City of Witches Chapter 386

Like all guest rooms of the Jemernai Count Family, Diana's room, though called a 'room,' boasted an enormous area practically comprising two living rooms, one parlor, one bathroom, one bedroom, and even a front garden.

Given its vast size, most ordinary items were furnished within her room.

A rather professional-looking three-tier first-aid kit was placed on a shelf, so he retrieved it.

Diana, who had boldly declared she would seize his weakness and then attempted not even a kiss but a peck.

She had fled from Siwoo, slipped as gracefully as a painting, and ended up with her ankle swollen like a balloon.

Siwoo, lifting Diana who couldn't even stand properly, laid her down on the sofa where he always kept his Witchboard.

"Are you okay?"

"……."

Perhaps the combo of a preemptive confession of the crime + a surprise peck while suddenly declaring she'd seize his weakness + subsequently fleeing and falling flat on her face in an ugly heap was quite embarrassing, as she had been hugging a backrest cushion and refusing to show her face since earlier.

He didn't even expect an answer anyway.

He placed Diana's leg on the sofa armrest, asked for her understanding, and lifted her skirt.

"Oh dear…."

The ankle, swollen and turned red.

It probably wasn't fractured, but this must be quite painful.

For a Half-Spirit Body to reach this state, how on earth must her leg have twisted?

The sound when Diana fell flat on her face had been unusually loud.

"Please tell me if it hurts."

When training with his Master, it was always common to sprain something somewhere.

Therefore, he roughly knew the magical treatment for it as well.

Siwoo reached out and carefully wrapped his hands around her ankle.

A Spirit Body isn't as difficult to coordinate as one might think.

Especially if it's far from major organs and closer to the body's extremities, even someone with Siwoo's level of magic power control can manage it.

"Bloom."

Siwoo drew out his magic power and enveloped Diana's ankle.

He intended to reduce the swelling and soothe the startled muscles.

The task isn't particularly tricky, but it takes a little time.

By the way, her foot is really pretty.

It looks incredibly white and clean.

As small as a palm yet with slender, elongated toes, one could glimpse the traces of elegant genetics.

When Siwoo gripped a bit firmer to infuse magic power, her toes wriggled as if enduring pain.

"Why did you do that? It wasn't necessary."

"……."

Diana, who had remained silent for a long while, mumbled still with her face buried deep in the cushion.

"Mom said for safe negotiations, you should hold more weaknesses than the other party…."

"I, see."

It was truly a Machiavellian reason.

Though the chosen method being a peck was quite a peculiar story.

Come to think of it, back in Border Town, she had also rushed out alone for some unknown reason….

She's occasionally an unpredictable young lady.

"...Mr. Siwoo."

Though her flustered, bouncing behavior was impressive, Diana's usual demeanor is that of a proper noble young lady.

The naturally changed form of address at some point, that form of address seemingly mimicking her mother, didn't feel very unfamiliar.

"Yes."

"May I ask just one thing?"

"Sure. It'll take some time anyway."

"It might be a bit, strange, question."

"...Yes, well."

Diana continued the conversation using the cushion as a mask.

Though her face was covered, after hesitating for a while, she asked while spreading and closing her cute toes.

"How long have you been with Mom?"

"...An important question... I suppose?"

"Yes, very much."

It was a question with no middle ground to answer, a very difficult question, but still, staying silent felt awkward.

"One day."

"Lies, everyone only tells me lies."

"It's not a lie. Yesterday was the first time."

"...Really?"

The cushion covering Diana's face quietly lowered.

Straight eyes trying to discern the truth turned toward Siwoo.

Even if they don't share blood, mother and daughter are still mother and daughter, it seems.

The shape of her eyebrows tensing up was exactly like Countess Yesod's.

"Do you... like my mom?"

"……."

A tough question.

The answer is predetermined.

But voicing it straightforwardly is a separate matter.

"Does your mom like Mr. Siwoo too?"

"...I am undeservedly honored."

As the meaningless Q&A ended, the cushion quickly covered Diana's face again.

Just in time, the treatment was finished.

"Done. Would you like to see?"

"I think it's fine now. Thank you."

"Not at all, if we trace it back and back, I bear some responsibility too."

If it's not an injury in the magical sense, the convenience of a Spirit Body is that external wounds heal easily.

The swelling had completely subsided, and Diana, flexibly rotating her ankle, nodded coolly.

"Mr. Siwoo."

Diana, sitting up demurely so her skirt hem wouldn't flip over and sitting beside him, for some reason looked incredibly composed.

It was hard to believe she had been in a highly excited state just moments ago.

"Can you completely... seduce my mom? Make her fall head over heels."

"Pardon?"

Did he mishear?

"You heard correctly. I asked you to seduce Mom."

"No. I think I definitely misheard."

Suddenly asking him to seduce her mom.

Just moments ago, it was a fresh romantic comedy development, but suddenly it drifted into a makjang drama.

Diana, muttering softly, looked straight at Siwoo and solidified her intention.

"Please do it."

Today's main coordi for Diana was a sable long coat.

The sable coat is the fluffy brown coat that wealthy housewives in dramas often wear.

Even that, if made purely from sable, becomes too expensive, so they mix in lots of mink or cashmere.

Moreover, Diana's coat, despite being made from black sable fur, is as white as the first snow.

When asked, she said it was made from the hide of an albino specimen.

He couldn't even begin to guess how expensive it was.

Anyway, a coordi that, if worn by someone not matching their station, would make them look like a nouveau riche in an instant.

Diana, pulling off such attire effortlessly, was walking the streets of Taro Town.

Diana's abrupt proposal to seduce her mother.

Without even getting a proper answer to what on earth that question meant, they ended up coming out to the plaza market.

The season being what it is and with rain falling last night, the streets had turned chilly.

Rainwater flowing along the grooves of the road had frozen into layers of icy sheets.

But undeterred by the cold weather, the plaza market showed its usual liveliness.

"Firewood dried enough to burn all winter, one bundle for 10 pennies! Buy now and get a flint stone too!"

"Rosewater to make your fair face even fairer! Ladies, come take a look!"

"Folks! Look here! Ducks plump with fat!"A scene reminiscent of a concert hall's solicitation. The street vendors who had set up their wares in front of the tents lining both sides of the road left little room to walk, making it all quite chaotic.

But as Diana, under her parasol, and Siwoo, in his suit, advanced, the path miraculously cleared. Even to the eyes of ordinary citizens who knew nothing of albino or sable fur coats, Diana's attire undoubtedly looked expensive.

They knew that if even a drop of muddy water splashed onto it, they would have to mortgage their lives for three generations just to cover the cleaning bill.

"So, why did you suddenly come all the way here?"

"Just follow me for now."

While observing the surroundings was quite entertaining in itself, what surprised Siwoo the most was that Diana had been the one to suggest this outing.

Following the densely woven, spiderweb-like alleyways, they arrived at a cluster of dimly lit buildings.

Diana glanced around before choosing a three-story building and stepping inside.

"Oh, it's a bookstore."

"I've been meaning to visit this place for a while."

Although the citizens of Gehenna lived a rather medieval lifestyle, their average standard of living was incomparable to that actual era.

Thanks to the widespread use of magic for water pipes, sanitation levels were high, infant mortality was as low as 1%, and crime rates were significantly lower.

As beings essential for the convenience of Witches, they were guaranteed a more comfortable environment than most third-world countries.

The fact that not a single beggar could be seen in such a bustling market was one piece of evidence.

In any case, basic education was also well-established, so a fair number of citizens enjoyed reading books as a hobby.

This bookstore was for such citizens.

From the entrance, piles of books stacked like towers, not properly displayed, to the bookshelves lining the entire building, the musty scent of aged paper permeated the air.

In the dim interior, illuminated by the faint glow of lamps, dust particles floated leisurely.

Siwoo had known about this bookstore's existence for some time.

But he had never felt the need to visit.

During his time as a slave, he had neither the time nor the particular inclination to read novels.

As for occasionally browsing the hidden magic books, his workplace was already the Trinity Academy's Magic Library.

There was simply no need to go out of his way to come here.

"Are you looking for a specific book?"

"Wait."

Without answering, Diana passed by the bookstore owner, who was dozing off, and glanced around.

Well, since they were already here.

Siwoo also spent some time browsing through various books.

There were all sorts of books.

Books on basic herbal knowledge.

Food recipes densely handwritten in crude script, as if paper was too precious to waste.

There were even diaries whose owners were unknown.

"Hmm..."

Among the piles of books, which seemed to number at least ten thousand, Diana selected books without minding the dust settling on her coat.

She already had several tucked under her arm.

"Huh?"

What caught Siwoo's eye was an unusually large book, thickly coated with dust.

It was almost falling off the back of the shelf, seemingly left there forgotten.

The worn and faded letters were barely legible. Wiping the dust with his hand, he could see the title.

[Public Enemy Record]

"Oh."

Untying the leather strap that bound the book like a band, he opened it to find pages cleaner than expected.

As the title suggested, it was a book recording various public enemies.

Their deeds, major incidents, Hierarchy, and even some of the Magnetic Magic or Ceremonial Artifacts they used.

It seemed to be a book sharing information about public enemies, somewhat like the Witch Point's database.

"......"

He had already become entangled with two Witches in his life: the Witch of Aquarius and the Cowardly Witch.

There would likely be many more unwanted encounters in the future.

Just as in RPG games, where you need to know the boss patterns before going in, browsing through a book like this might prove helpful.

"Though it probably won't be of much great help."

Just as Siwoo had found one potentially useful book.

Diana had nearly ten books tucked under her arm.

"That's quite a lot."

Diana stared intently at Siwoo.

Her expression seemed hesitant, as if debating whether to speak or not.

After biting her lips several times, Diana finally parted them.

"What I'm about to tell you now... it's a secret between just the two of us. Understood?"