City Of Witches

Chapter 456: Trip (5)

1.

After that tender kiss, the two naturally pulled apart.

Although, ‘naturally’ wasn’t exactly the right word for it.

What had happened was Amelia suddenly jumping back, almost shoving Siwoo away in her surprise.

“I-I’m sorry...”

She glanced at her hands, then at Siwoo, as if startled by her own action.

Her usually pale face was now flushed red, her body restless, swaying around as if someone was pulling her from side to side.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“N-No, not at all! It was nice! I mean, it was really nice, but...”

When Siwoo asked that question in a worried tone, Amelia frantically waved her hands and shook her head.

There couldn’t be a more definitive gesture of denial. Also, it was refreshing to see her using such an exaggerated gesture.

“...”

Seeing how she was clamping her mouth shut and hanging her head low, it seemed as if she wanted to explain something but gave up halfway.

In any case, it had been a while since Siwoo had seen the top of her head.

Her thin, golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her pointed ears were flushed red.

That was when he remembered something. From Amelia’s memories, it was clear that she wasn’t lacking in sexual knowledge, she had just always acted reserved.

It didn’t seem apparent in her behavior to the point that if he were to go back in time and tell his past self that they were gonna kiss in the future, and that she’d enjoy it, there was no way that his past self would believe it.

Regardless, for someone like her, this sudden intimacy might’ve felt overwhelming.

Especially since they had only recently patched things up.

“I guess I got a little carried away by the atmosphere...”

“That isn’t your fault, Siwoo. I’m sorry for pushing you away like that...”

The two of them exchanged small bows, apologizing to each other.

When Siwoo looked up, he noticed Amelia nervously playing with her hair, trying to shake off the awkwardness.

He considered himself fairly experienced with women.

But her innocent reaction made him feel a bit self-conscious of that.

“A-Ahem... How about we grab some breakfast?”

“Yes...!”

Amelia responded quickly, almost as if she had been waiting for an excuse to change the topic.

“If there’s anything specific you want to eat, let me know. I heard the food in the hotel’s restaurant is really good.”

Without missing a beat, Amelia replied.

“Kimchi stew.”

“Sorry?”

Given Gehenna’s tendencies to have European-style cuisine, he expected her to choose something more Western, so kimchi stew was the last thing he expected.

“Siwoo’s hometown food.”

“Ah...”

That was when he remembered that a similar conversation had occurred back during his age regression. He had casually mentioned this to her.

They went shopping together to buy the ingredients for it, and Amelia tried her best to cook it, but the result hadn’t been very good.

Back then, he had forced himself to eat it, trying to hide his disappointment, but chances were Amelia noticed that.

“Sounds good.”

Finding out that Amelia still remembered something so trivial from their past, his heart felt a little lighter.

2.

While they were searching for a well-reputed kimchi stew restaurant near them, Siwoo took the chance to share more about the Modern World with Amelia.

When he first was dragged to Gehenna, the City of Witches he had experienced plenty of strange things, but right now, it was more likely that Amelia was experiencing an even greater culture shock than him.

It wasn’t strange, though.

Gehenna’s atmosphere was steeped in a ‘bygone’ era.

Whether it was the Academy, reminiscent of the Palace of Versailles, or the market that seemed to be pulled straight from a fantasy game, at the very least, Siwoo had been exposed to such things through various media.

But what about the Modern World?

To Amelia, this place probably felt like a glimpse into a futuristic society.

Recalling her unease from the day before, Siwoo decided to explain things as carefully and as gently as possible to her.

“That building over there is called the National Assembly. Ugly, right? But surprisingly, it’s the main government office. Korea has a system called separation of powers, unlike Gehenna, which means the executive, legislative, and judicial branches all operate independently.”

“...I see.”

Standing by the riverside, Siwoo pointed at a building that seemed like a lesson in what not to do for architecture students; the one building that ruined the night view.

Since they were touring Yeouido, he felt it was worth mentioning.

“Ah, that’s a bus. It’s similar to cars I mentioned earlier, it uses fossil fuels as fuel. Think of it as a horse-drawn carriage powered by an engine. But it’s much bigger, isn’t privately owned, and follows a fixed route to help citizens get around the city. You have to pay a fare, though.”

“...I see.”

He tried his best to simplify things with relatable examples for Amelia.

“Ms. Amelia.”

“...Yes?”

But something seemed off about her.

Though she replied to all his explanations, her voice sounded distant, as if she wasn’t fully there.

At first, he assumed that she was just distracted.

After all, Siwoo himself would often zone out during academic conferences when listening to groundbreaking papers by prominent mathematicians.

But that was that, and this was this.

In Amelia’s case, she was clearly lost in thought.

“Ms. Amelia.”

“...Yes?”

Seeing Amelia so out of sorts was a rare sight.

He couldn’t help but want to check it out.

“Ms. Amelia, do you often drink black tea through your nose?”

“No.”

“Oh, so you were listening.”

He tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but Amelia only stared at him with a confused expression, as if asking him, ‘Why would you even ask that?’.

Unfortunately for him, the joke didn’t quite land.

That was also when he realized that he hadn’t seen Amelia’s genuine smile often.

Usually, she wore this calm and composed expression, almost like a mask.

Even when she smiled, her lips barely moved, essentially, there wasn’t any change in her expression.

At this point, it felt like he could set a silly goal, like making her smile more often, as if they were in a romance comic.

“Do you drink tea through your nose, Siwoo?”

“No, not really... I just...thought that you seemed a little distracted, and said that as a joke...”

“A joke...?”

“I’m sorry if it upset you.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s nothing to be upset about.”

After that, the pair continued walking towards their destination.

“...”

Siwoo’s guess about her being distracted was spot-on, though.

Amelia’s mind had been in a chaotic state, like a hurricane tearing through a field of roses, even before Siwoo’s comment snapped her back to reality.

It was because of the lingering sensation from their kiss.

Even now, when she closed her eyes, she could still feel the warmth of his lips and the thick hands wrap around her waist.

It was as if her body was tied to thousands of balloons, floating weightlessly

The unfamiliar and frightening streets of the Modern World now seemed dreamy and orderly, as if she was walking through a dream. Even the solid bricks felt soft.

If she let herself, she might even start skipping out of sheer happiness.

“We’re here.”

Siwoo had found this kimchi stew restaurant, which had prided itself on its 80 years of history, on a blog.

Since the building had been recently remodeled, it gave off a clean and modern look.

No matter how much the Tarnishing Charm blurred the wearer’s appearance and image, a perfect blockage like the Music Box was almost impossible for it to achieve.

A bald section chief wiped his forehead when he saw a stunning blonde woman whom he had never seen before walk in, causing quite a stir.

Fortunately, the charm and their partitioned seating soon brought the commotion under control once their order was taken by the waiter.

By now, Amelia, who had been floating on cloud nine, started coming back down to earth.

The sharp, spicy aroma of the food and the bustling noise of the restaurant kept her grounded and eased her emotions.

“Ms. Amelia, do you mind if we discuss something a bit more...practical?”

Siwoo, who had been observing Amelia’s expression, opened his mouth.

The fines and compensation newly imposed on her amounted to a figure with four digits in front of the word ‘billion,’ easily categorizing it as ‘astronomical’.

Even if she was satisfied and happy at this moment, if she couldn’t pay the amount within 10 years, a terrible punishment of imprisonment followed by exile awaited her.

“Practical?”

After the dramatic reconciliation and sweet kiss, a practical talk would be...

Marriage?

Amelia was still intoxicated with her girlish happiness, practically in a state of high serotonin.

That was why she reached that absurd conclusion. She looked at Siwoo with serious eyes and sat up straight.

“I’m ready.”

Caught off guard by her sudden intense reaction, Siwoo hesitated.

After a bit, he regained his composure and finally spoke up.

“You know, the fine... The amount is quite...a lot, isn’t it...? I wanted to help somehow, so I think I need to fully understand your current situation first...”

“Oh...you mean that.”

As soon as Siwoo finished speaking, Amelia realized the situation.

Her previously hopeful outlook, buoyant and lively, crumpled like a deflated rubber duck.

In a way, though, it was a relief.

The brief, euphoric haze had nearly sent her reason flying off into the ether, but now it was firmly back in place.

“There’s no need for you to help. It’s something I brought upon myself.”

“But, I still want to help. Even if it isn’t much, I want to do what I can. Can you at least tell me your situation in more detail?”

His sincere gaze as he asked that caught her off-guard.

Once again, a rush of joy coursed through her after seeing that he was genuinely trying to help her instead of offering his help out of courtesy.

Hence, she outlined her situation to him.

“I’ve decided to sell the Marigold Mansion in Ars Magna Town. Including the surrounding private land, it should bring in around 8,000 pounds.”

After that, she listed her other inherited assets.

5000 pounds in cash stored in the bank.

Magic items and artifacts unrelated to Marigold’s self-essence magic, worth about 10,000 pounds.

Various pieces of artwork worth 2,000 pounds.

A pasture in the northeastern part of Tarot Town, estimated at 1,000 pounds.

And several villas scattered across Gehenna, totaling 4,000 pounds.

Siwoo mentally tallied everything as he listened to her.

The total fines and compensation Amelia must pay were roughly 212,000 pounds.

The total assets she could gather by selling her inheritance were approximately 30,000 pounds, roughly 24 billion won in Korean currency.

Even after deducting the necessary amounts, the remaining sum would be an astonishing 180,000 pounds, about 144 billion won.

The sheer magnitude of the number was overwhelming.

It didn’t even come close to the average wealth of a witch living in Ars Magna Town would typically have. Though Amelia’s wealth was more than enough to let her live a luxurious life or fund her magical studies, it was utterly insignificant in the face of such an astronomical sum.

“...”

Siwoo felt his vision darkened.

It wasn’t like her fate was sealed, it was just the path ahead looked grueling, to say the least.

He remembered Sharon, who had been in a similar situation, only managed to earn 1.3 billion won over 10 years, managing to pay back just 100 million in principal.

He wondered whether he should be thankful that there were no interest charges on the fines.

“Don’t stress about it too much.”

“It’s hard not to...”

“I’ve decided to start selling my perfumes. Since I’ve ordered the materials and equipment already, I should be able to begin production in a day or so...”

Amelia’s perfumes.

Even among the wealthy witches of Gehenna, it was said that it was something that couldn’t be obtained even if one wanted it, but Siwoo couldn’t help but wonder if that was enough to pay off all her debts.

While Siwoo was pondering, the kimchi stew they had ordered arrived.