City of Witches Chapter 319

The time had come to achieve the primary purpose for coming to Gehenna after the belated vacation.

Siwoo was rummaging through the Trinity Academy library.

Originally, outsiders couldn't enter freely, but with the full cooperation of the administrative office staff, he obtained a pass and could come and go as if it were his own home.

The essential knowledge of Barrier Magic for interpreting the Red Branch.

He gathered every book related to it.

It didn't take very long.

After all, Siwo's official duty during his slave days was library maintenance and management, so he knew the location of every book like the back of his hand.

"Even a rough collection is a lot…."

Just roughly gathering books related to Barrier Magic resulted in a table piled high with volumes.

Each book was nearly as thick as a phone book, and the number of volumes easily exceeded a hundred.

Of course, not all of these were high-level materials.

Such books could only be found in places like the 'Secret Library' in Ars Magna Town or the Truth and Enlightenment Academic Society.

Sometimes, they were traded privately among Witches through auctions.

Anyway, the Academy library was filled with very old books, and given the nature of Magic, which advances over time, 'old' meant somewhat outdated materials.

"But even if I looked at those, I wouldn't understand them…. Actually, it's better this way."

Siwo, with his limited knowledge of Barrier Magic, wouldn't be able to understand such advanced materials even if he saw them.

It would be better to study books focused on basic concepts.

According to Branch Chief Sua, properly utilizing the Red Branch would take at least ten years.

Time was something he had plenty of anyway.

There was no need to rush.

"Hmm… Should I start with this?"

For the first time in a while, he spread out books and began moving his pen.

Barrier Magic was quite different from other forms of Magic.

For example, if the Magic Siwo had studied so far was like drawing a sketch, coloring it, and gradually completing it step by step,

Barrier Magic was a 'method of completing everything at once.'

Magic power was a rather ambiguous force.

It existed while not existing, followed physical laws while also not following them.

'Barrier Magic,' which involved spreading Magic power widely to induce specific effects, was essentially a battle of how well one could control the ambiguity and irregularity inherent in Magic power.

Thus, paradoxically, Barrier Magic began by denying the nature of Magic power.

Because it was nearly impossible for humans to deploy a barrier while considering every variable from the start.

'Magic power is regular under the caster's control and follows conventional physical laws.'

Freely constructing the image desired by the caster within an arbitrary force field.

This was the first stage of Barrier Magic, unfolding in the 'Imaginary Realm.'

However, strictly speaking, what occurred in an artificially set force field could hardly be called 'Magic.'

It was no different from the boundless imagination of a child, devoid of all principles and concepts.

Conceptualizing that imagination and concretizing it based on laws and rules.

Restricting impossible imaginations and guiding their manifestation into the real world.

This was the second stage of Barrier Magic, unfolding in the 'Symbolic Realm.'

Reaching this point led to a problem.

The Magic imagined in the Imaginary Realm could not exist because it did not align with the principles and laws of the world.

The Magic imagined in the Symbolic Realm was distorted away from the imagination due to the principles and laws of the world.

Finding the midpoint and manifesting it in the 'Real Realm' could be said to be the completion of Barrier Magic.

It meant following the principles and laws of reality while adhering to the image from the imagination.

"...Easier said than done."

Since it was Magic where neither the process nor the result could be confirmed until it was perfectly realized….

In simple terms, it felt similar to cooking in the dark without even tasting it.

It was nothing short of a Miracle that Siwo alone had succeeded in researching how to 'partially shield' the Red Branch's Distortion Field.

No other Magic was as reliant on sensory perception as this one.

As he repeatedly struggled alone, lunchtime had long since passed.

"But it's still much better than doing it alone."

Although his neck was stiff and the path ahead was still steep and treacherous, he felt as though he had at least grasped a sense of it, unlike before when he had no materials at all.

That was enough for today.

Since he couldn't bring the branch, which was practically hazardous material, to the Academy, he had carefully stored it in the annex of the Gemernai Family.

He planned to return home, extract a Magic power sample, analyze the barrier field, and then apply the new concepts he had learned today.

"Should I go meet Takasho?"

The Twins and Sharon were probably deep in their studies anyway.

To resolve the lingering feelings from before, he used a coordinate movement spell to travel to the Malcut Gallery in Renomond Town.

"Ugh."

Perhaps because of the time, there were more people than when he had visited last time.

Hunching his body tightly, fearing he might catch a Witch's eye, Siwo quickly opened the door to Takasho's host bar.

"Welcome!"

Simultaneously, twelve handsome men lined up six on each side greeted him with bright smiles.

The reception from impeccably dressed, distinctively handsome men was truly a cringe-inducing sight.

It seemed that simply opening the door and entering would result in this kind of welcome….

"Huh? Mr. Shin Siwo."

While Siwo was flustered, a familiar face appeared among them.

It was Paul, the blond man who had guided him to Takasho when he first visited the host bar.

"Sorry, I'm not a customer. I came to see Takasho. Is he available now?"

Gehenna was certainly inconvenient in this regard.

If it were the Mortal Realm, he could have just sent a text or made a call to ask.

Seeing that they were in the middle of business hours, he thought it might be a wasted trip.

Of course, if that were the case, he planned to wait a bit until business hours ended.

After all, he had no appointment.

"Yes, it's fine. He's in the office right now."

Contrary to expectations, Paul readily let Siwo inside.

Passing through the main entrance and then the inner door, the interior, decorated like a salon, came into view.

Perhaps because it wasn't open hours, it wasn't messy, and wooden boxes that might have been lying around were neatly organized.

The tidy shop and the romantic atmosphere, as if it were already night, naturally made one think, 'They really did a great job.'

However, there was one very strange thing….Seeing Siwoo tilt his head in confusion, Paul seemed to pick up on it and spoke first with a wry smile.

"No customers, right?"

That was it.

The reason Siwoo had found it odd was that in this vast establishment—a host bar that stationed twelve people at the entrance alone—not a single customer was in sight.

The current time was 3 p.m.

Well, it was an inappropriate hour for running a bar.

But that was the case for businesses catering to ordinary people. This was Gehenna. The primary clientele of this host bar were Witches.

Most Witches didn't have proper jobs, nor were they in positions that required strict adherence to work hours.

On a beautiful afternoon like this, nearby cafes and bars would be packed with Witches—a sort of golden hour in its own right.

Yet, it wasn't just that there were one or two people sitting around; the place was completely empty...

"Is it unusually slow today?"

"Actually, it's almost always like this. It's been well over a month since we opened temporarily."

"Huh?"

Siwoo was taken aback.

When he had seen Takasho last time, he had simply assumed everything was going well.

He thought Takasho had succeeded on his own, leveraging his excellent skills and adaptability.

However, upon hearing the detailed circumstances, it turned out Takasho had borrowed money from Countess Adonai to start the business and was still striving to turn a profit.

But a newly opened establishment being in this state for over a month?

"Tell me more in detail."

He sensed this wasn't a matter to be taken lightly.

It wasn't just about the success or failure of the business; Takasho's life was on the line.

Why hadn't he told the truth and asked for help sooner?

Paul hesitated briefly before cautiously opening his mouth.

"Actually, we're all grateful to Brother Takasho. Even though we were public slaves, he helped us break free from a life that would have been wasted trapped in such a place. He even personally provided us with education... At least we have warm meals, lodging, and a certain degree of freedom guaranteed, right?"

"That must be the case."

"But... the truth is, the store isn't generating any sales at all. In fact, the losses are increasing every week. With no customers, we can't sell drinks, but operating costs keep piling up, and the cost of the alcohol we committed to purchasing weekly is accumulating too.

Even though we go out to the arcade at night to do odd jobs and work without pay, tightening our belts... How long can we keep this up...?"

Siwoo scanned the interior of the bar once more.

The drinks displayed in the showcase, the furniture, even the carpets.

Since the business was planned to cater to Witches, everything was luxurious.

It seemed that even if all the earnings from the host bar employees' odd jobs were pooled together, it would hardly cover the cost of a single one of those items.

"Hey, Siwoo. You're here?"

Takasho, who seemed to have heard about his arrival in advance, came out to greet him, waving with a bright face.

But upon seeing Siwoo's serious expression, his smile quickly faded.

He let out a deep sigh.

"Ah, damn it, Paul. You told this guy unnecessary stuff, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry, Brother... Didn't you say this person is close with the Witches? For us, if the business fails, we can just return to our original workplaces... but that's not the case for you, is it?"

"Enough, you punk, go back and do your work."

Takasho tapped Paul, who was on the verge of tears with worry, on the back of the head and clicked his tongue.

With a bitter expression, he stroked his beard and looked at Siwoo.

"Sigh, I didn't want to show you this sorry state."

"Is it true?"

"What is."

"That business is really tough?"

After pondering for a while, Takasho plopped down on the sofa and admitted it.

As if his mouth tasted bitter, he put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

"...Inhale, exhale..."

Takasho, who had remained silent while smoking a cigarette down to the filter with Siwoo sitting across from him, scratched his head.

"Well, you see. The truth is, the situation isn't that great. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's difficult, no. Actually, it is difficult. Very much so."

No matter how close a friend is, it's not easy to openly share your struggles.

Moreover, having to reveal your hardships while outwardly maintaining a glamorous appearance feels unnecessarily awkward.

"I thought we were still in a soft-opening phase and tried to manage things as best I could..."

"......"

"It turns out things in this world don't always go smoothly."

Takasho laughed as if it were no big deal, but Siwoo felt uneasy.

This was a friend he had shared both joys and sorrows with for five years.

Naturally, he wanted things to go well for him.

"What exactly is the problem? I might be able to help."

"Should we move somewhere else first? The kids might overhear here."

"Alright."

Siwoo followed Takasho, dressed in a flashy suit, toward the manager's office.

A Word from the Author (Author's Note)

Come on in.