City of Witches Chapter 370

Bianca Verily leaned back leisurely on the sofa, elegantly swirling her wine glass.

The crystal orb placed before her was tracking Jack, battered into a bloody pulp, being escorted away by witches.

“Hoh, to this extent?”

Bianca was undeniably strong without need for further elaboration.

Whether in terms of innate magic, influence, or the countless Ceremonial Artifacts she possessed and crafted beyond measure.

Most witches could not be her match.

Indeed, Bianca had personally buried dozens of witches and taken their Ceremonial Artifacts and Artifacts.

But what made Bianca an even more formidable adversary was that she went all out even when facing the weakest and most powerless witches.

Bianca never placed her own life on the table.

Life-or-death gambles were best left to others.

Even if her opponent wasn’t a Great Witch, even if it was just a single male witch, she never let her guard down.

She meticulously analyzed her target and prepared for the hunt, accounting for every one-in-ten-thousand variable that might arise.

Thus, she had handed Jack, the slave, a gem containing a sealed Homunculus.

It was a gem sealing a Homunculus in a possession-type form that would enter a human body and take over its consciousness.

It wasn’t as troublesome a type as the named Homunculus, but she still considered it quite useful.

Yet Shin Siwoo had effortlessly beaten it to death.

It seemed the martial arts training he received from Duke Tiferet was paying off.

“Stronger than expected.”

“Ugh… ugh… ugh…”

Ea, before Bianca, stared at the crystal orb with eyes blazing with hatred.

Ea, whose reason had faded and intellect degenerated until she became an obedient pet, drooled incessantly yet couldn’t tear her eyes away from the man in the orb for even a moment.

Even in this state, she couldn’t hide her hatred.

Just how much must she hate him to be like this?

“Tsk, how filthy. Come here.”

“Ehh…hh… M-Master…”

Bianca took a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped the drool dripping from Ea’s chin.

Ea reflexively clung to Bianca, hanging onto her.

It was a regrettable affair.

Not long ago, Ea Sadalmelik had completely broken down.

The fierce, gleaming crimson eyes had turned dull like those of an autistic child, and now she was merely a vending machine that conveniently dispensed sexual desire at the push of a button.

Perhaps removing the Autonomous Defense and pumping her full of drugs had been the fatal mistake?

Bianca, who had even found her fierce demeanor endearing, couldn’t hide her bitter feelings.

She had thought there was still plenty of fun to be had.

But for now, she was fond of Ea even in this state.

“If I get bored later…”

That would be a problem for another time.

Anyway, the combat power analysis was now complete.

For a male witch, that level of ability.

The desire to collect him had only grown stronger, needless to say.

If only she could briefly separate Duke Tiferet, who clung to him like glue, it would proceed smoothly.

It would likely be a delightful event.

“Ea, come here. Shall we go to bed together?”

“Yes, yes, Master…”

Bianca, holding a syringe, took Ea’s wrist and headed toward the bed.

The series of incidents that occurred today.

The incident named ‘Jack the Knife’s Uprising’ in Canard, the simple newspaper published daily in Border Town, was concluded simply.

The outline of the incident was as follows.

Jack the Knife had his body taken over by a Homunculus, killed a fellow Ten-Captain, and during the process, an Apprentice Witch of House Yesod was attacked but the Homunculus was subjugated by Countess Yesod.

As you can see, there were a few discrepancies from the facts.

First, the reason for attacking Diana—attempted gang rape—was omitted.

And it stated that the Countess, not Siwoo, suppressed the incident.

The reason was simple.

‘We have to keep it a secret from my mom…’

‘Huh? Is that really okay?’

‘What if my mom becomes a public enemy…’

‘Ah…’

It was because Diana stopped Siwoo.

If the immensely doting mother, Countess Yesod, learned the whole truth, she would undoubtedly turn Border Town into a wasteland regardless of the circumstances.

Indeed, as soon as Siwoo handed over the half-dead Jack to the Countess, she threw him into the dungeon with a terrifying expression that would haunt one’s dreams.

She said she planned to subcontract another witch to uncover the mastermind.

The Countess, crumpling a fan and grinding her teeth while muttering ‘Those administrator bastards…’, exuded a chilling aura so intense one dared not speak to her.

Also, Siwoo judged that the sensational term ‘attempted rape’ being associated with an Apprentice Witch of House Yesod would have a negative emotional impact on Diana, who likely retained unpleasant memories.

For these reasons, the two, having coordinated their stories, decided to treat the facts regarding ‘abduction and attempted rape’ as if they never happened.

The second matter was something Siwoo personally requested from the Countess.

‘Please keep it a secret that I did it.’

Being a male witch already drew enough attention and scrutiny; he had no desire to add further commotion.

Realizing that his training hadn’t been in vain and gaining the confidence that he could smash a 17-eyed Homunculus was satisfaction enough.

He even got a strangely shaped Katyusha, so he should be content here.

Anyway, it was clear that a major incident had nearly occurred.

Countess Yesod canceled all her schedules and busied herself in Diana’s bedroom, coddling and comforting her beloved daughter.

The tears the Countess shed at that time alone could have filled half of half her personal bathhouse.

“Sigh…”

Truthfully, Siwoo couldn’t be entirely blameless either.

It was clearly an accident.

Even if Border Town was known for rough security, that was only true for ordinary people; once you were a witch, it wasn’t a place where you’d get harassed.

This wasn’t the Mortal Realm where Homunculi or public enemies roamed.

But regardless, the fact that Diana experienced such an incident and was attacked by a Homunculus was because Siwoo, as the escorting instructor, had taken her to Border Town.

Worried whether the Countess’s anger might extend to him, Siwoo let out a deep sigh.

“My daughter… Are you really okay alone?”

“It’s fine, Mom, I’m really okay now. Look! I don’t even have any special injuries.”

“Huhuhuk… Huk… I’m sorry I couldn’t be by your side…”

“I’m really fine… It’s not something for you to apologize for.”Upon hearing the news of Diana, Count Yesod’s fury pierced the heavens.

Like a mother dragon roaring after losing her hatchling, the thunderous roar of her magic power blew the roof clean off the building where she had been conducting her affairs.

Countess Lucy, who had planned to immediately reprimand the administrators of Border Town and eradicate the very existence of Border Town itself for being the root of the problem, was now sobbing uncontrollably while holding Diana in her arms.

"Tonight, you must sleep with Mommy."

"...Yes. But I'm sleepy. I think I'll rest a bit."

"Will you be alright alone? Should Mommy stay with you?"

"No, nothing truly dangerous happened. I'm fine."

"That's my girl... So brave! Well done!"

Diana, having finally managed to stop the Countess's tears and sent her mother away with the excuse of wanting to be alone.

Diana confirmed her mother had left and let out a sigh of relief.

While her mother's suffocating, neck-constricting embrace had the effect of warming her heart, it was physically overwhelming.

"......"

Today, Diana had survived a mortal crisis.

She had nearly died as a Witch, had almost had her throat pierced by a sharp dagger, and had come close to being killed by a Homunculus.

Scenes flashed in her mind: the cold, rough hands of foul-smelling men pressing her body down onto the hard floor, the leering yellow teeth and the stench of desire pouring over her entire being.

She remembered the Homunculus—something she had only heard about in stories—and that one with seventeen eyes had tried to take her life.

Diana is a coward.

When she was even younger than this, she couldn't sleep alone, and even now, on days with thunder and lightning, she sometimes tosses and turns.

She is aware of this herself.

Given such a temperament, she should have been far more terrified than this.

She should have been much more horrified and shocked.

She should still be trembling from the frightening feeling of her chest tightening, seeking her mother's embrace in tears.

But.

"......"

Diana felt she was strangely composed.

And she keenly felt that this was thanks to the back of a man who had appeared in the moment of crisis.

Shin Siwoo.

Just as Diana was about to cross a river of no return.

A hero who appeared like a prince and vanquished a band of vicious thieves.

It was truly a series of unexpected developments.

The location of his Brand was not the Womb, but his left eye.

A novice Witch with no inherited Brand (yet now proficient with the Witchboard).

This was Diana's impression of Shin Siwoo up to that point.

He should have been shot, fallen, and been tossed beside Diana.

"......"

Diana recalled the scene then.

The situation was so urgent, and Diana was half in a state of panic, so she couldn't recall the exact details, but...

The line he delivered upon entering was...

'How dare you?'

'If you lay a single finger on the young lady... you will lose your lives to my Magic. You vermin..'

Was that it?

Something roughly along those lines, she thought.

After that, there were brief, brutal scenes of bones breaking and blood splattering.

Around the time she was taken hostage by the most vicious of the group.

Siwoo said.

'Miss Diana, please trust me. To save you, I would even give my own life.'

This, too, had roughly that kind of nuance, she thought.

Siwoo's valiant act of using Magic to splendidly rescue Diana from the vicious criminal did not stop there.

Afterwards, the criminal became a Homunculus through some means.

It was there that Diana became completely terrified.

While a bunch of thugs might be dealt with using Magic, a Homunculus was a different story.

Then, suddenly, magnificent black armor appeared on his body.

It wasn't the crude, rustic armor commonly seen in books or illustrations.

It was sleek, beautiful armor that naturally clung to his body, with joints allowing for smooth movement.

Using his broad back to shield her from the man trying to threaten Diana with filthy words, he delivered gem-like lines.

'No, I'm not curious at all. All that matters to me is how long your head will remain on your shoulders.'

'Is this all you've got? Then, it's my turn now.'

He expertly handled the Homunculus with dazzling movements.

Truthfully, what Diana could see was Siwoo moving at speeds that left no afterimage and the Homunculus being flung about, but it was clear the situation was overwhelmingly one-sided.

Can you believe it?

A man she thought was merely a novice Witch swung an incredibly long spear, beating down a Homunculus—a terrifying one with seventeen eyes, no less.

"Hoo..."

Remembering everything that happened, including sobbing in his sturdy embrace after it was all over, made her face flush hotly.

It was embarrassing, but she also remembered how, in that moment, all her fear and worry melted away like snow.

Feeling that the twists and turns of a single day were finally settled, her eyelids grew heavy.

It had been a day that was too exhausting, both mentally and physically.

"......"

It was a terrifying and frightening memory.

In her entire life, she had never faced such intense malice head-on, nor had she ever been in such a dangerous situation.

She learned for the first time how the 'sexual desire'—unfamiliar, frightening, yet something her eyes kept being drawn to—could so grotesquely pierce through the human facade.

But she is not afraid.

Because behind Diana's closed eyelids, she could see a large back that dispelled the thick darkness.

Because even if she has a nightmare, he will appear splendidly to save her.

Not long after, only the soft, rhythmic sound of small breaths could be heard from Diana's bed.