City ​​of Witches 462

Chapter 462 – #98_Fragrance(3)

#461

1.
The newly acquired perfume shop is small.
Moreover, since there’s a bell on the front door of the first floor that makes a cheerful sound every time it’s opened and closed, it was more difficult not to notice a customer’s entrance.
That probably meant that the two were focused on each other.

“I knocked several times on the first floor, but there was no answer, so I apologize for the intrusion.”

The person who entered with a knock was a completely unexpected figure.
Countess Yvonne Kohab.

Her intellectual features, her ivory-tinged eyes like a café latte with more milk than coffee, are distinctive, but the most notable feature is her short bob.

Generally, orthodox witches have long hair.
The reason is not complicated.

Nowadays, everyone grows their hair, but even 200 years ago, beautiful long hair was a symbol of abundance and leisure only for bourgeois daughters or nobles. That’s because long hair takes a lot of time and effort.

Over time, the meaning of leisure that long hair itself had has faded, but it is still a preferred style for witches with long lifespans and old-fashioned traditions.
In that sense, Kohab’s dyed black hair is quite unique.

As soon as Kohab entered the room, she sensed a subtle atmosphere.
Amelia Merigold, whom she had previously interrogated, and Shin Siwoo, who had received a prosthetic arm.

The two were throwing ‘Why are you here?’ glances with awkward attitudes.

A man and a woman alone late at night, and in this kind of atmosphere…
Moreover, the male witch Shin Siwoo had walked into that chaos to get Amelia back.

Normally, one would have thought of the possibility that they might have interrupted a couple’s time, but such an option did not exist in Countess Kohab’s mind.

In the first place, Baron Merigold has a lover named Aveneu.
Their relationship is probably a master-servant relationship that has continued since Siwoo was still a slave.
She just thought of him as a very loyal slave and moved on.
In fact, she didn’t care much about their relationship, so she quickly dismissed the idle thoughts.

“What brings you here?”

To Amelia, who was subtly showing signs of wariness, Kohab opened her bag and replied.
Inside were various devices for adjusting the prosthetic arm.

“The implantation procedure isn’t finished yet. I heard from Baron Aveneu that you would be here.”
“Ah…”

After implanting the prosthetic arm, it was necessary to do check-ups and additional adjustments every other day, but as a result of Amelia and Siwoo’s impromptu trip, they missed it.
Siwoo also hadn’t heard about it in advance.

“It won’t take long. Please sit down.”

At those words, Amelia, who was relieved and showed a mix of complex emotions, and Shin Siwoo, who obediently rolled up his sleeve, relaxed their guard.
Amelia said she would prepare some tea and went downstairs, so only Kohab and Siwoo were left facing each other in the room.

“Thank you for your belated thanks. I heard you treated my arm.”
“It’s not treatment, it’s implantation. And the payment was made by Geminai. I’m just doing my job for the money I received.”

Countess Kohab replied to Siwoo’s greeting in a businesslike tone, taking out a pad that looked like an electrode and a long needle.
Her tone was cold, but there was no malice, so it seemed that this was her personality.
Siwoo was about to scream, having been slightly off guard.

“I’ll check. It’ll sting.”

Kohab said that and suddenly plunged a large, sharp, but thin needle into Siwoo’s hand.
The long needle, which was almost 30cm long, completely pierced his left hand.

“How much does it hurt?”

Come to think of it, it doesn’t hurt at all.
Not only that, but not a single drop of blood flowed.
Is it because it’s a prosthetic?
He swept away his chilled liver at the thought of such an extreme examination that he didn’t think was necessary and answered.

“It doesn’t hurt. It’s amazing.”
“It doesn’t hurt?”
“Yes.”
“Not even a little?”
“That’s right.”
“……”

Countess Kohab stared at the needle and then pulled it out.
Then, she raised her finger and lightly rubbed his palm.

“Does it tickle?”
“No, I haven’t had any sensation since I woke up?”

At those words, Kohab frowned.

“The sensory link should be almost finished. Have you used any intense magic since then?”

He had only gone on a short trip with Amelia and worked for a day at the factory, so he had not used any intense magic.
When he told the truth, Kohab’s expression was not good.

“Is there a problem?”
“Wait a moment.”

Kohab spread out a piece of parchment with a magic circle drawn on it on the desk and placed Siwoo’s hand on it, tilting her head.
Siwoo was getting anxious.
He wished she would consider how much of a burden such a gesture from a doctor is to a patient.

“The link isn’t working at all. Why…”
“Please tell me what’s going on.”

Kohab, who was surprised by Siwoo’s calm demeanor, calmly explained this anomaly.

Countess Kohab’s magnetic magic is a magic that utilizes ‘dolls’.

Just as in various myths, humans are made by molding clay, Kohab’s dolls are made by baking clay.
Kohab, who can create ‘ceramic prosthetics’ that are not lacking compared to the human body and even have more functions, could easily make a prosthetic arm, not a complex organ.

“After 48 hours after implantation, it should have already fused as part of the spirit body. I’ve reconstructed everything from the skeleton to the major blood vessels, muscles, and magic circuits.”

Even if the bodies of men and women are different, their arms and hands would not be different.
She must have successfully completed the implantation as usual, and the test results were also normal.
Except for one thing.
The sensory link was not working.

“The fact that the sensation has not yet recovered even though the same procedure was performed under the same conditions does not seem to be my problem. Have you felt any abnormal symptoms in your body recently?”
“I sometimes get headaches when I use magic?”

After fighting Bianca for his life.
Siwoo’s magic had greatly improved.
But since then, whenever he tried to use high-level magic, he would feel a throbbing headache.
At that time, he thought that his head was just not keeping up with his excessively improved skills…

“Let’s watch it for now. At least there are no problems in the tests. Next time, you should come to my mansion yourself. In five days.”
“Okay.”

Kohab, who had organized the items she had laid out on the table, was about to leave when she suddenly remembered something and asked.

“Do you know Duke Errelim?”

It was a random question that had nothing to do with the treatment.

“No. This trial was the first time I saw him in person.”
“…I see.”

By the time Amelia had brewed tea, Kohab had already finished her business.
Because Kohab declined the tea and left, Amelia and Siwoo were alone again.

“Siwoo…”

The look of a wary puppy.
Amelia called Siwoo’s name in a voice that felt endlessly young, unlike usual.

Even when sitting on the sofa, she sat with her knees together, and her two hands were folded in between.

She was worried.
The reason Kohab came here was because Amelia had hurt Siwoo’s arm, and that immediately made her reflect on her mistake.

“She said there’s nothing wrong. She told me to come back in five days.”

Understanding Amelia’s feelings, Siwoo took the lead before she could dwell on bad thoughts alone.

“The treatment is going well, and she said that even though it’s a prosthetic, it’s practically no different from a new arm.”
“……”

But even at those words, Amelia did not relax and say, ‘That’s a relief.’
She didn’t smile either.
She just nodded sadly with a wounded expression, without saying anything.

At that moment, a loud bell rang on the first floor.
Shortly after, the sound of quick footsteps climbing the stairs followed.
The door burst open with a familiar sound of footsteps.

“Siwoo!”

The footsteps were familiar.
The pink hair and familiar shadow that rushed in as soon as the door opened belonged to none other than Eloa.

Eloa, who had left to investigate the Gobi Desert after hearing from Teacher Sua.
When she contacted Teacher Sua after discovering suspicious activity, she heard about the chaos that had occurred in Gehenna.
She also heard that Siwoo was involved.

Eloa’s choice was obvious.
As soon as she returned to Gehenna, she came to find Siwoo without even changing her clothes.
Albiereo’s words that his condition was fine now, and the etiquette that she shouldn’t barge into someone else’s house, were not in Eloa’s mind.

Only the duty to confirm that her disciple and lover, Siwoo, was okay.

“You again! How can you be so eager to do dangerous things when I just take my eyes off you for a moment!”
“T, Teacher…!”

Eloa hugged Siwoo tightly without warning.
And then, a barrage of scolding and affectionate nagging began, like a machine gun.
Perhaps because it had happened twice in a short period of time?
Her tone was sharper than usual today.

‘If you just jump in recklessly when something happens, even I wouldn’t survive!’
‘If you’re going to be reckless, relying only on your meager skills, you might as well live as a coward!’

The scolding, which was at a level that she would never usually say, suddenly stopped.
And then, a sobbing voice, barely squeezed out, was heard.

“If something happens to you… what am I supposed to do…”

Eloa, who was about to share a reunion kiss with Siwoo, unable to overcome her heightened emotions, was startled.
Because of her narrowed vision, she finally saw the person she hadn’t noticed.

The abundant and thin light blonde hair that would quickly become disheveled if not taken care of.
The pale blue eyes trembling under her elegant and thin eyebrows.

It was Amelia, whom she had faced by forcing Deneb when she heard the news that Eaga had been defeated.
At the same time, she was also the one who had caused a large-scale incident in Tarot Town this time, involving Siwoo.

“…Baron Merigold.”

At Eloa’s words, spoken in a daze, Amelia flinched.
She didn’t even have time to correct her that she was no longer a baron.

Amelia is not a fool.

She could tell that Duke Tiferet, who had been in the mortal realm, had rushed back because he had heard the news that Siwoo was in danger.

As the person who had put Siwoo in danger, she couldn’t bring herself to correct Eloa’s title.

Even if Eloa had no malice, her presence, the reason she returned, and the wrong title became a sharp awl of self-reproach, tearing at Amelia’s heart.

Amelia bit her lip.

Should I go out for a while?
Should I step aside for their reunion?
Or should I apologize to the ‘lover’ Duke Tiferet for putting Siwoo in danger?
Or should I sit here and have a conversation with them?

Perhaps the last one would be the most reasonable.

She had heard in advance that Duke Tiferet and Siwoo were lovers in Siwoo’s complicated love life.
However, knowing it in her head is not the same as seeing it in person.

She couldn’t calmly stay in her seat.
Above all, compared to Amelia and Siwoo, who had just begun to get to know each other, the two seemed too close.
Even though this lodging was Amelia’s, she felt like an uninvited guest.

Is this jealousy towards Duke Tiferet, possessiveness towards Siwoo, a sense of defeat for falling behind, or simply the inertia of a bad habit of wanting to avoid a difficult situation?

“I’ll… get some tea.”

Amelia, who repeated the words ‘I’ll get some tea’ in response to Siwoo’s call from behind.
In the end, she was so pathetic for choosing to run away with such an obvious excuse.
Amelia just wanted to cry.