City ​​of Witches 287

Chapter 287 – #63_Interlude(9)

#285

1.
The Sahara Desert, covering most of North Africa, spans an area of 10 million square kilometers.
Even without considering the ongoing climate change and resulting desertification that expands its area every year, it is already comparable in size to the continental United States.
Although its social and environmental infrastructure is extremely poor.
For those public enemies who want to keep themselves safe, the vast desert has become an excellent hiding place.

Perhaps if Amelia had ventured out empty-handed without any countermeasures, she might still be wandering in search of the Witch of the Scorching Sands.
Indeed, one of the reasons why even Duke Tiferet, with his immense power, struggled with hunting down public enemies was the difficulty of finding enemies who deliberately hid in such remote areas.

However, Amelia held a kill list in her hand.
The kill list, which marked the hideouts of public enemies with almost no error, helped Amelia’s ‘hunt’ proceed smoothly.

Even after killing the Witch of the Scorching Sands, Amelia wandered through the desert, hunting down three more public enemies in succession.

‘I know I did wrong! But it didn’t have to come to this…!’

There was a public enemy who struggled to the end, trying to bite Amelia’s heel.

‘Hic! Hiiic! S-Save me…!’

There was a public enemy who lost the will to fight as soon as they saw Amelia’s skills and lost their life trying to escape.

But she killed them all.
Amelia, at least on the surface, did not hesitate.
Like a snowball that has started rolling down a slope, Amelia’s actions, having crossed the line she had drawn, no longer contained any hesitation.

She was fully aware of the consequences of her actions.
Taking the lives of others.
It was not just about the present, but about completely shattering the ‘hope’ that had continued for hundreds and thousands of years.

That realization gnawed at Amelia’s heart like poison.
The reason she didn’t hesitate was not because she felt no sensation or emotion.
It was because she was numb with guilt and sin, like a body part frozen to the point of necrosis.
Amelia condoned herself becoming emotionless, or appearing to be so.

“I heard a rumor that some witch was hunting down homunculi and public enemies on sight… was that you?”

And now, in front of Amelia, there was a witch who was calmly accepting death.
Her yellowish blonde hair, withered like a herb due to the nature of her self-healing magic.
The ‘Witch of Poisonous Herbs,’ whose lower body had scattered into flowers after a fierce battle with Amelia, gave a bitter smile as she leaned against a sand dune.

A series of fierce battles in a short period.
Amelia, who had not suffered any significant injuries while facing a total of three public enemies, had today.
Due to being cornered both psychologically and physically, she had allowed a painful blow.

“Cough!”

Amelia coughed violently, her one knee buckling.
Dark red clots of blood splattered on the sand.
It was because the intangible poison used by the Witch of Poisonous Herbs had already penetrated her body.

However, the outcome of the battle was clear.
The Witch of Poisonous Herbs had lost half of her body.
Thanks to the tenacious vitality of her spirit body, she was still alive, but she would die within ten minutes without any special measures.

On the other hand, Amelia was poisoned, but it was not a fatal wound.
Thanks to her autonomous defense, the poison had not spread to her major organs such as her heart, brain, and uterus.
Amelia barely managed to get up.

“……”
“I heard rumors that you were a fierce young lady like Tiferet. But this is…”

The Witch of Poisonous Herbs, Maylily, wore an expression that was beyond bewildered.
She had taken the lives of other witches under the guise of magic.
At the same time, she had not forgotten the resolve that she might lose her own life someday.

But this end was too different from what she had imagined.
She had expected to be pierced by the merciless gaze of an enemy, full of conviction that they had achieved justice.
Instead, she was facing a pathetic face that looked like it was holding back tears.

The most pathetic thing was herself, who had been miserably defeated by a novice who had not even properly prepared herself.
Perhaps she had been careless because of that indecisive attitude.
She had been making that face throughout the fight.

“What’s your name?”
“……”
“It’s your last journey, don’t be so stingy, and keep me company.”

Was that why she felt a hollow laugh instead of anger?
Maylily, on the contrary, felt drained and spoke in a playful tone.

She did not have the naive expectation that she would be spared.
Seeing that she was hunting even in such a state, there must be a story behind it.
Moreover, there were no facilities in this desert to heal a spirit body that was so damaged.

“…Amelia Marigold.”
“Oh my… that Marigold? The Perfume Witch? The Baroness?”

When Amelia nodded silently, Maylily was genuinely surprised.
Baroness Marigold was a carefree witch who sat in the back room of Gehenna, leisurely making perfumes.
She was not a belligerent witch who would actively participate in hunting, even if she came out to the mortal realm.

“…Yes.”

Meanwhile, Amelia found Maylily’s friendly attitude unfamiliar and awkward.
To come out with such an informal attitude to the person who was about to take her life.

Did she think she would be spared if she did that?
Or did she want to show a composed appearance at the very end?
Amelia was just perplexed because she could not understand or know either.

“The world has changed a lot while I was holed up… By the way, do you have a cigarette? Mine was in my pocket, but as you can see.”

Maylily pointed to her lower body, which had been crushed beyond recognition, and joked.
Amelia, while wary of her, took out a cigarette from her pocket, put it in Maylily’s mouth, and lit it with magic.
Maylily took a puff of smoke with the most satisfied expression in the world.

“Sss… haa… it’s been a while. Good. Local cigarettes should be moderately bad. Cigars are okay, though.”

Amelia wanted to run away immediately.
She was the one who survived to the end.
She was the one who won, but she was seized by a feeling of being overwhelmed and suppressed.
She didn’t want to talk anymore.

While feeling such discomfort and rejection.
Amelia realized that it had been a very long time since she had talked to someone.
It had also been a very long time since she had seen someone who did not show hostility towards her.

It was different from when she had lost her teacher and holed herself up in the cabin.
Unlike back then, when she had endured by suppressing everything, Amelia now knew what warmth was.
She knew how happy and precious it was to have conversations with others, to have happy times, and to feel a sense of togetherness.

Therefore, she also knew what loneliness was.
She felt it even more keenly.
Even in this uncomfortable conversation, she felt a small joy in a corner of her heart.

“So, why is the great Baroness Marigold wandering the mortal realm, hunting down public enemies?”
“I have no obligation to tell you.”
“That’s too much? It’s true that I’ve lived doing bad things… but I want to know why I have to die.”

At that moment, Amelia felt as if a cold blade had been plunged deep into her chest.
It was a sense of indebtedness for taking a life.
It was the guilt she had been trying to ignore.

She should have ended this conversation quickly.
When Amelia couldn’t say anything.

“You’re really… a girl who’s not good at talking…”

Amelia moved her lips as she watched Maylily, who was starting to doze off.

Even at this moment, she didn’t know what she was trying to say, or what she was trying to gain from this conversation.
Was she trying to dilute the sin of killing her by being the last companion of Maylily, a public enemy?

“If I don’t kill you… my precious person… will die.”

Maylily’s eyes, which had been flickering like the last embers of a burning cigarette, smiled.
The cigarette butt that fell from Maylily’s mouth scorched the flower petals that were blooming profusely at her feet.
She smiled at no one in particular.
After laughing for a while, Maylily opened her mouth.

“What? You’re just like me, aren’t you?”

Amelia’s body stiffened at the sharp mockery.
It was because she intuitively realized what she was trying to say.

Maylily, who had fought and killed three witches for magic.
Amelia, who was killing witches to pay for Siwoo’s life.
Maylily may have seen both as the same action, as they both took the lives of others for their own purposes.

“That’s…!”

It was a statement that she could have refuted sufficiently.
If she took the time and calmly refuted it, it was a shallow self-pity and criticism that she could have easily disproved.

No, perhaps Amelia was the only one who took it as criticism.
Maylily may have just said what she felt.
She may have just expressed her own impressions without any criticism or negative feelings.

“……”

But Maylily had already slumped her head.
She showed no movement at all.
Only sticky drops of blood fell from her half-open mouth.
Even if she made a desperate rebuttal, there was no way she would hear an answer.

The fight was over.
Amelia was the one who survived.

But Maylily, who died with a relieved smile despite not leaving anything behind in the end, and Amelia, who was just alive.
Amelia could not answer whether this could be called a victory or a success.

The rebuttal she could not utter twisted and twisted, and asked Amelia again.
It was something that was too much for Amelia, who was endlessly weak and had become weak.

Wasn’t this murder?
If only the results are discussed, what is the difference between the four public enemies that Amelia has killed and Amelia?

“I’d rather…”

If only she could end everything here.
If she could give up everything and close her eyes peacefully, like Maylily did.
Would this pain end?

Magic began to stir.
The particles that had occupied the area flickered like warning lights and gathered around Amelia.

When a witch surpasses the 15th level, magic and instinct become one.
Amelia’s magic was responding to her will to end it all.
To the intense self-abandonment that defied her survival instinct.
Amelia did not stop the flow.

She was too tired.
She just wanted to rest now.
That was all she had in mind.

“Wait a minute!!!!!!”

At that moment, someone jumped through the swirling particles with a voice of tremendous volume.
Like tackling someone who was trying to commit suicide on a rooftop, someone who wrapped their arms around her waist rolled with Amelia in the sand.

Of course, it was a very dangerous act.
Throwing oneself into magic of unknown origin, especially magic with clear killing power, was an act that could easily cost one’s life.
Amelia lay on the sand, staring blankly upwards.

“What are you trying to do?”

There was a witch with a youthful face.
Her deep blue eyes were looking at Amelia with concern, and her reddish-brown hair was long enough to reach her ankles, even though it was tied back in a braid.

“There will be good things in life. You have to cheer up!”

She looked like she was just finishing puberty, still studying the basic theories of magic among the apprentice witches.
But a mere apprentice witch could not break through Amelia’s magic.

“Don’t think bad thoughts and let’s go to my nest.”

Amelia tried to say something, but the reddish-brown-haired witch just grabbed Amelia’s arm and pulled her.
She didn’t know exactly who the other person was yet.

She might be one of the public enemies listed on the kill list.
But she didn’t care now.
Amelia followed the witch who had suddenly appeared and headed to her workshop.