༺ Protection (2) ༻
1.
The spectacle felt refreshing for Siwoo.
Once upon a time, he lived his life as the lowest of the lowest in Gehenna.
In fact, not even a long time had passed since then. He could still remember clearly the moment when he had to shovel the Trinity Academy’s drainage under the falling rain.
Back then, he couldn’t even dream of sipping a cup of coffee together with a noble witch like this. There was always fear in his heart that they would bring him to the gallows the moment he made eye contact with them.
Of course, even now, he still wasn’t in a position where he could consider the noble witches as his equal, but still…
“Please forgive me.”
As soon as they brought Tiphereth to her seat, she immediately uttered a lengthy apology.
She bowed her head, not only to Siwoo, but to Sharon as well.
“Please don’t do this, Duchess. It’s because of you that we feel much safer to live in this world…”
“But still…”
“Tiphereth, the talk won’t continue at this rate, so can we just leave it at that? Those two seem to forgive you already, so there shouldn’t be any more problems. Besides, the reason why you asked me to bring you here is because you want to give Siwoo compensation, right?”
“Yes…”
She nodded thoughtfully at Deneb’s words, seemingly accepting her words well.
Then, she turned her gaze to Siwoo, there was a serious look in her eyes.
Seeing her gaze made him feel embarrassed.
Because there was a strange emotion in her face that he failed to understand.
It wasn’t suspicion.
But rather, longing, melancholy and regret.
Such a mix of complicated emotions were there, inside her eyes.
“I can’t offer you any wealth to compensate you for, as I am a person without any.”
Originally, as a Venerable Duke, Eloa had a vast amount of wealth.
But that was a story from a long time ago, a hundred years ago to be exact.
She had spent all her fortune to pay for bounties that various Witch Points provided. Even all the funds that she gained from those were reinvested for the sake of hunting Homunculi and Criminal Exiles.
“You don’t need to compensate for anything, really. In that situation, it was normal for anyone to make that kind of misunderstanding. Besides, you’ve already given me a sincere apology yesterday.”
“Yes, I share his sentiment! Any witch could empathize with you, Duchess!”
Both Siwoo and Sharon knew of her situation, that was why they decided it would be better to not receive anything from her.
Sharon, in particular, was thankful to her, as if it wasn’t for her, she wouldn’t be able to gather her courage to become close to Siwoo.
Though one could say that their judgments were too result-oriented, they genuinely thought that it was the right course of action.
“But, I still can’t just leave you without doing anything for you. Though you are under mine, Gemini Household’s and Branch Manager Sua’s protection, it still doesn’t grant you absolute safety.”
She was right.
They were in Korea, a country that was known for its public safety, but murders still occurred here and there.
Though most of the murderers were arrested and punished.
In this case, even though Siwoo had received protection under three big witches’ names, there was still a chance that some sick-in-the-head witches would ignore that and mess with him intentionally.
They only needed to have the ‘As long as I don’t get caught, it would be okay’, or ‘Fuck it, I’m going!’ mindset, that would be enough to render their protection worthless.
Because it wasn’t like they could watch over him 24/7.
“Um…”
“Also, I don’t know if Deneb had told you about this already, but the magic you’re using is called ‘Myriad Weapons Mastery Covenant’.
“It was my apprentice, Ravi’s magic. The magic is a covenant that allows you to perform the most optimal and best move using whatever weapon you have at hand.”
Hearing those words made Siwoo suddenly feel guilty.
While Eloa already told him that it was okay, and he didn’t know why he could use the magic in the first place, he still felt like he was holding on the belongings of her dead apprentice.
And this thing he was holding couldn’t be returned to the original owner.
“You don’t need to make that face. We’ve settled this already, what’s done is done.”
“I still feel guilty about it…”
“Really, it’s fine.”
Tiphereth took another sip of her coffee before continuing.
“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that, you’ll need to master that covenant. If you do, other witches wouldn’t be able to take you down so easily.”
“Are you…”
“Yes, I’ll help you with that.”
Siwoo was surprised to hear her words, and Sharon was no different.
Both of them covered their mouths in surprise, unable to believe the words the Duchess had just spoken.
It was already well known that Tiphereth’s capabilities in magical combat were unparalleled.
In fact, throughout history, she founded several martial art schools, and she had also made a name as a martial arts master.
To be able to receive martial arts training from such a person was a priceless opportunity. No amount of money could buy such a thing.
“Please. I’d really appreciate it if you do.”
At first, Siwoo was planning to reject whatever it was that she proposed.
But when he heard this, he accepted it without any hesitation.
After fighting against the White Knights and witnessing the massacre with his own eyes, something had been gnawing at his heart.
He felt like he shouldn’t live his life aimlessly anymore, and he needed to find a new purpose.
Unlike back then, he wasn’t a slave anymore.
There was no need for him to struggle for a piece of soft bread.
Nor did he need to do shoddy work to the point that his entire body was dripping with sweat.
And more importantly, he wasn’t a weakling who’d need to gamble his life to save others anymore.
He had power now.
Unlike when he had to struggle just to save his own skin, he had enough power to care for others’ well-being.
And to do that better, he needed to refine his power, to be even more powerful than he currently was.
“I definitely won’t call myself a righteous person, but, if in the future, something like this were to happen again, I wish that I could do better.”
Hearing his straight and clear answer, Eloa’s body stiffened.
‘Is it a coincidence?’
‘Or maybe it’s an unconscious projection that came from Ravi’s brand…?’
‘Becoming strong to protect others…’
‘He said the same thing as Ravi…’
Eloa closed her eyes.
And she confessed her true feelings to him, without trying to hide anything.
“Honestly, I haven’t completely trusted you yet.”
She still held some doubts even after yesterday’s conversation.
If she were to put it a little more harshly, she was still suspicious of him.
Though parts of her believed in him, that came from her subjective view after observing his characters, not because he wasn’t suspicious.
“I’m not doubting your sincerity. I just can’t bring myself to let my guard down in matters regarding Ea Sadalmelik.”
There were two reasons why Eloa decided to take Siwoo as her temporary student.
One, so that he had an easier life, and she could use this as an apology as well.
Two, because she wanted to use him as bait for Ea.
“I’ll still do my best to teach you, but keep in mind that I’ll also be keeping an eye on you while I am at it. You can reject it, of course, we can arrange your compensation to be something else if you do.”
The serious look in her eyes as she said such words to him only served to make him trust her more if anything.
In fact, Siwoo was already aware of this, and he also knew that she didn’t need to go out of her way to tell him this.
After all, he immediately jumped and asked to be taught by her without any hesitation.
If she were to keep her mouth shut, she’d be able to easily achieve what she wanted.
She really didn’t need to bring up such negative things as her trying to keep her eye on him, or how she actually hadn’t trusted him yet.
But, she still said those words anyway, ignoring the fact that it might hinder her from achieving her goal.
She completely showed all of her hidden cards to her opponent.
All because she felt that it was the right thing to do.
Duchess Tiphereth wasn’t someone who’d indulge in deception or any kind of cunning ideas.
And because of this, even though this was a rude thought, Siwoo understood why Ea had successfully eluded her all this time.
“I don’t mind that.”
Once again, Siwoo nodded his head without any hesitation.
And so, from then on, Duchess Tiphereth and Shin Siwoo formed a temporary apprenticeship.
2.
Since there were still things for her to take care of, the Duchess left, promising that she’d visit him again later.
As for Deneb, she woke up the twins and prepared themselves to go back to Gehenna.
“Are you going back already…?”
“Yes. It isn’t like I don’t trust you, Siwoo, but things are just too dangerous to let them stay in this world any longer.”
“Yeah, I agree with that.”
“Thank you for your hospitality in these few days.”
“You don’t need to thank me, I enjoyed your company as well.”
Because they were going back home earlier than scheduled, the twins were puffing their cheeks while pouting their lips.
Their hand movements, as they placed their belongings inside their suitcase, were rough.
Odile in particular, looked as if she was about to cry.
“Can we go back later, Master…?”
“We still want to stay with Mr. Assistant…”
“When it is this dangerous? No. Just pack your things quickly.”
Srrt, srrt.
The twins packed their things, wearing an expression so reluctant that made Siwoo feel like they would rather die than hurry things up.
Seeing their antics, Deneb let out a sigh before asking Siwoo.
“Why don’t you visit our mansion later?”
“Sorry?”
“Your official Gehenna ID will be issued soon, so you’ll be able to come and go freely to Gehenna, just like other witches.
“It’ll be dangerous to bring the twins out here every time they’re throwing a tantrum, so it would be better for you to visit us instead. If you do, we’ll give you the best treatment as our most valuable guest. I’ll also express my thanks properly for this incident by then.”
“Huh? Mr. Assistant is coming to our mansion?”
“Really?”
The twins, who looked so sullen just a few seconds ago, immediately burst with energy.
They were clearly pretending not to hear anything just a moment ago, but now they dropped all the pretense.
“If you really come to our mansion, Mr. Assistant, I’ll make you some steamed turkeys!”
“Me too! I’ll make you some snacks!”
“Your snacks are just some white bread with nuts and honey!”
“Shut up! You don’t even make anything! What making steamed turkeys, huh? You’ll just get Lena to do most of the work, anyway, Sis!”
“Odile, Odette, can’t you two not fight for just one day?”
Seeing their antics, Deneb and Siwoo could only let out a wry smile.
Those were the smiles of people who knew of each other’s pain.
“You must have a hard time dealing with them all the time.”
“They’re cute so that helps a little.”
After they were done packing up, the twins bid Siwoo and Sharon farewell.
“We haven’t been here for long, but being with you was so fun, Unnie!”
“Let’s play and talk more next time!”
“Yes! It’s been a while since I’ve played with two cuties like you! It does feel like I’m having two little sisters~!”
Sharon patted their heads in turn.
After they bid her farewell, they did the same thing to Siwoo.
They opened their arms and embraced him tightly.
He sent Deneb a troubled look, but the Countess didn’t seem to mind it.
It was as if she was telling him that he deserved this now.
Or maybe it was because of the atmosphere.
Nevertheless, the only thing that was certain was the fact that there was no way the Countess would allow them to go any further than this.
“Mr. Assistant, tell me when will you visit our mansion? Actually, why don’t you just visit us on Thanksgiving?”
“That’s way too late! You should visit us next month!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll stop by as soon as I receive my ID.”
While he was hugging them, something suddenly came to his mind.
“Countess, before you leave, can I ask you something?”
“Yes, ask away.”
“How does…Baroness Marigold do these days…?”
Hearing his question, Deneb looked at him with a confused look on her face.
As if asking him, ‘Why are you asking me that? You should know about her better than me’.
“The last time I saw her, she was still acting the same way as usual. Still cooping herself up inside that small cabin.”
“I see…”
‘Seriously, what happened to her?’
Hearing about Amelia, an uncertain feeling rose in his heart and he closed his mouth shut.
‘Why am I feeling like this anyway…?’
Little did he know that the emotion he was currently experiencing was something called restlessness.
“You don’t need to answer me as I’m just asking to satisfy my curiosity, but…what exactly did you write in that letter that you gave her? Sorry if you found this question insensitive.”
“No, you don’t need to worry about that. You were the one who went out of your way to pass the letter to her, after all.”
The conversation between them ceased at that moment, as the atmosphere turned rather awkward. It didn’t last long though, as Deneb broke it with a faint smile.
Unlike Siwoo who wore a complicated expression, the glint in Deneb’s eyes made it seem like she understood everything.
“You’re a popular man aren’t you, Siwoo?”
“Sorry?”
“If I had met you earlier, I’m certain I’d take you for myself.”
“What are you even—”
“I’m on the twins’ side, so I don’t think it’s the correct thing to tell you this, but…”
She leaned closer to him and whispered in his ears.
“You see, sometimes a woman doesn’t need help, she just needs a tight embrace. Especially those who are committed to a relationship between a man and a woman.”
“Sorry?”
Obviously, SIwoo didn’t understand what she was talking about.
Rather than ‘understand’, it was more like that he couldn’t even process her words in the first place.
Ending the conversation just like that, Deneb grabbed the twins’ hands while narrowing her eyes.
“It’s time, you brats. Come on, let’s go home.”
