#001
1.
The autumn rain was cold.
The droplets that bounced off my skin and the chill that clung to my salt-stained blue work clothes never seemed to get any easier to bear, no matter how much time passed.
“Damn heavy. Shit.”
Shin Siwoo muttered under his breath as he shoveled the mud clogging the drain with a crude shovel.
Those who lacked the courage or strength to defy the system could only rebel in such small, unseen ways.
The rain-soaked raincoat, which pressed down on his back, smelled musty, like the poncho he used to wear during his military service.
As he cleared away the clumps of mud that had become one with the fallen leaves, blocking the drain, the stagnant water began to flow out. The massive drain, stretching over 20 meters in a straight line, collected all the rainwater flowing from the Trinity Academy’s magic library.
Thanks to that, he was now covered in mud from head to toe.
He put down the shovel and straightened his back, which cracked audibly.
The only good thing was that this was the end of his morning work.
After this, he could retreat to his small room, eat dry bread, and sleep for about two hours until 2 PM.
For Siwoo, who had to work over 12 hours a day, this nap was like a sweet rain.
Thinking that he should get this damn raincoat off first, Siwoo crawled out of the drain.
He saw feet.
Pretty, small feet.
“Custodian. Can’t you work a little more neatly?”
Custodian.
All the students, professors, and researchers at this academy called Siwoo “Custodian.”
It was a fitting title that didn’t include a surname or given name, but surprisingly, it was a very humane gesture.
To give a slave belonging to the Central City Hall, who was treated no better than an animal, a title of respect!
Depending on which institution they were assigned to, slaves were usually called “Hey,” “You there,” “There,” or “Slave.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sorry.”
After offering an insincere apology, he barely managed to climb out of the waist-high drain, and the woman stepped back slightly, as if he were unclean.
It was a reaction that was no longer anything special to him.
“What brings you here?”
“Today, there’s a class on the correlation between male bodily fluids and magic. Be changed and waiting in front of the Second Lecture Hall by 12 PM.”
After five years of being a slave, one became quick-witted. In fact, when the assistant professor herself came to this filthy place, Siwoo had felt uneasy.
And as always, his ominous premonition was bound to come true.
“By the time I wash up and change, it’ll be noon…”
“So?”
Siwoo looked at the assistant professor with a resentful gaze.
Her luscious blonde hair was tied up neatly with a hair tie, and her alluring lips were pursed in displeasure.
At first glance, she looked very annoyed, but Siwoo knew better.
He knew that a gleam of sadistic delight was shining in her blue sapphire-like eyes.
“You don’t have any complaints, do you?”
Assistant Professor Amelia Marigold, who always turned his world upside down as soon as his hard labor was over, was a witch who was obsessed with tormenting Siwoo.
There was one thing that shouldn’t be misunderstood here.
The reason Amelia was called a witch wasn’t because she was particularly hysterical or had a terrible personality.
It was because the beautiful young woman, who looked like she was barely twenty years old, was literally a “witch.”
That is, a real witch who had inherited the witch’s mark from the previous “Marigold” and had lived for decades.
“No, I’ll get ready right away.”
Siwoo quickly bowed his head and apologized.
In this city, witches were a special class.
A slave like Siwoo could be killed simply for not liking their words or actions, and no one would raise an eyebrow.
“Wait a moment.”
Amelia, with her long eyelashes raised under her umbrella, stopped Siwoo.
Her alluring aura, her perfect proportions, and her extreme beauty, as if God had put all his effort into creating her.
Just by looking at her doll-like appearance, it was hard to believe that she was a vicious witch.
After a brief pause, Amelia parted her lips.
“Have you changed your mind yet? Five years should be enough time to renew your resolve.”
She tried to sound as businesslike as usual, but there was a slight hesitation in her voice.
It was also a subtle, invisible gesture of temptation.
Siwoo’s expression went blank for a moment.
It was because he was slowly realizing the implication hidden behind her words.
At that moment, Siwoo felt a fragment of emotion that shouldn’t have remained.
It was pride and defiance.
“I have no intention of doing so. I’m short on time, so I’ll go first.”
Siwoo roughly pulled the shovel out of the mud and turned away coldly.
In the heavy rain that didn’t suit autumn, Amelia’s eyes narrowed again.
2.
“That bitch.”
It had been a long time since he had been this angry. His heart was pounding loudly, even though he had been calm when she had made unnecessary remarks about the results of his hard work.
He should have known she was still tormenting him so persistently. Amelia still remembered that incident.
All witches were the same.
They wielded the mysterious power of magic, enjoyed all sorts of privileges with their immortal bodies, and yet they held grudges over the smallest things and relentlessly sought revenge.
Siwoo hated witches. Especially Amelia!
While he couldn’t even curse out loud for fear of being overheard, a rough hand was placed on his shoulder.
And then, a sly voice followed.
“Ooh, brother, why the long face?”
“Your wit is particularly sharp today. If something’s bothering you, you can tell me.”
There’s only one person in this academy who would grab my shoulder without hesitation when my whole body is this filthy. It’s Takasho Mimaya, a Japanese guy from Hokkaido.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“The sturdy seven-story pagoda of a Hokkaido lad knows no morning or night.”
Takasho made a sly face and wiggled his pinky finger. In short, while Siwoo was struggling in the rain all morning, Takasho had been rolling around in some researcher or professor’s bed.
Siwoo and Takasho had a lot in common.
Both had been dragged from Earth to this damned witch city, ‘Gehenna’; both were slaves belonging to the city hall; both were men; and even their ages were the same, 28 years old.
However, their differences were stark.
Siwoo had been living a steadfast and miserable life as a slave for five years, while Takasho was receiving various conveniences by offering sexual favors to several witches within the academy.
Siwoo’s face was once again painted with anger.
The deep frustration I had felt towards Amelia just moments ago was now intensifying as I looked at Takasho.
“Don’t you have any shame? Who’s fault is it that we’re in this mess, and you want to roll around in the same bed?”
The old woman’s face was a roadmap of wrinkles, each line a testament to the years she’d weathered. Her eyes, though clouded with age, still held a spark of mischief, and her voice, raspy like dry leaves, carried the weight of countless stories. She sat on the porch, a shawl draped over her thin shoulders, watching the world go by with a knowing smile.
“You’ve come a long way, haven’t you?” she said, her gaze fixed on the young man standing before her. He was tall and lean, with eyes that mirrored the vastness of the sky, and a hesitant smile that hinted at a hidden vulnerability.
“Yes, Grandma,” he replied, his voice soft and respectful. “It’s been a long journey.”
“Life is always a journey,” she chuckled, her eyes twinkling. “And every journey has its own story to tell.”
He nodded, his gaze drawn to the old, gnarled hands that rested on her lap. They were hands that had seen much, hands that had nurtured and comforted, hands that held the wisdom of generations.
“I’ve come to ask for your help, Grandma,” he said, his voice filled with a quiet urgency. “I’m lost, and I don’t know where to turn.”
The old woman’s smile softened, and she reached out, her hand covering his. “Then you’ve come to the right place, child,” she said, her voice gentle. “For I have seen many lost souls find their way home.”
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Chapter 1: The Whispers of the Wind
Takasho grinned, his gums showing.
What a pointlessly refreshing bastard.
In the witch city of Gehenna, all modern humans captured become slaves.
At this time, the duties of slaves are divided into two categories: ‘public slaves’ belonging to the city hall, and ‘private slaves’ owned by individuals.
Among these classifications, the public slaves who receive relatively humane treatment were those with unique strengths.
Like Takasho, who had a handsome face, or Siwoo, who was considered capable of contributing to public affairs due to his exceptional abilities.
Though it’s said this way, neither Siwoo nor Takasho know the exact criteria.
The only clear fact is that Takasho is fulfilling himself in a distant land, using his experience working at a host bar.
“Assistant Professor Amelia is interested in you, right? Huh? The way she acts is like a lovesick teenager, you know? I can subtly bring it up for you. You should try to butter her up and make a name for yourself. Plus, once you melt a woman like that, she becomes devoted.”
Siwoo pushed away Takasho, who was whispering closely in his ear.
“I’m not doing it, damn it.”
“Mr. Siwoo, the model citizen, in Korea, your attitude might be seen as that of a noble scholar, but in Japan, we call it stubbornness.”
“I said I’m not doing it! Why are you being so persistent today?”
“Hey, I’m just trying to cheer you up, isn’t that too much?”
As a former host, Takasho seemed to have noticed why Amelia was particularly tormenting Siwoo.
Indeed, Siwoo had forgotten it over time, but he remembered refusing Amelia’s nighttime service when he was first assigned to the academy.
Back then, he was so ignorant of the world and flustered that he refused…
To think she would still hold a grudge and make his life miserable. Now that he knew, he was determined to maintain his upright integrity out of spite.
Could it be called pride that he couldn’t give up his last bit of self-respect, even knowing it was futile?
“I’m busy, don’t block my way.”
“Again? It feels like you were just working. A scholar’s life is tough.”
Even though his teasing from the side, disguised as comfort, makes me angry, Takasho is a good friend.
I’ve received a lot of help from Takasho, who is in a much more affluent environment, and even if that weren’t the case, he’s the only one I can truly open up to.
If military buddies who served together for two years become close friends, then there’s no need to even mention a friend who’s been through five years of slave labor with me.
“What’s the matter? Assistant?”
“Assistant my ass…”
Unlike Siwoo, who was fed up, Takasho looked intrigued.
“Could it be… that class?”
“Yeah, that class.”
Unlike Siwoo, who slumped his shoulders in despair, Takasho looked puzzled and asked back.
“But why are you so depressed? I thought it was great.”
“Someone like you would like it.”
“You have no idea how much seeing new, fresh apprentice witches is a comfort to my life.”
“Just saying this out of concern, but you know messing with an apprentice witch means your head, right?”
If you did something like that, your head would fly off without any metaphors.
He’s already buried in the forest, he wouldn’t try to reach for the forbidden, would he?
Takasho, seeing Siwoo’s half-terrified expression, laughed heartily and replied.
“Sometimes, just looking at a flower can make you happy. Anyway, I was wondering, can I go instead of you?”
“I honestly wish you could. But it’s a summons from Associate Professor Amelia, so I have no choice.”
“You’re just making your own life hard.”
Takasho clicked his tongue, expressing his sympathy.
From his perspective, a man who’s been crazy about women since birth, it might just be a spoiled complaint.
However, for Siwoo, who has a perfectly normal sense of sexual shame, it was a more grueling time than any labor.
“Well, I should be going too. You look busy. See you later.”
Takasho patted Siwoo on the back to cheer him up and then disappeared down the hallway.
In his words, it’s because another designated guest is waiting for him.
Time was running out.
It seemed like even showering and changing clothes would be a tight squeeze. If he dared to ignore the time specified by Associate Professor Amelia, he didn’t know what fault she would find and what nagging he would get.
He had to quickly change into his lab coat and be waiting at the meeting place five minutes early.
A long sigh escaped him.
“This damn city.”
There was nothing else to say.
