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? Repayment (1) ?

1.

Thanks to Ms. Sua’s generosity, Eloa could rent the penthouse on the top floor of the building where the Witch Point was located.

Originally, the place was meant for her to reside in, but she handed over the card key willingly, saying that she spent most of her time in her office anyway, so they should make themselves at home there.

Through the large glass windows that filled the entire wall, the pleasant sunlight poured in.

However, to someone in the midst of a deep sleep, they couldn’t feel the comfort coming from it.

Both Siwoo and Sharon were lying side by side, sound asleep on the bed.

Kneeling at the head of the bed, Eloa stared at Siwoo.

She felt like a mother nursing her child back to health, or a priestess deep in prayer.

“…”

She silently caressed Siwoo’s cheek.

Just from a single night, his skin became considerably rougher, it was as if he had been through a lot in that short amount of time.

He had no visible injuries, but the tired look on his face and his sunken eye sockets hinted at the hardships he had gone through last night.

“…”

‘If I had lost him this time…’

‘Just like before…if I went through the same experience as before…helplessly…unable to do anything…’

‘Would I still be here?’

She knew it was selfish, it was immature. Yet, she felt relieved.

The fact that Siwoo had returned without major injuries was enough to make her feel grateful.

Eloa tightly held his hand, trying to fight back her tears.

She didn’t have the right to feel relieved and cry tears of joy.

Because she had promised to protect him, as his master, but she ended up endangering him with a flawed plan that she made.

Sharon ended up suffering from a serious injury and without Periwinkle, the situation could have gone much worse.

In that kind of situation, how could she let out tears of joy? She thought as such.

“Uhm…”

Suddenly, Siwoo’s hand that was being held gently by Eloa’s slender fingers twitched.

As if he had just woken up from a nightmare, he furrowed his brows before slowly turning his gaze to his hand. Then, his eyes met Eloa’s.

“…Duchess?”

“Are you awake?”

Eloa greeted his awakening with a hesitant smile.

Then Siwoo, trying to remember what happened prior to this, shook violently, as if he experienced a seizure.

He remembered the last scene he witnessed before collapsing.

The dark, chilly sweater that rose up to his waist.

The rusty harpoon that pierced Sharon’s body.

And lastly, the moment when Sharon slowly fell down as his sense of helplessness rose up.

Everything rushed back to him, as if being played in reverse.

“Sharon—!”

“Calm down, calm down… Come here…”

“D-Duchess! S-Sharon! W-Where is Sharon—?!”

The Drowned Witch.

They had long analyzed this powerful monster that was possessed by Xochitl, an object of fear for over a hundred of years among the witches.

Even Eloa, who had dealt with numerous Criminal Exiles, knew how dangerous it was.

Its power was to instill fear in its adversaries.

Though one might be physically strong, that didn’t always mean that they were mentally strong.

It wasn’t a wonder that Siwoo would be reduced to this state, after all his opponent was something that could mess with his mind as if it was nothing.

She could tell that he was dealing with stress that was beyond what he could handle.

That was why she just reached out and gave him a hug.

He was shaking, like a leaf, carried by the stream.

She could feel each tremble that he made.

“Miss Sharon…she…is fine for now. All her injuries have been healed and all we need to do is to slowly detoxify the poison in her body. She’s over there.”

His wide eyes were filled with terror and his breaths were rough, it was as if he was a survivor of a terrorist attack.

When he saw Sharon, he gradually calmed down.

Eloa held onto him tightly while patting his back, as if trying to reassure him that she wouldn’t let him go.

“Do you feel better now?”

“T-Thank you… I-I…um…I-I want to check up on her…”

“Yes, go ahead.”

But, just because she hugged him didn’t mean all his problems were solved.

His lips were still trembling and he twitched awkwardly, as if he had just woken up from a terrible nightmare.

Though, the moment he saw Sharon sleeping peacefully, tension drained from his body.

“Thank…god…”

In the shadow on his face, Eloa noticed his relief…and other emotions that she knew all too well.

Self-hatred.

Guilt.

She knew these emotions like the back of her hand, how they could eat away at someone like a chronic disease.

How they could break down humans as effectively as pests eating away healthy trees.

“Siwoo—”

So, she clumsily attempted to offer comfort.

But before she could, a voice filled with regret cut in.

“…I…couldn’t do…anything…”

“…”

“Why did it have to happen…?”

Usually, in movies or comics, the protagonist would selflessly sacrifice their own life to save their comrade in moments of crisis.

There were tons of stories like that in the real world too.

In fact, Siwoo had done exactly that a few times before.

From small acts like saving a slave in Border Town, exposing the fraud at the Magic Tool Shop, to Larisa, the boss of the Blue Snake Junction Bar.

And on a bigger scale, he literally sacrificed his life for Odile, Odette, and even Amelia.

He might not have done much and his actions frequently didn’t match the scale of his ability, but…

His body just reacted.

Because he believed it was the right thing to do.

Even if he wasn’t strong enough, even if he was just trying to do what was right, he never stopped to second guess himself.

He knew that he couldn’t become a hero.

Because he just wanted to be a little bit braver

But this time, it was different.

He felt utterly helpless.

In that moment of crisis, when he almost lost everything without being able to do anything, when Sharon fell, all he could do was…

Shaking, scared like a rabbit.

“I just froze…fear overwhelmed me… I learned so much from you, Duchess, but I couldn’t put any of your teaching into action…”

Siwoo said, his voice filled with self-loathe.

He looked utterly miserable.

‘Was all the courage I thought I had just false confidence?’

Self-doubt crawled through him like a snake, wrapping around his heart.

“Siwoo.”

Eloa didn’t barrage him with questions like ‘How could you face the Drowned Witch’s magic when you aren’t even strong enough to face it?’.

She didn’t bother.

Because she knew those kinds of questions wouldn’t help anyone.

The questions he had were the same ones Eloa had wrestled with every night.

She hugged Siwoo tightly once again.

Trying to soothe his wound with a gentle voice.

“You should already know that I lost my apprentice witch.”

“…Yes.”

“Her name was Ravi, a very special person to me. I would do anything for her.”

“…”

“After her passing…when I held her cold body in my arms…can you imagine how I felt…?”

Since she lost Ravi, she hadn’t shared that time with anyone else.

But if it would bring even a bit of comfort to him, she was more than willing to share it with him.

Memories from the past, ones she often revisited in her dreams resurfaced in her mind.

Her heart and voice felt heavy, as if weighed down by the passing season.

However, facing the past turned out to be less daunting than she had anticipated.

“I held her body and cried for two days. Helplessly, pitifully, I cried and cried. If I had gone after the Witch of Aquarius right then, I might have been able to get revenge, but I couldn’t do it.

“After that, it felt like my heart was being ripped out, my chest felt empty. I didn’t think I would ever be able to fill that void and I never did. Since then, I became a mere shell of my former self, just going through the motions without feeling anything.

“Every day, every moment, I had to come to terms with the fact that I couldn’t do anything to change the outcome.”

She released him for a moment before gently caressing his cheek.

“Losing someone you love is devastating. It’s shocking. But, don’t be too hard on yourself for being unable to do anything at that moment.”

Their faces were so close that their noses were almost touching. Her eyes were filled with warmth and he was drawn to those eyes.

It was a heartfelt comfort coming from her. Something that only someone who had experienced similar pain could provide.

“Besides…you’re different from me, aren’t you? Miss Evergreen is injured, but her life isn’t in danger. You have all the opportunities to make things right and to avoid repeating the same mistake. Remember that you have a talent that shines bright, just like the sun in the sky.”

“Duchess…”

Siwoo’s gaze, which had lost its determination, began to regain its clarity.

“The first step to achieve something is to recognize your own shortcomings. Congratulations, you have just taken that first step.”

During their sparring sessions, he always had a gleam in his eyes.

It wasn’t anything strange, since he experienced his growing strength and he was really motivated to learn from her.

If he were to continue his training with her, he would definitely gain some impressive results.

There were moments when he showed so much progress that it was hard to compare him to his previous self even.

However, if Eloa had been a little more ambitious in training him, she’d point out more room for his improvements.

For example, his lack of sense of purpose.

Yet, she chose not to bring it up.

Because it wasn’t something that everyone needed to have.

More than anyone, she knew how exhausting it was to live a purpose-driven life, so she overlooked his somewhat relaxed attitude towards his goals, different from his previous enthusiasm.

“I want to get stronger.”

Now, it felt like the final missing piece had fallen into place.

“I see you’ve put some good thought into it.”

“Duchess, I…want to reach higher…higher than where I am at now…”

“And I’ll see it so that you reach that place.”

Eloa gently ran her fingers through his hair.

2.

When Eloa went out for a moment, an unexpected visitor arrived.

“How are you feeling?”

Siwoo, who was sitting beside Sharon while stroking her forehead, suddenly stood up.

Perhaps because of yesterday’s incident, he was even more guarded than usual. He was considering the possibility of the person standing before him was a Criminal Exile.

“Please don’t be so guarded. This subject’s name is Sua Agatha, the Branch Manager of Gwanghwamun Branch Witch Point.”

Only after hearing that did he let out a sigh of relief.

Even for Siwoo, who had met many witches by now, Sua was unique.

She carried the demeanor of a noblewoman.

What she was wearing wasn’t the modern hanbok that had been modified for comfort.

Instead, it was an authentic hanbok which left a great enough impression to make this penthouse look like a quiet hanok for a moment.

She had black hair and black eyes, quite the plain color if one were to compare it with other witches.

But it didn’t mean that she was any less beautiful.

If anything, it gave her an elegant touch, like a single hydrangea in a refined oriental painting.

“I’ve only heard about you until now. Nice to meet you, I am Shin Siwoo.”

Siwoo greeted her with a bow, offering her a handshake.

Sua looked at his hand, a little surprised by his gesture, before politely shaking it.

“This one’s purpose to come here is to talk with you for a moment.”

“Yes, I have plenty of time to talk.”

‘Huh? She came to talk?’

Siwoo wondered for a bit if she really had something to discuss with him, but he had been curious about her for a while.

They barely even knew each other, so for what reason did she decide to guarantee his identity?