Chapter 499 – #106_Perfume Tycoon (6)
#499
1.
Old Witch.
This refers to a witch who has existed for nearly a thousand years, even before the city of witches, Gehenna, was formed.
The creator of the city of witches, Duke Keter, who led the order of witch society.
Duke Erelim, head of the Truth and True Name Academic Conference, the largest school in Gehenna.
The ‘Witch of Revelation,’ the manager and guardian of the prophecy institution.
The ‘Witch of Verdure,’ who wanders around the world, living leisurely.
The ‘Witch of Time,’ who created her own cradle and shut herself inside.
The ‘Witch of Whispers,’ who still operates behind the scenes, causing all sorts of chaos.
The ‘Witch of Proverbs,’ who is currently missing but devoured countless witches in the past.
The ‘Witch of Aries,’ who was promoted to the head of Qliphoth but killed several public enemies and went into hiding.
Originally, the nine witches, including the Deep Sea Witch, were called Old Witches, but at this point, 300 years after Keter purged them, a total of eight remain, excluding her.
In fact, if you think about it, the title ‘Old Witch’ itself doesn’t mean much. If you look closely, it just means they’ve lived a long time.
Nevertheless, there are two reasons why they are objects of awe, even to public enemies.
First, the fact that they have not passed on their lineage for such a long time means that they possess exceptional talent.
In fact, with the exception of Lilith, whose witch name is not even known, all of them are Archmages, and if it weren’t for Keter, who is outside the norm, they would have been powerful figures vying for dominance in the era.
However, if they were simply strong, they would be admired, but not revered.
The fundamental reason why Old Witches are feared is that they are all witches who have survived in a cruel, dog-eat-dog era.
Before Gehenna existed, there was no concept of an outcast.
The concept of a public enemy is the same.
Since dismantling and taking the mark of another witch was the shortcut to climbing the hierarchy, it was very natural for them to kill each other.
After Keter began to claim to be the guardian of order, they each only protected their own territories, but it was undeniable that all the Old Witches were excellent warriors and had a completely different way of thinking from the current witches.
One of those witches, the Deep Sea Witch, who is known to be dead, was also a concern for Clef, who was going to seek her help.
If public enemies are called murderers or madmen, the Old Witches are monsters whose thoughts cannot be grasped.
Even if they were to talk through a ‘covenant,’ it was still unsettling.
“When is she coming?”
She is standing in the middle of the vast ocean, the most isolated place on Earth in the South Pacific.
Even people who don’t realize that 70% of the Earth’s surface is ocean will naturally nod their heads when they come here.
Even though she is high in the sky, all that is visible is the blue, undulating surface of the sea.
That’s understandable.
The place that Shalit Nukelavi, the Deep Sea Witch, designated as the meeting place was in the middle of the South Pacific, commonly known as the point of inaccessibility.
The closest uninhabited island is more than 2,000 km away in a straight line, and it is not even a shipping lane or flight path.
For that reason, it was a remote area where you could only feel a piece of civilization when a defunct artificial satellite or space launch vehicle was dropped from orbit.
Even Clef, an Archmage, had a hard time getting here.
“The promised time has already passed…”
It was annoying that she unilaterally notified her of the meeting place, and even though it had been 30 minutes past the scheduled time, the Deep Sea Witch had not even shown a shadow.
Considering that a witch’s eyesight, combined with such a wide-open view, can observe at least tens of kilometers, she would probably have to wait even longer.
However, she couldn’t go back empty-handed after coming all this way.
Annoyed, Clef crumpled the remote letter in her hand.
Then, a dark shadow appeared below the blue surface of the water.
Clef was speechless when she saw an object that created a rough splash of water like a whale rising at a magnificent 45-degree angle.
“……”
A streamlined body reminiscent of a whale, a vertical rudder and a watchtower that stood out like fins behind the flat upper deck.
The identity of the huge lump of metal that suddenly appeared was a submarine.
It was a modern piece of equipment that was not unfamiliar to Clef.
Submarines were often used for various illegal smuggling activities.
The problem was the size.
The large size, which at first glance looked to be over 100 meters, was clearly a military submarine.
She knew that a workshop had been built in the sea, but she never imagined that it would be a submarine.
Clef, who had entered the ship through the open hatch on the upper part, walked along a narrow passage, guided by a crew member.
Here, the crew member was, of course, not a human.
Although they were wearing ill-fitting Soviet-era military uniforms, they looked like a terrible result if they succeeded in crossbreeding humans and fish.
Fins that bulged out their backs and rose to their foreheads, dark green scales covering their skin.
Their eyes, which protruded like deep-sea fish, were covered with a cloudy nictitating membrane, and their fingers were connected by webbed feet, and their gills were constantly gaping and smelling fishy.
Every part of their body was so hideous that she wanted to kill them on the spot.
“T-t-this way…”
Guided by the crew member, who somehow managed to speak human language with a strange pronunciation, Clef looked around.
It was certain. This submarine had been converted into a witch’s workshop.
Unidentified tentacles, like internal organs, extended to each part of the pipe, supplying magic power, and the pulsating waves from all directions meant that the submarine itself was a kind of artifact.
After passing through the passage of the engine room, what appeared was an unexpectedly neat lounge.
If it had been about 50 years ago, it could have been compared to a nice hotel lounge, but unfortunately, it couldn’t hide the old-fashioned feeling because it couldn’t keep up with the changing trends.
On both sides, fish-men, who looked exactly like the crew member who had guided Clef, were lined up like vassals, and in the center, a witch with her legs crossed arrogantly was holding her chin up.
“Welcome to my kingdom, ‘Akula’.”
With eyes as deep blue as the deep sea, as her name suggests, and dark blue hair that was almost black, she spread her arms to express her welcome.
She looked younger than she thought.
However, feeling a sense of unease, Clef swallowed hard and was about to give a casual greeting.
“I can see that you are greatly impressed by my workshop. It’s an appropriate reaction. Anyone who witnesses such an overwhelming workshop would naturally have their heart shrink.”
“No…”
“I suppose so. 48,000 tons of underwater displacement. 172M in length, 23M in width. Isn’t it a scale worthy of the name of a submarine cruiser?”
Before she could even say anything, the Deep Sea Witch began to brag about her workshop.
She talked about how it could reach a diving depth of 5 km even with this size after being modified, how it was currently heading towards a depth of 2 km, how it had perfect internal facilities, and how it had stealth capabilities that could not be detected by radar or even fixed sonar.
She even told a behind-the-scenes story that she had secretly purchased it when the Soviet Union collapsed and modified it, and that it was armed with 20 intercontinental ballistic missiles with 10 MIRV nuclear warheads and the latest torpedoes that she had managed to obtain.
“……”
Clef, watching Shalit, who had been excitedly talking for almost 10 minutes, suppressed the urge to say, “What the hell are you talking about, you nerd?”
She shouldn’t be fooled.
This could be a high-level strategy to gain the upper hand by rambling on about useless things.
Clef barely swallowed her curse.
“It’s cool. It’s amazing. I get it, so please stop.”
“I still have 30 more minutes of explanation left…”
The Deep Sea Witch closed her mouth with a displeased expression.
Is this what an ‘Old Witch’ is?
No matter how hard she tried to think of it as part of a psychological warfare tactic, it was too different from her image.
Clef herself was often criticized for her childish personality, but this was like a kid showing off their toys.
“Let’s get to the point. We don’t have much time.”
“The point… Ah, is it about the covenant or something?”
“Yes, your predecessor Asmodeus risked his life to save you. It’s time to repay one life with one life. It’s time to keep the promise you made in Nukelavi’s name.”
Clef spoke of the reason why she had come here and the name of the male witch she wanted to kill.
Shalit, who had listened to the situation, lying sprawled on the sofa as if she had lost interest at once, pondered for a moment and then answered without any hesitation.
“So you want me to kill that man…”
“I refuse.”
“……”
“By the way, are men becoming witches these days?”
Clef felt her head spinning.
In fact, the person Clef had to take revenge on was Duke Tiferet.
However, the reason why she deliberately shifted the target to Shin Siwoo was because she had considered the possibility that the Deep Sea Witch might refuse a life-or-death battle, even if it was a ‘covenant.’
Therefore, she had only put forward the easy target, Shin Siwoo.
Also, if Duke Tiferet, who had realized the identity of the culprit, were to engage in a life-or-death battle with the Deep Sea Witch, that would also be according to her plan.
But to be rejected outright.
Clef asked in a cold voice.
“Why? As you’ve explained, Duke Keter isn’t moving. The opponent is a witch who has just entered the beginning of an Archmage. With your magic, it would be easy to kill him secretly, wouldn’t it?”
“It is true that my teacher received a favor from Asmodeus and made a covenant. But I hate fighting. And my teacher told me not to be reckless and die, but to live a long and thin life.”
Teacher?
The sudden appearance of that word made everything feel connected.
According to the literature, the Deep Sea Witch, who was said to have the dignity of a mature queen, was actually so young.
Of course, the witch in front of her was a full-fledged adult woman.
However, she lacked the maturity and experience that comes with age.
For an Old Witch who had lived for nearly a thousand years, her frivolous and flippant personality, and ultimately, her solemn tone that didn’t suit her at all.
“What’s your name?”
“L’Ryleh Nukelavi. As you might guess, I inherited the mark 10 years ago.”
The Deep Sea Witch she had struggled to find.
She was not an Old Witch in the true sense of the word.
The mark had already been passed on.
Moreover, she blatantly refused to cooperate, as if she had even heard the word covenant.
Clef’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.
The plan had gone awry. Then she could just choose the next best option.
It had only been 10 years since L’Ryleh became a witch, a precarious time to skillfully handle the inherited mark.
She couldn’t possibly have any combat experience.
What if she took her life here, stole the mark, and planned for the future?
“That’s an impious thought.”
When Clef came to her senses, she heard a chilling beast’s cry in her ear.
It sounded like a very low bass, and at the same time, it sounded like a high pitch that barely exceeded the audible frequency.
In the roar that chilled her heart as if an alien creature was licking her cheek, L’Ryleh spoke proudly.
“You’re going to start a brawl on my stage?”
This was a submarine.
At this moment, it was still diving deep into the sea.
No matter how powerful Clef was, she wouldn’t be so reckless as to start a fight with the ‘Deep Sea Witch’ in the middle of the deep sea.
She clearly showed that she had no intention of fighting by shaking off the magic power she had been about to raise.
Clef gritted her teeth at the situation that had become so twisted.
“It is right to bow your head with deep respect in the presence of the emperor, but you have revealed your impudent fangs, and you deserve to pay with your life. However, I will turn a blind eye this time.”
“Well, thank you very much.”
“It is the duty of a butcher, not an empress, to dirty her hands with a sword. However, it is the duty of an empress to treat even a benefactor who has a knife in her belly with respect and to fulfill the covenant.”
“Does that mean…?”
A bluish bead appeared on L’Ryleh’s palm and flew towards Clef.
“I bestow upon you my fishbowl. You should be able to handle the wicked man you mentioned as easily and secretly as you would eat a lunch set.”
At first glance, it was a small bead with no special features.
However, she felt an indescribably heavy and cold magic power condensed inside the bead, which was only the size of a fingernail.
That was to be expected.
This ‘fishbowl’ was the core artifact of the Deep Sea Witch’s magnetic magic.
“I’m grateful for this, at least.”
Although she did not receive direct help from the Deep Sea Witch, it was the best result considering her uncooperative attitude.
“Let me give you a piece of advice.”
L’Ryleh said to Clef, who was calming her pounding heart.
Advice?
Clef naturally thought it would be something like a precaution for handling the artifact.
“It is said that the love affairs of men and women are like a stormy sea. It may be a foolish choice to try to kill someone while being dominated by a moment’s impulse.”
As expected.
It was a stupid thing to say.
