City of Witches Chapter 25

When Siwoo went out to pick up Amelia, she was already tired of waiting and walking toward the inn.

Judging by her expression, it seemed she was considering burning down this inn too if he delayed any longer.

Would he get scolded if he said this?

"Why are you so late?"

"My apologies. I was trying to negotiate because it was already booked..."

Although Amelia had slightly furrowed her brow, she didn't get too upset, perhaps aware that the reason she was staying at an inn instead of a villa was her own fault.

It's baffling how someone with enough sense to understand this could have been so difficult all this time.

"......What are you doing? Keep drinking."

"Hahahaha!"

"Hey, you startled me."

Having visited a tavern with Odil before, Siwoo could predict people's reactions when Amelia entered the inn.

Everyone would quiet down and watch Amelia's mood.

But that prediction was completely off.

Was it rather bold? Despite Amelia clearly being a Witch and a noble, there was no special reaction.

Most sailors glanced once or twice, stealing looks at Amelia's beautiful appearance, but soon averted their gazes as if not wanting to get involved in trouble.

Though a couple were still intently scrutinizing her figure and face.

"They said the room is this way."

Siwoo guided Amelia toward the stairs.

But Amelia plopped down at an empty table in a corner.

"Let's have a simple meal."

The innkeeper, who had been diligently wiping glasses until now, ambled over to the table as soon as Amelia sat down.

Then, in a tone that didn't feel particularly servile, he said:

"It seems too rowdy here for a noble Witch to stay. Sailors are stubborn and loud, and it's useless even if I tell them to quiet down. I'll bring the food up, so please go to your room."

Siwoo was surprised.

The innkeeper's words carried the nuance of "don't ruin the mood here, just go upstairs."

To be this insolent with a Witch right in front of them—it was the first time he'd seen such a sight in Gehenna.

"I don't like the smell of food lingering in the bedroom. I'll pay a fair price, so bring the food."

But true to her spirited nature, Amelia didn't back down an inch.

Instead, she looked down at the innkeeper, who was twice her size, and took out four shiny gold coins.

The innkeeper scratched the back of his head, where hair was sparse.

He seemed to quickly realize Amelia was not the type to be persuaded.

"With this money, even if we scrape together all the ingredients in the storeroom, there'll be change left. Just give me one. Hey, chef! One special course! Put all your effort into it—it's worth a gold coin!"

The innkeeper took only one gold coin and shouted loudly toward the kitchen.

By the way, "one special course"—who would have thought they'd hear such a thing in a Gehenna tavern, most of which don't even have proper menus.

It definitely felt like this place was closer to the Mortal Realm.

Not long after, the chef's special course was served, piled high enough to bend the table legs.

First, a huge steak that dripped blood and juices even before a knife touched it caught the eye.

But that was the only meat dish; instead, various seafood dishes rarely seen in Taro Town were brought out.

Gambas, a spicy stew made with king prawns and clams.

A whole boiled large lobster and grilled fish heads.

Besides these, over thirteen other dishes filled the table without a gap.

"Enjoy your meal."

After the chef personally served the dishes and left, Siwoo gulped down saliva at the sight of a late-night meal for the first time in five years.

"Thank you for the meal, Associate Professor!"

The surroundings were so noisy he had to almost shout to be heard.

Just as Amelia and Siwoo began eating, a commotion suddenly erupted.

"Attention, attention! Crew members whose names are called must immediately prepare to set sail!"

A man in a neat suit who had walked in from outside the inn rang a bell to get everyone's attention.

He read names from a list one by one, calling out the crew members.

"What the hell! Why are we setting sail all of a sudden?"

"Dunno, the captain said something urgent came up."

"Max, Ben, Timmy. Hey, wake that guy up and bring him along."

"Why me! Take someone else!"

"Are you crazy! The helmsman's passed out—how are we gonna steer the ship!"

"Damn, first time stepping on land in a month, and now this shit luck."

The sailors, who had been happily chatting and playing, suddenly started grabbing their belongings and rushing out.

Despite all the harsh curses and complaints, the crew members were organized and dashed outside in an orderly manner.

After the sounds of creaking floorboards and doors opening and closing faded, only about ten people remained on the inn's first floor.

While Siwoo looked around blankly, Amelia continued her meal without paying any attention to her surroundings.

By the time all the called crew members had left, Amelia had finished her meal.

Given her light appetite, it was much faster than Siwoo.

The tavern, now suddenly silent.

Even with a dozen or so drunk patrons, it should have been quite lively, but the inn was oddly quiet, almost tense.

"Oh my, Witch. Fancy seeing you again."

Then, with the sound of heels clicking, Larissa walked over to the table.

Amelia wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin she'd produced from somewhere and looked up at Larissa with proper posture.

"What is it?"

"Nothing special, but..."

"I'm eating. Can't you see?"

Larissa, who had been speaking amiably, fell silent.

Actually, that reaction was normal for someone seeing Amelia's way of speaking for the first time.

She was a woman with not an ounce of sociability.

"...It's just that I happened to bring some good wine for the after-party. As you can see, with the crew setting sail like this, there aren't enough people to share it with."

Larissa took out two clean wine glasses and placed them on the table.

Then, she skillfully uncorked the bottle and opened the wine.

"It's expensive wine imported from the Mortal Realm, so it should suit your taste, Witch."

Amelia watched Larissa's actions closely, as if gauging her intentions.

Amelia was a noble, and Larissa ran a liaison house catering to nobles.

This wasn't goodwill without reason."I'm sorry, but I have nothing to offer you in return for this."

"I know. It's just a gesture of goodwill."

-Glub glub glub

The crimson wine began to fill the glass beautifully.

Its fragrant grape aroma tickled the nose, not even buried by the smell of food.

Larissa poured wine not only for Amelia but also into the glass placed before Siwoo.

"Enjoy your time."

As if her task was done, Larissa took the remaining bottle and went around pouring drinks for the nearby sailors as well.

Amelia seemed to feel no discomfort in such a situation at all.

A Witch is an object of reverence and fear, and a position people try hard to look good in front of, so it made sense.

Amelia took a sip of wine and slightly frowned.

Siwoo understood why as soon as he tasted the wine.

It was an extremely dry wine.

Amelia, who likes sweet things, would naturally dislike it.

"I'll go up first, so finish your meal and come."

As if she had no further interest, Amelia pushed away the glass from which she had taken just one sip and got up from her seat.

"No, I'm almost done with my meal as well. Please wait just a moment."

"No need to eat while being mindful. This is compensation for the manager running around all over the place today."

It was rewarding to have run around busily without rest all day today.

"And I don't think I've heard your answer yet. What do you think about being assigned as my assistant?"

So that proposal was still on the table.

For Siwoo, who thought the opportunity had flown away due to his earlier slip of the tongue, this was an unexpected second chance.

"I'm also willing to guarantee conveniences like this."

So that was it, after all?

Siwoo felt his tangled thoughts clearing up a bit.

Amelia had wanted to make Siwoo, who was originally a mathematician from the modern era five years ago, her assistant.

Siwoo had mistaken it for a proposal for nighttime service.

Having been indoctrinated by slave traders about how terrifying Witches are, Siwoo prematurely judged it as dangerous and refused.

Amelia, who suffered the humiliation of being refused by a mere slave, had persistently tormented Siwoo ever since that day.

The reason she started being unusually nice recently was to make the assistant proposal again.

Everything fell neatly into place.

Siwoo answered without much deliberation.

"Understood."

After all, he only had to endure one more year now.

If he became Amelia's exclusive assistant, even if he didn't know for sure, his workload would likely decrease compared to now.

Then he'd have more time to research Magic and might complete the Magic to escape this Gehenna sooner.

It was an offer with nothing to lose.

Hearing Siwoo's answer, Amelia slowly nodded her head as if satisfied.

Although her expression was blank, that kind of atmosphere somehow emanated from her.

"You've made a good decision. Then let's see you tomorrow."

Amelia went up to the upper deck where the cabins were.

Perhaps letting him continue his meal to the end was also a gesture of goodwill on her part.

After all, as a slave, he rarely got to put such food in his mouth, and above all, seafood was especially hard to come by inland.

"Well, I'm grateful for that at least."

After Amelia completely disappeared, Siwoo focused on his meal again.

"Hey, kid."

Just as he was starting to poke at the lobster shell with a fork.

Someone plopped down in front of the table.

It was a familiar voice—the muscular giant Fyodor, who had picked a pointless fight earlier.

"What is it?"

He gulped down the wine Amelia had left behind, then bared his teeth and laughed.

"So you're a male whore, huh?"

Male whore, male whore, that damn male whore.

He hadn't even held hands with Amelia, let alone had sex, so he didn't understand why he kept hearing such talk.

"I'm not."

Siwoo answered curtly while shoveling lobster meat into his mouth.

He was an uncomfortable man. Siwoo decided to eat as quickly as possible and go upstairs.

But he soon regretted that choice.

Thinking he should have finished his meal as soon as that barely-evolved gorilla of a man sat down.

"What do you mean you're not? You are. Damn, I'm jealous. While some are slapping a whore's ass, others are sucking on a Witch's Boji."

He'd heard there were many rough and uncouth people among sailors, but he hadn't expected it to be this bad.

Still, Siwoo, who was treated as an elite outside, had never encountered this breed before.

If he got hit by that fist the size of a head, his face would be smashed, but Siwoo wasn't exactly a docile personality either.

If anything, he'd become much more tame after military life and slave life.

"Then go slap some whore's ass. Why are you sitting at someone else's table and ruining their appetite?"

Given the physical difference.

As if he hadn't expected a retort, Fyodor's expression turned stupid.

But only for a moment.

He smirked knowingly and started spewing filthy, obscene talk again.

"I came to hear some juicy stories from the male whore kid who's doted on by the Witch lady."

Fyodor dragged his chair closer and tapped Siwoo's shoulder.

"Hey kid, tell me a story, don't keep it to yourself. How was it on that sexy Witch lady's bed earlier? She looked a bit young, does she have hair down there?"

"Are you seriously insane?"

Siwoo was dumbfounded.

Amelia is a Witch.

If Siwoo really were a male whore, he could report this to her.

He couldn't understand what gave him the confidence to act so arrogantly and rudely.

Was he completely drunk?

"What color are her nipples? Huh? Why do you keep your mouth shut? Damn it, good things are meant to be shared."

Seeing this man spew all sorts of lewd sexual harassment about Amelia, his mood soured and his appetite vanished simultaneously.

Not wanting to cause any more major trouble, Siwoo brushed off the arm around his shoulder and finished his meal.

"Watch your language. Do you know who she is?"

"Kehahaha!"

-BAM!

For a moment, his vision flashed white.

When he came to his senses, Siwoo found his head smashed into the plate that had held the lobster.

Fyodor's rough arm had slammed Siwoo's head onto the table.

"What do I care, you whore's son."

The ringing in his ears.

The lobster shell fragments embedded in his cheek, the sauce must have gone up his nose—it stung sharply.

Amidst not even understanding what had happened, a filthy voice reached him.

"Looks like you were about to go tattling. Too bad, so sad."

A vile voice not even trying to hide its laughter.

"You won't be seeing that Witch bitch anymore from now on."

A word from the author (Author's Note)

If you enjoyed it, please recommend it!

I'm really happy to see many comments on a post with low views.