City ​​of Witches 621

## Chapter 621 – #126_Desert Night

#621

1.
Deneb’s research was swift.
Having grasped the concept of sensory linking, wouldn’t it be a matter of simply blocking it?

The reason she hadn’t noticed it until now was simply due to a lack of preparation. Once she began her research, she mastered the technique of severing the link in just half a day.

However, that doesn’t mean things are progressing smoothly.
In fact, the real problem starts now.

She managed to create the conditions for a secret rendezvous with him without informing her sister, but ultimately, there’s an insurmountable wall between them.

Even if she openly demanded a relationship, there’s no way Siwoo would accept it, right?
Even if she collaborated with Count Yesod to use the mirror, the difference in inner sensations would be immediately obvious.

“Haa…”

How did things end up like this?

Every time she sees him playing affectionately with the twins, her conscience stabs at her heart.
Self-loathing and self-reproach.

Deneb, biting her lip, gazes out the window at Shin Siwoo, who is packing his luggage and preparing to leave for the mortal realm.

2.
Lürie, with her herbal medicine treatment, recovered her magic circuit earlier than expected.
Having fully regained her 23rd-tier power, she wanted to challenge the trial without delay.

She claims that she wants to regain her true power as the Queen of the Deep Sea and show those arrogant blond and pink-haired girls what’s what…
But even for Lürie, could she really stand a chance against those two?

Not to mention her master, Amelia has also experienced all sorts of battles while traveling the mortal realm.

However, Lürie isn’t one to listen if someone tries to stop her, and if it motivates her, she might try harder in the trial, so I left her be.

Anyway, I heard and saw the twins and Lürie exchanging friendly greetings as they came to see him off.

“When I return, I will surely ride a horse again. And then, I will surely defeat you.”
“Challenges are always welcome.”
“Have a safe trip. And bring back lots of gifts when you come back.”
“I have received generous hospitality, so as a queen, I must repay it. Do not worry.”

Odile and Odette and Lürie got along better than expected.
They were almost always together, playing like friends who had been together since childhood.
Watching the three of them hugging each other with warm smiles, the twins approached Siwoo after finishing their greetings.

“Assistant, don’t get caught up in any strange incidents this time, and stay healthy.”
“That’s right! If you think something is dangerous, you should run away?”

Odile and Odette came running like well-behaved puppies and hugged him tightly.

“Yes, don’t worry. Odile and Odette, please wait patiently. I’ll definitely buy you gifts.”

He subtly avoided the gaze of the eldest mother-in-law, who was looking at him with disapproval, and stroked their heads.
Then, he exchanged a light kiss with Sharon as a farewell.

“Siwoo, be careful not to get hurt? I don’t need any gifts, just come back safely.”
“I told you, you don’t have to worry so much. Master is going with me…”
“Still, I’m worried about the mortal realm.”

He had already said goodbye to Amelia, who had been incredibly busy lately, last night, so now all that was left was to leave.
Albiereo, with an even more displeased expression, pushed the twins’ backs.

“Alright, alright, you two cuties. Let’s go back to class. Sharon, I’m leaving them in your care.”
“Ugh, can’t we rest on a sad day like today?”
“Studying… I hate it…”

Watching the twins wave goodbye until the very end with a warm smile, Albiereo grumbled.

“What a lavish send-off. You must be thrilled.”
“Indeed.”

The eldest mother-in-law still dislikes Siwoo because of recent events, but it seems that his efforts to secure funds have earned him some points.

“Don’t do anything foolish that would worry the twins, and come back safely.”

He was able to receive this much encouragement.
Albiereo leaned in and whispered.

“If you bring back another new woman this time, I swear I’ll hold a funeral for you.”
“I, I will keep that in mind.”

Well, it seems he still wasn’t trusted…

He could see his master pulling her suitcase in the distance, so it could be said that preparations for the trip to the mortal realm were complete.

3.
10,000 gold pounds in donations for Lürie’s citizenship acquisition.

In fact, if she were to empty a portion of Akula’s treasure vault, she could easily secure that amount without even having to overcome the trial.

However, Siwoo had to secure it himself to pass the eldest mother-in-law’s test.
Having been around the wealthy, he had become somewhat numb to the value of money, but it was still a large sum of money, equivalent to 8 billion Korean won.

While he was looking for a good way to do it, Takasho came with some fantastic news.

‘Brother, I’ve found a good way to make money.’

It was unexpected.
He had asked for help in a hurry, but he hadn’t expected to receive help so quickly.

As the madam of Rose Glass, where all sorts of wealthy witches gather, Takasho had a lot of high-end information, and she was also able to obtain reliable information through her connections.

‘A witch I know well passed this on to me. It’s a secret deciphering of a divine revelation from the prophecy agency, you know? I thought you might be able to make good use of it.’

The information Takasho had obtained was a prophecy about the location where a named homunculus was sleeping.
The details provided were quite detailed, making it hard to dismiss as mere rumors.

Its name was ‘The Labyrinth Demon’.
As the name suggests, it resembled the bipedal bull Minotaur from Greek mythology, and it was said to be a homunculus with 13 pairs of eyes that had disappeared for a while after its last appearance about 200 years ago.

The magnetic magic it uses is ‘Labyrinth’, which creates a labyrinth-like otherworld barrier.

In the past, Siwoo would have run away at the mere sight of it, but now he judged that it was worth hunting.
And with his master’s help, safety would be guaranteed.

Unless there was a suitable way to make money, there was no better way than a homunculus raid.
It was a legitimate means to be recognized by the eldest mother-in-law.

Therefore, after sending Lürie back to Akula first, he headed to the prophesied location alone with his master.

Their destination was the Karakum Desert, which covers 70% of the total area of Turkmenistan in Central Asia.
It was a sandy desert famous for the ‘Gates of Hell’, where exposed natural gas fields burn fiercely all year round.

Siwoo and Eloa were headed to a completely uninhabited area, far from the Gates of Hell, where tourists rarely venture.

The time until the scheduled appearance was short, so it was a relentless travel route.

Even if it was a ‘gate’ of Gehenna, it wasn’t possible to teleport directly to various places around the world.
At least, a clean and wide body of water that could be called a river was needed.

Therefore, they took a light aircraft from the Atyrau Airport near the Caspian Sea to a nearby area.
Now, they were riding in his master’s beloved car, which had been prepared in advance, and were crossing the desert after driving for half a day.

In just one day, he had come to Central Asia, a place he had never been before, taken a light aircraft he had never ridden before, and was now crossing the desert in a badass-looking jeep. It was quite an eventful journey.

The outside temperature was 43 degrees Celsius, which was hard to believe for April.
Even with the air conditioning blasting in the car, if it weren’t for the heavily tinted windows, sweat would have been dripping from the sun.

There was no paved road in such a remote desert, so they had to drive over the bumpy surface, scattering a dusty sandstorm.
On either side, there were withered grasses due to the dry season, the fierce sun, and sand dunes that stretched to the horizon, shimmering in the heat haze.

“Could you hand me the map? I’m not sure if we’re in the right area.”
“Here you go. Would you like some water?”
“I’m fine.”

Even though Siwoo offered to do it, his master, who insisted on sitting in the driver’s seat, exuded the aura of a lawless wanderer in the wilderness.
Wearing a windbreaker and scarf to protect herself from the sandstorm, and slightly oversized sunglasses, she skillfully changed gears and maintained the stability of the high car body.

“It’s been a while since it’s just the two of us.”
“Indeed.”

Eloa, having heard about Siwoo’s situation, had willingly agreed to accompany him.
She was trying her best to restrain her lips from curving up in a frivolous smile.

On the surface, it was a measure to protect Siwoo, who was trying to venture into the mortal realm alone.

Thanks to the efforts of Eloa and the branch managers of the Location Points, things had stabilized to some extent, but the mortal realm was still a powder keg full of dangers. Especially the Middle East and Central Asia, which were almost out of reach of the Location Points’ surveillance, were lawless zones.

However, such anxiety was greatly reduced if Eloa was with him.

Moreover, after comparing the document Eloa had received with the Location Points DB, it turned out that the information had indeed been leaked in secret.
It was highly likely that his friend Takasho had bought the valuable information to help Siwoo.

If that was the case, the chances of other witches suddenly flocking to the middle of the desert or having to compete with other witches for subjugation would be significantly reduced.

In the first place, the Labyrinth Demon itself was a homunculus that had survived for a long time with its magnetic magic, which was more specialized in evasion and concealment than its inherent strength.
With his magic eye, he wouldn’t be fooled by such tricks, so if he were to evaluate it calmly, Siwoo would easily defeat it.

If so, all that was left was to enjoy the trip with a slightly relaxed mindset.
It was also a pleasant thing to have such squabbles with his lovers and compete for the seat next to him, but there was no reason to dislike a date alone.

It was also the reason why Eloa, who used to wander the mortal realm and mostly travel on foot and sleep outdoors, had taken out the jeep that had been sitting in the warehouse for a long time.

As a result of hurrying, there was still a day or two left until the scheduled appearance time, so they could spend some time cuddling while watching the beautiful desert night sky and fall asleep in his arms.

That was why Eloa had even hidden the bunny girl outfit she wore on the harvest festival deep in her suitcase.
However, Eloa’s expectations were shattered sooner than she thought.

“Hmm?”

As the jeep easily climbed over a 40-degree sand dune, an oasis, hollowed out like a basin in the middle of the sand dune, came into view through the front window.
The desert was welcoming the night under the setting sun, casting long shadows.

The area around the almost dried-up oasis was bustling with people preparing to camp in various tents and camping cars connected to pickup trucks.

And not just one or two, but dozens of them.
Considering their beauty and the fact that this was a land of death where even nomads didn’t roam, they were all clearly witches.

If it was confidential information that had deciphered the prophecy agency’s divine revelation, as Takasho had said, there was no way so many people would have gathered.
Both Siwoo and Eloa were taken aback.

“How did this happen?”
“Wait here. I’ll go check the situation.”

Eloa jumped out of the jeep to check the situation first.