on the floor.
He had been under so much stress lately that if he didn’t release it like this, he would go insane.
“Teacher, isn’t this ridiculous? I thought my life was finally going to be smooth. Suddenly, a war breaks out, and then Duke Erelim betrays us? And why are there so many ancient witches? Seriously, how is it that three dangerous ancient witches who only appear in legends are all alive? And what’s the deal with them all being on Hexennacht’s side?”
“Yes, yes, let it all out. I’ll listen to everything. I know you’ve been through a lot.”
Elloa gave a wry smile and offered Siwoo, who was writhing on the floor like a dying shrimp, a lap pillow.
She also gently stroked his hair with her soft hand.
He had thrown a tantrum out of frustration, but his teacher had also decided to participate in the war despite her own frail condition.
Her worries were probably no less than Siwoo’s.
Siwoo, who had calmed down, quietly felt her touch and asked,
“How strong is Duke Erelim?”
“She was very strong even before she reached a higher level.”
“How would she compare to you, Teacher?”
After careful consideration, she cautiously replied,
“This is just a superficial comparison… but if we had fought at our best back then, Erelim would have won six out of ten times.”
Siwoo knew his cute pink rabbit teacher’s nature well.
She never uttered falsehoods.
She was a martial god who had modified all her magic for combat and had accumulated countless experiences.
The fact that even his teacher, who was at her best, would only have a 40% chance of winning against this monster who had leveled up and appeared as the final boss was shocking.
Moreover, Erelim’s goal was Siwoo himself, as well as the fox-like Amelia and the rabbit-like Malika.
Siwoo had always ended up on the most difficult route in situations like this.
He had no optimism that things would somehow work out.
It was obvious who would be targeted, and it was absurd to think of withdrawing from the war. It was perhaps inevitable that he would eventually face Erelim.
“Don’t worry too much. I will protect you no matter what. How about you get some sleep? I haven’t seen you sleeping lately, and I’m a little sad about that.”
“Should I?”
“You can sleep here for a while. Is the bed a little more comfortable?”
“No, Teacher. Your lap pillow is paradise.”
He had even dreamed of giving up everything and running away with his lovers to live a peaceful life.
However, if Hexennacht ruled the world, and if Erelim was still alive, such a future would remain a fantasy.
He didn’t want to die and leave behind his beloved lovers.
He had many things he wanted to do, and many things he wanted to do for Malika.
More than anything, he wanted to protect his precious people.
He hadn’t told anyone yet, but he had already thought of a last resort.
He knew he might not be able to return, but he was preparing for the worst-case scenario where he could no longer retreat.
“……”
He would do his best.
He would mobilize all his given capabilities and use his wit to confront them.
However, as soon as he determined that it was impossible to turn the tide of the war, he planned to fully open his subconscious and try to take Erelim down with him.
If that could protect everyone, he would gladly do it.
2.
The time for the inevitable war was approaching.
The declaration of war had been made long ago, but this time it wasn’t just a vague atmosphere.
Hexennacht, as it often did in history, sent a messenger to a designated point, announcing the time and place for the final war that would decide the fate of the world.
The time was four days from now.
The place was a spot in the middle of the Gobi Desert, straddling the border between Mongolia and China.
The date aside, the meaning of the chosen location was clear.
The middle of the Gobi Desert, chosen as the battlefield, was wide enough and had no obstacles.
More importantly, there were no suitable natural water sources nearby, and without water, they couldn’t freely travel between the ‘gates’ of the two cities.
In other words, designating this place as the battlefield was a declaration to settle things once and for all with an all-out war between the two cities, rather than dragging it out.
In fact, in modern times, wars where the time and place were designated for a single clash had disappeared.
They were usually determined by complex political, diplomatic, and strategic factors.
However, this proposal, which was so primitive that it seemed ridiculous, was also a proposal that Gehenna could not refuse.
The Allied Forces of the Academy were still showing signs of discord in various places.
Judging from the news that the ‘Nightmare Witch’ had been killed by Erelim, as relayed by the daughters, it seemed that Hexennacht was also suffering, but objectively, the morale was lower on Gehenna’s side.
What would happen if they turned their backs and ran away from the war that had been declared head-on?
If the mighty Gehenna refused to fight before even trying, Hexennacht’s morale would skyrocket.
Conversely, no one could guarantee that the Allied Forces, whose honor was sometimes valued more than their lives, would be able to function properly again.
The Allied Forces’ staff judged that this final war notification was highly likely to be Erelim’s masterstroke.
She knew Gehenna’s atmosphere and nature better than anyone else, so she would know the perfect timing to drive a wedge into the pride of Gehenna’s nobles.
With Hexennacht’s power surpassing Gehenna’s, she had created an unavoidable either-or situation with no more variables.
Either respond immediately, or run away forever.
“Ugh…”
Sharon shivered at the sudden chill she felt.
Winter was still a long way off, but she wanted to light the fireplace covered with a white cloth.
“War… I really hate it…”
Sharon slumped onto the table and sighed deeply.
Even though she said that, she knew that war was unavoidable.
Later, there might be stories about humans conquering witches, but as history had shown countless times, trying to divide any being into good and evil was a flawed attempt.
There were bad bosses who tried to cheat their employees out of their pay with various excuses, but there were also bosses who gave out allowances in white envelopes during holidays.
She wanted to prevent the powerless from dying and the cruel enemies from ruling the world.
Perhaps the witch’s power she had inherited from her teacher was meant to be used for times like this.
If she just avoided and ran away because she was afraid, she would definitely regret that choice.
She could win this war in style, achieve world peace, and then create a rosy future with Siwoo.
To do that, she couldn’t afford to be lazy for even a moment.
“Okay. Let’s do our best, Sharon! Fighting, fighting!”
Sharon took out the red ruby and held it in her hand again.
There was a saying in the modern world that you couldn’t become rich just by saving your salary, but the annual salary of a full professor at the Hessed Academy was enough to make one a millionaire.
The jewels that adorned the table were all bought with the entire advance payment of her salary, to be used as ‘sacrifices.’
“I’m tired now, honeybee, honeybee… I’m tired of waiting, honeybee, honeybee…”
Sharon hummed a labor song, notorious for its addictiveness, to wash away her depression, as she delicately carved patterns onto the surface of the ruby with a carving knife.
-Bang!
The twins burst into the room without knocking.
“Sharon, Unnie!”
“Kyaaaaak!!!”
Sharon, who was in a state of hyper-concentration, let out a shriek.
Startled, the carving knife she was using to engrave a precise magic circle, as if she were carving the Heart Sutra onto a grain of rice, made a deep scratch.
“My ruby!!!! My sacrifice!!!!”
This meant she couldn’t use it as a sacrifice no matter what.
She would just have to throw it away.
Sharon had become a successful and highly paid uranium professor, but the poor rooftop girl Sharon still remained in her heart.
The sight of several 50,000-won bills being vaporized was truly heartbreaking.
“I told you to knock! You should have knocked!”
“W-whoa, you scared me. Why are you yelling like that? You startled me.”
“My jewel… my precious jewel…”
“That’s not what’s important right now!”
“It is important! It is!”
The twins, who were from a wealthy family, comforted the rooftop girl Sharon, who was in a panic and on the verge of tears after realizing what had happened.
“I’m sorry. I’ll buy you a new one.”
“….R-really?”
“Yes, I’ll buy you two, so please listen. We’ve come up with a very important plan.”
“I-I showed you a mess. Just compensate me properly for one.”
Sharon, who had briefly lost her reason, listened to the twins passionately explain why they had come here.
“What? Are you serious?”
Sharon’s mouth dropped open at the sheer scale of the plan.
