Chapter 352 – #77_Home Tutor (2)
#350
1.
“Shall we take a look?”
“Yes, I will release it.”
Within the layers of the force field, like a croissant, Siwoo carefully untied the ribbon.
At the same time, the form of the Red Branch, which had been neglected and decaying for a long time, was revealed.
This was the first time he had fully untied the ribbon since he had obtained it.
He had always sealed it by adding ribbons on top of the corroded ribbon, fearing what kind of impact the distortion field might have.
A weapon made without any seams, from the willow leaf-shaped blade to the shaft.
True to its name, ‘Red Branch,’ it was an ominous red, like fresh blood.
-Crack!
And the moment all the ribbons were removed.
As if waiting for it, a red wave spread out.
At the same time, thin barriers, like the roots of a plant, rushed towards the count with a menacing force.
Like a venomous snake attacking its trainer who had confined it in a jar.
-Clang!
However, Count Yesod’s reaction to it was as relaxed as a skilled trainer.
Before Siwoo could even be surprised, the force field surrounding the laboratory rapidly narrowed its radius, enveloping the Red Branch.
The same thing happened several more times, and as the Red Branch was wrapped in 19 thin force fields, its rampage was also stopped.
“What happened?”
“Because you only focused on shielding, the distortion field that was constantly being released and accumulated inside expanded. It’s like when you shake a bottle of champagne and then open it, the bubbles burst out.”
The count spoke as if it were nothing, but Siwoo felt a chill.
It was because the count had blocked it so calmly, but the concentration of the distortion field and the barrier just now was not ordinary.
If Siwoo had carelessly untied the ribbon alone, he would have suffered considerable injuries.
As he was pondering the crisis he had unintentionally avoided, a question suddenly arose.
“Until now, the basic shielding method was somehow enough. If the distortion field was accumulating, shouldn’t it have already been impossible to stop with my suppression method?”
“It must have been waiting. It was probably trying to burst out all at once if there was even a slight lapse in vigilance.”
“……”
However, the count’s answer only made Siwoo more confused.
It was waiting?
The Red Branch is just a relic.
It’s a tool.
But according to her nuance, it was as if this ‘Red Branch’ had a will of its own.
Despite Siwoo’s questions, Lucy Count only carefully examined the branch.
She even reached into the force field and touched it directly.
“This… it has already gone beyond the category of what should be classified as an artifact or relic. Amazing. How can a single relic possess such different patterns of force fields every moment… It’s struggling to break free from my restraints. What is the material? It’s probably not a substance that exists in this world, right?”
Her elegant voice was mixed with the witch’s unique curiosity and admiration.
“What do you mean by that?”
“A typical ‘relic’ is ultimately just a tool. It only moves passively according to the process that the user has pre-input or designed.”
When Yesod pulled her hand out of the force field, Siwoo couldn’t help but be startled.
One of her fingers was twisted as if it had a compound fracture.
It was a mutation caused by the ‘distortion’ of the spirit’s composition.
“But this one is a bit different. It’s like a virus that reacts to the immune system? It’s trying to contaminate its surroundings in different ways without any separate commands. I could believe it if you told me it was a witch who was cursed and turned into a spear.”
“Oh? Now that you mention it…”
After hearing that, Siwoo also had some idea of what was going on.
The Cowardly Witch had sacrificed the souls and connections of many people to maximize the performance of this Red Branch.
He explained to the count to the best of his knowledge.
“…As a result, it might have been possessed by something like a spooky evil spirit…”
“Hehe, no way, there are no such things as evil spirits. But I can tell that it’s a special relic.”
The count laughed as if she had heard a funny joke and cast a spell again.
Her abnormally distorted finger returned to normal.
Even after that, the Red Branch occasionally emitted barriers and struggled inside the force field, but the count defended against all of it without any difficulty.
“Okay, it’s a research subject that makes me feel motivated for once.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Then, shall we adjust the schedule? Five days a week, excluding holidays and the day before.
Please act as Diana’s home tutor for at least 4 hours a day.
After Diana’s education is finished, I will have two hours of private tutoring with you, and on holidays, I will make time to cooperate with Mr. Shin Siwoo’s research.”
24 hours of work per week as Count Yesod’s tutor + research assistant.
It was such a good deal that he wondered if it was too cheap.
Just from the brief scene just now, he could tell how knowledgeable she was in force field magic.
Siwoo readily nodded his head.
“I will do that.”
The count smiled at Siwoo, who was nodding, and took off her gloves.
Then, she extended her hand.
“In our family, we celebrate the conclusion of a contract like this.”
“Is it a handshake?”
“That’s right.”
Siwoo took the count’s outstretched hand.
It was a very warm and soft hand, like a sweetfish.
“Then, I look forward to working with you starting tomorrow.”
“I look forward to working with you too. Ah! And I will seal the Red Branch for you.”
“I would be grateful if you did.”
The count readily helped with the sealing of the Red Branch and then left the mansion.
2.
It had been a week since Diana had begun her reclusive life.
As if she were a vampire whose VP would decrease if exposed to sunlight, she was curled up in her blanket with the curtains drawn dark.
How babies are made.
How the reproductive process of men and women actually occurs.
How far a witch can stoop for mere pleasure.
The knowledge of sex that Diana had learned through the ‘Ghoul Deliveryman,’ written by her mother, had given her a shock of earth-shattering proportions.
At first, she was just horrified and disgusted.
She even felt a deep sense of disillusionment with her mother due to the vulgar and provocative content.
A witch chosen to pursue the truth of magic, and especially a noble, should be chaste and have proper conduct, her mother had said countless times… But she had actually written dozens of such books!
She was feeling a level of revulsion that was akin to nausea.
However.
It would be a lie if she had only felt revulsion and disgust.
“……”
Even after hiding in the secret room for the first time, Diana had sneaked into her mother’s study several times.
To read the rest of the ‘Ghoul Deliveryman.’
If she just felt disgusted and repulsed, she could just turn away and avoid it.
There was no need to look into the abyss.
But she was curious.
Every day, even after saying, ‘I shouldn’t go anymore starting tomorrow,’ and putting her head on the bed, her eyes would be wide open.
She couldn’t overcome her curiosity about what kind of outrageous and explicit content was waiting for her next.
She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of lewd words the witch and the deliveryman in the novel would exchange this time.
In the end, she had read all the currently written parts of the third volume of ‘Ghoul Deliveryman.’
“This world… is not beautiful…”
What came to Diana’s mind was the last scene she had seen.
Although she had only read it in text, the scene, which had been almost visualized with her excellent imagination, flowed through her mind.
It was a scene where the witch was making love with the deliveryman.
Incredibly, right next to where the witch’s apprentice was sleeping.
‘Ah, the child is sleeping… Please move to another place…’
‘You say that with your upper mouth, but your lower mouth is being honest. Isn’t it tightening so tightly like this?’
‘No! It’s not!’
Whenever she recalled the scenes in the novel, her heart would pound as if she had arrhythmia.
Even though she was just lying still, her hands and feet would tingle as if she had been walking outside in the middle of winter and then sat in front of a warm fireplace.
That tingling sensation would crawl all over her body like ants.
According to the descriptions in the novel…
This was excitement or lust.
In fact, such a sensation was a completely unknown territory for Diana.
Therefore, she could not define that sensation, which was on an ambiguous boundary like the color of a jewel beetle.
“Ugh…”
Diana buried her head deeper into the pillow.
“That can’t be.”
First, she denied it.
The values that Diana had accumulated throughout her life, and the fixed ideas that had been instilled by Count Yesod’s educational philosophy, were causing a chemical reaction as they met new knowledge.
While thinking about the contents of the novel, struggling to forget them, being curious again, and being disappointed in herself for being curious about such vulgar content.
Today, too, Diana’s day was passing by.
-Knock knock knock
A knock was heard.
Since Diana had issued an order to her personal maid to stay away, the person outside the door was naturally Lucy Count.
“Daughter, may I come in?”
“…Yes.”
Her heart was heavy.
After reading the novel, she didn’t know what kind of expression to make when she saw her mother.
Isn’t that why she had been avoiding dinner together for the past few days?
“The morning sun is so beautiful today. Why are you living in such darkness?”
“…It’s more comfortable this way.”
Lucy Count approached Diana’s bed with a worried voice.
Then, she pulled out a chair and sat down at the head of the bed.
Along with her kind and gentle voice, Lucy gently stroked Diana’s hair.
“Diana, have I been pushing you too hard lately?”
“…It’s not that.”
“No, I think I’ve been too stubborn until now. I did it with the hope that my beloved, beautiful daughter would do well… but I realized that it might have been a burden for Diana. I’m sorry, Mom is sorry.”
That gentleness was what her mother had always shown her.
In fact, she was completely off the mark.
However, seeing her mother apologizing for no reason while saying such warm words, the filial daughter Diana couldn’t just turn her back on her.
After a little hesitation, Diana slowly turned her body to face the count.
On the count’s lips was the smile of a kind mother, and in her eyes were glistening tears.
“Oh my, it’s so good to see your face after so long. Come here.”
“Yes.”
As the count reached out her arms, Diana snuggled into her embrace.
“Oh my! Who did you take after to be so cute! You little thing! You little thing!”
“Oh, Mom! It tickles…”
After the farce of Diana being embarrassed by the kisses showered on her cheeks and the count grinning from ear to ear, was over.
The count cleared her throat and got to the point.
“Anyway, I’ve prepared a surprise gift for my daughter who’s feeling down.”
“A gift?”
A gift all of a sudden?
It was surprising, but there was no reason not to like it.
“Yes, it’s a gift you haven’t received before. I think Diana will like it too. Please come in.”
“Yes.”
-Thump thump thump
Following the deep voice of a man’s reply, the sound of shoes echoed.
It didn’t take long for Diana’s eyes, who was in the count’s arms, to widen.
“It’s been a while. Lady Diana Yesod. I am Shin Siwoo, the new home tutor.”
Neat butler attire and hair slicked back.
A man, dressed impeccably to the point of annoyance, bowed politely.
There stood Diana’s greatest nemesis and formidable opponent in her life.
The male witch who had inflicted a humiliating defeat and a victory of hospitality at the host bar.
