City of Witches

1.

At that moment, Siwoo realized how natural it felt like for him and his master to share the same room.

Perhaps because they had been living together in the same officetel room for a while now turned this into a habit.

Feeling that the first floor was too crowded, he asked that their meals be brought up to their room.

He felt like he wouldn’t be able to digest the food properly if he were to take in all the burdensome gazes from those witches earlier.

The room was a double suite with two single-sized beds.

Well, it was a stretch to call it a suite…

Then again, the buildings in Border Town generally looked more run-down than those in Tarot Town.

This room alone screamed old-fashioned.

Despite having a fireplace and a makeshift bathroom created with magic in the corner, the room still felt shabby.

“This room isn’t that bad.”

But, it seemed like his master didn’t seem to care much about it.

“What do you think?”

“Uh, well, I can make do with this level of comfort, I guess.”

Having lived well in practically a hamster cage for five years, Siwoo could sleep anywhere as long as he didn’t need to deal with bugs.

They pulled up a table, finished a quick dinner while sitting on their respective beds, using them as chairs.

With drinks accompanying their meal, they naturally started talking to each other.

“Staying in a place like this sometimes makes you feel nostalgic, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, you’re right, Master. It has this unique old-fashioned feel to it, I’m enjoying it quite a bit.”

The chilly weather, adding the drizzle to it, matched the atmosphere.

Looking tired, Eloa sat comfortably by the fireplace, accepting the drink Siwoo offered.

He finally asked something he hadn’t because he had been so focused on controlling the Red Branch.

“So, Master… What’s your plan from here on out?”

“Hmm… I haven’t paid all the prices yet, so I need a good rest until I’m fully recovered.”

In the previous battle, Eloa had used up too many covenants at once.

Thanks to that, she needed a month or two to recuperate.

“After that… I’ll carry on with what I’ve been doing…”

To her, Ravi’s last words were not just a simple will.

It also wasn’t a simple promise, but a covenant she had to fulfill.

She vowed to honor it.

To protect those who’d die in ignorance.

Purge the impurities that befoul the world.

She’d continue her journey, to hunt for Homunculi and Criminal Exiles.

However, this time, things would be different.

The burden of guilt that had been ailing her, driving her into a cycle of meaningless penance, was gone.

This newfound realization filled her heart with gratitude towards Siwoo.

“Don’t overdo it, please.”

Siwoo understood her situation and he knew he couldn’t stop her, well not that he thought he should.

However, though he was aware of her strength, he had seen her in a dire situation up close.

If he hadn’t stepped in then, she would have been in serious danger and lost her life.

Eloa smiled softly at Siwoo, who was looking at her with eyes filled with concern.

Her pink eyes flickered along with the flames that came from the fireplace.

The gaze of a disciple that was worried about his master, and the gaze of a master staring lovingly at that disciple, met.

“You worry too much—”

However, the tender moment between them was abruptly shattered by a sudden noise.

Said sudden noise…

Came from the next room…

“Haah! Ohhh! Right there! That feels great~!”

“Of course it is, look at you, you’re this wet already, you sly little kitten!”

It wasn’t because both of them had extraordinary senses that let them hear those voices.

But because the Coiled Serpent Inn’s building, as the name suggested, was a wooden one constructed in an old architectural style.

In other words, its soundproofing was practically non-existent since there were only log walls that separated the rooms.

“...You…worry too much…”

Eloa tried to continue the conversation while ignoring the noises, but it turned futile as another timely interruption came from the neighboring room.

“Ohhh~! Right there! Ahh…! There…!”

“Do you like it here? Spread it wider then.”

“How can I— Haaang…!”

Eloa was about to open her mouth to diffuse the situation, but she ended up shutting her lips like a clam.

Unable to meet Siwoo’s gaze, her eyes darted away involuntarily as her pupils trembled greatly.

Of course, Eloa wasn’t the only one who felt embarrassed.

Siwoo’s body was frozen stiff due to this awkward situation.

He had assumed they were just a happy couple when he heard their laughter during dinner.

Never did he expect that they’d be having this kind of…provocative…conversation.

But Siwoo wasn’t the naive boy he used to be.

If he were to just quietly listen to the sounds of their lovemaking, the situation would only exacerbate.

So, he tried to keep a calm demeanor, forcing a composed smile.

Trying to imitate Takasho.

“Haha, they are getting along well, it seems.”

“...”

However, such jokes would only work if someone was receptive to them.

Eloa wasn’t such a person, as she only hugged her knees tightly, unsure of what to do, and remained silent.

“C-Cough!”

She grabbed her glass with her shaking hand and downed it, nearly choking herself.

-Slap, slap!

“Ahh! Hang! Harder!”

“You fucking…!”

Whether they were aware or not, the couple next door had really started to get into it.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh, uh, the so-called sound of pounding, was clearly audible in Siwoo’s and Eloa’s ears.

Imagine the awkwardness one would feel if they were to be thrown into this situation with a girl friend they had no chance with. That was what Siwoo had to endure. Actually, the awkwardness was even worse for him because the other person was Eloa.

Even if they had sex before, he still couldn’t brush off the awkwardness.

Besides, he was well aware that his master was very conscious of their previous intercourse.

And that he couldn’t utter a single word about that moment, let alone bringing it up to her.

“...U-Um…maybe because it’s the price of the covenant, but…m-my ears aren’t working well. I-I’m going to take a shower.”

“O-Okay.”

Eloa got up, unfolding the knee blanket in the process.

Perhaps thinking that her words sounded a little strange, she quickly offered him an explanation.

“I-I’m really just gonna take a shower! N-Nothing else…!”

Obviously, this wasn’t a reaction that would come from someone who claimed they couldn’t hear anything.

It was clear that she had just blurted out a bunch of nonsense because she was too flustered.

Siwoo surpassed his laughter. What she was doing was pretty hilarious despite the whole embarrassing situation.

“...”

There was a problem though; The shower in the corner wouldn’t make her situation much better at all.

While they had a water supply and a sewage system in place, the absence of a whole separate door meant that she had to rely on a mere curtain to cover herself up.

Which also meant that if Siwoo were to stick around, he’d catch every sound possible, from the running water to everything else.

So, being mindful of the situation, he rose from his seat.

“Alright, I’ll go get some fresh air.”

“A-Ah… S-Sure…”

Leaving Eloa, who was as red as a tomato, Siwoo left the room.

“Haah…”

Only after he left did Eloa finally let out the breath she had been holding.

From the next room, the sounds of lustful moans of the woman and the beastly groan for the mean was still audible to her.

Feeling dizzy at the thought of hearing such sounds with Siwoo, Eloa’s body trembled.

“Ugh…”

Shaking her head, she undressed herself and stepped into the shower.

There’s nothing better than a good shower to clear one’s mind…

“I-I’m gonna cum…!”

Just when she thought that her mood would change to one that was felt with profoundness, the voices from the next wall made her choke her breath again.

“I already said I couldn’t hear anything…”

Fortunately, Siwoo seemed to believe her words, but it did feel unnatural that he suddenly said he wanted to go out even after she had picked up that unnatural excuse.

Besides, it was about time for her to sleep as part of the covenant’s price.

At the very least, these guys will stop soon. Right?

She had learned that regular sexual intercourse didn’t last all day long, Siwoo’s was an exception among exceptions.

When the atmosphere had turned nerve-wracking like this, she figured that being momentarily separated from each other wasn’t a bad thing.

“But, why does this keep happening to me…?”

First, she caught a glimpse of him sharing a passionate night with Sharon.

Then, she witnessed the sexual intercourse between him and Periwinkle through the Guardian’s Covenant.

There were also occasions when her pajamas suddenly became undone, revealing her breasts, or something along those lines.

Reflecting on this, the world suddenly felt absurd to her.

2.

“Phew, that was a close call…”

Siwoo stepped outside to smoke and get some fresh air in front of the inn.

At first, it seemed like there were only men around on the first floor, but as time passed, he found the hallway was filled with tangled couples going wild with their kissing and sucking each other.

“Excuse me, excuse me.”

After skillfully interrupting three couples one after another, he finally made his way outside.

The Coiled Serpent Inn, perched on high ground, offered a perfect view of Border Town’s night scenery.

As the central hub for Gehenna’s material distribution, the distant dock remained busy, illuminated by bright work lights.

“Phew…haaa…”

He lit up a cigarette, inhaled the smoke and exhaled it back out along with his frustration.

While he left to save Eloa from the awkwardness, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t feeling the same way as her.

“That was so awkward…”

According to his all-knowing friend, friends with benefits could go to a motel together after drinking and act like nothing happened.

But, Siwoo knew that wasn’t an option for him.

The memories from the waterway tunnel were still deeply ingrained in his mind, after all.

He could still picture every inch of Eloa’s body, it was as clear as day.

Even with clothes on, he could still imagine her being nude.

He had been trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, keeping his distance from her so as not to embarrass her.

But the unexpected incident forced him to confront those memories once again.

If only our relationship is more casual when it comes to our physical intimacy…

Maybe in that situation we’d start kissing playfully and hear her moans again…

Like, it would be amazing if I could just grab those voluptuous breasts and release my load deep inside her, no?

“Ugh, fucking hell! These damn dirty thoughts need to get out of my head! Fuck, am I finally losing it?!”

In the midst of his sticky turmoil, as he was about to fall into self-loathing and tear his hair out…

“What are you doing alone, Darling?”

“Huh?!”

A voice that came out of nowhere startled him.

Turning around, he found a woman wearing a pointed cap, poking his shoulder.

“Oh my, I had a hunch that it turned out to be true! It was you, right? You know, the one who came with Duchess Tiphereth earlier…uh…the male witch, right? That eyepatch is cool, by the way! Is it a fashion thing?”

Being a witch, she wasn’t the typical beauty one’d see on the streets, so he quickly recognized her.

She was one of the witches who was drinking on the inn’s first floor earlier.

“What do you want?”

Siwoo instantly put up his guard.

This was the habit he came to develop while living in the Modern World.

While there were many good witches that he had met, there were also some who’d show an unhealthy obsession with his uniqueness, after all.

“Do I need a reason? I just want to have a chat.”

“Sorry, I need to head back inside soon.”

He sensed a hint of danger in her sparkling eyes.

It wasn’t like he’d mind attention from a pretty woman.

But, considering that this attention might be spawned out a witch’s typical curiosity, it made him especially wary of her.

“C’mon, c’mon! It won’t take long! Why are you in such a hurry?”

The witch grabbed his wrist firmly with a smirk.

It was at that moment when he saw a sense of madness and curiosity, bordering obsession, that was hiding behind her beautifully curved eyes.

“I’m not up to anything bad, I just want to have a drink with you!”

“No, I’ve already drunk enough.”

“Why are you being so cold?”

Siwoo tried to pull away from her, but the witch’s grip on his wrist tightened like a pair of handcuffs.

“There are so many things I want to ask you. Like, what’s your relationship with Duchess Tiphereth? Is it like that, after all?”

“Excuse me.”

“If you two don’t have anything special going on, there’s no harm in playing with me, right?”

She’s so persistent…

Like that one college chick who just can’t leave you alone outside the club bathroom…

Why can’t she just get lost already?

“Sorry, but I have to go back soon. My master is waiting for me.”

“Master?”

“Duchess Eloa.”

“You two are on a first-name basis? So you two are that close?”

This witch had the typical ‘my way or the highway’ attitude.

In other words, she was bossy and self-centered.

It reminded him of those spoiled rich daughters in dramas, pampered and treated like royalty from birth. Witches who had been witches ever since they were born always carry this sense of privilege, as if they were the only things that mattered.

“That’s not it.”

Siwoo said in a low tone as he pulled his arm away. This caused the witch to pout, her face suggested that she was extremely offended by him.

Even without saying anything, it was clear that she was trying to say something on the lines of ‘A man like you dares to reject me?’.

“A mutant like you dares? The audacity! You think you’re all that, huh…?”

The situation seemed to be following the expected route.

If they fight, would he win?

He instinctively assessed his chances of winning.

At that moment…

“He can do whatever he wants.”

A voice that sounded oddly familiar rang out.

“Because he’s the man who killed that Cowardly Witch.”

With an amazing figure, as if she was the perfect sculpture and proportions that were like a supermodel’s.

Her navy blue hair was shimmering, complimenting her beautiful dress.

Cybele Periwinkle appeared, exuding a relaxed vibe; A shawl draped around her as she stood under the night sky.

***

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