#62
“Oh my.”
“This is a big problem.”
Stepping into the Latifundium of the Yeongsan Gorge, what greeted them were the remnants of vegetation ravaged by destructive force.
Nearly half of the once-beautiful old trees were either irreparably damaged or broken.
The extent of the damage was so severe that they gave up on calculating the losses the moment they saw it with their own eyes.
Fortunately, it was the off-season, so the damage to the crops wasn’t too significant, but the trees that were supposed to grow mushrooms were in this state…
“We’ll have to pull out the old trees that have already lost their production function and bring new trees from Yeongsan to plant.”
“Duke Keter might make a fuss.”
“Really? Would that man even care about such a small matter?”
Despite the immense damage, Albireo and Deneb remained calm.
If the magic tool business, the foundation of Gemini Corp., had been damaged, it would have been a different story, but in the face of the Gemini family’s financial power, which extended to modern times, this level of loss was a minor issue that could be recovered in a week.
In the first place, they were witches who wouldn’t risk their lives for a single gold coin.
Therefore, the reason they had personally come here was not to assess the damage.
“How is it? Can you sense any distortion?”
“I’m still searching. Same here.”
It was to uncover the cause of the ‘mana twist phenomenon’ that had been observed in Yeongsan recently.
Mana twists, which destabilize the mana in the atmosphere and cause various anomalies, generally occur for two reasons.
One is a natural mystical phenomenon, like a waterspout that forms over the sea.
The other is when magic that interferes with space is activated, or when space itself is distorted.
“It stinks, but the ‘kernel’ is nowhere to be seen.”
Deneb, who hadn’t even blinked at the sight of the devastated farmland, wrinkled her nose.
The barrier of the otherworld that constructs Gehenna is near perfect.
It is the pinnacle of a fully autonomous barrier formation that adjusts and changes in response to all external variables.
It was a large-scale barrier that Duke Keter, not just any witch, had personally designed and was in charge of.
In Gehenna’s 600-year history, there had never been a single instance of a hole appearing due to an error in the barrier itself.
So, what is the reason for the holes appearing?
“I don’t even have time to research magic, and they’re bothering me. That’s why I hate those exiles.”
It was when ‘exiles,’ who had been stripped of their citizenship, were trying to sneak into Gehenna by creating ‘kernels.’
Gehenna guaranteed maximum freedom and rights to the city’s witches, but exiles were an exception.
Those who killed over a hundred humans in cruel experiments to increase their rank, or who stole the marks of other witches, were strictly prohibited from entering according to Gehenna’s citizenship laws.
That’s why they intentionally used the characteristics of homunculi, who could cross the otherworld, to dig these loopholes.
And that homunculus, which was also used as a key, almost killed Odile and Odette.
Thinking about that made even a gentle countess furious.
“Let’s catch them and kill them.”
“Good idea.”
To dare cause such a ruckus in my Count’s territory, and even endanger an apprentice witch?
There’s no way I can forgive that.
It was only pushed to the back of my mind because the immediate priority was to repair the kernel before more exiles or lost commoners could cross over.
After all, once the kernel is closed, any exiles who have crossed over will be like rats in a trap.
“It’s not the Latifundium side, but the spirit mountain?”
“How deeply did they hide it?”
Albiereo grumbled, extending her magical senses in all directions, and spoke to Deneb.
“By the way, Deneb, what are we going to do about our little darlings? I told you we should have managed them earlier.”
“Do you think they’d listen if we told them?”
“Still, this time was dangerous. If it weren’t for that heroic slave, they might have suffered something terrible by now.”
“Hmm~ But we can’t keep them as hothouse flowers forever. They need to experience these dangers to grow. That’s why you turned a blind eye when our darlings secretly went to Tarot Town, right?”
“That’s true. I should gift them some useful combat artifacts.”
“That’s a good idea.”
As the conversation about the twins’ treatment passed, the topic of Siwoo naturally came up.
“What about his reward?”
“He probably didn’t know anything, right?”
“There’s no way a mere slave would know.”
I’m proud that I’ve raised the twins to be more upright than anyone, even if they’re still naive and don’t know much about the world.
If he’s a man that the twins clearly follow so well, he can’t be a bad person.
If that’s the case, even if he’s a slave, he’s probably one of the ‘missing’.
“……..”
“…How pitiful.”
Albiereo fell silent at Deneb’s words.
“How about we offer him a different reward? If he doesn’t like being a slave, we could take him in as a guest of the family.”
“Definitely. If he misses the modern world, we could have him guide our darlings when they go out to play later.”
“Still, his own wishes are the most important.”
Even if he returns to the modern world as he is, it probably won’t be the life he was expecting… but even the governor of Pyongyang can quit if he doesn’t like it.
“Let’s ask him again.”
“Separately, I’ll also prepare materials to persuade Baron Amelia. Even if he insists on going to the modern world after we explain the situation, we’ll help him settle down.”
“Good. We need to give him that much in return to save face. Would ten million dollars be enough?”
While having these kinds of conversations, Albiereo and Deneb continued to fly in search of the kernel.
2.
Freedom.
What a sweet sound it is.
Siwoo, who had returned home after getting off the twins’ carriage, couldn’t hide his excitement.
In just a little while, he would finally be able to enjoy the rights he should have had as a modern person, not a slave.
“FUCK Gehenna, FUCK witches. A city for witches? It’s all BULL SHIT.”
Siwoo hummed a rap he had made up on the spot.
After a while of getting hyped up, he suddenly felt a sense of emptiness.
For five years of slavery, he had lived only for escape, only looking forward to escape.
But this situation is…
It was like finding out that you had another year left in your tedious and difficult military service, but then the president suddenly took office and shortened the service period, and you were discharged overnight.
It felt like I had suddenly lost my way.
The emptiness that comes after the joy of liberation might be inevitable.
I studied the academic discipline of magic, something I had never seen before, stayed up late, spilled nosebleeds on paper, and was captivated by the beauty and mystery that only magic could offer.
All those experiences are already starting to be romanticized.
“Shit, what do I do? I’m already getting nostalgic.”
This is a problem.
If this keeps up, I might end up thinking things like, ‘Even though Amelia was a pain in the ass, she had her cute moments’ later on.
“But will Amelia let me go?”
A sudden surge of anxiety made Siwoo shake his head.
That was too self-conscious.
Amelia is a witch who has lived for 150 years, and Siwoo is just a mere slave.
And wasn’t it clearly established before that Amelia had no feelings for Siwoo?
Since the Zemernai Count’s family is directly involved in the negotiations, they will prepare conditions that Amelia will find acceptable.
Looking at the sky, the sunset was already beginning to fade.
The first person Siwoo looked for was Takasho, who was loitering near the caretaker’s quarters, smoking a cigarette.
“Oh, my lord, you’ve arrived?”
As soon as Takasho saw Siwoo, he clasped his hands together, bowed deeply, and rushed over.
Siwoo chuckled at Takasho’s comical appearance.
“Takasho, let’s have a drink for old times’ sake.”
“What, did you finally get laid?”
Siwoo, pulling Takasho, who reacted as expected, went into his quarters.
3.
“…Anyway, that’s what happened.”
Cheap wine and dried fish jerky.
Sitting on the floor, sharing drinks, Siwoo spent about an hour explaining everything that had happened so far.
How he had been studying magic to escape.
What happened with the twins… he left out the 19+ rated episodes.
And finally, how he received a guarantee from the Zemernai Count that he would be returned to the modern world.
Takasho, who had been listening to Siwoo with his arms crossed, suddenly jumped up and put him in a headlock.
“Ack! Ack! Hey, what are you doing!”
“You bastard, you’re supposed to be my friend, why do you hide so much?”
“That’s why I’m telling you now! Let go! You’re so damn strong!”
Takasho was surprisingly a man of great strength.
Takasho released Siwoo, who was almost exhausted from the pressure on his temples.
Siwoo grabbed his throbbing head and glared at Takasho.
Takasho downed a glass of wine and cleared his throat.
“So… are you going to go?”
“I have to. I can ask for you too. If you heard, you know I did a pretty big thing. You’re not a full-time slave like me, and you belong to the city hall, so it won’t be complicated.”
“Really?”
Takasho looked rather disappointed.
Siwoo wasn’t exactly happy either.
He had grown closest to him during his five years of slavery.
And they probably wouldn’t see each other again.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll stay here.”
“Is that so? I wish you could come with me.”
“You’re just saying that, you haven’t even mentioned it to the Count yet.”
Takasho sat down on the bed and chuckled.
In fact, Takasho liked life here more than life in the modern world.
Siwoo didn’t bother to mention Takasho’s situation to the Count first because he knew that Takasho wouldn’t want to go back.
“If you’re gone, who am I going to go to the bar with on my days off, sigh.”
“You can go with your favorite witch.”
This must be sudden news for Takasho.
Siwoo, who he thought would be his friend for life, was going back to Earth alone, so it must be quite a shock.
Even though he must be anxious about being left alone in Gehenna, Takasho genuinely congratulated Siwoo.
With tears in his eyes, he hugged Siwoo and patted him on the back.
“Still, it’s good. It’s really good. You’re smart, unlike me, so you’ll do well out there.”
Even though it was almost exactly what he expected, his nose tingled for some reason.
“Hey, I used to call you a Jap every day, but you know I didn’t mean it, right? Thank you so much for everything. If it weren’t for you, I would have been caught trying to escape and dragged to the docks a long time ago.”
“I was glad to have someone to talk to.”
After the warm, manly hug, Takasho was making a face, trying to hold back his tears.
“Hey, are you crying?”
“Siwoo.”
Takasho gulped down some wine, took a breath, and then said,
“If I were to be magically transformed into a cute girl, and become a witch who can freely go outside…”
Takasho smiled brightly.
Sparkling tears.
“I’ll definitely find you and give you a good suck.”
Siwoo felt goosebumps rise.
No lie, Takasho was scarier than the homunculus from earlier.
“Stop talking nonsense and let’s drink.”
“Yeah, cheers!”
They needed a lot of alcohol today to share all the stories they had and the stories they wouldn’t be able to share in the future.
Suddenly, Takasho spoke up.
“Hey, but it just occurred to me. What if Amelia doesn’t let you go after all this trouble?”
“Then, well, I’ll have to start studying magic again.”
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
“What’s so bad? I can just stay a little longer.”
As they watched the sun set, the friendship between the two men deepened.
