City of Witches Chapter 293

If I had to describe the sensation of moving through a portal, it would be similar to the nausea you feel when a plane jolts through turbulence.

Even in a crashing plane, Siwoo could survive if he just kept his wits about him, but the dizziness that hit him the moment he passed through the Gate was unbearable, and he stumbled forward, collapsing.

"Ugh..."

A groan escaped him involuntarily, and at the same time, Eloa gently patted his back.

"Siwoo, are you all right?"

"This... I really can't get used to it."

"They say the more sensitive you are to magic power, the more dizziness you feel."

"But Master, you seem completely fine?"

"Hoho, I'm not so lax as to show a pitiful state in front of my disciple."

Siwoo took the hand Eloa offered and stood up.

Her hand was surprisingly soft, considering the martial power she possessed.

Raising his head and looking around, a familiar scene came into view—one he had seen before.

The lounge of the immigration office.

The platform connecting the Gates, allowing travel between the Mortal Realm and Gehenna.

Was this his second time coming here?

He thought he'd never see it again.

Taking a deep breath with a renewed sense of emotion, he caught the distinct smell of Gehenna that he had grown sick of over the past five years.

Air that was cool and slightly damp, as if a light drizzle had just passed, free of exhaust fumes or fine dust.

As he gathered his senses a bit more, he felt the gazes of Witches who had stopped what they were doing and were staring intently in his direction.

It was incredibly burdensome.

If they were just looking, he could let it slide, but they were all covering their mouths with fans or the backs of their hands, their eyes narrowed to the size of lantern flames.

Well, if Duke Tiferet, a celebrity at the immigration office, appeared with some man in tow, such a reaction was understandable.

"...Should we move somewhere else quickly?"

"That would probably be best."

Eloa, wearing a bitter smile, headed toward the exit of the immigration office with Siwoo.

And so unfolded the not-so-missed scenery.

Beyond the coastline stretched a massive Gate, and cargo ships came and went through the harbor.

As expected, through the scattered misty rain, men in raincoats were busily moving cargo.

To anyone watching, it was quite a spectacle: containers being unloaded from cargo ships built in the modern era using Magic, and the goods inside being transferred to horse-drawn carriages.

"Hurry up, you slugs!"

Meanwhile, behind the slaves moving cargo in what was practically underwear, a manager's sharp whip cracked.

Seeing that brought back old memories.

He had intervened and stopped Amelia when she was about to kill a slave.

Come to think of it, those slaves were all death row inmates sent to Gehenna under international agreements...

Given that most countries don't impose the death penalty for trivial matters, it might be a clean punitive system.

After all, in developed countries, even when the death penalty is sentenced, it's often not carried out, and taxes are just wasted.

"I need to meet with the immigration officer for a moment. Will you look around here?"

"Understood. Take your time with your work."

"If an unfamiliar Witch speaks to you, don't follow them recklessly. And don't snack too much. I plan to cook to celebrate our return to Gehenna."

As usual, Siwoo linked pinkies with Eloa and made the promise, then crossed the middle of the pier.

Surprisingly, he didn't receive as much attention as he had at the immigration office.

They only glanced briefly at the large object on Siwoo's back—the Red Branch, tightly wrapped in a Black Ribbon.

Well, Larissa, who had betrayed Siwoo, had been like that, and Fyodor, who had turned into a mackerel, and the "smugglers" all preferred the comfortable and practical clothing of the Mortal Realm.

Siwoo's current attire didn't look particularly out of place in this Border Town, and with the eyepatch he wore, he might even look like someone who worked here.

"Things are still the same here..."

The sight of smugglers gathered together smoking cigarettes was one thing.

The houses with panels on their roofs huddled together in the distance was another.

Merchants grabbing each other by the collar after getting into a fight while haggling at the contact point was another.

And the sight of a Witch walking proudly with her chin held high, minding her own business, was another.

"Huh? That's..."

In the distance, he caught a glimpse of Cloud Mushroom Village, which Sharon had once grown and destroyed all at once with acorns.

He had almost spent a night there with Amelia at Sophia's villa.

The Sleeping Serpent Rest Stop, where Larissa's gang had tried to kidnap Amelia, was bustling with business in the distance...

As memories of his tumultuous, chaotic escape from Gehenna surfaced, his feelings grew unexpectedly complicated.

By nature, he was the type to focus only on the present, so while in the Mortal Realm, he hadn't given much thought to Gehenna.

But looking back, those days had been quite tough.

Setting aside the discomfort of food, clothing, and shelter, the biggest mental stress was the constant fear that one wrong move could cost him his life.

Five years.

It wasn't even a self-chosen trip to Gehenna during what should have been the brightest years of his youth, yet he had to grit his teeth and endure.

And that wasn't all.

What had tormented Siwoo for five years was Amelia's bullying.

Until she changed near the end, she was the very embodiment of a boss who would grill him the moment she laid eyes on him.

So, did only terrible feelings remain?

Well, no.

Perhaps it was because he now understood that Amelia's capriciousness, which he hadn't been able to comprehend back then, was simply her clumsy way of expressing emotions.

"I wonder how the chicken skewer auntie is doing?"

The auntie who had given him a 2+1 deal.

He wasn't supposed to snack, but he wanted to at least see her face, so Siwoo navigated the narrow alleyways.

Thump!

Perhaps due to a moment of carelessness, someone bumped into his shoulder as they passed.

Well, this alley was too narrow for two people to pass comfortably, with all sorts of boxes piled up.

"Where the hell are your eyes, you bastard?"

In traffic law, a head-on collision would be mutual fault, but the other party's curse flew out without a moment's hesitation.

Siwoo looked at the other person's face.

Eyes as white and glossy as a drug addict's, with pupils like saucers.

A scar running diagonally across the center of his face and a tightly shaved skinhead.

And muscles as rugged as those of a Spirit Body doper like Siwoo—clearly, he was a slave.

"Ah, sorry."

In the past, he would have trembled just making eye contact with a back-alley thug like this, but now, the opponent seemed almost laughable.

Even without using magic power, he could take him down without much difficulty.

"Look at this bastard?"

But perhaps Siwoo's calm reaction came off as a provocation, as the thug slave twisted his lips and tried to grab Siwoo by the collar.

He didn't really want to get into a scuffle...

But still, on this soft, muddy ground, he figured the guy wouldn't die even if he slammed him down, so he was about to retaliate.

"Hey! Jack! Stop slacking off and get over here!"A voice that likely belonged to a slave overseer could be heard.

The man called Jack glared at Siwoo as if he wanted to kill him and said one thing.

"I remember your face."

Then, without any lingering attachment, he slipped out of the alley.

"What the hell is that bastard."

It was a rather laughable threat.

It seemed unlikely they would ever meet again.

Even if they did meet again and he tried to pick a fight, it was the kind of threat from an enemy you could laugh off while yawning.

"My mind is at ease."

I wish other public enemies or Homunculi were like this too.

Siwoo casually looked around inside the town and then met up with Eloa, who had finished her business.

He didn't bother mentioning the altercation with the thugs.

The delayed entry into Gehenna, postponed until Siwoo shielded the Distortion Field with the Ribbon.

Since he couldn't be sure how long it would take, he didn't specifically inform either the Zemnarai family or Sharon.

It seemed like it would just make them wait in vain or cause them to make a pointless trip, after all.

Thus, as soon as the shielding ritual was completed, he made an impromptu visit, but what was this?

The timing wasn't very good.

"Master, the Portal is under inspection."

"Inspection?"

After finally climbing the zigzagging cliff path and stairs all the way to the Border Town's platform.

Unfortunately, the regular inspection was said to last until tomorrow afternoon.

The receptionist even lamented something like 'Inspections have been frequent lately' while recommending a few decent lodgings.

Saying that if you mention their name, you'll get a discount.

Maybe they're getting kickbacks from the lodging establishments?

"Yes, shall I arrange for a carriage?"

"Is that really necessary? Let's book a nearby inn. Ah, if there's an urgent matter, we could go directly... But I'd like to look around a bit more."

"Hmm, that seems fine."

If it were truly urgent, there would be no need to arrange a carriage; one could simply run hard and that would be that.

But there was nothing so urgent that it required ignoring the Master's request to look around a bit.

Although she didn't show it much, Eloa was still in the process of recovering from the aftereffects of the reckless fight she had engaged in that day.

The two headed towards the largest nearby inn, the 'Lying Serpent Rest,' in the drizzling rain.

Even though it was the largest lodging in the vicinity, it wasn't a place with particularly good memories, so they wanted to avoid it...

But despite the receptionist's sales pitch, other inns had no vacancies.

The Border Town's lodging district was still thriving.

"Maybe because the Portal is acting up, many people are staying behind."

"I heard a few things from the immigration officer. Lately, many Witches have been returning to Gehenna to escape the turmoil in the Mortal Realm."

"No wonder I felt there were strangely many Witches..."

It's been a while since I've seen this inn, but its exterior remains the same.

A three-story building with a brick frame and wooden interior.

The first floor is a tavern selling alcohol and food, while the second floor and above are provided as lodgings.

"This is the only place available... From my memory, it wasn't such a fancy place."

"Don't worry. Back when I was hunting a lot, it was common to sleep rough sometimes. Having a bed is something, isn't it?"

As it was a place with not-so-good memories, they hesitated before opening the creaky wooden door and entering.

Noise, as if someone had suddenly turned up the speaker volume in the middle of a movie, flooded out.

Thick cigarette smoke and the smell of alcohol, enough to make one's head spin, were added bonuses.

"Are you going to drink yourselves to death all night?"

"Who cares if others die? When did I die that you paid condolence money?"

You could also see gamblers, naturally part of the drinking scene, engaging in subtle psychological warfare.

"Tsk tsk, it's the end times."

"If this continues, it'll be hard to bring in liquor again."

"Who brings in mediocre wines like Dom Pérignon these days?"

"I heard a new tavern opened in Renomond Town?"

You could also see merchants seriously putting their heads together while looking at 'canards,' which serve as newspapers in Border Town.

"Try this! It's a very sweet and delicious tropical fruit!"

You could also see a boy with pineapples dangling from his waist, offering slices to customers.

...The last one seems familiar from somewhere.

Anyway, it was similar to the last time I was here.

The difference from before was that five or six Witches were each sitting in a corner of the tavern.

With this level of noise, you'd expect them to give dirty looks or get annoyed, but each one was minding their own business without paying the slightest attention to their surroundings.

It certainly seems the number of Witches in Gehenna has increased.

Enough for people to fill even this shabby (by Witch standards) inn.

"...Oh."

But the moment Siwoo and Tiferet entered, the situation changed completely.

Unlike the ordinary citizens who just glanced at Eloa with little interest, the gazes of the Witches sitting at their tables all simultaneously fixed on Siwoo and Tiferet.

No trace of boredom or annoyance could be seen in them anymore.

Instead, they were thick with astonishment, curiosity, and inquisitiveness.

It was the kind of look a stalker fan has when they spot their idol off-duty.

"Don't pay them any mind. I'm right here with you, aren't I?"

"Yes, well. I'm not really bothered by it."

Eloa gently patted Siwoo's back as he said that.

Eloa, who had handed money to the innkeeper, paid for a day's lodging including breakfast and went up to the second-floor guest room with Siwoo.

The Witches followed the two ascending figures with their eyes.

The Witches, each sitting separately, got up from their seats and began to gather stealthily.

They simply couldn't let this bewildering situation pass without discussion.

"Wh-what did I just see?"

"The Witch was Duke Tiferet, and next to her was that famous male witch, right?"

"The two of them came to an inn?"

"It seemed like they only booked one room."

"Oh my, oh my, could it be?"

The Witches chattered for a long time, trying to make sense of the unbelievable sight they had just witnessed.

A word from the author (Author's Note)

A slightly late night snack~