City of Witches Chapter 202

Sharon was huddled in the corner.

That sight reminded Siwoo of Sharon on the day she had been kicked out of her attic room and came looking for him.

No, she looked much gloomier than that.

Even her once flowing hair looked dry and brittle, as if it had withered.

"...Siwoo..."

Sharon called his name in a cracking voice.

It was so pitifully weak.

"I heard you almost got hurt because of me... Are you okay?"

It had been a really long time since Siwoo had seen Sharon so drained of energy.

Sharon had her slightly eccentric side, but living robustly and energetically seemed like her life's motto.

To comfort her, he quietly sat on the edge of the bed.

Sharon shook her head vigorously.

"I'm fine, I wasn't even hurt... But... but..."

Stammering a couple of times, Sharon seemed to recall the shocking scene from earlier and began to tremble violently.

With a voice and gestures shaking like a hypothermia patient, she tightly grabbed Siwoo's hand.

"I... I... thought something bad had happened to you... I thought you were dying... hic... hic..."

As sobs welled up, soon reaching a level of near-wailing, Sharon clumsily crawled into Siwoo's arms and clung to him.

The refreshing scent wafting from her whole body and the soft feel of her body.

Embracing Sharon's head, which shook as if her shoulders would break, he patted her back.

"It was so, so, so scary... I was so scared... Waaah...!"

"It's okay, why are you crying over something like this. It's okay. I'm perfectly fine too."

"I couldn't do anything... I couldn't do anything at all...!"

Relief and helplessness, the terror and despair of that moment all fed back at once, and Sharon clung to Siwoo so tightly he could barely hold her.

Relief washed over her simply from having Siwoo, whom she feared she might have lost forever, in her arms.

The memory of her own helplessness, unable to do anything in the moment he almost died, surfaced.

Faced with that complex emotion, Siwoo also felt a lump form in his throat.

It was a mix of anger towards Duke Tiferet, who had made Sharon cry like this, and gratitude towards Sharon, who had worried about him so much.

"Look here, I'm fine. My injuries seem all healed too, calm down, Sharon."

"Okay... okay, I'll calm down... okay..."

Meanwhile, the Twins, who had followed Siwoo and were watching the scene from behind.

"........."

"........."

Odil poked Odette's side a few times, then grabbed her wrist and quietly closed the bedroom door.

Odette, feeling like she should be quiet for some reason, stayed still and well-behaved before finally opening her mouth.

"Why, unnie?"

"Let's just give them space. She's crying right now."

"I want to hug Assistant-nim too..."

"You hugged him yesterday too, you said!"

"As I said earlier, unnie was the one who betrayed me first, right?"

The Twins plopped down on the living room sofa.

It had been a day with so many events.

In fact, even now, thinking of Siwoo lying on the rooftop as if dead made their hearts drop.

Because it was an experience that perfectly recreated the events of when the Aquarius Witch attacked Gehenna.

"Anyway... but it seems that unnie over there needs Assistant-nim more right now. We're mature, after all."

"Something feels off. I'm upset."

"Me too. But what can we do? She's someone who helped Assistant-nim while he was in the Mortal Realm and will help him."

They had heard from Master about the state Siwoo was in when he came to the Mortal Realm.

A lonely state where his connections had vanished, unable to form normal human relationships.

Moreover, it was said to be a precarious state where Homunculi and Exiles could potentially target Siwoo.

So, when they first saw Sharon, they felt betrayed and angry towards Siwoo, but they also felt gratitude.

Because when they saw her, eyes wild, rushing over as soon as she heard the news that Siwoo was left alone on the battlefield, they became convinced she was someone who had been by his side so he wouldn't be lonely.

"This is what they call the magnanimity of an adult."

"Hng..."

"Shall we try on the new pajamas we bought?"

"Okay, unnie."

While Siwoo was calming Sharon down, the Twins changed clothes, sat on the sofa, and chatted quietly.

The Gwanghwamun branch of Witch Point was incredibly busy.

To the extent that there had never been so much work since the founding of the Gwanghwamun branch.

A mobilization notice with a hefty reward had been issued not only to Witches affiliated with Witch Point but also to ordinary Exiles.

"It's a real mess..."

Branch Chief Sua sighed, pressing her temples firmly.

Because she had just spent what felt like a year's worth of mental energy responding to and giving instructions for the flood of protests that had been coming in non-stop over the hotline.

In just today, and in a state without the Hidden Boundary, there were approximately 3,000 casualties.

The survivors whose memories needed to be manipulated numbered more than five times that.

Through the South Korean government, they issued press controls and temporarily isolated witnesses, including military and police personnel who were in the area.

Unlike in the old days when rumors spread by word of mouth, in the modern era, things spread like wildfire through data and networks, so they had to be handled even more swiftly.

A total of ten Witches were running around for memory erasure and manipulation through mass hypnosis, and they had also requested assistance from other Witch Point branches.

It felt like trying to put out a massive wildfire with just buckets.

Still, to conclude, they barely managed not to cross the deadline.

It was a Miracle made possible by responding swiftly immediately after the incident occurred and combining nationwide administrative power with Magic.

The accident at the COEX Mall would be concluded as an accident caused by a gas leak.

In this case, the architects or the company that owned the building would take the blame, but there was no other choice.

Not only the Korean government but also the leaders of powerful nations like the US, China, and Japan were averse to the existence of Witches becoming known to the public.

Meaning, there was no chance the truth would be revealed through foreign media.

Of course, perfectly controlling all data and information was nearly impossible.

Given the numerous suspicious aspects, many would harbor doubts.

Some people would surely try to reveal the truth.

But the scientism born from the development of science conveniently worked in this regard.

People would trust the officially released data from the government and credible foreign articles more than eyewitness accounts of monsters appearing and chewing people up.

Furthermore, as time passed, interest in the incident itself would fade.Any voices that emerge later will be dismissed as mere conspiracy theories and lose their power.

In reality, quite a number of major historical calamities were caused by Homunculi or public enemies, but through appropriate scripts and responses, the existence of Witches remained unknown.

"Countess Deneb, Branch Chief Sua here."

[Yes, go ahead.]

Despite the occurrence of an atrocious incident, there was a silver lining amidst the misfortune.

Countess Deneb, who excels in large-scale mental manipulation, happened to be staying in Korea on business.

Her innate magic could affect thousands, even tens of thousands, of humans without magic resistance simultaneously.

"What is the current progress status?"

[The healing of all survivors inside the building is complete, and we are currently treating the injured. Let's see... We'll likely need about 12 more hours.]

"I express my deepest gratitude for your assistance."

[That's enough for now. Let's discuss this matter further at a later date.]

Sua ended the communication and contacted Duke Tiferet.

The second stroke of luck was that Eloa, who had been tracking the Enemy Knight, was also staying in Korea.

Despite temporarily losing her sight due to the price of the contract immediately after the incident, she searched for the mastermind behind this event and prevented further accidents.

"Your Grace, can you hear me?"

[....I'm listening.]

"Perhaps you should consider taking some rest?"

However, the fact that Eloa, with her tracking skills born of long experience, had yet to find anything indicated that the mastermind had already vanished without a trace some time ago and that there was no continuous threat.

Sua, well aware that Eloa was in a difficult position in many ways, repeatedly urged her to rest, but the response remained the same.

[I'll keep searching as much as I can.]

"Yes, as you wish, Your Grace..."

The communication cut off along with a blunt, weary voice.

Eloa was blankly surveying her surroundings.

Just a hundred years ago, this eastern countryside had nothing but mountains and fields, yet now it had prospered to this extent.

Dozens of skyscrapers that seemed to claw at the sky overlooked the land, and ten million humans lived within the city's complex, spiderweb-like streets.

But she had neither the leisure for newfound sentimentality nor the energy to desperately search for the mastermind.

She was merely going through the motions, mimicking familiar actions as if on autopilot to conceal her true feelings.

".........."

She thought she had found Ea Sadalmelik.

The circumstances were such that anyone would inevitably harbor suspicion.

To be more precise, she had not yet resolved her doubts about the man still called Siwoo.

However.

Even though the purpose of her crumbling life had reappeared before her eyes, she felt a surprising lack of any motivation.

Through the chipped gaps in her heart, sharp, myriad voices rang in her ears.

[How much... it's not much, but I'll give you everything... Siwoo would never do anything bad... I thought... the Duke was... a good person too... You're mistaken now... You'll regret it later...]

The green-haired Exile who tried to save him by offering up all her wealth.

[He is a guest of our family! He naturally has nothing to do with this incident! And he's not the kind of person to do such a thing!]

Deneb, who rarely lost her temper, raising her voice at Eloa.

[Did you make him like this?]

An Apprentice Witch who reproached Eloa with eyes filled with anger.

Even the reflection of herself she saw in those pupils was vivid.

Eloa could not deny that the person who seemed to overlap with that Apprentice Witch in that moment was Raphi.

Here stood a villain who had nearly taken someone's precious person away.

"I... I am...."

Eloa sank to the ground where she stood and hugged herself.

She had believed she was doing the right thing.

In this chaotic world, in places unseen, for those losing their precious ones, she thought she should at least lend a hand herself.

But now, she couldn't tell what was what anymore.

The boundaries blurred.

Right and wrong.

What must be done and what must not be done.

Justice and revenge.

Victim and perpetrator.

Insight and obstinacy.

Altruism and selfishness.

All of it tangled together and surged back up over her heart like vomit.

It felt like she would collapse.

She wanted to run away from everything like this.

There was no need to pass on the Brand.

Eloa's Apprentice Witch was only Raphi Tiferet.

'Tiperet' ends here.

"No."

Eloa slowly rose to her feet.

Mending her heart, which felt like it would shatter, piece by piece, she forcibly bolstered her will.

It was as futile a task as tying a string to a corpse.

There was still unfinished business.

It wasn't too late to end things after confirming everything.

Hadn't all doubts been resolved yet?

Find that man.

Eloa launched herself into Seoul's night sky.

To find the clue that would wrap everything up.

Was the crookedly tilted moon crying coldly?

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

Lately, I haven't been able to update continuously.

I have some work matters from mid-May, so I'll likely be a bit busy until June 12th-13th ㅜㅜ

After that, I'll update frequently again like before!

Thanks to Supporters

• Thank you, Swik-nim, for 100 coins!

About completion... I honestly don't know either. Actually, my previous work also started with a planned completion at 200 chapters but went up to 400, so I can't give a definite answer!

Thank you Jamionda-nim for 1000 coins!

You threw it and left without saying a word ㄷㄷ I'll try to reinvest it frugally!

• Thank you December for your support!

Actually, lately I've been feeling a bit insecure about my writing, so I'm glad you're enjoying it like this ㅜㅜ

• Thank you Corn Shedding Person for your 100 coin support!

I'll strive to write more interesting stories in the future!!!

• Thank you Shin Saimdang for 200 coins!

The Twins will, of course, continue to appear steadily!

• Thank you nameless_861 for your support!

• Thank you Soliswwori-nim for your support!

Thanks to the readers' love, I've been able to sail smoothly to 200 chapters!

Thank you Nickname for your consistent support!

But sometimes I wonder if choosing a 'true wife' in my work has any meaning ㅋㅋ

Thank you, Jeongsil, the K-clan Tsundere, for your support!

Amelia con! I'm also satisfied that she came out pretty ㅎㅎ

• Thank you ._809 for your support!!

Chu!!

• Thank you Amelpipyejoa-nim for 70 coins!!!

I'll keep the change safe!! ㅋㅋ

• Thank you Primitive for your support!

Amelia is a cheetah.... right...?

Thank you Director Jo-i for your support!

• Thank you Normal Vector for 50 coins!

Amelia's appearance might still be a little further behind, don't you think...?To the user requesting consecutive posts, thank you for your support!

As I mentioned above, it seems like it'll be that way for a while ㅜㅜ I'm upset about it too.