City of Witches Chapter 330

“Unni.”

“What is it, Odette? If it’s something pointless, stop. It’s giving me heartburn.”

The twins were guided to Table 2, right next to Table 1.

Although the entire establishment was a bit noisy, there was only a simple partition, so the twins could hear Siwoo’s voice as he entertained various Witches.

At first, when they heard he was an ‘entertainer,’ they wondered what kind of work it was and requested to observe.

They were curious about what their assistant was doing.

And the content was exactly as they had heard.

The kind of act where he flatters the Witches’ egos and sweet-talks them with words that are clearly just empty flattery.

“Ughhhhhhhhh….”

She knows it’s just work.

She understands that all those work lines and polite speech are for their friend’s sake.

Still, Odil didn’t like it one bit.

“But isn’t it boring? By the way, did our assistant ever talk so smoothly? He seems like a completely different person.”

In contrast, Odette didn’t seem bothered at all.

At first, she pricked up her ears to eavesdrop on the conversation, but soon she was comfortably lounging on the sofa, sipping champagne.

Whenever a cringeworthy line came out, she even giggled, looking utterly carefree.

“You’re not bothered at all? That our assistant is fawning over other women like that?”

Odil flared up and nagged her innocent younger sister.

To think that Odette was her only ally in catching up to the far-ahead Unni Sharon.

Suddenly, she seemed utterly unreliable.

How could she be so clueless?

“Hey, Unni, you’re taking it way too seriously.”

“What’s so serious about it? Didn’t you hear him just now?”

Odil turned on the music box to prevent the sound from reaching the next table and lowered her voice to a whisper.

“A toast to the Witch’s eyes, he said! A toast to the eyes! Ugh! I want to splash champagne right in her eyes!”

Odette burst into laughter seeing Odil fuming.

“Unni, look.”

“Look at what? I’m already looking.”

“Have you ever heard our assistant talk so cheesily before?”

“So what?”

Odette decided to share the secret to maintaining a relaxed mindset with her sister, who was on the verge of exploding.

“You haven’t, right?”

Odil pondered Odette’s words carefully.

She hadn’t.

In fact, the very reason Odil was shocked was because their assistant was saying such embarrassing things.

“What’s your point? That he says things to other Witches that he never says to us?”

“Oh, come on, Unni. Think about it the other way around. It means there’s not even a speck of sincerity in it. Not even a speck.”

Odil blinked her eyes repeatedly at Odette’s words.

Now that she thought about it, it made sense.

In any romantic atmosphere, even during those passionate moments with Unni Sharon…

Their assistant had never said such cheesy lines that made your lower stomach tingle just hearing them.

This place, temporary as it was, was his ‘workplace.’

“It’s similar to a chef handling knives in the kitchen! Or an actor performing in a movie.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right! You should see it as a kind of professional ethics. The Witch sitting over there must have paid good money too.”

“In other words… it means when he’s with us, our assistant shows us his true self…?”

“Exactly. We’re getting something that can’t be bought with money.”

Odette crossed her arms and gave a smug, throat-clearing chuckle.

Odil was impressed.

Listening quietly, Odette’s words seemed right.

Far from feeling jealous or envious, she even felt her shoulders perk up a little.

“So don’t worry too much, Unni. And listen carefully to what our assistant is saying. It’s really funny.”

“You know what, this time you might be right.”

And so, adopting a relaxed, bystander perspective like Odette to observe their assistant’s work…

It turned out to be no ordinary matter either.

Having to say things you don’t mean, having to smile without complaint even in front of picky, difficult Witches.

From then on, she had to suppress the urge to rush over and confront those rude, arrogant Witches who were being disrespectful to their assistant.

“…Our assistant really has it tough. Earning money is hard work.”

“To have to say things you don’t mean to that extent….”

The twins’ gazes rolled down to the table.

There lay a leather pouch they were using as a substitute for a wallet.

Inside, it was stuffed full with the gold coins they had brought to buy their assistant’s time today.

“Hmm….”

The twins had never worked because they lacked money.

Because that was simply how things had always been.

From the moment they woke up until they fell asleep, everyone catered to their convenience even if the twins didn’t lift a finger.

Perhaps because of that, whenever they did something for their assistant, it was almost, always, mostly by borrowing the power of the Zemnarai family.

“I think I’m starting to feel the same way as you, Unni.”

“Right? Should we get moving then?”

“Let’s do it!”

Odil and Odette, having made eye contact, quietly rose from their seats.

“My tongue’s going to blister.”

Having diligently finished his entertaining duties for the day, Siwoo felt a deep, pervasive fatigue covering his entire body.

It almost felt like he was playing defense.

No wonder people in service jobs end up needing medication for mental health issues.

“You worked hard again today, my friend.”

“I feel like my soul is being whittled away. How did you do this for years?”

“Because I really love Boji. What about you?”

“…I like it too.”

He was so drained that he didn’t even have the energy to properly respond to Takasho’s nonsense.

“Is that so? This is off-topic, but at first I thought you had a Boji allergy. Or that you were gay.”

“Stop the nonsense. Did we do good sales today?”

“Of course. Our shop has the ace Shin Siwoo. The other guys have some private appointments coming in too, smooth sailing, smooth sailing.”

Siwoo grunted as he got up.

It was time to meet the twins as promised.

He said he’d be late, but they might be fast asleep by now.

“Good to hear. I have plans today, so I’m heading out. Keep up the hard work.”

“Ah! Siwoo. I almost forgot something.”

“What is it?”

“You know those Apprentice Witch ladies from the House of Gemernai who stopped by around noon? They asked me to give this to you.”

What Takasho held out was a note.

Unfolding it, he saw it was the address of the twins’ Outpost Base in Border Town.

Written in round, neat handwriting were words like ‘Please come this way.’

Come to think of it, he was so busy he didn’t even get to greet them properly.

“And this is today’s sales share for you.”

“Ah, the drink money?”

“Keep it. I should have given it to you yesterday too, but I was so out of it I forgot.”

At the Host Bar, a portion of the sales from drinks ordered by customers for a specific host goes to that host.The number of customers who ordered drinks while sitting with Siwoo was quite substantial, and the resulting bean powder had fallen accordingly.

Upon opening the sack, there were gold coins inside.

What a dazzling color.

The jingling sound was pleasant too.

At this point, calling it mere bean powder felt almost criminal.

After all, it contained gold coins in double digits—an amount Siwoo would have had to save his weekly wages for an entire year to accumulate.

It was all for Takasho's benefit.

Moreover, Siwoo had already received an enormous reward from Count Gemernai, so he didn't particularly need the money.

"Can I exchange this for alcohol instead? I want to buy a gift."

Since he had come all this way, he planned to bring alcohol for the Twins, who must have waited a long time without being able to properly enjoy themselves.

After all, both Odil and Odette loved alcohol dearly.

However, using Count Gemernai's money for the gift felt somewhat off.

It was better to buy it with the money he had earned diligently today.

Siwoo could give the gift with a clear conscience, and Takasho could sell additional alcohol even after closing—a win-win situation, he thought.

"A gift? Ah, is that 'promise' a date with the Odette sisters?"

"You could say that."

Takasho clapped his hands in admiration.

"Wow, they say apprentice Witches are flowers to be admired from afar, but I feel a sense of generational shift. Great! How could I take money from a friend? I'll give you the best alcohol, so take it."

If this were just any ordinary bar, he would have accepted, but this was a high-end bar catering to Witches.

The best alcohol came with a price tag that would make one exclaim in shock.

"Take the money, and just give me something around this price. And you don't have to deduct my share from now on. I'll cover it with the cost of this alcohol."

In the end, he stubbornly handed over the gold coins and accepted the cheapest option among the top-tier lineup (which still cost several thousand Gehenna coins).

With the beautifully packaged alcohol cradled in his arms, Siwoo used the Coordinate Teleportation Formula to teleport to the Outpost Base in Taro Town.

It was late at night.

In Taro Town, where days started and ended relatively early, the area around the Outpost Base was exceptionally quiet.

Yet, this tranquil scenery felt familiar.

In fact, it evoked a sense of déjà vu.

When Siwoo was drowning in alcohol and living like a wreck, he had once taken a night stroll down this street with Odil.

Moreover, it was after falling into a trap here in Taro Town that he became seriously entangled with the Odile Odette sisters, making this a place thick with memories of the Twins.

Compared to the low-rise and somewhat shabby surrounding buildings, the five-story Outpost Base shone brilliantly.

If the Gemarnai Mansion was closer to a treehouse built on a vast plot of land, this one was more like a Town House.

-Knock knock

"Are you asleep?"

If the Twins were here at this hour, it meant they had either received permission to stay out or had sneaked out.

Either way, it was quite late.

Siwoo planned to pack up the Twins and return to the mansion if they were already asleep.

Just as he grabbed the doorknob to knock again, the walnut wood door opened smoothly.

"I'm sorry I'm so late... Huh?"

The scenery was unchanged from his memory.

The candlestick adorned with gold leaf and the dancing candle flame atop it.

The marble floor, where one's panties would be clearly visible under a skirt if they weren't wearing underpants, and the staircase to the right of the entrance.

Amid this strangely cozy and nostalgic scene, something truly out of place stood out.

"Welcome back? Assistant? No, Master."

"Welcome back, Master."

It was the Twins, standing side by side on either side of the entrance hallway, bowing their heads respectfully.

That alone wouldn't have been so strange.

After all, this was the Twins' Outpost Base.

But they were wearing maid uniforms.

Their titles were odd too.

Instead of their usual half bonnets, they wore kachusha headdresses.

Aprons wrapped around their full skirts.

It wasn't some distorted maid attire meant to stimulate sexual fantasies, but rather practical clothing one could wear to work immediately, brimming with a sense of everyday life.

Yet, the overflowing elegance was undoubtedly because Odil and Odette were noble young ladies.

"What is this?"

"What do you mean~? Assistant, you must have had a tough day today. We're just treating you with proper respect. You can feel grateful."

"Sister, Master Master."

"Ah, right. Master."

Odil, shyly smiling and declaring it as a matter of course, and Odette, correcting her sister's slip of the tongue.

"That's right, you must have worked hard all day."

A smile bloomed on Siwoo's face as he stood still.

Above all, the sight of the Twins, dressed in ill-fitting clothes and timidly calling him "Master Master," was just too adorable.

"W-what? Why are you smiling? Is it weird?"

"Did we do something wrong?"

This feeling warming his chest.

This feeling of the fatigue accumulated throughout the day refreshingly vanishing.

Thank you so much.

Who knew that someone thinking of him and caring for him like this could bring such joy?

He felt so moved that tears almost welled up.

"Excellent! I was just tired, so this is perfect. Both of you look really good in those."

"Really?"

"Truly?"

"Yes."

Siwoo hugged the Twins tightly and even showed them the alcohol he had brought as a gift.

"I even bought good alcohol to drink with you two today. Thank you."

"Heh, I already knew this assistant would like it! Pecha said maid uniforms are a man's romance."

"Sister, Master Master."

"Ah, right. Master."

Odil, awkwardly gauging Siwoo's reaction and puffing up with pride once she seemed successful.

She even seemed to have grown a little taller, perhaps unconsciously rising on her tiptoes.

"Anyway! Today, relax and enjoy the lavish treatment we've prepared!"

"Yes! Understood. Shall we set up the drinking table first? I also brought some snacks they gave me."

"No, come this way. What we prepared isn't just this."

Wondering what other surprises they had in store, Siwoo, forgetting the fatigue accumulated over the day, was led by the Twins into the mansion.

Author's Note (Afterword)

Info* The Witch's City is the 23rd novel registered on Novelpia!

Appointment tomorrow afternoon

Travel plans this Friday-Saturday

A friend's wedding on Sunday, so I might take a day or two off