City of Witches Chapter 255

The clothes shopping had gone as planned.

The next item on the agenda was buying ingredients at the department store's food section.

Eloa was surprisingly quite skilled at cooking, and after training sessions, she had occasionally invited Siwoo over to serve him a few dishes.

She planned to prepare a nice meal for Siwoo today, who had bought her clothes.

"Hmm… hmm hmm hmm…."

Eloa, wearing a fluttering shirt dress, clicked her heels and hummed a tune.

Beside her, Siwoo pushed the shopping cart, suppressing a smile.

Eloa was fundamentally a rather stiff-natured person.

Whether it was because she was poor at self-expression or because not revealing one's every emotion was part of a warrior's discipline was unclear.

Most of the time, she didn't readily show her likes and dislikes.

Seeing her express her good mood to that extent showed how successful today's shopping had been.

Eloa, who had been wandering the grocery section with buoyant steps for a while, suddenly realized something and subtly glanced at Siwoo.

Then she stopped humming.

Because she caught sight of Siwoo's face wearing a gentle smile.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Smiling so meaninglessly."

It was actually because Eloa, happy like a puppy out for a spring walk, was cute, but saying that to her face felt a bit awkward.

So, he complimented the outfit she seemed to like the most.

"The clothes suit you very well. The shoes are pretty too."

It was something he'd said several times while buying clothes, but Eloa showed a similar reaction every time to the compliment 'the clothes suit you well.'

Regardless of the doubtful feeling of 'Is that so?' that lingered even after hearing it repeatedly, the corners of her mouth relaxing was unavoidable.

"I'm not so sure. It's my first time wearing shoes with heels like these… I do feel a bit taller… but doesn't it stand out too much?"

"Everything suits you well."

"...That's not true."

"It really suits you."

"Don't tease me."

Eloa, who would nod matter-of-factly at compliments like 'Master, your Magic is amazing! Master, your martial arts are amazing!', became incredibly bashful with clothing compliments, repeating phrases like 'Don't tease me.'

That reaction was also cute, making it fun to keep complimenting her.

"I almost forgot something."

"What is it?"

"Thank you for buying me nice clothes. This is also my first experience coming to a department store to buy clothes."

"Strictly speaking, I didn't buy them with my own money. And I've received many things from you, Master."

To Siwoo, who was being modest, Eloa spoke clearly and firmly.

"Countess Gemernai is a Witch and simultaneously a capable businesswoman. A great businessperson doesn't spend money carelessly, no matter how much they have. If the Countess provided you with material support, it's not out of simple goodwill or pity, but because you are a person worthy of receiving that much."

"Hmm…"

Somehow, he felt he understood Eloa's mood when she received clothing compliments.

That feeling of being awkward, embarrassed, and such.

If you trace the root cause of Siwoo being able to enjoy such abundance in the Mortal Realm, it's because he confronted Ea Sadalmelik, prepared to give up his life.

What on earth possessed him to confront that terrifying Ea at a time when he couldn't even cast a proper combat spell…?

Frankly, he didn't think it was such a great feat.

If it weren't him, but someone else in that situation, wouldn't they have made a similar choice?

"Have a little more pride."

Eloa playfully patted Siwoo's back and walked ahead.

Siwoo and Eloa, who had purchased enough ingredients to almost fill the cart, got into the car.

The hypercar received from Periwinkle.

Honestly, when he first received it, he thought he'd just park it and hardly ever drive it.

Firstly, Siwoo himself wasn't very interested in cars, and compared to Ferraris or Lamborghinis often seen in Seoul, this one attracted an incomparable amount of attention.

But once Siwoo took the wheel and drove on the road, he was already deeply captivated by this car's charm.

The exhaust note, not noisy but deep and dignified, and the sense of unity, as if becoming one with the car.

His heart was stolen by the mechanical craftsmanship so well-made it felt like a living creature.

Siwoo smoothly exited the underground parking lot.

Eloa was in the passenger seat, scrutinizing her outfit from various angles.

Eloa seemed to be in a good state now, and it was about time to bring up the story he heard from Periwinkle.

Because what he heard from Periwinkle wasn't just a matter concerning Siwoo's safety.

"Master, I have something to tell you."

"No need to speak so formally. Feel free to say anything."

Eloa, leaning comfortably against the seatback, suppressing a smile that kept trying to surface.

A single word was enough for her expression to stiffen rigidly.

"By any chance, do you know about the Witch Periwinkle?"

The moment the name Periwinkle left Siwoo's mouth.

Eloa, without realizing it, sharply turned her head to look out the window.

Periwinkle?

Why is her name suddenly coming up?

Eloa, who had been forgetting about the impressions of the two-day-long VR porn amidst the pleasant atmosphere.

The fact that she had eavesdropped on sexual intercourse for 36 hours, or that her body had foolishly heated up while watching it.

An embarrassing incident she could never tell anyone about surfaced in her mind.

Could it be that Siwoo had already noticed what Eloa knew?

Or was he subtly probing, sensing something?

"I, I, I don't know. I don't know anything."

Eloa, her face turning pale, answered in a fluster.

Siwoo tilted his head at the reaction, bordering on panic.

If he weren't holding the steering wheel, he might have seen the ears peeking through her hair turning bright red.

"I really don't know. It's not a lie, it's the truth."

"I didn't think it was a lie…"

It was a somewhat suspicious reaction, but he didn't think it was a significant issue.

"The other day when I was away from home. I had a chance to have a private conversation. According to her divination, she said I would soon face a crisis. Um, probably… that I would die…"

He omitted the stimulating detail about having his arm cut off and dying and added that it was already half-resolved.

Because he could guess how Siwoo's words would reach Eloa, who had memories of losing someone precious.

Although Siwoo broached the topic cautiously, Eloa's reaction was intense.

She whipped her head to look at Siwoo, gazing at him with an almost panicked expression.

"...What did you just say…?"Trembling eyes and a creaking atmosphere.

As if some trauma had been triggered, her breathing grew rapid, and Siwoo hastily added,

"Ah, of course, thanks to her kindness, I also received a solution. She said it's a talisman that can save my life no matter what kind of crisis I face."

"Tell me in more detail."

A murderous aura poured from Eloa, intense enough to make the skin tingle.

It was a bloodthirsty fighting spirit, vowing to cut down any enemy threatening Siwoo.

Siwoo recalled the Eloa from their first meeting, who had driven a fist into his abdomen.

It seemed necessary to calm her down a bit first.

"Don't worry too much. It probably won't be such a big deal."

"How can you say this isn't a big deal? The Witch of Luck is skilled in astrology. Her divinations almost never miss!"

Her reaction seemed quite detailed for someone who claimed not to know Periwinkle at all.

"If I lose you again... if I lose you too, what am I supposed to do? I, I... I..."

Eloa began to cry out in a voice so fragile it seemed it might break, as if she had already assumed the worst possible outcome.

Flustered, Siwoo first pulled the car over to the shoulder.

"Who is it? Why? Did you not hear anything about why this crisis is coming?"

Eloa clung to Siwoo's sleeve, hanging on.

Siwoo calmly soothed her and laid out his thoughts.

"Lady Periwinkle also said she'll be leaving Korea for a while. She said her divination showed a crisis arriving within a month.

Considering the recent actions of the Cowardly Witch, perhaps within a month she will cause an incident, and maybe I'll get caught up in it..."

"Did she say that?"

"Yes, she thought the same as I did."

After the recent attack by the Cowardly Witch, a vacuum of Combat Power occurred not only in Seoul but across all of Korea.

Witches who sensed the crisis from the successive incidents had returned to Gehenna or fled abroad one after another.

Branch Chief Sua had requested support from Gehenna and other Witch Point branches, but most responses were lukewarm.

From the start, a witch's purpose is not to save people.

Their goal is to elevate their innate magic to a higher stage.

Moreover, most strive for self-preservation rather than seeking adventure.

For a witch, death is not just the end of an individual but the extinction of a 'generation,' so they have no desire to get involved in an incident that seems risky and offers no merit.

"This is why I told you not to worry too much."

Siwoo took out two four-leaf clovers he had kept in his cigarette case.

One was light green, the other pink.

Gifts from Periwinkle, given with the promise they would save his life.

"She said even if I'm fated to die, they will make it miss once."

Only then did a thread of composure appear on Eloa's expression, which had seemed cornered.

The Witch of Luck was a celebrity even among witches, and she had heard a few times about the efficacy of her clovers.

"My apologies, I made quite a spectacle of myself."

"Not at all, Master. I brought it up too abruptly."

"So, what do you plan to do?"

"That... I still don't know."

In truth, he had already guessed that some incident involving the Cowardly Witch would occur.

But he couldn't just leave Sharon behind, and above all, the option of running away twice in a row didn't sit right with him, so he had been postponing the decision.

But should he stay and fight until the moment his fated death arrives?

If even Periwinkle, of the 20th Hierarchy, faces a crisis that could lead to death, wouldn't it be better to take Sharon and flee?

That's what he had thought.

"Run away."

Eloa spoke as if there was nothing to think about.

"Enter Gehenna and don't return until the situation calms down. It will be safer there than here."

"But Branch Chief said it would take time to discuss getting Sharon into Gehenna."

"I will help with that part."

The review of an Exile's Exemption Right in Gehenna is extremely strict.

Also, Gehenna's administrative work is incredibly, incredibly slow, so going through formal procedures would indeed take a long time.

However, if a witch of Tiferet's caliber pushes using her name and authority, it's not impossible.

Even if she has lost her wealth and voice, becoming a hollow title, she is still one of only three dukes in Gehenna.

"Can you really do that?"

Siwoo let out a sigh of relief.

Then, the burden would be less.

More than anything else, it was a relief that Sharon, who was unconscious, could escape the eye of the storm.

"I'll handle it within two days, so you and Miss Evergreen should..."

As Eloa was about to say, 'take refuge in Gehenna,' one thought brushed past her mind.

"......"

"Master?"

Siwoo looked at Eloa, who was dazed for a while, with a puzzled expression.

Eloa grabbed Siwoo's sleeve with a very earnest hand.

"I will send Miss Evergreen to take refuge in Gehenna. But you..."

She says, gripping Siwoo's hand tightly as if she would never let go.

"...don't go anywhere. Just stay by my side."

Author's Note (Afterword)

I lay down at 6 PM for a nap and just woke up now. Heh.