Chapter 713 – #142_The Golden Coin Witch (9)
#713
1.
The Golden Coin Witch, Lydia Magnus, snapped her fingers, and the curtains began to draw back.
From the sofa, which was placed parallel to the curtains, Siwoo could now look out the window and immediately grasp the location of her bedroom.
“It hasn’t started yet.”
This was Arcana Town in Hexennacht.
More precisely, Almack’s Club.
More precisely, the auction house where Linne had once bought Alice.
More precisely, the top floor of the Royal Boxes that spanned from the second to the fourth floor.
Only then did Siwoo realize why the curtains had been drawn in such a peculiar curve.
Her room, which occupied an entire floor, was designed with a glass wall that protruded like a terrace, allowing her to look down at the auction house from anywhere.
The stage and spotlights were still there, but the scenery was slightly different from before.
First, the chairs that had been densely packed on the first floor like an opera house were gone.
Instead, a much larger stage formed a solid ground across the entire first floor.
Of course, there were no witches who should have been sitting in the chairs.
However, Siwoo could see that every single seat in the VIP section was occupied by a witch.
Each Royal Box was draped with black curtains that forged magic patterns to ensure privacy, but the dense volume of magic power could not be hidden.
Surprisingly, all 60 of them were Archmages or higher.
It was the first time in his life that Siwoo had seen so many Archmages gathered in one place.
Was this how the scientists who witnessed the first nuclear test felt?
Siwoo felt a shiver run down his spine.
Siwoo knew better than anyone the power of an Archmage.
Each one was an asymmetrical force capable of destroying a nation.
Moreover, they were all outcasts with public or quasi-public ideologies.
Among them, there would be quite a few with combat power like Linne and Bianca.
Until now, they had been scattered and living separately, fearing Keter and suspecting each other.
Now they were united.
If this much concentrated power were to go off the rails with a common purpose, what would be the extent of its impact and destructive force?
“What is this?”
“Are you scared?”
Lydia, leisurely tapping her cigarette ash, was looking at Siwoo’s face, not the stage.
Was he scared? No, not really.
It wasn’t as if seeing this scene would suddenly change the situation.
It was just that seeing a scene he had only imagined in his head was overwhelming.
For example, if one of the outcasts gathered here were to suddenly decide, ‘Keter is gone, and I’m in a bad mood, so I’m going to wreck America,’ how many people would have to die before that rampage could be stopped?
“A little.”
“Impressive, isn’t it? After the fall of the Qliphoth, no one would have thought that so many forces of the Other Side could gather in one place. They are finally enjoying the glory they should have had from the beginning.”
He could have argued, but he didn’t feel the need to.
Lydia, as if she hadn’t expected a response, took out a bottle of champagne and poured it into glasses.
“Thank you.”
His mouth was quite dry, so he picked up the glass to wet his throat.
“To the eternal glory of Hexennacht.”
“…To it.”
Siwoo reluctantly joined in the toast as Lydia offered it.
Along with the fragrant grape scent that was clearly of the highest quality, a refreshing sensation like stars rolling on his tongue was felt.
“Don’t be too scared. As I said before, violence is strictly prohibited in Hexennacht. No one will start a brawl in a place where everyone has gathered to have fun.”
“Then why am I safe?”
“Because it benefits me for you to be safe. I told you earlier, our interests still align.”
His brow furrowed involuntarily.
The habit of speaking in circles instead of getting straight to the point was a characteristic seen not only in outcasts but also in many witches.
To explore the truth, one needed to put in the effort.
Wanting to hear the answer right away, or speaking it, was the unrefined behavior of a foolish person who wanted to remain ignorant.
Or so they would put it…
In Siwoo’s eyes, it just seemed like they had twisted personalities.
Still, judging from the flow, it didn’t seem like she would suddenly throw Siwoo into the middle of the stage and say, ‘Today’s product is a male witch!’
“Oh, it’s starting.”
At Lydia’s words, Siwoo pondered her riddle and looked down.
-Pop! Pop!
Two witches appeared under the dazzling spotlights.
One with black hair, the other with platinum blonde hair.
Both were witches he had never seen before.
However, they had artifacts around their necks that restricted their magic power, limiting their output to the 15th tier.
The spotlights disappeared, and the entire stage was illuminated. At the same time, a powerful magic barrier that absorbed impact was deployed like a fence.
After seeing that, Siwoo immediately thought of one word.
Colosseum.
From a modern perspective, it was a famous structure where all sorts of cruel shows were provided as entertainment under the guise of public festivals.
Among them, there were certainly gladiatorial combats where lives were at stake.
“Are they going to kill each other?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. They’re expensive products.”
Lydia shrugged as if to say, ‘Of course not,’ and continued.
“Both are witches of the 18th tier? We’ve limited their tiers to prevent accidents and have medical teams on standby.”
From her appearance during their first meeting, and from the view of her room, he could roughly grasp her tendencies.
“As you can see, this is a secret auction provided by Almack’s Club. Only the highest-ranking witches can participate by paying a very high price. Providing entertainment and products together is a good way to open the wallets of buyers.”
A gold-first mentality befitting her title.
Perhaps she was just a cold-blooded businesswoman who only weighed profit and loss.
“Among them, magical combat performances between witches are very popular. It’s also a good way to check the condition of the product before buying. You know, fights are always more fun to watch when they’re a free-for-all, right?”
Without any frivolous commentary, the two witches who had been standing at opposite ends clashed.
The force that was flung out after the collision spread in all directions, but it had no effect on the barrier protecting the audience.
A battle between surging water and earth-scorching fire.
Both were squeezing out their limited power to subdue their opponent.
“They’re fighting desperately.”
“Like the gladiators of the past. They have to prove their worth to have a glimmer of hope to survive.”
At this point, Siwoo was drawing a line in his mind with her.
There was no need to be ambiguous like with Dorothy or Linne.
He had concluded that Lydia was the kind of person who would emerge if you took the ‘ferocity’ out of a stereotypical outcast and replaced it with ‘calculation.’
“If you’re bored, how about placing a bet?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’ll bet on the black-haired one to win. What about you?”
“…I guess I’ll have to bet against it.”
“Well, it’s just the two of us, isn’t it?”
However, Lydia’s appearance, smiling a simple smile after the silly joke, created a great sense of incongruity.
Lydia wasn’t the type who enjoyed consuming the pleasure and tragedy of others like Rosie.
She wasn’t a sadist who felt joy from trampling on the weak like Eia,
nor did she advocate a unique moral code that special beings should shed their ordinariness like Bianca.
She was just like someone chatting while watching a boring animal documentary, as if it didn’t matter.
She laughed and chatted without any sense of guilt while watching a scene she had created with her own hands.
She behaved as if she were a witty Archmage lady, but the ordinary evil that was carried out so naturally was unsettling.
The distortion of accepting an abnormal scene without any moral filtering made her seem even more dangerous.
“Sorry for suggesting it first, but I’m pretty confident when it comes to betting.”
Even at this moment, Lydia was naturally spouting TMI as if they were at a casual drinking party.
Her golden eyes scanned Siwoo’s body from top to bottom.
“I can see the value of things in their essence. So, if I were to put a price on them, the black-haired witch is worth five gold coins. The platinum blonde witch is worth about four. So, I’m going to win this bet.”
There was no need to refuse when she was offering information herself.
He just went along with it.
“Is it a magnetic magic?”
“It’s a kind of magic.”
“That’s a bit unfair.”
Lydia laughed, patting her arm at Siwoo’s honest words.
It was still the sound of gold coins jingling.
“It’s not a standardized magic, it’s closer to a calculation done subconsciously.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you have that experience? That feeling that something is off, it’s not scientifically proven, but you usually get hit by it.”
“Yes, I do.”
Lydia nodded, saying, ‘Right?’
“I think it’s because the subconscious gathers information that the surface consciousness has overlooked, based on accumulated experience, and sends a warning. At that moment, it becomes possible to process information beyond cognitive ability.
I’ve been judging value and calculating profit and loss for so long that now I see shiny gold coins whenever I look at something. It might be an occupational hazard, but it’s a very beautiful and pleasing sight.”
Siwoo, suddenly curious, asked.
“Then how many gold coins do I look like?”
At that question, Lydia stared intently at Siwoo.
Her golden eyes, filled with sparkling light, narrowed like a gem cutter evaluating the value of a raw stone.
And then.
-Clink
The sound Lydia loved was heard.
One gold coin falling to the floor, spinning gracefully like a ballerina, then another.
-Clink, clink, clink
At first, the gold coins fell one or two at a time, like ripe fruit dropping, but then they continued to pour out endlessly.
The momentum didn’t stop.
-Shhhhhhhhh!
Finally, like a vintage slot machine hitting the 777 jackpot, a shower of gold coins poured down.
They covered the floor and more, an awe-inspiring ‘value’ that would one day fill the room.
-Bang!
Just as Lydia was about to move her lips.
Suddenly, with a loud noise, the fight in the colosseum ended.
The platinum blonde witch was writhing on the floor with severe burns.
The winner was the black-haired witch.
So, this bet was Lydia’s victory.
“I won.”
“Yes, you did.”
He was half-certain that he would lose the bet anyway.
Even in horse racing, understanding the condition, bloodline, and temperament of the racehorse was an important factor in predicting the outcome.
Unlike Siwoo, who had no information, Lydia, the owner of the ‘product,’ not only knew the information inside and out but also chose the betting ticket.
He could only hope that she wouldn’t make unreasonable demands.
No matter how calm he tried to be, no matter how hard he tried to maintain his composure.
It was unsettling to entrust one’s safety entirely to the whims of others.
As Siwoo swallowed hard, Lydia said as if it were nothing.
“Have you ever thought about wanting to be a woman?”
“……..”
What the hell is this crazy bitch talking about.
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