Chapter 256: The Darkness that Came from the East (2)

༺ The Darkness that Came from the East (2) ༻

1.

The bond between a master and apprentice was often compared to that of a parent and child.

This was especially the case within the witch society, where it held an even deeper meaning than usual.

To an apprentice witch, her master was like a parent, while to the master, the apprentice was like a cherished child, one whom they would willingly sacrifice their very life for.

"You, don't go anywhere. Stay by my side."

And so, a love between a master and her disciple...

Was considered a forbidden relationship.

Eloa mustered up all her courage to confess her uncertain feelings towards Siwoo, but what came out of her mouth wasn't quite what she intended to confess...

Well, when she grabbed his hand, he did have a moment of delusion going on there, but that was it.

"There's something on my mind..."

Periwinkle, Siwoo, and even Eloa felt it.

They all believed Siwoo's death would be caused by the Cowardly Witch.

Considering everything, this seemed like the most likely scenario.

After all, the huge disaster that was looming over Seoul was dangerous enough to threaten the life of a great witch.

Siwoo held a grim prophecy of his own death that would come soon, and he was currently in Seoul.

The Cowardly Witch had caused several incidents in Seoul over the past few months and her whereabouts was still unknown.

Even considering the uncertainties, it didn't take a genius to come to a certain conclusion, especially when all the evidence was pointing toward that way.

A huge disaster will strike Seoul.

So, Eloa decided to take Siwoo to Gehenna, along with Evergreen, for their safety.

But, she suddenly had a thought.

What if...

That was the wrong conjecture?

What if Siwoo's possible death had nothing to do with the Cowardly Witch.

There was a possibility that other kinds of dangers were lurking around him? For example, a criminal exile who was aiming for him, the first male witch.

She felt the burden of the duty she had taken upon herself.

No, it wasn't only that, it felt like karma weighing on her shoulders.

The problem here was, she couldn't just ignore the looming catastrophe.

She had resolved herself to stay in Seoul and fight, even if it meant putting her life on the line.

Since that was the case, if Siwoo faced some kind of danger in Gehenna, she wouldn't be there to assist him.

She could only hope that Periwinkle's four-leaf clover would do its magic.

That was why she proclaimed as such.

"...I'll keep you safe. You're better off by my side than anywhere else."

"Hmm..."

Siwoo listened quietly, feeling slightly overwhelmed by her sudden intensity.

She laid out her thoughts logically and even after he looked over her words, it didn't sound completely implausible.

At the very least, her words were worth considering.

But, if he were to speak his mind honestly...

It sounds a bit too far-fetched...

Eloa's assumptions were all based on worst-case scenarios.

Even for someone as cautious as her, it really felt like she was overreacting a little.

"That's possible."

But he chose to not point out the flaws in her reasoning.

Ultimately, Eloa lost Ravi because they weren't together.

He hadn't heard all the details, he knew that Ravi ended up facing Ea on her own and lost her life in the process.

For Eloa, someone who was carrying that painful past, the idea of 'not being able to keep Siwoo by her side when there was a danger looming around' was already enough to trigger her trauma.

It was similar to how a world war veteran would hear fireworks at a festival and think that there was a bombardment. In such a state, it was pointless to talk to her about odds and chances.

She was desperate to keep him in her sight no matter what the cost.

"You think so too?"

"Yes, I think your words make sense, Master."

"So, will you stay by my side?"

"I will."

Suddenly, Eloa stuck her pinky finger under his nose.

Though the action seemed silly, her gaze was serious and intense.

"Then, promise me."

For a moment, he hesitated.

Wondering if making such a promise was the right thing to do.

Staying by her side meant she'd protect him from most dangers.

But, his priority, Sharon's safety, was already taken care of.

If an unexpected crisis arose, the four-leaf clover that Periwinkle had given him could become a safety net and buy him some time.

No, it isn't right.

The safest thing to do is still evacuating to Gehenna.

It wasn't like he'd be all alone there, since Countess Gemini would definitely protect him. There really was no reason for him to stay in Seoul, which would turn into a pit of chaos.

Even so, he still locked his finger with Eloa.

"I promise."

Because she looked so desperate and sincere, nothing else mattered to him at that moment.

2.

Two days afterwards, a series of events unfolded.

With Branch Manager Sua's help, they managed to get Sharon to Gehenna.

After that was done, they returned to the officetel where they had been living in instead of the penthouse in Witch Point.

Having lived in that big penthouse for a bit, the two-room officetel felt a little cramped, but it did give them a sense of closeness.

"Where are you going, Siwoo?"

"Hm? Ah, I'm going for a smoke."

"Didn't we promise to always stay together? I'll come with you."

After that shopping trip, Eloa started acting like a clingy puppy with separation anxiety.

She couldn't handle not sticking to him like glue all day long.

Her clingy and overly protective actions seemed a little extreme, but given the circumstances, Siwoo just accepted it, albeit reluctantly.

"..."

That didn't mean he didn't feel uncomfortable and burdensome, though.

Also, there was another strange thing...

A bizarre issue with an inexplicable cause.

This thing!

Wearing the shoes, checkered skirt and blouse he bought her, Eloa, climbed the stairs ahead of him.

As he followed behind, he suddenly noticed something peculiar.

The hem of her skirt was rolled up at a very strange angle, exposing part of her butt cheeks.

For the record, the Exalted Duchess Tiphereth's panties choice of the day was a mint and white striped panties.

Her perky ass, her visible butt fat, juggled under the elastic band as she climbed the stairs.

Siwoo couldn't understand how such a scene happened when the skirt wasn't even that short and she wasn't carrying a bag or anything.

Even if she was sitting on the sofa until now, would her skirt just fold up like that?

Seemingly having no idea about his predicament, Eloa opened her mouth.

"Have you ever thought about quitting smoking? A bit of tobacco here and there won't kill your spirit body, but addiction is still unhealthy. Like, aren't you going for your fifth cigarette, today?"

Just two days ago, he started walking beside her, climbing the stairs together.

Because these weird coincidences kept popping out whenever there was a chance.

Especially when it came to stuff of a sexual nature.

That was why, as long as they could smoothly move past these incidents, it would save them from any awkwardness between them.

"Says you, Master. You're the one who loves to drink, aren't you?"

He casually sidled up next to her before stealing a glance at her rear. He noticed her skirt was now back to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Among the mishaps that had been occurring a few times a day lately, this one ended relatively harmlessly, none of them ended up blushing awkwardly at the very least.

But, it did make Siwoo think that some kind of evil intent was targeting them.

He even had a suspicion that the life-threatening situation that Periwinkle told him was probably because he fucked up somewhere and got himself accidentally killed by Eloa.

As such conspiratorial thoughts crossed his mind...

"Alcohol and cigarettes are two different things!"

Eloa suddenly raised her voice. It seemed like she was a little touchy whenever someone mentioned her whiskey addiction.

"Alcohol doesn't always lead to addiction, but tobacco does! Also, it has its own style, charm and a deep artistry that you can't understand! On the other hand, tobacco is harmful, just like a malicious drug!"

She started talking like an addict, but he kept that thought to himself.

Instead, he just nodded along to her words.

Then, he had to listen to her passionate praise of the various alcoholic beverages, including whiskey, especially whiskey, until the moment he finished smoking and came down.

"...Anyway, make sure to try at least."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind."

After a long while, her long preaching had finally come to an end.

When Siwoo glanced at the clock, he realized that it would be midnight soon.

Which meant it was almost bedtime for Eloa.

Siwoo didn't need to sleep, but Eloa was different. She needed four hours of sleep every day as the price for her covenant.

But, one thing he noticed was that, as the night wore on, the weird stuff that kept on happening between them tended to ramp up.

So, he stayed alert, making sure to keep himself composed without letting his guard down.

"I'll go get changed first and so, please wait outside."

Maybe Eloa sensed that something strange had been going on too, so she repeated her request again.

"Wait outside, you hear me?"

3.

Eloa went inside a room, all determined.

"..."

She did notice that something strange had been going on lately.

Weird things kept on happening one after another.

Whenever she was showering, the door would suddenly swing open, allowing Siwoo to see her showering (luckily, she quickly bent over with her superhuman reflexes, avoiding a disaster).

Occasionally, her hand would brush against his groin in the middle of spar (but she played it off like it was nothing).

There were also occasions when her underwear got accidentally exposed...

Anyway, all the incidents were pretty embarrassing.

And she didn't take them lightly.

Naturally, she felt embarrassed and awkward, but she tried to act like it wasn't a big deal.

She couldn't just avoid Siwoo because of these little things, so she put up with them and stuck with him.

But...

It wasn't like she didn't find it weird that these things were happening so often.

She even had suspicions that it was Siwoo who intentionally caused these incidents, though she didn't dwell on that for too long.

"There's no way."

Eloa knew his character and temperament well.

At least, she knew him well enough that he wouldn't stoop so low to set up lewd schemes on her, though she couldn't tell if he'd do that to others.

After undressing herself, removing the snug sports bra that constricted her chest...

She changed into the pajamas that Siwoo bought for her.

As the soft fabric wrapped around her, she couldn't help but yawn and think about the recent events.

"Hmm..."

She absentmindedly caressed her chin, letting her thoughts wander. Then, a sudden realization struck her.

"...Wait."

Whether it was showing her bare skin, revealing her underwear, or making physical contact.

All of those incidents that left her embarrassed seem to share a common theme.

Shame for showing bare skin to her own disciple?

Embarrassment over revealing her panties to her disciple?

Flustered over coming into contact with each other's bodies?

Everything didn't make any sense to her.

Her acceptance of the series of events as embarrassing was due to the fact that they involved 'relationships between men and women', which she found distasteful.

And this was what clicked in her mind.

A male-female relationship between a master and a disciple?

Absurd. Nonsensical.

To her, this was immoral.

Siwoo was still getting the hang of things, so he could still get a pass for his actions, but she should've kept her cool and set a good example, not shaken by those incidents.

"Why have I been acting so embarrassed all this time?"

She pondered, closing her eyes as she felt a wave of enlightenment washing over her.

Realizing her role as his master, though temporary, she knew that she had to set a good example.

Considering how worked up she got over trivial matters, she could imagine what Siwoo might have learned from her behavior.

Like, if she had handled the first embarrassing incident calmly...

Maybe Siwoo wouldn't have made such a big deal out of it either.

A teacher was supposed to be a role model for a student.

Since she initially saw him as just a man, it wasn't surprising if he also saw her as just a woman either.

Now that she knew her mistake, all she needed to do was to fix it.

With a newly determined resolve, she stepped out of her room.