City ​​of Witches 1030

Chapter 1030 – #246_Count Cagliostro (4)

#1024

1.
Siwoo had learned something from his past experiences.
When a crisis hits, it’s crucial to take a breath and stay calm.

After Count Cagliostro’s bombshell announcement, he had a moment of intimacy with his mentor.

Afterward, he remained alone in his office, calmly reviewing the draft of the Dandelion article that the Count had left behind.

1) We intend to publish the following article in issue 442.

2) Headline Subtitles: Option 1: “Another Scandal Erupts for Baron Shin Siwoo: A Forbidden Black and White Scandal Blossoms in Hexennacht” / Option 2: “The Charismatic Baron, Shin Siwoo’s Collusion with Public Figures in Bed”

3) Body:

Another revelation has surfaced regarding Baron Shin Siwoo (current head of the Hesed Society), who has been setting Gehenna ablaze with his hot topic status.

Baron Shin Siwoo, who has been confirmed through numerous investigative reports by our editorial team to be officially dating at least six individuals.

His womanizing, which includes prominent witches of Gehenna and shockingly even apprentice witches, has caused many to frown.

Furthermore, Baron Shin Siwoo has established a society and appointed himself as its head. Some speculate that the controversies surrounding him may have been a calculated move to smoothly establish the academic and financial foundation of the newly formed Hesed Society.

However, according to several pieces of evidence and circumstances attached to a tip submitted to our publication, it has been shockingly revealed that the reason for Baron Shin Siwoo’s recent frequent trips to the mortal realm is none other than his public lover(s), foreshadowing a series of waves in the witch society.

Baron Shin Siwoo has consistently stirred up controversy, accumulating both fame and infamy, yet he has always evaded explanations or official statements, either by glossing over the issues or creating new topics to bury them.

However, this particular allegation is directly linked to the security issues of Gehenna amidst the rapidly changing political landscape, thus requiring a proper explanation.

How far will the endless rampage of a young witch who cannot distinguish between heaven and earth go?

The author has exclusively obtained photos of Baron Shin Siwoo’s public lovers (*see appendix, premium executive edition subscribers only) and will shed light on them in this issue.

(Omitted)

4) Please select a headline.

The above is part of the draft that Count Cagliostro had handed over.

First of all, the photos, which are supposedly only available to premium executive edition subscribers, were nothing more than poorly taken B-cuts from a third-rate paparazzi.

They were so blurry and taken from so far away that it was hard to tell who was who.

The only reason Siwoo was recognizable was because he was tall and had a male physique.

The article also didn’t directly mention Dorothy or Linne.

“It seems like they already know everything anyway…”

But it was too early to relax.

When Dandelion’s first exposé came out, it was an article that seemed to have been compiled from information gathered long ago.

They just timed it well.

It would probably be the same this time.

However, if they revealed all the weaknesses at once, there would be nothing left to exploit, so they would probably control the intensity and exploit it bit by bit.

The collusion between power and gossip magazines was something he had seen a lot of back in Korea, so it wasn’t unfamiliar.

Seeing that the unedited draft was in Count Cagliostro’s possession, it was highly likely that they had a close, intimate relationship.

There was also a sense of unfairness.

“Seriously, is this all they’re doing just to get a bite of this?”

The Hesed Society was clearly promising, but for someone like the head of the Emerald Tablet to be so interested in trying to exploit it.

Anyway, regardless of the unfairness, he had been poked in a weak spot.

Siwoo’s original plan was as follows:

Establish the Hesed Society.
Develop it.
Increase the society’s standing through various partnerships.
Increase the head of the society’s speaking power.
Invite Dorothy and Linne, taking advantage of Gehenna’s current trend of adopting a conciliatory policy towards exiles.

Considering Gehenna’s public animosity, this wasn’t an entirely unrealistic plan.

In the first place, the two had already smuggled out an absurd amount of classified information from Hexennacht and provided it to Gehenna.

With Duke Tiferet’s guarantee, they had also made remarkable achievements during the ‘Flood,’ and they had risked their lives multiple times to complete their mission in the operation to obtain the floodgate.

The situation was good enough to create a miracle if they could just blend it well.

However, if the Dandelion exposé came out first, the timing would be completely messed up.

Let’s put aside the criticism that would be directed at Siwoo for now. He could handle that anyway.

But the situation where Linne and Dorothy could set foot in Gehenna would become distant.

Half of the purpose of establishing the society would be completely torn away.

So, what were the Count’s demands?

He had a brief consultation with his mother-in-law about this.

‘40% of the society’s voting rights? That’s highway robbery. At least the support details remain the same. But even that’s just for show.’

Demanding not only the appointment of Castle personnel to high-ranking positions in the society but also direct voting rights was a shameless demand that even Albiereo, who was known for being ruthless in business, was taken aback by.

One might think that it’s fine as long as it doesn’t exceed half, but it’s not that simple.

As planned, when the society was fully established, Siwoo, as the head of the society, would hold about 40% of the voting rights.

Since he would have to transfer some of the voting rights to the societies he had already secured or would secure in the future, he couldn’t possibly hold 50%.

In other words, it meant that in the future, he would have to compete with the Castle side for voting rights with a 40 to 40 split.

It was obvious who would be at an advantage.

Emerald Tablet personnel would already be holding positions in each society, and even if the societies that had already been half-eaten grew, they would all be swayed by the Castle.

As time passed, the title of Shin Siwoo, the head of the society, would be a nominal position on the surface, but in reality, he would be a puppet.

The Hesed Society would essentially become a subordinate of the Emerald Tablet.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Albiereo didn’t scold Siwoo for his romantic relationships.

Instead, she calmly pointed out the current situation.

‘We have to accept the Castle’s demands first. If the exposé breaks, Siwoo-kun won’t be able to achieve his goals, and the society’s very existence will be severely damaged.’

‘Whether we increase the size of the society and dilute the Emerald Tablet’s stake by increasing voting rights in the future, or whether Siwoo-kun brings in the remaining 20% of the voting rights through an amazing persuasion… that’s something to think about later. We need to buy time first.’

Neither option was a clear answer.

If they increased the voting rights, the voices of the existing members with voting rights would become smaller, so they would have to anticipate backlash.

The more promising the future of the Hesed Society was, the harder it would be to bring in 20% through persuasion.

“They’re really ruthless…”

Either way, it was a dilemma.

‘It’s a checkmate. You could call it karma.’

Even Albiereo, an expert in business management, couldn’t find a clear breakthrough and gave up, so what could Siwoo do?

Only cigarette butts piled up on the desk.

By the way, he kept feeling like he was missing something…

“Ah.”

The ‘Count Cagliostro is Lilith’ theory and the ‘ring,’ which he had temporarily forgotten because the blackmail was so severe, came to mind.

Count Cagliostro was wearing a ring.

And suddenly, Siwoo felt a strange sense of unease when he saw that ring.

It was really strange.

The only connection between Siwoo and rings was the ring he had received for identification when he first came to Gehenna.

Sharon had mistaken Siwoo for a tax collector from the Geminae family because of that, and she had trembled in fear.

“It’s strange.”

Even if she was a witch who transcended human limitations, she was still a woman.

It wasn’t particularly strange for her to adorn her beautiful appearance with elegant dresses and jewelry.

Even at auctions, earrings and necklaces were traded at prices that far exceeded Siwoo’s commoner’s perspective.

But ‘rings’ were an exception.

As Gehennans who enjoyed their unique witch culture, they had their own trends.

And within those trends, rings were not a particularly favored accessory.

First of all, there were a lot of artifacts among rings.

Since witches lived with magic all the time, trying to adorn themselves with artifacts wasn’t a very attractive option.

In addition, the concept of marriage was very rare, so there were no wedding rings, and therefore, most rings didn’t serve as accessories but as ‘family seals.’

Like how his mothers-in-law sometimes wore rings while doing office work.

But if Count Cagliostro was wearing a ring, it was within the realm of understanding.

It didn’t look like a ring for stamping a seal, but it could just be a personal preference, right?

“That’s why it’s even stranger.”

This was the point where he started to dwell on the faint sense of unease.

A personal preference that went against the trend.

It was possible.

Count Cagliostro, who was the head of a massive society, wouldn’t be at a level where she would care about what others thought of her appearance.

But…

Siwoo brought up the image of Count Cagliostro in his mind.

Her carefully curled golden hair, her deep blue eyes that were clearer than crystal.

Her meticulously dressed witch uniform.

The Emerald Tablet’s unique necklace made using intricate silver craftsmanship.

So far, it was all perfectly harmonious.

Siwoo, who had studied Gehenna’s fashion style for the charisma project, could say that with certainty.

And a tacky ring that contrasted with all the above elements.

That’s why it caught his eye.

If she was going to choose a ring based on personal preference, wouldn’t she have styled it to match her overall look?

The necklace the Count was wearing had various detection-blocking spells on it, so it was difficult to grasp the exact details…

“Then the ring is probably an artifact too…”

He was absentmindedly thinking about a matching item that would go well with that tacky ring.

At that moment, a lightning bolt of realization struck Siwoo’s mind.

Siwoo had no connection to the ring itself.

However, in the memories he had unconsciously recalled, there was a necklace that perfectly matched that ring.

The ‘Brisingamen’ that Siwoo had worn to attend the public figures’ banquet when he was kidnapped by Lydia in Hexennacht.

The one that turned Siwoo into Sisoon.

It was a disguise artifact.

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