City of Witches Chapter 23

Amelia trudged back to her quarters.

Sophia, who had been cawing raucously the entire way from the library, followed her inside.

Normally, Amelia would have found the noise irritating and sealed her mouth with magic, but she currently lacked the energy for such things.

What?

Why?

How come?

These three questions alone swirled violently in her mind, appearing and disappearing in a fierce rotation.

Amelia headed straight for the bathroom, turned on the showerhead conjured by magic, and doused her head with water.

Sophia's crow used its beak to fill the sink with water, then flapped its wings, enjoying a bath.

"Amelia, are you angry?"

Amelia did not yet know men.

She had never even thought about wanting to have sexual relations.

After all, Amelia didn't really understand what sexual desire even was.

She had no intention of doing anything strange by summoning the slave to her quarters.

Still, having called him over at such a late hour, she had thought she would at least offer him some tea and teach him some life lessons on how to survive from now on.

But to think he wouldn't even respond to the invitation...

Amelia was a Witch, and the man was a slave.

Despite this vast gap in social status, had she failed to seduce him?

"I'm not angry."

"You sound incredibly angry."

"Avene, I'm really not angry. And how long do you plan to stay here anyway?"

"Alright, alright. I'll wash up a bit and go. You know crows like to be clean, right?"

Seeing the crow splashing about nonchalantly only fueled Amelia's rising anger.

It particularly infuriated her that the one who had witnessed her earlier disgrace happened to be Sophia.

Sophia, in an attempt to console her, spouted nonsense.

"Maybe he was just too intimidated by your beauty?"

"Could you please just shut up?"

"Okay."

Seeing Sophia puckering her lips shut in an annoying manner made Amelia tremble with rage.

If only Sophia hadn't come to the research building and pestered her, she wouldn't have had to go through this, right?

Amelia clenched her fists tightly.

She felt like strangling that crow, but such undignified behavior was beneath her.

"Why..."

Amelia bit the inside of her lip, seeming confused.

The crow, which had been splashing around for a while, gazed steadily at Amelia.

Sophia had become a Witch about twenty years before Amelia.

The previous generation of the Avene and Merigold families were close friends, and Sophia, having inherited the Witch's Brand, rapidly absorbed her predecessor's knowledge. She had even taught various forms of Magic to Amelia when she was just a little Apprentice Witch.

Because they were entangled in so many matters together, Amelia was like a younger sister to Sophia.

Although Amelia herself vehemently rejected such treatment.

Amelia, who devoted herself to Magic Research as if her life depended on it every single day, taking no interest in any other pleasures.

Sophia's various suggestions for mischief stemmed from a genuine desire to show Amelia joys beyond Magic.

"Ugh..."

Seeing Amelia tearing at her hair, it seemed today was a lost cause.

Who would have thought that slave would refuse a Witch's—and Amelia's at that—offer of nighttime service?

Although she didn't know the slave's detailed inner thoughts, Amelia seemed profoundly shocked by the rejection.

"Amelia."

"What!"

"Don't be so heartbroken."

Amelia, who had been groaning, glared at Sophia with a huff.

"This is all your fault!"

Like a child, Amelia couldn't contain her anger and pointed a finger.

It was a side of her never seen since she became a Witch.

"Why did you have to go and tempt me..."

In Sophia's eyes, Amelia was a hothouse flower who hadn't even experienced adolescence.

Outwardly, she perfectly mimicked the Master's polite, dignified, and demure demeanor, but she hadn't yet developed a mature sense of self.

There was an unavoidable reason for this.

After the previous Merigold died, Amelia inherited the Brand.

Sophia, who had played a role akin to a babysitter, then embarked on a journey to the Mortal Realm.

It was a very long journey.

Escaping the cage-like Gehenna, she accumulated experiences over long years, witnessed the flow of history in the vast world, and killed the monsters known as 'Homunculi' birthed by the Witch of Creation.

Although she hadn't raised her Magic's Hierarchy by even a single level, they were truly happy and enjoyable days.

After the long journey.

Upon returning to Gehenna after 140 years, Sophia immediately sought out Amelia.

'It's been a long time, Avene.'

The Amelia she met again wore an even stiffer expression and had become someone who rarely smiled.

Yes.

She was like a doll.

The place where Sophia reunited with Amelia was the forest cabin where Amelia had lived with the previous Merigold.

The cabin, unchanged in the slightest from before, was thick with Amelia's longing for the previous Merigold.

In that cabin, Amelia was conducting Magic Research.

Of course, it wasn't strange for a Witch to research Magic.

But Amelia was excessively immersed 'only' in Magic.

Without forming relationships with anyone, without conversing with anyone.

For over a hundred long years, she had shut herself alone in a small room, burning everything she had for the sake of Magic.

Sophia realized that Amelia's obsession with Magic did not stem from simple curiosity.

Amelia had been awkward at forming relationships from the start.

Her Master, who was like a parent, had suddenly disappeared, and even Sophia, with whom she had opened up the most, had left for the Mortal Realm.

The method Amelia, left all alone, chose to sublimate her sorrow and loneliness was the very Magic she had been so insecure about during her days as an Apprentice Witch.

Endlessly whipping herself onward.

She drove herself relentlessly until Amelia, who had been judged to have no talent as a Witch, raised two levels of the Hierarchy in a mere 140 years.

How lonely must she have been?

How painful must it have been?

And how difficult must it have been?

'Why are you crying?'

Sophia tightly embraced Amelia, who was buried under a pile of papers, wearing the witch's robes inherited from her Master.

Amelia pushed Sophia away as if the contact was unpleasant, but Sophia absolutely would not let go.

What if she had taken Amelia to the Mortal Realm instead?

What if she had returned to Gehenna even once for Amelia's sake, rather than being captivated by the mysterious and new world?

An immense regret remained.

'Don't just stay like this here. Come with me to the Academy.'

'Why? I like it here.'

To the girl refusing the proposal, Sophia spoke while suppressing her guilt.It was Sophia who forcibly pulled Amelia out and recommended her as an Associate Professor at Trinity Academy.

'If you go there, you might gain a new perspective on Magic.'

'I'm not interested.'

Of course, Amelia initially refused.

She couldn't easily leave the nest she had devoted her life to until now—a place filled with memories of her Master.

'Amelia, this is a cake I bought from Kifisi.'

'This is a dress tailored at Flora's Boutique. How is it? It suits you perfectly, doesn't it?'

'This is something called a cigarette. It's good to smoke when you have a headache sometimes.'

To lure Amelia out from the nameless forest in Gehenna where she was buried, Sophia tempted her with all sorts of modern novelties.

Sweet desserts, pretty clothes, even cigarettes.

Of course, Amelia didn't follow Sophia because of the materialistic reasons Sophia presented, but in any case, after Sophia's persuasion, which bordered on courtship, Amelia reluctantly took up the position of Associate Professor at the Academy.

'Amelia, won't you come to the Harvest Festival with me?'

'I'm not interested.'

'Don't you want to go out to the Mortal Realm? You'd be really surprised.'

'My Master spent his entire life in Gehenna. There's no need for me to go out.'

Having spent her whole life focused only on Magic, her way of life wouldn't suddenly change just because the location changed.

'I'm busy, so please leave.'

Even after leaving the hut, Amelia tried to immerse herself solely in Magic.

If Sophia hadn't constantly interfered and dragged her to various places, she probably would have repeated that behavior until it was time to pass on the Brand.

Only five years had passed since then.

It was far too short a time for Amelia, who had been buried in memories and longing, living in her own world, to fully mature.

Though she often acted the part of an elegant Witch like her respected Master, such efforts were nothing more than a thin layer of gilding.

Amelia was easily sulky, sometimes stubborn like a child, and at other times, she would fluster like this when faced with unexpected situations.

"How dare... a mere slave..."

In Sophia's eyes, it was still remarkable progress.

At least compared to her lifeless, paper-doll-like appearance back then, her current figure, suppressing her anger, was much more pleasing to see.

After all, people originally grow through the processes of being happy, angry, loving, and enjoying.

Sophia had already learned that from the outside world.

"I cannot forgive this. To inflict such humiliation upon me."

Sophia, who had been secretly smiling with satisfaction, snapped back to her senses upon hearing Amelia's soliloquy.

Seeing Amelia, who rarely spoke her inner thoughts, utter such passionate words to herself, it seemed the stimulus had been quite significant.

Now, it was time to soothe her a little.

Just as Sophia had resolved to do so.

"A mere slave, a mere slave, a mere slave..."

"Amelia?"

"This is an unforgivable insult."

"Huh? This wasn't the plan..."

Amelia was exuding a dark aura, consumed by a desire for revenge.

To reiterate, Amelia was still immature.

She had no knack for how to handle emotions beyond a certain level of perplexity.

Currently, she was choosing to process the shocking fact of being rejected by a slave by projecting it onto the rigid class hierarchy of Gehenna's social order, which she was familiar with.

And the conclusion she reached was terrifying.

"Let's teach that slave who doesn't know their place a lesson about their standing."

Originally, birds don't have sweat glands, but Sophia felt sweat pouring from the body of the crow she was using as a vessel.

She could clearly see the path of suffering opening up for that slave from earlier.

She already felt sorry for having captured them as a slave, and now this trouble was being added.

"Sorry about this."

Without a word, Sophia hurriedly walked out from the washbasin.

Since Amelia wasn't inherently cruel, she probably wouldn't directly harm the slave, so there was no need to worry too much.

"I'll show them what's what!"

With Amelia's final soliloquy filled with indignation, the bathroom door quietly closed.

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

Why are there so many comments and recommendations?

I feel like I'm going to do a happy dance lol

Thank you!