## Chapter 167 – #36_The Contract Witch (2)
#165
1.
A customs office prepared for witches traveling between the mortal realm and Gehenna.
As many witches moved daily, the lounge connected to the ‘gate’ was crowded with people.
A witch with light pink hair, reminiscent of spring cherry blossoms, tied back in a ponytail, strode out.
Her amethyst eyes sparkled with pride and conviction, not coquetry or charm.
Her slender lips were firmly closed, and her body had a delicate line.
The witch’s short strides, hurrying to the center of the lounge, somehow gave off the aura of a charismatic iron-willed person.
The witches, each occupying a corner of the lounge and chattering away, fell silent as soon as they saw the girl.
Then, they quietly bowed their heads.
“……..”
They immediately recognized her by her unique appearance, even among witches.
The Contract Witch, Duchess Eloa Tiferet.
However, they were not bowing simply to her title as a duchess.
The reason she had slaughtered hundreds of homunculi and killed double-digit public enemies was not for herself, but for the safety of other witches.
Therefore, even the most self-centered and stubborn witches paid their respects to her nobility and achievements.
Eloa responded to the reverent reaction with a nod and immediately walked toward the person she was looking for.
“It’s been a while, Lady Jemina Deneb.”
“Duchess Tiferet, have you been well?”
The witch with striking white hair, dressed in an elegant mermaid dress, greeted Eloa with a smile.
As soon as she received the duchess’s call, she had handed over her entire schedule, which was divided into minute-by-minute slots, to Albireo and came out to meet her alone.
This was because the Jemina family was the one that bought the relics and items left behind by the legacies and achievements that Duchess Tiferet acquired, making a profit from the price difference.
They had to treat a premium customer who constantly supplied high-quality magical tools and artifacts like a VIP.
“Where is Ea Sadalmelik?”
“Shall we move to another place to talk? I have a carriage waiting.”
“Let’s go quickly.”
Eloa’s demeanor, striding past Deneb, was as intense as expected.
At first glance, she seemed to be trying to maintain her composure as much as possible, but to Deneb, it was clear that she was just suppressing her emotions like a bomb about to explode.
She had been wandering the mortal realm for the past 100 years and had not even shown her face in Gehenna, but as soon as she heard the news of Ea’s death, she had returned.
There were crystal balls and remote letters that allowed long-distance communication, but she must have wanted to confirm it with her own eyes and ears.
The two sat facing each other in an elegant carriage.
Eloa opened her mouth as soon as Deneb settled into her seat.
“Ea Sadalmelik is dead? Is that true?”
“First, I express my condolences. Last winter, the Aquarius Witch infiltrated Gehenna to attack Baroness Marigold and died in battle with the baroness.”
At that moment, Deneb saw it.
Eloa’s expression, which had been whipping herself and holding on, crumbled.
She probably hadn’t believed it.
That was why she had come to Deneb, who collected the most accurate information.
“That can’t be.”
“Tiferet….”
“That can’t be. Ea Sadalmelik is a tenacious and thorough guy. The body? Was the body found?”
Eloa leaned forward, almost as if she would pounce on Deneb, and asked.
To be honest, she was a little worried.
If she couldn’t contain her anger and lightly punched the carriage, this luxurious carriage would collapse like a mountain lodge swept away by a landslide.
“The body was not found. But considering the special nature of the magnetic magic used by Baroness Marigold… it’s practically confirmed that he evaporated without leaving a corpse.”
Particle magic, which scatters very fine particles to interfere with others, literally disassembles the opponent into pieces.
When Deneb rushed to the scene after hearing the twins, all she found was Amelia hugging Siwoo, wailing without a single wound, and Sadalmelik turned into a pile of flowers.
Moreover, the battle between the two was overwhelming.
With that kind of skill difference, to have allowed Sadalmelik to escape?
It was hard to expect.
As she explained these points, Eloa’s expression became increasingly crumpled.
The duchess barely managed to control her rough breathing, a mixture of emptiness and resentment.
“The witch who fought Sadalmelik was Marigold, you said? I need to meet her directly. I can’t believe that sly fox is dead. Arrange a meeting.”
Eloa’s tone was ablaze with a determination that she would never give up.
On the other hand, Deneb was in a difficult position.
She had heard from Sophia about the state of Baroness Marigold.
She was holed up in the cottage where she had lived during her apprenticeship, clearly refusing visitors and living in seclusion.
Judging from the circumstances, it seemed that she was grieving after breaking up with her unrequited love, the slave, for some reason.
“That’s….”
Deneb hesitated, but Eloa was clearly not going to give up.
If she tried to stop her, she would probably find Marigold on her own.
In that case, it might be better for both of them if Deneb arranged the meeting.
“Haa… Yes, let’s go right away.”
“Thank you.”
The carriage rattled and began to head towards the Gulpi tree forest where Amelia lived.
2.
It was a monotonous daily life.
It was also a daily life that was excessively lethargic and apathetic.
After Siwoo left, Amelia did what she was best at.
She immersed herself in magical research, burying all sadness and pain.
She became engrossed in something to avoid recalling painful memories.
The happy life in the cottage, filled with warm colors, was gone.
Like before she met him, she was left in a world that had turned monochrome, running away from what she couldn’t handle.
Otherwise, it would come to mind.
His resentful gaze.
His voice, filled with betrayal.
Amelia unfolded a piece of paper and wrote down the magical formula that came to mind.
If nothing came to mind, she would write down everything she had learned so far on a blank sheet of paper from the beginning.
If there was even a little bit of thinking power left, she had to use it all up.
That way, she wouldn’t have time to struggle, even a little.
She had been like this when her teacher passed away.
Thanks to that, Amelia was able to forget her pain a little and hide from the sadness that desperately called out to her.
But there was a slight difference compared to that time.
Even though it was clearly the same situation, even though it was clearly the same method, she couldn’t become completely numb and forget everything.
Even when she was immersed in magical research and suppressing her distractions, as the sun set and night fell, one person came to mind so clearly.
Shin Siwoo.
Crumple.
With a feeling of her heart dropping, the corner of the white paper that Amelia was holding was distorted.
“…….”
It was because she still had energy left.
It was because she hadn’t pushed herself to the point where her mind went blank.
Amelia was about to grab another blank piece of paper and fill it when she noticed a commotion outside.
“I’ll go get permission first.”
“No, I’ll go myself.”
A faint wrinkle appeared on Amelia’s expressionless forehead.
She had clearly asked no one to look for her.
She was annoyed.
She hadn’t asked for much.
She had just wanted to be alone, but even that wasn’t being granted?
The door of the cottage burst open, and two women entered.
One was Jemina Deneb, whose face was quite familiar, and the other was a pink-haired witch she had never seen before.
“What’s going on?”
It was only natural that a cold question came out of Amelia’s mouth.
Deneb seemed to know this, as she apologized with a very apologetic expression.
“I’m really sorry for coming so suddenly. She said she had something she really wanted to ask about Ea Sadalmelik….”
Before Deneb could finish speaking, the witch, who was even smaller than Amelia, popped out and said.
“Baroness Marigold, I apologize for coming without permission. Can you tell me about the day you clashed with Ea Sadalmelik?”
“Just to let you know, this is Duchess Tiferet.”
Eloa, who was so impatient that she jumped straight to the point without introducing herself, and Deneb, who introduced her instead.
Having learned her identity, Amelia could understand why she had come here.
The fact that Tiferet’s apprentice witch had been killed by the Aquarius Witch was a major incident that even Amelia, who was insensitive to rumors, knew about.
The hostility that had been in Amelia’s eyes subsided.
Amelia also knew the pain of losing a loved one.
Amelia invited Tiferet and Deneb to sit down and said.
“I’ll make some tea.”
3.
“…That’s how I confirmed his last moments with my own eyes.”
“……..”
Amelia told them about the events of that day with sincerity.
Talking about Siwoo occasionally made her heart ache, but still.
As expected, the duchess seemed to have come to Amelia in a rush, wanting to hear if Ea was really dead and how he had died.
Amelia understood her feelings.
The one and only chance for revenge.
Even if it was a futile end, Amelia had taken it away.
However, in that situation, Amelia had no other choice.
“I’m sorry.”
With those words, she ended her consolation.
Tiferet stood up from her seat, listlessly.
“Did you ever lose sight of him for a moment, or notice anything unusual?”
“No.”
“Any signs that he was under an illusion or used space-time magic?”
“No.”
“I see…. Thank you.”
Eloa, who thanked her in a staggering voice as if she had lost her strength, was a different person from when she had first entered.
Her straight and sharp eyes had drooped to a pitiful degree, and even her dignified tone, which was worthy of being called the epitome of a noble, was as weak as a sick person’s.
Eloa trudged out of the cottage, leaving only Deneb and Amelia at the table.
Deneb took a sip of the cold tea and put down the teacup.
“Duchess Tiferet must have been unable to maintain her composure.”
“I know.”
“I could see that she would visit on her own if left alone… so I accompanied her, even though it was rude.”
“It’s okay.”
“Then, I’ll be going now.”
Amelia’s calm forgiveness made her seem better than expected.
Or was she not okay?
Deneb finished her greeting and left the cottage, comparing Amelia’s past and present selves.
Amelia, who had looked like a living doll when she first entrusted the twins to Trinity Academy.
Even to a fellow witch, she was very beautiful, but she had a strong artificial feeling, devoid of human emotions.
On the other hand, when she visited her for the second time to transfer ownership of Shin Siwoo, she was much more lively.
Although it was a negative emotion of displeasure and faint anger, she clearly felt like a being who experienced joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
If she had to choose which side her current appearance was closer to, it would undoubtedly be her appearance at their first meeting.
She looked fine on the outside, but there was an underlying coldness that felt like she would cut your finger with a razor blade if you touched her even a little.
“Is she despondent?”
But Deneb was not Amelia’s nanny, and she didn’t need to take care of her condition.
Deneb immediately approached Eloa, who was walking away in the distance.
“What are you planning to do now?”
“….I don’t know.”
“I’ll prepare a place for you at the mansion, so how about taking a rest?”
“It’s okay, I still have things to do. I missed the Red Knight. I have to catch him and kill him before he space-jumps again.”
“Are you leaving right away?”
“I have to.”
In Deneb’s opinion, Eloa was pushing herself too hard.
She had given up even her magical research and lived for revenge, and to prevent the same sorrow from happening to others.
One of the goals she had been running towards for 100 years had suddenly disappeared, so emptiness and futility would be weighing her down.
“It was nice seeing you after a long time.”
She should let go a little.
With that feeling in mind, Deneb asked.
“…Where are you planning to go?”
“Korea.”
Eloa replied.
=====
I received another fan art!
It’s Amelia, heartbroken by Siwoo, drawn by Lin!
The surrounding scenery and her upset expression are exactly as I imagined!
I express my overwhelming gratitude!
