Chapter 1014 – #243_Scouting Is Difficult (2)
#1008
1.
The Water Color Order, introduced by the president of the Schureliom Academy, was the last target for recruitment, and to be honest, it was a bit ambiguous compared to the previous three academies.
Not only was the number of members small, but its influence was also weaker than other academies.
In fact, Mercedes Aisha, the president of Schureliom, had offered to arrange meetings with various academy presidents, and Siwoo had better choices than the Order.
The reason he chose the Water Color Order as a target for recruitment, despite turning down better options, wasn’t because of a hidden desire to gift pretty lingerie to his lovers.
Even if the Hessed Academy had a plausible excuse at this point, it was unreasonable to immediately appoint Dorothy and Linne, who were public figures, as department heads.
Even if the two had defected to the Gehenna side, made remarkable achievements, and delivered Hexennacht’s confidential information, it was still the same.
Not only would there be backlash from the Gehenna public, but they wouldn’t have a justification within the academy either.
Therefore, Siwoo planned to first establish a department and use it as a stepping stone to appoint the two as external lecturers.
From this perspective, the Water Color Order’s research field was symbolic magic and the realization of religious imagery.
In other words, it was Dorothy’s major field and a precious academy that would serve as a stepping stone.
However, he couldn’t just visit them without any prior contact.
According to Sister Arin, the two had gone on a pilgrimage together, but that might be a lie, or perhaps they were in a relationship of resentment.
“In that sense, I would like you to meet them once.”
[Hmm~~~ Is that so?]
“Do you know each other?”
[Well~ I did travel with them for a while before….]
For some reason, Dorothy seemed reluctant.
She, who was more skilled at feigning ignorance and hiding her true intentions than a thousand-year-old fox, was showing her discomfort to Siwoo.
[Darling is working so hard for me. I’m so~ happy]
And she even changed the subject abruptly.
“Are you really okay with this?”
[Of course~ I’ll be waiting, all dolled up]
[Dorothy. My husband’s…]
-Click
Dorothy hung up without any further explanation, just as Linne’s voice could be heard from the side.
In the end, he had no choice but to ask Sister Arin, who was going to the mortal realm with him, about the whole situation.
“I would like to know more about your relationship with Dorothy.”
Sister Arin, true to her title as the Witch of Faith, exuded the aura of a truly benevolent cleric.
She opened her mouth with a wistful voice, as if recalling distant memories.
“There is a moment that anyone who believes in the glory and miracles of the Lord as a witch will face. It is the moment of wavering faith and belief.”
That agony is heavier than that of an ordinary believer.
The Bible does not recognize any evil magic other than God’s miracles.
Not only does it not recognize it, but it even regards it as heresy and rejects it.
Moreover, there is no record of witches anywhere in the Bible, is there?
There are mentions of witches as sorcerers or harlots who wield strange powers, but that is far from the definition of an actual witch.
At the time, Arin Tiandra, who had only been branded for ten years, was in deep agony.
Did God really exist?
If he did, what kind of being was a witch in his eyes?
She decided to go to the mortal realm, having received no answer despite praying day and night.
It was for a pilgrimage.
She visited Bethlehem, the Temple Mount, and Golgotha in Israel, where she could feel the footsteps of the saints.
She walked the Way of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, seeking answers.
She traveled to Vatican City, trying to find traces of God while contemplating the beauty of St. Peter’s Basilica.
But no effort filled Arin’s emptiness.
Rather, she only clearly experienced the gap between witches and humans, and the distance between God and witches, as she mingled among ordinary believers who prayed and shed tears.
She met Dorothy in the lounge of the Hotel Otturio, which boasted a casual splendor, contrary to the gloom left by World War I, before Mussolini’s fascist regime began to flourish in earnest.
‘Y-you are….’
‘Huh?’
Around this time, Dorothy Sahakiel, the ‘Witch of Salvation,’ was already famous as a public figure, so Arin sensed death.
‘You’re a cute nun~ If you don’t mind, would you like to go to mass with me tomorrow?’
But contrary to expectations, Dorothy only smiled and offered Arin coffee.
It was an offer in name only, and Arin couldn’t refuse Dorothy’s words.
She was forced to stay in a luxurious suite with her, so the option of running away was not viable.
Arin, who was trembling all over and praying to God, visited the cathedral with Dorothy the next day and saw Dorothy’s profile as she quietly meditated and prayed.
Where she got the courage from, Arin asked.
‘Does God really exist? If he does, what kind of faith should I have and how should I look at him? Isn’t my very existence against his words and will?’
Dorothy replied.
‘I don’t know about that. But I sometimes think about it. Is it really possible for an imperfect human to receive the message of an omnipotent God without distortion?
Is building such a magnificent cathedral, creating holy hymns that praise God, and assigning the role of mediator connecting God and believers to the Pope, cardinals, priests, and fathers really in accordance with God’s word?’
Dorothy’s answer was extremely heretical.
She didn’t seem to have any respect, fear, or even awe for faith.
‘When I close my eyes and pray quietly, I sometimes feel a holy light in the center of my heart. Maybe that’s God for me.’
But to Arin, she looked so holy and faithful.
“After that, we traveled together for about half a year. Sometimes we fought, and sometimes we raised our voices because we had different opinions, but it was a precious experience for me.”
“Hmm…. I see.”
Siwoo, who was waiting to go through the departure procedure, looked at Sister Arin’s profile with a suitable answer.
Huh?
Sister Arin, sensing his gaze, made eye contact.
“Is there a problem?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
He brushed it off for now, but he felt a sense of unease in Sister Arin’s expression, which seemed distant, as if she had opened a memory album.
2.
It was very rare for Baron Demer to visit the Geminai mansion.
The two families had almost no business connections, and it was common knowledge that Demer and Albireo were old rivals, even the town fool Chunsik knew it.
It wasn’t to the level of genuinely hating each other or wanting to fight to the death, but the two didn’t get along well, like ‘a kid you don’t like much in class.’
Didn’t he previously incite Secretary Lisenne to accuse Siwoo’s paper of plagiarism, and didn’t he try to win against Albireo by constantly engaging in a battle of nerves at the salon?
For Baron Demer to suddenly visit like this.
Albireo felt more than just bewilderment, she was dumbfounded.
“Were you surprised by my sudden visit?”
“Yes, I was very surprised. Did you come to borrow money or something? We have high interest rates.”
Baron Demer gave a bitter smile in front of Albireo, who naturally responded with a blunt reply, and then opened his mouth.
“Our bad relationship has been quite long, hasn’t it?”
His atmosphere was somehow different from usual.
She wondered if something had happened.
But Albireo was not the kind of person who would say ‘Okay, let’s do that!’ to a rival who changed his attitude without any particular reason and said, ‘Let’s get along well in the future.’
“You’re the one who always picks fights.”
“What are you talking about? Albireo is the one who always tries to find fault with me when I do something well.”
“Honestly, are you even capable of picking a fight with me?”
“Really, your way of speaking. You’re really, really uncultured.”
Demer and Albireo, who were bickering as usual with a fake smile without uttering a single harsh word.
It was just an extension of their daily life at the salon.
“Hoo, no. That’s not why I came. Anyway, whenever I’m with you, I become someone I’m not. Can’t you greet me a little more politely?”
“Is it a guest’s duty to come uninvited and slander?”
“I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Baron Demer shook his head with a look of exhaustion.
“Here, take this. If I stay any longer, I’ll get angry and we’ll fight again.”
What Demer held out in front of Albireo was a necklace with a blue diamond, which looked quite expensive.
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
Albireo was wary of the sudden act of kindness.
“Come to think of it, Count Albireo is about to inherit the title.”
“Is this to tell me to take this and inherit it quickly?”
“No! It’s not like that….”
Baron Demer, who was about to get annoyed, avoided her gaze with an embarrassed look and shouted.
“Still, it was fun to socialize because Albireo was there. It’s a token of my gratitude for that. I feel like I’ll regret it if I don’t say it now…. Anyway, just take it.”
Even if they were rivals, if they kept facing each other and having incidents, they would naturally develop a bond of affection.
To Demer, Albireo was a rival and an object of jealousy, but it was also true that if Albireo hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have frequented the Red Roof Salon as much as he did.
Albireo, realizing that Demer’s actions were not a pretense or hiding a hidden agenda, but a sincere expression, smiled.
“Baron Demer, you’ve become quite girlish since you got a lover?”
“Hmph, a girl at this age? Let me know before the inheritance ceremony. Don’t just leave without saying anything.”
“Okay. I’ll gratefully accept it, Demer.”
Baron Demer left as quickly as he had appeared, with an awkward expression.
Albireo, who was left alone in the reception room, quietly looked at the necklace.
“…….”
A witch’s heart is truly fickle.
For a witch, inheritance is a sacred and honorable act.
Originally, Albireo would have felt a sense of relief and pride, even if she was worried about the twins who would be left behind.
But now she had a loophole, a non-standard inheritance through Siwoo.
As a new path opened up, she kept drawing pictures even in the same situation.
The twins proudly inheriting the brand, and Deneb looking at them with a pleased expression.
Albireo holding the twins’ hands and entering the wedding hall.
But anyway, if she wanted to leave the non-standard inheritance as Plan B, she had to sleep with Shin Siwoo again….
-Grumble grumble
“Haa….”
Albireo shuddered at the thought of her past mistakes, which she had recalled after a long time.
It seemed that nothing in the world was easy.
