Chapter 820 – #171_Soul Witch (3)
#814
1.
Dorothy and Gretel finished their negotiation.
“Okay, it’s such old research data that I’ll have to look for it.”
“Alright, I’m counting on you.”
Dorothy handed Gretel a check as she got up from her seat.
She did so with a gentle attitude, as if flipping her palm.
Gretel, who had been constantly annoyed, looked slightly brighter upon seeing the check, suggesting it was a considerable amount.
“Linne.”
“Don’t order me around.”
“Order? I’m asking you a favor.”
As soon as Gretel left the reception room, Linne followed as if they had made a promise.
Shiwoo watched them go, then poked Dorothy in the side.
He had many things he wanted to ask.
As expected of the quick-witted Dorothy, she used the communication magic ‘Revelation’ so no one could eavesdrop.
This was Gretel’s workshop, and there were bound to be devices monitoring the interior.
[What is it, darling?]
[How did you know?]
[Know what?]
[About the main body and all that]
Shiwoo had watched Dorothy’s negotiation, or rather, her non-negotiation, right beside her.
Among the things Dorothy had said was, ‘I will find your main body, no matter what.’
Upon hearing this, Gretel had backed down.
The fact that there was a main body meant that the Gretel here was an ‘acting doll’ or an avatar.
However, even with his eyepatch off, Shiwoo couldn’t detect any such signs.
Dorothy smiled brightly and replied.
[I didn’t know? I just thought you were too stiff, so I just poked at it]
[What? So you really don’t know if it’s an avatar or the main body?]
[She’s an exile in the first place, and it seems like she uses similar safety measures~ As long as the meaning is conveyed, isn’t that enough?]
It was a bluff from the start.
He was genuinely impressed.
If Dorothy hadn’t been there, he might have been roped into all sorts of troublesome demands.
With a bluff that even a third party couldn’t have noticed, she had seized the initiative in the negotiation in an instant.
[Why, are you falling for me again?]
[You were amazing]
[Of course~ of course~]
Dorothy chuckled.
[Do you think she did all this because she had some ulterior motive?]
[It’s hard to see it that way. It’s probably an accident that happened by chance. If she were in her right mind, she wouldn’t try to manipulate this many people]
[You mean she’s not capable of it?]
[Yeah. The situation just lined up, so she got greedy, but it wasn’t something she planned]
Dorothy stated quite clearly, adding.
As it was basic for an exile to have a workshop in a secluded place, it was also important to assess the quality of the guests who visited the workshop.
You never knew if they were a guest bearing flowers or an assassin with a knife.
Happy Pig was the best familiar in that regard.
By looking into the ideal world, one could quite intuitively grasp the essence of a person.
[Gretel probably looked into dreams with some kind of device. I’d bet on it]
To figure that out with just a few words of conversation.
She seemed even more impressive.
As he was nodding at her clear explanation, this time Dorothy poked him in the side.
[More than that, I’ve been thinking this for a while now…. Is it okay if I say something harsh?]
[Yes?]
[Our darling is too~ kind. You’re too soft. You can’t be like that?]
[Out of the blue?]
[You were going to agree to Gretel’s demands, weren’t you?]
That was right.
It wasn’t just anything, it was a matter concerning his master’s safety.
Even if Gretel had been playing tricks, he was going to get help with his master’s awakening no matter what.
Even if it meant paying a somewhat high price.
[You can’t do that, absolutely not]
[Yes, seeing you, Dorothy, I definitely feel that way]
[It’s not a problem you can answer so simply]
Dorothy, with a slight bitter smile, raised her hand and stroked Shiwoo’s head.
[Your kindness and gentleness definitely have the power to attract people. Even I’m like that, I’ve fallen head over heels for darling’s harmless charm]
She said it was going to be harsh, but she was saying embarrassing things.
[But you can’t be kind to everyone]
Dorothy poked his chest and said firmly.
[You need to be aware of it too. You are a witch, a special being. You have to discard the sensibilities of your human days]
He had heard something like that before.
When he went to save Takasho, Bianca had advised him, saying, ‘If you have transcended humanity, you must also throw off its shackles.’
Of course, it was an absurd piece of advice, and it was practically the same as telling him to surrender, so he ignored it.
[Until now, you’ve only been surrounded by good people, so you don’t seem to know, but all witches are inherently driven to endlessly explore and desire.
You shouldn’t equate the scale of that desire with that of ordinary humans. If you show weakness, they’ll try to suck you dry, that’s what witches are like]
But Dorothy’s advice would be different.
She pretended not to be, but wasn’t she a kind and gentle older sister?
[Use your power, authority, and connections as bargaining chips to your heart’s content. If you can crush them with power, crush them and then soothe them. Oh? Come to think of it, you’re good at that in bed, aren’t you?]
[…I’ll try my best]
[I like the clumsy darling you are now, but~ sometimes I get a little anxious]
[It’s because I still lack experience]
[No, that’s not enough. If you stay like this, your weakness will one day hold you back]
It was a chaotic world.
It was clear that even greater chaos would come.
Shiwoo wouldn’t be able to rely on his lovers forever, and soon the time would come when he would have to stand on his own two feet.
Until now, he had overcome various incidents by relying on his good nature and luck….
Dorothy knew very well that it was not the benevolent saint but the cunning villain who survived to the end.
It had always been that way.
[So, if~ you ever find yourself in a crisis. When you can’t bring yourself to be cruel. When you don’t want to dirty your hands….]
That was why Dorothy wanted Shiwoo to change.
At the same time, she didn’t want him to change.
Therefore, she declared.
[Call me when that time comes. I will become your dagger]
The dirty work in the shadows could be done by someone who had already dirtied their hands.
What he needed to fix was only the mindset and determination to wield the Dorothy he held in his hands.
“Dorothy.”
Shiwoo, who had cut off the Revelation at his own discretion, stared intently at Dorothy.
“That’s really good advice. I’ll take it to heart. But please don’t say things like that. Well, it’s understandable that you’re worried since I’m a pretty useless guy….”
And then, boldly, he pinched her cheek.
Dorothy’s cheeks stretched out.
“Ouch….”
“My master often tells me. That she’d turn the whole world against her to be on my side. She says it like it’s a habit.”
“……”
“I feel the same way as my master. Even if there’s something I need to ask of you, Dorothy, I’ll be by your side then too. I won’t let you shoulder it alone.”
His heart was touched.
Shiwoo knew that Dorothy’s words were not empty promises.
Depending on how he used her, Dorothy could become a genie’s lamp.
But he didn’t try to use her like that.
He looked at Dorothy, who bore the stigma of being a public enemy, as a person.
Where else could he find such emotion?
A dream he had just had came to mind.
A ridiculous dream of living a peaceful newlywed life with him, not as a public enemy, not even as a witch.
It was just a fleeting dream, but it had been truly happy.
If she could live such a life, she could give up everything she held in her hands.
So she wanted to ask.
Even though she knew the answer was already decided, she wanted to confirm it with his own lips.
“But…. I’m a public enemy, you know?”
So this question was a childish plea she was throwing at him.
He answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“It doesn’t matter. You’re my person before that.”
A cheesy line that wouldn’t even appear in a drama.
Wasn’t that the model answer of a young witch who really didn’t know the ways of the world?
If someone else had said those words, Dorothy would have scoffed.
But now, it felt like she could hear fireworks exploding in her ears.
An uncontrollable joy and happiness made her heart race.
“Darling.”
“Yes, but is my nickname fixed as darling?”
“Yeah, it’s my heart’s desire.”
“It’s a bit cringey…. How about something else?”
She leaned her cheek against his chest to hide her face, which was surely a mess from grinning.
“You’re a re~ally bad man.”
She was giving him everything, and with just a few words, he made her want to give him even more.
She felt like she wouldn’t be satisfied until she had taken everything from him, down to the last penny.
“Look forward to the next night.”
When Dorothy said that and pulled away, Gretel and Linne returned.
“The device is ready. Follow me.”
She had worried that Dorothy’s forceful attitude might have offended her, but it didn’t seem to be the case.
Rather, Gretel’s expression was more relaxed than when she had first taken on the troublesome guests.
It seemed that the way of thinking of an exile was indeed a little different from that of Gehenna.
“Someone has to enter the dream and change the type of dream to a lucid dream. They’ll become the lifeline that makes her acknowledge reality and return.”
“I’ll go.”
If they were going to do it, it was right for Shiwoo, who was closest to Eloa and had already had similar experiences twice, to go.
Gretel readily nodded and moved to another place.
The research wing of the workshop, lined with various experimental equipment.
They laid his master’s body on the operating table.
At Gretel’s instruction, Shiwoo lay down next to her.
“It won’t be easy. With this level of immersion, she’ll fiercely resist awakening.”
“What happens if the awakening fails?”
Amelia asked anxiously.
“That man will be fine. He’s just entering as a guest. He’ll just be kicked back to reality, and that’s it.”
Having said that, Gretel handed Shiwoo something.
It was a brooch made of black ribbons and jewels.
“If you feel like you’re being too strongly influenced by the dream, break the jewel on this brooch. Then you’ll be able to return to reality.”
“I understand.”
“Let’s begin.”
With those words, his consciousness sank heavily.
Like a quicksand, he was being sucked downwards.
When he opened his eyes, a lavender field with purple waves greeted Shiwoo.
