City of Witches Chapter 302

The town where Siwoo spent the longest time in Gehenna was, needless to say, 'Renomond Town,' where Trinity Academy is located.

The second wealthiest district in Gehenna, inhabited by Witches who, while not nobility, possess comparable status or substantial wealth.

If Ars Magna Town is like Gangnam-Seocho, then Renomond Town would be roughly equivalent to Yongsan-Gangdong.

Therefore, while Taro Town has a balanced mix of ordinary citizens and Witches, starting from Renomond Town, the proportion of Witches skyrockets to more than double.

The place where Siwoo arrived after deploying spatial movement was the northern school building of Trinity Academy, which stretches out in a cross shape.

A grandeur reminiscent of the Palace of Versailles, specifically the Hall of Mirrors.

Everywhere one looks, flames flickering atop candlesticks boast a splendor as if gold had melted and flowed, matching their dance.

It was a place that reinforced the blind conviction that such beauty would remain unchanged even after a thousand years.

"It's still the same here…."

The moment he set foot in the corridor, memories of his hard-fought years surfaced like a panorama.

He had thought it might be close to PTSD, halfway there.

But it turned out to be just a slightly ambiguous, nostalgic, heart-tickling, somewhat shitty feeling.

"Well then…."

Should he look around leisurely while also searching for Takasho?

At this hour, he'd probably be cleaning the corridors or just waking up late in another professor's bedroom.

Siwoo strolled casually, peeking around his old workplace.

With this level of dazzling brilliance, one would expect to hear bustling noises.

Yet the school building, shrouded in the silence of dawn, was eerily quiet, to the point of feeling a strange dissonance.

It was a sense of incongruity he hadn't felt in a long time.

The difference was that now he was walking around leisurely, whereas back then he had to feel it while diligently dusting candlesticks.

The well site where he washed his body with cold water after work.

The drainage ditch he diligently dug out whenever it rained.

He even glanced at the library, his original workplace and where he secretly conducted Magic Research, but Takasho was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed like he had looked around enough for an hour.

"Where did he go this time?"

Thinking they might keep missing each other if he searched like this, Siwoo headed for a new destination.

The administrative office located southeast of the school building.

True to its name, it was the department handling miscellaneous administrative tasks.

-Knock knock

The administrative office, with an exterior more worn than the library where Siwoo used to work.

Upon knocking and entering, he saw a woman rummaging through documents early in the morning.

A familiar face.

They had no personal connection, only a relationship where she had directly given him work instructions.

"Hello."

"Huh?"

The woman, moving her pen with bleary eyes behind glasses, wore an expression as if sleep had fled upon seeing Siwoo.

"You, um, that… that? Caretaker Shin Siwoo?"

"Yes, though I'm not a caretaker anymore."

"Good morning!"

The female administrative employee sprang up from her seat like a tightly disciplined new recruit and bowed her head.

The employees working in the administrative office were ordinary Gehenna citizens, not Witches.

Since Siwoo had officially become a 'Witch,' he naturally held a higher status than the female employee.

But.

"...Uh, uh…."

Siwoo looked at the female employee, who was bowing deeply with a bewildered expression and trembling.

Since it was his old workplace, news that Caretaker Shin Siwoo had become a Witch must have spread faster here than anywhere else.

But was that a reason to be so scared?

"I-I'm sorry… about, about the lodging matter back then, I'm truly sorry…."

Ah.

That reason.

The fact that Siwoo was kicked out of a decent lodging and made to live in a stable was ultimately due to interference from the administrative office.

It seemed she thought the former slave caretaker, now elevated in status, had returned harboring a grudge, perhaps seeking revenge.

"Um, it's fine. I'd just like to ask a few things."

"Y-yes… sir!"

"First… would you like to sit comfortably? I didn't come here to do anything bad."

"I'm sorry!"

First, he placated the female employee with lengthy persuasion.

He felt a bitter taste wondering just how ruined the image of Witches was among the citizens for her to be this terrified.

After about ten minutes of soothing, the two finally reached a state where they could converse.

Despite repeated attempts to decline, they ended up sitting face-to-face before a tea table she had meticulously prepared, beginning their conversation.

"I'm really sorry about what happened…."

"I don't mind it at all. By the way, do you happen to know Mimaya Takasho, who worked here with me?"

"M-Mr. Takasho?"

As soon as Takasho's name was mentioned, a bright red blush spread across the female employee's face.

Well, well.

He's spread his influence here too.

He's something else, that friend of mine.

"Yes, I came to meet that friend. But I can't seem to find where he's holed up."

"Mr. Takasho, a few months ago, completed his full six years…."

Ah.

He had completely forgotten.

Like Siwoo, Takasho was a public slave belonging to Gehenna City Hall.

If he completed six years, he would be transferred to another assignment location.

"Could you tell me where he was assigned?"

"He wasn't assigned."

"Huh?"

Siwoo's face stiffened.

Wasn't assigned?

Did he finally cross the line after living so recklessly?

Did he touch an Apprentice Witch and get killed?

All sorts of ominous thoughts flared up.

This was, after all, the city of Witches.

No matter how slick Takasho was, he was still just a slave.

"I heard Countess Adonai took him as a personal slave."

"Huh?"

After asking this and that, digging further.

He managed to get the address of the place where Takasho was currently working.

"That was a surprise."

When he suddenly heard Takasho wasn't assigned, he thought he might have died abruptly or suffered some terrible fate.

But thinking about it, Takasho is the type who could thrive even in a desert, charming cacti, so it was unnecessary worry.

Anyway, it wasn't too far away.

Since it was still within Renomond Town.

If Border Town has the 'Contact Point' and Taro Town has the 'Plaza Market' handling Gehenna's logistics distribution, then Renomond Town has the Arcade Shopping District 'Malcut Gallery'.

Border Town hardly deals with retail customers, and Ars Magna Town, rated a step higher than Renomond Town, lacks large-scale shopping districts, so the most dynamic logistics movement occurs here at Malcut Gallery.

It's a place with a wide street down the middle, wide enough for four carriages to race, lined with shops on both sides, all covered by an arched glass ceiling to create an indoor space-like atmosphere.

As a side note, such arcade-style shopping areas, still seen today, are said to have appeared from the early 19th century.

Since Gehenna's Malcut Gallery appeared from the late 17th century, it was quite a trendsetter.Matching its scale of over 400 meters in straight-line distance, it sold a wide variety of items.

Goods related to Magic, such as various magical tools, Artifacts, alchemical materials, and reagents.

Luxury items like gems and jewelry, furs, alcoholic beverages, hookahs, herbs, carpets, artworks, and various furniture or household goods.

Not stopping there, it also provided various services such as beauty salons, theaters, boutiques, bookstores, and bars.

Of course, during Siwoo's time as a slave, buying even a single handkerchief here would have wiped out his entire fortune, so this was actually his first time stepping inside.

Stepping on the polished floor that gleamed as if freshly laid yesterday, he blankly looked around.

"You work here?"

Perhaps because it was still only 7 o'clock, the surrounding shops hadn't opened yet.

Only a few ordinary citizens preparing to open their stores were visible, with no Witches in sight.

For Siwoo, who attracted Witches like a streetlamp just by walking around, this was a fortunate thing.

"Hmm..."

Siwoo looked around and trudged toward the shop where Takasho was said to be employed.

"Is this the right place?"

The place Siwoo arrived at was at the very end of the Gallery.

It was a building without a signboard, tucked away in a corner so remote it seemed deliberately hard to find.

Of course, its exterior was neat, with a red carpet laid from the staircase.

But even considering its remote location, one couldn't help but wonder if there was work for a slave in such a building.

First, he walked up, grabbed the doorknob, and knocked on the firmly closed door.

Thud thud!

"......"

A fairly loud sound.

Hearing no presence from inside, he knocked again—thud thud—and only then did the door open.

"Who is... it?"

It was a blond, blue-eyed man who looked slightly younger than Siwoo.

Clothes that seemed hastily thrown on, in stark contrast to his tousled hair.

One peculiar thing to note was that he was quite tall and handsome.

The man, who had opened the door with a forced, amiable smile, immediately wore an annoyed expression the moment he confirmed the visitor was male.

"I'm here to meet someone."

"Someone?"

"Yes, is Mimaya Takasho inside?"

The moment the name 'Takasho' left Siwoo's lips, the man's expression changed once again.

The annoyance vanished completely, replaced by sharp, alert eyes.

He asked with a somewhat cautious attitude.

"Are you a friend of Brother Takasho?"

"Yes."

In that instant, the man quickly scanned Siwoo.

The seemingly high-class eyepatch, Mortal Realm attire, and even the ring on his finger.

These were clothes not permitted for ordinary slaves.

"Ah, please come in and wait. Hey! Liam! We have a guest. By the way, your name is...?"

"Shin Siwoo."

"Tell Brother Takasho that Mr. Shin Siwoo has come to see him!"

With a spirited call, Siwoo stepped inside.

Passing through the main entrance and opening another thick door, an elegant salon appeared.

Well, he wasn't sure if it was exactly a salon, but the structure was remarkably similar.

Though flawed by chairs and tables scattered here and there and wooden crates piled up haphazardly, the interior itself was decorated in a very sophisticated design.

The paintings hung on the walls, the sculptures, and the pool table for pocket billiards didn't look cheap either.

Amid an atmosphere heavily reminiscent of a classic bar, the interior was very dim despite it being early morning with the sun just rising.

"Please wait a moment. Brother will be here soon."

"Is this a bar?"

"Yes, something like that."

Just as Siwoo was bewildered, heavy footsteps and a deep voice were heard.

"Shin Siwoo!"

Though the voice was much lower and more subdued than before, Siwoo immediately recognized its owner.

But when he turned around, it wasn't Takasho.

"It feels like it's been ages. Good to see you!"

It was a Japanese man, impeccably dressed in an Italian suit, his hair slicked back with hard pomade, with a neatly trimmed beard to match, and even wearing a dazzling Patek Philippe.

Takasho's confident smile and outstretched hand, offered without hesitation, shone brightly even in the dim light.

"You, are you really Takasho?"

"Of course!"

Siwoo shook hands in a daze and then stood awkwardly frozen.

As if anticipating Siwoo's reaction, Takasho handed over a business card with a bold smile.

"The owner and madam of Gehenna's one and only Host Bar, 'Rose Glass,' newly opened this time. Mimaya Takasho, at your service."