City ​​of Witches 150

Chapter 150 – #32_The Debt-Ridden Witch (5)

#148

1.
Sharon and Siwoo strolled through the night streets together.
She didn’t forget to stop by her rooftop room to grab a bundle of flyers.
Each holding a stack, they diligently explored every corner of the alleyways.

“This spot looks good.”

Sharon, known for her meticulous posting, lived up to her reputation, carefully selecting each location.

The reason Siwoo was helping Sharon wasn’t just to apologize.
While he did want to apologize and help her to some extent, Sharon’s presence was also essential for him.

First, there was the matter of hunting homunculi.
Homunculi clearly harm humans.
They don’t just cause harm; they hunt and devour humans or cause disasters.

Siwoo didn’t see himself as a hero or superhero who could save everyone.
Still, if innocent lives were being lost and he had the power to save them, shouldn’t he at least do what he could?

However, as Sharon said, hunting homunculi inevitably meant encountering witches.
Sharon had readily given up the Gemini ring, but there was no guarantee that all witches would do the same.
Therefore, hunting with Sharon by his side would increase his chances of safety.

Moreover, he could seek advice on magic research from her, a formal witch.
Siwoo wasn’t well-versed in general magic knowledge but possessed extreme knowledge in specific areas.
Magic research required a shift in perspective and inspiration, but basic magic knowledge was also essential.
Before deciding how to stack the blocks, one needed to prepare the blocks.

Lastly, she was the only friend he could have, as his ties had been severed, leaving him unable to form proper relationships.
How lonely and bored had he been living in the mortal realm for a short period?
Just knowing that someone wouldn’t forget him even after time passed was a comfort.

Of course, even putting aside these calculated intentions, he wanted to help Sharon.

“…So, you want to follow me around and hunt homunculi together? And learn magic on the side?”
“That’s right. I’ve hit a wall, and I can’t figure it out on my own.”
“Hmm…”

Sharon seemed to be pondering for a moment.

“Well… I understand you want to do something, but hunting homunculi is no joke. You could really die. You can’t be careless.”
“Can’t you give me a chance?”
“I’d feel a bit uneasy if I gave you a chance and you ended up dying. You said you’ve fought one with three eyes, right?”
“Yeah.”

Sharon stroked her chin again, deep in thought.
If she were planning to use Siwoo, she wouldn’t need to think so seriously.

“Okay, let’s explore and hunt together. But you have to retreat immediately if I say it’s dangerous.”
“Got it.”
“And in exchange for helping you with your magic, I’ll take all the profits from our hunts.”
“Okay.”

Siwoo had no intention of recklessly trying to defeat homunculi.
And he didn’t want to burden Sharon with her repayments, so it was a reasonable condition.

“Thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for? It’s a win-win, isn’t it?”

No, it wasn’t.
Strictly speaking, it was a seemingly fair agreement, but a closer look revealed that Sharon didn’t really gain anything.
She had been hunting homunculi well on her own.
Even though Siwoo was a novice, she didn’t question his abilities, despite the fact that it was unclear how much he could help.

Moreover, the condition that Sharon would take the money earned from hunting was in exchange for teaching him magic.
For Sharon, it was a loss of time, with no real benefit.
It was easy to see that this was a kind gesture disguised as a contract, to help Siwoo, who hadn’t adapted to the mortal realm.
Therefore, Siwoo decided to express his gratitude in his own way.

“I’ll set a condition too. I can’t just keep taking.”
“It’s okay, what is it?”
“I’ll provide late-night snacks every day after our explorations.”
“La-late-night snacks?”

Sharon, who had been nonchalantly sticking flyers on a utility pole, turned her head sharply.
Her long hair swayed.
Her eyes, wide like a startled cat, sparkled under the crimson streetlights.

“I usually eat them anyway. It won’t be a burden to have one more person. And it’s boring to eat alone.”
“Wh-what kind of late-night snacks…?”
“Whatever we feel like eating. We could have crab like yesterday, or beer and chicken. There are plenty of places open late around here anyway.”
“Crab… beer… chicken…”

Like Pavlov’s dog hearing a bell, Sharon’s mouth hung open, and drool dripped from her lips.
Siwoo was pleased to see how much she liked it.
He had chosen the condition based on yesterday’s experience, and it seemed to be a success.
Sharon quickly wiped the drool with her sleeve and belatedly tried to regain her composure.

“Well! If you put it that way, I guess it wouldn’t be polite to refuse. Right?”
“Right, I’d be upset.”
“Let’s hurry and finish posting!”
“Okay, okay.”

Sharon was practically skipping as she posted the flyers.
After walking through several alleys, Sharon checked the time on the watch around her neck several times.

“Why do you keep checking the time? Do you have an appointment?”
“Time?”

Sharon, who had asked as if she didn’t understand Siwoo’s question, made a face as if she had realized something.

“Oh, my bad. I haven’t explained it yet. This is the artifact I use to detect homunculi.”

Sharon fiddled with the necklace, as if trying to take it off.
As her arms reached behind her neck, her ample chest, visible even behind her windbreaker, heaved.
Such a chest on a waist that looked like it could be held in one hand…
He couldn’t help but look; it was a man’s instinct.

Siwoo cleared his throat and looked away, while Sharon, oblivious, tilted her head and placed the object she had been checking on her palm.

Siwoo stared at Sharon’s palm.
The object he had thought was a small pocket watch was different from what he had expected.
Instead of an hour, second, and minute hand, it had a needle with one end painted red, like a compass.

“Homunculi all have an otherworld barrier around them. This compass detects the subtle distortions in space that occur. It can detect anomalies within a 150-meter radius.”
“Can I take a closer look?”
“Sure, but be careful. I bought this expensive thing for 12,597,800 won at the Incheon Port contact point.”
“Okay.”

Siwoo carefully took the compass from her.
It wasn’t too big, about the size of a wristwatch.
Under the glass cover, a rotating plate displayed the directions, and in the center, a needle slowly spun around.

The material was probably silver.
On the back, the Gemini family’s symbol, a black and white bird, was engraved.
As expected, it seemed to be another item from the twins.

“It’s amazing.”
“Right? But how did you find the homunculi? You didn’t have a detector.”
“I just saw them with my eyes.”
“What?”

Sharon stared at Siwoo with wide eyes.
She hadn’t been this surprised when she found out he used magic.
Was it really that surprising?

“I have a mark on my left eye. I don’t know if it’s because of that, but I can see the flow of magic. Even from outside the otherworld barrier, homunculi look like distorted shadows.”
“………”

Since they were going to be partners, he decided to share a bit of his trade secret.
But Sharon just gaped, without any other reaction.

“Is it that surprising?”
“Ah, no… If I had met you ten years earlier… I’m heartbroken to think I could have saved 12,597,800 won…”
“You paid over 10 million won and got charged for the 7,800 won too?”
“Those bastards didn’t even give me change, saying they didn’t have any.”
“If we had met ten years ago, I would have been a normal student, right?”
“Yeah, I just realized that, so I don’t feel as bad.”

Silly conversation.
Someone who remembered and acknowledged Siwoo’s existence.
Siwoo’s lips curled into a smile, wondering why this was so enjoyable.
He realized how much he had missed having people around.

“Hey.”

Suddenly, Sharon’s face was right in front of his.
Even this close, her face didn’t fill his entire vision.
Her curious eyes blinked widely.
It was completely out of the blue, but he wondered if she was going to kiss him.

“Yes?”

Siwoo, flustered by Sharon’s sudden approach, ended up using honorifics.
Ignoring Siwoo’s reaction, Sharon tapped his eye patch.

“Can I take a closer look at your eye?”
“Sure, why not…”

It wasn’t like showing it to someone would wear it out, and it wasn’t a difficult request.
Siwoo slightly moved his eye patch.
A golden eye, completely different from his black right eye, was revealed.

Siwoo had once examined it closely in a mirror, and his newly acquired eye had a rather unique appearance.
There were no particular peculiarities in the vitreous body or pupil.

However, the golden fractals extending from the center of the pupil, like branches, replaced the iris.
Unlike the formal marks on a witch’s lower abdomen, which clearly indicated their rank, this was a unique mark with an ambiguous shape that was difficult to count or distinguish.

“Oh…”

Sharon leaned in so close that their noses almost touched, staring intently at Siwoo’s eye.
She seemed fascinated, her lips pursed into a circle as she blinked.
Her eyes reflected his own slightly flustered expression.

“It’s really amazing. I’ve never seen a mark like this before. How could this happen?”

Actually, Siwoo wasn’t that concerned about Sharon’s magical curiosity.
Or rather, he didn’t have the time to be.
Sharon seemed almost oblivious, but for Siwoo, their faces were too close.
Being this close, he could naturally smell her scent just by breathing.

One of the fascinating things about witches was that they all had a pleasant fragrance.
Sharon, who lived in a shabby rooftop room, was no exception.
What should he call this scent…?
A mix of a refreshing tangerine scent and a sweet vanilla scent from the benzoin family?
Anyway, it was a scent he wanted to keep smelling.

The problem was what followed.

“Why? Are you uncomfortable?”
“It’s nothing. Are you done now?”
“Yeah, I think I’ve seen enough.”

After smelling the scent from her crown and hair for a few seconds, he felt a sudden erection.
It wasn’t like he felt an overwhelming lust, but he was already fully aroused inside his pants.
If he hadn’t been wearing jeans, it might have been a bit awkward.

“Anyway, thanks for showing me. Let’s go finish posting.”
“Ah, okay.”

Siwoo was about to put his eye patch back on and return Sharon’s compass when he paused.

“Why?”
“No, the needle is pointing in one direction.”

The needle, which had been spinning around like it was at the North Pole, was now pointing precisely in one direction.
Sharon, upon seeing this, waved her arm, and her body briefly glowed like a magical girl transforming.
When the light faded, Sharon was already dressed in her complete witch attire.

A pointed hat, wand, robe, a short-hemmed dress, a petticoat decorated with layers of frills like pom-poms, and riding boots.
She had finished transforming in that short moment.
She wasn’t like a magical girl; she was a magical girl.

“Alright, good. As your senior, I’ll show you what hunting homunculi is all about.”

Sharon, who had changed her clothes in an instant, ran with Siwoo in the direction the compass was pointing.