City of Witches Chapter 81

As is typical of Witches.

The uninvited guest standing before him was as beautiful as a painted portrait.

The dress, seemingly woven from pure darkness, clung to her body with a fluid grace that appeared tailored for her alone.

Eyes of an impossibly deep crimson and lips that glistened with an enchanting allure—features that seemed beyond the realm of humanity.

Though her hair was cut in a sharp, straight bob just below her shoulders, her delicate, slender frame evoked the image of a fragile, pitiable flower.

Yes.

The red spider lily.

The flower that blooms at the mouth of the river flowing through the underworld.

Siwoo felt the hairs all over his body stand on end.

Because the gaze reflected in her eyes, which addressed him with a seemingly calm and gentlemanly demeanor, held no trace of the respect one would show a fellow human.

Though she likely wasn't even conscious of it, her indifferent gaze was that of someone observing a bug they could communicate with.

The gentle tone of voice that wrapped around it only amplified the nauseating, overwhelming sense of dissonance.

None of the Witches he had met so far had ever looked at a human this way.

What he felt from her was an instinctive fear—the kind one feels in the presence of an apex predator, even without being taught.

Annoyance can overpower drunkenness, but the kind of dread that makes your balls shrivel is an even stronger stimulant.

Even without understanding why he felt this eerie sensation, Siwoo bowed as respectfully as possible and asked,

"I am Shin Siwoo, a personal slave of Baroness Amelia. May I ask if you have an appointment or what your relationship with her is?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have an appointment. And as for our relationship... let's just say we're friends."

Above all, the naturally oppressive atmosphere she exuded and the answer to one particular question solidified the certainty of Siwoo's crisis detection.

The personality-disordered Amelia had only one friend: Sophia.

So, what purpose could this Witch, who claimed to be Amelia's friend, have for coming here?

Siwoo smiled brightly and said,

"Lady Amelia has stepped out for a moment. She should be back soon. Would it be alright if I showed you to the reception room first?"

Buying time was the priority.

It was just an intuition, without any certainty.

But he didn't want to ignore the creeping chill running down his spine.

"Shall we?"

Responding to Siwoo's smile with a refined one of her own, the Witch clicked her heels and followed behind him.

Siwoo glanced at her reflection in the glass pane.

If there was such a thing as a face that devoured men, it would look exactly like this.

The beauty mark under her left eye and her subtly alluring appearance made him think of the skin beneath her black dress, even in this situation.

The word "beautiful" would never be an extravagant modifier for her.

But why did his stomach keep churning like this?

Was it some kind of deep sense of distortion?

The heaviness of the air flowing around this Witch felt different.

It clung stickily to his lungs, making it hard to breathe... exactly like breathing on a humid summer day.

As the place for receiving guests, the reception room was the most lavishly decorated spot in the mansion.

Guiding her to a table covered with a white cloth, Siwoo pulled out a chair for her to sit.

"Please wait a moment. I'll prepare some tea and refreshments."

Now, let's make a run for it.

If I go back to my room, the music box is under the bed.

Activate the music box to block my presence, jump out the window, and escape.

His relationship with Amelia was already broken beyond repair.

There was no reason to entertain Amelia's guest—simultaneously an unidentified dangerous element—alone and wait for her return.

"It's too lonely to wait alone, isn't it? Sit here with me."

Just as Siwoo was pondering how to respond and whether he could smoothly lie his way out of this, the Witch whispered to him.

Her tone was sweet, almost blatantly seductive.

"Come on."

"Excuse me, then."

Siwoo had no choice but to pull out the chair beside her and sit down.

He managed his expression as best he could, putting on a performance that was just convincing enough.

"It's an honor to be allowed to sit with you."

"Do you know who I am?"

"My apologies, as a lowly slave, my knowledge is limited. Please forgive my ignorance. May I be permitted to ask your esteemed name now?"

"Ea Sadalmelik."

"A beautiful name, fitting for a noble lady."

At Siwoo's flattery, Ea covered her mouth and laughed as if tickled.

"And what is your name?"

"Shin Siwoo."

Since her tone didn't seem hostile, Siwoo let out a sigh of relief.

Honestly, he had wondered if he was overreacting.

But judging by how naturally the conversation flowed, it seemed he had handled it well.

"It seems it might take a while for the Baroness to return?"

"It seems... that way, yes."

It didn't seem like she would be back anytime soon.

After all, she had run off in such a fluster.

Actually, thinking about it again, he still didn't quite understand why Amelia had fled.

Given her nature, he would have expected her to coldly execute Siwoo on the spot without batting an eye.

Ea examined Siwoo's face with an intrigued expression, scrutinizing every detail.

Then, licking her lips, she spoke up.

"I dislike being bored... Shall we do something to pass the time?"

A thick, seductive scent wafted over.

As if she had intentionally changed the direction of the wind, a deep, feminine fragrance filled Siwoo's nostrils.

"What do you mean by 'passing the time'?"

"I have a terribly bad habit, you see. It's so wicked and shameful that I can't speak of it openly in front of others—an embarrassing quirk."

Oh, come on.

A slight crack appeared in Siwoo's perfect poker face.

Because her tone sounded almost coquettish.

Of course, it was a restrained kind of charm, not enough to shatter her elegant image.

He listened quietly, letting her words hang in the air with an ambiguous smile.

Ea, who had been resting her chin on her hand placed on the table, reached out her delicate hand and took Siwoo's.

"Uh..."

Guided by her soft, slender hand, one of Siwoo's fingers was brought near her mouth, where she gave it a light bite.

"It's quite embarrassing that every time I indulge in this secret habit, I have to expose my shame to the other person as well."

Siwoo hesitated, unsure whether to pull his hand back, feeling awkward.

He still thought, "Surely not...?" but this woman's aura was so bewitching that he unconsciously swallowed hard.

"I'm not sure how to put this... Do you have any idea what my bad habit might be?"

"Not at all, I can't even begin to guess..."

"Is that so?"

This time, Ea parted her lips slightly, and her tongue gently licked the tip of Siwoo's finger.Surprisingly flexible and swift, a tongue that swirls around the fingertips.

Today was the first time Siwoo learned that a human tongue could move so nimbly.

"Uh... um...!"

Just as he was about to stop this terrifying Witch, now fully aware of what was happening, she took his hand into her mouth in one gulp.

How could she have no shame while doing something like this?

With a sly, crescent-moon-like smile, she began to fervently suck on two of Siwoo's fingers with her lips and tongue.

As if she were sucking on a cock.

Yet, despite that strange and bizarre sensation, his own cock didn't budge an inch.

Honestly, it's just fucking terrifying.

"It's a bad habit of mine—when I see someone else's man, I just want to take him for myself. Oh my, oh my, how embarrassing..."

What the hell is this crazy bitch saying?

Ea, covering both her cheeks with her hands, smiles with a melting, ecstatic expression.

As expected, according to Siwoo's statistics, Witches have a high probability of not being in their right mind.

Even if Siwoo is merely a male slave, what Ea is attempting is taboo.

It was an act akin to trying to mix flesh with a favored concubine.

The fact that she would suggest such nonsense without knowing when Amelia might return is clear proof that she's not sane.

Or was she even a proper guest to begin with?

She lied about being a friend of Amelia, who has no friends and is a total loser, and then outright declares that NTL is her preference...

And this suffocating atmosphere that's been lingering since earlier.

Even her sweet body scent reminds him of the floral fragrance emitted by insectivorous plants.

"Do you not like me? Are you perhaps thinking of your master?"

"I am at a loss as to how to respond to such excessive attention."

"No? Tell me. You were thinking of Marigold just now, weren't you?"

For some reason, Ea couldn't hide her excited demeanor.

She had almost half-risen from her chair, pressing her face close to Siwoo's.

Siwoo's pupils, swaying left and right, were reflected in Ea's crimson-black eyes.

"If you tell me honestly, I won't blame you."

Is this even a situation where she has the right to blame me?

Slightly bewildered, Siwoo obediently nodded.

Honestly, at this distance, looking into her eyes, he had no confidence he could lie without being caught.

"That's correct."

"What were you thinking about? Her voice? Her face? Or perhaps her naked body?"

Siwoo was taken aback by Ea's voice, which began speaking rapidly as if excited.

He couldn't easily predict what there was to get excited about.

Not that he could say he was thinking about Amelia's dickishness either.

"I didn't explain this earlier, but... Lady Marigold and I are merely in a relationship of an exclusive slave and an Associate Professor."

"Ah, is that so?"

After staring into Siwoo's eyes for a long while, Ea leaned her hips against the back of the chair as if her excitement had cooled.

She seemed completely uninterested in hiding her disappointment—it looked like the fun had drained out.

"What a pity. I think it would have been better if you and she had a stickier relationship."

"My apologies for not meeting your expectations."

Anyway, he was starting to feel like ditching her now.

He had a feeling that just being near her might cause sparks to fly, and honestly, he really didn't want to be around her.

Every sense in his body was telling him.

That this woman is a far too dangerous Witch.

"Uh..."

That's when Siwoo accidentally saw it.

The river lace passing over the black dress, the pattern embroidered on her clothes with twisted fabric lace.

At first, he thought it was just flowers or vines.

But the shape the lace was forming was that of a water jar.

He simply hadn't noticed because the water pouring from the jar was depicted so naturally with high-level weaving skill.

Three letters that came to mind in that instant.

Exile.

Truthfully, from the moment they first met, he had wondered due to her unique aura.

But he had buried the thought, finding it hard to imagine an Exile would boldly visit Amelia's house...

Siwoo remembered what Sophia had told him on the night Amelia was nearly kidnapped.

Sophia referred to the mastermind behind the incident as 'the Witch of Aquarius.'

And before his eyes, a Witch exuding an ominous aura was wearing a dress adorned with lace decorations in the pattern of a water jar.

This couldn't be a coincidence.

Siwoo, who had originally planned to run away from her, could now be certain.

He had to flee now.

Even though he had bluffed boldly in front of Amelia, prepared to risk his life, he wasn't passive enough to stay still in the face of a death threat.

Moreover, even if he were to die, he had a mission to curse out Amelia properly once she returned.

Without changing his expression in the slightest, Siwoo leisurely rose from his seat.

"It seems it might take a little more time, so I'll bring out some fine whiskey. It would be embarrassing for me as well to not properly entertain such an esteemed guest."

The Witch of Aquarius, smiling slyly without a word, resting her chin on her folded hands.

Siwoo glanced at her briefly and attempted to step out of the reception room with calm steps.

-Whirr!

And then, the heavy vibration felt from behind.

Having been exposed to that sensation for a long time, Siwoo knew what it was.

The unique presence that arises when magic power moves.

"You noticed, didn't you?"

Her pupils, now slit vertically like a cat's, shimmered with the reflected light of magic power flowing turbulently.

Behind her, something resembling several layers of Black Ribbons fluttered ominously.

He could feel the overwhelming density of magic power, capable of shaving off mountains with just a light swing.

Siwoo could deduce.

That a Witch who came to confront a Witch of the 22nd hierarchy would possess comparable strength.

And that the Ribbons this Exile revealed before Siwoo were, by all appearances, not brought out with good intentions.

"Fuck."

RUN.

It's time to run.

---

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

Thank you so much for your support. I'll be a bit late today because I'm writing this afterword.

I forgot to mention—there's no Takasho Ts~

• Thank you, NaroRobain, for 10 coins!

You're the best too, hehe.

• Thank you, yorHa9s, for 100 coins!

If you're immersed while reading, I'm extremely grateful, hehe. Since this story has a different direction from "The Depraved Teacher," there probably won't be such intense scenes!

• Thank you, IX7, for 51 coins!

I'll continue to write diligently.

• Thank you, Danaga, for 10 coins!

• Thank you, BigEastRive, for 50 coins!

Making-up sex is truly the way, right?

• Thank you, Sagwaddalgi Jam, for 15 coins!

I'll take good care of the Twins...!-Autumn Nim, thank you for the 10 coins

This is the Severing Divine Art I have honed in Joara

-San Wind Nim, thank you for the 10 coins

I like both dumplings and sweet and sour pork

-rebke0803 Nim, thank you for the 50 coins

Hahayas is an eternal truth across all ages

-Observer Nim, thank you for the 100 coins

Amelia is still running, so you can watch from the spectator seats

-Jirobo Nim, thank you for the 10 coins

Continuous viewing... is too much beyond this point ㅜㅜ