City of Witches-Novel

༺ Tying Up Loose Ends (2) ༻

1.

‘Why is the Countess here?’

Odile had clearly said that the Countess wouldn’t be able to contact him for about a month since they weren’t in Gehenna.

‘Isn’t this like when your girlfriend invites you over because her parents are on vacation, but when you’re having fun with her, they suddenly come back home?’

Of course such a dreadful situation was merely a metaphor for Siwoo as he had never actually encountered that situation in his life.

As for Odile, she didn’t have the opportunity to ask them anything.

“Come over here, Odile.”

The Countess’ gaze turned to Odile.

Her voice was gentle, but it carried a different weight than usual.

There was a sense of reprimand and scolding in her tone. It was so obvious that even Siwoo could feel it.

“M-Master, I-I’ll explain—”

“I’ll hear that later. First of all, come inside, Odile.”

Odile casted an apologetic look at Siwoo before entering the living room hesitantly.

Before he realized it, Siwoo followed behind her. The sense of pressure he felt was immense.

The white haired Deneb lightly took hold of Odile’s wrist.

While doing so, she seemed to be examining something as she stared at her silently for a while before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

She was confirming if there was any harm to her apprentice’s ‘bowl.’ It was a natural course of action, after all, the girl suddenly informed her to stay overnight, went out late at night with a man and only returned when dawn was about to arrive.

Fortunately, everything was fine. Once Deneb confirmed this, she lightly smacked Odile in the head.

“Ow!”

“Who gave you permission to stay overnight? Do you know how long we were searching for you guys?”

“I-I’m sorry… B-But, Mr. Assistant had woken up! I-I didn’t want to leave just like that…”

“Listen carefully, Odile. We won’t take this incident lightly, but since it’s late, go upstairs and sleep. We’ll discuss this after you’re awake.”

‘Huh? Are the Countess actually in Gehenna? Was it a mistake to completely believe in Odile’s words?’

Siwoo stood around, feeling perplexed. As he was drowning in his emotion, Albireo called out to him.

“Shin Siwoo, please stay here with us.”

“Master, please let me explain! Mr. Assistant is not at fault! I was the one who persuaded him to go for a stroll! I was also the one who told him to sleep here!”

But, Deneb swiftly dismissed Odile’s words.

“We’ll ask you about it later, Odile, so go up for now.”

“B-But…”

“Go up.”

Unable to break through Deneb’s stern demeanor, Odile reluctantly complied.

To Siwoo, this was like him seeing his lawyer getting kicked out of the courtroom before she could bring up his case to defend him.

‘What is this shitshow?’ That thought looped endlessly like a broken record in his mind.

“Odile, I hope you won’t do anything else to make me even angrier than I currently am.”

Upon hearing Albireo’s cold voice, Odile couldn’t maintain her stubbornness anymore.

After all, it was the first time she had seen her master get this angry.

“Alright, I’m going upstairs, but please, Master, please promise me one thing.”

“Do you think you have the right to ask for that?”

“No, but I have to ask!”

Odile shouted her words with determination, to ensure the ultimate safety measure for Siwoo.

“If you were to hurt him, I’ll never see your face again, Master! Never!”

“This brat!”

Deneb, who was already fed up with her audacity, was about to smack her on the head again.

However, Albirero, who was seated in her chair while sipping her alcohol, interjected before it could happen.

“Deneb, enough.”

“But Sister! Look at the audacious way this brat speaks! Who does she think is at fault here? And what’s with that outfit? Seriously? Going outside with just a cloak and her underwear?!”

“Deneb, I said, enough.”

Albireo waved her hand dismissively and made eye contact with Odile.

The latter widened her eyes, trying not to avoid her gaze.

She acknowledged her own mistake, but Siwoo’s well-being was a more urgent matter than her receiving a severe scolding from her strict master.

“I swear that I will not bring harm to Shin Siwoo. Are you satisfied, Odile?”

Odile pressed her lips tightly before nodding slowly.

“It’s late, so go upstairs and sleep. We have other matters to discuss.”

“Yes… Sorry for acting out on my own…”

As soon as she managed to assure Siwoo’s safety, Odile humbly apologized, as if all her stubbornness just now was a lie. Then, she mouthed, ‘I’m sorry, Mr. Assistant,’ before going upstairs.

‘Well, that’s that.’

Odile’s matters were resolved for now, but for Siwoo, it had only just started.

“Now, why don’t you have a seat? Let’s talk, shall we?”

Albireo reached out her hand and gestured the sofa across from her to Siwoo, who was still standing awkwardly.

2.

It was as if Siwoo was sitting on a cushion made of thorn. Well, that clichéd expression didn’t even fit the situation at all.

Rather, the cushion was practically a minefield.

Although Odile managed to secure a promise to not harm him, if the Countess wanted to, she could just obliterate him effortlessly as he lacked any means of defending himself.

Their conversation began when Deneb, who had been scolding Odile, sat down on the sofa.

“Before we get started, I’m glad to see you in good health.”

“I apologize for not visiting you earlier, I should have congratulated you, even though I found it unnecessary.”

In contrast to Albireo’s polite demeanor, Deneb’s words carried a sharp edge.

Her purple eyes carried a sharp glint, as if it was threatening to stab Siwoo’s chest.

“Deneb.”

“Fine, fine, I understand. I won’t do it again. Please forgive me, Mr. Shin Siwoo.”

“I-It’s fine.”

Then, Countess Deneb took a deep breath.

Contrary to her usual refined and composed expression, this time, she looked quite emotional.

Though, it was understandable that she’d act as such. This was a matter concerning one of her family’s apprentice witches.

Siwoo quickly regained his focus.

He knew that his words from now on would decide on his fate.

“There’s something I want to ask. I hope you can answer my questions honestly without hiding anything.”

“…Yes.”

“What did you and Odile do outside at this hour?”

But, he was already stumped at the very first question.

Yes, she told him not to lie, but he wasn’t sure if telling her the truth was the right course of action.

‘They’re practically her parents. Should I really tell them that I fucked Odile’s butthole?’

The problem here was, if he were to disclose it, then there would be a point where Odette would also be implicated.

‘Should I really?’

In the end, he decided to remain silent.

“We took a night stroll.”

“Just that?”

“We…also…kissed… Yeah, we kissed. I apologize…”

Deneb looked up at the sky. Her expression suggested dizziness as she pressed her forehead with the back of her hand. Meanwhile, Albireo observed Siwoo calmly.

At this point, he could only bring his knees together while sitting up straight. He silently prayed, ‘Please, let the questioning stop here. Please, end everything right now.’

Then, as if responding to his heartfelt plea, Albireo briefly closed her eyes and changed the topic.

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s natural for this kind of feeling to develop between a mature man and a mature woman. Besides, you’ve already gained a great deal of favor from our twins, Shin Siwoo.”

“Have you done anything else other than kissing? You sure you didn’t do anything strange with her?”

“Deneb, if you’re going to keep interrupting me, then it’s better for you to go outside and cool your head down.”

Deneb’s chilling interrogation that sent shivers down Siwoo’s spine was effortlessly thwarted by Albireo.

“Odile’s bowl is perfectly fine. Besides, Shin Siwoo is the benefactor of our family. We can’t recklessly criticize his actions.”

“I know, I know! Haah… I can’t take this anymore. Give me that alcohol.”

Deneb snatched a bottle of alcohol and chugged it down to the last drops.

No matter how much she prioritized showing off her etiquette, it seemed like when it came to matters that involved the twins, she lost control of her emotions quite easily.

This made Siwoo grateful that Albiro was also the twins’ master.

If Deneb was their only master, he wouldn’t only end up in a disastrous situation. Rather, a catastrophic one.

“Sorry, my emotions got the better of me.”

“Oh, no, it’s alright. If I were in the same situation, I would also react similarly. Please, raise your head.”

Deneb momentarily lowered her head in apology, seemingly regaining her composure.

‘Thank God.’

“First of all, I can’t express my gratitude enough. You haven’t only saved our twins just once, but twice. Each time, you displayed your courage and strategic insight.”

“In your unwavering determination to fight against injustice, risking your own life, I cannot help but show my respect, regardless of the difference between our social status.”

“I know I should have conveyed my gratitude earlier, but you have been unconscious this whole time.”

“This is late, but I would like to sincerely express my gratitude to you.”

The Countess bowed their heads simultaneously as Siwoo awkwardly waved his hands, feeling embarrassed.

He didn’t do all that to receive their gratitude.

After all, it was a situation where his body somehow moved on its own.

“No, you don’t need to. I only did all that, because it was the right thing to do.”

The weight of THE Countess Gemini bowing their head in gratitude, the discomfort Siwoo felt after receiving their praise and the anxiety he felt that something might go terribly wrong if he were to say the wrong thing, created a bewildering mix of emotions for Siwoo.

After they finished their words gracefully, Albireo made her move and asked him a question.

“Has your body recovered fully?”

“Yes, fortunately…”

“Baroness Marigold must have been delighted to find out about that. When you were still unconscious, she was the one who stayed next to you day and night, Mr. Shin Siwoo.”

“…”

As soon as the name Marigold was mentioned, Siwoo’s face stiffened.

In his current state, Siwoo was unable to maintain his composure upon hearing that name.

The confusion he had barely managed to set aside with Odile’s assistance resurfaced.

“Baroness Marigold made tremendous efforts to save you, Mr. Siwoo. She even summoned a witch specialized in healing. Even I, as a spectator who only observed from the sidelines was amazed—”

As Deneb knew that Amelia had a crush on Siwoo, she mentioned part of the things that Amelia had done for him.

‘It was Amelia’s desperate struggle that saved his life,’ she implied as she casually made her remark. There was also a hidden intention of her to probe whether there was some progress between the two.

However, she quickly realized that something was wrong when she saw Siwoo’s uncomfortable expression, prompting her to stop speaking.

Siwoo regained his composure rather quickly, but by then, an awkward atmosphere had already settled in.

Luckily, Albireo managed to smoothly change the subject.

“…In any case, let’s talk about your compensation. A reward that you think might be sufficient for you, Mr. Siwoo.”

Siwoo felt his stomach churn as he briefly closed his eyes.

‘Amelia, Amelia, Amelia…’

‘I should stop thinking about her for now…’

‘Let’s assess the situation carefully first before taking up on their offer.’

‘They’re the only ones who can get me out of Gehenna, after all.’

‘But, I need to hide my desperation from them.’

“I still haven’t changed my mind since then. My wish is to return to the modern world.”

‘My goal is to leave this place.’

‘And when I go back to my peaceful life, I will eventually forget all these troublesome things.’

In the first place, there was no reason for him to change his request, especially considering that he had been longing to leave this place for five years already.

Returning to the modern world was his only goal in life. Compared to being confused over the person that he both used to love and hate, he judged that it would be better for him to focus on this goal instead.

“Hmm…”

“I don’t mean to pry, but… Have you heard from the Baroness about the things that might happen if you were to leave this world?”

“…Pardon?”

‘What will happen if I leave this world?’

‘Since I’m a man who knows how to use magic, does that mean the witches would take an interest in me?’

The situation was even more urgent if that was the case. He had acquired a ‘brand’ on his own, so he had to be more cautious with his actions.

But, it wasn’t a problem that he couldn’t handle.

Not only did he have the music box he received from Odile, the number of people who knew about his brand was also very small. As long as he could hide it well and tread carefully, everything would be fine.

“We have no intention of changing your mind, or preventing you from going back to the modern world.”

“While you are an oddity that would make witches drool to obtain you, repaying our debt to you is more important.”

“Thank you for saying that…”

“However, we still need to clarify some things if you truly insist on returning to the modern world. If you still have the same thought even after we’ve explained everything to you, then we have no choice but to respect your decision.”

Suddenly, a serious atmosphere enveloped the room.

Siwoo was bewildered.

He thought that everything would be over once he left, but it seemed like that was merely a naive thought of his.

“Please take off your eyepatch.”

“Pardon?”

Albireo pointed to his left eye as he stared back at her in confusion.

“There’s something that we need to clarify.”

‘Is showing them my left eye here really the right choice?’

Siwoo trusted the twins.

While they were naive and at times, stubborn, he had unwavering confidence that they would never betray him.

But, the Countess were different.

He wasn’t sure if he could fully put his trust in them despite their connection to the twins as their masters.

“We will never disclose or reveal the matter. We are willing to stake our name as the Countess Gemini.”

Siwoo hesitated for a moment before removing the eyepatch that concealed his eye.

As he opened his previously closed eyes, his radiant golden irises came into view.

Just by seeing it, Albireo managed to recognize what it was.

“As expected, it’s a brand.”

“Incredible…”

Siwoo’s physical appearance had returned to back when he hadn’t received his heavy injury.

However, despite that, he still wore his eyepatch even though the tiniest imperfections that were left in his body should have been flawlessly fixed. This was the fact that made Albireo suspicious.

Unable to comprehend the situation, Deneb instinctively covered her mouth with her hand.

“Yes, it’s a brand. Will this become a problem?”

“Not at the moment, no, but there’s a possibility that things might turn complicated.”

“I’m listening.”

In front of Siwoo, who was leaning in attentively to discuss his plans for the future, the Countess continued her explanation.