City of Witches Chapter 83

“Then, how about hearing my proposal as well?”

Ea readily accepted Odil’s suggestion with a sing-song tone.

It was a small mercy that she wasn’t entirely unreasonable to talk to.

She furrowed her brow deeply as if in serious thought for a long while before finally speaking.

“I really, really hate those Gemernai bitches. They wrecked my main magic power plant five years ago, you know?”

Her voice, bubbling like thick mud, oozed with viscous malice.

Perhaps because she had a lot pent up, the pretense of maintaining a dignified appearance she had shown earlier completely vanished as her face twisted violently.

“What’s your name?”

Ea asked, taking a deep breath and managing her expression as if performing in a play.

Odil tried not to shrink back, straightened her shoulders, and spoke.

“Odil, Odil Gemernai.”

“Alright. If Miss Odil sacrifices herself and follows me obediently, I’m willing to let everyone else go.”

“What’s your proposal.”

A pungent smile etched itself at the corner of Ea’s mouth.

“First, I need to verify if your courage is genuine.”

“That’s unnecessary. I’m not afraid of death.”

“Calm down and listen to me. It’s about what you’ll experience from now on. Sometimes ignorance breeds courage, right? Who knows, hearing what I have to say might make that fledgling courage of yours wet itself.”

Ea tilted her head, wiggling her fingers briefly before calmly beginning her explanation.

It was a scenario of an utterly cruel and brutal revenge play.

“First, I’ll remove Miss Odil’s womb raw. Without any anesthesia, of course.

Although not as valuable as a Brand, an Apprentice Witch’s Vessel is still precious research material. Don’t worry too much about this part, I’ve done it many times before. No matter how agonizing it is, you absolutely won’t die. I’m curious what kind of pretty cries you’ll scream with.”

Ea threatened with words so pungent they seemed to carry the scent of blood, her gaze sweeping over Odil’s lower abdomen.

Feeling as if she were being stripped naked under that gaze, Odil’s body trembled.

“After that, all that will remain of you is a pretty little body with a small scar. If you were a typical Exile, I’d dispose of you right then, but as I said, I have a lot built up against Gemernai. Is that all? I’m also a natural-born frugal person. So, to make thrifty use of Miss Odil, I’ll use you as my wallet.”

She licked her lips.

As if feeling ecstasy from the mere imagination, as if experiencing an orgasm from the catharsis of revenge, her body shivered.

“I like traveling all over the Mortal Realm, you see. Arranging travel funds locally is always tricky. That’s when! Miss Odil will have to work. Just sell your body to local men with that pretty face of yours to earn money. Easy, right?”

Witches generally possess vast wealth even in the Mortal Realm.

When one inherits a Brand from a predecessor, they also inherit the accumulated wealth.

No matter how much of an Exile she is, a Witch with her level of power couldn’t possibly lack mere travel expenses.

In other words, her intended actions stem purely from sadistic cruelty for entertainment.

“A day has 24 hours, and an Apprentice Witch needs sleep... Hmm, about 20 men a day should suffice.”

Ea asked as if seeking Odil’s agreement, yet continued her story arbitrarily.

“I’m so excited. What should I do? My heart’s already racing....

Ah, and! Every time you fail to meet the quota, I’ll give you a punishment.

How about a toe for each failure? Once your feet become stubby like tree stumps, next I’ll cut off your fingers. Then arms and legs, then eyes and tongue... I’ll chop you up bit by bit.”

Her flushed cheeks weren’t solely from the thrilling imagination.

It was clearly intertwined with sexual excitement as well.

A cruel delight and sadism, incomprehensible to Siwoo and the Twins, bloomed like poisonous mushrooms throughout her words.

Odil’s legs shook as if she might collapse at any moment, and Odette hiccuped as tears fell.

“How’s my proposal? Even for a Gemernai, wouldn’t their eyes roll back if their Apprentice Witch became a globe-trotting whore?”

“You crazy bitch...”

“Ugh....”

Siwoo muttered under his breath without realizing it.

Odil, unable to withstand the thickly conveyed malice, vomited on the floor.

Odette slumped to the ground as if the strength had left her legs.

As the time of delusion passed, Ea, having regained some semblance of sanity, clapped her hands.

As if the time for trivial torment was over.

“...On second thought, I’ll withdraw my proposal. Why take only Miss Odil when I can take both and have two wallets?

If Miss Odil fails to meet the quota, I’ll punish the younger sister, and conversely, if the younger sister fails, I’ll punish Miss Odil. That seems more fun.

I want to see that tearful sisterly love, that moving drama.”

Having instilled enough terror, she flipped her proposal like turning over her palm. Seeing this, Siwoo became certain.

This bitch is insane, and the only path left is to fight.

Ea’s red eyes, which had been raised to her chin level, turned toward Siwoo with a smile.

Now, he didn’t even think those eyes resembled cursed gems.

Only a disgusting feeling, as if his entrails had been pulled out and mashed together, was felt.

Siwoo twisted open another bottle of Magical Power.

Gulp, gulp—he poured all its contents into his mouth.

It was a life he had already considered dead anyway.

Any plan to beg for the Twins to be sent away had long vanished.

That cruel Witch was not someone with whom ambiguous compromise was possible.

He would fight.

Even if it was like an egg striking a rock, even if it was merely a futile struggle.

He would cling to that thread-like hope and fight.

“Bloom.”

Amidst the fear so cold it froze even the air, Siwoo.

Raised the spear of meaningless resistance.

The spear he had honed over the past three years to flee from absurdity.

Now, he aimed it at the enemy to confront malice.

Amelia was curled up.

In the nameless oak forest of Gehenna.

She had fled to the small cabin where she had buried her Master’s memories.

Curled up on the rocking chair where her Master always sat reading,

burying her nose in the blanket her Master always used, she clung to it desperately like a baby burrowing into its mother’s embrace.

“Master....”No matter how complicated things get, they melt away warmly when I come here.

As if intoxicated by a dream, I could grasp the tattered hem of a fleeting past, cry and laugh, and run away.

Even after countless years have passed, I felt the illusion of that never-forgotten gentle hand stroking my head.

"I'm back... Master..."

I don't need anything.

Not the dizzying array of desserts, nor the sharp smoke of cigarettes, nor the splendid clothes.

I don't need any of it.

Relationships with others only bring wounds anyway.

Clutching my chest as if it might tear apart, I repeated to myself that this was where Amelia Marigold should be.

"I won't go anywhere now..."

Rubbing her face against the blanket and curling up tighter, Amelia tightly closed her eyes.

And then...

"Tsk, I knew you'd be like this."

The only time Amelia was happy.

A firm voice seized her escape attempt as she burrowed into their shared memories.

Amelia whips her head around to look behind her.

There stood Sophia, arms crossed, with a pitying expression.

"Wh-who said you could just come in here? More importantly, how did you know I was..."

"If things had gone well, I wouldn't have needed to come all the way to the mansion, and if they'd gone badly, someone with your personality wouldn't have come looking for me again. It was obvious."

In fact, if she had just followed Sophia's advice properly, a scene of reconciliation would likely have unfolded without much trouble.

But Sophia had never overestimated Amelia's emotional expression skills.

Just in case things went wrong, she had leisurely transformed into a crow and flown to the cottage.

Seeing her like this already, it seemed things had gone off track faster than expected.

"I want to be alone. Please leave."

Sophia noticed the tears welling up in Amelia's glistening eyes.

She lets out a deep sigh and approaches Amelia.

"Tell me what happened."

"Why... why should I tell you that..."

"We're friends."

This was the first time Sophia had seen Amelia look so desolate since returning to Gehenna.

For Amelia, who always acted as emotionlessly as an empty wax doll, to feel emotions in any direction was fortunate as a friend.

But how could she just stand by and watch her pitiful friend clutching her old Master's blanket and sniffling?

"Tell me, I'll listen. I won't laugh at you or think it's silly."

"........."

"Of course, if there's something you deserve to be scolded for, I'll point it out firmly. But I promise you, it'll be so~ much easier than keeping it all bottled up inside."

Sophia crouched down on the floor, matching eye level with Amelia, who was slumped over the armchair.

Amelia's lips, trembling pitifully, part.

"That slave... how dare he... spout such nonsense to me... he... he insulted me... and I... for his sake... I even prepared a gift he'd like... made a proposal..."

Amelia spoke in a thin, cracking voice, stumbling over her words.

It was a tone that sounded like a flood of tears could burst forth at any moment.

"He insulted you?"

Sophia's mouth fell open.

Being a slave close to Amelia, she had observed him many times from nearby and knew.

To categorize him, he was not the type of resilient, extraordinary person close to a revolutionary, saint, or hero.

Setting aside intelligence, he was just an ordinary person you could find anywhere, timid, cautious, yet with a gentle side.

The thought of him spewing insults right in front of Amelia was hard to even picture.

More importantly, how much of a mess must things have become for this situation to arise?

"I can't forgive him... no, I won't care anymore... apologies or whatever... I hate it all... I'm going to stop... this time too, because I listened to you..."

"Did you apologize properly?"

"...I tried, I tried to... I wrote it on paper... I even practiced... but..."

As if pouring out her heart, Amelia roughly recounted the whole story to Sophia.

From what she could gather, it seemed she had made a proposal about being an assistant.

Moreover, it appeared she had pushed the apology aside and just rambled on about what she wanted to say.

"Good grief..."

Having shattered his only hope of going to the Mortal Realm and then offering compensation as if doing him a favor, it was no wonder he lashed out, feeling he had nothing left to lose.

"...I couldn't get angry... I wanted to be angry... but I couldn't. He was crying... It must be because of me, right? He was crying because of me, right?"

Finally, the tears that had gathered at the corners of Amelia's eyes rolled down her cheeks.

Poor Amelia.

Sophia reached out and pulled Amelia into a tight embrace.

"Amelia, Amelia... oh dear... I should have explained things a bit more."

"...sob..."

Amelia, who normally would have pushed Sophia away out of pride alone, stayed still and instead nestled quietly into Sophia's arms.

Sophia stroked Amelia's small, round head.

"I don't know how to see him anymore... I hate him, even though I hate him... when I remember how he looked crying... my chest feels strange... it throbs, it hurts, it gets hot... I can't do anything..."

"It's okay. Anyone can make mistakes. What's important is fixing them."

"I can't do it... I don't want to anymore..."

In Sophia's eyes, it was a woefully inadequate swing, but for Amelia, it must have been the result of stretching herself to the limit.

Seeing that proud Amelia reduced to such a cowering state made her feel pity first and foremost.

But pity aside, she still had to deliver her message.

"Amelia."

"......."

"There's something I want to tell you."

She considered telling her something she had held back from saying because it seemed too petty a method, like cornering Amelia.

"It's about the day you went on a date to Border Town with Siwoo, your assistant."

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

For any readers who were worried after this chapter, I'm letting you know in advance!

The cruel scenes Ea mentioned don't actually appear (because it's mild).

I have no plans to write it as a side story either (because it's mild).

I'm just clarifying that the dialogue was to highlight her cruel nature.

Hmm... and I debated whether to mention this or not.

I've seen some authors write side stories based on sponsorships.

But I'm letting you know upfront that I have no plans to write separate side stories...!

Separately, I'm so very grateful to all the readers who love my lacking writingㅜㅜI have nothing to say but thank you.

I will repay you with arousing writing.