City of Witches Chapter 240

Thanks to Teacher Sua's kindness, I was able to rent the penthouse located on the top floor of the building with the Witch Point.

Originally prepared for the branch manager to reside in, Sua said she spends all her time in her office anyway and gladly handed over the keycard, saying I could stay there freely.

Through the large glass window that filled the entire wall, the usual pleasant sunlight poured in.

Though such brightness probably isn't good for someone in deep sleep.

Both Siwoo, lying fast asleep on the bed, and Sharon beside him were breathing softly in their sleep.

Eloa knelt by the head of the bed and gazed at Siwoo.

Her appearance resembled a mother nursing a sick child, or perhaps a priest in prayer.

"........"

Eloa silently stroked Siwoo's cheek.

His skin texture had deteriorated so much in just one night that it could be described as rough and parched.

Though there were no visible injuries, his pale face and sunken eye sockets alone hinted at the ordeal of the previous night.

"......."

If I had lost him this time as well...

If I had experienced the same thing, just like before, helplessly, without even a chance to act...

Could I have remained like this?

Even if it was a selfish feeling, even if it was a somewhat childish relief, it was fine.

But just the fact that Siwoo had returned without major injuries was something to be thankful for, deeply thankful.

Eloa tightly gripped Siwoo's hand and held back her tears.

She had no right to think 'what a relief' and cry her heart out here.

Acting as if she were his teacher, she had presumptuously fostered a bond, promised to protect him, and yet her flimsy plans had plunged him into crisis.

Sharon had already suffered serious injuries, and if not for Periwinkle's help, an even worse situation could have occurred.

With what face could she shed tears of joy?

"Mmm..."

Just then, Siwoo's hand, caught in Eloa's slender fingers, twitched and moved.

He furrowed his brow as if waking from a nightmare, slowly looked at his own hand, then turned his gaze sideways and met Eloa's eyes.

"...Your Grace?"

"Have you come to your senses?"

Eloa greeted his return with an uneasy smile.

Siwoo's body, slowly processing what had happened, shook violently as if convulsing.

The last scene he saw before collapsing.

The black, cold seawater rising to his waist.

The rusted harpoon piercing Sharon's body.

And Sharon slowly falling, along with his own powerlessness.

All of it surged back as if playing in reverse.

"Right now...!"

"Calm down, calm down... Come here."

"Y-Your Grace, right now... where is Sharon...?"

The Drowned Witch.

A powerful monster that the Sochitul had been exploiting for over a century, so its analysis was already complete.

Even Eloa, who had hunted and pursued countless public enemies, knew the identity of that Homunculus.

The Drowned Witch stimulates the fear of its hostile target.

A physically strong human does not necessarily have a strong inner self.

If he had fought an opponent who, without proper countermeasures, shreds the human mind and consciousness like paper, he probably wouldn't be in his right mind.

Stress beyond his limits must be making his head boil.

Therefore, she simply reached out and hugged Siwoo.

Siwoo's body, trembling like a malaria patient.

Each vibration transmitted to her.

"Miss Sharon... is fine for now. All her physical wounds have been restored, and all that remains is to slowly detoxify the poison that seeped in. Here, look over there."

Pupils constricted with fear and ragged breathing.

Even Siwoo, who reacted intensely like a survivor of a terror scene, gradually calmed down.

Eloa patted his back while holding him tightly, as if unwilling to let go.

"That's right, feeling a bit better?"

"Th-thank you. First, first I want to check Sharon's condition."

"Of course."

Of course, not everything was restored just by Eloa's hug.

His lips were still trembling, and his movements seemed somewhat detached, as if he had just woken from a terrible nightmare.

Seeing Sharon sleeping soundly right beside him, the tension that had stiffened his body drained away.

"What a relief...."

The shadow that crossed his face contained relief, and... another emotion all too familiar to Eloa as well.

Self-loathing and guilt.

Eloa knew better than anyone the emotions that gnaw at the mind like a disease.

And how effectively and surely they break a human down, like pests devouring a fresh tree.

"Siwoo, you..."

Therefore, Eloa attempted to offer comfort, however clumsily.

But before she could, a voice filled with regret interjected.

"...I couldn't do anything."

"......."

"Why was that?"

In movies or comics, during moments of crisis, the protagonist throws their life away without hesitation to save their comrades.

In the real world, countless heartwarming tales exist too.

In fact, Siwoo had also risked his life quite a few times so far for others.

On a smaller scale, for the slaves in Border Town, the swindler at the magical tool shop, and Larissa, the manager of the Blue Snake contact point.

On a larger scale, for Odile Odette, Sharon, and Amelia.

Most of the time, he had nothing to his name, and his actions were disproportionate to his abilities...

Yet, his body moved first.

Because he believed it was right.

No matter how powerless, no matter how childlike his sense of justice, in those moments, he didn't try to calculate this and that.

Even if he couldn't become a hero.

He had thought to become at least a somewhat courageous human.

But this time was different.

The powerlessness he felt to his bones.

In the crisis where he almost lost her without a chance to act, watching Sharon fall, all he could do was

tremble like an idiot. That was all.

"All I could do was cower and tremble in fear. Even though I learned so much from Your Grace... I couldn't properly use a single thing."

Siwoo turned every blade against himself and spoke as if chewing over the words.

He looked utterly tormented.

Was the heart he thought was courage nothing but recklessness?

Distrust in himself transformed like a venomous snake, coiling around his heart.

"Siwoo."

Eloa did not list off explanations to such a Siwoo—about how the Drowned Witch's Magic was like this, how someone of his level couldn't oppose it, and so on...

She knew such responses wouldn't help in the first place.Because the doubt Siwoo now harbored was something Eloa had wrestled with and revisited every night.

Eloa embraced Siwoo once more.

To cradle his wounds with her gentle voice.

"You must know that I lost an apprentice witch."

".....Yes."

"Her name was Raphi. She was a most remarkable child, one I would have given everything for without regret."

"........"

"Can you imagine how I was when I buried her in my heart?"

It was the first time she had spoken of that time before another since losing Raphi.

But if this could ease Siwoo's burden even a little, she was willing to do so.

The memory of the past, always seen in dreams, surfaces vividly.

A heart and voice sinking heavily, as if having swallowed the four seasons.

Yet, Eloa found she could face the past with more composure than she had thought.

"I held her and wept on that spot for two days. I cried pathetically, helplessly, a blubbering mess. Had I pursued the Witch of Aquarius right then, I might have achieved some vengeance. But I could not.

After that, it felt as if my heart was being carved out. As if my chest had been hollowed. I couldn't fathom what could fill that void, and indeed, I never found it. It was agony, like becoming a specter with only the flesh surviving.

Because I had to realize, every day, every moment, that I could change nothing."

Eloa released Siwoo for a moment and stroked his cheek.

"Losing someone precious is such a horrific, shocking thing. Do not blame yourself too harshly for being unable to act immediately in that moment."

Her gaze, so close their noses almost touched, was filled with such warmth it felt like one could be drawn into it.

It was a sincere comfort only someone who had suffered the same pain could offer.

"Moreover... are you not different from me? Although Miss Evergreen was injured, her life is not in danger. You have every opportunity to mend and correct things. You also possess the ability to ensure such a thing does not happen again. You have a shining talent."

"Your Grace..."

Siwoo's eyes, which had lost their fire and become vacant and dull like a dog with its tail between its legs, began to regain their clarity.

"The first step of all achievement is knowing one's own shortcomings. You have merely taken that first step."

Siwoo's eyes during sparring had always shone brightly.

It was natural, as he seemed to genuinely feel himself growing stronger and possessed a personality inherently highly focused on learning.

Had he continued training with Eloa alone, he would likely have achieved quite good results.

In fact, his progress compared to before training was remarkable enough to be hard to compare.

However, if Eloa were to be a bit more greedy, there was also something lacking.

Siwoo seemed to lack a clear purpose, a definite motivation.

But she chose not to point it out.

Not everyone needs to live with desperation and fervor.

Knowing all too well how wearying a life crushed by purpose can be, Eloa, despite her own zeal, overlooked Siwoo's somewhat lax sense of purpose.

"I want to become stronger."

And now, she felt that the final piece, which had been just a little lacking, had fallen into place.

"Well thought."

"I want to go further than now. To an overwhelming, higher place."

"I will surely make it so."

Eloa calmly smoothed Siwoo's hair.

An unexpected visitor arrived while Eloa had briefly stepped away.

"How is your body?"

Siwoo, who had been sitting beside Sharon smoothing her forehead, abruptly stood up.

Perhaps because of what happened just yesterday, he reflexively grew wary, wondering if this was a public enemy.

"Do not be alarmed. This young lady is Su-a Agatha, the branch manager of the Witch Point Gwanghwamun branch."

Only then did Siwoo relax.

Even to Siwoo, who had encountered many witches by now, Sua was a unique character.

Should one say she gave the impression of a young lady from a noble family?

She was not wearing a modernized hanbok for comfort.

She was dressed in a traditional hanbok so authentic it could momentarily make one mistake this penthouse for a serene hanok.

Among witches with vividly colored hair and eyes, her somewhat plain black hair and black eyes.

Yet, that did not obscure her beauty.

Rather, within a restrained, refined beauty reminiscent of an oriental painting, she exuded an atmosphere like a cluster of hydrangeas.

"I have heard much about you. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Shin Siwoo."

Siwoo bowed slightly and offered a handshake.

Sua looked at his hand with slight surprise, then politely accepted the handshake.

"I have come wishing to have a word with you."

"Yes, I have ample time."

She came wanting to talk?

He wasn't sure if there was really anything to discuss, but he had been curious about her for a while.

He also wanted to ask why she had provided the Public Attestation for Siwoo, whom she had never met.