Chapter 272: Master (2)

1.

Whenever a battle erupted, the chaos it induced would be beyond measure, but once it ended, everything felt anticlimactic, almost empty even.

The Red Knight, with its upper body falling backwards while still on its knees, and the Red Branch, sprawled on the ground.

Siwoo, barely getting back on his feet, supported by Eloa, who held him close.

The massive waterway tunnel they were fighting in had shrunk back to its normal size.

It seemed like whatever magic the Red Branch had used to enlarge it had vanished following its wielder's demise.

The huge crack from Eloa's sword strike was still there though, allowing them to make out their surroundings without needing to cast extra spells.

"Phew... Ugh..."

The rush of adrenaline that had dulled his sense of pain during the fight started to fade away.

His hand, the same one he used to grip the Red Branch, throbbed.

It felt numb, in a strange way...

Though the strangest thing was that there weren't any cuts or bruises in that hand.

While the worst thing about all these was the lingering pain that the distortion field had inflicted on him when he forcefully braved through the Red Branch's barrier.

Though he managed to survive, his stamina was depleted, he could barely run, and his brain felt like it was on fire from the consecutive mana amplifications and shadow control.

His left eye stung and his vision on that eye was blurred because of all the mana it had amplified.

Eloa, her voice laced with concern as she helped him stay steady, asked him.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know why, everytime I fight, my whole body just wears out."

"You can lean on me more if you want."

"No, I know you're tired too, Master."

"Don't worry about me, I've been through worse. As for you, this is probably your first time feeling this worn out, right?"

"Then...I'll depend on you for a while, Master. Thank you."

Siwoo leaned on Eloa, his mind wandered to the intense battle they just had.

Camouflaging his shadows as ribbons to trick the Red Knight's eyes was a good move.

Him pretending to be weak to catch the monster off guard was also cool, but that was trivial.

The thing he was focusing on was when he threw himself into the barrier that sprang up densely from the Red Branch.

It was a desperate move, heavily dependent on him to fully believe in Periwinkle's lucky charm so that he could charge headfirst into danger.

What if that barrier hadn't been weakened by the mana explosion?

That question made him shudder.

Guess this is what happens when you're always fighting tough opponents, huh?

He had been training hard to get stronger, but in the end, everything always came down to last-minute decisions and close calls.

Now the prospect of just chilling out and living a normal life seemed extremely tempting to him.

Siwoo reached into his pocket and pulled out the light green four-leaf clover he had been carrying.

This was the lucky charm, the thing that gave him enough confidence to take those crazy risks.

Just before this, it had been looking pretty lively, even though the stem was broken, but now it dried up and had become brittle. In fact, it crumbled into dust at his touch.

As if announcing that it had fulfilled its purpose in the fight just a while ago.

Meanwhile, the pink clover was a little wilted, but it was still pretty much intact...

What's the use of this thing anyway?

"..."

Seeing him lost in thought, Eloa couldn't decide whether to praise him or scold him.

As a comrade, she wanted to praise him for his clever plan in defeating the Red Knight, but as his teacher, she felt the need to warn him to not risk his life recklessly ever again.

But, there wasn't time for her to dwell on such minor concerns now.

With the Red Knight and the White Knights defeated, they had to take on the Cowardly Witch next.

Since she had already set up her altar in the cavity, they needed to press forward and take her down.

And Eloa was more than eager to do that.

"So, what's next?"

"...That's exactly my question too."

She really wanted to give him a clear answer here.

To act like a real teacher, conveying their future plans with a confident attitude and demeanor in honor of her student's splendid victory, but...

The reality just refused to cooperate with her wishes.

Currently, both of them were completely worn out.

Let alone walking, even to stumble forward, they had to rely on each other.

"I'm going to tell you this in advance. It's a real shame, but I really can't keep on fighting."

She already exhausted her mana and the price of the covenant she made had already taken its toll.

In fact, her condition might be even worse than Siwoo's. The only reason she could still stand right now was due to her sheer willpower.

Her muscles were strained from exertion beyond their limits, felt like they could crumble at any given moment.

As for her bones, she suspected that most of them were fractured at the very least.

She'd need to rest for at least a week to fully recover.

If she had even a trace of mana left, she could just force her body to move, but as she mentioned before, she had exhausted all of them in the previous battle.

"How strong is the Cowardly Witch?"

"...She won't be an easy opponent, that's for sure, considering her experience. Also, we don't know what kind of power and what else she has in store for us."

The four-leaf clover that meant to save his life, had done its job, but was now losing its effectiveness.

Just because Siwoo could amplify his mana repeatedly didn't mean he could cast spells endlessly.

His magic circuits still felt the strain from being stretched to their limits. Even his brain that he used for all the calculations, was feeling the fatigue.

In his current state, he could only pull out a couple of ribbons and let them peter out.

His clothes were torn, he couldn't even make simple gauntlets, let alone armor.

"This is going to be rough, then..."

"Things don't always go according to plan. For me, I'm just glad that you're safe. Besides, even though you're significantly weaker than it, you still managed to finish off the Red Knight, no? So, don't be so disheartened."

Though she said all that, she wasn't entirely at ease either.

Having defeated both the White Knight and Red Knight, they had averted the disaster that Della had warned them about; The massacre that would take place in Seoul.

From now on, Xochitl would need to hide for a while, as there was no way she'd have enough strength to carry on with her plan.

But, Criminal Exiles such as her were like beasts that had tasted blood.

They wouldn't hesitate to use any dirty trick they could think of.

Having tasted defeat once, if the Cowardly Witch were to make a comeback, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that she would cause an even greater disaster with more thorough preparations.

"So, we get out of here first?"

"Unfortunately, yes, we have to."

Siwoo looked up to see the huge crack that reached all the way to the ground.

They could probably get back to the surface if they left through there.

While he might end up having to piggyback Eloa out...it shouldn't be too hard for him to do so, probably.

At that moment...

"Huh?"

He stepped on a loose rock and slipped at just the wrong moment.

As Eloa was using her arm as a makeshift crutch for him, she instinctively reached out to grab him, and they both ended up in a heap on the ground.

Their bodies were too worn out to hold each other up, so they ended up in an embarrassing and unexpected tumble.

"..."

"..."

Eloa lay sprawled on the rough floor.

While Siwoo was on top of her, covering her.

A cliché scene, often not only seen in romance but also in dramas with a hint of melodrama.

The scene where the male and female lead's came close to each other due to some reason or another.

"Ha..."

The damp tunnel, filled with an unbearable humidity, did little to cool down the sweat that dripped down from Eloa's face,

Her torn windbreaker, her sports bra underneath, her thin neck, collarbone and cleavage that the bra failed to cover, were also covered in sweat, glistening like dew.

Eloa's eyes, tinged in deep magenta, widened like a startled rabbit as she looked up at Siwoo.

Her long eyelashes that resembled cherry blossoms, fluttered.

They were close enough to feel each other's breath.

If this place was a bed instead of a waterway tunnel, they might have just kissed each other right there and then.

Both of their bodies turned stiff as they stared at each other.

Despite their countless sparring sessions, this was the first time they had been seeing each other up close.

She's so pretty...

Her mysterious eyes and mesmerizing hair captivated him, making it hard for him to even consider moving away.

"S-Sorry."

"Ah, it's okay."

After being shocked momentarily, Siwoo shifted his body backwards.

Eloa, who had been holding her breath the entire time she was lying down, let out a gasp and trembled as she tried to sit up.

"Huh...?"

At that moment, Eloa suddenly remembered something.

Memories that she had been repressed came flooding back like a vivid panorama.

It was clear that the recent mishap had triggered something within her.

What she remembered was the scene from her memory that overlapped with Siwoo's current posture.

To be more specific, the scene of him pouncing on Periwinkle that she watched through the 'Guardian's Covenant'.

Due to how she normally acted and her thought process, this idea was something that would never come to her mind, but due to the embarrassing memories that resurfaced in her mind...

"I think I can climb up this high using my ribbon. Right, should we grab the Red Branch too? I wonder what would happen if I wrapped it with my ribbon...?"

Meanwhile Siwoo rubbed his nose, trying to hide his embarrassment before reaching out his hand to Eloa.

We should get out of here, I guess.

But, what if leaving this place right now leads us to even bigger trouble later?

He wasn't wrong, chances were that the Cowardly Witch would retreat further into hiding.

And the next time she appeared, more innocent lives might be in danger.

"Siwoo, before we do anything else, I have a question."

"Sure, Master, what is it?"

The way he addressed her as 'Master' always sounded comforting and it brought back fond memories.

But, for some reason, it also made her heart ache.

"Have you ever lied to me?"

"No, I haven't."

He replied without a moment of hesitation.

His confident response made her eyes waver.

She needed a way out of this dead end, a final clue before she raised her arm in surrender.

The clue that was tied to the scene of him having sexual intercourse with Periwinkle.

She remembered the day when she witnessed him and Sharon having sex.

Later that day, she paid a visit to her, explaining the reason behind their sexual intercourse.

That was when he claimed that he could amplify and fill out a witch's mana through sex.

Shocked by that revelation, she asked him something.

Because putting someone else's mana inside the brand was a highly risky act...

She questioned him while scolding him, why exactly would he engage in such reckless behavior?

And his response was...

The mana he injected in this way was without any impurities, and it could instantly be attuned and used by anyone.

"Siwoo."

"Yes?"

She thought about her morals and considered the scary future.

It was a taboo for a master and disciple to become that intimate.

Rather, just seeing each other as anything other than master and disciple was already wrong.

But, she questioned herself, was keeping this sacred bond more important than saving lots of innocent lives?

Were there any kind of moral, religious, ethical, or philosophical rules that would put it in higher priority than saving the innocents?

Eloa quietly closed her eyes.

"Master, are you alright?"

Siwoo came up to Eloa, who was standing quietly with her eyes shut.

"Can you close your eyes for a second?"

"Close...my eyes...?"

After asking if he had ever lied to her, his master, who had been silently lost in thought, suddenly requested him to close his eyes.

It felt somewhat odd, but his affection and trust in her were nearly unparalleled.

As requested, he closed his eyes.

"I've closed them."

"Now, can you please take a slow and deep breath? Just like after our sparring sessions?"

"Deep breaths? Is there anything wrong with my body?"

"No. Just relax and take a deep breath."

"Okay. Huu..."

With his eyes gently shut, he began taking deep breaths as instructed.

It was clear that something was off within his body.

Despite not doing anything other than taking deep breaths, he felt a sharp pain in his lungs down to his abdomen.

"Sorry."

Due to his extreme exhaustion, he couldn't react in time.

The fact that he never expected Eloa to do such a thing was also another great factor to this.

-Thud!

Even with his eyes closed, he could still feel her presence.

How she rushed towards him, as if she was about to embrace him.

And the fragrance that filled the air, so strong as if she sprayed perfume directly on his nose.

"Ugh!"

He let out that noise, taken aback.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Eloa tiptoeing, her head nestled closely beneath his nose.

He tried to push her away, but she held onto him firmly, refusing to let go.

In an instant, his heart rate skyrocketed, pounding twice as fast.

A surge of lust engulfed his body, accompanied by an impulse that a human's endurance could never handle.

He had inhaled her scent deeply from such a close proximity.

His nose almost touched the crown of her head and on top of that, she was also drenched in sweat.

"Sorry, but I believe this is the best course of action for now... I will bear the responsibility for today's events to the day I breathe my last..."

Siwoo desperately tried to suppress his impulses with sheer willpower.

Eloa, showing a deeply apologetic expression towards him, puckered her adorable lips.

"For now, I need you to charge me up with mana..."

Sweaty Eloa after a training session!