Chapter 194 – #42_White Knight (2)
#192
1.
The typhoon that had been pouring rain all night had passed over Seoul.
Even now, the sound of thunder could be heard in the distance and it was still raining, but it wasn’t pouring down like yesterday.
“Hmm… the current world is amazing.”
“It’s big… it’s tall…”
Odile and Odette, who had gotten out of the taxi, looked up at the tall buildings with their necks craned and expressed their admiration.
“But just because it’s tall doesn’t mean it’s great. Buildings are works of art, so it’s impossible to measure their greatness just by their height.”
Odile put on a serious expression and began to critique the buildings as if she were a critic.
“That’s right, to me, these tall… build… build…”
“Buildings.”
“Ah, that’s right, thank you, assistant. Anyway, these buildings seem to be nothing more than structures that have been piled up to maximize the use of narrow land areas, excluding beauty. I’ll give it a 7 out of 10.”
Odette, following her sister, also crossed her arms and shared her thoughts on the magnificent buildings.
Since the night walk with Odette was to be kept a secret, the natural title was also assistant.
The buildings in Gehenna, especially in Renomond Town and Ars Magna Town, are all beautiful.
As Odette had pointed out, buildings are products created to maximize land use, so it is true that they are difficult to compare in terms of aesthetic value alone.
“Yes, yes, the critique is good, but shall we go inside?”
“Okay, I’m looking forward to seeing how wonderful a sightseeing course you’ve prepared, assistant.”
“Me too!”
Odile and Odette were dressed very prettily.
They were wearing loose-fit sweatshirts with rabbits printed on the front and back, tennis skirts, and white sneakers.
Contrary to Siwoo’s concerns, Deneb had properly prepared their outfits for the current world.
The twins would have looked good in anything, but seeing them in such casual clothes was new.
It felt strangely familiar, or perhaps like they were models.
In fact, with their level of beauty, they could easily become global influencers just by posting a casually taken photo on social media.
“Assistant, is it really okay to walk around in these clothes? The skirt seems too short. It’s light…”
“You’re wearing shorts underneath, so it should be fine, right?”
“Still, my knees are all showing…”
Meanwhile, Odette seemed very concerned about her outfit.
It was understandable, since tennis skirts that exposed their legs would be a bit unconventional for the two of them, who had only ever worn fancy, flowing dresses.
“It’s really okay. Let’s go.”
They had been whispering in front of the building for about 10 minutes.
Siwoo was starting to want to go inside, but the twins were distracted by everything and kept stopping him.
This time it was Odile.
“Assistant! Can I borrow your ear for a second?”
“Yes, yes…”
“Look over there.”
Odile gestured with her eyes at a Seoul citizen walking by in the distance.
It was a woman wearing tight leggings and a crop top.
“Do you see that woman over there, walking around with her body all exposed?”
“Yes, I see her.”
“Is she perhaps someone who works in a brothel or something?”
“No, she’s not.”
“Then why is she dressed like that?”
Odette interjected.
“In the current world, women boldly expose their bodies if they are confident in their figures. That level of exposure is socially acceptable.”
“But that’s practically underwear! Her cleavage is all showing…”
“I’ll explain it to you in detail later, so follow me. You need to look around first.”
Siwoo grabbed the twins’ hands, one in each of his, and half-dragged them along.
He had expected the twins’ curiosity to explode, but it seemed like it would never end at this rate.
They asked him something every three steps, and it took them over three hours just to get here.
Anyway, after many twists and turns, they arrived at the aquarium.
Siwoo had been wondering what the twins would enjoy the most, and had been planning to take them to an amusement park or an aquarium, but he chose the latter because of the rain.
Since the entry time and number of people were limited, he sat down at a cafe to wait after getting the tickets, and a sigh escaped him.
“Haa…”
It was more tiring than he had imagined.
Had Deneb always taken care of the twins like this?
Suddenly, he began to respect Count Geminai.
If it hadn’t been for the music box, it would have been 100 times harder.
The twins’ beauty would have drawn all sorts of attention.
Siwoo felt like he was already exhausted, even though they hadn’t even started yet.
Meanwhile, the twins were each holding a vibrating pager, examining it with serious expressions.
Then, Odile spoke to the exhausted Siwoo first.
“Assistant, why do you look so tired?”
“I wonder why…”
“Shall I pat you?”
As she said that, Odile was already gently stroking Siwoo’s head.
It was strange, but somehow it made him smile and feel like his energy was returning.
“You two are amazing. You’re the same as always, even in this unfamiliar place. You’re not intimidated at all.”
“You’re with us, assistant! We feel so secure!”
“That’s right, and I like the current world. The air is a bit bad, but I think I can have a lot of fun with you, assistant.”
“Me too! So I’m going to study hard and get the mark as soon as possible!”
With the assistant…
Come to think of it, the twins were on a temporary outing.
They would only be able to freely travel to the current world after they had officially received Geminai’s mark.
But receiving the mark meant that Albireo and Count Deneb would disappear.
Were the twins taking this fact so lightly?
They were their teachers and mothers.
“I don’t know if it’s okay to ask this, but can I ask you just one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Doesn’t receiving the mark mean that Count Geminai will disap… disappear?”
Siwoo asked cautiously.
But contrary to his expectations, Odile and Odette’s reactions were very calm.
“That’s right. It’s sad, but it’s something we have to accept.”
“You’re more composed than I thought.”
“It’s sad that our teachers will disappear, but receiving the mark means that we’ve become qualified to carry on their legacy. I’ll be very proud, and our teachers will be proud of us too.”
“Odette is right. That’s why we, our witches, exist.”
Even if he heard the explanation with added details, it didn’t make sense.
In the first place, there was a huge gap in perception between the twins, who had been learning and growing up in Gehenna since childhood, and Siwoo, who had been a modern person.
Just like the twins couldn’t understand the clothes of the woman who was walking around in sportswear.
“I guess so.”
It didn’t seem like it was Siwoo’s place to argue.
It was also something that would happen quite a bit later.
Instead, he suddenly thought of someone and asked.
In fact, he had been hesitating to ask since yesterday.
He asked casually, really casually, so that it wouldn’t show.
“Come to think of it, how is Associate Professor Amelia doing?”
He had been intentionally trying not to think about it.
The moment he spoke the name that he had deliberately pushed into the corner of his consciousness, a bitterness like coffee spread through him.
“Didn’t you know? Your professor changed after you recovered.”
“Huh?”
“The professor had some personal matters, so Professor Aveneu, the head professor, is now in charge of the courses that the former associate professor was in charge of.”
“Why?”
“Well, I don’t know.”
“I don’t know either.”
Siwoo closed his mouth.
It didn’t seem likely that she wouldn’t have read the note Siwoo had left, given how much time had passed…
“Kyaa!”
At that moment, the twins’ short scream cut off Siwoo’s thoughts.
The pager vibrated, indicating that their drinks were ready.
The twins stared at the vibrating pager with wide eyes.
“I…is this an artifact?”
“No, it’s not. It’s about time, so let’s go.”
Siwoo smiled slightly at the twins’ cute reaction and headed towards the aquarium.
2.
“Wow…”
“Wow…”
The twins were looking around as if they had entered a wonderland, exclaiming in admiration.
Their already large eyes became round, and they both had their mouths wide open.
What had captivated the twins was a school of jellyfish swimming in a large tank.
The softly shining neon lights created a mysterious atmosphere.
The two of them were looking at the jellyfish with their cheeks close to the glass, as if they were trying to enter the tank.
“Oh my, look at them. They’re so cute.”
“Are they models? Should we ask if we can take a picture?”
“The guy next to them is handsome too.”
Even if the music box was working, it seemed that they were being recognized to some extent if they were attracting this much attention.
It was a bit embarrassing from the perspective of someone who looked like their guardian, but it was fortunate that there were hardly any visitors on a weekday afternoon.
“What… what is this…?”
“They’re jellyfish…”
“They look like they’re wearing dresses. I wonder how it would feel to touch them?”
“They look squishy.”
The twins’ words were slurred, as if they were both spaced out.
That was understandable, as this aquarium was the largest in Seoul, exhibiting all kinds of fish and marine life, as well as rare animals and insects.
If he was going to show them the mysterious current world, he thought it would be best to show them things they would never see in Gehenna, and it seemed to have worked out very well.
The aquarium was full of sights that would fully satisfy the twins’ curiosity.
“Okay, okay, let’s stop looking and go to the next area? I saw that there’s a place with Amazonian fish.”
“Can’t we look a little longer? They’re so pretty.”
“I want to buy them so I can keep looking at them! How much are they?”
“Well, I think they’re not for sale. And there are more amazing things ahead.”
Siwoo gently pushed the twins, who were wandering around the jellyfish tank, and urged them on.
It was good that they were looking around, but according to the pamphlet, there were many more things to see.
At this pace, they wouldn’t be able to leave the aquarium today.
Still, he was happy that they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
This time, it was the Amazonian fish corner.
The twins were amazed to see huge fish that were 1 meter, or maybe even 2 meters long.
“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen such a big fish!”
“Assistant, assistant! Are these not sold at auction? I want to take one home!”
“I don’t think you’d call these fish. And I think these are also not for sale.”
“Assistant, there’s no such thing as ‘not for sale’ in the face of the overwhelming wealth of the Geminai family.”
“When I become a countess, I’m going to buy this aquarium!”
“Oh, that’s not a bad idea.”
Siwoo smiled and applauded the twins as they declared their ambitious goals.
He remembered the picnic they had gone on to Latifundium.
Back then, Siwoo had been amazed and the twins had been telling him about things, but he felt a sense of change.
After crossing a cloud bridge overlooking the Amazonian tank, a large tunnel appeared.
Of course, it wasn’t just any tunnel, but an underwater tunnel that made you feel like you were walking inside a huge tank.
Surrounded by blue light, fish, sharks, and rays swam leisurely in various places.
“………”
“………”
Even Siwoo felt overwhelmed, so how much more would the twins feel?
They were hugging each other tightly, unable to move even a single step from the entrance of the tunnel, which looked like a bluish dungeon due to the color of the water and the lighting.
“That, that scary-looking thing… is that a shark, right?”
“Let’s see, it says it’s a sandbar shark.”
“Are turtles really that big? The one Pecha picked up before was only the size of my palm…”
“Ah, that’s a green sea turtle.”
A huge ray passed overhead, a shark with sharp teeth brushed past them, thousands of sardines swam in schools, and a turtle swam slowly with its mouth open.
Soon, the twins, having mustered their courage, wandered around the tunnel with excited steps, and Siwoo followed leisurely behind.
Finally, they left the aquarium after buying two sets of pajamas at the souvenir shop.
