City of Witches Chapter 162

"Hoo...hoo...huuk...!"

The fierce close combat had ended.

The shadow enveloping his body melted away, and Siwoo collapsed with a thud.

His upper body, which had been constantly exposed to flames, stung as if sunburned from standing under scorching heat all day.

His cheekbones pressed against the ground, muscles twitching as if about to shatter.

His overworked magical circuits and the throbbing pain in his left eye.

As soon as the battle ended and the adrenaline levels in his blood dropped, every part of his body screamed in agony.

"...Fuck... did I manage it?"

Even thinking back, it was an insane, frenzied fight.

Enough to add another mad movie to play at his funeral.

Of course, in Siwoo's judgment, 'luck' played a huge role in this victory.

His opponent, against whom he could do nothing in the face of overwhelming magic power, happened to be a slow starter by chance.

He also had a long-range attack method that could dispel her before she could even start.

Moreover, having already clashed with Sharon, his opponent was somewhat depleted.

Without a doubt, what had the greatest impact on the victory was Siwoo's eye.

He remembered hearing that magical combat could be compared to chess.

In such magical combat, Siwoo's left eye, capable of reading the flow of magic power, was no different from a cheat key that could 'predict the opponent's next move.'

In conclusion, deciding to keep pressuring Della, easily dispelling her Relay Formula, and being able to block Della's two retaliations at the last moment were all thanks solely to this eye.

"...At this point, I should give it a name."

He thought he should give it a cool name.

Why, in Japanese manga, aren't there all sorts?

Things like Sharingan or Byakugan.

Had his face and brain both rotted from overuse?

Frivolous thoughts squirmed in his mind.

Siwoo turned over and lay flat on his back.

"Khaa..."

Without a single lie, he felt like he was going to die.

Even with the armor's assistance, he had swung his sword at full swing for nearly 20 minutes.

While doing so, he had to constantly check Della's magic power and simultaneously move the Ribbon to dismantle the Magic Circles floating in the air.

To replenish the magic power being sucked out without rest, he must have used amplification over 30 times.

No matter how sturdy and fast-recovering a Spirit Body is, pushing it this hard both mentally and physically takes its toll.

"Grr...! Sharon."

Wriggling on the ground like a caterpillar, Siwoo barely managed to sit up.

Sharon was still lying on the street.

He had to help her up before his mouth gave out, and he couldn't just leave Della like that either.

Who knows, she might recover her magic power by some means and launch a counterattack.

"Sharon, hey!"

As the Hidden Boundary slowly lifted, he could see the destroyed things being restored as if rewinding.

Actually, it wasn't so much restoration as the copied things disappearing and the originals being summoned back, making it look that way.

But that wasn't important now.

Siwoo picked up Sharon, who had completely lost consciousness, and tapped her cheeks.

But there was no response.

Was it because her chest was big?

Trying to lift only her upper body, he groaned for quite a while, feeling how heavy she was.

From the opposite sidewalk, Della's groans could be heard.

"Kgh...kgh..."

"Damn."

Leaning the unconscious Sharon against the bridge wall, Siwoo dragged his feet as he walked toward Della.

Her clothes disheveled from tumbling on the ground, Della opened her eyes with difficulty.

Clutching her side where the Ribbon had struck, her elegant face was scrunched up in pain.

But he didn't feel very sorry.

"I won, it seems."

Seeing Siwoo standing tall before her, Della hastily tried to back away.

But that was merely will; for Della, who had exhausted all her magic power and drained her stamina, moving a few centimeters like a snail was the limit.

"I... lost... What do you want?"

Her once-arrogant eyes, now devoid of confidence, trembled left and right.

She looked like a victim facing a serial killer.

Seeing the Witch he barely managed to take down by luck being this terrified made him feel awkward for no reason.

Siwoo wasn't a crazy murderer, let alone a public enemy; would he really finish off an opponent who couldn't even resist?

But he didn't bother explaining.

It would be easier to proceed with the conversation if she stayed appropriately scared.

"You said you were Witch Della Redcliffe, right?"

"...Baroness..."

"Huh?"

"Baroness Della Redcliffe..."

Della suddenly interjected, adding 'Baroness' to her introduction as if crawling to include it.

Momentarily dumbfounded, Siwoo grasped her intention.

It was a subtle appeal: 'I'm a Baroness, so you'll be in big trouble if you treat me recklessly?'

Seeing her, who had been so imposing, reduced to this cowering state was a bit funny and somehow satisfying...

"Ah, so you're a Baroness."

It was somewhat fortunate that she wasn't a public enemy.

Though, considering he had said he wouldn't take her life out of respect for the Jemernai Count Family's dignity, the probability of her being a lawless Exile like Ea was low anyway.

This created room for compromise between them.

"You asked what I want, right?"

"Yes..."

"I have no particular intention of harming you, Baroness. But I'd like you to keep quiet about my existence."

If she went around blabbing here and there, it would be Siwoo who'd be troubled.

He couldn't kill her to seal her lips, so he wanted to find a suitable compromise.

"I absolutely, absolutely won't say a word. Even someone like me wouldn't want to openly oppose the House of Gemernai. The secret will be kept."

Della spoke at a speed that felt desperate.

From Della's perspective, it was only natural.

A man with a Brand who suddenly appeared + a magical composition and combat power specialized against Great Witches + the Gemernai family ring.

In Della's mind, Siwoo was already a killing weapon created through a massive project being conducted by the Jemernai Count Family.

Or perhaps a hunting dog created by the Count family to kill public enemies and Homunculi.

She had not the slightest intention of revealing that fact anywhere.

Even if the Jemernai Count Family usually didn't care about minor conflicts, it would be a different story if the identity of their secret project was exposed.

Even Della would find it burdensome to openly oppose the sisters Albireo and Deneb.

Moreover, in this situation, she didn't know what might be done to her under the pretext of keeping the secret.

"This might sound unpleasant, but how can I trust that?"Meanwhile, Siwoo, completely unaware of such delusions, had no collateral to trust Della with.

If the wrath of the Countess's house was that terrifying, she shouldn't have started the fight in the first place.

"A contract... I'll write a contract. A contract swearing on the honor of Redcliffe that I will not disclose any facts."

"Hmm..."

In Witch society, swearing on one's Witch name is never a light matter.

It doesn't magically impose any specific restrictions.

However, pledging the Witch name accumulated over generations signifies a promise that is weighty and solemn to that degree.

Moreover, for Della, a typical Witch and a noble at that, the meaning could only be heavier.

During his five years in Gehenna, he had only seen promises exchanged on Witch names about three times.

"Alright, well. Then write it."

Right now, he could barely stand, and holding onto consciousness any longer felt like it would make him vomit.

As soon as Siwoo gave permission, Della hurriedly pulled out a business card and began scribbling small letters on it.

A quick glance revealed nothing special—just a pledge not to disclose Siwoo's identity in the name of Redcliffe, along with Della's signature.

Siwoo also signed it and roughly stuffed it into his pocket.

"Now... can I go?"

Della asked in a voice that had shrunk to a whisper, her earlier high-handed attitude nowhere to be seen.

When Siwoo nodded, she staggered to her feet, still clutching her side.

"Ah, and one more thing."

He almost forgot to mention it.

Della, who had been limping away, turned back to look at Siwoo, startled.

"I don't know the details of what's between you two, but don't harass Sharon."

"...Yes, I understand."

With that final exchange, Della disappeared with quick steps.

After that, having no confidence in his ability to carry the unconscious Sharon home, he used coordinate teleportation.

Securing magic power through triple repeated amplification, he forced the computation through his sluggish, sleep-deprived brain that felt like it had been up for two nights, and teleported them together.

He had no memory after that.

He collapsed right after laying Sharon on the bed and lost consciousness.

"Ughh..."

Siwoo opened his eyes with a strange groan.

The excruciating pain and headache he still felt instantly reminded him that the earlier memories were neither a delusion nor a dream.

Actually, it felt more like he woke up because of the pain rather than feeling it after waking up.

It was Sharon's bedroom.

It was true that a Spirit Body was incomparably more durable than a human body, but that didn't mean it could be recklessly abused to an indestructible level.

If he felt immense fatigue, he would fall asleep or faint, but it was usually not easy to push his body to that extent.

This attested to how desperate Siwoo's struggle had been.

"Huh?"

As soon as Siwoo sat up, he discovered the warm touch of nursing care.

A lukewarm wet cloth placed on his forehead.

He had collapsed with his clothes on, but now his upper garment was removed, revealing the defined abs that naturally formed when he became a Spirit Body.

It seemed Sharon had done this for treatment.

"It stings..."

It wasn't tinged with a red aura like before, but his upper body still felt hot.

Especially his face stung as if he had been doused with some chemical.

-Click!

"Siwoo! You're awake?"

Sharon, who had been opening the door while carrying a glass of water, hurried over as soon as she saw Siwoo half-sitting up.

Unlike her nearly dead appearance from before, she seemed to have recovered some stamina and looked lively, which was a relief.

"Let me see, are you okay? Anywhere that hurts especially?"

Sharon fidgeted anxiously, afraid to touch Siwoo lest she hurt him.

Worry had pooled into tears, glistening at the corners of her eyes.

"Yeah, are you okay?"

"Ugh... Sniff... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Siwoo responded awkwardly, a bit flustered by her intense reaction, while Sharon began to cry as if a dam had burst.

It was all because of her that Siwoo had gotten into a dispute with Della and ended up hurt.

Guilt and remorse pierced her heart, making her sob.

"Because of me... you got hurt too..."

"Hey, hey, why are you being so embarrassing? We help each other when things are tough."

"Sniff... Sob... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"It's really okay."

It really was okay.

No one had dragged him there against his will; it was Siwoo's own decision.

Moreover, it wasn't a crushing defeat; he had fought hard and achieved a victory full of accomplishment.

He understood her feelings, but he needed to explain.

"That Della, right?"

"Yeah... What did that bitch say to you? Besides getting hurt, nothing bad happened, right?"

"Ah, well... actually, I won."

"What?"

Sharon's eyes widened.

"I fought her with Magic and I won. I also got a promise that she won't harass you anymore."

For a while, Sharon stared at Siwoo with her mouth agape, then suddenly pulled him into a hug.

Siwoo was sitting, and Sharon was standing, so his entire face was buried in the softness of her chest.

The volume of her E-cup was truly something that could be felt even through her clothes.

"I know, yeah, yeah... I believe you."

"No, I'm telling the truth."

"Yeah, I really believe you."

For a long time, Sharon sobbed, holding Siwoo's face tightly against her chest, embracing him firmly.