#006
1.
“Do you know how that cake was made?”
Amelia’s long eyelashes slowly fluttered.
Beneath them, her beautiful blue sapphire eyes seemed to reveal her inner thoughts.
“Could it be… poison?”
That was the wrong answer.
Amelia looked slightly dumbfounded, as if she hadn’t expected such a foolish response.
“Custodian, if I were to decide to kill you, I could do it right here and now.”
“Y-yes, that’s true.”
Indeed, Amelia, who held a title and wasn’t just any ordinary witch, wouldn’t need to resort to something as troublesome as poisoning.
Amelia had enough money to more than compensate for killing Siwoo.
Then, why did she bring it up?
“Then why did you suddenly ask that…”
“Custodian Shin Siwoo, you’re about to enter your sixth year, right?”
“That is correct.”
“City Hall slaves are reassigned to another location after six years of service in one institution.”
Siwoo was still puzzled.
He already knew that, without Amelia having to say it.
But she moved on to another topic without further explanation.
She enjoyed speaking in circles, so he just accepted it.
“This cake is made by a bakery called ‘Kipius’ in Tarot Town.”
Amelia continued her explanation in a monotone voice.
“Since the creation of Gehenna in 1338, Kipius has been making this cake for seven centuries. Passing it down through generations, along with the recipe.”
He knew.
Miserable beings who had to live trapped in this narrow world for centuries, through many generations.
“For sweeter chocolate, for fluffier whipped cream. They have lived to offer all of that to us witches.”
In Gehenna, citizens who weren’t witches were nothing more than machines living for the convenience of witches.
“That’s what witches are.”
With those words, Amelia arrogantly raised her chin.
She was saying it.
That witches were beings to be revered, and the residents of Gehenna existed to serve them.
She asserted this privilege without batting an eye, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It was an extremely authoritarian and aristocratic way of thinking.
“Do you understand what I’m trying to say now?”
Amelia gently stroked Siwoo’s tightly furrowed brow with her fingertips.
Understand?
He had known it all along.
That’s why he hated this city and the witches who ruled over it.
Even though he knew the famous saying that staying quiet was the best course of action, he couldn’t help but say something.
“I understand. Are you trying to say that witches are extremely arrogant, self-righteous, and selfish? Or do you want me to say that I’ll be even more subservient?”
His voice naturally rose.
He couldn’t agree with her words or her way of thinking.
Amelia calmly watched Siwoo, who was huffing and puffing with indignation.
“You’re not listening to my advice at all.”
“Advice? Is that what witches call advice?”
“Of course. Do you think I’m saying this to show off my petty pride?”
“That’s all it sounds like to me.”
Among the things she said, was there any other meaning besides that witches were special beings, so he, a slave, should follow her orders?
Amelia pressed her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, her gaze had turned very annoyed.
“You’re so stupid…”
Amelia clicked her tongue and sighed deeply.
She hesitated for a moment, as if contemplating, then reluctantly continued.
“I don’t know how it sounds to you, but I’ve been showing you leniency, Custodian.”
“…Leniency?”
That was leniency?
“Go back. I’ll end your punishment for not meeting the appointment time here. Return to your normal duties starting tomorrow.”
“…Understood.”
Siwoo picked up his cleaning tools and turned to leave, his back to Amelia.
“Custodian Shin Siwoo.”
Her tone, now calmer than before, made Siwoo stop.
What Amelia said next was very puzzling.
“If you act at your next assignment like you did at Trinity Academy…”
It was a whisper, but he heard it clearly.
“You might die.”
Siwoo closed the door and left without replying.
2.
He trudged back, carrying the bucket.
His mind was a mess.
As Amelia had said, Siwoo and Takasho would be assigned to different workplaces a year later.
What was surprising was that Amelia knew that fact.
The fact that Siwoo’s assignment was scheduled, which was worth less than most of the academy’s supplies.
And the uncharacteristic kindness and the advice that didn’t sound like advice at all.
A moment ago, he was so worked up that he thought Amelia was just being spiteful.
Or that she was trying to scare him into obeying her orders.
But, the last line he heard when he opened the door.
It was definitely a word of concern.
Even if it was just a misunderstanding, it was definitely a different atmosphere from Amelia’s usual self.
“…No way, I must be crazy.”
It seemed he had become too conscious of Amelia because he was too worried about what Takasho had said.
There was no way Amelia, who was so full of a sense of privilege, would care about the safety of a mere slave.
If she was that worried, she could just make him her personal slave.
Siwoo cleared his thoughts.
“She really is a bitch.”
The sky had cleared up by now.
As Siwoo dragged his heavy feet towards the dorm, he happened to run into Takasho.
His neck was covered in hickeys, and he wore a drained expression.
“Dude, are you still doing overtime?”
“They made me clean the research building for being three minutes late.”
Takasho, who had been looking listless, perked up at the mention of the research building.
It seemed to be quite an intriguing topic.
“Wait, in the workshop? Just the two of you?”
“Yeah, there’s something I wanted to ask about that.”
“Did you do it?”
Siwoo smacked Takasho on the back of the head.
Then, he explained everything that had happened in the research building.
“Hmm…”
“Why are you acting so serious? It doesn’t suit you.”
“No, it’s not that.”
Takasho’s expression turned very serious as soon as he heard the story.
Siwoo had thought that Takasho, who boasted a flamboyant history with women, might be helpful.
But seeing him with his arms crossed and stroking his chin, Siwoo wondered if he should have even mentioned it.
“In my opinion, this is 100%.”
“What is?”
“Associate Professor Amelia has fallen for Academy Caretaker Shin Siwoo.”
“You say that every day.”
Takasho grabbed Siwoo’s shoulders.
The frustration he felt was conveyed through his grip.
“No, until now, it was half a joke, okay? I mean, how could a witch like a slave? But this is definitely it. Amelia is head over heels for you.”
“It’s easy for you to talk since it’s not your problem.”
“Ugh, you’re so frustrating. Lend me your ear.”
Takasho, who had been casually calling Amelia by her first name, whispered into Siwoo’s ear.
“You have to keep this to yourself, okay? You know the witch who likes me?”
“Chief Professor Sophia?”
“Yeah, I heard it from Sophia-nim recently. You’re not as good-looking as me, but you’re still pretty decent, right?”
Siwoo had never thought about it that way.
“You know how some witches will call you to their chambers if they think you’re even a little bit handsome? But do you know why none of the twelve Trinity professors have made a move on you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Rumor has it that the professors already know. That Associate Professor Amelia has her eye on you.”
Come to think of it, the only witch who had been hanging around Siwoo and talking to him was Amelia.
He had just assumed it was because they didn’t want to associate with a lowly caretaker.
Was that not the case?
“But doesn’t that not mean much?”
“That’s not the point! Only Amelia, you, and I know that Amelia offered you a night service.”
“So what?”
“How much of a tell did Amelia give off that the other witches noticed and backed off?”
However, Siwoo, who had suffered a lot at Amelia’s hands, couldn’t relate to Takasho’s excited delusions.
The most he could feel was that it was better to interpret it positively than not at all.
“Do you know this? Amelia has never taken anyone to her chambers before.”
“What?”
“I subtly asked a professor about it today. Apparently, Amelia is a pure, traditional witch who only knows magic. She doesn’t go to the Velvet Brothel and only washes herself in the Levana Bathhouse. Still don’t get it? Really? After all this?”
Takasho thumped his chest as if he was dying of envy.
“I get called here and there, but strictly speaking, I’m just a well-behaved lapdog. At best, a pet. But you’re different! Among the witches who are all carnivores, Amelia is like a pure, innocent deer!”
“Even if Amelia is a deer like you say, she’s probably a deer that eats human flesh, right?”
“No, she’s not! People with pretty faces are usually kind at heart.”
Takasho half-sobbed as he placed his hand on Siwoo’s shoulder.
“I’m so jealous of you, Shin Siwoo, I’m so incredibly jealous… If you play your cards right, you could get Amelia to do the mating press on you while saying, ‘Your magic is top-notch, but your pussy is third-rate!'”
“I think your brain is third-rate.”
Takasho was vividly acting out the situation, even imitating Amelia’s voice.
Siwoo was horrified.
If this sacrilegious conversation was overheard, it wouldn’t end with just extra work.
“If things go well, please put in a good word for me. I don’t even dream of going back to Japan, so please get me at least a second-class citizenship instead of being a slave. Future sugar daddy!”
Takasho, as excited as if it were his own business, patted Siwoo on the back and headed to his dorm.
“…Let’s take that with a grain of salt.”
That Amelia likes him, a mere slave?
There’s a limit to how much you can let your happy thoughts run wild.
Even if it sounded plausible when he said it, it didn’t match Amelia’s actions or image at all.
He thought about it carefully.
Amelia, in love.
He imagined himself preserved in formalin, his penis somehow erect.
Siwoo shuddered.
It was scary.
Then, Takasho, who had been heading towards his dorm in the distance, came back, waddling.
“Oh, I almost forgot. I’m going to ‘Tarot Town’ tomorrow. You’re coming too, right?”
Come to think of it, tomorrow was Sunday.
That meant it was a day with only morning work, almost the only personal time given to the caretakers.
The provided necessities were very cheap, so buying private goods was essential.
“Lenormand Town,” where the academy was located, was an upper town where many high-ranking witches gathered, so necessities were expensive and luxurious.
With a caretaker’s salary, it was impossible to afford those prices, so they had to shop in Tarot Town, where prices were relatively cheaper.
The problem was that it took at least half a day to walk from Lenormand Town to Tarot Town.
If it weren’t for Takasho, who was showered with Sophia’s affection…
“I happened to need to buy something. Thanks as always.”
“Why are you being so awkward? I need to get on your good side so I can get some crumbs.”
Fortunately, thanks to Takasho being called to Chief Professor Sophia’s mansion every weekend, he could get a ride to Tarot Town in a carriage.
It just so happened that he was out of parchment for drawing magic circles.
“But why do you keep going all the way to Tarot Town to buy stuff? Are you actually going to a brothel?”
“There are only men there.”
“What are you talking about? There are plenty of witches who enjoy slug-like lesbians?”
Takasho was a good friend, but Siwoo had to keep the fact that he could use magic a secret.
He didn’t know where there might be eyes and ears watching.
But he was definitely planning to take him with him when he escaped.
…Although, Takasho might choose to stay behind on his own.
“Anyway, please take care of me tomorrow too.”
“Come to the fountain by 1 p.m. as usual.”
“Got it.”
Siwoo, having vaguely changed the subject, returned to his dorm, his head throbbing with fatigue.
Feck you dense protagonist