City of Witches Chapter 355

Immediately after the outcome was decided.

A cold silence flowed over the table.

“…….”

Diana did not fly into a rage.

Nor did she utter a single word.

She merely gazed at the game board, its fate already sealed, with her characteristic vacant stare.

Only then did Siwoo realize his mistake.

Had he been too provocative?

Should he have just barely won, keeping it close, so as not to trample on Diana's pride?

Not that he had much choice anyway.

Regardless of how serious Diana's words were, if he had lost this game, he would have been fired by tomorrow morning.

In fact, the probability was even higher precisely because he had scraped out a victory while carefully needling Diana's pride.

But there are many ways to win a game.

What Siwoo had done was essentially like taking a beating until he was nearly dead, only to unleash a full combo at the very end and utterly humiliate his opponent.

Diana seemed to take immense pride in this game, so he might have ended up not just scratching her pride but shattering it entirely.

"Hey."

"Yes, Lady Diana."

"This isn't your first time playing this game, is it?"

Diana's voice was small and low.

Her face, which had been frozen in shock moments ago, was now a mask of impassivity.

Thus, it was not easy to discern the emotions hidden within.

What should he say here?

Should he answer honestly, 'You were the one who first taught me, Lady Diana'?

Or, even if it meant telling a small lie, should he reply, 'I'm sorry for deceiving you,' to salvage at least a bit of Diana's dignity?

"Well…"

"Hoo…"

Diana let out a deep sigh.

Then she pressed the reset button on the Witchboard, initializing the game.

What, indeed, would Diana's verdict be?

While the promise exchanged was that he would voluntarily resign without conditions if he lost the game, there was no mention that winning would guarantee he could keep his tutoring position.

Given Diana's capriciousness and temper, even a promising tutoring job like this could vanish overnight, becoming nothing but a dream.

As he waited with a subtle tension, Diana brushed herself off and stood up.

"Forget it. What does it matter."

Dragging her newly changed slippers straight across the floor, she placed her hand on the bedroom doorknob.

"I'm going to sleep for real now, so clean up and leave on your own."

Diana slammed the door shut and barricaded herself in her room.

This is bad.

The plan has gone quite awry.

It would have been better to win by a narrower margin and put on a show of a hard-fought victory.

"Haa…"

He sighed and clicked his tongue in distaste.

Just as he thought that with such a reaction, there was no need to wait for any further words…

The firmly shut bedroom door creaked slightly ajar.

Half of Diana's face, wearing a rather sour expression, peeked out stealthily.

"Tomorrow… I'm taking a nap first."

Having said her piece, she quickly closed the door.

After a brief moment of daze, Siwoo belatedly realized that was a request for a rematch, heavily laced with embarrassment.

In other words, he had overcome the crisis of being fired after just one day.

The time Diana retreated to her room was 2 PM.

Since the scheduled private tutoring session with Count Yesod was at 10 PM, Siwoo had to wait quite a while before he could meet her.

He could have used coordinate teleportation to rest and return if he wished, but he deliberately chose not to.

The Levana Grand Bathhouse was filled with all sorts of amusements and sights besides the baths themselves, so simply exploring them leisurely was more than enough to pass the time.

Like the greenhouse displaying all kinds of dazzling magical crops.

Or the museum exhibiting works by master artisans, pieces that would command a fortune for just one in the Mortal Realm.

The building itself was beautiful to behold, and with such abundant attractions, one could lose track of time while touring.

"I have come as our appointed time has arrived."

"Come in."

And so, on a moonlit night with a white full moon hanging in the sky.

Siwoo headed towards Count Yesod's private study, the location of which he had been informed of beforehand.

Upon knocking and opening the door, a pleasant fragrance wafted out.

It was a scent sweet like ripe fruit yet smooth like cream.

Seated at the table directly ahead was Countess Lucy, her sleeves rolled up to prevent ink from staining them.

Her attire was elegant, like a white swan ready to attend a ball at any moment.

In the dimly lit room, romantically illuminated by faint candlelight, she gently set down her quill pen with a languid gesture.

"The clothes I gifted you suit you very well, don't they?"

"Thank you."

Grace flowed from every aspect of her seated posture, speech, and actions—one of Countess Lucy's defining characteristics.

Was it because she was born noble?

No matter how hard Siwoo tried, he probably could never emulate that natural aristocratic quality.

"I've been waiting for you."

"My apologies, the surroundings were so beautiful I got caught up sightseeing."

"My, that's a delightful thing to hear. I'd have thought your standards would have risen after staying at the Count's estate."

"I think they each have their own distinct charm. I find this place very much to my liking as well."

"Is that so?"

The Countess gave an amiable smile and rose from her seat.

Countess Lucy, having circled the table.

Siwoo hid his startled expression upon seeing her attire.

He had thought her dress was prim and proper, but one side of the narrow dress had a generously open slit.

The slit was so daringly high it nearly revealed her underwear, fully exposing her white thighs.

Whether it was male instinct or not, his eyes were drawn there before he quickly managed his gaze.

Come to think of it, even dressed entirely in white, her skin still appeared pale white.

Marveling at this, he also prevented any strange thoughts from forming.

"Please, make yourself comfortable."

"Yes."

As Siwoo sat on the sofa before the table, the Countess piled several thick books on it with a thud and asked.

"How was my daughter?"

"As I felt before, she is exceedingly clever and full of spirit."

"Isn't she? I've met many Apprentice Witches, but I've never seen one as smart and adorable as our Diana."

"I, I think so too."

"So, how was today's lesson? Did Diana listen well?"

At the Countess's sudden bright-eyed, enthusiastic praise of Diana, Siwoo also nodded amiably before cautiously broaching the subject.

"There's something I need to tell you regarding that."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Actually, I only performed my tutoring role for about 2 hours today. Playing just one game of Witchboard was all we managed…"

The Countess, who had been leaning forward slightly, listening intently to Siwoo's words, waved her hand and laughed.

"It's fine. Diana is so stubborn by nature. If you managed to play Witchboard on the very first day, that's a remarkable achievement."

"Is that so?""It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but even after raising and teaching Diana for over twenty years, I sometimes find her difficult."

"Thank you for understanding."

"Hehe, it's nothing. Anyway..."

Finally, the long-awaited private tutoring session with the Countess.

After finishing the task of entertaining Diana, it was decided that I would receive about two hours of instruction in Barrier Magic each day.

Learning about new Magic was quite enjoyable in itself, so I was filled with anticipation.

"Before we begin the lesson in earnest, I'll calmly explain what I aim to teach you going forward."

"Yes."

The Countess placed a sheet of paper on the table.

The ink wasn't dry yet, as if she had just finished writing it.

"Mr. Siwoo's goal is to control the Ceremonial Artifact 'Red Branch,' correct?"

"That's right."

"If we start Barrier Magic from the very beginning, even ten years wouldn't be enough to reach that level. So, we'll set the research direction as a form of lightly adding Barrier Magic onto your existing innate magic."

"Ah, I see."

Just as I applied and combined various elemental magics to the Law of Shadows to create a sturdier and stronger armor, the plan is to control the Distortion Field in the same way.

Of course, doing so would mean less flexibility and adaptability compared to creating a new innate magic, but the fact that it could significantly shorten the time was a hope in itself.

"Of course, no matter how much we modify existing innate magic, the fundamentals are important. So, during these two hours of private tutoring, I'll teach you the basics of Barrier Magic. First, shall we look at this book?"

The Countess showed Siwoo the book she had placed on the desk earlier.

It was a book comparable in thickness and size to a phonebook.

On the cover were the words 'Introduction to Barrier Magic.'

"This is a revised version of the introductory textbook passed down through the Yesod family to teach Apprentice Witches the basics. Diana also learned from this. Take it."

"Is it really alright to give me something this precious?"

"Yes, when Diana was young, she kept hiding books so much that I prepared about ten copies. The content itself isn't particularly special anyway."

"Thank you very much."

Siwoo flipped through the book the Countess handed him, rustling the pages.

It was quite thick.

It was already thick enough to be used as a weapon if you utilized the corners, and the text was truly tiny.

It seemed believable that it contained the equivalent of two or three professional textbooks.

"It's a bit much, isn't it? It usually takes Apprentice Witches about three years to learn everything in this book. But did you know? Our Diana finished it in just six months. Amazing, right?"

"That's incredible."

Along with the tiny text of the introductory book, tiny boasts about her daughter came in intermittently, and Siwoo enthusiastically played along.

I had sensed it before, but she seemed to be an incredible doting mother.

"But, Shin Siwoo."

"Yes, Countess."

"Seeing that you successfully shielded against the Distortion Field, it seems you've studied Barrier Magic to some extent, right?"

"That's correct. Though 'studying' just means rummaging through a few books in the Trinity Academy library."

"Shall we check your skills before we begin the formal lessons? That might save some time too."

"Please do."

"Wait a moment."

The Countess picked up a pen and quickly wrote down problems.

Ten problems in total, ranging from basic questions to check proper understanding of standard concepts and fundamentals, to simple application problems.

The difficulty balance was appropriately set.

"Would you like to try solving them?"

First, I skimmed the problems with my eyes.

No matter how difficult and abstract the concept of Barrier Magic is, its roots ultimately lie in Magic Formulas.

Meaning it's essentially a calculation problem.

Siwoo picked up the pen and calmly solved the problems.

Descriptive questions on the conceptualization and abstraction of Magic Formulas.

Calculation problems for effective potential given Magic Formulas in the imaginary and symbolic realms, and potential naturally lost during implementation in the real realm.

Problems on the Magic Formula needed to implement a given formula into the real realm.

After smoothly solving up to the last problem, Siwoo licked his lips.

The first three problems weren't difficult at all.

But given who the examiner was, it felt like my weak points were being poked one by one.

"I think I've solved all the problems I could."

"......"

Glancing subtly, I saw the Countess blinking as she checked the test paper.

Yesod, whose eyes didn't leave the answer sheet for a long time.

"Countess?"

"If it's not too rude, may I ask how long you've been studying?"

"Seriously starting... it's been about one or two months."

"One or two months...?"

She made a deeply thoughtful expression, then took back the book she had given Siwoo.

As I stared blankly, Countess Lucy answered.

"This probably won't be necessary."

"Huh...?"

"There's no need to look at it. It seems you already know everything."

The ten problems the Countess presented weren't something a beginner who had studied for only one or two months could solve.

She hadn't given the problems expecting "correct answers" but rather wanted to see the solving process.

After all, in Magic, there are no correct answers, and especially in Barrier Magic where abstract aspects are prominent, there are even fewer.

But he defiantly wrote down his own answers for all ten problems.

There were lacking parts and parts with logical leaps.

But an approach even Lucy Yesod hadn't tried.

An attempt to quantify and measure Barrier Fields that are originally immeasurable.

In Lucy Yesod's view, the answers he submitted had already far surpassed what could be learned from the introductory textbook.

"You're much more excellent than I thought, Mr. Siwoo."

"R-really?"

The historically first male Witch scratching the back of his head with an awkward smile.

His name is Shin Siwoo.

I felt a bit more curiosity than before.

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

-Regarding the serialization pace

If you're a reader who always keeps up with Witch's City, you've probably noticed that recently I've been taking frequent breaks (excluding vaccine-related ones) and updates have become sporadic.

I think some readers might interpret this as a decline in motivation or affection for the work, so I'm writing briefly in the afterword.

Until recently, there was a time when I wrote from the moment I woke up until I went to sleep.

Many other authors consistently write at least two chapters a day, and some write even more.

I didn't meet people, had no input, and obsessed over writing like someone with a compulsion disorder.I believed that anything others could do, I could do as well, and that feeling difficulty was merely a sign of my own laziness or a compromise with myself.

As a result, I pushed myself beyond my limits with an unreasonable pace, which quickly led to burnout, and I think the quality of the writing itself dropped significantly.

On top of that, my confidence took a hit as well.

It’s something I truly regret.

I’ve ended up rambling on like I’m complaining, so this has gotten quite long.

To conclude, I plan to continue writing at this slow, steady pace going forward.

Instead, I want to make each chapter more enjoyable for myself and for you, the readers.

I’ll strive to keep delivering captivating stories from now on.

Thank you for visiting the Witch’s City again today.

I’ll be happy to see you again tomorrow.

P.S. I’m not dropping hints that I’ll be taking a lot of breaks, lol.

P.S.2. This month has been a bit busier than usual. Starting next week, I’ll try to write a little more diligently than this.