City ​​of Witches 1015

Chapter 1015 – #243_Scouting Is Difficult (3)

#1009

1.
“Haa, lately, prices have gone up so much, I’m worried.”
“The idea that Gehenna is a city for witches is also a thing of the past. It’s a completely different world from when I was young, you know?”
“Tsk tsk, I heard that the veil of mystery has been lifted in the mortal realm. What is the Tree of Sephirot doing…? I’m really worried.”

In Ars Magna Town, the most affluent neighborhood in Gehenna, a private salon.

There, seven witches, all dressed to the nines, were gathered, having an in-depth discussion about the political situation in Gehenna and the mortal realm.

Of course, they weren’t only talking about such serious matters.

They also couldn’t leave out the hottest issue and gossip topic of late.
The story of Baron Shin Siwoo.

“I’ve seen him once from afar, and he was such a handsome gentleman, you know?”
“Odile, Odette, can you tell us about Baron Shin Siwoo? I heard the Baron is the son-in-law of the Geminai Count’s family.”

As soon as one witch finished speaking, the gazes of the other witches turned to one place.

Side hair carefully curled, and amethyst-like sparkling purple eyes.
Twins with doll-like beauty and incomparable looks.

On the most comfortable sofa, the first-class seat of the salon where they could receive everyone’s attention, Odile and Odette, wearing half-bonnets, sat like the leaders of this group.

“Hehe, our assistant, no, our fiancé, is indeed an outstanding person.”
“Would you like to see this ribbon? He tied it for me himself today.”

“Wow… Your fiancé ties your ribbons for you? How romantic!”
“Of course! I even tied his tie for him the other day.”

The twins shrugged their shoulders, naturally showing off to the other witches.

“I’m envious. Actually, I happened to see him at the castle the other day, but just as I was about to talk to him, my teacher rushed me to come home, so I had no choice but to return.”
“I also saw him by chance at the academy, but honestly, I was too scared to talk to him, so I ran away.”

By now, everyone would have noticed.

The witches chatting in this salon are all apprentice witches.

The importance of connections is no different in the witch society.
One of the essential elements for living in the witch society is social gatherings.

Important information is passed from mouth to mouth, not through documents or papers, and at occasional auctions, one can purchase artifacts and materials that are difficult to obtain easily.

Therefore, apprentice witches from prestigious families with some influence have small gatherings even before becoming witches, learning the senses and skills they need to hone in society.

This ‘Young Ladies Club’ is the very breeding ground that serves that purpose.

“Anyway, to be engaged to Baron Shin Siwoo. Odile and Odette, you’re both really amazing.”
“That’s right, it’s no exaggeration to say you’re proper witches.”

Odile and Odette are apprentice witches, but they have completed their coming-of-age ceremonies.

On the other hand, the remaining apprentice witches are 14 years old at the youngest and 17 at the oldest.

Among witches who live eternally if they choose, a year or two difference doesn’t matter to anyone, but the younger they are, the more sensitive they are to age differences.
If you think about how much older high school seniors look when you’re in middle school, it’s easy to understand.

Anyway.

The twins, who are the daughters of the prestigious Geminai Count’s family and are taking the extraordinary step of being ‘engaged,’ are undoubtedly the leaders of the club and the object of much envy.

It was common practice to keep men away from apprentice witches, so this was quite unusual.

And naturally, today’s topic of conversation became ‘Baron Shin Siwoo.’

A man who became a witch, spread rumors with many high-ranking witches, and even established the Hesed Society, a groundbreaking figure.

He was a man whose reputation was sharply divided even within Gehenna, but for young apprentice witches, his heroic aspects were what stood out first.

Naturally, questions poured out to Odile and Odette.

“Is Baron Shin Siwoo really above the 20th rank?”
“You could say so. Looking at his thesis reviews and how wonderfully he resolved the recent flood, hehehe!”
“I’ve known him since he was the manager of the Trinity Academy, and even then, he defeated a homunculus with his human body.”
“No way!”

There were basic questions like these, but what everyone was really curious about was Shin Siwoo as a ‘fiancé’ rather than as a ‘witch.’
Like girls of that age, they just wanted to hear about romance.

When someone poked her in the back, Daisy, the youngest in the club, hesitated and carefully opened her mouth.

“Um… if it’s not too rude, have you… kissed your fiancé?”
“Daisy! That kind of question is not in line with a lady’s manners!”
“It’s a private matter and should be respected!”
“Of course, what we hear in the club should remain a secret within the club!”

The other apprentice witches were startled and tried to stop Daisy, but their eyes were all sparkling.
It seemed they were secretly glad that she had asked the question for them, taking advantage of the youngest’s privilege of being allowed to make mistakes.

Odile tossed her beautifully curled side hair and shrugged her shoulders.
Odette also raised her pointed nose and swung her legs gently.

“Huu, I guess we have no choice. I’ll tell you.”
“Okay, everyone, calm down.”

Cheers erupted.

“Kissing is most important when it happens in a romantic atmosphere.”
“Does that mean…?”
“You really did?!”
“Well, that’s just natural. We’re engaged, aren’t we?”

Suddenly, the club became as noisy as a radio with the volume turned up twice as loud.

“Where did you have your first kiss?”
“Does it really taste as intoxicating as champagne?”
“I heard you have to stand on your tiptoes, but I’m worried because I’m too tall.”
“Don’t get too excited, and only one question per person. We had our first kiss at the villa in Tarot Town.”
“Kyaaaaa!”

The twins were already popular stars in the Young Ladies Club.
On top of that, they were also the fiancées of the recently hot Baron Shin Siwoo, so it was natural for them to become super popular stars.

However, jealousy and envy follow popular stars like shadows.

“But he’s a playboy, isn’t he?”

While everyone was enthusiastic about the sweet and sour romance story, one apprentice witch, who had been indifferent, interrupted the flow.

“Y-Yuria, unnie….”
“Did I say something wrong?”

The atmosphere turned cold.
But Yuria, leaning back with a crooked posture, didn’t care and sneered while grooming her nails.

“Dandelion exposed him not too long ago. No matter how you look at it, he’s a playboy, but to package this as a sweet love story… Aha, is it for the sake of the Geminai family’s prestige?”

Yuria Kvasir (16 years old).
An apprentice witch from the Kvasir baronial family, which wields considerable influence through its Mediterranean trade business.

A special note is that she constantly sets up a sharp rivalry with Odile and Odette, and she is also rebellious.

“Since when has impure heterosexual relationships been romance? It’s not witch-like, but rather vulgar. The attitude a witch should have is that of a monk walking the path of magic. Not a princess in the arms of a prince.”
“Hey, you little baroness. Your way of speaking is a bit off, isn’t it?”
“Unnie, your tone, your tone.”
“Tch, okay, Odette. You’re talking nonsense in a very elegant way.”
“Good.”

Odette gave a thumbs up, pretending to be calm, but this time she wasn’t in a good mood.
Even considering that she was a little kid, she couldn’t stand someone badmouthing her assistant.

But, unfortunately, this time Yuria had poked her weakness.

Many witches have acknowledged Baron Shin Siwoo for his various achievements.

Regarding the last scandal, he had dealt with it well with the charisma project, succeeding in packaging himself as a ‘charming male witch’ rather than a ‘lustful dog.’

However, wouldn’t Casanova have been criticized by someone back then?

Many orthodox witches were still giving Shin Siwoo cold glares, and the Kvasir baronial family was one of the most representative orthodox families.

Unless the assistant was highly praised as ‘a person worth that much’ in the future.
What good would it do to insist that they were truly in love and that everyone was on good terms with each other to such a narrow-minded woman?

“What’s wrong? You’re keeping your mouth shut. You were about to give a scathing rebuttal.”
“……”

Yuria, who had become emboldened, tossed her hair and boasted.
She was feeling a little better now…

“What is it?”

Seeing Odile and Odette suddenly grinning, she felt down again.

“Did I hit too close to home and you lost your words? Baron Shin Siwoo, no, that man who doesn’t even deserve the title of baron, is a son-in-law…”
“Yuria, unnie… please… behind you… behind you….”

Daisy, who had been trying to stop her earlier, was now shaking her head in a panic.

“What’s behind me? Eek!”

And the color of Yuria’s face, after turning around, changed to the same as Daisy’s.

“Hmm, that’s an interesting story. Please continue.”

There, the witch of the deep sea, exuding a terrifying aura and the presence of a queen, was standing.
R’lyeh, who was bored and had come to find the twins, had just caught them in the act of gossiping.

“W-Why are you here? This is a place only for apprentice witches…”
“Is there any place that I, the queen of the Nukelavi Dynasty, cannot go? So, what did you say about my royal consort, Shin Siwoo?”

If it had been the Geminai Count, Yuria wouldn’t have been so intimidated.

But no matter how smart she pretended to be, Yuria was just an apprentice witch of Gehenna.

R’lyeh, a descendant of the ‘old witches’ she had only seen in history books since she was young, and who exuded a plausible queenly aura, had an overwhelming presence.

To give a rough analogy, it was like how a neighborhood bully was scarier than a teacher or parent during puberty.

“You came at the right time, R’lyeh.”
“She was also talking behind your back. She said that witches who are played by insignificant men like Shin Siwoo are not witches, but princesses in the arms of a prince?”
“Hoo, you are a truly infuriating little brat.”
“W-When did I say that! I never said anything like that!”

Odile and Odette greeted R’lyeh with gentle faces and slandered Yuria, and Yuria, who had heard a cleverly distorted message, denied it, waving her hands.

“Slandering others behind their backs is the act of a coward. I despise such cowards more than I despise the reverse. If you cannot say something in front of that person, you should not say it behind their back either. Do you understand?”
“Y-Yes… Yes…”

“Hmm, if you sincerely repent, you can prove it with your actions from now on.”
“Yes, I’m sorry…”

R’lyeh put her hand on Yuria’s shoulder and lectured her.
The twins were impressed by the unexpectedly proper lecture, and Yuria was half-panicked and nodding her head.

“More importantly, Odile, Odette. How long are you going to dawdle here? I have taken the time to come here.”
“R’lyeh, we’ll be out soon, so wait outside.”
“It seems like it’s over for today. Everyone, it was fun. See you next time.”

As soon as the three twins left, the apprentice witches gathered around Yuria, who was trembling.

“Yuria, unnie, are you okay?”
“I told you not to act up!”

“Was that the witch of the deep sea? She’s so cool. She’s like a queen…”
“More than that, did you see how naturally Odile and Odette spoke to her? They must be that close.”
“They’re still apprentice witches, how can they do that…”
“Compared to them, we still have a long way to go…”

The Young Ladies Club is a proper social gathering.
A clumsy apprentice witch cannot survive.