City of Witches Chapter 36

There is always an empty space left in a person's heart.

It's not that vast of a space.

Perhaps you could call it a tiny place, just enough to be stepped on with a sudden 'Ah, it was there.'

That space, usually buried deep within the chest, pops its head out when a gap in thought occurs.

Even without being called, how annoyingly so.

It surfaces even while bathing.

It surfaces after using the Fragrance of fatigue to forget loneliness and throwing oneself onto the bed.

It surfaces when putting a sweet dessert in your mouth even when you're not hungry.

When smoking a cigarette, when tearing your hair out over an unsolvable equation.

No matter how deep you try to bury it, trying not to bring it out, it floats up as if saying 'Don't forget me.'

Amelia Marigold also had an empty space in her heart.

That space was always occupied by her Master, who was kind, dignified, elegant, and noble.

The one who would feed her medicine with gentle hands and stroke her forehead whenever her illness worsened,

The one who would run to her faster than anyone when she fell from a tree and broke her leg,

The one who would stay by her side with warm milk when she tossed and turned from nightmares,

The one who would knit a scarf by the fireplace and tell her old stories,

The one who would say 'Amelia, you are more special than anyone' when studies became difficult and painful and she wanted to give up.

Master.

Master.

Beloved Master.

Amelia remembered.

The day of parting she couldn't believe.

You told me nothing.

'Master! Why, why didn't you tell me...! I... I... thought if I became a Witch... I could be with you forever...'

'Where there is meeting, there is parting. Oh my, is that too cliché for last words?'

She didn't tell her that the former Witch who transfers the Brand disappears, that the time they could be together was only until Amelia succeeded the Brand.

She knows the reason.

In her childhood, she was a lazy, lacking, and indolent student.

Moreover, she loved her Master too much.

If Amelia had known all the facts, she would never have succeeded the Brand.

She wouldn't have strived to inherit her Master's research, to gain recognition, to spend more years with her Master.

Then, she would have lost her life at a young age due to the illness that had tormented her since birth.

That's why her Master didn't speak.

Because she too didn't want her beloved disciple to die.

'That's cowardly... I can't accept this! Where does such a thing exist... It's cowardly... Don't go... Please don't go...'

'Amelia, my beloved disciple, my daughter, my mirror. I am truly happy that you will carry on the name Marigold.'

'I don't need a name like this! Why... why didn't you listen to what I had to say...'

'You are a warm child.'

'No! No...! Take it back... Without Master, I am... I am nothing...!'

Crying, tearing her hair, screaming, shaking her head, offering prayers.

The sudden, cruel time of parting did not stop.

'Live like a Witch, live like a noble. And...'

Her Master disappeared.

On the day Amelia succeeded the Brand.

Killed by Amelia Marigold, without even being able to leave her last words.

Guilt, betrayal, resentment, anger, love, longing.

Too many emotions to express with a single word.

Amelia pressed down on those emotions.

And pushed them into the empty space in her heart.

Into the space where they would inevitably surface again someday, even though she knew it was meaningless.

The pain of loss, which continued to sink like swallowing a hot ember, must have eventually pierced a hole in the bottom of her heart.

After the modest funeral.

Amelia, who had cried until she fainted, woke up and cried again, repeating this cycle.

She no longer shed tears.

Had she realized that no matter how much she tried to deny it, the cruel reality was something she couldn't shake off?

In her newly opened eyes, there was determination.

A determination forcibly thrust upon her,

Unwanted,

Yet one she couldn't abandon.

'If that's what Master wished for...'

The Witch's secret wish.

To achieve a higher Hierarchy and reach the feat of the Witch of Creation.

'...I will walk that path.'

They were such warm memories, but at the same time, they were sharp memories.

Memories that came without warning, like being burned, making her chest burn as if the wound were fresh and bringing tears of longing.

Thus, that empty space was a place reserved solely for her Master.

For a very long time,

Until a certain bold and infuriating man appeared before her eyes.

Siwoo took out a cigarette.

For reference, this was an entire pack Amelia had given him on the way back from Border Town.

Twenty cigarettes!

In the past, he wouldn't have smoked this tasteless crap even if given, but picking and choosing between hot rice and cold rice is something only those who can afford to do it do.

Siwoo is in a position where he has to carefully pick what he eats even if they serve him rice mixed with cyanide.

Anyway, smoking one a day, or even two on special days, means he won't have to be a slave to nicotine for a full fifteen days.

Life as a slave is tough enough as it is; one type of slavery is enough.

Lighting the cigarette with a candle crackling on the fireplace, Siwoo sat on the windowsill.

The reflection in the glass window showed him wearing a damn sexy suit.

Since Amelia had attempted a barter with Fragrance, he couldn't know its exact value, but just by looking, you could tell it was expensive from the material to the design.

"Damn, I look good."

After dressing up properly and slicking back his hair for the first time in a while, looking in the mirror gave him a creeping sense of narcissism.

It's incomparable to looking in the mirror after a shower.

At this level, wouldn't Amelia have fallen head over heels?

A momentary delusion.

Meeting his own eyes in the glass window, Siwoo came back to reality.

Judging by Amelia's reaction right after he changed clothes, that probably wasn't the case.

Siwoo smiled bitterly and flicked the cigarette ash.

These past few days, Amelia had changed a bit.

If before she was just a cute but calamity-bringing beast, these days she's somewhat... something.

Thinking about it, didn't the real change start after they went to Border Town together?

Had she grown tired of tormenting him until now?

Was she quite grateful that he took the falling eaves debris for her?

Had she really started looking out for him as her own person?

Could she have noticed that he protected her until the end at the inn?

"Ugh, fuck."

Siwoo unconsciously felt a chill run down his spine and shuddered.The last assumption is not the case.

No matter how much I think about it, if the fact that I sucked Amelia's breasts had been discovered, things wouldn't be this peaceful.

It seems Sophia properly kept her mouth shut.

Anyway, she bought me underwear, gave me dessert, gave me cigarettes, and even gave me this nice suit.

I feel a bit unsettled.

I've felt a similar feeling before.

Like when the senior who had tormented me for two whole years, as his discharge approached, apologized for his childish behavior and started treating me well.

It's awkward to just say thank you, but Siwoo isn't the type to hold a grudge and think, "Did you think I'd forgive you for acting like this now?"

He's not really the type to be harsh towards others in the first place.

Therefore, it was very difficult to adjust the distance with Amelia and establish a psychological stance towards her.

While receiving things makes me happy, it also feels somewhat awkward, and when I try to act comfortably, the things she put me through come to mind... it's that kind of situation.

"Ah, whatever."

I'm leaving anyway.

And who knows? They say even difficult times become glorified with time.

Among the shitty days in Gehenna, the days I bickered with Amelia might become the only memories worth recalling.

Anyway, it's all something that will pass and has passed.

Rather than creating conflict with Amelia for no reason, it's better to moderately appease her, take advantage of the conveniences, and get out quickly.

Perhaps thanks to Amelia's tyranny being less severe than before, I was able to relatively easily renew my mindset.

"Ugh, if only half of half of that personality had rubbed off."

He would have been wagging his tail, calling her 'master, master' like Takasho.

Come to think of it, looks are really important.

If Amelia had been even a little less beautiful than she is now, Siwoo would have really, really hated her.

But what can you do?

The DNA inside says that a beauty is, anyway, a mitigating circumstance.

Siwoo, after putting out the cigarette he had been sucking on with a filter in an ashtray (which looked incredibly flashy and expensive) and closing the window.

Then, the sound of the door swinging open was heard.

Ah, right. This is the start of this kind of life.

The No Privacy Zone has been activated.

From now on, it looks like I'll have to masturbate in the bathroom too.

Siwoo lightly straightened his clothes and went out to the living room.

The only fortunate thing is that the dormitory's living room and bedroom are separate, so he can at least detect Amelia's intrusion at the first stage.

"Associate Professor..."

The words 'What is the matter?' couldn't follow.

Because Amelia abruptly cut in.

"Amelia."

"Yes?"

"My name is Amelia Marigold."

"Yes, I am Shin Siwoo."

I know that, what's your point?

As he stared blankly at her, Amelia's eyebrows rose slightly.

This is about 25% of the bewilderment she shows when Siwoo does something absurd.

What did I do wrong this time?

"Shin Siwoo."

"Yes...?"

When Amelia called Siwoo, it was always one of two things.

Shin Siwoo, the caretaker, or just caretaker.

Unless she was really angry, it was mostly the latter.

So, what kind of omen is it when she calls him by his full name?

The PTSD accumulated over five years began to twist his body and assert its existence.

Unconsciously, his shoulders hunched.

Is she going to scold me for smoking in the room?

"That's right, it was Shin Siwoo. Not the caretaker."

Amelia, nodding her head as if she had realized something on her own, stared intently at his face.

To an uncomfortable degree.

"Tha-That's right. I'm not the Academy's caretaker anymore, but your exclusive attendant now."

Siwoo, flustered, bit his tongue.

The delicate balance of Amelia's fine, slender eyebrows was disrupted.

It's 50% frustration.

"Call me by my name. Siwoo."

"Y-Your esteemed name?"

"Yes. I told you. My name is not Associate Professor."

I don't know what kind of thunderbolt this is.

But what can I do? Now that I've become her exclusive slave, I have to do as I'm told.

"Understood. Amelia-nim."

"Siwoo."

Amelia looked extremely pleased.

At a glance, she seemed expressionless, but upon closer look, her nostrils had slightly flared, which was disgustingly cute.

A sudden question arose: Are Amelia's nose hairs blonde too?

"Well done."

Siwoo, who had been flustered by Amelia's sudden raid, now noticed the plate in her hand.

That... cherry cake. The one I ate very deliciously once before.

Actually, I forgot the exact name. It must have been that complicated.

She placed the plate on the table with the same triumphant posture.

"Eat."

"Huh? Thank you. Aren't you having any, Amelia-nim?"

He asked because there was only one slice of cake and one fork. Amelia shook her head.

"I don't need any. After you finish eating, go to the kitchen on the first floor and wash the plate."

"Yes, thank you. I will eat well."

Amelia, who had appeared in a flash, disappeared just as quickly when she left.

Did she come all the way here just to give me cake?

Anyway, I hadn't managed to eat a single meal today, and I was craving something sweet, so Siwoo began munching on the cake.

"Hmm..."

The feeling of being like a dog being raised is probably just an illusion, right?

Author's Note (Afterword)

If you think Amelia is cute, please recommend it.