City ​​of Witches 439

Chapter 439 – #92_Wandering(2)

#438

1.
As soon as Siwoo sensed the anomaly, he deployed his magic.

The magical waves reflected in his golden left eye were incredibly turbulent and uncontrollably vast, resembling a natural disaster.

Although he couldn’t pinpoint the exact situation, he unfurled his ribbon, embracing as many citizens as possible, and ran with Sharon.
The particles that fell like volcanic ash encroached upon the space they occupied, and the rampage only stopped when they reached the border of Tarot Town.

“What is this?”

The boundary shimmered as if divided by a barrier.
The scenery beyond the boundary was no longer the bustling Border Town where the festival had been held.
Instead, grotesquely distorted shapes and colors flickered like heat haze.
It was reminiscent of a world warped by a capricious god.

Siwoo was familiar with this phenomenon.
It was the randomization of space that had occurred when Bianca’s arrow and Siwoo’s spear had collided.

“Siwoo, Amelia…?”

Sharon was just as bewildered by the sudden situation.
However, before this catastrophe occurred, she had heard the name he had muttered.

Amelia Merrygold.
The Baroness of Gehenna, known as the Perfume Witch, and a woman with a somewhat complicated past.
Siwoo seemed to avoid mentioning her name, so she hadn’t pressed him for details, but she knew that Siwoo had been her exclusive slave and that there had been some kind of incident between them.

He was too dazed to answer Sharon’s question.
He was experiencing firsthand what happens when an incomprehensibly shocking event unfolds before your eyes.

Why would Amelia do this?

In principle, it is forbidden to use large-scale magic within Gehenna without an inner barrier.
Moreover, her magic had already been unleashed on thousands of citizens, and it didn’t stop there, it even warped space.

He didn’t know exactly what effects this space would have or what consequences it would bring, but if it was harmful to humans and a truly terrible disaster was unfolding,
Amelia’s treatment afterward could be easily predicted.

Banishment followed by public designation.
Or summary execution.

As the worst-case scenarios flashed through his confused mind, he realized what he needed to do immediately.
The important thing now wasn’t why it happened.
It was how to stop this incident with minimal damage.

He had to go in.
If there were people alive inside, he had to save them, and if Amelia was there, he had to stop her right away.

“Sharon, I’m sorry. I’ll explain later. I’m just going to go in for a bit.”
“What? You’re going in there?”

Sharon was startled.
She immediately spread her arms to stop Siwoo.

“No! You’re crazy to go in there!”
“It’s okay, I’ve experienced it before. It’s a randomized space.”
“Are you crazy? Does this look like just a randomized space to you?”

Sharon pointed to the boundary with her finger.
She too had seen the magic pouring from behind while helping to rescue people.
It was stopping everything.
People caught in it were frozen in place as if time had stopped, and countless flowers bloomed on the dirt floor and stone walls alike.

The phenomenon was not simply something that happened in a randomized space.
It was a large-scale magic newly established through an optimized system.
No matter how precious human lives were, Siwoo was even more precious to her.
She didn’t want to let him go.

“I know.”
“If you know, then what are you going to do!”
“I’ll get the people out first… and then stop her.”

Sharon knew it too.
If there were people inside, Siwoo would go in just for that reason.
Moreover, if someone who was clearly his former lover was caught up in some kind of accident, he would risk his life to save her.

But she didn’t know what kind of demonic realm was unfolding in front of them.
He would be the first to step into a labyrinth of unknown dangers.

“Siwoo!”

At that moment, a sharp voice called out to Siwoo loudly.
Turning around, he saw Countess Albiereo flying towards him, her skirt fluttering.

“Wait!”

A huge demonic realm suddenly appeared in Tarot Town.
As someone who had interacted with Amelia, Albiereo quickly realized who was responsible.
It was such a distinctive magic that any witch with a connection to the previous generation would quickly recognize it.

“Countess.”

Seeing Siwoo’s determined face, Albiereo thought she had done well to rush over.
She had almost lost her son-in-law.

“Don’t be reckless. A meeting has been called at the Tree of Sephiroth. Many nobles are discussing how to resolve this.”

It was such a serious matter, and since the highest-ranking witches of Gehenna had gathered, it was easy to grasp the situation.

“Going in now won’t do any good. Count Yesod is organizing the patterns of the randomized space. According to Count Kohav’s opinion, the randomization of the space has stopped and is entering a state of stabilization.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that we can observe the situation a little more and enter after preparing a definite response! The results show that this space does not harm ordinary humans yet.”

Only then could Siwoo ease the anxiety that had been building up.
There was no direct harm to the citizens.

That alone meant that the worst outcome had been avoided.
Not only were there no casualties, but it also meant that Amelia’s public actions were not yet confirmed.

“Then, what’s going to happen, Countess?”

Sharon also breathed a sigh of relief and asked Albiereo.

“Deneb, who attended in my place, will tell you the results of the meeting, so please, I beg you, don’t go in recklessly.”
“……”

Siwoo put a cigarette in his mouth.
His stomach was churning.
Only after gaining some composure did he start to wonder why Amelia had done this.

He had a vague feeling that the cause might be related to him.

“I’ll prepare to enter immediately if there’s a problem.”
“Okay, I know the situation is difficult, but calm down for now.”

He needed a red branch.
In the past, Siwoo, in an unconscious state, had been able to fly through the randomized space by using the distortion field.
Also, if the randomization pattern was organized, he could use it like a map of the labyrinth and use magic more safely inside.

Siwoo swallowed a sigh and looked at the other side of the shimmering boundary.

2.
Since the creation of Gehenna, there have been very few cases where so many nobles have attended a meeting so quickly.
Within 10 minutes of the incident, a total of 20 barons and 4 counts had responded to the summons.
It was practically all the nobles residing in Gehenna.

Whether they had been enjoying parties or not, they were all dressed in fancy attire, but the faces of those sitting around the round table were all serious.
Despite the fact that they had to leave their parties, none of them showed any signs of displeasure.

For the great witches who were born nobles, Gehenna was their home and their livelihood.
They were all on edge about this unprecedented incident.

However, even with so many people gathered, the meeting did not proceed.
Only Count Yesod, sitting next to Deneb, was analyzing the random patterns being transmitted from the crystal ball, using his expertise.

The protagonist who had convened the meeting had not yet appeared.
Amid the tense air, the door opened, and the witch everyone had been waiting for entered the hall.

-Tap tap tap

The sound of heels, unusually loud in the meeting room, drew attention.
Long, dark hair that reached her waist and eyes as white as snow.

The head of the Truth Designation Academic Conference, the largest school in Gehenna, and one of only three dukes.
The 24th-level great witch, Blanche Erelim.

She took her seat with her closest aide, Countess Yvonne Kohav.

As a witch, she was undeniably beautiful.
However, her aura was extremely alien.

Compared to other witches who showed some human traits, Duke Erelim was so devoid of life that one could believe she was a wax doll brought to life, and it seemed as if mercury flowed through her veins instead of blood.
She took her seat in front of the witches who had been waiting for her without changing her expression, and greeted them in a soft, yet still inorganic tone.

“First of all, I express my deep regret that this unfortunate incident has disturbed the great city of Gehenna amidst the chaos caused by the reckless actions of a public enemy.”

At those first words, Deneb’s face hardened.
With the single phrase “unfortunate incident,” Duke Erelim had made her opinion clear.
She already classified Baroness Merrygold as a potential threat.

“The reason for convening this emergency meeting is to gather your wisdom and discuss measures to quell the current unrest.”

And this was not just Duke Erelim’s personal opinion, but also an appeal to sway the opinions of the witches gathered here.

Just as capital is the root that supports power in the present world, magic is the root that supports power in Gehenna.
Duke Erelim, who had existed as a witch even before Gehenna existed and had reached the 24th level, had countless followers.
Just looking at this meeting room, more than a third of them belonged to her school.

After glancing at the witches in the room with her glass-like eyes, Duke Erelim immediately got to the point.

“Therefore, I propose to strip Baroness Amelia Merrygold of her title and banish her. If she refuses the request or does not respond to dialogue, she should be considered a public enemy and be subjugated.”

At the same time, a huge murmur spread throughout the meeting room.