City of Witches Chapter 342

Diana returned home through the portal with light, buoyant steps.

She was in such high spirits that she practically floated along, walking at 1.2 times her usual pace.

It was barely past noon, and according to her arrangement with Countess Yesod, she should still be out and about.

But today was a special case.

It was a day to reward herself.

She had engaged in a heated, all-out duel that left her head spinning, and above all, emotions inherently drain one's stamina.

Having ridden the emotional rollercoaster of irritation—anguish—despair—joy since morning, Diana was more exhausted than anyone and believed she deserved a reward of rest.

Thus, Diana floated languidly in the private pool of the Levana Grand Bathhouse.

Holding a whole bunch of grapes in one hand and plucking them off one by one, she threw herself a little celebratory party.

“Ah~ So sweet~ So sweet~”

The grapes tasted exceptionally sweet today.

It had been a truly satisfying match.

Especially since she had crushed an opponent she had really wanted to teach a lesson.

“Pfft…!”

Diana burst out laughing as she recalled Siwoo’s dumbfounded face.

The expression of sheer shock upon hearing, ‘I don’t play games with trash~’ was priceless.

“Pff… Pfft…! Huhu…!”

To be honest, one of Diana’s scores had been earned when she didn’t even fully understand the rules.

“So what?”

Besides, playing another match would be a hassle.

And ultimately, the winner was Diana.

That was all that mattered.

“The world judges by results, you know. Huhu…!”

Beaming with a wide smile, Diana relaxed her body onto the sunbed.

How long had it been since she felt such peace?

The Flow pool, filled with warm hot spring water under a glass dome.

Relaxing amidst lush tropical trees and flowers, the sky was her roof and the fresh floral scent her blanket.

Normally, she would have drifted off to sleep, but today she still had something to do.

“Huhu, shall I review today’s brilliant match?”

It wasn’t particularly strenuous.

Watching the replay and admiring her own splendid plays.

In other words, it was time for a replay… ahem… self-appreciation session.

Diana turned on the Witchboard crystal ball she had brought along and, with a pounding heart, recalled the morning’s match.

It had been chaotic, but she clearly remembered every move both sides had made.

Replaying each move one by one, she relived the thrilling moments.

Diana, pressing the attack fiercely!

Her opponent, counterattacking even more fiercely!

Coming to her senses, Diana found herself on the defensive!

Yet, capitalizing on her opponent’s mistake, she launched a counterattack and seized a splendid victory… that moment!

“Huh?”

Diana’s expression, which had been grinning mischievously with twitching lips, suddenly contorted.

She sensed something off, a point of unease she hadn’t noticed during the match.

It was precisely the part where Siwoo made consecutive mistakes and Diana counterattacked.

It felt like a tiny, annoying fishbone stuck between her teeth after eating fish—a peculiar, prickly discomfort nagged at her.

Diana repeatedly replayed the part where Siwoo seemed to be messing around, skipping and replaying his moves.

“Hmm…?”

But the more she reviewed it… the stranger it seemed.

Something was off.

A suspicious smell wafted thickly.

In the heat of the match, Diana hadn’t had the mental capacity to ponder things.

Her head was exhausted from the insane slugfest, and in the bleak situation, she had simply been glad for Siwoo’s mistakes.

But after the game ended.

After cooling her head a bit and examining it calmly, a strong sense of incongruity washed over her.

Diana calmly organized her thoughts.

Q. Why did he not consolidate his Magic here and instead launch a reckless attack?

A. Because he didn’t realize he was in an advantageous position.

That much was plausible.

But.

Q. Then why, of all places, did he initiate combat in a minor skirmish zone where Diana had already secured the advantage, and specifically to steal an unnecessary Rune?

A. …… Why indeed?

That’s where it became puzzling.

Her opponent didn’t know the orthodox strategies of Witchboard.

But he accurately understood what Magic was.

If he hadn’t, he would have collapsed helplessly the moment Diana forced a chaotic fight.

Therefore, this move was strange.

Compared to the sharpness he had shown so far, it was too crude and utterly emotional.

“Don’t tell me….”

Diana’s face turned pale.

Her heart denied it, but her reason was screaming.

“He went easy on me?”

Did he deliberately make a series of clever mistakes, waiting without letting it show?

Diana reset the Witchboard and carefully reviewed the match again from the beginning.

This time, however, she started with a different premise.

The premise: ‘What if he intentionally threw the last game?’

Suddenly, the moves she had thought were meaningless blunders looked different.

Siwoo’s moves weren’t entirely meaningless, but they focused only on areas of significantly low importance.

And these moves were clever.

If a terrible move is rated 1 and a brilliant one 10, these would score around 6–7.

Meaning, at that point, they were ambiguous enough that Diana wouldn’t suspect ‘the opponent is intentionally losing.’

Was this really a mistake?

Could such meticulously crafted mistakes even be called mistakes?

Diana went over it again and again, resisting the reality she didn’t want to accept.

But the more she reviewed, the clearer the truth became.

Her beaming smile was gone.

The grapes in Diana’s hand were being crushed pitifully, juice dripping down in streams.

“How dare… he go easy on me?”

She was 99% certain.

From the point where victory was essentially assured, Siwoo hadn’t used his full strength.

Rather, he had cleverly offered openings for counterattacks, naturally choosing defeat.

Clueless Diana had firmly believed they were his blunders, gleefully accepting the handed victory without a second thought.

Not only that, she had even taunted him and offered unsolicited advice.

“Ah, my neck is cramping up….”

Diana felt dizzy.

Anger surged from the thought, ‘How dare he look down on me?’

Shame washed over her from the memory of her own oblivious, ecstatic antics.

Astonishment at having lost to a rookie who had only been playing for three days.

In any case, a storm of complex emotions swirled violently within her.

How pathetic must she have looked, giving advice and jumping for joy in victory before such an opponent?

It was embarrassing.

She felt humiliated.

“I should go find him right now and just…!”

Diana, who intended to confront him about the truth and face him properly without holding back, shot up from the sunbed, grinding her teeth.

But upon reflection….

‘Huh? So you won’t be coming tomorrow?’'Why would I? I've already won. Unfortunately, I dislike bullying those weaker than me... Well then, I'll be off. It was quite fun.'

...Even throwing in that nonsense.

In this state, to go back and request a rematch on the same day, or even within a day?

Her already crimson face would likely burst from the humiliation.

And even if she brazenly requested a revenge match and got defeated again?

Diana didn't have the confidence to endure that disgrace and humiliation.

"Hoo... Hoo..."

Diana emerged from the water, trying to calm her pounding heart.

Setting aside her anger, it was time to acknowledge reality.

The opponent she had looked down on with prejudice was clearly a formidable foe.

At the very least, a mutant capable of being an even match in a 5v5.

Her overly complacent approach until now had been her downfall.

Diana changed her clothes.

She holed up in her room with a thick book.

In this very moment, there was no laziness or idleness.

Witchboard ultimately comes down to magical knowledge.

Determined not to shy away from even eight hours of self-study to repay this humiliation, she opened the book.

Tea party of Countess Deneb Zemernai and Countess Lucy Yesod.

After chattering about business matters for quite some time, the two organized the documents they had each prepared and were now engaged in casual conversation.

"Do you know how commendable Diana has been lately?"

"Oh my, what happened?"

Countess Lucy, scooping up a spoonful of Chancellor's pudding generously topped with caramel syrup, beamed a broad smile.

Deneb, thinking the Countess Yesod's peculiar boasting about her daughter was about to begin again, obediently nodded and played along.

"Well, as you know, Countess Deneb, our Diana, while smart and pretty, has a very sluggish personality."

"I remember you mentioning that often."

"I thought this would lead to trouble, so I scolded her firmly and sent her out. Told her to leave after breakfast and not come back until evening."

"Aha."

"But she's already kept that promise for a whole week? She goes out and comes back fine. A whole week."

Deneb blinked her wide-open eyes and offered a belated, ambiguous smile.

She was waiting for what would come next, but that was the end.

Was it really that commendable to go out and play?

For Deneb, who had an apprentice witch who would vanish like a sheep jumping the fence if she took her eyes off her for even a moment, and who had to chase after her to catch her every time, it was hard to empathize.

Her face was so blissful, as if she owned the world, that it felt awkward to criticize, so Deneb just played along.

"My... she really is commendable."

"Right? Right?"

Countess Lucy spent a long time afterward explaining to Deneb how diligently Diana had been going out and about.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she asked Deneb.

"Look at me, forgetting my manners. Come to think of it, there's something I wanted to ask."

"Yes, if it's something I can answer."

"I understand the Zemernai Count Family is quite close with that male witch."

"You mean Mr. Shin Siwoo? He's an important guest and a benefactor, so of course."

He had saved the twins' lives, and he was someone the twins happily followed around.

"Yes, that man. He's not a strange person, is he?"

"Is there some problem?"

"Lately, Diana has been going to the host bar every morning to meet that man. I hear they play Witchboard together... I'm worried he might not be some predatory bad guy..."

"He's not a bad person, so you don't need to worry too much. He's a rare, upright young man these days."

"Is that so? Then why does such a person work at a host bar..."

"I believe he's doing it to help a friend."

That's such a Countess Lucy-like worry, she thought to herself.

This topic, at least, was somewhat relatable.

Hadn't Deneb herself once worried about the twins sticking too close to Siwoo?

Of course, now enough trust had built up that she even allowed them to travel together.

"By any chance, is Miss Diana showing interest in Mr. Siwoo? I mean... as a member of the opposite sex?"

Instead, she subtly asked, feeling a vague worry that even Yesod's apprentice witch might have her eye on Siwoo.

Countess Lucy's reaction to that was firm.

"That's impossible!"

She slammed the table and shot up from her seat.

"My daughter's standards are so picky. It's probably just curiosity because he's a male witch, so she visits him a few times at most."

Come to think of it, being Countess Lucy's daughter, that did seem plausible.

She was a stereotypical witch, more so than any witch Deneb knew among the orthodox witches, who were already stubborn.

And she remembered Diana being no pushover either.

"Don't worry too much. Being of slave origin, he understands the realities of Gehenna well. He's not the type to do anything foolish."

"Phew, hearing that from you, Deneb, puts me at ease. Still, I should see his face soon."

It's natural to cherish and love an apprentice witch, but Countess Yesod seemed to take it a bit too far...

Deneb hid a bitter smile as she sipped her black tea.

"You'll be quite surprised when you see him in person? He really is handsome."

"Hmph, men are all the same."

By the time the longer-than-expected tea party ended, the night sky had already turned pitch black.

Countess Yesod walked through the corridor of the grand bathhouse and headed towards Diana's room.

Since they couldn't even have dinner together today, she intended to get a late report on the situation.

"My daughter~ How about a bath with Mom after so long?"

Lucy Yesod, beaming with a radiant smile at the thought of seeing her lovely daughter, opened Diana's door.

And froze solid on the spot.

Because an unbelievable scene was unfolding before her eyes.

"Grrr...! Hrrrr...!"

Diana, sitting at the table clutching a pen holder made from a duke's feather.

Swallowing her saliva and glancing sideways, she saw a towering pile of magic books on the desk.

Diana, engrossed in her studies, hadn't even noticed Yesod's entrance.

The Countess covered her mouth.

Her nose felt hot and her throat stung.

Tears welled up, threatening to spill over from the overwhelming sense of pride that surpassed all limits.

Good heavens.

Diana, studying on her own at this hour.

No matter how many times she rubbed her eyes, it was the same.

Scowling, as if something wasn't making sense, messing up her hair, yet still deeply focused on studying.

Had Diana ever clung to tedious studies like this before?

Her heart swelled with emotion at this unprecedented sight since she had taken her in as an apprentice witch.

Lucy, careful not to disturb her, quietly closed the door and stepped out.

"Hic... sob... Hic hic hic...! Well done, Diana! Well done, my daughter...!"I couldn't help but cover my mouth and shed tears at the sight of my daughter, who had grown so much in such a short time.

They were tears of emotion.

A Word from the Author (Author's Afterword)

Due to illustration-related discussions, only one part will be uploaded.

A Notice of Gratitude for Support

• Thank you for your support, author of Butterfly Valley.

I was watching the broadcast and got quite a surprise. I always learn a lot from your YouTube lectures.

• Thank you for your consistent support, nickname.

Magic condom... Honestly, I have no idea how that will turn out, haha.

• Thank you for your constant support, hehehe.

Take care of your health, hehe, and be careful of colds and COVID~

• Thank you for your support, 민석_511.

Thank you for enjoying it, and I look forward to your continued support.

• Thank you for your support, traveler.

If I had my way, I'd want to do a "skka deopbap" with all the heroines, haha.

• Thank you for your support, Arcticpenguin_334.

The duke's memories only lost the lewd parts, so don't worry too much..!

• Thank you for your support, Do Sora.

It's late, but I've left the Gate open, haha.