City ​​of Witches 1120

Chapter 1120 – #266_Old Story

#1114

1.
The efforts of three dukes and seven counts.
And with the efforts of 32 witches who joined relatively late, the witch city of Gehenna developed at a rapid pace.

The witches who held titles, who were among the top-tier powerhouses at the time, fully demonstrated their abilities and spearheaded the development.

“…Did, did I do well?”

Opheliel, the shy one among the Seven Counts who were like the wings of Gehenna, created artificial ley lines and water veins in the pocket dimension that Keter had pieced together.

Her skills were excellent, contrary to her attitude of showing off her work as if she were embarrassed.

“If we build a shipyard near the gate and establish a merchant guild, we can establish a stable logistics network with the mortal realm. Just like the merchants walking the Silk Road.”

As Adonai had confidently declared, she established a merchant guild.

The luxurious shopping district, now known as the Malkuth Gallery, which provides all sorts of luxury goods to witches, was also her creation.

“Still, it’s a witch city, so there should be at least a magic shop, right?”
“Then I’ll use the spirit mountain to create a large-scale production plant and supply the raw materials. You’ll help me, Duke Keter, right?”

The Gemini twins created a magic tool shop and the Latipuntium of the spirit mountain.
However, the theater where they had confidently promised to invite Nukelavi was never built.

“Ohoho, the more people there are, the lower the cost of alchemy research.”

Caliostro gathered witches who dealt with alchemy and built a small castle, establishing a witch guild.
This guild became the predecessor of the academy called the Emerald Tablet.

“How is it? Isn’t it cool?”

Yesod built a truly absurdly large public bath.

When it first opened after completion, the colleagues who visited the Levana Public Bath were half-stunned.
Tiferet and Kohav had loved this public bath very much.

“Leave that to me.”

Tiferet took charge of procuring human citizens.

She brought in construction workers to build beautiful buildings and brought in artisans from various fields such as tailors, watchmakers, jewelers, and founders to serve the witches.

The tenant farmers, who were merely transferred from the ownership of a lord, were at least able to live their lives protected from starvation, war, and epidemics.

As she had said, Gremory created a large-scale library, and Erelim, while assisting Keter, also created the Truth and True Name Academic Society, introducing the concept of an ‘academy’ to Gehenna.

Gehenna changed day by day, with 10 years of prosperity following every year.

Even though there was no proper communication technology at the time, the development of Gehenna attracted witches scattered all over the world.

Even for witches who were tired of the life of poisonous insects devouring each other to increase their hierarchy, like a Gu poison.
Even for pacifist witches who wanted a stable place to live.
Even for witches who wanted to provide a safe environment for apprentice witches.

Gehenna was a good option with no alternative.

“It’s starting to look like a city now. Thank you, Blanche, it’s all thanks to you.”
“It’s for the witches. It’s not my achievement alone.”

Keter, who had built an ivory tower in the center of the city named Ars Magna Town, would look down at the developing city with satisfaction.

Erelim was also satisfied.
This was the ideal, paradise, city for witches that she had wanted.

What Keter wanted was what Erelim wanted, and the fact that all of it was getting closer to reality day by day brought her immense joy.

“I look forward to working with you in the future.”
“That doesn’t suit you.”
“Is that so?”

Keter smiled and blinked one eye as if she were embarrassed.
Erelim chuckled at the action that was completely unlike Keter.

2.
So, it would be a lie to say that the entire process of building the city was ideal.

First of all, Sharlit Nukelavi, a colleague who had been with them for a long time, did not enter Gehenna.
After a major argument with Keter, she had suddenly left for the sea, and no one knew exactly what the argument was about.

However, the general content could be guessed.

Keter had always been displeased with witches interfering too much with humans, so Nukelavi’s strong desire for conquest and ambition were probably against Keter’s ideals.

Keter’s ideology was also connected to the ironic fate of Psyche Teagarden, who was still lurking under the guise of a ‘public enemy.’

“Lilith will make contact with the Qliphoth. That child hates me, so she’ll try to do things I don’t want.”

Keter didn’t tell her much about herself.

However, having spent hundreds of years with her, Erelim knew a certain amount about Keter’s secrets.

That Keter was the direct successor of the Creation Witch.

That she had scraped together the impure existence and filth, even giving up her past hierarchy, and separated them, leaving only ‘order’ within herself.

That the separated ‘pure evil and chaos’ was Lilith, the Whispering Witch, an existence that had been causing all sorts of disturbances since ancient times.

Lilith, who tried to deny everything about Keter, was unlikely to stand idly by the existence of Gehenna.

“We need a watcher. A watcher to keep an eye on the Qliphoth and Lilith.”

Therefore, after building the city, she thought that they needed someone to stay in the mortal realm and grasp the movements of the Qliphoth, including Lilith, from the inside.

It was obvious that it would be a harsh thorny path.
It was to become a spy who infiltrated the rough, fierce, and cruel Qliphoth and conveyed their movements.

“I’ll do it.”

Erelim volunteered to wear that yoke without hesitation, but Keter shook her head.

“I can’t do that. You can’t be missing from this city.”

Thus, the one who volunteered for the role was Psyche Teagarden, the witch of Aries.

“I, Psyche, can do anything if it can be of help to Blanche.”

Psyche, who was very fond of Erelim, volunteered for the duty of sacrifice, which had no glory or dignity, with a stoic expression.
It was not for the city, nor for Keter.

“Psyche will become the sheepdog watching the wolves.”

It was solely the result of her loyalty to Erelim.

It was a painful memory, but thanks to Psyche’s sacrifice, Gehenna was able to find even more stability.

Erelim, who had sent Psyche, who was like a younger sister, whom she loved dearly, down a thorny path, was able to find a small consolation in the results.

Thus, the greater cause seemed to be achieved.

Gehenna prospered day by day, and it seemed as if a world for witches was coming.

Until then, what Keter wanted was what Erelim wanted.

Until then.

3.
Along with the expansion of the city, Keter clearly established the rules for exiles and public enemies.

Rules for exiles, which would confiscate the citizenship of those who were harmful to the peace of the city.
Rules for public enemies, which would designate those among the exiles who had committed irredeemable sins as targets for extermination.

There were also some rather questionable clauses in the civil law that had to be followed in order to live as a citizen of Gehenna.

Do not kill humans indiscriminately.
Do not harm the citizens of Gehenna.
Do not exert influence on the mortal realm with excessive mystical power.
Do not reveal the existence of witches to humans carelessly.

The fact that such clauses were included in the rules that were inherited through generations once they were declared caused resentment among many witches.

The main complaint was that it was too much to expel someone for using humans as experimental subjects.
It would be different if it was a crime against another witch or an apprentice witch.

At the time, when the universal value of ‘human rights’ was absent, the laws that Keter put forward were too advanced, and to the witches, they were too human-friendly.

Nevertheless, the Sephirot Tree, the decision-making body of Gehenna, strongly adhered to the laws.
Even though not everyone deeply agreed, it was probably because they trusted and followed Keter that much.

However, not everyone agreed with Keter’s policy.

In the early 17th century, not long after Gehenna began to settle down.
The dissatisfaction that had been growing towards Keter and the city’s system sprouted within Gehenna.

“What can’t we do?”
“Is this kind of city a city for witches? Isn’t it a fence to protect humans? We can’t accept it.”
“Duke Keter is not a leader for witches.”

It was the rebellion of the ‘Silver Dawn Society,’ which is still often talked about.

The 12 witches belonging to the Silver Dawn Society rebelled against Keter’s policy.
They rushed out into the mortal realm, claiming that they would create a world ruled by witches, and established their own kingdom.

And two days later.
They all lost their lives at the hands of Keter.

It was a summary execution without even a common warning.

“Keter! You…!”
“Were you waiting all this time?”

It was the day that Erelim, who had been obedient to Keter’s will, raised her voice for the first time, and it was also the day that Keter, who she often couldn’t understand, transformed into an even more incomprehensible being.

Keter, who returned reeking of blood, looked at Erelim with a languid expression.

“What have you done?”
“I have only executed the criminals who broke the law.”
“They were witches, the only mistake they made was causing a brief chaos in human society. Summary execution was too excessive a punishment.”

It was only a brief chaos in the mortal realm.

For Erelim, who was already questioning Keter’s laws, which seemed to have lost their direction, it was a harsh price that she could not understand.

“No, Blanche, they broke the order. Their crime is absolutely not light.”
“Even so…”
“Blanche. Do you know how a dam collapses? If the smallest brick at the bottom falls out, an uncontrollable collapse begins. I will not tolerate such a thing.”

There was no familiarity, affection, or understanding that she always showed in Keter’s golden eyes.
She only showed a distortion of self-assurance and dogmatism that was completely alien.

“……”

She built the city because she didn’t want to see the tragedy of witches killing each other.

Her precious colleagues who were fading away in the Gu pot, eating and being eaten.
She created Gehenna because their screams echoed in her ears.

An ideal achieved by protecting humans and killing fellow witches.
Where in that ideal is there an order for witches?

Erelim swallowed countless questions and incomprehension that could not be put into words.

Instead, she asked Keter, whom she trusted and followed more than anyone else, just one thing.

“Weren’t we… trying to create a city, a world for witches?”

A familiar ripple spread in Keter’s strangely distorted eyes.
It was the usual Keter.

“It was necessary for Gehenna, for the witches. Can you understand?”

Admiration and longing had the power to make one accept even values that they could not agree with.
Erelim nodded, even though she had an indescribable anxiety and sense of incongruity in her heart.

After that, Keter killed many witches, enforcing strict laws.
That included Nukelavi, who had been a colleague in the past.