City of Witches Chapter 22

Amelia, who had given Siwoo a stinging rebuke.

He repeatedly bowed his head and left the bathroom as if fleeing.

Watching his silhouette fade away through the translucent glass wall, Amelia finally let out a small sigh.

Relief that her clumsy, hasty excuse had succeeded.

And self-reproach for having lied just to barely avoid immediate trouble stabbed sharply at her chest.

Buried up to her nose in the tub full of bubbles, a memory from five years ago passed through Amelia's mind.

It was a very dull, boring, and utterly ordinary winter day's story.

"Amelia, aren't you bored?"

"What is it this time, Avene?"

"I just came because I was bored."

"You're a nuisance."

Amelia replied to Avene's crow, which visited the research building tirelessly.

A crow whose wingspan was almost as wide as a computer monitor.

The crow, nudged by Amelia's hand flicked dismissively, flapped its wings and perched on a stand.

She always came like this during research to cause disruptions.

"Why do you live so boringly, doing nothing but Magic Research for 20 hours a day? You're already two paths ahead of the previous generation."

"It's a legacy I inherited at the cost of my Master's life. I can't be idle for even a moment."

"Caw."

Hearing Amelia's words, the crow blinked its white nictitating membrane and tilted its head side to side a few times.

Certainly, Amelia's statement was emotionally different from what a typical Witch would understand.

Completing a Brand is a great undertaking that should take precedence over preserving the life of a single Witch.

It's supposed to be an inheritance for that purpose, yet she expressed it as the Brand having taken her Master's life.

Of course, she wasn't so careless as to voice that.

Sophia knew the relationship between Amelia and her Master.

It wasn't uncommon for a bond as sticky as that between parent and child to flow between an Apprentice Witch and her Master.

"But if you overwork your brain like that, you'll soon have to pass on the Brand, won't you?"

"If my capital runs out, I suppose I should."

"For someone like that, you haven't even taken on an Apprentice Witch."

"Because I can still do many things."

"Then is there a need to work this hard from now? Looking at you, you seem like a twilight witch about to pass her Brand to an Apprentice Witch."

Amelia sighed, looking at the crow cawing with its beak open, and put down her pen.

It seemed Sophia had no intention of leaving quietly today.

"What do you plan to bother me about today?"

"A new slave was assigned to the Academy, right?"

"So?"

"It's a man. Two of them, even."

It was a matter of no relevance or interest whatsoever.

Perhaps reading that expression, the crow spoke with an urgent look.

An urgent look on a crow—a somewhat amusing expression.

"Amelia, this is advice from the previous Avene... Want to hear it?"

"You'll whine beside me until I say I'll listen anyway, right? Go ahead."

Amelia and Sophia didn't get along well.

Sophia was a tank who would push relentlessly without batting an eye even at Amelia's sharp tongue used to prevent annoyance.

So, to avoid greater annoyance, she had no choice but to listen.

"Master said the stifling confinement of a study room is sediment that blocks the inspiration for creation. You've been stuck on the part you've been researching for a while now, haven't you?"

"......"

It would be visible to Sophia, who visited almost daily.

The fact that the draft Magic Circle Amelia was working on had been stuck in the same place for months.

Something crucial was missing.

It wasn't just a change in variables to plug in; it was a point requiring the invention of a new formula.

"See? Stuck in the same workshop all day, staring at the same scenery, doing the same things—that's why. Output is proportional to input. Isn't it okay to change the atmosphere sometimes?"

"You're changing the atmosphere every day."

Sophia continued her spiel as if not hearing Amelia's words.

"Never goes to the modern era~ never goes to salons except when buying magical items~ goes to the grand bathhouse but only bathes and comes back~ every day, it's research building, dorm, research building, dorm, research building, dorm.

How can you come up with new ideas like this! What you need at this point isn't clinging to the problem but new experiences, that's what I'm saying."

Sophia's method of enticing Amelia was quite clever and fitting.

If she said, "Let's hang out because it's fun," would Amelia, the shut-in Magic otaku, listen?

If Amelia weren't a Witch's Spirit Body, her butt would have flattened from sitting in the chair long ago.

So, she subtly mixed in advice that it was for Magic.

Indeed, Amelia, while pretending to let it go in one ear, couldn't bring herself to shoo away Sophia's crow.

"So?"

"Let's step onto the adult staircase today."

"New experiences don't necessarily have to be sexual intercourse, do they?"

It wasn't the first or second time she'd received such a proposal.

Unlike the orthodox Amelia, Sophia was a rather free-spirited Witch.

The reason Amelia despised Sophia at their first meeting was her eccentric habit of sleeping with anyone she fancied, regardless of gender.

Now, after many conversations, she judged Sophia wasn't a bad woman, but regardless, Sophia's attempts to involve Amelia in her hobby at every turn were endlessly annoying.

"No. Sexual intercourse is the process where a man and woman create a single life. Isn't that 'creation' itself?

Of course, even though we can't have babies because of the Brand, the act itself is the noble foundation that has created billions of lives over millions of years."

Around this point, she felt disillusioned, wondering why she had to listen to such nonsense seriously.

Amelia, who had been listening for once, turned her gaze away as if the steam had gone out.

"I've listened enough, so please leave now."

"Ah... Aah..."

Amelia picked up her pen again without listening.

From now on, she would probably ignore whatever Sophia said and scribble meaningless calculations.

Seeing the big fish that had finally taken the bait escape, Sophia decided to use another approach.

If Sophia's first approach was 'link it to Magic,'

the second was 'gently scratch her pride.'

"Tsk, can't be helped. I thought you could have a bit more pride in your looks."

"........""You are beautiful and charming enough. Even if your body isn't as feminine as mine, there probably aren't many men who could remain indifferent upon seeing you."

"........."

"It's understandable if you feel awkward or scared, since you've hardly even had conversations with men, let alone been in love. But the first experience of anything is always difficult."

"........"

Sophia began to slyly needle Amelia, who was completely ignoring her.

She arbitrarily interpreted Amelia's reason for not meeting men as 'lack of confidence in her own appearance' and 'being too timid.'

As expected, it was effective.

Amelia's eyebrows were twitching in real-time, after all.

The important thing is balance.

It was best to stimulate her competitive spirit just enough, without overly provoking the pride of Amelia, who was as stubborn as the previous Marigold.

"You have a subtly childish side, you know. Surprisingly, emphasizing that point could make you loved by men. Even I, a woman, find you cute."

If she slipped in the keyword 'childish side' here, Amelia would take the bait.

So easy to handle.

Amelia threw her quill pen onto the desk again and glared.

It seemed like a threat in her own way, but it was just cute.

"Who's childish?"

"Ah! Sorry. If I hurt your feelings, I apologize."

"What I learned from my Master wasn't just Magic. The demeanor a lady must possess, the etiquette as a noble.

All of this has a depth that Avene possesses, which cannot be compared to pseudo-nobles like you."

Amelia declared solemnly.

The crow, fluttering down from the stand, rubbed its cheek against the back of Amelia's hand, expressing its apology.

"Sorry, don't be angry. As a friend, I just thought it would be good for you to have more experiences. I'd also like to see an Amelia who's more mature than she is now."

"Hoo..."

Amelia sighed and rose from her seat.

Sophia's crow, brimming with excitement, cawed loudly and circled above Amelia's head.

"I'll make you realize you were mistaken. So please don't bother me like this again."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

To Sophia, who was feigning ignorance and acting innocent, Amelia said one thing.

"Do you really think I'd fall for the same trick over and over, day after day? I know you were deliberately trying to make me angry."

Though it seemed like she got pretty angry regardless...

Sophia kept that thought carefully tucked away.

"I cannot agree that a vulgar act pursued only for pleasure is the inspiration for creation. I have no intention of doing such a thing, either.

The only reason I stood up was to prove that what you said was wrong."

"What did I say again...?"

"The part about me lacking confidence and being afraid of conversations with men because of it. That's wrong. I simply didn't do it because I felt no need for it."

After all, men are inferior beings incapable of using profound Magic.

"Please guide me to where the slaves are."

Amelia untied her hair with a shwalruk sound and began walking with confident steps.

"But isn't seducing a slave too unfair? How could a slave refuse a Witch's command?"

"If it's you, you'd be able to tell just from their reaction whether they're coming reluctantly or not."

Guided by the crow, Amelia moved her steps from the brightly lit corridor to the dimly lit library.

She had received guidance that one of the slaves first assigned two days ago was here.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw the figure of a slave in the midst of organizing the library.

That slave would serve as administrative staff at Trinity Academy for the next six years as a slave belonging to the city hall.

Incidentally, he would occasionally be used as an assistant, but that wasn't a particularly important issue.

Seeing him still working well past his duty hours, it seemed he hadn't properly adapted yet.

Or perhaps he was just a bit of a scatterbrained man.

"Manager Shin Siwoo."

"Yes, Witch!"

-Crash Bang

Along with a spirited reply, the slave tumbled down from the ladder.

Rising from the cloud of dust, he ran over with a stiff expression and stood at attention before Amelia.

If she showed she could seduce a man with just a few words, even Sophia perched on her shoulder would be convinced and leave.

Then, for a while, she could immerse herself in her research without any interference.

Honestly, seeing his half-dazed face staring at her, it seemed like such a Verification Trial might not even be necessary.

"Come to my quarters after your duties are over."

Wasn't he already completely smitten?

Well, Amelia had never felt dissatisfied with her appearance.

Her smooth golden hair, as if spun from gleaming gold ingots, and her eyes, like captured pieces of the blue sky.

She had always been praised by her Master, told they were all very beautiful.

Was that all?

The grace and etiquette ingrained in her body through long education.

Even the charisma a Witch ought to possess.

She was confident she possessed a charm incomparable to a half-baked Witch like Sophia.

"Then I'll take it as such..."

Judging by that reaction, the answer was a foregone conclusion.

She planned to turn her back and walk to her quarters just like this.

This scatterbrained man would come to her quarters harboring all sorts of lewd imaginings, but in reality, he wouldn't be able to do anything.

She wasn't a wanton woman who would mingle bodies with a man she just met, and his purpose was simply to prove her charm to Sophia.

"I'm sorry!"

And then, the man's words, coming entirely unexpectedly.

He bowed his head almost to the floor and shouted his apology.

"Caw! Caw! Caw!"

At this unforeseen situation, the crow on Amelia's shoulder flapped its wings wildly and burst into raucous laughter.

A face flushed bright red.

Amelia, who had never imagined she could be rejected by a slave, felt her mind go blank.