City of Witches Chapter 92

Today too, Amelia's day began with visiting Siwoo.

A month had passed since Yebin began intensive treatment, and most of his organs except the brain had finished recovering.

Therefore, the Magic Circles that had hung densely around him were withdrawn.

Yebin Smirna's skill was certain.

She had restored Siwoo's body, which would have died within days if left alone, to normal.

As she had boldly claimed, it would have been impossible for any other Witch to restore a broken human body this far.

Now, even without delaying time, Siwoo breathes and makes his heart beat with his own power.

All physiological functions related to metabolism, including cardiopulmonary function, had returned.

Only then could Amelia truly feel the hope that he could survive.

When she first saw him with color returning to his face, Amelia held Siwoo's hand for a long time, feeling his pulse.

Yebin's speculation that he might be different from before weighed on her chest like a heavy stone.

But still.

As long as he's alive, it's okay, as long as he's alive...

Muttering this daily, she spent a while tracing each of his knuckles, now calloused.

"Ah, I'm sorry... I didn't know you were here."

"No, please come in."

The door opened and Yebin entered.

Compared to her initial appearance wearing hard-to-interpret clothing, she now looked quite respectable as a Witch.

Amelia quietly let go of Siwoo's hand.

Yebin's efforts were so admirable that even Amelia, watching from the side, couldn't possibly urge her more.

Not only did she devote 12 hours a day to healing, but she spent the remaining 8 hours immersed in innate magic research for brain healing.

Excluding four hours of rest, she dedicated her entire day solely to Siwoo's recovery.

Knowing this, Amelia didn't bother to call Yebin in to ask trivial questions.

But now that they had met, she couldn't hold back any longer.

"How is it going?"

"Ah, except for the left eye socket left empty to secure space for the brain procedure, everything has normalized."

To have improved this far from a state near half-corpse and brain-dead vegetative...

It meant she had accomplished alone what even modern medicine couldn't achieve.

"Now that preparations are finished... In three days, I plan to begin the full-scale magic circuit reconstruction and brain regeneration."

Amelia rose from her seat and stood before Yebin.

And she hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, truly..."

"Y-you don't have to do this. The Baron's support is suff...!"

"Thank you, thank you..."

Hugged so tightly she could hardly breathe, Yebin barely managed to push her away.

It would be a lie if she didn't feel proud, but there was also something she hadn't yet conveyed to her.

"You can spend more time with Siwoo, I just came to check his condition briefly... I'll take my leave now."

"Yes..."

Yebin sighed, closed the door, and returned to her room.

On the large table brought from the dining hall, a brain model and thousands of sheets of paper fluttered.

If Shin Siwoo had been just an animal, this level of preparation wouldn't be necessary.

The functions needed for survival were already restored, and the induction of neuroplasticity had also been successfully achieved.

If she simply awakened him from the state she had intentionally kept him dormant, that would be enough.

But Yebin's duty was to restore him as close as possible to his original state.

While preserving the thoughts, memories, ideologies, and behavioral patterns he had.

And there, Yebin's plan, which had been sailing smoothly with the wind in its sails, hit a wall.

Even after receiving the thesis authored by her Master and meticulously reviewing it along with the knowledge transmitted through the Brand...

Only one conclusion emerged.

The reason she allowed a three-day buffer was to look for other methods, but...

Frankly, she had concluded there was almost no hope of finding a method other than the original plan.

"But how do I tell the Baron about this..."

Yebin flopped face down on the table.

The method required for the procedure itself was absolutely not simple, and it was also an issue Yebin, with her easily flushed face, couldn't easily bring up.

Above all, the biggest, biggest, biggest worry was having no idea how to broach the subject with the Baron.

If only she hadn't seen at all how the Baron treated Siwoo.

Yebin recalled the image of Amelia holding Siwoo's hand for hours each day.

"Someone she cherishes so much..."

Whether she could just dismiss that surgical method as an unavoidable necessity remained to be seen.

"But really, how do I say it..."

Yebin's worries only deepened.

It was a dark space.

A consciousness floating with no place to set foot drifted slowly.

Below, two vast structures—no, now merged into one—were visible.

Everything Siwoo had built, tangled in chaos and collapsed as if bombed.

Why did even these ruins, with all functions halted, shine brilliantly and flaunt their beauty?

"........."

Siwoo saw it.

He definitely saw and recognized it, but the stream of thought that had flowed like water was severed.

Connecting the gaps of severed thought was unrefined, pure reason, or instinct.

Eyes unclouded by distracting thoughts stared directly at the pile of Magic Circle debris.

Siwoo raised his arm.

It wasn't with any specific intention.

Nor was it after deep contemplation.

Yet, the Magic Circles—faithful servants that had always moved according to his will—simultaneously stirred.

-Kugugugugugung!

The transformation of the world.

The black world vibrated.

Golden cogs, lines, points, characters, shadows all sprang up at once.

Like stars in a galaxy tracing beautiful orbits without anyone dictating, they settled where they should be according to natural order, instinct, and emitted a faint glow.

Creation is always born from destruction.

The legacy composed of tens of thousands of fragments forged a 'rule' of a completely different form.

In Siwoo's pupils, a beautifully shining golden sphere appeared.

Like an egg containing truth, a new rule nestled in the shadow's cradle.

".........."

As if all of it were meaningless, he listlessly waved his hand again, and it collapsed once more.

A newly piled 'rule' not bound by any existing 'rule'.

That contradiction crumbled.The collapsed debris lay scattered at the bottom of the Ain, awaiting its master's command as before.

In a space like a boundless sea submerged in utter darkness.

With a single gesture from Siwoo, rules were created and also destroyed.

I, freedom.

What am I?

What is freedom?

Suddenly, Siwoo's brow furrowed at two words that had caught a corner of his consciousness.

He pondered their meaning for a long while, but nothing ultimately came to mind.

Siwoo waved his hand once more.

Like a god rolling dice until the desired result appears.

After all, he had plenty of time.

This world was his world.

Amelia lay blankly on the bed.

It had been a long time since she stopped her research for Siwoo.

Because there was no point in it while Yebin was invited.

But since her existing Magic Research wasn't going anywhere either, Amelia's daily routine consisted solely of caring for Siwoo and then lying blankly on the bed.

"Amelia, may I come in?"

"Come in."

At that moment, Sophia's voice was heard along with a knock.

She was someone who bothered Amelia whenever she had time anyway, but her visits had become noticeably frequent lately.

Amelia knew it was to comfort her friend in despair and was grateful for it.

Entering the room, Sophia sighed inwardly upon seeing Amelia lying listlessly as usual.

She knew Amelia would also struggle when tragedy struck Siwoo.

But she hadn't expected it to be to this extent.

To the point where tear stains were visible as if they would never fade.

Not that she thought Amelia was being overly dramatic.

Amelia had already lost her Master once and closed the doors of her heart due to the shock.

She was a fragile child who had buried herself in her own world without giving her heart to anyone.

For such an Amelia, who had barely mustered the courage to open her heart, to have an event occur that stimulated past trauma—Sophia was more than just a little worried.

"Want to talk for a bit?"

"I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time right now."

"It's important."

At Sophia's unusual reaction, Amelia also sat up in bed.

Her lush golden hair swayed, releasing a pleasant fragrance.

"Is it about Siwoo?"

"Yes."

Sophia naturally sat on the edge of the bed and tightly grasped Amelia's hand.

"First, I want to say that what I'm about to tell you might feel very unpleasant and complicated for you."

"Wh-what is it? Don't tell me something's wrong...!"

"Calm down, I phrased that poorly. This is about you. Of course, Siwoo is involved too."

Sophia soothed Amelia, who had turned pale wondering if something had happened to Siwoo's body in the meantime.

She gently smoothed Amelia's disheveled hair.

"What do you think of Shin Siwoo?"

Amelia's pupils wavered, unable to grasp Sophia's intent.

Though a question arose as to why she was asking such a thing now, she couldn't easily say anything.

"I... like him."

Sophia gripped Amelia's hand, who had barely managed to speak, even tighter.

Sophia asked again.

"Then what about me?"

"I like you too."

"Why?"

"...Do I have to say?"

Amelia awkwardly averted her gaze.

Sophia sighed deeply and nodded.

Wondering if Sophia's reaction was strange, Amelia obediently spoke up.

"Because you're a friend who always helps and gives me strength."

"Right? Then what about Siwoo? Do you like him because he's a friend? Or do you like him romantically?"

"........"

Amelia again couldn't answer.

Actually, Sophia had a very concerning point.

It was good that Amelia had opened her heart to others and become aware of her own emotions.

After all, Sophia's attempt to bring Siwoo and Amelia together was half-intended to help her emotional maturity.

But she hadn't accounted for Amelia being more innocent than expected.

Whether what Amelia felt for Siwoo was simply goodwill, or love that had sprouted for some reason,

or if it was merely a misunderstanding.

Sophia didn't know.

It wasn't that she found Siwoo unsuitable as a partner for Amelia.

He was a sufficiently handsome and kind man, hard to come by.

Moreover, while Sophia cherished Amelia, she wasn't so meddlesome as to interfere in romantic relationships and play the role of a sister-in-law.

"Will you answer?"

After a long hesitation, Amelia opened her mouth.

"I think... it's love."

"What if that love is a misunderstanding?"

"Sophia!"

A voice as sharp as shattering glass returned.

It was a sharp reaction without a hint of hesitation.

Amelia's blazing eyes shot a glance at Sophia.

No matter how close a friend, she couldn't forgive anyone denying these feelings.

A glimmer of such anger flickered.

"I'm really sorry, but I wanted to say this. You were in a state of knowing nothing."

"I know how to distinguish things too."

"Amelia, first calm down..."

"This feeling...! Just looking at him lying there, my heart aches so much just from the thought that he might leave...! If this isn't love, then what on earth is love?"

From Amelia's appearance, raising her voice as if in desperation, Sophia became convinced once more.

No.

A sense of indebtedness is not love.

Fear of loss is also a separate emotion from love.

What love is.

What guilt is.

What responsibility is.

What human relationships are.

What affection is.

What goodwill is.

What friendship is.

Amelia knows nothing.

She is merely in a state of having just opened her eyes.

Like a duckling that has just opened its eyes recognizing the first living being it sees as its mother and following it around.

What if she is mistakenly accepting emotions that aren't originally her own?

What if, due to Sophia's excessive interference, an unnatural flow of emotions has arisen?

Crucially, what if 'Magic' intervened in a causality that should have remained at the level of 'goodwill'?

Is that really love?

"I'm sorry for making you angry, but I want you to hear this too."

As Sophia gestured, the door opened.

There stood the Twins, their eyes brimming with tears.

"Professor Amelia..."

"We have something we want to tell you."

They stood with bowed heads, like sinners confessing a great sin in confession.

A word from the author (Author's Note)

There was a mistake in the upload hehe....

Sorry...!

I'm learning so much while serializing Witch's City.The fact that I can have this opportunity is all thanks to the readers who read my work.

I will always remember humility and gratitude and strive to improve even more.

Thank you.