City ​​of Witches 502

Chapter 502 – #107_Fish Tank (2)

#502

1.
There is no day or night at the docks of Border Town, the logistics hub for bringing goods from the mortal realm through the ‘Gate.’

Witches consume vast amounts of luxury goods.
Since the total amount far exceeds Gehenna’s own domestic production, they have no choice but to import the shortfall from the mortal realm.

From all directions, the sounds of whips cracking and shouts directed at slaves can be heard, and cargo unloaded from ships is constantly loaded onto wagons, spreading to all parts of Gehenna.

Most cargo is transported by slaves, but this is not the case for some goods.
Many of the luxurious items ordered directly by the witches were valuables that required careful handling, and naturally, the responsibility for loss or damage was heavy.
Such special deliveries are usually handled separately by smugglers.

“Hey! Handle it carefully!”
“Damn, it’s so heavy.”

Like this box that two smugglers are struggling to move.

The wooden box, about the size of a woman crouching, was plastered with ‘Handle with Care’ stickers.
After moving the box with a crab-like gait for a while, the smugglers, panting heavily, carefully set it down.

“Hah, hah, damn, this is the heaviest thing we’ve moved today.”
“Do you know what’s inside?”
“As if the high and mighty witch would write it down.”
“Tch, let’s just finish this and grab a beer.”
“Sounds good.”

The smugglers, exchanging rough banter, sat down on a nearby box.
Since it had been brought to the dock, the assigned wagon would soon arrive, and their job was to load the cargo onto that wagon.

“Where is this going?”
“Wait a minute.”

At the smuggler’s question, tapping the box, the other smuggler pulled a notebook from his back pocket.
It was a notebook containing a list of ‘special deliveries’ to be handled today.

“Let’s see, let’s see….”

The smuggler scanned the list from top to bottom.
The smuggler next to him, who had a cigarette in his mouth, leaned in and asked.
It was taking much longer than expected.

“Is there a problem?”
“What, this item isn’t on the list?”

No matter how many times he scanned up and down, the serial number of the box they had just been moving was not there.
The one with the cigarette in his mouth patted him on the back as if it were no big deal.

“It’s okay, the captain must have stashed it away, and we just took it by mistake. Let’s put it back before we get yelled at.”

Smugglers who bring goods back and forth between the mortal realm and Border Town don’t always work conscientiously.
Sometimes, they secretly bring in items not on the list and use them themselves or sell them on the sly for a profit.
It’s against the rules, but it’s generally overlooked as a matter of custom, even if caught.

-Thud!

The smuggler with the cigarette kicked the box.
Now that he knew the whole story, his kicks toward the box became more violent.

“Damn pig. He should have left some for us. How much did he eat up for it to be this heavy?”
“Just do as you’re told. You take that side.”

The two smugglers gave a bitter smile.
Of all the boxes, the one they had the hardest time moving was the one they had to put back.

-Crack!

With the sound of dry firewood splitting, the lid of the box flew off as if it had exploded.
At the same time, small hands grabbed the faces of the two smugglers before they could even scream.

“You big oafs, what’s with all the fuss about me being heavy?”
“Ugh…ugh…ugh….”
“Ugh…uh…uh….”

What came out of the box was a vampire witch with blood-red hair and eyes, Cleh Asmode.

“You didn’t see anything today. You’ll be so hungover that your memory will be cut off. Got it?”
“Ugh…uh…I…I understand….”
“Prepare a nice box for me to get into by the next departure. Add it to the list too. Something more comfortable than that bat-shit small box.”
“Ugh…uh…uh, I, understand.”

She ground her teeth and threw the two men’s heads away.
The smugglers, who were more than twice Cleh’s size, were sprawled out in the warehouse like piles of luggage.

Watching them, Cleh shook off the sawdust on her head and the box fragments on her shoulders.

She wanted to kill them, but she had to think about the future.
If she killed unnecessary people and got caught, things would get complicated, and she wouldn’t be able to secure an escape route.
Therefore, she made a generous decision to erase their memories with hypnosis, one of her specialties, and then throw them away.

“…….”

In addition, she smashed the box that had transported her to the point where no trace remained.
It wasn’t so much about destroying evidence, but rather because it was a damn box that had made her tremble for two weeks while she was curled up inside.

Exiles, and sometimes public enemies, also smuggle themselves into Gehenna in various ways.

The most common methods are to create backdoors through homunculi with the ability to cross space, pass through with forged citizen IDs, or sneak in mixed with smuggled goods.

For reference, Cleh’s method is one that even the most desperate witches avoid.

Of course, it has the best accessibility.
All you have to do is find a suitable smuggling route and sneak into the cargo.

However, if you’re unlucky and the route gets messed up, you could be trapped in a dark box for up to several months.
Moreover, the proud witches would not be happy to be stuffed into a box like luggage.

Conversely, it could be said that Cleh was so desperate that she didn’t have the luxury to worry about such trivial matters.
To inflict the same pain on Duke Tiferet, who had taken away her beloved Bianca.
That was her only goal.

However, no matter how weak the opponent is, if she causes a disturbance in Gehenna, she will be suppressed in an instant.
The fact that even Bianca, who is capable of covert actions using all sorts of methods, had bothered to lure her prey out of Gehenna adds certainty to the speculation.

That’s what the fish tank is for.
Cleh fiddled with the small bead in her hand, organizing her plan.

There was nothing much to organize.
It was very simple.

Step one, find Shin Siwoo.
Step two, throw the fish tank at him, use him as bait, and run away as fast as possible.
Ideally, it would be a great act of revenge to watch him get torn to pieces, but that was too risky.

Moreover, by using only the Deep Sea Witch’s regalia for the assassination, she could turn Duke Tiferet’s anger toward that empty-headed submarine-obsessed bitch.
If the enraged Duke Tiferet picked a fight with the Deep Sea Witch and died, that would be the best case scenario, and even if that didn’t happen, it would buy her time to prepare countermeasures, which was a good plan.

Compared to when she first lost Bianca, Cleh was making a cold judgment.

“Overflow, blood.”

With the incantation, drops of blood sprang from Cleh’s entire body.

As befitting a vampire whose story has been passed down through legends, her magic resembled the bizarre sorcery of the legendary vampires.
Hundreds of familiars that sprang from her blood, taking the form of bats, spread out into the dark night sky all at once.

2.
A sudden secret meeting with my little mother-in-law.
Deneb, who had thrown on a decent cloak over her clothes, suddenly suggested a walk.

It is often thought that a cloak is a piece of clothing that exchanges convenience for aesthetics, but if it is draped over the shoulders of Count Geminai, the situation is different.

The material is Astrakhan fur from Persian lambs.
A modest style that gently conceals the figure so that no strange man’s eyes can reach it.
It looked like she had just thrown it on, but her figure, which no ordinary woman could imitate even if they were fully dressed up, made people swallow their admiration without even realizing the atmosphere.

“Countess. May I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”

Deneb suggested a walk.
It was a suggestion in name only, and in reality, it was an order.
However, the question was why she had bothered to go all the way to Tarot Town, leaving behind the magnificent garden that could be used as a walking path in the mansion.

At this time, going to Tarot Town would only lead to closed shops and citizens who had gone to bed.

“So…. Is there a reason why it has to be Tarot Town?”
“Do you have a complaint?”
“No, of course not.”

He asked casually, but the sharp voice that immediately poured out was as sharp as her eyes with their pointed pupils.
Siwoo, who had a lot to feel guilty about, had no choice but to tuck his tail between his legs.

Another strange thing.

Deneb, who had called Siwoo out to talk for a moment, didn’t say anything.
Contrary to his expectations that he would be scolded throughout the walk, she simply walked without saying anything.
Siwoo followed her like a servant.

“…The twins might be awake. If they were to find you walking around the mansion, they would come running.”
“Ah, that’s the reason.”
“And it’s been a while since I’ve been to Tarot Town.”
“I see.”

It was still difficult to consider it a clear answer, but he wasn’t stupid enough to argue.
After a long silence, Deneb spat out a word as they passed by the fountain.

“Have you had relations with the twins since then?”

Her voice had lost its vigor, and from her awkwardness, he immediately realized what ‘point’ Deneb was referring to.

“No, I haven’t since then.”

After the verification with his mother-in-law, the harvest festival.
He had spent time with his teacher and Sharon, but unfortunately, he had not been able to make time for the twins, who were later in the queue.
The last time they were about to overlap, he was caught by Deneb and it was canceled, so it had been quite a while since he had had sex.

Deneb became quiet again after hearing that.
She suddenly raised her head and said.

“It seems like the walk was enough.”
“Ah, are we going back?”
“No, I think I’ll have a drink.”
“A drink?”
“There’s a villa nearby. Siwoo, you know about it.”
“Y-yes, of course….”

That was where he had been caught having a secret meeting with the twins.
His stomach ached even more.
Was she going to start scolding him there?

“Do I… have to follow you?”
“Of course, I’ve been organizing the nagging I’m going to give you while we were walking, so you can get scolded there.”

The guilty son-in-law had no choice but to obediently follow the little mother-in-law’s coercion, like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse.