City of Witches Chapter 17

We walked along the zigzagging path carved into the cliff face.

Ahead, I could see Amelia's rounded back of the head.

The sweet, fragrant perfume scent filling the umbrella mingled with her body scent, tickling my chest.

As Witches tend to prefer conservatism, Gehenna thoroughly exudes a medieval feel, but Border Town's situation is a bit different.

It's a place where modern goods smuggled in pour in, and with travel to other towns cut off, it's full of items you'd normally only see in the modern world.

Just looking at the laborers hauling cargo at the pier, they were wearing denim jeans with suspenders, and the roof of a small street vendor selling chicken skewers in a corner of the market was a blue corrugated panel you'd find in a factory.

Speaking of chicken skewers...

Chicken skewers were one of Siwoo's favorite foods.

He especially liked Japanese-style yakitori, where the chicken is skewered with leeks and grilled over charcoal.

But he couldn't just go buy some while attending to Amelia, so Siwoo had to be satisfied with just the smell.

To that Siwoo, Amelia spoke.

"Manager."

"Yes?"

"Go buy two."

"Really?"

"Yes."

He wondered if it was okay for someone his age to get this excited about food, but he couldn't help it.

If you live a life eating nothing but un-food-like things all day, even the most refined person would start crying and laughing over a single piece of meat.

Taking the pennies from her, he ran to the vendor.

"Two, please."

"Sure~"

The auntie with a beaming, friendly face placed the skewers on the pebbles heated by charcoal.

With a sizzling sound like boiling water, the chicken began to cook to a golden brown.

A delicious aroma wafted gently.

"Haven't seen your face before. Where are you from?"

"Huh?"

Come to think of it, he was an East Asian, a rare sight in Gehenna.

Distracted by the chicken skewers, he hadn't noticed, but she was probably Korean.

"Ah, Korea."

"Oh my, really? I had a feeling. A slave?"

"For now, yes."

Overjoyed at meeting a fellow countrywoman, the auntie's eyes shone with delight.

"Are you serving the Witch lady over there?"

"Similar, but not directly. I'm under the city hall's jurisdiction."

"I see~ Still, being under the city hall is something. I hear slaves sent to the labor camps have it really tough."

"Ahaha..."

"Since I met someone from home, I'm in a good mood. I'll give you one more."

"Thank you."

After the rather trivial conversation, Siwoo returned to Amelia, hearing the auntie's well-wishes to take care of his health.

"Associate Professor, thank you."

"Why are there three?"

Amelia, who had been holding the umbrella alone all this time, accepted the chicken skewers.

"Turns out she's from the same hometown, so she gave me an extra one."

"....We can't just stand and eat in the middle of the street. Let's go over there."

Where she pointed with an outstretched hand was a building with a long, overhanging eaves providing shelter from the rain.

Folding the umbrella, they leaned against the wall side by side.

Siwoo confirmed Amelia taking a bite of her skewer before putting the meat, dripping with sauce, into his own mouth.

The juices and oil soaked beneath the chicken skin, along with the sweet-salty soy-based sauce, danced with the fragrant charcoal aroma.

For Siwoo, who hadn't eaten anything since morning, it was a heavenly food.

"Manager."

"Yes?"

"Do you miss your hometown?"

Amelia, who had been quietly chewing the meat, suddenly opened her mouth.

Lately, he felt like he was hearing a lot of these trivial questions.

Had there been some change in her feelings?

Or maybe, as Takasho said, this was Amelia's own way of approaching him.

"It would be a lie to say no."

Siwoo said while stuffing the well-cooked leek into his mouth.

Gehenna is structured to exploit everyone who isn't a Witch for the sake of Witches.

It's not overt oppression, but it's clear in how it strips away individual freedom.

"I suppose so."

It was strange how she suddenly started talking lately, but what came after was strange too.

A conversation should be a back-and-forth, but Amelia would throw out a few words and then firmly close her mouth.

"........"

".......munch munch."

Even if it's considered fairly large, it's still just a chicken skewer.

Even if Siwoo devoured two, it would barely register in his stomach.

"Hey..."

-CRASH!

The moment Siwoo finished his skewer and Amelia was about to speak again.

Perhaps because rainwater had accumulated too heavily?

The eaves they were both sheltering under collapsed.

In an instant, with no time to react.

Amelia's face, startled with her mouth and eyes wide open in circles, appeared in slow motion.

Siwoo reflexively stretched out his arm to cover Amelia's head.

The falling debris hit his back, head, and arm.

Should he say his body moved before his mind?

The moment he sensed danger, Siwoo had shielded Amelia.

The water pooled on the eaves poured down with the debris, soaking their clothes completely.

It felt like a rotten piece of wood had landed squarely on the crown of his head.

It hurt and made him so dizzy Siwoo felt tears welling up.

"...Ah."

At the sound of Amelia cutely gasping, Siwoo opened his eyes.

The situation when Siwoo fought off the dizziness and regained his senses.

Siwoo, with both arms stretched out beside Amelia's head as if doing a wall push-up.

Amelia was tucked right under his shadow.

In the midst of it all, remembering he shouldn't touch a Witch carelessly, a wry smile came at the instinctive avoidance of direct contact with her.

"....Uh."

"........"

That aside, their faces were too close.

If Siwoo stuck his tongue out as far as he could, he could lick her rounded forehead.

Her mouth was closed, but Amelia's eyes were still wide open, her eyelashes trembling faintly.

He could even see her lips clearly as she breathed shallowly.

The situation, the composition—it was a scene straight out of a cliché romantic comedy.

Both Siwoo and Amelia were frozen stiff, but Amelia was the first to speak.

"Manager, you're too close."

"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to, no, I wasn't about to do anything weird like this..."

Stammering, Siwoo quickly leaned his upper body back and swallowed again.

Siwoo could block the falling wood pieces, but it was impossible to stop all the pooled water as well.

So, Amelia's clothes were soaked through as if a bucket of water had been poured on her.

"Um..."

To make matters worse, Amelia's dress today was very thin and light in color.

With the rainwater poured over it, the fabric clung tightly to her body, revealing subtle curves.

And the bra visible through the now semi-transparent dress.A black bra that barely covered her chest—just the right size to be cupped in one hand—was clearly visible as if she were wearing something sheer.

"......?"

Seeing Siwoo suddenly turn around, Amelia slowly examined her own appearance.

Then she froze solid, like a computer that had crashed.

"Manager."

At her call, Siwoo hesitantly turned back.

Truly, Amelia.

Even in this state, she didn’t so much as blink.

Or so it seemed for a fleeting moment.

Upon closer look, her lips were trembling slightly.

And her usually pale cheeks were tinged with a rosy flush.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

Amelia subtly raised an arm to cover herself while inquiring about Siwoo’s well-being.

Amelia, who usually acted so disagreeably, worrying about the condition of a mere slave?

Perhaps because servility had seeped into my bones, even such a sensible action felt touching.

"Ah, yes. I’m fine."

"Then, that’s settled. I’ll overlook today’s mistake as if it never happened."

If this were a rom-com setting, we’d have headed straight to a motel under the pretext of drying clothes and washing off the rain.

We might have created a fresh or awkwardly intimate scene, but unfortunately, this was Gehenna, the city of Witches.

-Snap!

The moment Amelia flicked her fingers, all the rainwater on Siwoo and Amelia’s bodies evaporated cleanly.

Even Amelia’s dress, which had been embarrassingly revealing up close, became fluffy and soft as if just taken out of a dryer.

The earthy smell from the stagnant rainwater vanished, replaced by a faint hint of mint wafting around.

"Let’s go now."

Amelia began walking with a dignified gait, as if nothing had happened.

Each step was elegant, as if walking a runway.

"Um, Associate Professor."

"It’s fine. It was just clothes getting slightly see-through from being wet in the rain. I won’t make an issue of anything else unsightly."

Her unusually quick tone proved she was feeling a bit embarrassed.

But that wasn’t the important part.

"Yes, I’m truly grateful for that. But..."

"Then what’s the problem?"

"The Blue Serpent drop point is in the opposite direction."

"......."

Amelia, as haughty and aloof as ever, lifted her chin.

She spoke calmly, as if she had known all along.

"I am Amelia Marigold. Do you think I wouldn’t know such a simple fact? I just wanted to look around the pier a little more."

Though trying to act as nonchalant as possible, Amelia seemed quite embarrassed nonetheless.

It was my first time seeing her flustered, which felt quite fresh, and above all,

She looked a little cute.

I never imagined I’d feel this way about that Amelia.

I didn’t regret at all having thrown myself to intercept the debris falling toward her head earlier.

"My apologies for the unnecessary remark. I will assist you."

Siwoo opened the umbrella and stood side by side with Amelia.

As an awkward silence flowed between them, the earlier scene involuntarily came to mind.

It was quite unexpected.

Who would have thought Amelia was the type to wear such provocative underwear?

That bra, barely covering half her chest, kept coming to mind.

A drop point referred to a wholesale and retail shop where smugglers sold goods airlifted from the modern era.

Some drop points dealt only with slaves like Siwoo who had been kidnapped, while others handled only grains.

Among them, the Blue Serpent drop point was a place that sold

high-end goods meant to be sold to Witches.

Incidentally, it was also run by a very charismatic and sexy older sister.

"Welcome."

The narrow drop point was crammed with goods still in their boxes.

High-quality furs and taxidermy for decoration caught the eye first, with various pieces of furniture displayed wrapped in plastic.

They were items that looked far too expensive to be illuminated by an old, rusty oil lamp.

"Long time no see."

"I haven’t been here many times. You remember me."

"I never forget cute guys."

The proprietress, sitting at the counter puffing on an e-cigarette, gave Siwoo a light wink.

Adidas training wear.

It was clothes often worn in the modern era, so it felt nostalgic.

Only after exchanging greetings with Siwoo did the proprietress address Amelia.

"What brings a noble Witch to such a humble place?"

To act this nonchalantly knowing the person before you is a Witch means one of two things:

Either you’re a fool, or you have tremendous nerve.

This older sister probably belonged to the latter.

Meanwhile, Amelia, who for some reason seemed displeased, glanced alternately at Siwoo and the proprietress.

"Manager, as thanks for earlier. Pick out whatever you want."

"Thank you!"

Asking if she really meant it was pointless.

Having done a good deed for once, it was important to reap the benefits before Amelia changed her mind.

And so, Amelia and Siwoo’s shopping began.

A Word from the Author (Author’s Note)

Please understand if the pacing feels a bit slow

I think build-up is important lol