City of Witches Chapter 127

Siwoo felt a warmth enveloping his back.

Odil’s body, much smaller than his, wrapped around him like a soft cushion.

His mind, which had been as chaotic as a bouncing ball, gradually calmed down.

It felt as though the aimless, drifting vector of his heart had finally found some direction.

“Feeling better?”

Siwoo slowly pulled away from Odil.

Odil, who had been holding him as if hugging a large teddy bear, gently released his shoulders.

He knew it was only a temporary relief.

Once time passed and the conflicting images of Amelia resurfaced, Siwoo would surely suffer again.

Nevertheless, Siwoo wiped away the lingering moisture from his eyes and smiled.

“It feels like it’s been ages since I last saw you, Lady Odil.”

“What’s this, greeting me now?”

Odil smiled back as Siwoo laughed.

For some reason, the tip of her nose was flushed red.

As if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.

Sniffling, Odil tugged Siwoo’s wrist and plopped down onto the sofa.

“Here, sit down.”

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping? It’s already late.”

The grandfather clock beside the fireplace now pointed to 3 a.m.

It was the dead of night when even plants slept, yet Odil seemed full of energy.

Siwoo belatedly recalled something he had been too flustered to remember earlier.

“Wait a minute. This is the villa, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Aren’t you supposed to return to the mansion?”

“I got permission to stay out for the day. Don’t worry, Assistant.”

Only then did Siwoo let out a sigh of relief.

If she had gone AWOL just to take care of him after he crawled in, he would have felt terribly guilty.

Odil, who had been staring intently at his face, spoke up.

“I thought I had so much to say once you came back. But seeing you like this, it feels like I just saw you yesterday. Weird.”

“Really? To me, it feels like it’s been ages.”

“How far back do you remember? Do you remember us visiting you every week? Or going to the public bath with us?”

At the mention of the public bath, Siwoo froze.

Come to think of it, he vaguely remembered (though he wasn’t sure if this was the right expression) trailing after the Twins to the public bath when he was younger.

Perhaps because it was such a memorable experience, it was vividly etched into his mind.

For instance, the time Odil meticulously tried to wash his cock...

“I remember from after I got younger, but I don’t remember anything after collapsing. Thank you for visiting me every week.”

“Of course we had to visit! It’s because of us that you got hurt.”

Odil swung her legs back and forth on the sofa as she spoke.

Seeing her furrow her brows with a hint of guilt, Siwoo gently patted her head.

There was no particular reason.

He just felt like doing it.

“.........”

Odil, who had been subtly excited just moments ago, calmed down the moment Siwoo patted her head.

With an odd expression, she quietly placed her hands on her knees.

Only after Siwoo withdrew his hand, wondering if he had overstepped, did Odil finally speak.

“Just this once, letting you pat my head without permission.”

“Yes, I know.”

She looked incredibly cute.

Somehow, just talking to her made it possible to temporarily suppress the sad memories, likely thanks to the innate positive energy Odil possessed.

“But Assistant, is your eye still not healed? You’re still wearing an eyepatch.”

“Ah, this...”

Siwoo hesitated whether to bring it up or not.

He had no idea how it happened, but currently, his left eye served a role akin to a ‘Brand’ for a Witch.

It absorbed the surrounding magic power, assimilated it, and contained his innate magic.

If Siwoo previously had to calculate everything from 1 to 100 to use Magic, now it felt like starting with calculations from 50 to 70 already completed.

If the three fundamental elements of Magic are synthesis, transformation, and deployment, the Brand automatically handled synthesis and part of the deployment.

Siwoo only needed to slightly adjust the variables in the transformation phase, and the rest would manifest automatically.

He could even decide how many pathways to take on the spot, making the speed of using Magic incomparable.

The problem was, aside from innate magic, there had never been a single case in history of a male possessing a Brand.

While he had heard of Witches who created their own Brands in the library’s historical records, there were none for ‘males.’

That meant any Witch worth her salt would see him as a research subject worth chasing after with fervor.

“Sorry, I asked something unnecessary...”

“No, it’s fine.”

While Siwoo hesitated whether to tell her or not, Odil apologized first.

She likely assumed he hadn’t overcome this disability.

“.........”

“.........”

It was Odil who broke the brief silence first.

“Assistant, should we go up and sleep now? It’s already very late.”

Odil stood up from the sofa and dusted off her bottom.

But despite suggesting they go up first, she lingered awkwardly beside Siwoo, her behavior suspicious.

What did she want...

Siwoo tilted his head in confusion.

“Should we?”

“No, are you very tired, Assistant?”

Odil suddenly backtracked.

Honestly, he wasn’t particularly tired.

Having collapsed from drinking earlier in the evening and falling asleep, he now felt as refreshed as if it were morning.

“No, I’m not tired, but...”

“Then, want to go on a night walk with me?”

“A night walk?”

“I’ve never been to Tarot Town at this hour. I’m curious.”

A walk.

If he went to bed now, he’d just toss and turn restlessly.

In that case, it wouldn’t be so bad to stroll around and breathe in the crisp night air.

“Sure.”

“Great! Then I’ll go get ready!”

“Ah, what about Lady Odette?”

“Odette’s asleep, so let’s leave her be.”

Odil flashed an excited smile, as if she’d been waiting for this moment, and scurried off somewhere.

Not long after, she returned wearing a large hooded cloak over her clothes, holding two beer bottles in her hands.

“Ta-da! I prepared a whole box to toast with once you woke up.”

“Th-this is...”

Siwoo’s hands trembled as he held the chilled beer bottle.

The familiar brown bottle, the bold font of the logo, and the aluminum cap with sharp, serrated edges.

It was all too familiar.

KASS.“I got this because they said it’s the most famous beer from your hometown. There’s more in the carriage, so let me know if you feel like drinking it later.”

“Odil-nim…”

“I’ll pass on any overly emotional expressions of gratitude.”

I thought I had already cried everything out earlier, but another overwhelming wave of emotion washes over me.

Odil, who seems to have anticipated another tight hug this time, subtly sidesteps away.

Yet, the way she grins while doing so, clearly pleased with the prepared gift, seems to put her in a good mood.

“Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing much.”

Following behind Odil, who walks with light, graceful steps like a proud cat, Siwoo leaves the villa.

For Siwoo, too, taking a stroll at such a late hour was a first.

Taro Town, always bustling with lively energy, holds its breath quietly under the night dew.

The buildings lining the street are all dark, casting only shadows in rows.

It’s so quiet that if Odil were to suddenly shout “Ah!” it feels like everything would come crashing down.

“Hmm~ Feels like I’ve come to another world.”

Odil walked with a bouncing gait, swinging a beer bottle in one hand.

Following leisurely behind, Siwoo was also getting into the mood with the cheap beer.

Compared to the draft beer sold at the White Whale Tavern, it was a terrible taste that could only be described as piss, but that made it all the more familiar.

It was a taste he had missed so much.

“Assistant, is that really tasty? Honestly, I don’t think much of it. If you want, I’ll give you mine too.”

Odil, walking on the street bathed in moonlight like a singer on stage, watched Siwoo savoring the beer as if it were holy water and smiled as if she had seen something bizarre.

Well, even when drinking beer, Odil would have only had the finest craft beers, so factory-made beer loaded with additives probably wouldn’t suit her taste.

“Yes, it’s good because it’s a nostalgic taste. It would be perfect if we had chicken with it.”

“Chicken? A chicken?”

“It’s a dish where chicken is salted, coated in batter, and deep-fried in oil. It’s widely eaten in the Mortal Realm, regardless of country.”

“So there’s something like that too.”

Because it’s so quiet, Odil and Siwoo converse almost in whispers.

As the cool night air fills their lungs and they exchange trivial talk, the two soon arrive at the fountain square in Taro Town.

There are no stalls lined up with goods for sale, nor any solicitors trying to attract customers.

The clattering sounds of horse hooves and cart wheels on the uneven road have also vanished without a trace now.

Only the large fountain standing in the middle of the square flutters a silvery veil, overlooking the tranquil street.

“It’s pretty.”

“Yes.”

The two stood blankly in front of the fountain, gazing at the water spraying for a long time.

The sound of water splashing onto the surface seems to have a calming effect on the heart.

“Want to see it up close? You might get splashed a bit.”

“Sure.”

Odil took Siwoo’s hand and led him closer to the fountain.

He could see coins scattered on the bottom glittering brightly.

“You know what? The lucky coins thrown into the fountain are collected by the city hall and used for fountain maintenance costs.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Huh? But isn’t that a gold coin?”

“A gold coin?”

According to Siwoo’s calculations, roughly one gold coin is worth around 800,000 Korean won.

Considering Gehenna’s prices, where daily necessities are significantly cheaper than luxury goods, one gold coin is still quite a sum.

And someone threw that into the fountain? A madman?

There are many merchants here—could it be some kind of Gehenna-style ritual to ward off bad luck?

As Siwoo looked down at the fountain lost in thought, Odil poked him in the back.

It seemed her intention in pointing out the gold coin was for this all along.

“Gah!”

“Eek!”

Losing his balance suddenly, Siwoo instinctively grabbed Odil’s cloak, and the two of them tumbled into the fountain together.

-Splash!

The refreshing sound of spreading water.

Since the water only came up to their waists, there was no need to flail about, but having made a spectacular entry as if plunging into deep water, it was only natural that their hair got completely soaked.

He wasn’t particularly angry; instead, a hollow laugh escaped him.

Who would have thought she’d just push him straight into the fountain?

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Ugh, Assistant! You’ve got pretty good reflexes, huh? Choosing mutual destruction like that.”

“I just panicked and grabbed onto you?”

“Anyway.”

Odil, now looking like a soaked squirrel herself, didn’t hide her indignant expression and shook her head like a dog.

Then she said with a laugh,

“I’ve always wanted to go into this fountain at least once whenever I saw it. There’s never a chance to go in except when there’s no one around like now.”

“What about my consent?”

“You looked so gloomy, I thought I’d take you for a swim or something.”

But there was something Odil hadn’t anticipated.

This fountain uses groundwater directly, so the water temperature was colder than imagined.

To make matters worse, even though the weather had warmed up considerably for spring, the night was still chilly.

“But damn, it’s cold. Freezing.”

“Right? Don’t relax, let’s get out. I’ll help you up.”

There was no ladder or anything, so it seemed difficult for Odil to climb out alone.

Well, fountains aren’t made for people to go into, so that was expected.

“Wait a moment.”

Odil, who had momentarily stopped Siwoo from stepping forward to be a foothold, parted the water that came up to her waist and walked toward him.

“Assistant, remember our Contract?”

“The Contract?”

“Yeah, the one we agreed on in exchange for handing over the music box.”

“Ah.”

Thanks to having recalled the memory just a short while ago, it came back vividly even though some time had passed.

It was the proposal Odil had suddenly made when she visited Siwoo’s room.

One: They would go to Yeongsan together.

One: Siwoo would prove that touching Odil’s back hole would make her feel good.

And the last one was probably…

“You promised to teach me about love, Assistant.”

Love.

For Siwoo, who had gone through all sorts of things just today, it was an emotion that felt annoying just hearing the word.

Thoughts like ‘If this is love, I don’t need it!’ echoed inwardly, making him occasionally glad he had lived as a lifelong single.

Odil’s face drew close.

It was near enough to clearly see her large eyes, her shimmering purple irises, and even the strands of hair plastered to her cheeks.

“After you collapsed, I read some books too, and men and women in love all do foolish things. I thought maybe I’d understand if I imitated them.”

“Foolish things?”

“Yeah, like this, for example.”

Odil, who had slowly approached, grabbed Siwoo by the collar and pressed her lips against his.Honestly, until the moment our lips met, I thought I should refuse.

Because my feelings weren't sorted out to that extent yet.

But the moment Odil's rough tongue pushed its way between Siwoo's lips.

I felt something explode.

As if the confused emotions were being drawn toward a gentle warmth I could comfortably lean into, Siwoo tightly wrapped his arms around Odil's waist and deeply intertwined their tongues.

"Pfft!"

The kiss itself wasn't particularly long.

Because Odil, flustered by Siwoo's enthusiastic response, quickly pulled away with a flushed face.

After staring at Siwoo with trembling eyes for a long while, a faint smile etched itself at the corner of Odil's mouth.

Soon after, covering her mouth shyly, she giggled.

Was it a great discourtesy to Odil that the person who overlapped in my mind upon seeing that was Amelia?

Unaware of the guilt Siwoo felt inside, Odil spoke with a bright laugh.

"Kissing while completely soaked from falling into a fountain. Doesn't it look incredibly stupid?"

The hazy illusion of Amelia that had been superimposed over Odil faded away.

The one laughing before my eyes was Odil.

Only then could Siwoo barely manage a smile himself.

"That's true."

Author's Note (Afterword)

It was quite fun seeing the meme of knocking on the gate...

What a shame ㅜ