City ​​of Witches 283

Chapter 283 – #63_Interlude(5)

#281

1.
“Would you please keep your distance from Siwoo?”

Sharon, who had been beaming with joy at the best offer she couldn’t have imagined just moments ago, immediately froze.

It was a first for her, but somehow, it felt like a scene she had seen many times before. It was almost like a wicked madam in a drama asking, ‘Take this money and leave my son.’ Of course, Siwoo wasn’t Albireo’s son, and Albireo wasn’t Siwoo’s mother, but that was the general vibe.

“…May I ask why first?”

Suddenly, asking her to keep her distance. Even the oblivious Sharon knew that Siwoo was close to the Gemini apprentice witches of the Jema Nai family. She even thought they might be in a close relationship. Wasn’t that why she was so anxious when the twins came to visit before? She had been relieved when nothing happened back then, but now that this was suddenly brought up, she blamed herself for being so complacent.

Albireo explained the situation calmly.

“I think very highly of Siwoo. Considering his future, the favors he has received, and his character, I think so. Ah, of course, I mean I hope he does well with our twins rather than being interested in him myself.”
“Are you saying I’m in the way?”

Sharon’s voice was full of anxiety. Albireo didn’t feel good seeing her look like a child whose precious doll was being taken away. But Sharon quickly made up her mind. Without a moment’s hesitation, she slid the contract across the table.

“I’m sorry. Thank you so much for helping me recover and for the offer I never even imagined. I won’t forget this kindness.”
“Hmm…”
“But… I can’t accept the offer to stay away from Siwoo. I’m really sorry.”

Albireo scanned the contract that was pushed in front of her with her violet eyes. She had guessed that Sharon might refuse, but she never expected her to do so without even a moment’s hesitation.

Albireo’s offer was so good that it would have been hard for any witch to refuse.

Currently, the Count was at the 21st rank. However, that was only because she had divided a part of her mark as a vessel for the twins. The twins were just immature and ignorant children now, but in the future, they would inherit the name of the Jema Nai Count family and become the 22nd rank Count. First, Sharon had rejected the opportunity to build a relationship with such twins by refusing the contract with Albireo.

Not only that.

Sharon had a lot of debt. In a world where money begets money, it was not easy to make such a large sum without a single penny, even for a witch.

Finally, there was the letter of recommendation for the Truth and True Name Academic Conference and the letter of introduction to the Trinity Academy.

The letters of introduction and recommendation themselves were not that great. If you grabbed a witch with some connections in Gehenna, gave them some high-quality alcohol, and asked, they would write you a piece of paper like that.

However, a letter of introduction with the Jema Nai family seal was different. If she were to enter the academic conference, she would be able to receive a considerable amount of research materials and support from Duke Errelim, disguised as goodwill. If she were to enter the Trinity Academy, she would be immediately appointed as a head professor, even if her skills were somewhat lacking, and would gain access to various ancient books.

Sharon, who was from Gehenna, knew what the ‘support’ of the Jema Nai Count family, which stemmed from their overwhelming wealth, meant. Nevertheless, she had refused so decisively.

“I apologize for the late hour. I’ll start preparing to return to the mortal realm.”

Seeing Sharon get up to leave, Albireo paused to think. In fact, if she wanted to, it wouldn’t be difficult to pressure Sharon with force.

Before starting the conversation with Sharon, Albireo had looked through her debt certificates for the first time in a while. Sharon, who had almost no collateral or credit, had to sign debt documents with all sorts of toxic clauses in order to borrow money. Sharon, who had just completed her succession, lacked social experience, and even if she didn’t, she had no choice.

Among them, there was a clause that stated that if the repayment period exceeded 10 years, the creditor could demand a lump-sum repayment from the debtor. Also, if she tied this clause and that clause together well, she could increase the interest and principal as much as she wanted.

In other words, she could demand the debt right now, slap her in the face with a wad of cash, and threaten her, or forcibly separate Siwoo and Sharon against her will.

However, Albireo had no intention of doing that. It was not right to arbitrarily suppress Sharon, who had clearly supported Siwoo in some way while he was in the mortal realm. Rather, it could provide a starting point for the twins to go astray from Siwoo, so even from a practical point of view, it was a bad idea. But she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing, could she?

“Just a moment.”

Albireo raised her wine glass and gestured to Sharon. Sharon reluctantly sat back down.

“Well, I think you misunderstood me a little. I tend to be hasty, and because I get straight to the point, I sometimes cause misunderstandings like this.”
“……”

Sharon still looked at Albireo with a wary gaze.

“I don’t think that people’s hearts, especially the emotion of love, move according to mere gains and losses. I apologize if my offer felt like it was testing Ms. Evergreen’s heart.”

Albireo bowed her head lightly to Sharon in apology.

“However, the twins are still young children who don’t know anything. Of course, they are adults, but they still look like little kids to me. They are still immature when it comes to perceiving emotions.”

Albireo paused for a moment.

“But Ms. Sharon is not, right? You are an adult, and you are clearly aware of what your emotions are.”

The twins’ feelings for Siwoo were closer to curiosity + goodwill towards a benefactor who had saved their lives twice. They were a blank slate with no established textbook or guidelines on what true love is and what to do when it happens.

“So, the meaning of asking you to keep your distance from him was to give the twins a chance.”

Moreover, because Albireo had intentionally separated the three of them, they were even behind at the starting point. She felt that artificial intervention was necessary to balance things out.

“A chance?”
“Yes, don’t just think about being deprived, but give them some distance. At least so that it can be a fair competition.”
“I don’t have the right to do that from the beginning… And it’s not like I can control Siwoo’s heart in the first place…”
“Don’t say that. I also feel gratitude and respect for Ms. Evergreen.”

In fact, if you broke down Albireo’s words point by point, they were close to sophistry. However, with just that subtle difference in nuance, the feeling that she was arbitrarily pressuring Sharon naturally disappeared. After all, even if they were both witches, their life experiences were different. While Sharon was making a complicated expression, Albireo began to solidify her position.

“What I’m saying is not that I’m trying to kick Ms. Evergreen out or exclude her from the competition altogether. It’s just that I’m asking for a little concession as a guardian with lacking children.”
“……”
“If the twins inherit the mark in the future, and if you maintain a close relationship with him until then, wouldn’t that be a great help to him? That would be a happy thing for Ms. Evergreen, who loves Siwoo.”

This was the wedge that Albireo had been hiding. At the same time, it was a word that strongly shook Sharon’s heart. Even without direct pressure, if she hinted at it like this, she would be able to fully understand the hidden meaning.

“If it’s difficult to decide right now, you can take your time to answer. Then, have a good night.”

Albireo left the room, leaving the contract in front of Sharon, who was staring blankly.

2.
“I’m depressed…”

Sharon hugged her knees and leaned against the bed. The blue gloom in her heart spread like a complex stain. When her head became so complicated and her heart so troubled, the face of a person naturally came to mind.

“I miss him…”

She missed Siwoo.

Ten years of living as a debtor and a beggar was one of the reasons why Sharon was fed up with the mortal realm. Unkind and stiff people who seemed to be chased by something, the pressure of debt repayment, and a wallet that was always empty… Even thinking about it again, it was definitely not a place that would leave good memories. Wasn’t that why she didn’t want to return to Gehenna so much?

But now that she was in Gehenna, she didn’t think about going to the White Whale Pub in Tarot Town, tasting Kipyush’s cakes or cookies, or walking the beautiful promenade in Lenormand Town.

Instead, what came to mind was the movie she watched with Siwoo when they lived in the officetel, the tasteless beer that quenched her thirst at that time. She missed the mortal realm where she wandered around the city at night while searching for homunculi… It was a cruel joke.

However, that was not the main reason that made Sharon depressed. After all, if Siwoo came back, she could see his face again, and she could go out to the mortal realm with him later. But she couldn’t look at his face comfortably because the Count’s words kept bothering her.

‘If the twins inherit the mark in the future, and if you maintain a close relationship with him until then, wouldn’t that be a great help to him?’

It was not a malicious remark, but Sharon felt her head turn cold as if she had been splashed with cold water. Sharon had only received from Siwoo so far. She had bought food with Siwoo’s money, had a comfortable place to sleep with his support, and had even been able to overcome the obstacle of incomplete succession thanks to him.

But Sharon had given him nothing in return. Sharon was a debtor and a 17th-rank witch. Even if she became a witch who could stand tall in front of her teacher by rising to the 20th rank, it was absurd to compare a typical 20th-rank witch with a formal heir of the Jema Nai Count family.

Was it really right for her to stay by his side, having only relied on Siwoo so far and only being a burden in the future? The ones who could help Siwoo more than anyone else were not Sharon, but the cute twins.

“……”

It wasn’t like she was being told to break up completely, was it? If that was the case, she would have refused without hesitation, but Albireo had only given her vague criteria, so Sharon was also deeply troubled.

Even if she succeeded in perfectly inheriting the 20th rank, it didn’t mean that she could immediately handle it as her own. At the very least, it was most realistic to accept Albireo’s offer in order to no longer rely on him and not be a burden. If she did that, she would at least be able to stand proudly by Siwoo’s side as an equal.

“This is ridiculous…”

Sharon smiled bitterly. There were so many dramas and movies with this kind of repertoire. A frustrating female lead who gives up her own happiness and love for the future of the person she loves.

From the perspective of a third-party observer, it was just frustrating. What was so important about the future, what was so important about the future? If being together made you happier, wasn’t that enough? She had been frustrated, pounding her chest.

Now she knew what that feeling was like. She also knew what kind of feeling she had to make that choice with.

“Hoo…”

Sharon’s worries deepened with the night.