City of Witches Chapter 201

As soon as Eloa subdued Sharon, she stepped on her wrist, making her drop her wand.

She then kicked the fallen wand, sending it flying far away.

Witches who use elemental system Magic generally cannot properly cast spells without a wand.

This knowledge came from the experience of subduing countless public enemies.

"My judgment is this. This man is somehow connected to Ea, and you are a wicked Exile who appeared to assist him. How about that?"

Sharon saw Eloa's sword, poised as if it would slice through Siwoo's neck at any moment.

Her mind went blank.

In such a defenseless state, a single slash of the sword could take his life.

There was no time to entertain the naive question, 'Would a duke like her kill an ordinary person without any certainty?'

Only one thought filled her mind: she had to stop this, she had to save Siwoo.

"No! No! Stop! Siwoo would never do anything bad... Ugh... Hic...!"

Eloa heavily pressed down on Sharon's neck as she struggled and screamed, her voice bordering on a shriek.

But to escape a situation where her vital point was seized, mere struggling was insufficient.

An overwhelming difference in strength or skill was needed, and Sharon was far too weak compared to Eloa.

Even trying to pry off a single finger with both hands was futile.

"Kgh... Keugh... Hic... Don't... Don't do it... Really, I told you... I won't just stand by...! Siwoo... almost died because of that Aquarius witch... How could he be an accomplice...?"

Sharon, with her neck pinned down like a puppy in obedience training, strained to speak with all her might.

But Eloa's expression remained impassive.

Such words alone could not shatter her suspicion.

"Almost died? Someone who almost died at Ea's hands can wield her Magic and handle my Apprentice Witch's Magic?"

"Absolutely, truly not..."

"Have you ever seen it with your own eyes? Or can you explain what happened at that time?"

As she said this, Eloa pressed the sword down even harder.

Seeing this, Sharon reacted almost convulsively, trying desperately to stop Eloa.

"Don't... Keugh...! Don't do it...! It's really not true, you've got it all wrong! Please... please don't kill him..."

Apart from the unnatural pain of her breathing, tears welled up at the thought that Siwoo might die right before her eyes.

Seeing Sharon's tears pouring down like a waterfall, the strength in Eloa's fingertips slackened slightly.

Genuine tears shed selflessly for another.

Transparent tears, unimaginable from an evil person, shook the heart that had been steeped in venom.

"Don't do it... You really must have misunderstood... Please... here, I'll give you this... Inside... 5.4 billion... It's all my assets... Please spare him... Please listen to me..."

Sharon removed the hand gripping her neck and frantically rummaged through her clothes, pulling out a card.

Wondering what it was, Eloa recognized it as something she knew well.

A Witch Bank card, used to claim large bounties from Witch Point.

It was the card containing the account information.

Sharon, her vision nearly blurred by tears, stumbled over her disjointed words.

"It's not... not much... but I'll give it all to you... Siwoo would never do anything bad... You, Duke... I thought you were a good person... but you're mistaken now... You'll regret it later..."

Sharon's actions now were not rational.

The mere fact that Siwoo was in mortal danger before her eyes had robbed her of proper thought.

She had forgotten all better persuasion and rational conversation, now speaking and acting on impulse.

She had reached the somewhat absurd conclusion that if she offered the most important thing in her life, perhaps he would be spared—a desperate act driven by the fervent hope that giving money might save Siwoo.

It was a foolish action.

The very idea that a century-old grudge could be halted by a few coins was not rational.

And that made it all the more disarming.

Could someone who, in such a state of panic, pleads desperately for a friend's life, truly be evil?

Could someone who, without calculation, throws everything away to save another's life, truly be evil?

In this situation, who is the evil one?

The grip Tiferet had on Sharon, immobilizing her, loosened subtly.

Everything was confusing.

"........"

"Tiferet!"

A sharp voice called Eloa.

It was a familiar voice.

The person who landed on the rooftop, black dress hem fluttering, was Deneb Zemernai, along with her Apprentice Witches.

"What are you doing!"

She raised her voice unusually loud and strode purposefully toward Eloa.

Her reproachful gaze was sharp and piercing.

Eloa did not back down as she replied.

"There was a suspicious person, and I was interrogating them. They are clearly connected to Ea Sadalmelik. They likely have some involvement in this incident."

"What on earth... Good heavens... What is this?"

Deneb knocked Eloa's sword aside and, as if inserting herself between them, lifted Siwoo, whose face had turned deathly pale, and held him in her arms.

Though there were no major visible wounds, a diagnostic spell revealed his internal state was a mess.

Simultaneously, she could tell these injuries were inflicted by Eloa's hand.

Deneb immediately began casting Recovery Magic and shouted.

"He is a guest of our family! Of course, he has nothing to do with this incident! And he's not the type to do such things!"

"I..."

As Eloa tried to part her lips with an uncertain voice.

"Assistant!"

"Assistant!"

The Twins, who had been clinging tightly behind Deneb, quickly jumped down and rushed to Siwoo.

"Master, is, is the Assistant dead? This time too... this time too..."

"Assistant, open your eyes! Assistant...!"

The Twins ran to Siwoo, shedding tears without a care for their clothes getting dirty.

Siwoo, unconscious and collapsed, blood, his pale face.

For the Twins, it was a scene that triggered trauma.

When they had reunited with Siwoo, who had faced Ea to evacuate them, he had been in a similar half-corpse state.

Deneb calmly soothed the Twins, who trembled as if the sky had fallen, filled with anxiety.

"It's okay, kids. Stay calm, it's not a serious problem.""Are you really alright? You're not lying just to reassure us, are you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Trust me."

Deneb focused on treatment first.

Examining the injury, it seemed Eloa's Foot Technique had struck true.

There was nothing to say except that it was a miracle he was alive.

Odil, who had been anxiously stroking Siwoo's cheek, glared sharply at Eloa.

"Did you do this to him?"

"Odil!"

Before Deneb could intervene, Odil strode purposefully toward Eloa.

Given the frequent interactions between Eloa and the Zemnarai family, Odil was also aware that Tiferet was a duke.

But once she realized Eloa was the one responsible for Siwoo's condition, she had no mind to consider rank or anything else.

"If anything happens to my assistant, I won't stand by! I'll make you pay in kind!"

Seeing Odil protest with tears welling up in her eyes and a fierce expression, Eloa froze in a daze.

That momentum and unbridled anger wasn't mere bravado because Deneb was present.

This Apprentice Witch would likely have reacted the same even if her master weren't nearby.

Eloa himself understood better than anyone the reaction of someone who had lost, or nearly lost, a precious person.

"The assistant is involved in this incident, right? Of course he is! He was stubbornly trying to handle it alone because he was worried about us being in danger!"

"........"

"He's involved with the Witch of Aquarius too! Back then, he almost died fighting that bad Witch to save us..."

"........"

"Who do you think you are, who do you think you are to torment my assistant... huh? Hic... Waaahhh..."

Finally, Odil plopped down on the spot and burst into sobbing tears.

Back then, she had been of no help at all.

And now, arriving late, she had to see Siwoo battered and bruised.

Helplessness, frustration, and resentment overflowed.

Watching Odil cry, Eloa let his sword hang limply, looking utterly lost.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a familiar ceiling.

"What the hell."

The plush bed and the blanket pulled up to his chest were familiar sensations.

Siwoo quickly tried to piece together his memories.

Three White Knights who had suddenly appeared, and a single Witch cutting them down.

That Witch had spouted some incomprehensible words and then suddenly thrust a punch into Siwoo's chest.

Recalling that Paul Phoenix's face had flickered through his mind like a panorama before he lost consciousness, his memories probably weren't distorted or anything.

But opening his eyes to find himself in bed... what kind of trouble was this?

"Assistant!"

"Oppa!"

"Gahk!"

The Twins suddenly appeared in Siwoo's bewildered field of vision.

Odil and Odette, who practically threw themselves at Siwoo, rubbing their cheeks against his like puppies greeting their owner.

Their smooth, soft cheeks rubbed against his, releasing a pleasant fragrance.

"Oppa?"

Meanwhile, Odil challenged Odette's sudden change in address, while Odette answered naturally.

"Yeah, I decided to call him Oppa."

"What? Why?"

"Actually, I went on a night walk with the assistant yesterday. When you were fast asleep, unnie. It was really nice?"

"Wha...?"

Odil's jaw dropped at this completely unnoticed fact, while Odette grinned as if she had landed a solid blow.

Siwoo immediately understood that hiding the form of address all day had been patience for this stinging counterattack.

Odil glanced sharply at Siwoo with gleaming eyes.

From behind, he heard Odette's innocent voice saying, "Unnie, you went out without me too~"

"Assistant, is it true?"

"Yes, yes, it's true, but first, could you tell me what happened and how things are?"

He had just noticed that the Twins were positioned on either side of the bed he was lying in.

Before any explanation, Odil and Odette suddenly grabbed one of Siwoo's cheeks each.

Just like how the Countesses of Zemnarai would scold the Twins.

And they started stretching them out, getting angry.

"Before that! Explain yourself!"

"That's right! Where does it say you can take everything on by yourself like that again!"

"What were we supposed to do if the assistant got seriously hurt again!"

"That was totally too much!"

"It hurts... let go please..."

It wasn't a joke; it hurt enough to bring a tear to his eye.

For a while, the Twins vehemently denounced Siwoo for fighting alone as he pleased, stretching his cheeks, and then they hugged him tightly.

Their touch was like caressing something precious.

"We'll get stronger from now on. Strong enough to protect the assistant."

"That's right, we'll get strong enough for the assistant to tremble within the folds of our skirts."

"I humbly request that you do."

To be worried about like this...

His heart swelled, yet it felt like being praised for something not that great, making him want to rub his nose.

"Anyway, about what happened..."

The situation, as explained alternately by the Twins, was as follows:

The one who attacked Siwoo was Duke Tiferet.

It seemed there was some misunderstanding, and he mistook Siwoo for Ea, or someone connected to her.

Sharon arrived first and bought time, and then Deneb stepped in to persuade him and correct the misunderstanding.

"I really yelled at him. I said if he troubles the assistant again, I'll teach him a lesson."

"You did, Odil? To Duke Tiferet?"

"Yeah! Even though I'd probably lose if we actually fought, maybe because of my charismatic speech? He couldn't even utter a peep!"

"...You cried and threw a tantrum though..."

"Odette, shut up!"

"Unnie, you stop lying!"

Odette, pouting and muttering, seemingly displeased that her sister was the only one who got to be active, and Odil, her face turning bright red, getting annoyed.

"So, where are those two now?"

"They both went to the Witch Point. They said this incident is too big, so they're busy with cleanup."

"What about Sharon?"

"Unnie is probably in her room now?"

"Oh, right! You should probably go see her. She wasn't seriously hurt, but she almost got injured."

"Huh?"

Siwoo sprang up from his spot and ran to Sharon's room.

Opening the door, he saw Sharon crouched in a corner of the bed.

Author's Note (Afterword)

200 Chapters Achieved

Thanks to each and every one of you readers pooling your strength, we've been able to come this far!

Thank you so, so much!

I'll save the long-winded stories for after it's finished.

I'll continue to work hard going forward!