City of Witches Chapter 180

Tall forests of skyscrapers streamed past the rattling bus window.

A cityscape where all sorts of corporate headquarters gathered—a sight one might consider the most quintessentially 'metropolitan.'

When she first saw this view, she had been astonished...

But after ten years of living in the Mortal Realm, she had grown numb to it.

Anyway, seeing Gwanghwamun meant the destination was near.

Sharon let out a deep sigh.

"Haaah..."

"What's with the sigh?"

Siwoo, sitting next to her, asked nonchalantly.

Even though that kind of thing had happened yesterday, the friendship the two had built seemed quite substantial.

Since they had shared breakfast together, the awkward atmosphere had flown away, and they had returned to their usual selves.

But Sharon felt inexplicably uncomfortable with his familiar attitude.

Because the very reason she was now troubled felt like a deception towards Siwoo, making her uneasy.

"It's nothing. I guess I'm still not over the fatigue."

"You said you're quitting your part-time job now, so why not take a break?"

"I will rest, but I feel I'm not quite prepared yet."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

The conversation, devoid of any particularly important content, ended, and Sharon sank back into thought.

Suddenly, the reason she had come with Siwoo was to exchange the crystals from the Homunculus they hunted yesterday.

Of course, Siwoo, who was neither a Witch nor could reveal his use of Magic, couldn't accompany her all the way to the Witch Point.

Therefore, it was agreed that Siwoo would wait nearby while Sharon went in alone to complete the exchange, and then they would go to a nearby pasta place.

The problem, as always, was Della.

Della had declared she would defeat Sharon and take over her hunting grounds.

Even though they had managed a decent haul yesterday because Della hadn't barged in, exchanging such a large quantity of crystals all at once might somehow reach Della's ears.

If that crazy bitch hears that rumor, how will she react...

No, even before that, what if they run into her by sheer bad luck before the exchange and have their entire haul snatched away, and so on.

Her mind was filled with all sorts of worries, and the stress made her feel like holes were being punched through her stomach.

It felt like it might turn into a sponge.

"Should I wait outside? How long will it take?"

"It shouldn't take long. Thirty minutes at most?"

"Then I'll wait at a café."

The two got off the bus side by side.

Sharon confirmed the café Siwoo entered and finally opened the leather pouch for a last check.

It was a family heirloom enchanted with spatial expansion and Lightweighting Magic.

Inside the deceptively wide and deep bag, crystals nearly filling a sack clinked and rattled.

With a pounding heart, Sharon headed towards the exchange office.

Anxious about possibly running into Della, she took the elevator straight to the exchange office.

Fortunately, there were no other Witches at the exchange counter.

"Welcome, Ms. Evergreen. It's been a while."

"I've had some business lately. I'd like to exchange all of these, please."

The Witch Point employee, dressed like a bank teller, greeted Evergreen with a professional, beaming smile.

And it didn't take long for that smile to slowly shift into astonishment.

-Clatterclatterclatterclatterclatterclatterclatterclatterclatter!

When Sharon turned the leather pouch upside down over the dish placed on the counter, crystals poured out endlessly, like a jackpot pachinko machine spewing balls.

The eyes of the receptionist, who had been wearing a gentle smile at the pile of crystals mounting on the dish, also wavered left and right.

"After verification... we'll exchange them for you right away."

Nevertheless, maintaining a steadfastly polite service attitude, the receptionist began weighing the crystals after several trips back and forth.

Sharon leaned against the wall, anxiously glancing at the entrance.

It was taking much longer than expected.

It seemed a lot of time was being spent not just weighing them but also verifying their authenticity to detect counterfeits.

Just as Sharon, unable to bear the anxiety, was about to subtly urge them on, the receptionist came out.

"The total weight is confirmed as 54 kilograms and an additional 552.2 grams. You've been working very hard."

"Y-yes, I have."

54.5 kg.

In monetary terms, 5.45 billion won.

Even hearing it again, it was an amount that made her jaw drop, and Sharon had to suppress the corners of her mouth that threatened to twitch upward in this tense situation.

But she realized something was odd.

She hadn't been handed the usual white envelope stuffed with cash that she always received during exchanges.

"Um, the money?"

"The amount of cash held by each Witch Point branch is limited. For exchange amounts over 100 million won, we deposit the funds into individual accounts."

"Individual... accounts? I don't have one..."

A forged identity was essential for banking.

But Sharon hadn't had the means to purchase a forged identity, so she didn't have an online account either.

Hadn't she even used the internet account Siwoo had linked for her to make payments on the online site yesterday?

Of course, she had filled her wallet with cash equivalent to the amount.

"Don't worry. When receiving exchange funds into an account, they are disbursed not through commercial banks but through the Witch Bank provided by our Witch Point."

"Witch Bank?"

What a lame name.

That's what Sharon thought.

But if she needed to create one to get the money, what choice did she have?

"Yes, if you haven't registered yet, could you fill out these forms? It will take about 10 minutes from account opening to deposit."

Seeing Sharon's troubled expression, the receptionist smoothly slid a catalog forward.

At the top of the paper was the seal of the Jemernai Count Family, chilling to the bone just to look at, next to it the thick pillar-shaped seal symbolizing Count Esod, and finally, the gold coin emblem symbolizing Gehenna's vault bank.

Sharon scribbled her signature roughly and handed the paper back.

The receptionist, returning to the computer station inside the counter, soon brought out a card and a piece of paper and began reciting the terms and conditions.

"Five billion, four hundred fifty-five million, two hundred thousand won from today's exchange has been deposited into Sharon Evergreen's account WB-3S7QG-1CP6P9R. This account is non-transferable, and we inform you that funds may be reclaimed without prior warning if used for purposes violating Gehenna civil law or if illegal income is generated."

"Isn't the account number a bit strange?"

Sharon, with a suspicious expression, scrutinized the paper with the account and personal information (very roughly) and the terms and conditions.

If it were just a small amount, she might have let it slide, but now that she had come into a fortune, the whole world felt like a pack of hyenas trying to snatch her money away."You should be able to conduct normal banking transactions by visiting a first-tier financial institution bank and presenting your card."

In truth, this procedure was more for surveillance than for the convenience of Witches.

It allowed tracking of fund flows between Exiles and Witches in the Mortal Realm, and to some extent, prevented 'public enemies' from disguising their identities and selling off decisions.

Even if capturing Homunculi and receiving bounties was an agreement between various national agencies and Witches, there was no need for the benefits to extend to public enemies who harmed the witch society as a whole.

After confirming the properly deposited amount, Sharon expressed her gratitude, inquired whether the fact that she had exchanged a large sum today could be kept from leaking out, and requested discretion.

The teller gave Sharon a slightly suspicious look for a moment but readily nodded.

While uncertain how reliable it was, it felt like a minimal safety measure had been put in place, which offered some small comfort.

Afterward, she stopped by the Witch Point information exchange to hand over the heart specimen acquired yesterday.

Now, based on the accumulated database from Witch Points worldwide, a preliminary analysis would be conducted, followed by a detailed analysis by Witches affiliated with Witch Point.

By the time she was told that any separately revealed information would be delivered later via letter, it had already been an hour since she parted with Siwoo.

Sharon hurried toward the café where Siwoo would be waiting.

"How should I manage this..."

If until now she had been scrambling to repay debts every quarter, now she had surplus funds.

Knowing that in a capitalist society, money begets money, she intended to try growing this seed money now that she had it.

"I hear Seoul land prices are skyrocketing lately. What do you think?"

On the street, walking leisurely after meeting up with Siwoo who was waiting at the café.

Siwoo suddenly interjected into Sharon's soliloquy as she was lost in thought.

"Real estate?"

"Yeah, I hear Seoul land prices are soaring to the sky lately. They'll probably keep rising for a while. With that amount of money, wouldn't you be able to buy at least one or two apartments?"

"How much are they rising?"

Siwoo fiddled with his smartphone for a moment, then showed Sharon an article.

"Good heavens... a 30% annual increase rate."

Given that Sharon had 5.4 billion won, that meant she could generate about 1.6 billion won in profit each year.

If she used the remaining money to create a fake identity and invest in real estate, she could consistently earn money at a much higher rate than the interest on borrowed funds.

She'd need to investigate various aspects to determine how stable it would be, but it's probably less risky than cryptocurrency.

Sharon felt overwhelmed with emotion.

Though many unresolved matters remained and undiscovered problems likely existed, she was happy in this moment.

Like finding a ray of light in impenetrable darkness.

Without realizing it, Sharon slipped her arm into Siwoo's as he walked with his hands in his pockets.

In truth, she was restraining her urge to hug him right then and there, limiting her emotional expression to this extent.

Siwoo was flustered by the sudden linking of arms and the pressure from the weighty baby bump pressing against him.

"Siwoo, should I do that thing for you again today...?"

"Hey, what are you saying out here?"

Her own method, learned yesterday, to please Siwoo.

At Sharon's sudden suggestion delivered in a suggestive voice, Siwoo flustered and fumbled, visibly panicked.

Sharon unconsciously suppressed a laugh.

He's cute.

Sharon had always thought that if she dated a man, it should be with a reliable, sturdy man like a green pine tree, but lately her thinking had shifted.

"Did I say something strange? I didn't even say what I'd do for you."

"Ah...."

While he readily offers immense goodwill, when it's his turn to receive kindness, he becomes burdened and embarrassed.

Despite being in a position where he could easily act entitled more than anyone, he never does, and he gets flustered even by small acts of affection and teasing.

Yet in crisis situations, he leads more splendidly than anyone, fighting with his life on the line.

Isn't this what makes a truly admirable man?

Sharon cupped her hands near Siwoo's stiffened ear and whispered.

"Just kidding, it's what I did for you with my chest yesterday."

"Be reasonable."

"Your face is red, Siwoo."

As Sharon giggled, Siwoo tried to shake off her arm as if angry, but didn't actually put any force into it.

Sharon already knew he was just pretending to be angry out of embarrassment.

"Are you sulking?"

"No, why would I?"

"Then you're not sulking?"

"That's what I said."

"But why do you look so displeased?"

"What's wrong with my expression?"

If written down, their conversation might not compare to a couple having a huge fight, but if filmed, anyone would immediately understand the situation.

"You look like you really want to see my chest quickly?"

"Let's wait until we get home."

"You're still considerate. You're not asking me to show you here."

Flush with the large sum of money, Sharon's tension was high as she kept teasing Siwoo, who defenselessly took it.

The two looked quite affectionate.

Later on, Siwoo wore a wry smile throughout, as if finding it absurd.

Then.

The laughter completely vanished from Sharon's face, which had been merrily teasing Siwoo for a while.

Instead, she turned deathly pale.

As they say, enemies meet on a narrow bridge.

Because as soon as they entered the alley near the pasta restaurant, she encountered the worst possible opponent.

Moreover, they faced each other head-on, unable to pretend not to notice or escape.

That Witch was the wicked Witch who had persistently tormented Sharon for a long time.

The bitch of all bitches, Della Redcliffe.

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

I think I'll take a day or two off soon!

I'm so sad I don't have time to read books

• Thank you Lego Slaughterer for 500 coins!

I was very worried since it's my first time writing a battle scene, but I'm glad it turned out okay ㅜㅜ

And please stop making Legos... but they're addictive ㅜㅜ

• Thank you Joyjang for your support!

• Thank you Winter Takoyaki for 777 coins!!

Many people are worried about Amelia... but I believe if I'm determined, she'll rise dramatically...

Whether that's true or self-confidence, the results will tell...

• Thank you Amelia's Mom for 100 coins!

Have a good training session!! But will we get to see Amelia smiling? Wait... isn't Amelia already smiling...?

• Thank you Playerd for your support!Since I get over a hundred comments a day... sometimes notifications disappear and I miss some of them ㅜㅜ

I just saw your review now—thank you! I’ll keep doing my best!

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You’re so consistent that I’d actually be sad if you suddenly disappeared ㅋㅋㅋ

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If you’re thinking of Witch City while reading this… you might get an internal injury…? I definitely plan to finish it!

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Hope to see you again next time!

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