City ​​of Witches 867

Chapter 867 – #189_A Common Drama (5)

#861

1.
The scale of the Geminae County, built on the prime location of Ars Magna Town, is often compared to a palace.

The vast grounds, including a lake, numerous buildings, and various facilities, rivaled the size of a small village.

No matter how convenient magic was, servants were essential to maintain such a large mansion in top condition.
The Count’s family had always employed about 50 servants.

The person who oversaw and managed all these employees was the head maid, Galina.

Although her position was only that of a head maid, she held a steward-level position, taking charge of the mansion’s maintenance, management, financial administration, and cash handling.

The reason why Albireo and Deneb could leave the mansion with peace of mind was because of the loyal and wise old woman, Galina.

“Vera, stop crying and bring Miss Smyrna here.”
“Yes… *sniff*!”
“Come on, hurry, it’s urgent.”

Although she gave instructions coldly, hiding her emotions in front of Vera, she was not at ease.
Galina and Albireo’s relationship was not a simple master-servant one.

Their bond, which had begun when Galina was still a girl, was so strong that she was entrusted with the role of nanny for Odile and Odette.

When the twins were still newborns, she had been a great help, and even during their adolescence, her wise advice had helped establish clear parenting guidelines.

They were like family.

Albireo, biting her lip, opened the door to the sickroom.
Galina, who had been lying on the bed, tried to get up as soon as she saw Albireo.

“My Lady, I’ve shown you an unsightly sight.”
“It’s alright. Don’t push yourself, just lie down, Galina.”

Knowing that she would definitely get up if left alone, Albireo stepped forward, took her hand, and covered her with a blanket.

“What happened? Are you alright?”
“Oh dear… I suppose I thought that serving a lady as beautiful as you, even after all this time, would keep me young for a hundred or a thousand years. I got carried away with work like in my younger days, and this happened. *Cough! Cough!*”

Galina laughed between coughs, making a joke.

“I thought this might be the last harvest festival I’d prepare myself… They say excess brings trouble, and the old sages were right, weren’t they?”
“Slowly, slowly, Galina.”

“I heard my grandmother served the Count’s family until she was over eighty… To be in such a sorry state already, I’m ashamed… *Cough! Cough!*”
“Don’t say that. You need to focus on recovering first. I’ve called the best doctor in Gehenna, they’ll be here soon.”

The wrinkles on her face, which had always been full of energy, now made her look tired.

Her roughly tied-up hair was full of gray strands that she hadn’t had time to dye, and the skin on the back of her hands was loose and without elasticity, as if covered with a thin layer of parchment.

The Galina that Albireo remembered was a spirited and youthful girl,
a brave and decisive maiden,
and a middle-aged woman with experience who could handle the mansion’s affairs with her eyes closed.

The passage of time was so cruelly fast for humans.
Albireo pressed her hot eyes with the back of her cold hand.

“Is the patient here?”

Yebin, who had been suddenly summoned at the crack of dawn, entered with her hair in a mess.

2.
“How is her condition?”

Albireo, standing in front of the sickroom, asked with an anxious voice.

“It’s acute pneumonia. It seems that the bronchitis she already had spread to her lung tissue due to overwork.”
“Is it serious?”
“No, I’ve taken quick action, so it won’t get any worse. However, she needs plenty of rest and recovery.”

Yebin had not yet earned the title of Great Witch, but she was an authority on healing magic.
At least, there was no witch more skilled than her in healing magic for humans.

Although she was relieved for now, she was not completely at ease.

“This has never happened before.”

Galina was a strong woman who could lift logs and beat bears with her bare hands.
It was hard to believe that she, who had never been sick, had collapsed due to illness, even after seeing her aged appearance.

“It seems that the patient’s age is a factor. She needs to be more careful. Please make sure she gets absolute rest.”
“Thank you, Miss Smyrna. If there’s anything you need for the clinic, please let me know. I promise to support you.”
“No, it’s me who’s always indebted to you, Count.”

Yebin, after bowing politely, was about to leave but paused for a moment.

“Count, I’m hesitant to say this, but…”
“Please, speak freely.”
“It might be unnecessary to tell you this.”
“……”

Being too perceptive was not always a good thing.

Albireo realized that Yebin, who was hesitating to speak, was not about to deliver good news.

She prepared herself and slowly nodded, and only then did Yebin cautiously reveal the truth.

“Human lifespans are unpredictable in many ways. There are significant individual differences, and they are greatly affected by the environment. So, it’s hard to say for sure, but apart from this pneumonia, Galina doesn’t have much time left…”
“…Is that so… Then, roughly how much time does she have left?”
“If she stops working immediately and gets sufficient care, maybe about two years…?”

Albireo steadied her legs, which were about to buckle, and nodded.

“Thank you for telling me, you’ve worked hard at this late hour.”
“Yes, Count.”

After Yebin left, Albireo returned to the sickroom.
Galina, exhausted from the treatment, had fallen asleep with her eyes closed.

Unlike before, her expression was peaceful, but there was an undeniable tiredness.

“……”

If humans had souls, wouldn’t their shape be filled within the framework of the body?

Albireo recalled a conjecture she had often pondered.

When they were girls, they had young souls,
when they were maidens, they had young souls,
and when they were middle-aged and elderly, they had souls that matched their forms.

That was why witches, whose aging stopped in their early twenties, remained somewhat childish and immature no matter how old they got,
while humans, who had lived for only about 70 years, possessed wise insights like trees with accumulated growth rings.

The vassals who had served the Geminae County and had become stars as their lifespans ended.
Every time Albireo thought of them, her conjecture became closer to certainty.

Galina was the same.

When she was young, she seemed so young, but by the time the twins were taken in as apprentice witches, she had given much advice to Albireo and Deneb, who had not been able to properly fulfill their roles as mothers.

She had skillfully comforted Odile and Odette, who cried energetically all day, and had straightened out the two when they had become rebellious during their adolescence.

That was why she wanted to show them the succession.
The glorious moment when Odile and Odette would become full-fledged witches and carry on the name of the Geminae County.

The two years that Yebin had mentioned were probably based on the premise of receiving the best care in an ideal environment.
And Odile and Odette still had three years left until their succession.

Could they really make it in time?

“……”

Farewell.
An inevitable outcome that she could never get used to, no matter how many times she experienced it.

In the near future, Odile and Odette would also have to prepare for their farewells with Deneb and Albireo.

Twenty years was enough time to love.
But it was not enough time to love without regrets.

But it was an unavoidable fate for those born as apprentice witches.

Apprentice witches, who had received the mark from their masters, overcame the pain of loss and cherished their short memories as they moved forward to achieve their given mission.

Just like Albireo and Deneb had done.
Just like their master had done.
Just like their master’s master had done.

Was it because of the inertia of thought, or was it because it was the most rational method?

Even while lamenting this structure, Albireo had never questioned the succession system.

She thought of it as a price for the given rights, or perhaps a duty.

‘If Siwoo were here… we could have the succession without leaving the twins!’

Deneb’s absurd claim from some time ago came to mind.

It was true that through Count Yesod’s experiments, the mark transfer using Siwoo’s amplification ability had moved beyond the theoretical stage and was on track.

At the time, she had not been swayed at all.
An unorthodox succession was not a panacea, as it came with a huge penalty.

But accepting the fact that she would leave the twins behind as if it were a given.
Was that really for Odile and Odette’s sake?

“…I’ve lost my composure a little.”

Albireo shook her head and cleared her mind of distracting thoughts.

3.
The Geminae County’s punishment room was located in the top room of the spire.
It was a place that was not normally used, so it was treated as a non-existent place, and Deneb was kneeling there.

Amidst the coldness of the stone floor and the unevenness pressing against her knees.

The whip in Deneb’s hand pierced her back with a sharp sound.

– *Crack! Crack!*

The whip, which made a shrill sound every time it moved from her shoulder, was no different from a torture device that caused terrible pain with even the slightest movement.

It didn’t take long for the skin of Deneb, who was wearing a tattered cloth with a torn back, to be stained with bumpy marks, and for red blood to begin to seep out.

She was now atoning for the sin of harboring wrong desires and hurting her daughter through penance.

“……”

Deneb, enduring the pain with her eyes closed like a devout nun.

“Deneb!”

Albireo, who had come to the punishment room to tell her that Galina had collapsed, was shocked by the sight.

Her flesh was torn, and the hem of her tattered cloth was stained red.
It looked incredibly painful and agonizing.

“Stop! Stop it!”
“Sister, I have to atone.”

Deneb continued to move her hand silently, even after Albireo had entered.
Unable to watch any longer, Albireo snatched the whip away.

“Do you think the twins will like this?”
“Then, sister, with what face can I go to the twins and ask for forgiveness, and open my mouth to say sorry? This is my way of repenting for my foolishness.”

Deneb’s actions were clearly foolish and self-satisfying.
Some might scoff at this behavior, calling it a show of repentance.

But Albireo knew how clumsy and devoted Deneb was.

Deneb was sincerely determined to wear tattered clothes, sleep on a pile of stones that was not even a bed, and continue her penance in this cold room until the succession.

What had driven her to this point?
Geminae had always said that the two were one, but they had not seriously considered their younger sister’s words.

“Deneb.”
“……”
“I’ll help you. With meeting Siwoo.”

Albireo made a decision.