City of Witches Chapter 326

Count Gemernai loves alcohol.

The world of fermentation, where grains or fruits are transformed into spirits.

Perhaps it resembles Magic in that once you begin to pursue its depth, an endless vastness awaits.

The distinct melodies and harmonies that resonate the moment it touches your lips.

The aromas of clove, butter ball, oak barrel, and subtle cherry that unfold the moment you close your eyes.

The various scents, having huddled in decades of darkness to finally achieve harmony, deliver an avant-garde, multidimensional thrill.

After savoring the flavors and aromas in every corner of her mouth with a sip, the Countess swallowed the brandy.

“Haa~ Nothing beats a drink after work.”

“Sister, where did you get this brandy from?”

“The Witch of Fortune brought it. There was supposed to be a magical crop for the ‘Red Roof Salon’ auction. She said she wanted to pre-purchase it.”

Magical crops produced under Count Gemernai’s Latifundium generally undergo the refinement process before appearing on the shelves of the Malcut Gallery or the Gemernai Magic Tool Shop.

However, rare crops produced through limited, experimental cultivation are occasionally sent to the ‘First Red Roof Salon’ for auction.

Like the ‘Red-Root Geranium’ that Periwinkle pre-purchased this time, for example.

“That’s good. Dealing with her never goes wrong.”

“She paid double the expected price, so there was no reason not to sell.”

Anyway, gathering like this after work to share a drink was one of the Twin Countesses’ pleasures.

Usually, they’d talk about their respective businesses or Twin matters, but today there was one particularly novel topic.

“By the way, sister, did you hear? They say a host bar opened at the Malcut Gallery? And it’s exclusively for Witches.”

“Really?”

It was novel, but not enough to pique Count Albireo’s interest.

If anything, it was so out of the blue that she thought, ‘Was Deneb interested in such things?’

“But Shin Siwoo works there.”

“Eh….”

Albireo’s mouth fell open gracelessly without her realizing.

Given that Albireo frequently interacted with the Mortal Realm, she naturally knew what a host bar was.

Wasn’t it a place where wealthy women drank while fondling the buttocks of male escorts?

“Wh-what? Why? Is he protesting because he’s short on money?”

Albireo already knew about Siwoo’s spending habits.

Hadn’t she even given him a credit certificate with unlimited use?

Suddenly taking a job?

And a job where he flirts and pours drinks for Witches?

It was utterly absurd.

“Isn’t it amusing?”

“Amusing? Is that something to take so lightly? You were the one who offered to connect the Twins with Siwoo.”

Deneb chuckled at her sister’s expected reaction and brought her glass under her nose to savor the aroma.

“I was surprised too, so I looked into it. The madam there is apparently an old friend of Siwoo’s. It seems business was a bit slow, so he’s helping out. From what I saw, it seems fairly decent.”

“You should’ve said that first. You startled me for no reason.”

“You look cute when you’re surprised. By the way, wouldn’t the Twins be jealous if they knew?”

Deneb, having successfully startled Albireo, wore a triumphant smile.

Then.

“Assistant-nim!”

“At a host bar?”

““He’s working there?””

The door swung open without warning.

No one else would dare enter the Countess’s office so rudely.

The adorable little birds of the Gemernai household.

Odil and Odette.

The Twins, who had stopped by the office to say goodnight before bed, had overheard the Countesses’ conversation.

“No wonder we haven’t seen him lately!”

“To think he got a job!”

Odil’s eyes were wide as if she’d just solved the trick of a locked-room murder.

Odette chimed in beside her.

“Odil, Odette.”

When Deneb called the Twins’ names in a low voice, they quickly scurried out of the office.

-Knock knock

““Master, may we come in?””

“Yes, come in.”

The Twins were exceptionally well-mannered today as well.

Odil and Odette rushed to stand beside their Master as soon as the greetings were over.

“Master, is it true that Assistant-nim got a job at a place called a host bar?”

“What is a host bar?”

“…….”

Both Albireo and Deneb knew the Twins were infatuated with their Assistant-nim.

Whether it was an immature, budding love or the beginning of an eternal, everlasting love.

Deneb intended to support them with a parental heart as long as they didn’t cross the line.

It was only natural she’d be at a loss for words before the Twins tilting their heads with innocent faces.

“Um, well, how should I put it… It’s a place where you drink.”

“Be precise, Deneb.”

“Then you explain it, sister!”

Albireo, who had been watching her flustered younger sister to whom she’d passed the troublesome task, smiled warmly and spoke to the Twins.

“It’s a fun place where you drink with male escorts.”

“Escorts?”

“What are escorts?”

“Sister!”

Albireo, speaking mischievously like a father teasing his young children, and Deneb, slapping the back of her hand in retaliation.

Of course, the burden of explanation fell squarely back on Deneb.

“So… it’s a role where you pour drinks for the person drinking, chat with them, and sometimes even act cute.”

Even their little Master’s elegant explanation was a great shock to the Twins.

Judging from the context of the conversation they’d overheard, didn’t it mean Assistant-nim had gotten a job as an escort at a host bar and was serving Witches?

And not just Sharon unnie, but serving an unspecified multitude!

“Th-this can’t be.”

“Such a thing happened while we looked away for a moment…”

“Anyway, it’s very late, so go to bed now.”

Deneb quickly ended this awkward conversation on one hand and cautioned the stunned Twins just in case.

“I’m saying this just in case, but you must never go there. Our good Twins? Understood?”

“Yes, little Master.”

“Goodnight.”

Odil and Odette bowed and finished their goodnight greetings.

Their footsteps on the way back to their room were almost as listless as a sleepwalker’s.

Even after entering their room, their minds were in turmoil.

“Odette, it’s an emergency.”

“I know, unnie.”

He hadn’t been seen for two whole days since returning from the trip, so they wondered where he was and what he was doing.

He hadn’t even shown up for meals.Even when I secretly visited at night, he wasn't there, so I couldn't even show him the 'Operation: Make the Assistant Fall Head Over Heels Instantly' that Odil and Odette had collaborated on.

Wondering if he might be doing that with Sharon unnie, I even checked the annex, but he wasn't there either.

I couldn't let Assistant-nim be taken by Sharon unnie like this, so I was even considering barging in midway.

Who would have thought he'd gotten a job in Renomond Town?

"Odette, come to think of it, isn't this rather an opportunity for a dramatic reversal?"

"Why?"

"Getting a job at a tavern and serving drinks means he's getting paid, right?"

"I suppose so?"

Odil suddenly sprang up.

She stepped onto a chair and retrieved something from above the fireplace.

A white porcelain bottle shaped like a bird.

Its appearance was a bit unique, but it was the piggy bank the Twins had been diligently saving their pocket money in.

"Odette, let's break this."

"Aha! Good idea, unnie!"

Only then did Odette, finally grasping her sister's profound intention, not hide her admiration.

Odil and Odette spread a white sheet and threw the porcelain onto it, shattering it.

-Crash!

-Clatter!

The pocket money of the prestigious and dignified House of Gemernai defied common sense.

Countless gold coins saved over nearly five years glittered among the broken shards of the bottle.

"Uhuhuhu."

"Turning crisis into opportunity, buying up every last bit of Assistant-nim's time."

"Great!"

Duke Tiferet loves alcohol.

When sad, he tilted the bottle to soothe his sorrow; when happy, he filled the cup to share his joy.

Thus, the cup holds the bitter hardships of life, and sometimes, a sip of a smile that allows one to step over those hardships.

And sometimes, it also holds the tragedy of having to turn away from love.

The reason the alcohol soothing his empty stomach tonight tastes exceptionally bitter is likely because it contains the pain of having to deny feelings realized too late.

"……"

After erasing all memories of the spirit thread from Siwoo's mind.

Eloa suffered from severe aftereffects.

She never imagined it would be this agonizing, both mentally and physically.

The forcibly invoked Contract made her already overworked body ache all over.

Her body ran a fever, and her entire frame ached as if she had caught the flu and was coughing.

The most tormenting thing was that each time she felt that pain, she also sensed the lingering remnants of the severed memories.

Except for sleeping hours, she clung only to the bottle, so empty liquor bottles piled up in Eloa's room at a terrifying rate.

"Phew…"

Eloa let out a sigh thick with the smell of alcohol, enduring the throbbing headache.

Had Siwoo still not returned from his journey?

Though she said she would treat him only as a disciple, now that she hadn't seen his face for so long, she missed him.

Of course, it wasn't due to mere master-disciple affection, but because of the heart-wrenching longing that had even made her forsake the heavenly bonds for a moment.

She drank to forget that feeling.

And after getting drunk, the longing rose more vividly, so she drank again.

"Now, what is what…"

She could no longer tell.

It wasn't that there was nothing to be done.

There was still one more person to whom Eloa had to confess her sins.

Sharon Evergreen, the lovely disciple's lover.

Erasing memories does not make past transgressions disappear.

Even if Siwoo doesn't remember, Eloa's sin of secretly sleeping with another's lover does not vanish.

The fact that Eloa is suffering also cannot serve as an indulgence.

Now she had to go find Sharon and confess honestly…

"……"

Eloa got up.

Forcing her reluctant steps, she headed towards the annex where Sharon Evergreen was staying.

-Knock knock

She grabbed the doorknob and knocked on the door.

Though it was a late night when even plants slept, Evergreen was also a Witch.

Not long after, footsteps were heard, and the door opened.

"Duke Tiferet? What brings you here?"

"My apologies for the late night visit."

Sharon, wearing a nightgown, had a dark complexion, which made Eloa feel unnecessarily guilty.

It seemed as if she already knew about the affair with Siwoo and was reproaching her for it.

"I'd like to share a drink. Would that be alright?"

"Of course, please come in."

In truth, even in the Mortal Realm, the two had almost no points of contact.

Their first meeting occurred with Siwoo battered due to Eloa's misunderstanding.

And Sharon, having been discovered in her centaur form, had subtly been avoiding her, which were the main reasons.

So why would the Duke propose a late-night drinking session?

Puzzled, Sharon obediently ushered Eloa inside.

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

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