Chapter 831 – #173_Diagnosis(4)
#825
1.
Shiwoo, having left the forest path, took the wheel again.
He didn’t want to cause unnecessary worry, so he decided to keep things quiet for now.
From the start, visiting the Soul Witch’s mansion was a ‘just in case health check,’ and finding the prophecy institution was the original purpose.
“Shiwoo.”
“Yes.”
Amelia, who was sitting in the back seat, suddenly leaned forward.
“Is everything really okay?”
Although she doesn’t seem to pay much attention to things around her, Amelia becomes sensitive when it comes to Shiwoo.
It seems she noticed something was off.
“Yes, really.”
“Okay.”
Even though lying pricked his conscience, it was better than causing unnecessary worry.
But it wasn’t an immediate, serious problem.
He had blocked the possibility of it worsening if left alone.
Rather, because he lost sensation in his left arm, he was able to get an early check-up and pay attention to it.
If he had lived without a care, he might have been unconsciously taken over by his unconscious without any way to stop it.
In that sense, Amelia had saved Shiwoo once again.
“Hmm….”
He had already declared that he wouldn’t add any more lovers, and he actually intended to keep it that way.
Currently, he possessed a level of power that placed him in the top 1% of the witch society, and he had room to develop further.
However, there were still many things to worry about.
The issue of succession using Shiwoo from Lucy Yesod to Diana Yesod.
Similarly, the succession issue of Odile and Odette, where his big mother-in-law was still lukewarm.
Also, the issue of Amelia, whose magic amplification and imprint replication were strangely not happening.
Just looking at these, there were already many things to think about.
According to the limits predicted by Gretel, the number of imprint copies possible in the future was only one.
No matter what he chose, it was a problem.
Since he had already received magic from his little mother-in-law, would magic replication not occur even if Odile and Odette became formal witches?
What was the reason why amplification and replication were not happening with Amelia?
To find answers to these questions, it seemed that Gretel’s cooperation would be inevitable.
“By the way, Master, is this the right way?”
“It is.”
His master, having heard about Shiwoo’s situation, had a consistently gloomy expression.
Since they had decided to keep it a secret from the other lovers, he was trying not to show it, but it didn’t seem easy.
Indeed, if Shiwoo were to hear that his master was in a conditional, limited-time state, his heart would crumble.
“But how exactly do we get to the prophecy institution?”
He asked, trying to lighten the mood.
It had been three hours since they had started driving in the jeep.
He had heard that one of the ‘corridors’ connected to the prophecy institution was in this national park, but he had no idea where it was.
Everywhere he looked, there was only desolate scenery and snow-covered bare mountains.
“We’re almost there, we’ve arrived.”
As soon as they crossed the ridge of the mountain, which was as gaunt as frozen bones, the scenery surrounded by mountains came into view.
A basin with a large lake.
In the middle, there was a village of about 50 log cabins, sparsely scattered.
“A village where numerology witches who study prophecy gather. Notaricon.”
2.
The group parked the jeep in a suitable place and walked into the village.
In fact, it was too small to even be called a village.
Even the fairly large log cabins were more like huts than mansions.
The paths that stretched out here and there were no different from animal trails that had naturally formed from being frequently trodden.
Witches, who all lived luxurious lives to varying degrees.
This village was so simple and quiet that one could believe it was a village where monks lived.
Even when looking around, not a single witch’s hat could be seen.
He could feel the presence of people, but even though guests had come from outside, they didn’t open their windows and remained cooped up inside.
He was curious about that, but other questions also arose.
Questions about safety.
Even the Soul Witch, who lived a little further away, had taken some precautions against uninvited guests.
But there was no sign of that in Notaricon.
If so many witches had gathered, there would be a considerable presence, but they were not showing their faces, instead remaining inside.
It was Dorothy who explained, seeing Shiwoo’s bewilderment.
“This is a neutral zone. Exiles, public enemies, and Gehenna witches are all prohibited from fighting here.”
“Is that possible?”
Even if it was true for exiles, would public enemies abide by such rules?
Some of them were outlaws who even killed apprentice witches, which was taboo in the witch society.
“If these guys aren’t here, we can’t decipher even the occasional useful prophecies.”
“It’s a big deal that they can’t receive prophecies about apprentice witches. The witches of the apocalypse do not give prophecies to witches who have harmed the numerology school.”
His master added.
In other words, this village was useful to both exiles and public enemies, and at the same time, it was protected by enormous penalties.
No matter how much of a public enemy one was, they would eventually have to succeed, and if prophecies were not given, it meant they would be forever stagnant.
“This way.”
Except for Eloa, who had already been designated an apprentice witch, everyone else was a first-timer.
Naturally, his master took the lead.
Shiwoo, worried for no reason, held his hand tightly, and his master smiled and whispered, ‘I’m okay.’
It didn’t sound like a lie.
It seemed he had found some answers on this trip, which was a relief.
As they approached the lake that occupied about half of the basin, a large temple came into view.
The temple, reminiscent of ancient Rome, was half-submerged in the sparkling blue lake.
In this weather, it wouldn’t be strange if it were frozen solid, but the air around here was lukewarm.
Thanks to that, the traces of time had turned into green moss, wrapping around the thick temple pillars like vines.
“This is the corridor. Go forward.”
“Alone?”
“You can only go alone.”
Shiwoo nodded at his master’s explanation and stepped into the lake.
-Splash!
His body was instantly sucked under the surface of the water.
He was a little taken aback.
The water was so clear and clean that it didn’t seem very deep, but once he was inside, it was at least 30 meters deep.
“Oh.”
But even after being completely submerged and sinking for a while, there was no problem with his breathing.
His body was a little heavy, but he could talk to himself and hear it.
The harmony created by magic was always mysterious.
Shiwoo, submerged below the surface, felt a fragment of awe once again.
When he reached the bottom of the lake, another small stream flowed like a brook, winding like a neural network.
The stream, which glowed faintly in gold and silver, compensated for the lack of light in the deepened water.
Following it, like a signpost leading to the center of the temple, he took a step into the dark entrance.
“Huh?”
As if wandering through a dreamlike landscape, a new scene unfolded before his eyes.
A vast lake whose end could not be seen.
A tower standing tall in the middle.
A sea of stars touching the horizon.
Thick fog.
It was the same appearance of the prophecy institution that he had seen when he was captured by the Golden Witch.
It was so identical that it made him feel bad.
“This is the prophecy institution….”
At that time, there seemed to be an apocalyptic witch dancing and jumping in the middle of the lake…
Now, she was nowhere to be seen, as if she had gone on a business trip.
If she had even given him a ‘dream revelation,’ wasn’t he a rather special guest?
After waiting for a while without any sign of her appearing, there was nothing he could do.
“Do I just go into the lake now?”
Below the rippling lake.
A strange group of lights was dancing, creating long threads.
According to his master, these threads were encrypted destinies.
Prophecies themselves that showed cause and effect and destiny only to those who were allowed.
-Splash
It was the moment he squatted down and lightly dipped his hand in.
Once again, the world completely changed.
A familiar place was the center of Ars Magna Town and the most beautiful building in Gehenna.
The Ivory Tower where Duke Keter resided.
Around it were witches.
It wasn’t just the level of witches who usually stayed there to get a word of Keter’s teachings.
It was a number of witches that had become a ‘crowd,’ as if all the witches of Gehenna had been gathered, all looking at the Ivory Tower.
The hushed conversations overlapped, creating a commotion.
In that murmur, joy and despair, expectation and tension created a dizzying sense of urgency.
They were all waiting.
They were waiting for the birth of a new king.
Soon after, the curtain that surrounded the terrace of the Ivory Tower was drawn back.
The one who appeared, having taken off his blindfold, was none other than Shin Shiwoo.
His figure, holding a red branch and looking down at the witches, caused them to kneel one by one, as if a wave had risen.
“Oh, King of Witches.”
The witches, who were second to none in arrogance, lowered their heads and each uttered a low word that turned into a single slogan.
The reason why this prophecy was unpleasant and creepy was one.
It was because he was certain that the Shin Shiwoo standing on that terrace was not himself.
There was no proof of when this would happen.
But it meant that he would eventually fail to overcome his unconscious, even with the help of the Soul Witch.
Just as he was about to choke, the scene changed once again, like a projector playing a jumbled film.
A pastoral meadow with a gentle breeze.
In the picturesque scenery, there was Shin Shiwoo holding a baby wrapped in a bundle.
Shiwoo, looking down at the tiny life that couldn’t even open its eyes properly and was wriggling.
It wasn’t the Shin Shiwoo in his unconscious, who had lost all emotion.
He had a smile on his face as if he couldn’t help but love it.
The baby already had a ‘vessel’ bestowed upon it.
That meant….
“Apprentice witch?”
Where was the front, where was the back?
The unkind prophecy, which didn’t even tell him when it would happen, ended there.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a witch who had come close.
The appearance of a girl who was only about 10 years old.
It was the apocalyptic witch who had greeted Shiwoo in his dream.
This was just a guess.
But Shiwoo intuitively knew that she was an existence that had lived since before the system of ‘apprentice witch’ existed.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
The apocalyptic witch said.
It was a voice that sounded like a laugh and a cry.
