City of Witches Chapter 157

It was fine until I boldly stepped outside.

But I had just finished searching with Siwoo a few hours ago.

If things that weren’t working out suddenly started going smoothly just because of the thought, “I must earn money diligently!”, Sharon wouldn’t be struggling like this now.

“Sigh…”

On the rooftop of the university hospital, where the bustling streets of Sinchon transformed into a distant bird’s-eye view.

Sharon, slumped on top of the water tank, looked at the compass with a gloomy expression.

“It’s always missing only at times like this. So annoying.”

She could feel the cool morning air heating up as it met the sun’s rays.

Meanwhile, Sharon’s once fervent ambitions were shrinking like a deflated balloon.

Even after scouring every nook and cranny for two hours, nothing had turned up.

The time to teach Siwoo Magic was gradually approaching, but the compass needle, indifferent to Sharon’s feelings, just spun around mockingly.

“What should I do…”

Was it because she had been too carefree lately?

The pressure she faced after a long time weighed heavily on Sharon’s chest, more than usual.

What if two months pass and she still can’t raise the money to repay?

The Zemnarai family was originally a famous wealthy household, and they wouldn’t come knocking personally just because a payment was delayed a day or two.

But that didn’t mean there was no pressure.

“If they came directly, at least I’d have a chance to explain the situation…”

According to experience, if the payment deadline or amount wasn’t met precisely, an additional fee for the quarter would be added under the name of a late penalty.

In other words, next quarter, she’d have to prepare nearly three times the original amount.

It was an excessively harsh condition, but Sharon, who was practically penniless, had no choice but to sign a loan agreement filled with all sorts of toxic clauses to borrow that kind of lump sum.

“That’s absolutely not an option.”

Sharon ended her brief rest and lightly stepped across the wooden beams, setting out again to find the Homunculus.

“Ah!”

And then.

Had her earnest prayer reached the heavens?

The aimlessly spinning needle began pointing steadily in one direction.

Sharon frantically followed the needle, bouncing along.

A Homunculus after so long!

At least 1 million won!

A walking third-place lottery ticket!

Soon, Sharon infiltrated the interior of the Hidden Boundary naturally generated by the Homunculus.

“You cute things, quietly become the fertilizer for my repayment.”

A dark underpass with train tracks running above.

But it was an old, desolate place with no passing cars or people, as a new underground tunnel had been dug to the east.

Sharon greeted the Homunculus she had finally encountered with a triumphant smile.

Sharon’s head tilted sideways in confusion as she identified the Homunculus.

-Grr… Grrr…

“You again?”

She had encountered the same black dog-form Homunculus as last time.

And this time, there were five of them.

She had thought she might encounter them again since she’d already seen a few, but…

At this point, it was easier to believe someone was duplicating Homunculi.

“Still, nice to see you, guys.”

What difference did it make either way?

She didn’t know the detailed reasons, but when life was tough, things on the periphery were easily overlooked.

Even if dozens of them swarmed her, she was confident she could handle them all, as they were just single-eyes. So, to Sharon, the five Homunculi were nothing but walking bundles of cash.

“Balance!”

Sharon swung her Wand, offering the water from a carefully saved plastic bottle as an offering.

The long-awaited hunt ended without much difficulty.

Originally, the most dangerous aspect of hunting Homunculi was having to engage without knowing what Magic they might use.

After all, every Homunculus could use unique Magic depending on the legacy they held.

Well, though that was almost nonexistent for single-eyes.

Anyway, in that sense, the pack of black dogs posed no threat to Sharon.

Their attack methods were confirmed to be mediocre physical attacks, and she had already familiarized herself with their uniquely agile movements.

Killing the monsters leaping at her like rubber balls under the underpass was as simple as chopping off a fish head on a cutting board for Sharon.

“Oho, how much is this?”

Sharon crouched under the partially collapsed and crumbling underpass, the aftermath of the hunt.

She diligently sifted through the Homunculus remains, extracting the crystals.

As expected, there was no sign of any legacy.

But with this many crystals, it was a harvest worth about 6 million won.

It felt like a stifling breath had finally been released, and a grin spread across her face.

However, Sharon’s smile didn’t last long.

-Tap tap

The sharp sound of high heels echoing inside the underpass pierced her ears.

Following that, an arrogant, high-handed, and quintessentially Witch-like tone, tinged with an unpleasant nasal quality, was directed at her.

“Hmm~ What exactly are you doing here right now?”

“Can’t you tell? I’m hunting.”

Sharon stood up, already feeling the onset of a migraine before the conversation even properly began.

Standing there was that bitch in a red dress… no, Della Redcliffe.

After the sound of heels, the voice, and finally seeing Della with her own eyes, it was only natural for Sharon’s expression to contort like a child faced with a plate piled high with bell peppers.

“So, I’m asking why you’re hunting here?”

“Well, obviously…!”

Ah.

Sharon, trying to somehow shake off the source of all her troubles, Della, glanced around.

This underpass wasn’t on her patrol route.

Earlier, in her desperate focus on the compass after finding prey, she hadn’t noticed, but she had crossed into another territory.

And judging by Della coming to assert her dominance like this, it was probably…

“No, wait! I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“Tsk tsk, I thought you were just stupid and wretched, but you’re also shameless.”

Seeing Sharon’s flustered appearance, Della had undoubtedly guessed the whole situation.

Even Sharon wouldn’t have dared come near if she knew this was Della’s territory.

But for Della, who seemed to think she had caught a good opportunity, the truth wasn’t that important.

“Didn’t you promise after the duel that you’d never play in my hunting grounds again?”

“........”Sharon instinctively took a step back at the sight of Della approaching with a triumphant, almost gleeful sneer.

Her ruby-like eyes felt deeply unsettling.

How to describe it... Like a snake eyeing its prey?

“I wasn’t trying to break our promise. Here, take it.”

Sharon bit her lip hard and threw the crystal to Della.

It was better to just consider it bad luck and move on than to pick a fight with her for no reason.

But regardless, an unbearable irritation welled up inside her.

The fact that she had to back down, and to Della of all people, was deeply unpleasant.

Della caught the crystal that flew toward her with a flashy flourish.

She rolled it in her palm for a moment before flicking it onto the ground.

The crystal clattered and scattered haphazardly across the asphalt.

-Clatter!

“What use would I have for this trash? It’s not even worth much.”

Sharon’s eyes, those of a slave to capitalism, watched the pitifully scattered crystals with sorrow.

Belatedly remembering Della’s presence, she corrected her gaze, but Della only chuckled mockingly.

“Only a lowly, poor Witch like you would scramble to pick up such things. Isn’t that right?”

“...I gave you the crystal. If I’d known this was your hunting ground, I wouldn’t have come.”

“A thief caught stealing returns the goods to the rightful owner... and you think that’s the end of it?”

Sharon gritted her teeth.

Della was one of the sufficiently wealthy Witches.

Sharon had never even heard of her hunting such low-grade Homunculi.

So why not just let her hunt a few? Why go out of her way to interfere and accuse her of theft?

Della’s twisted personality was something Sharon could neither understand nor wished to understand.

“So what are you going to do about it? As you said, I’m a penniless pauper. I don’t have a single coin to give you. Now move aside, I’m leaving.”

Her mood was thoroughly ruined.

As Sharon tried to brush past Della with a huff, a mocking laugh stabbed her in the back of the head.

“Of course~ Buried in debt, kicked out of your home... I, Della, am not so cruel as to extort money from such a pauper~”

Sharon, who had been about to ignore Della’s taunting, singsong voice and continue on her way, came to an abrupt halt.

Kicked out of her home?

She could almost hear the pieces of a puzzle clicking into place in her mind.

Sharon’s eyes narrowed.

“...How do you know that?”

“What do you mean?”

“How do you know I was kicked out of my home?”

“There are ways to know everything. Don’t let this fool you, I’ve been keeping a very close eye on you, Miss Sharon. In case you might do something illegal or bad... You have no idea how worried I’ve been~”

At Della’s words, accompanied by a shrug and a sly smile, Sharon’s suspicion hardened into certainty.

That Della had been involved, in some way, in her being kicked out of her home.

“Shall I show you the evidence?”

Even under Sharon’s furious, glaring gaze, Della remained perfectly composed.

And for good reason—their previous duel had already ended in Della’s overwhelming victory.

And at this point, no matter how much Sharon struggled, the reality was that she couldn’t even graze Della’s clothes.

“Get lost.”

“No, I want to show you the evidence of just how much I worry about and want to take care of you, Sharon.”

With the pointed tip of her shoe, Della skillfully kicked a crystal.

It rolled clattering across the ground and came to a stop at Sharon’s feet.

“I’ll even let you pick up that pocket change. It might just be enough for a drink for me, but not for you, right?”

Her jaw, clenched tight from humiliation, trembled.

What kind of grudge could make someone torment another so thoroughly and viciously... Sharon simply couldn’t understand.

Psycho bitch. Crazy bitch.

No matter how much she cursed inwardly, her anger wouldn’t subside.

“Not picking it up? That’s quite a sum, you know. Just bend over and pick it up, and you’ll have money that would take posting tens of thousands of flyers to earn?”

“..........”

Sharon pressed her lips together tightly and whirled around.

She didn’t want to deal with this anymore.

This wasn’t an opponent worth dealing with in the first place.

As if trying to grab Sharon’s ankle from behind, Della continued her relentless provocation.

“Hehe, clinging to your pathetic pride is why you’re still struggling, unable to pay off your debts.”

“........”

“And with that attitude, you even threw away the work I offered you. Not knowing your place or your limits is why you live such a miserable, debt-ridden life.”

“........”

Even if she told herself not to care, even if she dismissed it as the barking of a mad dog.

The words flew and stabbed into her like sharp daggers.

“The previous Evergreen must be so sad. The successor she went to the trouble of putting forward is an immature brat who couldn’t even properly inherit the Brand, and can’t even handle her own debts...”

Sharon’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

She had endured a lot.

Truly, a lot.

“Fine. I get what you want.”

A desolate voice echoed under the overpass.

Her low, subdued tone was laced with unbearable rage and agitation.

“Oh? What is it? I didn’t have any particular intention~”

Seeing this, Della grinned.

“You bitch, let’s have a rematch.”

Sharon placed the long pipe she had drawn from her Cloak between her lips.

A Word from the Author (Author’s Note)

See you at 12!