Chapter 725 – #155_Party(6)
#725
1.
-Swaaaaaaaah!!!
Lydia wiped her cheek as the chilly rain calmed the heat of battle.
The dimensional barrier shattered at the last moment.
As a result, the windows were all broken, and the hallway was half-destroyed.
Lydia grumbled, looking at the long sword marks etched into the wall that stretched for tens of meters.
It was because the aftermath had damaged part of the workshop, and because Linne had run away with Shin Siwoo.
At the last moment, Linne, who had twisted her blade to deflect the scythe, had sent a slash behind her, shattering the protective barrier Lydia had placed on Siwoo, and at the same time, tearing through the dimensional barrier and fleeing.
“This is really infuriating.”
Linne, who had been covered in worthless poison moths, had charged in using an unidentified technique.
Her chilling spirit had caused Lydia to overreact.
It had made her swing the Reaper’s Scythe a little earlier, and on top of that, she had diverted some of the magic power she had invested in the attack to defense.
Lydia had been all tensed up, expecting a big attack, but Linne, her opponent, had actually just run away.
“My misjudgment.”
Lydia humbly admitted her mistake.
She had unconsciously assumed that Linne, who was on the front lines of the fight, would never back down, no matter what.
She had never imagined that Linne would choose to flee and rescue Siwoo at that point, so her follow-up response had been slow.
Even after seeing Linne call Shin Siwoo her ‘husband’ and act all lovey-dovey, she had overlooked it, so there was no room for excuses.
Even if she were to chase after them now, the chances of a successful pursuit were extremely low.
Linne was a witch specialized in solo action and stealth maneuvers.
The fact that she could erase the color of other people’s magic meant that she could also make her own magic colorless and odorless.
There was a reason why she was considered a witch who would be twice as terrifying if she did not insist on a head-on confrontation and instead specialized in assassination.
Also, if she were to spread rumors that Linne had broken the rules and fled, it would only give the hardliners a good opportunity.
The moment Linne was caught, there was a very high chance that Shin Siwoo’s custody would also fall into the hands of the hardliners.
Therefore, Lydia chose to inform only a few of her closest aides of the truth, spread a search net, and return to the meeting for now.
If she were to impose a travel ban on Linne under the pretext of having detected suspicious circumstances, it would be impossible for her to escape outside the city.
She would be a rat in a trap.
“Besides…”
It wasn’t like Lydia had let Linne go willingly.
A wedge had definitely been driven in.
Lydia quickly gave instructions and then headed to the meeting room.
2.
It was clear that the necklace-type artifact that Siwoo was currently wearing, and that Alice was also wearing, was no ordinary object.
When Lydia arrived at the meeting room, Siwoo, who had been left alone, was looking in the mirror, trying to find a way to remove it, but there was no clear solution.
That was because this necklace was something that Lydia herself had developed in order to trade after neutralizing a Great Witch.
Her witch slave business had been going on for quite some time, and considering that no slave had ever escaped on their own, it could be said that it was close to impossible for Siwoo to remove the necklace by himself.
It could only be removed with the release code that Lydia had directly given to the buyer, which corresponded one-to-one with each necklace.
Of course, the magic eye could interpret the structure of all magic formulas, so if there was enough time, Siwoo could show the way and Linne could help from the side, and it would be possible to remove it.
The problem was that there wasn’t much time.
The two of them were currently escaping from Almak Town.
“Are you okay?”
Siwoo, who was being carried on Linne’s back, asked.
He had seen the scythe pierce Linne’s waist at the moment of the final clash.
Was it a mistake?
Even though his magic eye was working normally, he couldn’t enhance his eyesight with magic power, so it was difficult to perceive all of that high-speed combat.
“I’m fine.”
Linne, who had lowered her presence by surrounding herself with black magic, nodded.
Well, that was probably the case.
Linne wasn’t bleeding, her clothes weren’t torn, and she didn’t seem to have any trouble moving her body.
However, regardless of whether Linne was injured or not, Siwoo felt a strange feeling.
And he spoke it out honestly.
“Thank you. I didn’t know you would go this far to save me.”
It was surprising that she had taken such an unconventional step of turning Hexennacht into an enemy for Siwoo’s sake.
However, that was something that could have happened, based on Siwoo’s judgment of Linne so far.
She was the type to break through head-on without looking back when she wanted something.
However, Linne’s last attack betrayed Siwoo’s judgment.
Siwoo, who had been carefully observing the two’s magical battle, had seen the Path of Asura.
He had seen that her abilities had increased dramatically each time she climbed the long staircase that had stretched out in front of Linne.
And he had clearly seen that Linne had hesitated at the very end, in front of the last remaining step.
He had no way of knowing the details of what role that step played, or what it meant.
However, he instinctively understood that Linne, who would do anything for strength, had given up the challenge for Siwoo’s sake.
Even if he didn’t know why Linne was trying so hard to save Siwoo, he felt that he had to express his gratitude for that part.
“It was something I had to do.”
Linne shook her head as if it was nothing…
But in reality, she was feeling a compulsion that made her feel like she couldn’t breathe.
The Path of Asura, which was manifested in the black and white world, had the role of forcibly drawing out potential that a normal user could not bring out.
The reason why Linne had broken through Lydia’s poison moths with her body was also because she was confident that she would regain the power she had lost the moment she went up the stairs.
The Path of Asura was a magic that forcibly drew out all potential.
However, the stairs, which became more precarious as they went up, were not just a convenient buff technique.
First of all, it couldn’t be used at any time.
It was a trial that one could only face when they encountered an enemy that they could not possibly deal with.
Or when their life was on the line.
Also, it was not guaranteed that there would be a return just because it was used.
The fact that it ‘forcibly’ drew out potential meant that it contained the possibility of self-destruction.
The talent and potential that had been induced too extremely could destroy one’s own body.
Nevertheless, Linne had gladly welcomed the existence of the stairs.
It was a way for her to surpass her limits and gain a higher level of strength.
And Linne had run to a level that she had never reached before.
The last step.
If she had taken just one more step, a new level of ascension and awakening might have been waiting for her.
However, Linne had stopped her foot.
For the first time since becoming a witch, she had given up her stubbornness for someone else.
Whatever the reason, the compulsion given by her repeated lives was not easily shaken off.
To compare Linne’s current feelings, it would be similar to an adventurer who had to turn back without checking the treasure chest they had been searching for their entire life.
The white light that had been beckoning Linne from the top of the stairs was still flickering in her eyes, but she closed her eyelids, which were throbbing for a moment, and leaned back.
The place where the two had temporarily taken refuge was the rooftop of a building in Arcana Town.
It was an abandoned building that was scheduled to be demolished due to Hexennacht’s rapidly changing urban development plan.
It was often the case that the darkest place was right under the lamp.
Rather than immediately attempting a reckless escape and getting caught, Linne chose to safely hide in a hideout over a day or two, passing through several points she had noticed in advance.
It was also a good opportunity to take a short break and remove Shin Siwoo’s necklace.
-Click
“It’s done.”
“Thank you.”
With the cooperation of Siwoo, who could see the circuit of the necklace directly with his magic eye, and Linne, who could steal the color of magic, Siwoo safely removed the necklace in just 30 minutes.
Looking at the scenery of Arcana Town beyond the half-broken railing, Linne and Siwoo were both certain.
“It’s quieter than I thought.”
“It seems they’ve decided not to look for us openly, at least.”
It had been quite a commotion.
If Lydia had been determined, Arcana Town would have been as chaotic as a disturbed beehive.
However, the witches of the city were living their lives as usual, and even the Almak Club, which had been the battlefield just an hour ago, was still being frequented by witches.
This meant that Lydia was concerned about the political fallout and had concealed the truth in order to leave herself an opportunity to benefit.
“We can’t go back to Hyangwol Pavilion… What should we do?”
“I’ve secured a hideout in advance. I’ve also smuggled out the two witches and the red spear. I’ll move after watching the situation a little more.”
As soon as Linne finished speaking, Siwoo said.
“Can’t we go to the Silent Witch’s mansion first?”
“……”
“There are people being held captive in the workshop.”
It was easy to say, but it wasn’t an opinion that he had come up with easily.
Mama and Manya Malisha, who had been trapped in Rosie’s mansion.
He had been bothered by the fact that these three people were still trapped.
“I also went to Rosie’s workshop. I couldn’t find anyone.”
“I know the hidden location. I saw it being concealed as soon as Rosie was defeated.”
“It’s dangerous to move near Hyangwol Pavilion right now.”
“I know.”
In fact, it was half forced.
However, even Linne had turned her back on Hexennacht.
For that reason, it was uncertain whether the reunion with Dorothy, who held the magic formula of the door, would be properly achieved.
The only chance to retrieve Manya and Malisha, and the unfortunate witch who had lost her apprentice witch in the tragedy, was now.
Only during this time when Lydia was pondering her next move.
Siwoo had come up with various excuses to persuade Linne while the necklace was being removed.
That he could get Alice’s sincere cooperation by rescuing Manya and Malisha.
Or that going towards Hyangwol Pavilion in this situation was actually an unconventional move.
If none of that worked, he was even planning to promise to tell her the truth about magic amplification.
“I know it’s a unreasonable request. But please hear me out first.”
“I’ll go.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll go to Rosie’s mansion as you wish.”
However, all the arguments he had prepared so hard became useless.
Linne was staring intently into Siwoo’s eyes, and she nodded with a straightforward gaze that had no lies or ulterior motives.
What on earth had happened during that time?
Siwoo, who had no idea what had happened, was just bewildered.
