City of Witches Chapter 20

There was one problem.

The villa that Amelia said her friend had lent them.

They had absolutely no idea where that villa was located.

Amelia, born into nobility, couldn't possibly be intimately familiar with the geography of Border Town, and even when Siwoo stopped passersby to ask, they only tilted their heads in confusion; not a single one could give an accurate location.

They had been wandering for almost over an hour, and it was incredibly nerve-wracking to see Amelia's expression gradually darken.

"Excuse me, where on earth is Cloud Mushroom Village 1-12?"

"Oh dear, a first-timer would never find that place. Listen carefully, young man."

After floundering for a long time, Siwoo asked the auntie who had been selling chicken skewers earlier.

The kind auntie not only gave detailed directions but also shared a story he wasn't particularly curious about.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it~ People from the same hometown should help each other out."

It was no wonder Siwoo and Amelia had wandered for so long.

The address Siwoo was looking for was originally a village where the Witches of the town used to live together, they said.

But that was a story from ten years ago.

Now, Cloud Mushroom Village had become a vast forest situated in the northern part of Border Town.

Apparently, a Witch made a mistake during an experiment, causing thousands of oak trees to grow in a rampage state and destroy all the houses?

For reference, it's said that after this incident, dubbed the 'Sprout Rebellion,' that Witch incurred an enormous debt and was driven out of Gehenna.

Siwoo relayed that information to Amelia as well.

"...So, they say that. Could your friend, the Associate Professor, perhaps be mistaken?"

"That shouldn't be the case. I heard it was built only three years ago."

"I see."

Well, meticulous Amelia wouldn't have failed to check something like that.

Having pinpointed the exact destination, they cut across the pier.

The pier, which had to supply materials from the modern world to Gehenna, had ships coming and going even at night without rest.

Night floodlights, the kind you'd see at construction sites, were placed here and there, brightly illuminating the dark harbor, and slaves were loading and unloading endless cargo while being beaten with whips.

An auction was taking place beneath a giant shark that looked like it had been hauled up from a fishing boat.

Smugglers busily counting dollar bills to exchange for gold ingots were also visible.

A sweat stench more pungent than the fishy smell of the sea, and the scent of opium and cigarettes wafting from all around.

If Siwoo hadn't become a city hall affiliate, he would have had to move luggage here without even a moment to soothe his bruises.

Thinking that sent a slight chill down his spine.

But Amelia didn't spare a single glance anywhere.

Even though all of this was an absurd system created by Witches, she simply rode along with it without any sense of guilt.

He already knew that.

But before feeling displeasure or contempt, he felt a slight disappointment.

"I, I can't do it..! I said I can't...!"

Just then, a slave at one part of the pier began to cause a disturbance.

A middle-aged man wearing only shorts worse than Siwoo's underwear threw down the load he was carrying and slumped to the ground.

Even half-naked in this cold weather, the hem of his waistband was caked with crumbly, dried salt from sweat.

"Has this bastard lost his mind? Get up right now!"

The burly slave overseer who had been wielding a whip at the slaves hurriedly ran over.

Since the commotion was blocking Amelia's path, the two came to a halt.

"Kill me! Fucking kill me! Just kill me! How am I supposed to work 16 hours a day!"

The middle-aged man, his eyes bloodshot in the whites, began to curse viciously, putting on a tough act even as he was struck by the whip.

The overseer, who had been swinging the whip for a while, spotted Amelia and his face flushed bright red.

Clearly, he felt ashamed that a slave under his management was causing a scene in front of a high-status Witch.

The mindset of Gehenna's citizens hadn't strayed far from feudalism.

-Swish

The overseer finally drew the curved sword he carried at his waist.

"I put up with this pig-like sluggard, but enough is enough!"

Spitting out thick phlegm, he was about to swing the sword at the middle-aged man's neck when

Amelia stepped forward.

"Stop."

"Witch! We must make an example of this scum!"

The middle-aged man was also fuming, seemingly unable to contain his anger.

Upon spotting Amelia, the middle-aged man began to shout.

"Is that the famous Witch? Gahk!"

"You bastard!"

The overseer kicked the middle-aged man in the head as he tried to speak disrespectfully to the Witch.

Because if the slave's remarks constituted Witch blasphemy, the overseer could also face repercussions from that point on.

As the overseer was about to stomp on the half-conscious middle-aged man, Amelia intervened again.

"I said stop."

"Yes, understood!"

The overseer reluctantly withdrew his hand.

Understanding the ecosystem of Gehenna, the overseer wasn't foolish enough to argue with a Witch's words.

The middle-aged man, having regained his senses, exploded with the pent-up resentment and rage.

"Why did you capture people living just fine and do this shit!"

Crawling on the ground, the middle-aged man glared at Amelia with hatred.

"You think you're so great? So fucking special! Then kill me, damn it! Kill me right now!"

As Amelia's eyebrow twitched, Siwoo hastily intervened.

He knew Amelia was a nasty Witch, but he didn't want to see her kill someone.

"Sir, calm down."

"And who the hell are you!"

Amid the paralyzed work of the slave yard, Siwoo felt the gazes pouring down on him.

Siwoo pushed past the overseer, tore off his own shirt, and used it to wipe the mud caked on the middle-aged man's face.

"Sir, you'll really die if you keep this up. Let's think rationally for a moment."

The overseer was bewildered by Siwoo's absurd action but couldn't stop him.

It was because of Amelia, who stood there silently, unmoving.

The middle-aged man sprang up and shoved Siwoo in the chest.

"Are you a collaborator? Seeing you stuck to that Witch says it all. Scum like you are the most disgusting. Do you know who made us like this? It's those fucking bitches! What's the difference between you and a pro-Japanese collaborator?"

Siwoo, spat on and pushed back.

Seeing that, Amelia frowned and stepped forward.

A scent of lilac wafted.

In a harbor where not a single flowering tree could be found except for the dried-up seaweed clinging to the pier,

A floral scent, as if entering a garden, began to spread.The stench of rotting fish, the pungent sweat of exploited slaves, the smell of mud mingled with the sea's briny odor—all were covered up as if they had never existed.

The lilac fragrance, so enchanting it seemed only possible in dreams, was anything but natural.

This was her innate magic.

The magic that earned Amelia Marigold the title "Witch of Perfume."

People turned and fled at the sudden anomaly.

Even the overseer threw down his sword and began running backward.

"If that is your wish, I shall grant it."

Just as Amelia's hand leisurely pointed toward the middle-aged man—

Siwoo abruptly grabbed her wrist.

"...Huh?"

Amelia, whose sky-blue eyes had been blazing with a sapphire reflection of magic power, trembled as if she had hiccupped.

A slave touching a Witch's body without permission.

This was a capital offense.

But the look of shock was fleeting.

Returning to her usual expressionless state, Amelia asked,

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you think this is the right thing to do, my lady?"

"I was publicly insulted by a slave. Since he seems to desire death himself, it is a fitting punishment."

Wrong.

Amelia was a pure-blooded Witch to her very bones.

Even if he tried to explain the absurdity of this system to her, there was no way she would truly listen.

"That's right, it is. But, Associate Professor Amelia."

Siwoo tightened his grip on Amelia's wrist.

So that she could never extend her arm.

Because he absolutely did not want to see her kill another person.

"If you kill that slave, I don't think I could ever forgive you, Professor."

It was a laughably absurd line to utter with such life-or-death resolve.

What slave would dare prattle about forgiving or not forgiving a Witch?

Siwoo was aware of that contradiction.

"......."

Amelia stared directly into Siwoo's eyes for a long while, and Siwoo met her gaze without looking away.

After a prolonged staring contest, the reflective light that had illuminated Amelia's jewel-like pupils faded.

She had withdrawn her magic power.

Instead of the sweet lilac fragrance that had filled their nostrils, the original smells of Border Town began to return.

Only then could Siwoo look around.

The people who had been screaming and fleeing moments ago were all frozen stiff.

As if they were collectively performing some sort of performance art.

Those people slowly began to move again.

"Wh-what was that?"

"What just happened?"

"I think I smelled a nice floral scent..."

People murmured as if their memories had briefly vanished.

Amelia walked past Siwoo and approached the overseer, who was hurriedly gathering the sword that had fallen to the ground.

"Who is in charge here?"

"Jack, the logistics and unloading supervisor for Dock 3!"

The overseer loudly introduced himself.

"Find out that slave's origin and reassign him to a suitable place. Judging by his state, he'll be dead within days if left here."

"Yes! Understood!"

The overseer answered with the vigor of a new recruit on high alert.

Compared to a slave openly insulting and cursing a Witch, it was an exceedingly lenient measure.

A moment later, the middle-aged man, who had been standing dazedly as if he'd forgotten he was angry, began shouting at the back of Amelia's head as she walked away.

"Why? I told you to kill him! Can't you do it, huh?"

Amelia did not look back.

As the overseer's voice muffled the man's shouts, and the yelling subsided, Siwoo slipped over to stand beside Amelia.

"Professor, thank you."

Siwoo was happy.

He didn't know why.

He even felt a sense of pride that Amelia wasn't a completely rotten, fundamentalist Witch after all.

"Don't misunderstand. I didn't change my decision because of the overseer's words."

Amelia, still as cold and biting as ever.

Right.

This aloof, prickly demeanor that kept her hands clean suited Amelia far better.

Just before stepping onto the oak forest path visible in the distance.

Amelia spoke as if reciting a poem.

"Live as a Witch, and live as a noble."

"Huh?"

"That was the last words my Master left me. She used to say it like a mantra."

Siwoo was stunned, almost to the point of fainting.

Because in five years, this was the first time he had heard Amelia speak about herself.

"I understand what it means to live as a Witch. I suppose it means to live as I do now."

Siwoo looked at Amelia's profile, more Witch-like than anyone's.

On her face, always so arrogant and cold, he thought he glimpsed a shadow of anguish for the first time.

"But I still don't quite understand what it means to live as a noble."

Amelia, who always looked like a pretty doll (albeit one cursed with a terrifying curse), seemed a little more human.

Siwoo said,

"Just now, you were more noble than anyone, Lady Amelia."

For a brief moment, Amelia's defenseless expression returned to its original state.

It was a stubborn change in expression, as if she believed she must.

"What would a manager know about such things?"

Amelia snapped back.

At her demeanor, Siwoo simply gave a faint smile.