City of Witches Chapter 34

Upon hearing Amelia's request, Flora made a peculiar expression.

"You know this is a dress shop, right? A place that makes dresses."

"I heard this place is the best in Gehenna at making clothes."

Flora puffed on her pipe a few times, then made a troubled expression.

To Siwoo, it looked something like the expression of a shopkeeper watching a customer go into a fruit store and ask for a handful of dried mackerel.

"Thanks for the compliment, but I'm not really feeling it. I prefer my creations to be worn by pretty girls, you see?"

The only reason she probably didn't tell them to leave right then and there was likely because the person before her was a Baroness.

Siwoo felt unnecessarily anxious on her behalf.

"We'll pay the fee."

"It's not about the fee. If I have no motivation, I won't work."

In response to Flora's words, Amelia pulled something out from her sleeve.

A very small perfume bottle.

It was a tiny glass vial, perhaps 15mL, more fitting to be called an ampoule than a perfume bottle, containing a purple liquid that sloshed gently.

Flora, who had been crossing her arms with a reluctant expression, shifted her gaze to the perfume.

"Is that... 'Fragrance of Fatigue'?"

"Yes. I'll give you two of these."

"Two?"

Flora's previously lax attitude flipped completely. She smiled broadly and took the vial from Amelia's hand.

If Flora's dresses were wildly popular among Witches, then in Amelia's case, it was her perfumes.

Amelia herself had no interest in making money, so the quantity was extremely limited compared to the demand, making their value even higher.

Consequently, the perfumes she made were said to be highly popular items at the Red Roof Salon, selling out immediately even at exorbitant prices.

Incidentally, it was Sophia who received and distributed Amelia's perfumes, so Siwoo remembered hearing about it from Takasho.

As if to prove Takasho's words weren't wrong, Flora happily accepted Amelia's perfume.

"Alright, this much is enough to get my motivation bubbling. First, I need to take measurements, so come over here, will you?"

Flora seemed delighted, ready to start work immediately.

Just then, a curtain draped in a corner of the dress shop was drawn aside, and a man walked out.

"Ah, customers?"

A tall, handsome man with blond hair, looking like he could be the captain of a soccer team in a high school teen drama, walked out.

"Jake, I told you to wait inside."

"I was sleeping and got startled when you weren't next to me, what can I say?"

"Acting cute."

The man, whose voice carried a deep narcissistic quality, was wearing only jeans and shuffled over, naturally wrapping his arm around Flora's waist.

Surprisingly, he greeted them from that position.

"Hello, I'm Jake Robert."

He finished his greeting to Amelia with a slight nod of his head and then kissed Flora right then and there.

Flora accepted his tongue.

A man and a Witch began a hot, American-style kiss right in front of Amelia and Siwoo.

"Smooch... Smooch..."

"Schlurp Schlurrrrrp."

Siwoo was dumbfounded.

He felt it was shameless, wondering what they were doing, and was it really appropriate to do that in front of customers?

But what was even more surprising wasn't that.

The relationship between Flora and Jake seemed utterly natural.

In a sense, it didn't seem like the relationship between a Witch and a slave.

The way he spoke to the Witch so casually, his attitude was completely at ease.

An obnoxious couple blatantly flaunting their love for each other.

In other words, an equal relationship.

That's how it appeared.

Feeling oddly embarrassed himself, Siwoo glanced at Amelia.

"......!"

The shape of those eyebrows indicated about 75% shock.

Her eyes were wide open, her straight eyelashes trembling slightly.

She seemed on the verge of letting her jaw drop.

Flora's tongue enveloped Jake's, their lips pressed together.

As their tongues slowly parted, a single thread of saliva stretched long between their tips.

"Whew, you're too hot. Wait nicely."

"You're just too lovable. Well then, come back quickly, Honey."

After the kiss ended, Flora playfully slapped Jake's butt, and Jake left after delivering a cheesy line.

Amelia rubbed her eyes slightly, wondering if her vision was playing tricks on her.

But seeing Jake disappear back behind the curtain in the distance, that didn't seem to be the case.

"Handsome, right? Staring like that won't make me give him to you."

Flora gave Amelia a sly smile.

Amelia's curiosity was burning so intensely she couldn't let it go without asking.

Even though she knew it wasn't proper, she ended up asking.

"Is that man also a slave?"

"He's a slave, but he's also my boyfriend."

Boyfriend? While being a slave?

Major confusion.

Even though she saw it with her own eyes, it didn't seem to compute.

How could a Witch be in a romantic relationship with a slave?

"Isn't he cute? I picked him up from an orphanage when he was seven and raised him. Even though he grew up so well, he's still a child in my eyes."

Amelia knew that some Witches had this and that kind of relationship with their slaves.

And she considered such behavior extremely unbecoming of a Witch, looking down on it with contempt.

Were Witches not those chosen to pursue the path of the Magic Path?

She thought it was wrong to grow lazy, distracted by men and such.

Moreover, the sight of them acting like real lovers...

"Something seems off."

"If you put it that way, you're not much different. You came all the way to a dress shop to get nice clothes for the slave you love."

"That's not it."

Amelia retorted heatedly, but Flora didn't seem to pay it much mind.

"Anyway, my darling is waiting, so I can't take too long. This way."

"I said that's not it."

"Alright, alright, why are you getting so angry?"

Flora led Siwoo, her high heels clicking sharply like blades.

Siwoo entered the tailoring room inside the dress shop.

Amelia chose to remain in the lobby with a sullen expression.

Unlike the neatly organized lobby, the tailoring room was cluttered with various decorations, jewels, and mannequins, making it rather chaotic.

"Could you stand on that platform over there with your arms spread? I need to take your measurements."

"Yes."

As Siwoo stood awkwardly stiff, Flora pointed to the footrest and spoke.

Flora pulled out a measuring tape and began measuring Siwoo's waist circumference first.

With business-like movements, Flora measured around the waist, under the bust, the center of the chest, and the lengths of the limbs, recording them.

Perhaps finding the silence boring, she initiated conversation first."So you serve a cute little Witch? The previous Merrygold had a more mature feel."

"Um... yes..."

"Feel free to speak casually. Right now, you're a client, aren't you?"

Flora was a Witch who gave off a very relaxed atmosphere.

Perhaps because I had just witnessed her proudly declaring her slave-lover relationship, she didn't have the condescending air that other Witches seemed to have.

It felt like she was treating me purely as a human being, so Siwoo could also feel a bit more at ease.

"Then, may I ask what kind of Fragrance you received from Lady Amelia?"

"Ah, the Fragrance of Fatigue?"

Flora took out the Fragrance she had received earlier, as if showing it off.

"This is a Fragrance that makes you feel incredibly tired the moment you smell it. Your body aches as if you've overworked, your eyelids droop on their own, and if you try to force yourself to stay awake, your head throbs."

"Hmm... I see."

"Isn't it strange?"

Strange indeed.

It's not a fatigue recovery potion but a fatigue generator—an item utterly useless to Siwoo, who had suffered from chronic sleep deprivation for years.

"Witches don't necessarily need to sleep, right? Because of that, deep sleep becomes impossible. That feeling of ending a hard day, sleeping soundly, and waking up refreshed the next morning is something you can never experience again. Want to take a quick breath? A big one."

"Inhale"

Flora, having measured his chest size once more while he held his breath, continued.

"But with this Fragrance, you can feel that sensation from back then. Should I call it a Fragrance that lets you feel nostalgia?"

"Can't you use sleeping pills or other Magic?"

"Sleeping pills or sleep Magic can help you sleep deeply, but they're artificial, aren't they? What's important is naturalness."

"I see."

He didn't fully understand, but Witches had more than one or two incomprehensible traits, so he simply accepted it.

"I've finished taking all the measurements. Is it okay if I design it freely?"

"Please do."

He wasn't particularly knowledgeable about suits anyway, and in such cases, it was best to leave it to an expert.

"You have a slender waist and a nice line, so an Italian style would suit you. No patterns, add pleats at the shoulder ends, pockets in lavarka style, buttons in strapata style—good, good. Shoulder pads probably aren't needed... and for a dandy feel, it's better without vents, right? Let's make the lapels a bit wider. It'll make your legs look longer. No cuffs, good."

While Flora rambled on with unfamiliar terms.

The fabric she had brought floated into the air.

And Simultaneously, dozens of needles, scissors, and thread began stitching the fabric in all directions.

The suit began to take shape at a speed so fast you'd believe it was being churned out in a factory.

It was a level of telekinesis Siwoo couldn't even begin to imitate.

"I-impressive."

As Siwoo watched dazedly and muttered without thinking, Flora smiled.

"If you've been making clothes for over 400 years, you should be able to do at least this much."

"400 years?"

Although Witches had infinite lifespans, they usually transferred their Brand to the next generation after about 100 years, or 200 at most.

This was because their magical inspiration and skill hit a wall, making further research impossible.

"I'm a bit old, aren't I? I enjoy making clothes more than Magic. I feel sorry for my predecessor, but what can I do? It was their mistake to take such a dissolute Witch as an Apprentice."

While chuckling undignifiedly, a suit was completed in less than a minute.

Even a factory assembly line would be slower than this.

"Try it on."

In the blink of an eye, a completed suit appeared on the previously empty Mannequin.

After trying it on.

Standing before the mirror, Siwoo was amazed.

The suit, made of dark navy fabric, fit his body perfectly.

It was clearly made only from measurements, yet there was no discomfort when he bent over or turned around.

And above all, the fit.

If he went out to the Mortal Realm like this, he'd be bombarded with questions about where he got this suit—it was perfect in every way.

Having worn only ragged work clothes close to rags every day, putting on such fine clothing made his reflection in the mirror look so different it felt awkward.

"So this is why they say clothes make the man."

"It turned out well, didn't it?"

Flora smiled briefly, as if already knowing he would like it.

"Have you worn many suits?"

"No, and it was a long time ago..."

"The bottom button isn't meant to be fastened. And the tie too, come here."

Flora undid the awkwardly tied tie and neatly retied it for Siwoo.

As she did, she gave his silhouette a once-over.

"Not bad. Your foot size is the same, so I'll give you the shoes Jake used to wear."

"Ah, thank you."

"Thank me? You should be thanking the Witch waiting outside."

Flora covered her mouth and laughed.

Living under a Witch like this would probably be comfortable and happy.

Why did he have to become Amelia's exclusive slave?

While he half-complained, he also felt grateful to Amelia for allowing him to wear such splendid clothes.

Even though she was the one who made him suffer for five long years, receiving such a gift now left him with mixed feelings.

"Let's tidy up your hair and beard too, what a mess."

Flora chanted a spell, cleaning Siwoo's face, then neatly slicked back his hair with pomade oil.

Thus, Siwoo stood before the mirror in his complete form.

Though it felt a bit excessive, the neatly slicked pomade hairstyle like from a Barbershop and the elegant suit.

Along with the tie and shiny shoes.

If he went to a small or medium-sized company interview like this, he'd be instantly rejected.

He'd give the interviewer the impression, "That brat is a silver spoon kid who won't adapt well to working life."

"The aura is overflowing. You look like a rich family's young master. Now, let's go show you off."

Flora pushed Siwoo's back.

Siwoo lifted the curtain and stepped out into the lobby where Amelia would be waiting outside the atelier.

Author's Note (Afterword)

I'm glad the patch seems successful!

If you enjoyed reading, please recommend it!

Recommendations are incredibly important on Nopia, hehe.