City of Witches - Chapter 282: Interlude (4)

1.

It was a deep, dark space.

An endless darkness spread, taking away even one’s sense of distance.

But, seeing this spectacle, the thing that Sharon felt wasn’t fear or dread towards the darkness.

Rather, she felt cozy, as if she had returned to the warmth of her mother’s womb.

This was the world beneath her consciousness.

Ain, a space made out of ideas that were gathered by countless generations of witches.

How much time had passed exactly?

What was happening in the outside world?

For Sharon at the moment, those things were trivial.

In this profound space, she couldn’t feel any kind of emotion. Even her personality felt fragmented. The only thing she could think of was her own magic.

A huge, cross-shaped structure was established in the middle of the Ain.

This was the Ark of the Elements, a structure that encompassed the power of the five elements.

The elements of water, fire, earth, wind, and space were floating around the structure, under this deep darkness, as if they were dancing.

“It’s pretty…”

Even though she was clearly unconscious, Sharon was still struck with awe.

Each of the elements felt cold, warm, firm, at the same time, full of life. They constantly interpreted and analyzed each other, creating a harmony that surrounded them.

The big structure wasn’t the only thing inside the Ain.

There were also elements and mana inside.

The mana, not originally hers, spun around the structure like a strong current.

-Wooooong!

At that moment, a change began to occur.

The Ark of the Elements began to tremble, creating a strong vibration that could shake the heavens and the earth.

“Ah…”

For a moment, ecstasy scoured through Sharon’s body.

This was what one could call enlightenment.

The thing that actually came rushing inside her mind was waves of information and knowledge that she had once received back when she first inherited her brand.

She was absorbing all the knowledge that she should have received in the first place.

-Wooooong!

Every time the deafening roar that felt like it could burst one’s eardrums out was heard, mana surged and entered her womb.

Parts of her brand that were unresponsive due to the incomplete inheritance began to come to life again.

The elements around the structure jumped happily, excited at the birth of a grand witch who was finally able to wield them properly.

Each of them clung close to her, embracing her and going around her body, creating a torrent.

And she willingly surrendered herself to this torrent.

At that moment, she felt a shock so great that it broke through all the ideas and contradictions that were previously incomprehensible to her.

Then, a stream of light, so bright that it made her eyes hurt—

“Ah…”

Sharon, who had been lying quietly still on the bed, opened her eyes.

When she finally came to her senses, she noticed that she was inside a room with a pleasant moonlight coming in from an angle.

The room was spacious enough for a family of four to be able to live comfortably.

She turned her eyes, which were extremely sensitive to light at the moment due to the fact that she had been keeping it close for a good while now, around to see her surroundings closely and found out that there were a bunch of old-fashioned, yet expensive-looking furniture everywhere.

The first thing she figured out was the fact that she was on a bed.

She could feel the softness of a feather pillow on the back of her head.

There was also the blanket that covered her body up to her chest, the best blanket she had felt yet.

It didn’t take long for her to also notice that the canopy above her head was embroidered carefully out of very high-quality materials.

“…Ah…!”

Then, her memories from before she lost consciousness returned.

The last thing that she remembered was the sight of the Drowned Witch piercing her chest with a harpoon.

And Siwoo, all by himself, facing that fearsome Homunculus .

“Siwoo!”

Even though she knew that no one else was nearby, Sharon still shouted his name while looking around desperately.

The fact that she had finally fulfilled her lifetime goal, to finally completing the inheritance from her predecessor, was shoved aside by her. To find out if Siwoo was alright or not was far more important than that.

“Ugh! Arg…!”

She had just stepped on the ground, but her autonomous defense was triggered somehow.

This was because her limbs had considerably stiffened due to how long she had been unconscious for.

How long has it been?

What happened to Siwoo?!

At that moment, her previously wobbling body instantly stiffened.

The reason was because she saw the scenery outside the window in front of her.

“What…?’

She thought that she had seen it wrong.

Someone had saved her, she had figured out that much at least.

She also had figured out that person had treated her wounds and nursed her back to health.

But the wide garden outside the window and the unfamiliar scenery beneath that garden completely threw her off the loop to the point that her brain short-circuited.

Yes.

She was not in the Modern World anymore but in Gehenna.

The clean air she inhaled, without any trace of fine dust, and the room which had a Belle Epoch-era feel to it made her realize that everything was real.

“I see…”

Then, a dawn of realization struck her.

“I’m already dead, huh…?”

Not only had she completely inherited her brand, but she also managed to return to Gehenna.

Someone as incompetent as her would never be able to achieve such feats.

That was why she was completely convinced that this place was the afterlife, the place where all her wishes were happily fulfilled.

If I were to use a summoning spell to summon Siwoo, would he appear?

No, wait, if he does, doesn’t that mean he’s dead already?!

Such thoughts started to appear in Sharon’s head as she stared at the window with a blank face.

“Are you really? To me, you look alive and well.”

“Eek!”

Suddenly, she heard someone’s voice from behind, which made her jump on the spot.

An ambush?!

As soon as she thought of that possibility, she immediately dropped all the daydreaming from before. In an instant, she had already summoned her staff and witch outfit, aiming at her back.

The person behind her only stared at her with a half-astonished face.

A familiar face to Sharon, as even though it had been a while since she met this person face to face, she had recently met her twin sister.

“C-Countess…”

“You can just call me Albirero.”

Sharon’s face turned pale as she hurriedly hid her staff behind her back.

Facing someone she owed a bunch of money to snap her off her delusion.

Her mind that had been wandering around since she first woke up instantly cooled down.

“I’m just gonna tell you this in advance since I assume that you’re curious about it, but Siwoo is safe. We’ve received a message that there was a big incident in Seoul, but it had been resolved already. Also, this place is the Gemini Household’s mansion and you’ve recovered fully, Ms. Evergreen.”

“Um…?”

“What I meant to say is, everything is fine, so you don’t need to worry about anything.”

Sharon stood blankly for a while, her whole body stiffened.

Then, tears started flowing from her eyes.

Her legs wobbled and she fell down to the ground.

She found out that Siwoo was safe.

That was enough for her.

“Thank God…thank God…thank God…”

Albireo just stared at her with a complicated expression on her face before handing her a handkerchief.

“Sniff…thank you… I’m just…thank God…”

“I need to talk to you. Can I?”

2.

“I-Is there something you need from me…?”

If an elf existed, she would probably look like the woman in front of Albireo. Lovely appearance, large breasts that couldn’t be hidden even by the loose patient clothes, and a wide, healthy-looking pelvis.

As Albireo was thinking about how beautiful she was, Sharon’s mint-colored eyes warily stared at her.

Their relationship was that of debtor and a creditor, and Sharon was a bad debtor who failed to pay the owed money for years now.

If the Countess were to add to her debt under the guise of nursing expenses or something, she’d have to pay that too, whether she liked it or not.

“Phew, first of all, you must’ve been curious about what happened, no?”

“What happened…?”

“It’s regarding Siwoo. He always got caught up in big events, strangely enough.”

Then, Albireo explained everything to the confused Sharon, slowly, about the event that had transpired recently.

Despite her staying in Gehenna when the event had transpired, she still knew all the details due to her contact with various sources of information.

The series of strange events that happened in Seoul recently was the work of the Cowardly Witch.

Siwoo, along with Duchess Tiphereth, worked together to subjugate her.

At the moment, they were cleaning up after the incidents, and were going to visit Gehenna soon to meet up with Sharon and the twins.

Sharon, who looked as if she had witnessed the skyfall when she heard that Siwoo was in danger, immediately took a sigh of relief when she heard that everything had resolved peacefully.

“As for what happened to you, Miss Sharon, you were in a coma, but thanks to Siwoo, they managed to send you here, to our Gemini house, to recuperate from your injuries.”

“Thank you… I can’t thank you enough…”

Albireo’s complicated gaze fell on Sharon’s head, as she bowed towards her.

She recently heard about Siwoo’s situation from Deneb.

It wasn’t difficult for her to guess the degree of relationship between a man and a woman just by inferring clues from them just by talking.

Their small gestures and such showed the kind of emotion they harbored.

In Sharon’s case, it felt like she just freely gave off clues without any restraints.

Considering the significant difference in her mana after she woke up, it was clear that she was able to fix the problem of her inheritance when she was still in a coma.

Albireo didn’t know the specifics, of course, but she assumed that getting into contact with the world beneath her consciousness helped somehow.

In any case, she survived a near-death experience.

But, the first thing that came to her mind when she woke up was Siwoo…

From this, Albireo inferred that the feelings she harbored towards him was something along the lines of a blind love.

Considering that Siwoo had also prioritized getting her to safety while he himself decided to stay in Seoul…

And the fact that they were found injured inside a hotel, it wasn’t hard for Albireo to guess what kind of relationship they had exactly.

Since they were living together, it was safe to guess that their relationship was going strong.

Of course it was her who decided to kick Siwoo out of Gehenna.

She noticed that the relationship between him and the twins had grown dangerously close and decided that they should be kept apart, at least until they had inherited their brands safely.

There was definitely an option to let them do whatever they wanted instead, but she just didn’t want to risk the possibility of them committing an irreversible mistake.

And now, she found out that the decision she made back then was a mistake.

She thought that she made that decision for the sake of the twins, but because of that decision, that man was stolen by this witch in front of her…

It wasn’t like she could complain about it either, since she was the one who kicked him out to live in that dangerous world, all while telling him to wait for five whole years.

Still, she had her pride, she refused to back down so easily.

She had an idea.

That idea was the reason why she asked for a one-on-one meeting with Sharon, and it was now the perfect time to reveal it.

“Miss Evergreen.”

“Um?”

“Would you like to stay in our mansion and become the twins’ tutor?”

“Um…?”

“Baroness Marigold was their tutor regarding Elemental Magic, but now that she’s away, the position became vacant. Since the Evergreen’s self-essence magic is among the most orthodox when it comes to Elemental Magic, the position suits you perfectly. I have written you a contract, you can read it first.”

She figured that it would be better if she were to intervene with their relationship here, even if she were to use such a dishonorable means, for the sake of the twins.

While she was sorry for Sharon, she really couldn’t help it.

After all, this matter was directly related to her daughters’ happiness, she couldn’t just sit idly by.

“Huh?!”

Sharon, who was reading through the proposal, jolted in surprise.

Because the condition was so good, it was unreal.

The twins would surely inherit their brand in five years.

So, the contract would last for five years.

But, whether they could inherit their brand or not within that time, if she were to sign the contract, all her remaining debt would be considered as paid.

All the research material that was used as collateral would be returned, and within the contract period, they’d provide her with food, housing, research expenses, even private expenses as well.

Lastly, at the end of the contract, she’d receive a letter of introduction, either to the Jinri Jinmyeong Academic Society or to the Trinity Academy.

In short, they would clear her debt and guarantee both her present life and her future.

“Okay! I will do my best!”

Needless to say, Sharon was overjoyed.

With this, she wouldn’t need to lean on Siwoo anymore.

She could finally stand on equal terms with him.

And this would also get rid of the problem that had been haunting her for decades.

She had no reason to refuse such a sweet deal.

“But, there’s one condition.”

Albireo tried to ignore Sharon’s overexcited state and continued.

“You need to keep your distance from Siwoo. Could you?”

***

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