City of Witches Chapter 152

Sharon, who had been drinking with Siwoo until late at night, finally went to bed that day for the first time in a long while.

Having caught four Homunculi over the past few days, she had securely covered this quarter's tribute payment.

She had eaten her fill of the much-talked-about fried chicken and beer, and for the first time since her lonely life away from home, she had made a friend.

Perhaps because of that, it felt like she was lying in bed with a peaceful mind and properly closing her eyes to sleep for the first time in months.

Sharon had originally been a Witch with a fairly regular sleep pattern.

But after incurring a massive debt, she had to take on part-time jobs, hunting, and various other small money-making ventures, making it impossible for her to lie down with peace of mind.

Thus, Sharon's sleep time was replaced with Magic Research time.

Because simply repaying the debt wasn't enough.

She never forgot that a Witch's fundamental duty is to research Magic.

Moreover, Sharon's current Hierarchy is the 17th, three steps lower than that of the previous Evergreen.

It was an "incomplete succession," a rare occurrence during the process of inheriting the Brand.

Although the magical knowledge left in the Brand hadn't completely vanished and she would recover it someday, she couldn't bear to neglect her research, relying solely on that hope, and face the previous Witch who had trusted her and entrusted the Brand to her.

Still, it was a rare, deep sleep.

What woke Sharon from her sweet drowsiness was...

-Thump thump thump!

"We're from the Seodaemun District Office! Is anyone inside?"

It was the voice of a cold, ruthless man mercilessly enforcing established regulations and laws.

Sharon stood blankly, holding her suitcase.

Originally, lacking a proper wardrobe, she had been using the suitcase propped against the wall as a makeshift closet.

She thought she didn't have much stuff, but the suitcase, which looked like she could fit inside if she curled up, was packed tight with her existing belongings.

"Uh...."

Reality slowly seeped into her mind.

The rooftop room was the sweet home Sharon had managed to secure after five years in the Mortal Realm.

During the first year after being exiled to the Mortal Realm, she wandered the streets, frequented 24-hour cafes or fast-food joints, and survived without a home.

Occasionally, she would find a secluded spot like a dim underpass and sleep inside her suitcase.

From the first to the fifth year, she lived in a semi-basement studio.

Monthly rent of 380,000 won including maintenance fees, with no deposit.

It was a harsh, gloomy place where the unique musty smell of a basement was so strong it felt like mold would grow in your lungs just from breathing, and the bathroom was shared.

The place she had lived in until now, the rooftop room, was found after diligently saving leftover money and pounding the pavement from that place.

Passing in terms of price too, with monthly rent of 500,000 won including maintenance fees and a deposit of around 2 million won.

It was also a pass that the landlord had proactively offered to reduce the rent by 30,000 won if she didn't report moving in.

Sharon didn't have the means to purchase a fake identity like other Witches, and the cell phone and bank account she possessed were all under other people's names—burner phones and accounts.

Conversely, this meant that when the district office came for an illegal structure crackdown and the landlord accepted the correction order and requested the tenant to vacate, there was no law to protect Sharon.

From the local government's perspective, Sharon would be an illegal resident.

Words of comfort like, "If you go to the district office's construction department with documents, you might get help," or "You should have checked the building register," were of no help at all.

Some might mock it as a shabby, impoverished house, but it was a truly good resting place where warm water ran well and she could shower inside.

But to call it an illegal structure...

"What does it matter if it's illegal or legal when someone's living inside..."

Sharon roughly kicked a can rolling on the floor.

The can clattered noisily as it flew away with a sharp sound.

Biting her lip, she slumped down on the spot.

The white envelope in Sharon's hand crumpled.

It was the 2 million won deposit the landlord had handed her this morning, apologetically.

She felt like throwing it away in anger, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Only the shallow rationalization that "money isn't at fault" passed through her mind.

Nothing goes right.

There's nothing she wants to do that she can do.

"...I want to cry..."

Tears welled up.

The cruelty of poverty is that it doesn't even give you time to savor sadness; it thrusts reality upon you.

For Sharon, an illegal resident, finding a suitable studio is like reaching for the stars in the sky.

But she has no intention of dragging her suitcase around and living homeless forever.

She might not have known before, but Sharon, who now has the memory of having had a home, absolutely did not want to return to that life.

Sharon took out her phone and installed an app.

It was an application for booking lodging.

Scrolling through listlessly, Sharon's mouth gradually fell open.

"Wow... insane... this is crazy..."

The Sinchon area is so thriving with lodging businesses that motels stand side-by-side even next to churches and cathedrals.

It's a hotspot with a bustling district and a concentration of young men and women, so this is natural.

Thinking a motel would be perfect as a temporary residence until she found a new place to live, she installed the app, but...

"120,000 won for one night? And check-in at 6 PM, check-out at 11 AM the next day?"

Sharon couldn't hide her astonishment at the tyranny of lodging businesses charging nearly one-third of a month's rent for less than 24 hours.

At first, seeing prices like 30,000 or 40,000 won, she thought, 'It's more expensive than I thought, but doable?'

But that, it turns out, is for "day use," a separate category.

It seems to be a system where you rent a motel room for about 3 to 6 hours to take a nap.

She was shocked that there were so many people who wouldn't hesitate to spend that kind of money just to rest briefly or take a nap.

That, too, was a shock to Sharon.

"How do I deal with this..."

Sharon promptly deleted the app.

There were various options like guesthouses and hotels, but just seeing the motel rates made any thought of looking further vanish completely.

"First... before going to work, I should at least exchange this."

Sharon took out the clattering Homunculus crystal from her pocket.

Whatever happens, she'll need emergency funds.

"I also want to access the Homunculus database..."

She still had about four hours left before her convenience store part-time job, so if she went and came back appropriately, it should be fine.

Sharon picked up her suitcase and trudged toward the bus stop.

There is an unwritten rule among Witches, both in Gehenna and the Mortal Realm.

A Witch must not reveal her existence to the outside.

A Witch must live within mystery.A Witch must not interfere with history through Magic.

A Witch must not cause social chaos with Magic.

That's it.

What is the reason for such an unwritten rule?

There's the superstition that 'mystery' loses its meaning the more its concealment diminishes, and there's also the claim that it's due to an agreement with the Tree of Sephirot, which has connections to the political circles of various nations.

However, in Sharon's opinion, the biggest reason Witches don't wield their power indiscriminately and exercise self-restraint is the existence of Duke Keter.

How many Witches throughout history, trusting in their own power or to achieve their desires, have wreaked havoc?

To name just a few major examples...

The 'Plague Witch,' who spread a pandemic in the 14th century while collecting death, was Purged by Keter after a battle lasting three days and nights.

The 12 Witches of the 'Silver Dawn Society,' who in the 17th century outright denied the existence of Gehenna and rose up to create a world ruled by Witches, were all slaughtered by the Duke who pursued them just two days after they burst into the Mortal Realm and established their own kingdom.

The 'Dragon Witch,' who actively participated in the American War of Independence in the 18th century, meekly returned to the desert after being thoroughly beaten by Duke Keter.

The public enemies belonging to 'Cliptoth,' who attempted a large-scale infiltration of Gehenna in the 19th century, were also suppressed by Duke Keter, who emerged from seclusion.

Thus, Duke Keter was extremely displeased with Witches using Magic to excessively interfere in the Mortal Realm and acted to maintain balance.

Moreover, the Witches she defeated were those whose names were always listed among the strongest of their era, so who would dare defy her will?

She seemed just like a dragon from fantasy mythology.

A dragon that pays no attention or interference to ordinary matters but incinerates its enemies with fiery breath the moment a line is crossed.

Even various underworld organizations or public enemies directly operating cartels are always cautious not to provoke Duke Keter's displeasure...

Anyway, such unwritten rules also applied to Witch Point, the small Gehenna for Exiles, so the Gwanghwamun branch was disguised as a private insurance company in a building right in the city center.

Only the top five floors of this building operate as Witch Point.

As soon as Sharon entered the magnificent headquarters lobby, a neatly suited guard came out to greet her.

"Hello, Witch Evergreen."

"I'm here to exchange currency."

"Yes, right this way."

This guard, who naturally addressed Sharon as a Witch, is a civilian hired by Witch Point.

Since you can't keep busy Witches, preoccupied with their own Magic Research, tied up with miscellaneous tasks, they borrow personnel from intelligence agencies of pre-arranged nations to handle various duties.

Just this guard, for instance, seemed like someone said he was an intelligence agency employee, but I'm not sure exactly.

The interior of Witch Point, visible immediately upon exiting the elevator that goes directly to the top floor, is surprisingly similar to an ordinary company office.

There are employees holding phones and contacting somewhere, and employees carrying armfuls of documents to use the shredder.

The only slightly abnormal aspect might be that some of the women are excessively beautiful.

Well, it's not strange.

After all, the raison d'être of Witch Point isn't Magic Research.

Sharon headed straight to the currency exchange without delay.

"Please exchange all of these. For cash."

As she placed the five crystals she had kept in her pocket onto the tray on the counter, an employee dressed like a bank teller took them inside.

The exchange itself doesn't take long.

After verifying the crystals aren't counterfeit, they weigh them on an electronic scale and hand over the pre-prepared cash.

Thus, the total amount earned from a week of hard work hunting: 5.12 million won.

Even Sharon, who had been growing increasingly gloomy, could catch her breath a little with this much more ample profit than usual.

She stopped by the administrative support office on a lower floor and paid the quarterly fee of 6.5 million won.

Afterwards, she flipped through a Homunculus encyclopedia in the shared materials room, but as expected, not a single line mentioned a 'perfectly identical Homunculus.'

Wondering if she should report this to the higher-ups, Sharon shook her head after much deliberation.

"Sigh... I'll do it next time. I should go to my part-time job now."

For some reason, today isn't a day she feels like living enthusiastically.

Just as she was about to turn off the computer in the shared materials room and head out.

Sharon encountered someone who would make her already foul mood even fouler.

"Ha... fuck..."

A curse reflexively shot out of her mouth.

Frankly, this is innocent.

Why does a curse automatically come out when you see a cockroach?

It's roughly like that.

Because the one who constantly harassed Sharon and picked fights was always 'Della Redcliffe,' the red Witch now before her eyes.

"My, how rude. Did you swallow a rag?"

Della, speaking while elegantly lifting her chin.

She was a woman reminiscent of a red tulip, fitting the name 'Witch of Embers.'

Her short, curly red-gold hair cut in a bob, her sharp gaze that immediately brings to mind a fighting cock, and the eyes within that look down on Sharon with a mocking gaze.

All are red like blazing flames.

"Sorry, I was just startled. It wasn't directed at you."

She wasn't sorry at all, but she apologized because she didn't want to cause friction with her.

Because if a conversation with this woman drags on...

"Judging by your appearance, it seems you're still continuing your grimy, rat-like life these days. How many flyers did you paste up yesterday? No, let me guess."

...she openly picks fights like this.

Sharon gritted her teeth and glared at Della.

"Ten, twenty...? Or... oh my! Don't tell me a hundred?"

Ever since a dispute over a hunting ground some time ago, Della had been busy seeking Sharon out whenever she saw her just to mock her.

Moreover, despite her elegant and refined appearance, she really knows how to get under people's skin.

If Della's Magic were even half as excellent as her sarcasm, even Duke Keter wouldn't be a match.

"Judging by your expression, a hundred seems right. Wow~ Congratulations! You managed to earn an extra ten thousand won to repay in one night?"

"I'm leaving, move."

Sharon tried to push past Della, who was clapping and teasing her, to leave this spot.

Sharon knows she cannot defeat Della now.

Could she have endured listening to such nonsense right in front of her for ten whole years?

Sharon had already challenged Della to a duel once and been thoroughly defeated.From the start, there was a difference in Combat Power between the 17th and 20th Hierarchies akin to that between an elephant and a stray dog, so there was no choice but to flee with one's tail between one's legs a thousand times over.

Yet Della did not step aside in the slightest.

Instead, she strode right up to Sharon and brought her face close.

Already half a head taller than Sharon, Della was also wearing heels, putting her nearly a full head above Sharon, looking down on her.

Sharon, too, engaged in the staring contest without yielding an inch, but it was Sharon whose pupils began to waver ever so slightly.

She was already losing the battle of nerves from the outset.

"Come now, didn't I say I'd make it easy and comfortable for you to earn money?"

Della's hand, creeping up like a snake, stroked the tip of Sharon's chin as if tickling her with a feather.

The gesture, laden with unmistakably teasing intent, sent such a shiver down Sharon's spine that her fine hairs stood on end. She slapped Della's hand away and hastily dashed toward the elevator.

"Crazy bitch, crazy bitch!"

Sharon spat curses as she fled in a panic.

Watching her go, the corner of Della's mouth curled up slyly.

A Word from the Author (Author's Note)

The new cover features Witch-form Sharon Nuna!

Please welcome her with applause!!!

WalkingPerson-nim, you're amazing.

How did you guess...? shiver shiver