Chapter 706 – #142_The Witch Of The Golden Flower (2)
#706
1.
Dorothy, of course, had no idea that Siwoo had fallen into a kidnapping within a kidnapping, a kidnap-ception.
She was busy wandering around Hexennacht on her own.
“Who would have thought the great Dorothy would end up doing this kind of thankless service?”
The code for the ‘door’ she had promised to provide Siwoo.
She had to run around until sweat soaked her cleavage just to obtain the magic formulas currently managed by three different witches.
Although they were said to be strictly managed for the sake of maintaining Hexennacht’s secrecy, the managers were, after all, public officials.
Dorothy knew better than anyone how easily public officials would abandon the public good for personal gain.
It meant that if you slipped them some money and asked for the data, they would eventually spill the beans.
However, although she had spoken to Siwoo as if it were nothing, her actions were risky for Dorothy.
If Siwoo and the other hostages succeeded in escaping using the door’s magic formula, Dorothy would immediately become a suspect.
If they weren’t fools, they would cast a suspicious eye on Dorothy, who had unnaturally contacted the three witches managing the door in such a short period, and the investigation would turn that suspicion into certainty.
In that case, the charges would be something like stealing or leaking top-secret information within the city.
If Dorothy, who was already a public figure, turned her back on Hexennacht, she would truly have nowhere to turn.
Like the ancient witch, ‘The Witch of Aries,’ who was once appointed as the leader of Qliphoth but instead killed several public officials and went into hiding.
“This is why you need to meet a good man…”
Although Dorothy was engaging in a losing proposition, there was no sign of complaint on her face as she grumbled discontentedly.
He was already her benefactor, having saved her life as a witch.
On top of that, he had done her the favor of safely incorporating her cute niece, Rurue, into Gehenna.
As a seeker witch, wasn’t this much risk a fair price for a life?
“Oh, geez… I’m telling lies I don’t even mean again.”
Dorothy smiled wryly as she pondered.
As she had already said, she was too smart to be fooled by her own lies.
Dorothy had quietly shut down her arms dealing business in response to Siwoo’s complaints about it when they first met.
The reason was that she wanted to see Siwoo’s surprised and delighted face when they met again, saying, ‘Really? Because of me?’
Although, she hadn’t been able to bring it up when they actually reunited.
This time was similar.
When Siwoo found out that Dorothy had turned her back on Hexennacht for his sake, his heart would be filled with a sense of burden and guilt.
For a soft-hearted man like Siwoo, this kind of debt was more effective than simple gratitude.
Then, even if she was a public figure…
‘I got screwed trying to do you a favor. Waaah.’
‘I’m so sorry.’
‘No~ It’s okay. It was all for you.’
‘Is there any way I can compensate you?’
‘Well, how about you acknowledge me as your local wife?’
‘Of course, I will!’
‘Ohoho!’
‘Ahaha!’
She might be able to claim the rights of a local wife in that way…
That was the real intention mixed in with her thoughts.
“I’m such an idiot.”
Dorothy sighed deeply after discovering the flower garden blooming brightly in her head through her cold analysis.
How was this any different from a woman who takes out loans to lend her bad-boy boyfriend a large sum of money, expecting praise for ‘doing so well’?
She couldn’t help but sigh at the realization that this was the way of thinking of the foolish women who get taken advantage of by bad men every single day.
And she sighed even more at the fact that she was the one doing it.
“Haa…”
Anyway.
She had quickly obtained two of the three magic formulas she needed to collect.
Of course, she had to use a huge amount of cash for it, but Dorothy, who had become a cash-rich person due to shutting down her business, could afford it.
The problem was that the ‘Many-Faced Witch,’ who managed the last magic formula, was away.
Since she couldn’t talk to the person in charge, she couldn’t use any backhanders or bribes.
She had some time to kill until the witch returned to Hexennacht in two days.
Since she had this free time, she decided to use it wisely.
She decided to inform Gehenna about his safety and condition through Rurue, her communication channel.
“I do want to see him once before I go…”
It hadn’t been long since she had seen Siwoo, but she wanted to see him again.
However, she had only received two chances to see him in exchange for overlooking Linne’s indecent behavior of showing her butt in front of Siwoo while drunk.
She couldn’t waste the opportunity since she had to deliver the magic formula next time they met.
“Well, he’s probably doing fine.”
When she first heard the rumor that he had been kidnapped, her heart had almost dropped, but he seemed to have settled into a relatively stable position with his unique, swallow-like moves, so she decided there was no need to shake the tree and increase suspicion.
Dorothy, who hadn’t had time to leisurely smoke her favorite cigars lately, put her beloved double-cut cigarette in her mouth and headed to the Dignity Town immigration office.
The immigration office, which looked like a large port, was crowded with numerous witches.
All the witches carrying large suitcases were people waiting to enter the country.
As Hexennacht prospered, the number of public officials and exiles who came to rely on it had increased significantly.
Could it be said that Gehenna’s exclusionary and rigid exile policy had backfired?
Even the neutral exiles who had initially looked at Hexennacht with suspicion were gathering one by one to obtain citizenship.
On the other hand, the path to the mortal realm was quite deserted, but the security checks were much more stringent.
Since many public officials were involved in underground economic activities such as smuggling and human trafficking, the thoroughness of the checks was beyond words.
First, there was an artifact installed that thoroughly searched not only the outside of the body but also the inside.
When undergoing this examination, no magical reaction was allowed, making magical concealment nearly impossible, and items whose origins could not be proven could not be taken out.
While the belongings were being inspected, three security supervisors behind a screen reviewed the length of stay and activities within the city.
Only if all three approved could one set foot on the outside world, and if even the slightest suspicious detail was found in this process, departure was impossible.
If a temporary departure ban was issued, one had to file an appeal to prove their innocence regarding the suspicious circumstances, which took about a week.
Regardless of rank, if anyone refused to cooperate with the above investigation or caused a disturbance, the terrifying Qliphoth sisters would come in droves to punish them.
It was a seemingly unreasonable and cumbersome process.
However, it was precisely because of these inconvenient procedures that the witches trusted Hexennacht.
It was nothing new for humans to distrust other humans, but seeing such blatant material evidence could only bring a wry smile.
“Seeker Witch.”
“Huh?”
Dorothy, who was leisurely waiting for the verdict while exhaling gray smoke, was addressed by a supervisor behind a screen that concealed her face and voice to hide her origin and identity.
“It is an honor to meet you, but you must answer a few questions.”
“What is it?”
“What is your purpose in going to the mortal realm?”
“To see a friend.”
“How long do you plan to stay in the mortal realm?”
“A day or two?”
Dorothy continued to answer calmly.
No matter how strict the immigration procedures were, they couldn’t open her head and examine her intentions.
“Understood. Your procedures are complete. Have a good trip.”
“Thank you~”
Dorothy clutched her citizenship, which had been newly stamped with an entry permit.
Although the inspection was supposed to be fair to everyone, it was ultimately done by people.
Since the name of the Seeker Witch was quite famous in public society, Dorothy passed through somewhat easily.
When she reached the door, she could see portals leading to various places in the mortal realm.
Compared to Gehenna’s ‘door,’ which could set up tens of thousands of passages worldwide, Hexennacht always limited its passages to 10, and even those locations changed from moment to moment.
This was also for security purposes.
Since Dorothy knew Akula’s coordinates, she departed to an island near the Pacific Ocean and headed straight for the sea.
2.
“Y-Your… Your Majesty… It’s… it’s time for your trials…”
“Enough! That’s enough! Anastasia!”
“Your Majesty…”
“Didn’t I tell you to step back! I will do it my way! It’s not that I don’t work hard, it’s just that I’m confident I can do well when I actually do it!”
Meanwhile, at that time, Rurue was engrossed in watching a movie in a theater.
Around her, empty popcorn bags and soda cans were rolling around.
“Heeheehee.”
Despite the earnest advice of her pleading loyal subject, Rurue’s eyes were glued to the movie.
“Since I am the strongest anyway, what is the point of becoming stronger?”
In fact, Rurue’s trials had been sluggish for a while now.
She was belligerent and arrogant, but she had no motivation to become stronger than that.
Now that she had recovered from her injuries thanks to Count Yesod’s herbal medicine treatment.
She was confident that she could crush that arrogant blonde witch or the pink peacock in an instant in her current state.
Who could stand tall in the face of the Nuckelavee’s demonic sea?
Of course, she would go easy on Odile and Odette since they were her friends.
She also didn’t plan to punish the green-haired witch who subtly took care of Rurue and whom the twins followed well.
Anyway, since Siwoo, who would praise Rurue’s struggles, wasn’t here…
Rather than focusing on painful, difficult, and unnecessary trials, she had chosen to rest in the comfortable Akula.
She muttered, ‘Anytime I want…’
As she was lazing around, Rurue suddenly jumped up from her seat.
She felt the magic wave of a familiar person within the barrier.
“Dorothy!!!”
Rurue, who ran out without even noticing that the shoes she had received from the twins had come off, jumped and hugged Dorothy as soon as she saw her.
“What brings you here! How did you know I was here!”
“Your Majesty, it’s been a while.”
Rurue, who was panting like a dog welcoming its owner back after being away for about a week, became quite serious after seeing Dorothy’s expression.
“What’s wrong?”
It was because the expression on Dorothy’s face wasn’t just about the joy of reunion.
So, Dorothy summarized the current situation.
Rurue’s face turned pale as she heard about the existence of Hexennacht, which she didn’t know about.
And when she heard the news that he had been kidnapped and was being held in the city.
“Wait here for a moment.”
“Huh? Princess?”
“Just for a moment!”
Rurue turned her back on Dorothy and headed somewhere before she could even tell her that he had settled down in a more stable position than she thought.
A little while later.
-Kugugugugugung!
A vibration that filled the deep sea occurred.
The source of the intense vibration, which was like an underwater volcanic eruption, was the sealed kingdom finally acknowledging its new owner and causing a wave.
The deep-sea familiars that had been wandering around the kingdom were wildly roaring in celebration of the new queen’s ascension.
“I’m ready.”
When Rurue reappeared in front of Dorothy, her magic power was overflowing around her, so much so that it was creating a visible haze.
The anger in her deep blue eyes clearly showed the majesty and fury of the sea mother.
“So, are we going to go and crush the bitches who dared to harm my consort?”
“Your Majesty…”
“Lead the way.”
Rurue, who had finished preparing for battle with a somewhat radical judgment of the situation.
Even though that wasn’t quite the case, Dorothy couldn’t help but be proud of Rurue.
Rurue was a niece who could do it if she tried!
