Chapter 498 – Perplexity (1)

Today, the sky is particularly crimson.

“Sir, you should not be here.”

It’s still a considerable time until nightfall, but something seems amiss. A faint streak of gold is drawn among the dense stars. In that moment, Zodiac tugged at my arm.

“Brother, I think something is off with that child.”
“It’s not about being off… We need to leave.”

Ignoring the soft sensation of my arm buried between my breasts, I turned my questions towards Ebony, who was incessantly crying out.

“Why? Where must we go?”
“?”

Ebony looked taken aback by my counter-question. A cold sweat trickled down her cheeks.

“Do… don’t you remember? Sir… I’m your disciple.”
“Ebony.”
“Oh, yes, that’s my name.”
“I remember your name, but I don’t recall anything we’ve shared. I’d like to believe you, but… You’re my disciple?”
“Yes, yes! A disciple, exactly. That’s correct… isn’t it…?”

After a few more inquiries, Ebony, who had been nervously wringing her hands, gradually lost her certainty. A shadow settled over the young girl’s features. I wasn’t the only one whose memory had become hazy. I made a decision and knelt down to meet her at eye level.

Ebony’s face filled my view. Her skin was pale and delicate, her eyes resembled the galaxy itself.

“It’s certain that we share something in common.”
“…No. We… need to leave this place.”
“Let’s go inside and talk.”

She moved her mouth as if to speak, but Ebony couldn’t form a reply. Either she couldn’t remember, or her thoughts were still disorganized. I would find out later.

“Brother… are you thirsty?”
“We can buy something tomorrow.”
“What about the magic class at 10?”
“I can handle that.”
“Uh, then can’t you just play with me for today? White Peach is always bothering me.”

Zodiac, who puckered her lips like a duck, began to grumble. I shrugged and agreed, and a smile slowly spread across her face.

“Alright. Go ahead inside for today.”
“Yay! Thanks, my nameless friend!”
“…”

Zodiac left with a beaming smile. Time seemed to accelerate. The surroundings gradually dimmed, and Ebony’s eyes began to tremble.

“Where did you come from?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“That’s okay. We’ll figure it out slowly. There’s a lot I don’t understand about the current situation as well.”

As I tried to calmly soothe her, Ebony violently shook her head.

– Bang!

“Mister…! That’s not… that’s not it.”

Ebony, who had grabbed my wrist, forcefully dragged me towards the edge of Do-won.

“We… we can’t waste time here. We have to go. Or else we’ll be here forever…”

She was speaking incoherently, but I could understand what she was asking for. She was suggesting we leave this place. As I was being pulled by Ebony, I contemplated this.

“Ebony was always the quiet one, wasn’t she? I recall her struggling with mutism.”

Mutism. A condition of the mind that hinders the expression of desires or emotions. My pupil, Ebony, was never one to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Lost in my thoughts, it dawned on me suddenly. I clutched my forehead, a sense of confusion overwhelming me.

Another thought I couldn’t quite grasp.

“There’s undoubtedly something about her.”

“Let’s proceed for now.”
“!”

Half-pulled along, I promptly moved ahead of Ebony. She, with a bright smile that appeared to have freed her from some internal discomfort, quickened her pace.

– Thud-thud-thud!

Ebony, pressing close to my side, wrapped my arm in hers, perhaps to prevent me from returning to the garden. Unlike Zodiac, her breasts were modest.

I found myself inquiring as we continued.

“Could you tell me why I should leave the garden?”
“I… I’m not sure. But, I can’t shake the feeling that we need to take you out of here.”
“I see.”

The situation was beyond comprehension, yet I felt compelled to grasp at whatever straws were available. Perhaps, as Ebony suggested, there was a place for me to return to.

– Thud-thud.

“Ebony.”
“Yes.”
“You were my pupil, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”

Upon close inspection, I could see signs of her training to handle magic.

“But now, I’m not so certain. I can’t recall.”
“No, you were my student. I’m certain of it.”

The old man couldn’t have found another child, and besides, the deceased couldn’t return. Heaven lacked the ability to teach. Seeing how well Ebony had been trained, I was convinced I had been her tutor.

“Do you have any memories of the training or anything of that sort?”
“No.”
“Hmm. Were we close?”
“Should I just go by my intuition?”
“That would suffice.”
“It felt like we had a complicated relationship.”

For some reason, I felt this was something I needed to hear now. We probably wouldn’t discuss it later.

“It felt like we met due to some profound sorrow.”
“Because of me?”
“Not because of you, but it was heart-wrenching. It felt like everything was falling apart. It was a desperate situation. Were we rescued by you?”

The night was growing darker, and our path became increasingly complex.

“And then somehow, it felt as though we were forced into a master-pupil relationship due to some obligation.”
“What?”

What obligation? I didn’t know what was happening, but I felt wronged.

“From what I’ve heard, it sounds as though I forced you into this life.”

Did she truly believe that? Viewing Ebony’s silent face, I noticed she was pouring with cold sweat.

“Well, I don’t remember that quite well. But… Look at this.”

Ebony rummaged through her cloak, extracting a wrinkled object, and scanned my face.

[Master’s Sticker]
– Report when all are gathered. Make a wish.

Half of a grape sticker was stuck to it, my handwriting clearly visible.

With this, it’s nearly certain that she is my apprentice.

“I don’t believe she was wicked.”
“Me?”

She nods, up and down.
Upon closer observation, she exudes an unexpected charm.

“This isn’t a hunch, it’s merely a thought… I believe I was somewhat close to you.”

Not a sensation, but a cognition.
Could it be that Ebony, having lost her memory, made this assessment on her own?
Nonetheless, the notion pleased me.

“It would be agreeable if we were close. Why not, shall we cross hands?”
“…….”

Expressions of emotion are best made when fluid.
Ebony cautiously untied my arms, and captured my hand with her petite one.
It was a notably warm hand.

“Calluses.”
“…?”
“You’ve undergone considerable training, I can tell. Purebloods typically have good physique and thus, don’t develop calluses.”
“……I’m not a pureblood.”
“What?”

No, that can’t be.
The magical energy coursing through Ebony’s body was unmistakably that of a pureblood.
To be more specific, it was a unique magical aura seen in purebloods that have engaged with the Flower.

“No, I don’t think so.”

Even then, I couldn’t contradict her outright.

“If you say so, then it must be so.”

There’s still much I don’t know.
With my other hand, I gently stroke Ebony’s hair.

-Thump.

Not a dry touch, but tenderly sweeping. The corners of Ebony’s mouth twitched slightly.
Ah, it seemed she was smiling.

“We’re almost there.”

According to Ebony, something would happen when we depart from Do-won.
As we emerged from the mountains, we stood on a road bustling with vehicles and looked up at the sky.

“We’re out. What’s going to happen?”

Looking at Ebony, she seemed to be in a daze.
She gazed at the sky for a while, then lowered her gaze to her own hands.

“Oh, uh….”

Ebony’s hands began to tremble. Something was amiss.
I enveloped Ebony’s arm with mine and placed my hand on her forehead. She had a slight fever.

-Sway.

“So, how…?”

She murmured something in solitude. Wasn’t it supposed to be Do-won who emerged?

“Let’s proceed. It’s unfortunate that memories are becoming hazy, but if there’s no other way, it’s best to contemplate after calming down.”

For now, nothing happened.
After a considerable period of coaxing and soothing her, Ebony nodded.

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

We quickly ascended towards Do-won once more.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Did she collapse because of that?!”

Zodiac covered her mouth in dismay and blinked.

“Ah, Heaven is looking after her now. She fainted when her temperature unexpectedly rose.”
“…Isn’t she unwell?”

Every possible measure had been taken.

After employing the power of healing to mend ailments and restore the body, Do-won had finally wrapped up the prescription for the medicine he used. All that remained was the wait for the fever to subside, a task Cheondo had taken upon herself.

“Ah, so… the remaining time is for play, just you and me.”
“That’s why I’m here.”

Grinning cheerily, Zodiac climbed into my lap.

“Well then, read this for me today.”

What Zodiac, all smiles, held in her hands was likely last month’s issue. Was she asking me to read an adult magazine?

“Hugging… haven’t you outgrown that?”
“But I haven’t even had my coming-of-age ceremony yet.”
“That makes it even more problematic.”
“I hate you, big brother.”

Suddenly, Zodiac protruded her lips, her hands resting on her thighs. I stared at her, letting out a sigh.

Yes, that’s Zodiac.

“I understand.”

Upon hearing me, Zodiac laughed again, her body relaxing as she leaned her back against my chest. Then, the coming-of-age ceremony.

“The coming-of-age ceremonies are conducted one by one, each month… Honestly, by human standards, they might as well be adults.”
“But I still want to cuddle up to my big brother.”
“What?”
“If Heaven gets married after her coming-of-age ceremony, I won’t see her for a month. You won’t deny me this, will you?”

After the coming-of-age ceremony, there’s a month-long break following the wedding… akin to a honeymoon. The couple spends a month in a large mansion, stocked with food and water, ensuring the bond between them is solidified, and they learn to cherish each other more. It was said that in the past, the people of Do-won would try their best to conceive a child during this time.

So, that’s how it is. Listening to Zodiac’s words, I could feel myself gradually assimilating into this world.

“Then, read to me quickly, hehe.”

Zodiac handed me the magazine. Her robe was slightly loosened, the intoxicating scent of peaches wafting from her.

Zodiac would always dress like this when I read the magazine. Even though she was typically playful and innocent, devoid of any eroticism, during this time she would loosen her clothing and go without undergarments.

“This should be fun.”

I opened the magazine, leaning against the wall, legs crossed. Zodiac nestled her buttocks in my crotch. When she tugged at my arm, the soft flesh of her ample breasts grazed against it.

‘…….’

This was our usual routine. Although it wasn’t driven by lust,

“Big brother?”
“Oh. What’s the cover? ‘Three ways to seduce your brother-in-law?'”
“Yes, that’s right.”

Zodiac, slyly affirming my question, tugged at my arm some more.

– Squeeze.

Due to her lack of undergarments, I could feel her buttocks against the fabric. I lightly furrowed my brow.

“Yesterday’s issue was about this. But do you know, big brother?”
“What is it?”
“A woman in her prime… they say the younger, the better. They say it’s best when they’ve just ripened, even younger than now.”

That thought is repulsive.

Even if I were to shrink the gap to its uttermost edge, by my standards, twenty is the limit.

Is it truly appropriate, though, to exchange such salacious banter with Zodiac?
Despite our close friendship, a hint of dissonance arises.

‘As always.’

Zodiac, who consistently expanded our contact.
In one week it will be Heaven’s coming-of-age ceremony, and the following month, White Peach’s.

“Brother-in-law, have you lain with my sister?”

The way she addresses me has changed.

“No.”

Zodiac, pulling my arm, changes our positioning to an embrace, and subtly gyrates her hips.
In a manner far from overt, very discreetly. That gentle intrusion presses against my groin.

“When young, the blossom that has opened is the most beautiful.”
“What, blossoming?”
“The red flower that blooms up here.”

Without the acquisition of magic,
The peach ripened deeply, dwelling within the garden.

Her body was significantly softer. Provocative.
I scowled, about to judge it as a violation of propriety when…

“Please, read as you always do, Brother-in-law.”

Zodiac, with a sly fox-like tilt of her brows, deliberately breathes out as she speaks.
The scent of fiery mint and peaches intermingles.
The subtle aroma of her saliva was sweet.

“Always… is that what you mean?”
“Yes, yes!”

A little more, she arches her back. Upon the moist sensation, Zodiac grins.
Her hand brushing up the back of her ear, the sight of her collarbone comes into view. I can also see the straight line of her sternum.

Zodiac, her gaze locked onto a magazine, only sways her body.
The movement is so minute, it’s difficult to discern whether it’s intentional or not.