Chapter 9 – #02_The Twins’ Witch (3)
#009
1.
As we walked in step, I glanced at Odile’s profile.
She was at least two heads shorter than Siwoo.
Yet, perhaps because her head was so small, she didn’t seem short at all from a distance.
Her hair, always scented with fragrant oils, exuded a sweet aroma, and her luminous eyes, like the light of an amethyst, held a mystical, fairy-like charm.
Her healthy peach-colored blush, her moderately full lips, and the refined grace that permeated even her gait.
She was like a princess who had stepped right out of a Rococo-era film.
If Siwoo lived in modern times and didn’t know Odile’s true identity, just walking alongside her would have filled him with overwhelming joy.
Yes, if only Odile wasn’t a witch.
“Odile-nim.”
“Why? Assistant Shin Siwoo.”
“Thank you so much for helping me earlier. Thanks to you, I won’t be fooled by those nasty swindlers again.”
Odile, who had been looking around curiously at the sights of Tarot Town, stopped and met my gaze.
I quickly averted my eyes.
Aside from being scary, she was a beauty that was hard to look at directly, like Amelia.
Just making eye contact made me feel awkward.
“Don’t mention it! Instead, you get to have such a splendid escort.”
“Ha… haha…”
Odile was clearly excited about something.
It’s a well-known fact that people are more likely to agree to any request when they’re in a good mood.
Could this be my chance to escape?
If I could come up with a good excuse, maybe she’d let me go.
“I’d like to say something about that escort… would that be alright?”
“I’ll generously allow it.”
“It’s just that I’m not very familiar with the geography of Tarot Town. I think it would be more convenient for you to choose someone more suitable.”
I swallowed the unspoken words, ‘Please let me go.’
Instead, I bowed my head respectfully, trying my best not to offend Odile.
“So?”
The smile vanished from Odile’s face, which had been so cheerful just moments ago.
I felt my heart sink.
Was I too hasty in my desire to escape?
“Ah, um… instead, I know a decent pub nearby, how about that? A walk is nice, but visiting a quiet pub might be a good idea too, especially with an unreliable guide like me. Ha, hahahaha…!”
Yes, this is better.
Escaping is good, but since Odile had already found out that I could use magic, I needed to ask her to keep it a secret through conversation.
By any means necessary.
“A pub, yes. A pub sounds good! Lead the way immediately!”
Fortunately, Odile jumped up and down with joy.
I led her to the White Whale Pub, which I had spotted earlier.
2.
The White Whale Pub.
It was the largest pub in Tarot Town, where I had been a couple of times with Takasho.
“Pour, pour!”
“Looks like I’m taking it all this round, sorry.”
“Yes, yes, coming right up!”
“Landlord, two more beers over here!”
A skilled accordion player was performing.
A hairy man was chugging beer as if in a competition.
Some drinkers were puffing on pipes, engrossed in a card game.
A small waiter was busily moving between tables, carrying food.
There were also some burly young men arm wrestling.
It was a lively and cheerful scene that made one feel excited…
But as soon as Odile and Siwoo stepped inside, the boisterous pub, filled with thirty or forty people, fell deathly silent.
Odile’s presence in the shabby pub was that out of place.
As if in a scene from a play, everyone froze, and the pub owner, hat in hand, came rushing out.
“Oh my~ Witch, what brings you to such a humble place? Our establishment adheres to all hygiene standards and pays our taxes on time.”
The owner recognized Odile as a witch at a glance.
Well, if a girl wearing a silk dress that could buy a well-built townhouse wasn’t a witch, that would be strange in itself.
“Ah, it’s okay. I’m not here to scold anyone.”
“Yes? Then what brings you here…”
Odile reached into her sleeve.
Three gleaming gold coins sparkled on Odile’s dainty hand.
The owner’s mouth fell open at the sight of the radiant gold that could captivate any human.
“Here, take this.”
“Yes? What do you mean suddenly…”
“I want to rent the place for the day. Please get everyone out in five minutes. I’ll only be here for about an hour.”
Twelve pennies made a shilling, and twenty shillings made a gold coin.
In other words, the rental fee Odile paid was a fortune that Siwoo would have to save for three years to accumulate.
“Thank you!”
The owner personally kicked the customers out.
The customers grumbled but left without causing a ruckus.
When a witch tells you to leave, you leave.
“Don’t be too upset, come back for dinner and the drinks are on the house.”
Only then did the customers start to leave with slightly brighter faces.
The owner was happy to have made a fortune, and the regulars were happy to get free drinks if they waited a little.
“Now it’s quiet.”
Odile sat down in the most comfortable-looking spot with a satisfied expression.
Is this what the rich do with their money?
Spending three gold coins that Siwoo had never even touched, just to have some quiet time.
“Please wait a moment, and I will bring out the best snacks. Please enjoy your time here.”
The owner placed two mugs of beer down and then disappeared into the kitchen, rubbing his hands together.
The only alcohol sold in this pub was beer, but the magically chilled beer was the best Siwoo had ever tasted.
It was inevitable.
Most citizens of Gehenna had been working in the same industry for generations.
There were no sudden breaks in the chain, and there weren’t many other jobs in this small world, so most of the hardworking citizens were masters in their field.
As a result, this one mug of beer contained the essence of brewing techniques accumulated over 600 years.
“So this is what commoners drink? I’ve always been curious.”
Odile elegantly lifted the beer mug, which was bigger than her face, and gulped it down.
When she put the mug down again, fresh foam was smeared on her lips like a mustache.
Odile, oblivious, rolled her eyes, evaluating the beer’s taste.
“It’s bitter, harsh. The heavy flavor is nice, but it still doesn’t meet my refined palate.”
Odile shuddered, making a “hwebeee” sound. It didn’t seem to suit her taste at all.
“What are you doing? You drink too.”
“Before that, Miss Witch, you have foam on your face.”
Odile, trying her best to look mature while assessing the taste, still had a foam mustache. In a normal drinking setting, it would have been a perfect opportunity to casually wipe it off and make a move.
Odile wiped the foam with her hand and then froze, startled.
“I, I knew that, okay? I just saw a drunkard drinking like this earlier, so I tried it. You can’t know if it tastes better that way unless you test it, right?”
Odile rattled off words like a rapper and then crossed her arms with a huff.
“You are absolutely right.”
“Of course, of course.”
Siwoo almost burst out laughing at Odile’s “ahem” and throat-clearing, so he pinched his thigh and gulped down his beer. Even though she was a witch apprentice, she looked every bit like a child.
The taste was so cold it made his head tingle. The savory barley aroma and the tingling carbonation seeped into his parched body. Siwoo closed his eyes and shuddered. It was so refreshing.
“Is it that good? If you drank the wine from our mansion, you’d probably faint. It’s made from grapes grown on the Mendel Hills, which get sun all year round.”
“I’d love to try it sometime.”
“I’ll definitely bring it to you later.”
Siwoo suddenly felt a strange sensation. Actually, he’d been feeling it for a while, but it became clear after a few exchanges.
“Um, Miss Odile.”
“Yes, I’m all ears.”
“Is this your first time in Tarot Town?”
“Yep!”
Odile nodded readily. No wonder she’d been looking around so much.
“My teacher is strict. No matter how much I sang about wanting to go to Tarot Town, she wouldn’t allow it. She said I shouldn’t be distracted by other amusements until I inherit the mark and should focus on building my foundation. So, I’ve never been outside of Ars Magna Town and Lenormand Town.”
Odile had a mysteriously beautiful appearance, making it impossible to pinpoint her exact age. Still, judging by her youthful demeanor, she was probably around twenty years old.
“Then, what about today?”
“It’s Odile’s great escape. My teacher is a good person, but she can be frustrating. How boring is it to study magic every single day!”
Thinking about Odile, who had to struggle with studying in a stuffy cage at an age when she was full of curiosity, made him feel a little sorry for her. She looked so excited just drinking beer in a shabby pub; why not let her go out and play a little?
“Anyway, I know what you’re worried about, Assistant. You want me to keep the fact that you can use magic a secret, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. Please, I beg you.”
“I have no intention of telling anyone. I’m not that cruel.”
Odile smiled sweetly. An angel, an angel.
It was his first time having a conversation with a witch as a person, not just as a student, but she was surprisingly easy to talk to. Maybe it was because she was still young, but she didn’t have the suffocating stuffiness of a rigid professor like Amelia.
“Here’s your food.”
“Oh! Put it here!”
The owner filled the table with so much food it looked like it might break. There was glistening ham, fig jam, raisin and ginger bread, and figs drizzled with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Odile began to taste each dish with sparkling eyes.
“Hmm~ Hmmm~ Hmmm~”
Odile hummed happily, putting food on her plate. She even cut a large piece of ham for Siwoo’s plate.
“Mmm! Assistant, eat, eat!”
“Thank you.”
It was a whole roasted ham. After months of only getting protein from beans, the golden-brown ham was a feast for his taste buds.
While they were engrossed in eating, Odile suddenly asked,
“But why can’t you use magic?”
“If it gets out that a slave is using magic, they might think it’s impertinent.”
“Really? I think it’s fine. Even though you only used a little bit of power, you managed to break my barrier? Wouldn’t everyone think it’s amazing? Like, ‘Even though he’s just a slave, he’s studying magic so diligently!’ or something?”
She was still a young lady who didn’t know the ways of the world.
“That’s not how it is, Miss Odile. If it weren’t for a kind witch like you, they might have blown my head off with even more powerful magic the moment I broke the barrier.”
“Right, right, I am very understanding. Is there any other reason besides that? Tell me honestly.”
“Yes! Actually, I’ve been researching spatial magic to escape this damned Gehenna. Magic that can open the ‘door’ to the Border Town.”
“Wow! You can do something like that? Opening the ‘door’ isn’t something anyone can do.”
“It’s impossible for me right now. But I think I can do it in two years, no, one year. I’ve already established about 70% of the theory by going through books.”
“Books?”
“Yes, one of my tasks is organizing the library, and there are some good basic books there… huh?”
Siwoo, who had been happily tearing into his ham, felt something was off. He quietly put down the ham and looked at Odile.
“What am I saying right now?”
Words he should never have uttered came out like he’d been given a truth serum. Moreover, thoughts he thought he was just muttering in his head were now coming out of his mouth.
“How could this be happening…? I didn’t feel anything… Could it be self-manifesting magic?”
“Yep, you got it, Assistant.”
Odile’s friendly expression changed in an instant. A girl who didn’t know the ways of the world? That was a truly naive thought. He felt pathetic for having thought she was pitiful, even for a moment.
Odile leaned forward and stroked Siwoo’s head.
“Aha~ So, that’s what’s going on with you, Assistant Siwoo?”
“I’m screwed.”
“Yep, our assistant is screwed.”
Odile smiled brightly.
