City ​​of Witches 1178

Chapter 1178 – #280_Reasons To Return (3)

#1172

1.
The war was now a mere 48 hours away.
The restructuring of the Allied Forces of the Academy and the revision of strategies were complete, and only the all-out war was left on the countdown.

Gehenna was in an atmosphere that could be described as the calm before the storm.

The witches, who had embraced the cause and resolved to fight against the world domination of the public enemy, spent what might be their last moments in their own ways.

Some gathered with close friends for a cozy drinking party.
Some checked their magic until the very last moment, preparing for the final battle.
Some decorated their mansions splendidly, inviting guests and holding small parties and dances.

It was said that even the researchers from the Basic Studies Department, who had promised to join the war following Siwoo, were having a wild time at Rose Glass.

These scenes seemed less like transcendence and more like a pathetic struggle to avoid becoming too bleak.

Even for witches who called themselves transcendents and generally had longer lifespans than humans, such an experience would be difficult to accept calmly, so they were doing their best to overcome their fears in their own ways.

While trying to gain as many fragments of enlightenment as possible through meditation during the remaining time.

“Hmm?”

A letter bearing the seal of the Jemena Count’s family was delivered to Siwoo.

Thinking it must be from his mothers-in-law, and that they would have called him if they had something to say, Siwoo realized that the senders of the letter were Odile and Odette.

The contents were an invitation to a banquet.

“I was thinking of having dinner together anyway…”

It felt a bit like a ‘Last Supper’ cliché, which made him nervous, but he couldn’t just do nothing before such an important event.

This war would not be easy for Siwoo either, and as such, he wanted to spend some quality time with his beloved lovers.

He didn’t really want to think about it…
But it might be the last time.

He finished his meditation and opened his closet to dress up nicely.

When he left the Academy President’s office to go to the Count’s residence at the appointed time.

“Assistant! Why are you coming out so late!”
“We’ve been waiting for ages!”

Odile and Odette, who had already come to meet him, were visible.

Eyes that shone purple like amethysts.
Noble, as if a picky princess from a movie had popped out, and an unrealistic beauty that was exactly alike, as befitting twins.

The half-bonnet look with thin capes draped over their shoulders was the most familiar and nostalgic twin fashion style for Siwoo.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“You used to come running when we called. Now you make us wait.”
“Assistant, you’ve grown up a lot.”

“Isn’t there still some time before the appointment? I didn’t expect you to come early and wait.”
“Well, you haven’t been giving us any time lately. We came early to meet and play.”
“That’s right. I know you’re busy preparing for the war, but it’s so, so annoying, you know?”

The twins were complaining with a lot of aegyo, but time had changed more than just Siwoo.

Compared to when they first met, the twins had become much more mature.

Even though they said that, they were still considerate of Siwoo’s situation, so when Siwoo opened his arms, they each took one of his sides, pretending to be unable to resist.

“Alright. Of course, I should make time.”
“Really? Then let’s go on a date.”
“Just follow us!”

Led by their small hands, they arrived at the central square of Tarot Town in a carriage.

Although he had hardly come here recently, Siwoo had frequented this town to buy daily necessities and magical supplies during his slave days.

The atmosphere of Tarot Town, nearing sunset, was ordinary.

The noisy bargaining sounds still echoed, and carriages and carts rumbled along the neatly paved roads.
If one only looked at this scenery, one would think that the war was someone else’s story, as the citizens of Gehenna were going about their usual daily lives.

“A date in Tarot Town?”
“What, now that you’ve made it, are you unhappy with this commoner’s date course?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“This is a place with many memories with you.”
“I guess that’s true.”

It was also in this Tarot Town that the full-fledged relationship between Shin Siwoo, the assistant of Trinity Academy, who was aloof in class, and the noble twin ladies began.

Odile smirked as she spotted the White Whale Tavern, which was still doing brisk business today.

“The food at that tavern you treated me to was pretty good. The beer was good too. That’s where I magically snatched you away.”
“Do you know how nervous I was back then?”

Siwoo, who had been caught using magic at the magic tool shop, had confessed his plan to escape Gehenna due to Odile’s ‘Confession Poem’.

It felt like a very distant past, but the tension he had felt that day was vivid.

“Sister! Stop talking about things only you two know! You too, Assistant! You always do that! You always leave me out and make memories with Assistant!”
“Odette, you were scared that day and stayed at the outpost, right? I was the brave one, so I get to share these memories.”
“That’s because you’re greedy and sneaky!”

Seeing the twins bickering after a long time made him smile.

Come to think of it, all of Siwoo’s stories began in this Tarot Town, with the twins who had come to him at the end of his slave life.

For the previous five years of his slave life, he had been filled only with resentment and a tenacious spirit, but when Odile and Odette jumped in, the genre changed to something like a sweet and thrilling love comedy.

Looking back, every moment was precious.
Perhaps it felt even more precious at this point.

“Oh my, don’t fight. You should get along.”

When he hugged the two tightly, both Odile and Odette were startled.

“Assistant! What will people think if they see us!”
“Assistant! It’s embarrassing!”
“What does it matter? It’s just affection between lovers.”

The twins, who were initially startled, soon calmed down.

They had spent time together.
They had guessed the words ‘when I’m gone’ that Siwoo had swallowed before saying ‘you should get along’, and they were trying to ignore the words that kept trying to pop out.

Odette, who had been quiet, pulled Siwoo’s back and asked.

“Assistant. You’re going to do something dangerous again, aren’t you?”
“I think so.”
“You wouldn’t listen even if we tried to stop you, right?”

Odile chimed in, as if complaining.

“Well, you always rush headfirst into danger.”
“That’s a misunderstanding. I’m just minding my own business, and dangerous things try to grab my head.”
“It’s the same thing! You never run away even if you can.”

It was always like that.

He always said that he was a commoner, that he only wanted to live a life like a flat eight-lane highway, and that he would run away if it was dangerous, but Assistant always chose the difficult path.

But if that hadn’t been the case, if he had decided to run away alone and had thrown Odile and Odette in front of the witch of Aquarius.

Odile and Odette would not be here now.

Therefore, they couldn’t just stop him this time either.
They couldn’t just give up everything and throw a tantrum, demanding that they run away to a safe place and watch the situation.

Because the Assistant that Odile and Odette loved was someone who was stubbornly clueless, who would smile awkwardly and try to stop them when Odile and Odette bickered, who was secretly timid and cautious, but who would not bend his will at crucial moments and would choose the path he believed was right.

“No matter what we say, you’ll end up making a very dangerous choice.”
“That’s right. You don’t even know how much we worry.”
“Yes, I’m really sorry, but it’s something I can’t run away from.”

Moreover, this time, it was a great war that had engulfed all the witches who had a connection with him.
The lives of hundreds of millions, or perhaps more, were at stake.

He could no longer help with the small amount of power that seemed great to a slave, or the generous allowance that was given to a trainee witch.

So, should they just sit down in despair again and offer prayers to no one in particular?

No.
That was not the case.

Ruelle had said.
Do what you can in your place.
So, the twins decided to do what they could.

“Follow me for a moment.”
“Come with us!”

Odile and Odette, holding his hands on either side, led him.

As he engraved the familiar and complex scenery of the Tarot Town alleys in his eyes, they arrived at a townhouse that was oddly built in the middle of an alley.
It was Odile and Odette’s outpost.

He seemed to know the intention.

This base, which was first used as a secret meeting place, was also a place of love where they had relationships while avoiding their mothers-in-law’s eyes.
The problem was that the banquet time was getting closer, and other lovers would be waiting.

“Um, Lady Odile, Lady Odette…”

Before Siwoo could point out the problem, Odile and Odette spoke.

“You know, if you face something incredibly difficult in this war, Assistant. When you feel like you can’t overcome it, when you feel like you can’t endure it.”
“Please remember this.”

Odile and Odette opened the door confidently.

Siwoo paused.
Under the candelabra that burned brightly as if welcoming him, as soon as he entered.

Amelia, Sharon, Eloa, Linne, Dorothy, Ruelle, and Kybele.
All the lovers who had come to meet Siwoo were gathered.

However, something was unusual.
All of the lovers were showing their perfect naked bodies like statues, without a single thread on them.

Although their reactions varied, they all seemed embarrassed by this experience, but none of them covered their bodies.

“W-what is all this?”
“What do you think it is?”
“It’s the reason why you have to come back safely.”

When he turned around in confusion, the twins, who had closed the door, were also naked and showing off mischievous smiles.