Chapter 954 – #205 Let’S Create A Society (5)
#948
1.
In Gehenna, public enemies are met with extreme rejection.
In a society built on trust, those who betray faith, or their descendants, remain objects of eternal contempt.
In contrast, the attitude of the Waypoint, which is mainly composed of exiles, is slightly different.
Their tendencies vary depending on the reason for their exile, and in some ways, public enemies are just another type of exile.
Many exiles despise public enemies, but just as many live in a reasonable symbiotic relationship with them.
Dorothy herself had a considerable number of exiles among her former subordinates.
“Dorothy… you look beautiful today…”
“That guy, he’s not Dorothy’s boyfriend, is he?”
“No way, right?”
“Dorothy is like a flower on a cliff!”
Dorothy, who had reunited with Siwoo after only two days, naturally took his arm and winked.
“How was it~? See? That’s how it is, right?”
“You’ve been doing well. I’m glad.”
“Actually, I think I was a little more comfortable when everyone was afraid of me. They keep peeking at me whenever they have time, so it’s tiring.”
Unlike Siwoo’s group, who returned to Gehenna, Dorothy and Rinne remained in the mortal realm.
Moreover, they were forced to stay only at the Gwanghwamun branch of the Waypoint.
Though they didn’t say it outright, their purpose was as reserve forces.
They were still members of the Punishment Unit.
It was something that couldn’t be helped, but it still bothered him.
“It seems like my contribution during the flood has appealed quite a bit. Of course~ the main reason is my beautiful looks and elegant grace~”
Seeing Dorothy chuckling leisurely as usual, he felt somewhat relieved.
With his teacher not around, he had been worried about how the two would be treated, so this was a relief.
It wasn’t the best, but it was safe to say they had avoided the worst.
“Are you uncomfortable with anything?”
“Well, having to stay in a small place is a bit… If a homunculus had appeared, I could have at least stretched my stiff body.”
“…I see.”
However, just because they had avoided the worst didn’t mean his regret disappeared.
Both Dorothy and Rinne had betrayed Hexennacht for Siwoo.
The result was not a reward or a triumphant return, but exile.
It was exile in name only, as they couldn’t even go for a walk in their place of exile, effectively being confined.
All their freedoms were thoroughly restricted.
If they hadn’t followed Siwoo, wouldn’t they be living a reasonably happy life by now?
That thought weighed heavily on his mind.
“Dorothy.”
“You’re not going to apologize at this timing, are you? My darling Shin Siwoo isn’t such a boring man.”
“Ugh.”
As expected of the perceptive Dorothy, she seemed to have accurately caught Siwoo’s unease.
As they reached a hallway where no one else could see them, she pushed Siwoo against the wall and declared forcefully.
“You seem to be mistaken~ but I’m a hundred, a thousand times happier now that I’ve met you.”
“Is that so?”
“If I hadn’t met you, I would have been doing a moderate arms business, enjoying lavish luxuries, and traveling all over the world, living a free life. Just like I’ve always done.”
Her soft smile, which showed not a hint of falsehood, seemed to wrap around his neck.
“But, I like my life much better after I met you. It’s what you call the freedom of the soul.”
A love so heavy that he wondered, ‘Am I worthy of receiving this?’
That’s why it was a love that Siwoo had to take responsibility for.
“Dorothy, I need to finish what I was going to say.”
“What is it, what is it?”
“I won’t give up on you and Rinne.”
He would establish a society, gain power, and gain a voice within Gehenna.
If he did that, he might be able to free the two people who had ultimately brought great benefits to Gehenna.
He didn’t care if he was called selfish.
Even if he had to turn the whole world against him, he would protect his lovers.
That was the justice Shin Siwoo had found in the Ark.
“You’ve become an even more amazing man. I guess I’m too old to keep up with a boy’s growth.”
Dorothy, who had been wearing a playful smile, widened her eyes in surprise, then smiled softly.
“I liked it when you were in my arms, acting spoiled~ but this older sister is feeling bittersweet~”
“Well, aren’t you the one who acts more spoiled in bed, Dorothy?”
“Moo~ That’s cow language for ‘I’m very angry.’”
He tried to counter, but Dorothy put her hand on her hip and made a pouty face.
Seeing that he couldn’t win with words, he figured he still had a long way to go in terms of growth.
Since the goal was to have Rinne join the search team in the first place, he entered Rinne’s room with a wry smile.
He wondered how his second teacher was doing.
He would soon find the answer.
“……”
The moonlight shone obliquely.
Rinne, kneeling quietly on the floor, was so focused on the brush in her hand that she didn’t even notice the presence of others.
She had a brush, an inkstone with carefully ground ink, and a paperweight holding down the paper on a cloth used as a mat.
It was quite serious, and her skill was also quite serious.
The ink raced boldly across the white Korean paper.
As if nothing existed in the world but the brush, the paper, and herself, a beautiful plum blossom bloomed in a trance-like concentration.
“She seems to be really into ink wash painting these days. She learned a little from Ms. Sua and has been doing that all day.”
“That’s good.”
Dorothy whispered to Siwoo so as not to disturb her.
Siwoo was happy to hear that.
He had half-forced Rinne, who only pursued strength, to find a hobby.
It seemed like she had finally found one after countless failures and embarrassing moments.
Rinne, who had painted a rather shabby plum blossom as if she had swept the flower stalks several times, then finished the painting with a poem in soft handwriting.
“You’re very skilled, aren’t you?”
“…Husband?”
Rinne, who had been concentrating until sweat trickled down her chin, looked like a startled cat.
After understanding the situation, she quickly covered the still-wet painting with a white cloth.
“Ah, it’s not yet at a level to show to my husband.”
“Hey, it looks great to me.”
Dorothy, making Rinne’s hard work seem pointless, snatched the painting away with a mischievous smile.
“Oh, it’s emotional, isn’t it?”
“Dorothy!”
Rinne, rarely raising her voice, bit her lip tightly.
“Put it down, put it down right now!”
“Really~? But Rinne’s husband wants to know what it says?”
“Ugh…!”
Poems written without the intention of showing them to others tend to be full of emotion.
Therefore, showing them to others is very embarrassing.
It’s like showing your middle school poems to your lover, a dark history.
But when Siwoo showed interest, Rinne couldn’t hide the painting any longer and became flustered.
“What’s wrong? What does it mean? Can you read it, Dorothy?”
“Of course~ I just finished memorizing it.”
“…I understand. I’ll say it.”
In the end, Rinne chose to commit seppuku with her own hands rather than have someone else read it aloud.
無忍別戀人梅花賜落時節.
With an unbearable heart, I part with my lover and receive the season of falling plum blossoms as a gift.
昔憶共度春幽夢暫寄心懷.
Recalling the spring nights we spent together, I temporarily entrust my heart to a quiet dream.
“…That’s what it means…”
It was a heartbreaking farewell poem, truly embarrassing.
The problem was that Rinne and Siwoo had been apart for less than three days after all this melancholy.
It was something that would make Rinne blush to her ears and Dorothy smile gleefully, but to Siwoo, it was just a cute happening.
“Did you miss me that much?”
“I did.”
“A kiss for missing me.”
“……”
Even though she knew she was being teased, and even though Dorothy was watching from the side, Rinne’s attitude was unwavering.
She approached hesitantly and showered Siwoo’s cheek with kisses.
She remained steadfast even as Dorothy made a fuss and teased her.
2.
After the touching reunion, Siwoo immediately obtained permission and went out into the night.
As his teacher’s proxy, he had the authority to supervise the two, so getting permission wasn’t difficult.
Finding Periwinkle was a side quest, but Siwoo decided to go for a night walk with Rinne and Dorothy, who must have been feeling stuffy.
Anyway, he had no idea where she was.
Until he got some solid information, he had no choice but to conduct a haphazard investigation.
He planned to finish the walk first and then go to the nearest Periwinkle Hotel.
The area around Gwanghwamun Plaza, where the last bus had already left, was deserted.
It was a place where office workers and protesters made up the majority of the floating population, and although there were quite a few hotels, it was the off-season for tourism, so there weren’t many foreigners either.
Still, they were witches, and the existence of witches was already known in the mortal realm.
With Rinne’s concealment magic, the three walked along the sidewalk.
It was literally a night walk.
“Are you really okay with this?”
“Isn’t it more important who you’re with than what you’re doing?”
“It is enough.”
If there was nothing to do, he thought they should at least go for a drive in a fancy car.
But both Dorothy and Rinne seemed satisfied.
Siwoo wasn’t really complaining either.
He was walking with a busty silver-haired older sister and the peerless beauty Rinne, who looked like a peony when she stood up, on either side of him. He would be grinning even if they were in the middle of the desert.
“By the way, where should we start looking…”
As they walked, enjoying the cool breeze, Siwoo paused at an outdoor electronic billboard that he had glanced at.
[For a flawless, clear beauty on your skin]
From the catchphrase to the composition, it was a typical domestic company’s skincare advertisement.
What left him dumbfounded was that the model with the cosmetic on her cheek was someone he knew all too well.
Navy blue bobbed hair and eyes of the same color.
The epitome of natural beauty, so much so that he couldn’t believe it was photoshopped.
“…It seems like she’s in Korea?”
“Who?”
“The Witch of Fortune.”
The Witch of Fortune, who had once saved Siwoo and Sharon, had her anal canal opened by Siwoo, had become close like an older sister, and then naturally drifted apart.
Kibel Periwinkle was the model on the billboard.
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