City ​​of Witches 272

Chapter 272 – #61_The Priest(2)

#270

1.
Fights, as a rule, are chaotic when they break out, but once they’re over, they tend to be anticlimactic and simple.
The red knight, kneeling with his upper body slumped backward, and the red branch, sprawled on the ground.
Shiwoo, who had been held in someone’s arms, barely managed to stand, and Eloa, who was supporting him.

The rain tunnel, which had expanded abnormally, had returned to its original size.
It must be that the magic that had been deployed had disappeared as the owner of the red branch met his death.
The huge crack that still ran across the ceiling remained, so it was possible to distinguish the surroundings without deploying separate magic.

“Haa… Keuk…”

As the battle ended, the adrenaline that had been numbing the pain disappeared.
The hand that had held the red branch throbbed.
It felt subtly numb…
But it was strange that there wasn’t a single wound.

But what was even more burdensome was the aftermath of the distortion that had slammed into his entire body as he broke through the red branch with his armor.
He had survived, but his stamina was only enough to walk and lightly jog, and his brain was burning hot from the continuous amplification and shadow control.
Naturally, his left eye, which had been subjected to high-pressure magic, was throbbing so much that it had become blurry.
Eloa, supporting the staggering Shiwoo, asked.

“Are you alright?”
“My body is always a mess after a fight.”
“Lean on me a little more.”
“No, Master, you must be tired too.”
“It’s alright, I’ve had this happen many times. But isn’t this your first time?”
“Then… I’ll take you up on that. Thank you.”

Shiwoo leaned on Eloa while replaying the fierce battle he had just been through.

The fact that he had disguised the shadows as ribbons to deceive them.
The fact that he had thoroughly revealed the appearance of a weakling to induce carelessness was good, but it didn’t matter.

The scene that left the deepest impression on Shiwoo’s mind was the moment he threw himself into the middle of the barrier that had sprung up densely from the red branch.
A suicidal move, rushing into the jaws of death, trusting in the four-leaf clover of Periwinkle.
What would have happened if the barrier hadn’t become flimsy due to the explosion of magic?
Shiwoo wiped away the cold sweat on his brow.

It must be because he had always faced strong enemies.
He prided himself on having worked hard to become stronger, but it seemed that he always ended up improvising and winning after a series of risky gambles.
When in fact, he preferred a stable and comfortable life.

Shiwoo took out the light green four-leaf clover that he had been carefully holding in his arms.
It was the item that had allowed him to take the risky gamble with a little less burden.
The clover, which had been emitting a vivid vitality as if it had just been picked, even though its stem was bent, was now withered and crumbled like dust when it touched his fingertips.

It seemed that it had fulfilled its duty in the previous duel.
Meanwhile, the pink clover was still intact, though a little wilted…
What on earth was this thing supposed to be used for?

“……”

Seeing Shiwoo lost in thought, Eloa couldn’t decide whether to praise him or scold him.
As a comrade, she wanted to applaud him for successfully defeating the red knight with a surprising counterattack, but as a master, she felt the need to rebuke her disciple for recklessly throwing away his life.

But now was not the time to dwell on such trivial concerns.
Now that the red knight and the white knight had been defeated, the only opponent left was the Cowardly Witch.
They had to move forward to defeat her, who had taken her place in the common area and completed the altar.
Or rather, they wanted to move forward.

“What should we do now?”
“…I wonder.”

She wanted to give a clear answer here.
Like a master, she wanted to convey the plan for the future to Shiwoo, who had achieved a wonderful victory with a dignified attitude and demeanor, but…
Reality was not so easy.

Right now, both Eloa and Shiwoo were in tatters.
They were barely able to walk, supporting each other and staggering.

“I’ll say it in advance. I’m sorry, but I can’t continue the battle any longer.”

Her magic was depleted, and the contract was in the process of being fulfilled.
She was only standing firm by relying on her mental strength, but Eloa’s condition might have been worse than Shiwoo’s.
Her muscles were melting as if they were melting after performing movements that far exceeded the durability of her spirit body.
There were probably a lot of very fine cracks in her bones.

She needed to rest for at least a week.
If only she had some magic, she would have forced her body to move, but as mentioned earlier, Eloa had used up all her magic in the battle.

“How strong is the Cowardly Witch?”
“…As a public enemy with a lot of combat experience, she won’t be an easy opponent. We don’t even know how much power she has.”

The four-leaf clover that was supposed to protect his life was gone.
Just because Shiwoo could amplify his magic repeatedly didn’t mean he could use unlimited magic.
There was a clear limit to the fatigue of the magic circuits that stretched throughout his body, and the same was true for the brain that performed the calculations.

Right now, he could only pull out a ribbon or two and let them flutter weakly.
He couldn’t even create a gauntlet, let alone armor, and was revealing his half-torn clothes.

“Then it’s going to be difficult…”
“Keep your shoulders up. Things can’t always go according to plan. I’m just glad that you’re safe. Even though you’re exhausted, you still managed to finish off the red knight, didn’t you?”

Even as she said that, Eloa was not at ease.
Now that the white knight and the red knight had been wiped out, it was safe to say that the disaster that Della had warned about, the massacre that would take place in Seoul, had been prevented.
It would take Sochtl some time to prepare for such a calamity, and he would have to live in seclusion to gather his strength.

But public enemies were no different from beasts that had tasted blood.
They no longer cared about the means or methods.
Moreover, if the Cowardly Witch had experienced a failure, it was obvious that she would prepare more thoroughly next time and cause an even greater disaster.

“Then, should we get out of here?”
“It seems like we have to, unfortunately.”

Shiwoo looked up at the large crack that reached the ground.
If they went out through here, they could return directly without having to look for a vertical ventilation shaft.
He would probably have to carry Eloa out, but… wouldn’t that be possible?

At that moment.

“Oh!”

By a very coincidental timing, he slipped on a stone at his feet.
Eloa, who had been supporting him by digging into one of his armpits, also fell to the ground as she tried to catch Shiwoo as he fell.
It was because she was so exhausted that she couldn’t even support one person, but the result was quite embarrassing for both Shiwoo and Eloa.

“……”
“……”

Eloa was lying on the rough floor.
Shiwoo was falling on top of her, covering her.
It was a cliché that was often seen not only in the romance genre, but also in dramas with even a little bit of melodrama.
A scene where the male and female protagonists get very close to each other for some reason.

“Heh…”

The humid rain tunnel was not cooling down Eloa’s beads of sweat at all.
Her windbreaker, which was almost completely torn and had no meaning, the sports bra underneath, and the slender neck, collarbone, and cleavage that the sports bra couldn’t cover were all covered in beads of sweat like dew.

Eloa’s eyes, which were a deep crimson color and were looking up at Shiwoo, were wide open like a startled rabbit.
Her long eyelashes, which looked like cherry blossoms piled up, fluttered.

A distance so close that they could feel each other’s breath.
If this were a bed instead of a rain sewer, it would have naturally led to a kiss.
Shiwoo and Eloa were both stiff and staring at each other.

It seemed that this was the first time they had looked at each other so closely and quietly, even though they had sparred countless times.
She was beautiful, as always.
Her unique mysterious eyes and hair seemed to paralyze his mind as if he were bewitched, and he couldn’t even think of moving away.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”
“Ah, it’s alright.”

Eventually, he was startled and pulled his body back.
Eloa, who had been holding her breath while lying down, also struggled to get up and gasped softly.

“Huh…?”

At that moment, a flash of lightning struck Eloa’s mind.

Memories that she had been suppressing because they were embarrassing unfolded like a panorama.
There was no doubt that the mistake just now had become a kind of switch.
Because the moment when she was in a position to be covered by Shiwoo overlapped with the scene in her memory.
The image of Shiwoo covering Periwinkle, which she had watched through the ‘Guardian’s Contract’.

One path that had not even been considered as a possibility due to Eloa’s way of thinking and preconceptions was brought to her mind at the same time as the embarrassing recollection.

“At this height, I think we can climb up with a ribbon. It would be good to take that red branch too, right? I wonder what would happen if we wrapped it up with a ribbon…”

Shiwoo rubbed his nose as if trying to hide his embarrassment and held out his hand to Eloa.
He must have been suggesting that they get out of here.

But what if they got out of here?
There was a high probability that the Cowardly Witch would hide herself.
Then, many victims would surely come out someday.

“Shiwoo, there’s one thing I want to ask you before that.”
“Yes, Master.”

The title of ‘Master’ that Shiwoo always used, which always evoked a poignant nostalgia and sounded so comfortable.
Why did it feel like it was squeezing her heart so much?

“Have you ever lied to me?”
“No, I haven’t.”

Shiwoo answered without even hesitating.
Eloa’s eyes wavered at the sight.
A solution to the situation where they had to return without planting the final flag.
The clue was connected to the observation of the intercourse with Periwinkle.

The day she witnessed Sharon and Shiwoo having intercourse.
Shiwoo, who had come to see Eloa, had explained.
He didn’t know how it happened, but he could amplify the magic through intercourse and return it.

Eloa, who was shocked, had asked.
It was a very dangerous act to put someone else’s magic into the brand.
She had rebuked him for doing such a reckless thing.

Shiwoo’s answer to that was…
He clearly remembered that the magic he returned was pure magic, magic that anyone could quickly assimilate and use, without any impurities.

“Shiwoo.”
“Yes.”

Eloa weighed her own ethics against the ominous future that was coming.

It was unthinkable for a master and disciple to mix their bodies.
No, before that, the very fact that they were conscious of each other as a man and a woman was an unholy thing that should not happen.

However, was the unwritten rule between master and disciple a golden rule that had to be kept even at the cost of giving up the lives of countless people in the future?
In countless morals, religions, ethics, and philosophies, was there anything that was placed above the lives of innocent human beings?
Eloa quietly closed her eyes.

“Master? Are you alright?”

Shiwoo approached Eloa, who was standing blankly in place with her eyes closed.

“Could you close your eyes for a moment?”
“My eyes?”

Suddenly, she had asked if he had ever lied, then she had fallen into thought as if she was alone, and then she had asked him to close his eyes.
It was a bit confusing, but his affection and trust for Eloa were at their highest.
Shiwoo closed his eyes.

“I’ve closed them.”
“Now, can you take a deep breath slowly? Like when the sparring is over.”
“A deep breath? Is there something wrong with my body?”
“It’s not that. Slowly, and take a deep breath.”
“It’s not difficult. Hoo…”

Shiwoo took a deep breath with his eyes closed.
It seemed that his body was indeed messed up.
He was just taking a deep breath, but his lungs and abdomen were throbbing.

“I’m sorry.”

Shiwoo, who was so battered, couldn’t react.
He couldn’t even imagine that Eloa would do such a thing.

-Thud!

Even with his eyes closed, he could feel it.
The fact that Eloa had rushed into his arms as if she was hugging him.
And the fragrance that was so thick, as if perfume had been sprayed on his nose.

“Whoa!”

Shiwoo was shocked.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Eloa, who had raised her heels and brought her head close to Shiwoo’s nose.
He tried to push Eloa away belatedly, but she held onto Shiwoo’s arm tightly and didn’t let go.

In an instant, his heart rate soared to twice its normal rate.
A desire that seemed to set his body on fire, and at the same time, an impulse that human patience could not handle, surged into his chest.
He had already inhaled the scent too deeply and too closely.
Her nose was almost buried in his crown, and Eloa was drenched in sweat.

“I’m sorry, but I believe that this is the best thing to do right now… I will take responsibility for what happened today until the day this life ends…”

Shiwoo tried to suppress his impulses with desperate patience.
Eloa, who looked very sorry for Shiwoo, moved her cute lips.

“Please recharge my magic now.”

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Tiferet Master resting after training, worked on by KweMong-nim!!!
It came out so pretty! Thank you!!!