City of Witches Chapter 149

Sharon vividly remembers the last day she could spend in Gehenna with a peaceful heart.

Evergreen's innate magic is elemental magic based on Tarba's five elements.

The experiment topic that day was a Magic Formula that uses an elemental Magic Circle to accelerate the growth of a Brand that had not yet fully activated.

It was also the final task for Sharon, who had inherited an incomplete Brand from her predecessor, to proudly ascend to the 20th Hierarchy alongside her teacher.

"Hoo... good."

The ground, hardened over several days by sprinkling salt and purified water.

Five minutes until midnight, when magic power in the atmosphere is most abundant.

And the offerings, meticulously collected over several months, were perfect.

With a tense expression, Sharon tightly clutched her wand and looked down at the Magic Circle she had set up.

The diamond-shaped Magic Circle, extending its corners to the east, west, south, and north, had been drawn over time with a mixture of Sharon's blood and saliva.

At each vertex of the Magic Circle, an 'altar' for placing offerings was visualized in the shape of a circle.

Magic is fundamentally a discipline of calculation and formulas, but it is also simultaneously a discipline of symbols and rituals.

Especially in Evergreen's elemental magic, which values rituals so much that it could be criticized as old-fashioned due to its traditional nature, the importance of offerings was extremely high.

No matter how meticulously the Magic Formula was calculated, the mystery manifested would differ depending on what offering was presented.

Thus, Sharon made a final check of the offerings placed on the altars.

Even offerings that might appear randomly placed were all positioned to embody optimal symbolism in their optimal locations.

"Good, shall we see?"

The element to be placed on the eastern altar of the diamond is Apas (Water).

It governs the order and operation of the ritual.

As offerings, she placed a sapphire obtained at great cost from the Red Roof Salon and high-quality, clean coral.

The element to be placed on the western altar of the diamond is Tejas (Fire).

It governs the connection and transmission of the ritual.

As offerings, she placed black gunpowder made from a mixture of charcoal and sulfur, and topaz, also known as the stone of fire.

The element to be placed on the southern altar of the diamond is Prithivi (Earth).

It governs the balance and foundation of the ritual.

As offerings, she placed a handful of soil mixed with wheat ears and jade as small as grains of rice.

The element to be placed on the northern altar of the diamond is Vayu (Wind).

It governs the change and manifestation of the ritual.

As offerings, she placed the white mane of a mare that had never experienced mating and a crystal stone that had been exposed to the wind under moonlight for a long time.

All preparations were perfect.

To the extent that no matter how much Sharon racked her brains, she couldn't draw a more perfect Magic Circle than this.

"It's okay, stay calm... I can do it."

The clock now indicated two minutes until midnight.

The ritual was scheduled to begin exactly at 12 o'clock.

Cold reason was still telling her that her studies were insufficient.

But failing to perfectly manifest the Brand inherited from her predecessor was an unacceptable disgrace to Sharon.

To erase that blemish, this level of risk was absolutely necessary.

The element to be placed on the central altar of the diamond is Akasha (Void).

It is the space where all rituals manifest.

Sharon stepped into the very center.

Offering herself as a sacrifice, and ultimately being reborn anew.

Sharon did not believe in gods.

But under the night sky where even the wind was still.

She offered a prayer for the first time, not knowing to whom it was directed.

"If only this ends... I too..."

She wouldn't have to endure being pointed at as a premature birth.

She wouldn't have to listen to sneers calling her defective.

She would be reborn as a complete Witch who had perfectly succeeded the Brand.

The time had come.

The emerald embedded in the wand Sharon held shone brilliantly.

Sharon brought to her lips the Incantation she had recited countless times before.

"O Balance!"

And then...

What was the mistake?

Were the offerings not in good condition?

Or was there an error in manipulating magic power due to impatience?

Or perhaps, because she prepared offerings too good for her insufficient skills, she lost control?

The result was devastating.

The ritual's wavelength, spreading from the Magic Circle throughout Cloud Mushroom Village, greatly accelerated the growth of nearby acorns instead of Sharon.

Witnessing thousands of acorns simultaneously sprout and grow into giant trees that destroyed the mansion, Sharon lost consciousness.

Witches are generally wealthy.

In the process of succeeding a Brand, inheritance of assets naturally occurs, as most things in the world increase in value over time.

Sharon also inherited a vast fortune from her predecessor, Evergreen.

Because a vineyard in the suburbs of Paris that her predecessor purchased 120 years ago was developed into an urban area, generating enormous capital gains.

Therefore, even the day after the accident, Sharon wasn't particularly worried.

If the house was destroyed, she could simply pay for it, that's all.

Rather, it was the self-reproach of still not having perfectly inherited the Brand that pricked her heart.

But there was a problem.

If Sharon's failed experiment had only destroyed the mansion, it wouldn't have been an issue.

Unfortunately, however, Cloud Mushroom Village was a place where Witches of the Border Town lived together, and the indiscriminately grown oak trees destroyed not only residences but also several Witches' workshops.

Some Witches had their elixirs containing years of research results shattered to pieces, while others saw the Magic Circles they had painstakingly drawn become unrecognizable.

Seventeen Witches who suffered significant setbacks in their Magic Research filed a class-action lawsuit against Sharon.

Even after liquidating her inherited assets and desperately raising money, Sharon couldn't cover all the compensation payments.

All that remained for Sharon, now penniless, was a massive compensation claim from the central city hall amounting to approximately 90,000 gold coins.

When she first saw the number written on the document, it was an unimaginably large sum.

Sharon had two choices.

Either flee Gehenna and escape to the Mortal Realm under cover of night, or borrow money to settle the damages and then repay the debt.

In the end, Sharon visited various nobles, bowing her head and signing loan documents.

She borrowed a total of 90,213 gold coins, using her citizenship and Brand as collateral, from Countess Yesod, owner of the Levana Grand Bathhouse; Duke Erelim, chairman of the Truth and Clarity Academic Society; and finally, the famously wealthy Count Gemernai.

As there was absolutely no way to repay this amount within Gehenna, Sharon accepted a temporary expulsion order and headed to the Mortal Realm.

This story is from a full ten years ago.

"Illun Musk, you traitorous bastard!"

And now, ten years later, at a convenience store checkout counter.Sharon was grinding her teeth as she stared at the cryptocurrency that had plummeted due to someone's actions.

Fury surged within her.

"You said I could buy a car with this... that I could go to Mars... that it was the currency of dreams..."

And yet, after saying all that, they flipped their stance overnight, sold off their holdings, and caused a massive crash!

The rich really do get richer. She wondered if this bastard was even human.

Sharon clenched her fists tightly, trembling.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Of course, Sharon wasn't a fool either, so she hadn't poured a huge amount of money into cryptocurrency.

Still, holding onto a sliver of hope, she had invested her secretly saved part-time earnings, so her initial investment was about 5 million won.

The money she had gathered, penny by penny, filled with hope, had become 3.5 million won by the time she checked her phone after starting work.

Moreover, judging by this trend, it was obvious it would drop further.

In the blink of an eye, 1.5 million+@ had evaporated.

"Ah... headache..."

Feeling dizzy, Sharon pressed a hand to her forehead.

Should she cut her losses now? Or should she hold on and wait for a rebound?

She had planned to sell exactly when it hit 7 million won, but now it had come to this.

"Give me back my dakgangjeong... tteokbokki... kimbap... sundae..."

She saw a hazy vision of all the foods she had planned to enjoy that day disappearing into the sky.

Sighing deeply at the empty checkout counter, Sharon noticed the end of her shift was approaching and suddenly remembered.

"He's not coming to buy cigarettes today..."

It was a thought about Siwoo.

Her work hours were from 6 PM to midnight.

She didn't know if their routines overlapped or what, but he always came during that time.

Actually, yesterday was the first time they formally learned each other's identities, but Sharon had been aware of him for a while.

And why wouldn't she be? Putting aside his handsome face, how could she not remember an impressive customer who came every day wearing a leather eyepatch to buy cigarettes and cola?

From their conversation yesterday, she learned he was a man with a fate as unfortunate as her own.

It was surprising enough that a man had become a Witch, but it was also amazing that he was so proficient in Magic that he could hunt Homunculi.

On top of that, he wasn't just acting for his own safety; he was willing to take risks and hunt Homunculi for others' sake, which earned him bonus points.

She didn't know the details, but he even bought her king crab, so she figured he was a good person~.

However, what he said at the end when they parted—about repaying her debt for her—that was crossing a line.

Even if she was now just a debt-ridden Witch, Sharon had her proper pride and self-respect as a Witch.

There was no reason to receive one-sided help as if she were some unfortunate neighbor in need.

"I told him not to worry about it."

But it wasn't said with any particular malice, and he apologized right away, so she hadn't held onto it.

Yet, the person in question was nowhere to be seen.

He seemed a bit naive and had a kind heart, so Sharon, who had intended to teach him various things, felt a little awkward.

"Was my reaction too prickly yesterday?"

As she left the convenience store after handing over to the next shift worker, she spotted a familiar face smoking a cigarette in a nearby alley.

Sharon grinned and strode over.

"What are you doing here?"

She tapped his shoulder and spoke, startling Siwoo.

Seeing him act more awkwardly than during their first meeting clearly showed he was still bothered by yesterday's events.

"Ms. Sharon."

"Just call me Sharon, and speak comfortably."

"Uh..."

"Let's not be too stiff with each other since we're in similar situations. We're colleagues walking the Magic Path together, aren't we? Similar circumstances?"

"That's a bit uncomfortable for me. Somehow..."

"Somehow you want to keep reminding me that I'm older than you?"

"Ah, no. That's not it."

Even though she was just teasing him subtly, his flustered appearance was quite cute.

"If it's not that, then speak comfortably."

"...Alright."

Even after saying that, he seemed somewhat uncomfortable, scratching his head. Sharon chuckled.

Should she say he lacks confidence or that he's a bit soft-hearted?

She didn't dislike this kind of personality.

"Somehow, I wanted to apologize for my rash words yesterday."

"Hey, I said it's fine."

"Still, it was too hasty of me. I'm really sorry."

"Whoa, whoa, don't do this."

Despite Sharon's playful response, Siwoo bowed deeply without a trace of laughter to apologize, which actually flustered Sharon a bit.

Since there was no lingering resentment to begin with, she hurriedly raised him up.

"Instead of that... well, it's not exactly a substitute, but would it be okay if we put up flyers together today? We can search for Homunculi too."

Seeing Siwoo cautiously broach the subject, Sharon beamed a smile and readily nodded.

"Sure!"

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

My stomach has been hurting since dawn yesterday, so I ended up spending half the day in the bathroom...

I'll have to go to the hospital tomorrow to see if it's enteritis or something.

For now, I'm resting at home ㅜㅜ

I'd appreciate your understanding if there are many typos today.

I plan to go to sleep right away and will fix them as soon as I wake up.

Thank you.