City of Witches Chapter 230

Eloa's house had no table, so the conversation took place at the kitchen table.

Between the two of them sat a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.

The overlapping thoughts that this would probably make conversation easier naturally led to drinking.

Given the inherently awkward situation for both, this was better than being stone-cold sober.

"Ahem..."

"Cough, cough..."

Both Siwoo and Eloa drained two glasses in a row without a single word.

Even getting caught just petting would have been embarrassing enough, but to have been caught in the very moment of being thoroughly filled inside the vagina and ejaculated into... even Siwoo felt a bit awkward.

Especially since, less than an hour later, he was having a private meeting with an uninvited spectator...

"I'm... sorry."

Eloa spoke while unnecessarily clutching and releasing the hem of her dress.

Her shoulders, usually held straight, now seemed to curl inward, lacking their usual vigor.

Her gaze, which always looked directly at Siwoo, was somehow circling around the rim of her glass.

"It's alright. I believe the Duke didn't have any ill intentions."

"That is..."

"You came because you thought there was an attack, right? That's why you had your Ceremonial Artifact with you. You thought I was in danger and came to help."

"Ah..."

The moment she heard Siwoo's words, Eloa was seized by a shock as if she'd been struck on the head.

The moment she felt the Wave of Magical Power...

Eloa hadn't considered the possibility of an attacker at all.

The only thing that came to her mind was suspicion of Siwoo.

Outwardly, she had said she would trust him, but when an anomaly actually occurred, the first person she looked at with doubtful eyes was Siwoo.

If it hadn't been for that, she wouldn't have needed to sneakily peek at him like a cat.

"Oh... wasn't that it?"

Even though Siwoo had provided a convenient excuse, Eloa hesitated.

Looking at her, Siwoo realized his guess was slightly off the mark.

"No."

Eloa hung her head even lower, as if feeling more ashamed.

"Then..."

Eloa barely managed to meet Siwoo's gaze.

Her pupils were shaking back and forth like tea leaves on hot black tea.

Only then did Siwoo begin to grasp the rough outline.

A vague suspicion solidified into a fact and rose to the surface.

"You didn't trust me."

"I'm sorry."

Well, he hadn't been able to provide Eloa with any proper explanation until now.

Still, she had publicly attested his identity, and given that he was even learning martial arts, he thought he had earned a bit of trust...

"As you said, I was suspicious of you."

"I think it's reasonable. In fact, you already mentioned that moving to the apartment below was partly for surveillance... I can understand it rationally, but it leaves a bitter taste."

Rationally, Siwoo could understand Eloa's actions.

If her sole target for revenge was dead (or whereabouts unknown), and Siwoo was the only remaining link, keeping a close watch and monitoring him was a rational choice.

But emotionally, it was a bit different.

The fact that Tiferet, who had treated him to a splendid meal and bared her pain barely half a day ago, was still looking at him through prejudiced eyes...

Frankly, it was a bit of a shock.

"I'm sorry... I too want to believe, no, I want to trust you."

"It's not easy. I hope the day comes when we can clear up the misunderstanding."

"No. Still, this incident was my fault."

Eloa suddenly reached out her hand.

And gently stroked the back of Siwoo's hand, which wasn't holding a glass.

Not a tight grip, but a light, resting touch.

"I lost my reason for a moment. I myself don't understand why I had such a biased thought. I did you a terrible wrong. I have no intention of making excuses."

Somehow, the restless emotion of a flustered Tiferet was conveyed directly.

This might be a bit self-conscious, but he strongly felt a sense of not wanting to be hated.

"It's alright. I dare say I can sufficiently understand the Duke's feelings as well."

Siwoo answered in a gentle voice, lightly covering Eloa's anxious hand with his own.

It was shocking, yes, but he had no intention of being harsh with Eloa.

There was no need to show discomfort and make things harder for her, as she was already suffering enough.

"May I have some more whiskey? It seems more explanation is needed."

At Siwoo's soft words, Eloa's expression, which was on the verge of tears, regained a bit of composure.

"In return, I ask that you strictly keep the conversation here a secret."

"I swear on my name, Tiferet."

What Siwoo conveyed was as follows:

For some unknown reason, he could absorb, amplify, and return magic power through sexual intercourse.

Sharon's Hierarchy had lowered due to an incomplete succession.

To overcome this, as part of her treatment, she was having periodic sexual intercourse with Siwoo.

It was a continuous conversation that felt quite embarrassing even as he said it.

"Is that really true?"

As expected, Eloa's eyes widened and blinked.

Then, as if her head was in a whirl, she muttered to herself.

"I know that a faint magic power occurs when a man ejaculates... but a Wave strong enough to penetrate a concealment barrier... I can't begin to understand how this happened..."

Siwoo's answer was similar to his previous explanation.

Meaning, it was at the level of 'Isn't it amazing? I find it amazing too. I don't know why it happens.'

Because Siwoo himself didn't know why such a thing occurred.

"I understand. So that was the reason. You don't know how such a thing came to be?"

"No, as I mentioned."

"Hmm... I see for now."

Eloa nodded her head with an expression that seemed both understanding and not.

After taking a small sip of whiskey, Eloa looked at Siwoo with a cautious gaze.

"Well, now I have something I want to say too..."

"Yes, please go ahead."

The sun had now fully risen.

The morning sunlight, creeping stealthily into the kitchen, tinged Eloa's cheeks red.

Having gained a little time to calmly organize her thoughts, the image of the two of them, entangled stickily like mating snakes, rose vividly in her mind.

"About what happened today... I mean, about witnessing your... healing act with Miss Evergreen... I want to apologize."

Eloa gave a bitter smile mid-sentence, as if embarrassed."For some reason, I keep finding myself having to apologize to you."

"I don't mind, so it's fine. But Sharon seems a bit, well, quite upset."

"I shall go and properly apologize to her as well."

"That doesn't seem like a very good idea... If it's an apology, I'll convey it for you."

"Is that so?"

Eloa tilted her head.

But there was no doubt that this was the best course of action.

If Eloa actually went to apologize to Sharon, Sharon would probably be horrified and hate Eloa even more.

No matter how you sugarcoat it, wouldn't it end up being an apology like 'Sorry for watching your sex scene'?

Anyway, now that I've roughly explained the situation, it's time to work on restoring Sharon's honor.

"If I may also say something for Miss Sharon's honor... regarding the last line you heard, the one Sharon said."

"It truly was an accident... I've already forgotten it, so don't worry about it..."

Eloa, who had been barely managing to smile, suddenly hung her head low.

I thought to myself it was fortunate I hadn't brought Sharon along.

If she had seen that reaction, she would have immediately burst into tears, shattered the window, and jumped out.

The fact that she answered immediately without me even mentioning exactly what was said meant it was deeply etched in her mind and proof that she was embarrassed.

"I was the one who told her to say that."

Thus, Siwoo declared proudly.

He had decided to take on some of the arrows of shame that would otherwise be aimed at Sharon.

Eloa's eyes, raised wide in a 'Huh?' expression, wavered bewilderedly.

"Th-that... vulgar line, no, that indiscretion... are you saying you directly instructed her to say that embarrassing line?"

"Yes."

He considered adding 'Because it was hot,' but decided against it.

The scene of sacrificing himself to prevent a shameful incident—wouldn't Sharon shed tears of emotion if she saw this?

But it's more embarrassing than I imagined.

Now, in Eloa's eyes, Siwoo would appear as a shameless person who makes a woman say lewd lines during sex.

Eloa, who had shown a momentarily surprised expression, smiled.

Was this really the time to smile?

For Siwoo, who had expected contempt or at least an awkward distance, it was quite bewildering.

"You are not skilled at lying."

"Huh? It's not a lie."

"I see."

Eloa, who had instantly seen through the lie and grinned, stood up from her seat.

"Go and console her. As you said, if I go, it will likely just create an awkward situation. Instead, I promise to keep quiet about this matter. Please also convey that I am sorry."

"Yes, understood. And I'm sorry, but when you visit the house in the future, could you please not come over the balcony... and ring the doorbell instead?"

"I shall certainly do so."

Eloa swiftly extended her pinky finger to Siwoo.

Siwoo stared blankly at that finger.

It was a rather childish gesture, unlike any behavior the Grand Duke Tiferet had shown so far.

Eloa, who had been observing Siwoo's reaction, seemed to come to her senses and quietly lowered her hand.

"My apologies, I always did this when making promises with Raphi..."

"No, it's fine. Let's promise."

Their fingers firmly intertwined.

Even after Siwoo left, Eloa drank alone.

Although all sorts of miraculous and bizarre things happen in the Witch world, he was a peculiar existence even among them.

Who would have thought that magic power could be copied through intercourse, and that such amplified pure magic power could act as a catalyst to revive an imperfectly succeeded Brand?

"By the way..."

Eloa had devoted her entire life to honing Magic.

After Raphi's death, she had run forward solely to fulfill her wish and seek revenge.

She had paid no attention to anything else, and thus, seeing a scene of male-female union was also a first.

Of course, she had never done such things with a man herself either.

In short, you could say she was faithfully following the life path of old-fashioned Witches.

"Hmm..."

It was a somewhat embarrassing sight.

The difference between knowledge known only in the head and a scene witnessed firsthand delivered quite a shock.

Was it because of the alcohol?

Normally, such vulgar recollections would have been immediately dismissed.

Today, it wasn't so easy.

Eloa was recalling the image of Sharon and Siwoo joined together on the bed.

Sharon lying prone and Siwoo half-pressing down on top of her.

His thick, large thing pushing between her legs came to mind with particular vividness.

It wasn't specifically due to sexual desire.

Eloa had never felt lust toward a man or a woman in the first place.

Therefore, what she felt was a sliver of curiosity.

It was just surprising, beyond what she had known, that such a large thing could enter such a small hole.

And then Sharon's expression, steeped in sweet ecstasy as if she had taken drugs.

She recalled how the beauty she had thought of as a pure, innocent beauty became disheveled like a beast.

What kind of pleasure could it be, to lose oneself so completely in a State of No-Self, unaware of who was coming?

Eloa found herself pondering a fact she had never been curious about before.

"Let's stop."

Eloa shook her head vigorously as she poured wine into her mouth.

Thinking any further about this would be discourteous to both Miss Evergreen and Shin Siwoo.

Let's decide to forget today's memory.

Eloa resolved so.

"Hmm..."

Eloa, lost in thought again with her chin propped.

It seemed it would be difficult to completely forget the memory after all.

==========

This is the male protagonist of Witch City, Shin Siwoo, drawn by Kim Gungdeng-nim!

I never even imagined that fan art of Siwoo would come in...!

Somehow, the atmosphere reminiscent of Galaxy Express 999 is very much to my liking!!

Wishing I looked like this, I'll savor the thought and once again express my heartfelt thanks!!!