City ​​of Witches 389

Chapter 389 – #83_Joint Secret (5)

#387

1.
“Then you should go in as well.”
“Yes, Duke. Good night.”

After seeing Sharon off, Elroa let out a short sigh.
She occasionally came to Elroa with alcohol.
Sharon, who had listened to Elroa’s situation and sympathized with her, was volunteering to be a constant companion and communication channel.

She was a kind witch who suited Siwoo well.
Sharon didn’t express any possessiveness towards Siwoo.
Even today, as the drinking session matured, didn’t she suggest it?
To honestly reveal all the truth to Siwoo and talk it out.

Elroa calmly refused.

He was a disciple that Elroa held in her heart instead of Rapi.
She could be satisfied just by watching him train and live happily as he was now.

“Just a coward…”

But she knew.
Elroa’s body, and her true feelings.
She remembered him and longed for him.

Every night, Siwoo’s image came to mind, and she tossed and turned, dreaming of the moment she was held in his arms.
The excuse that she was satisfied with just staying by his side was nothing more than a lie that didn’t violate Elroa’s high moral standards.

Standing by the window where the moonlight shattered, Elroa changed into the pajamas Siwoo had bought her and let her hair down.
Her light pink long hair cascaded down, flowing over her clothes.

Was it because of the alcohol? A slightly irrational mind and loosened reason.
Memories flowed through that gap.
His hands roughly grabbing Elroa’s waist, and the rough breathing she heard right behind her ear came to mind.

“…Siwoo…”

Elroa bit her lip and shook off the temptation.
It seemed she wouldn’t be able to avoid a cold shower again today.

As Elroa was about to move towards the bathroom, a document envelope caught her eye.
At that moment, the alcohol and random thoughts that had been clouding Elroa’s mind disappeared in an instant, as if the alcohol had evaporated.

“……”

The contract sword was in her hand before she knew it.
An envelope was placed conspicuously on the desk.
This hadn’t been there before she met Sharon.
And no one had entered this room while she was having drinks with her.

“A contract.”

A light pink glow flickered in Elroa’s eyes.
A gaze that pierced through deception and lies scanned the surroundings thoroughly.
There was no one suspicious.

This was Gehenna, and among them, the Geminai mansion, which boasted high security.
How many people could deceive the eyes of Sharon, the 20th-ranked Great Witch, and Elroa, the 23rd-ranked, and do such a thing?
Without letting her guard down for even a moment, Elroa quietly opened the envelope, which had no magical measures taken.

Inside were three photos.

“This is…”

Elroa’s pupils narrowed in shock.

Shabby buildings packed together like cardboard boxes, and neon signboards hanging densely between them.
A witch was captured in the middle of a crowd, each holding food in their hands.

Short, choppy hair above her shoulders.
Eyes as red as cursed rubies.
The public enemy Elroa Tiferet had tried to avenge by burning her life.
Ea Sadalmelik.

All of them were photos that seemed to have been taken of her secretly.
She hurriedly looked at the back of the photos, and the location and time were written there.
The date was just yesterday, and the location was the sleepless city of Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Mong Kok, where Nathan Road cuts through.

“……”

Elroa was surprised to realize that she was calmer than she thought.
In the past, she would have rushed to the location written on the back of the photo without a second thought.
The intense hatred that would burn everything would have seized her.

But now, she was considering the situation before and after more calmly.
Ea’s photo placed on Elroa’s desk, having penetrated the strict magical security.

If it was an anonymous tip with good intentions, such a cumbersome method wouldn’t be necessary.
That meant that the witch who delivered this photo was one who couldn’t follow formal procedures.

It was very likely a trap.

“Siwoo.”

Elroa, who had been staring intently at the photo, suddenly thought of Siwoo.

If Siwoo were here, he would have stopped Elroa.
If her beloved disciple, Shin Siwoo, had advised her to ignore this provocation and be cautious, would she have listened to him?
Such a thought suddenly occurred to her.

But that was only for a moment.
His face was blurred by the anger that poured out like a torrent.

She had no particular interest in whether it was a trap or not.
If there was a witch trying to play with her reverse scale, she would just cut them down and purge them.
Even if there was a trap, she would just destroy it entirely.

Elroa’s body shot towards the portal.

2.
After recovering from her injuries with Clara’s help.
The relationship between Amelia and Clara had become much closer.
But even between close friends, there were things that could no longer be glossed over.

“Clara.”
“Yes!”
“Why are you stopping me like this?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”

Amelia asked Clara, who was diligently laying out dishes on the table.

“You… are trying to hold me back, aren’t you?”

Faced with a relentless hunting schedule, Amelia suffered from a lack of magic power.
She had released her self-defense and received refined magic power from Clara, barely recovering.

Since that incident, Clara had brought Amelia to the workshop and presented her with different dishes all day long.
At first, she thought it was just to let Amelia rest.

But it was excessive.
As if to prevent Amelia from thinking about the kill list.
She had been launching a culinary offensive for days.
Amelia, who had initially appreciated Clara’s kindness, began to feel a sense of unease.

“…That wasn’t my intention. You haven’t rested enough yet.”
“I’ve rested enough. My magic power has almost recovered too.”
“……”
“….Is the next target someone you know?”

What Amelia thought of here was the possibility that Clara and the next public enemy on the kill list, Bianca Bellili, were acquaintances.

“There’s no way that’s the case.”

Clara shook her head vigorously, strongly denying it.
It was such a relief.
If the next target was an acquaintance of Clara, who was like Amelia’s benefactor…
It was terrifying just to imagine how the situation would have twisted.

“However… the witch of desire is dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“Amelia, this time you might be the one who gets hurt. That’s why I want you to rest as long as possible…”

From Clara’s words, Amelia felt concern and consideration.
For Clara, who respected and understood Amelia’s will, the culinary parade over the past few days had been her own metaphorical attempt to dissuade her.
It was quite touching.

“Thank you.”
“…What’s there to thank? We all help each other…”

After that, the meal ended without any further conversation.
Clara and Amelia each washed up and prepared for bed.
It was all thanks to Clara’s natural consideration that they were able to take a breather and rest like this.
When Clara fell asleep, snoring softly, Amelia quietly got up.

“……”
“Hmm…”

Amelia, who had been breaking down alone without knowing her limits.
It was all thanks to Clara that she had a physical and mental support by her side.

Thinking of her feelings, she wanted to stay with her a little longer, but the work she had been given was not yet finished.
At least until she saw the end of this kill list, she had no face to go see Siwoo.
And if she kept relying on Clara, she would feel burdened as well.
She had already received enough kindness.

“Thank you.”

Amelia gently stroked Clara’s hair and placed a bottle of perfume she had made for her.
Now it was time to renew her resolve.
Amelia put on the cloak that was her master’s keepsake and set out into the night.

3.
“Is this the life of a successful businessman?”

In the Royal Suite Room of the five-star hotel, Periwinkle Seoul.
Not quite the President’s Room, but in a luxurious room that one couldn’t even dream of with an average salary, Takasho was drinking wine, using the night view as a side dish.

Kibele Periwinkle, whom he had met through Shin Siwoo’s introduction, had kept her promise.
Not only had she saved the host bar that was about to go bankrupt with her insightful consulting, but she had also introduced him to a distribution channel for importing high-end liquor.

Takasho, who had been granted permission for a two-week trip to the mortal realm, had traveled around the world with the smugglers of the Adonai Count’s family.

The liquor that had to be delivered to Rose Glass could not be ordinary items that could be obtained anywhere.
Therefore, he had not only signed direct supply contracts with famous overseas brewing companies, but also hired three auction agents who were veterans in the industry.

Even now, with the lack of high-end liquor limiting sales, this contract would boost the business to a new level, like a ship with the wind in its sails.
It was true that he had borrowed Periwinkle’s connections and the Adonai Count’s halo, but it was because Takasho had successfully appealed his past sales performance that he had been able to lead the contract this far.

“How can I not raise a toast?”

Although it was a little disappointing that there was no one to share a drink with or a woman to congratulate him in bed…
Takasho couldn’t hide his satisfied smile.

When he was working as a slave at the academy, he couldn’t even imagine coming to the mortal realm, let alone staying in a hotel like this.
When he thought about it, it was all thanks to Siwoo.

“Ha… how can I ever repay this kindness, Siwoo.”

Thinking that he could wholeheartedly suck him off if he were next to him, Takasho got drunk on wine and the night view of his friend’s hometown.

“For the rest of the day, I should go shopping and buy a gift for Sharon.”

It was late.
As he put down his glass and headed to bed to sleep, Takasho was greeted by an unexpected person.

“Hello?”

It was a witch.
Ivory blonde hair with rich waves like a curtain.
Emerald eyes that shone brightly in the darkness, reflecting the night view.

Takasho immediately realized who the other person was.
He had been living under the thumb of witches for six years.
If that flawless appearance wasn’t a witch, that would be strange in itself.

Originally, Takasho was always prepared to respond politely to any situation, no matter how embarrassing, even if a witch he had never met was standing in his hotel room.

But he couldn’t even swallow.
He couldn’t even make a small movement like blinking.

Because from that witch who looked exactly like a French doll, he sensed a stickiness he had never felt before.
Just her presence in this room made the air feel like it was being replaced with sarin gas, and a sense of crisis rang the alarm in his brain.
The witch smiled sweetly at Takasho, who was frozen stiff.

“You have good instincts?”

The witch, who had been sitting on the bed, got up and introduced herself.

“I’m a kind fairy who fulfills people’s desires. My name is Bianca Bellili.”

In the darkness, an emerald light flashed like lightning.

“I’ve come to take you.”