City of Witches

1.

The Sahara Desert, which covered most of Northern Africa, was stated to be almost ten million kilometers square wide.

Leave out the fact that due to the climate changes that resulted in desertification, letting the area to grow even wider, the desert was already almost as big as the United States.

Obviously, the social and environmental infrastructure in the desert was extremely poor.

Such a place naturally became a hiding ground for Criminal Exiles.

Perhaps, if she were to just go in without any strategy whatsoever, Amelia would still be looking for the Witch of Scorched Sand now.

Also, the reason why Duchess Tiphereth, who was famous for her strength, struggled to hunt for those Criminal Exiles was because they had been hiding in the most remote corners of such a harsh area.

But Amelia had the kill list in her hand.

Accompanying the Criminal Exiles’ name in the list was their hiding spot, so she barely had any difficulties in her ‘hunt’.

After she killed the Witch of Scorched Sand, she immediately moved around the desert and successfully hunted three other Criminal Exiles.

'I know I did something wrong, but you don’t have to do this to me…!

One of them struggled until the last moment, even hugging her heels to beg for her life.

H-Hiii! S-Save me…!

There was also one who immediately tried to run away as soon as she witnessed her strength.

Nevertheless, she killed them all.

Without a shred of hesitation, at least outwardly.

Just like a snowball that had started rolling down a snowy mountain, refusing to stop for even a second.

After crossing that line, there was no more hesitation in her actions.

She was fully aware of the consequences of her own actions.

To take another witch’s life…

It meant that she wasn’t only killing the witch of the present, but also the ‘hope’ within them that had lasted for hundreds or thousands of years.

And the weight of her actions was eating away her heart, like a poison.

The reason why there wasn’t a shred of hesitation in her actions wasn’t because she couldn’t feel any emotions from them.

It was because her heart had been paralyzed by the guilt she felt.

She had just gaslit herself into thinking that she became unable to feel anything, that was all there to it.

“I heard a witch is hunting both Homunculi and Criminal Exiles… Is it you?”

And now, a witch was bravely accepting her death in front of Amelia.

Her blonde hair that looked similar to withered herbs, caused by the nature of her own self-essence magic.

She was the ‘Witch of Poisonous Plants’. With her lower body turned into flowers after her battle with Amelia, she leaned on the sand dunes, letting out a bitter smile.

Though the battle only lasted for a short period of time, it was definitely a fierce one.

Her previous fights with the other three Criminals didn’t leave her with any scratches or injuries, but it wasn’t the case at all this time.

The physical and mental fatigue she had been carrying with her had finally taken their toll on her, letting the other witch to take advantage of it.

“Cough!”

She let out one violent cough and got down to one knee.

Dark red blood spread across the sand as she did so.

The reason for this was because the Witch of Poisonous Plants’ intangible poison had infiltrated her body.

It was clear who came out victorious, though.

As the Witch of Poisonous Plants had lost half of her body.

Her tenacious spirit body allowed her to keep her life for now, but even if Amelia didn’t do anything, the witch wouldn’t last for more than ten minutes.

As for Amelia, while she was poisoned, it wasn’t anything fatal.

Because her autonomous defense promptly prevented the poison from reaching any of her vital organs such as her heart, brain or her womb.

Amelia got up, albeit with difficulties.

“...”

“From the rumors, I thought you would be a bloodthirsty young lady like Duchess Tiphereth, but you…”

As she said that, Maylily, the Witch of Poisonous Plants, made an astonished expression.

She had taken the lives of other witches for the sake of her magic before.

Never did she forget about the resolve she made back then, that she might lose her life due to that act one day.

But, this kind of end wasn’t something she had expected.

Her opponent, staring at her with a merciless gaze.

She woulda thought that some contempt and pride would be mixed in that gaze as well, but that wasn’t the case at all.

Instead, what she was facing was a pitiful gaze, as if the other witch was holding back her tears.

For her to be beaten so pathetically by a child who couldn’t even make a proper resolve, she found this outcome ridiculous.

Then again, maybe the reason why she had lost was exactly because of that expression the other witch made.

Because that was the exact same expression she wore throughout their fight.

“What’s your name?”

“...”

“C’mon, I won’t last long anyway, don’t be a killjoy and talk to me.”

Maybe that was the reason why instead of getting all angry, Maylily only let out a hollow laugh at her situation.

All her anger was gone, as she spoke out in a playful tone.

She didn’t have the complacency to think that the witch in front of her would spare her life.

But, there must be a story behind why she went out to hunt for others while wearing that kind of expression, and she was curious about it.

Besides, her injury was far too severe, nothing in this desert would be able to heal her back to health again.

“...Amelia Marigold.”

“Oh my God… That Marigold? The Baroness? The Witch of Perfume?”

When Amelia confirmed her questions in silence, Maylily was still shocked.

From what she knew, Baroness Marigold was a witch who’d leisurely sit in her room back in Gehenna to make some perfume.

She’d go out to the Modern World to do things, but she was never a bloodthirsty witch who’d hunt out others like this.

“...I see.”

Meanwhile, Amelia was feeling incredibly awkward facing Maylily’s overly familiar and friendly attitude.

After all, the witch’s life was about to end because of her, how could she speak so nonchalantly towards her own killer?

Does she think I’ll spare her if she were to do that?

Or maybe she just doesn’t want to have a pitiful end?

Not knowing what the answer was, Amelia could only stand there, completely perplexed.

“The world has changed a lot while I’ve been locking myself away, huh…? By the way, do you have any cigarettes? Mine was in my pocket, so…”

Maylily pointed at her lower half, which had practically gone by now.

After she saw what she pointed to, Amelia reached out to her bosom, pulled out a cigarette, put it in the other witch’s mouth, and lit it.

Maylily then inhaled the smoke, wearing an expression as if it was the most satisfied she had ever been.

“Haa… It’s been a while since I tasted this. The cigars they got around here are tasteless, this one is pretty damn good.”

As she talked to herself like that, Amelia was holding back the urge to run away.

There was no point in doing this, she had won already.

But, even though she was the one who had won, she was the one who was feeling overwhelmed.

She didn’t want to talk to anyone at the moment.

Yet, while she was feeling such a thing…

She noticed how long it had been since she had a proper conversation with someone.

In fact, this was the first time in a long while since she was facing someone who didn’t have any hostility towards her.

It was a completely different feeling from back when she lost her master and isolated herself inside that small cabin.

Back then, she could just suppress all her feelings and be done with it but now, she knew what warmth felt like, she couldn’t just do that.

She knew that she could feel happy by having a conversation with someone, and to spend time with someone.

And as a consequence, she came to know about loneliness.

Actually, she knew about it all along, but loneliness had never felt this hurt prior to all that.

Even in this meaningless, small conversation, she felt a little bit of joy in the corner of her heart.

“So, why is the exalted Baroness Marigold going around the world hunting Criminals?”

“I have no obligation to tell you that.”

“Okay, that’s just too much. I know I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life, but… Can I know the reason why I have to die, at least?”

At that moment, it felt as if a cold blade had been stabbed into Amelia’s chest.

It was her sense of guilt for taking another’s life.

The same feeling of guilt that she had been trying to ignore until now.

I knew it.

This kind of conversation shouldn’t go on for too long.

When Amelia stood there, unable to answer…

“Seriously… You aren’t a good conversation partner at all…”

Seeing Maylily started to nod off, Amelia’s lips trembled.

Even at this moment, Amelia didn’t know what the other witch was trying to gain in this conversation and what exactly she should say to her.

Is she trying to make me feel guilty so that she would be the last person I’d ever kill?

“If I don’t kill you… The person who’s precious to me…would die…”

Maylily’s eyes flickered faintly, just like the faint flicker in the cigarette she was holding. But, for some reason, those eyes seemed to be smiling.

The butt of the cigarettes eventually fell from her mouth and met up with the abundant petals of flowers in the ground.

Then, she let out a weak laugh.

A little after she was done laughing, she opened her mouth again.

“What the hell? You’re just like me then?”

At the self-mocking laugh the other witch let out, Amelia’s body stiffened.

Because she realized what the other witch was trying to say.

Maylily’s sin was killing three witches for the sake of magic.

Amelia also did the same thing for Siwoo’s sake.

Both of them were willing to take another’s lives for the sake of their own selfish purposes, to Maylily, they were both the same kind of person.

“No…!”

Of course, Amelia didn’t think so at all.

Her words were merely shallow self-mockery and unfair accusation, given enough time, Amelia could come up with a whole essay to refute them.

No, maybe that was just what Amelia had thought.

Maylily probably was saying those words just because.

Not because she wanted to mock herself, nor did she want to accuse Amelia of something. She was just saying it as it was what she truly believed from the bottom of her heart.

“...”

But, before Amelia could find out the answer, Maylily’s head was already lowered.

Her body stopped moving.

Except for the sticky red blood that dripped out of the corner of her mouth, no other movements were made.

Even if Amelia were to rebuke her previous words desperately, she wasn’t there anymore to listen to that rebuttal.

That signed the end of their fight.

It was Amelia’s victory.

However, even though Maylily lost, she ended up dying with a satisfied smile on her face, while Amelia only got to keep her life.

She couldn’t even tell if this was a victory or not.

The rebuttal that she failed to utter became so twisted to the point that she came to second guess herself.

And this wasn’t something that Amelia could bear, considering her current mental state.

Isn’t this just a murder then…?

If she were to only count the result, what exactly was the difference between her and the four witches she had killed?

“I…”

Should I just end everything here?

Give up everything and close my eyes peacefully like she did.

If I were to do that, will this pain and suffering finally end?

Suddenly, the mana around her moved.

The particles that surrounded the area began to flicker like warning lights and surrounded her.

When a witch reached the 15th rank, their magic and instinct merged into one.

Amelia wished to end her life.

So, her magic responded to that desperate desire of hers, even though it went completely against her survival instinct.

She didn’t try to stop the magic at all.

I’m tired.

I just want to…rest…

That was the only thought she had in her mind.

“WAAAIIIT!”

At that moment, someone jumped through the torrent of particles with a loud voice.

They wrapped their arms on her waist, as if they were tackling someone who was just about to jump off building with a full force. Both of them then rolled up on the sand due to the excessive force.

Needless to say, this was a dangerous thing to do.

Throwing one’s own body to an unknown magic, one that was clearly had the capability to kill, was the equivalent to suicide.

Laying down on the sandy surface, Amelia stared at the other person blankly.

“What are you doing?”

The other person was a young-looking witch.

Her deep blue eyes that reflected Amelia’s face were filled with concern. She had a tied up, auburn-colored hair that was long enough to reach her ankles.

“Good things will happen to your life eventually! So, cheer up!”

She looked young, even for an apprentice witch’s standard. It was as if she had just entered puberty, the age when an apprentice witch had just started studying the basics of magic theory.

But, there was no way an apprentice witch would be able to break through Amelia’s particle magic.

“Get the bad thoughts away from your head! Let’s go to my place!”

Amelia tried to say something, but the auburn-haired witch just grabbed her hand without her consent.

She didn’t know who the other witch was.

Maybe she was one of the targets that was listed in the kill list.

Whoever she was, Amelia didn’t care.

She followed the witch that had appeared so suddenly to her workshop.

***

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