City of Witches Chapter 362

This wasn’t Siwoo’s first time tutoring.

During the winter break before his early graduation from science high school, he had tutored a middle school friend of the same age in math.

The tutoring, which he started with the simple intention of earning some pocket money, ended much sooner than planned.

The friend couldn’t understand calculus, and Siwoo couldn’t understand the friend who couldn’t understand calculus.

He also had no confidence in making them understand.

It was so long ago, a distant memory he had forgotten about.

The reason that musty memory suddenly resurfaced was that the mother of his tutee back then had doted on Siwoo, finding him admirable, just like Count Yesod did now.

Whether the intentions of that friend’s mother and the current Countess were the same…

Honestly, Siwoo wasn’t sure either.

After all, that friend’s mother, who always took good care of snacks, never suddenly suggested night fishing.

The two headed downstream along the Rabbit River via a Portal.

After passing through a hill sparsely dotted with maple trees, there was no need to create decorative lights.

Starlight, as beautiful as a handful of diamonds scattered across the sky, took the place of lamplight.

“Wow….”

“Be careful!”

Count Yesod let out a childlike exclamation and dashed down the steep slope of the hill.

Seeing her run across such rough terrain without a care, it seemed Countess Lucy was indeed a Witch.

In a way, the Countess seemed more like a daughter…

But her reaction itself was understandable.

Even Siwoo, who had visited this place just during the day, couldn’t help but marvel at the Rabbit River, now dressed in its nighttime scenery.

“It’s a nice spot. Really beautiful.”

“Is it?”

It seemed she had been secretly disappointed by Diana’s lukewarm reaction to this location, which she had gone to great lengths to choose.

Seeing the Countess excitedly hopping from stone to stone, Siwoo felt an unwarranted sense of pride.

“I’ll prepare things simply. Please wait a moment.”

He gathered nearby stones to build a pile, lit a fire with the small branches he had picked up while passing through the forest, and placed a kettle of water on top.

If he had brought a camping chair, it would have been a perfect ten-out-of-ten salmon fishing spot, though even without it, it was close.

Countess Lucy watched the scene with curiosity from the side.

“You’re quite versatile, Siwoo. Knowing a place like this, preparing everything so deftly…”

“Thank you. I’ll finish setting up the fishing gear soon too.”

Though, in truth, he was just clumsily imitating what his friends used to do…

When would Count Yesod, who looked undeniably noble at a glance, ever have experienced such wild camping?

After finishing the groundwork, Siwoo adjusted the fishing rod.

From his brief experience today, he learned that the most important thing was the weight of the sinker.

If it was too heavy, it would sink too quickly and risk getting caught on rocks; if it was too light, he wouldn’t be able to catch anything.

“Are those all fish?”

Count Yesod, peering cautiously at the water’s surface from a distance.

Looking there, he could see dark shadows moving incessantly against the dark current.

Perhaps because salmon are nocturnal by nature, they seemed far more numerous than during the day.

“Yes, it seems so.”

The Countess suddenly turned and looked at Siwoo.

Her magenta eyes, identical to Diana’s, gazed at him with a faint smile.

“You have a speech habit, Siwoo.”

A speech habit, all of a sudden?

“Huh?”

“When expressing an opinion or thought, you don’t state it definitively with ‘it is,’ but rather say ‘it seems’ as if making an assumption.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, during lessons, when reporting about Diana, always.”

Unsure what she was getting at, he remained silent.

“My assumption is, it somehow implies ‘there’s a possibility my opinion is wrong,’ doesn’t it? I see a fear of making mistakes.”

Thinking about it, her words made sense.

There had been five years of servitude, and most of the Witches he had dealt with were far above Siwoo in status, so it seemed such a speech habit had unconsciously stuck.

“Count Yesod, your social standing and status as a Witch are much higher than mine.”

“Oh? Are you implying that if you confidently say something wrong, it might offend me?”

“That wasn’t the implication, but…”

“Anyone can be wrong, anyone can make mistakes. That’s not a fault.”

“Well, that…”

“If I seemed like such an arrogant, stubborn Witch to you, then you saw me very accurately.”

The Countess crossed her arms and put on an intentionally angry expression.

The reason he could tell she wasn’t truly angry was because the corner of her lips, touched by moonlight, trembled slightly.

Only then did Siwoo realize this was a very refined and elegant joke in Count Yesod’s style.

He had wondered if she was angry over some elusive, delicate, and finicky reason.

Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“I will correct it.”

“‘I will correct it.’ Literally meaning to set things right with what is correct. Usually, it’s a formal expression used in very rigid hierarchical relationships to express an intention to improve, along with an apology, after making a mistake.”

The problem was that he still couldn’t grasp her joke.

It seemed like teasing, yet also like playful banter, but honestly, Siwoo still found the Countess difficult.

Even Count Gemernai, whom he had known for quite a while, was hard to handle, let alone Count Yesod, whom he had met only four days ago.

“If you insist on using that tone in situations where I point it out… I’ll assume you consider me a rigid, old-fashioned, stuck-up noble.”

“Hmm… What should I do then?”

“If a Witch you’re on somewhat comfortable terms with listed the remarks I just made, what would you say?”

“Honestly?”

“Yes, honestly.”

Siwoo thought for a moment before speaking.

“Hmm… I think I would have asked if the alcohol from dinner hadn’t worn off yet. No, I would have asked.”

He wondered if it was slightly rude.

Unexpectedly, it seemed to be an answer perfectly suited to the Countess’s taste.

Lucy laughed until her pale face turned bright red, then praised Siwoo.

“You’re much better than I thought! Quite sharp, aren’t you?”

“I apologize if it felt disrespectful.”

“You can treat me a bit more comfortably than this.”

The Countess laughed for a good while longer before finally calming down.

Her last remark sparked a question in Siwoo, and he asked.

“So, the reason I’m treating you well, Siwoo?”

“Yes.”

As far as Siwoo knew, Count Yesod was an Orthodox Witch.

Moreover, most high-ranking Witches naturally looked down on Siwoo.It was hard to fathom why she was acting so familiar after just a few days of being a tutor.

Her eyes clearly showed she was already plotting how to tease him next.

As if she had changed her mind, she shook her head and said:

"The salmon Diana caught today—you actually caught it, didn't you, Mr. Siwoo?"

"Uh..."

"How did I know? Whenever Diana has something to be praised for, she always asks for sweets."

"I... see."

At dinner that evening, Diana had been oddly quiet.

The Countess had noticed from the very beginning.

It was a situation ripe for suspicion—that he had lied to keep the tutoring contract.

He felt a bit awkward.

"I'm sorry. I had no intention of deceiving you, Countess."

"I know. If there had been even a hint of such intent, my daughter wouldn't have stayed quiet. She's really sharp."

After praising Diana as naturally as breathing, she suddenly shifted to praising Siwoo.

"Aside from myself, I've never seen Diana take to someone so well. It's almost miraculous."

"Is that... taking to someone well?"

After being told to speak freely, his words slipped out more easily.

An honest thought he hadn't meant to voice.

"Just bringing Diana this far is impressive enough."

"I see..."

Diana's usual behavior lent credibility to the Countess's words.

Soon, it was naturally time for fishing.

Siwoo briefly explained the fishing method to the Countess and even demonstrated it.

There wasn't much technique needed anyway.

The drag setting and sinker weight were exactly the same as that morning.

"That's all there is to it."

"It looks fun."

The Countess readily took off her shoes and waded into the shallow river, not minding if her dress got wet.

Just as Siwoo had instructed, she cast the float into the water—not too far, not too close.

But despite the abundance of salmon, she couldn't catch a single fish, unlike Diana.

Even after nearly ten attempts.

"Mr. Siwoo, it seems harder than I thought."

"Please wait a moment. I'll go change the fishing rod."

The Countess grabbed the hem of Siwoo's clothes as he tried to step toward the riverbank.

"No, you caught fish with this very rod. I must be lacking in technique."

Then, with eyes brighter than starlight, she asked:

"Could you show me in more detail?"

And so, what exactly was the 'technique' Countess Lucy wanted him to teach?

"Forgive my impertinence, but is this really necessary?"

"Of course. I've even offered my back for you, Mr. Siwoo."

"Putting it that way... I have nothing to say."

Somehow, the pose felt ridiculous.

Step one: Stand side by side behind Countess Yesod, who had cast the rod, like a shadow.

Step two: In a position that almost looks like embracing from behind, hold the fishing rod together.

And the final step three.

"Is something wrong?"

When holding the rod together, their hands overlapped.

Amidst all the awkwardness, this final step was what troubled Siwoo the most.

Siwoo was starting to get a sense of it.

Given the circumstances, it seemed like seduction, but he couldn't be sure for two reasons.

First, she was a noble Countess, an Orthodox Witch, and they hadn't even known each other for a week.

And second, the most crucial fact:

From their very first meeting, she had tested Siwoo's self-control, much like Count Albireo.

The series of actions—

Unbuttoning her shirt and tracing her bare skin with her fingertips, pressing her bare back against his under the guise of sharing her mental image, wearing deeply plunging clothes to show off—all of it might just be part of the tutor's test.

He had worked so hard to win Diana over and keep his tutoring position; it would be utterly unfair to be filtered out by the Countess's test due to a hasty judgment.

But wait, if that were the case, wouldn't he have been out the moment he erected a pillar of fire in the Countess's butt crack?

Then again, considering the behavior she had shown in their short time together, she didn't seem like such a calculating person...

But then again, Albireo, also a Countess and businesswoman, had shown incredible acting skills...

With all these conflicting thoughts, he couldn't make sense of it.

"Hurry up."

Whether she knew of his chaotic thoughts or was pretending not to, the Countess urged him in a natural tone.

Siwoo let out a small sigh and embraced the Countess from behind.

This time, he carefully positioned his hands over hers, mindful of his waist placement to avoid any unfortunate incidents like illegal parking.

Her hands were small compared to the imposing presence she usually displayed.

As he had felt when their bare skin touched before, they were soft and warm.

"This works. I thought it might be uncomfortable since I'm quite tall."

The float flew through the air with a whoosh.

Holding the reel with one hand and the rod handle with the other, he leisurely let the hook drift.

That day, the two of them caught nearly ten salmon.