City of Witches

“I’ll categorize the experiences that you’ll encounter in the modern world into three main categories.”

“Okay.”

‘There are three categories?’

Siwoo expressed a slight concern in his heart as he attentively listened to the Countess’ words.

“Firstly, if anyone discovers the fact that a male managed to develop a brand, it will pique the curiosity of witches in general. Considering it’s an unprecedented case, there’s a potential that by using you as a research subject, there will be an unprecedented leap in magical research progress.”

“The fact that you could use magic without it was already something that would throw you into that exact situation. Now that you’ve developed a brand yourself, you’ll naturally gain more attention and it’ll be more than you could ever imagine.”

“Wouldn’t it be enough to simply hide the fact that I possess the brand?”

‘You don’t really need to explain all this to me.’

‘I already knew that much at least, I’m not stupid.’

“The fact that you treat this matter with such a nonchalant mindset is problematic.”

“Currently, as a result of the abolition of your slave contracts, you’ve become a citizen of Gehenna. Even if words about your ability to use magic were to spread, they can’t just try to mess with you without paying the price. Both our Gemini household and Baroness Marigold herself will impose severe sanctions by confiscating the citizenship and assets of any witches who’d dare to touch you.”

“At most, you’ll only gain their attention. It might get tiring, but your life won’t be in danger.”

Albireo paused to catch her breath before continuing.

“That would be the case for normal witches, but when it comes to Exiles, it’s a whole different story. You’ve personally met one yourself, haven’t you? That one cruel witch, Ea Sadalmelik.”

“We are aware of this matter, of course and we’ve arranged something for you.”

Deneb’s tone carried that of a mother trying to prevent her kid from crawling into a well.

Nevertheless, her words weren’t enough to suppress his desire to go home.

After all, he still had Odile’s music box. As long as he was careful, there wouldn’t be any issues.

“While there are only a small number of Exiles that could truly be categorized as wicked, you still need to be cautious. Exiles aren’t the citizens of Gehenna, they aren’t bound by its rules and they could cause harm to you if they wish so.”

Siwoo understood what the Countess was saying.

In short, he was like an alluring beauty who’d capture the eyes of every man he met. And what he was going to do was basically throw himself into a world where CCTV and police didn’t exist.

Anyone could cause him harm if he wasn’t careful.

“This is the extent of what we can do to help you in this matter.”

Albiero rummaged through her pocket, took out a ring and placed it on the table.

“By wearing this ring, you’ll be treated as the guest of our family. To touch a guest of our family means to challenge us, and there will be consequences for doing so.”

Seeing this, Siwoo understood their intentions.

The Geminis didn’t want to prevent him from returning to the modern world.

On the contrary, they even provided him with conveniences and a safety net.

At that moment, his previous worries about whether those two women were having hidden agendas about him disappeared and he felt dumb for thinking about it in the first place.

“Thank you very much.”

“As for how effective the ring’s influence is in the modern world… Honestly, I can’t guarantee it will help you a hundred percent of the time. You still need to be cautious at all times.”

“I will keep that in mind… What about the next thing?”

Siwoo felt like he had received enough cautionary advice and urged them to move on to the next topic.

“The second one involves the Homunculi.”

Their response momentarily caught him off guard.

‘Homunculi? What does that have to do with me?’

“The number of active Homunculi has significantly increased compared to a hundred years ago. It’s estimated to be ten times greater than back then.”

“But, what does it have to do with me?”

“Targeting someone bearing a brand is in their nature. That means, you’ll become their target as well.”

“Of course, as long as you carry the music box around while keeping your guard up, there shouldn’t be any major issues. We’re just telling you this as a precaution.”

“…So you knew about the music box…”

“Obviously. We are their guardians.”

Apparently, the Countess had noticed that Odile had given Siwoo the music box.

‘I wonder what would happen if they were suspicious of me? They could treat me as someone who had deceived their naive daughters and stolen their valuable artifacts…’

However, the situation didn’t seem to be as such, to his relief.

“The last one is the most important issue of them all.”

Albireo took a sip of her wine.

“Do you know how Gehenna imports their slaves?”

“…No, I don’t.”

“I figured as much. Very few witches are aware of it and those who are aware felt no need to inform the slaves.”

“The humans that were brought to Gehenna from the modern world could be categorized into two.”

Deneb held up two fingers.

She folded one of them before continuing.

“First, death row inmates.”

“Huh?”

“Some of our witches had secret dealings with the upper echelons of various countries. Among those dealings, is the slave trafficking treaty.”

“Those who are awaiting execution or those sentenced to death, often end up being dragged in as slaves.”

“From this deal, Gehenna gets a workforce and the respective countries are able to get rid of their death row inmates without wasting any taxes. It’s a win-win situation.”

Siwoo, who had been oblivious to such information, stared at the Countess in disbelief with his mouth hanging open.

‘So, does that mean all the slaves in Border Town, whom I thought were captured for experiments, or were trapped in futile labor and suffered under the witches’ tyranny, are condemned prisoners…?’

“Then, what about me?”

“You belong to the second group, the missing people.”

Deneb folded her remaining finger.

“After conducting some investigation, we discovered that you were involved in a plane crash. Is this information wrong?”

He remembered the plane that he rode violently shook.

The oxygen masks hanging down, the pilot’s urgent tone and broadcasts filled with anxiety.

And when he opened his eyes again, he was in the port of Border Town.

“…No, your information is right…”

“Every human in the world moves according to their ‘fate.’ The ‘Oracles’ of the Tree of Sephiroth would read that fate, choosing from among the people who’ll soon meet their end and bring them to Gehenna if they were to find those people ‘useful.’”

“W-Wait a second! Are you saying that I’m already dead?”

Her words confused Siwoo.

All this time, he always thought of himself as a victim of the witches’ ruthlessness.

‘But now, they’re saying that they actually rescued me from my death?’

‘Then, all this time, I wasn’t just doing thankless labor?’

“Not exactly. Like I’ve mentioned before, they brought in people who are about to meet their ends.”

The beliefs he had deeply held shattered once again.

However, this time, he quickly regained his composure.

‘Calm down.’

‘I’ll be leaving this place anyway, it doesn’t matter.’

As he thought about that, he noticed a contradiction in the Countess’ words.

“Huh?”

He was on the right track.

At this point, it didn’t matter whichever group Siwoo belonged to when he was dragged to Gehenna.

After all, he was about to leave soon.

But at that moment, an inexplicable chill ran down his spine.

His restless heart sensed an impending danger.

“W-Why are you telling me this…?”

“Fate… Specifically, fate related to death is one of the easiest kinds of fate to discern. Soldiers fighting in a war, traffic accidents, murder cases, there are many signs that one could use to tell it… Well, there are more difficult signs to articulate, but nevertheless, the ‘fate of death’ possesses a distinct characteristic.”

“What is it?”

Albiero looked at Siwoo with a serious expression.

“Inevitability.”

“Once one’s fate of death is determined, then it will happen without fail, regardless of the circumstances.”

“For example, if someone who was meant to die in a traffic accident miraculously survived, the compelling power of fate will still haunt them.”

“They might suffer from cardiac arrest the next day, or maybe caught in a gas explosion just a few hours after the accident. The reasons for their deaths might differ, but the fact that they’ll die soon remains.”

Siwoo remained silent for a moment.

“So, if I were to leave… Does that mean that I’d be subjected to this ‘inevitability?’”

If that was the case, then his determination would be rendered meaningless.

It was like he struggled for five whole years just to die.

As he was on the verge of collapsing, Deneb quickly pointed out something.

“Not exactly. You see, the moment the missing people crossed the ‘gate’ in Border Town and became slaves in Gehenna, their very being underwent modifications. After all, if we brought them here as they were, they’d end up dying.”

She raised two fingers, mimicking the motion of scissors cutting through something.

“The modifications I was talking about are mostly about severing them from their fate in the modern world.”

Albireo and Deneb fell silent at the same time.

Like a doctor, about to announce a countdown to a terminal cancer patient.

As if telling him to prepare his heart for what was about to come.

“However, we can’t simply isolate and sever only the ‘fate of death.’ That’s why, during the modifications, we ended up having to sever all their fate that were tied to the modern world. It’s similar to how those Homunculi devour humans.”

“…What does that mean?”

“It means that everything you have built in the modern world, from relationships, achievements, memories and even fate, all of them are severed. You basically don’t ‘exist’ in the modern world anymore.”

“Ah…”

Honestly, even after hearing their explanation, it was hard for Siwoo to fully grasp what they were meant to say.

Cutting the connections bestowed by fate.

Making relationships, accomplishments, memories and fate became nonexistent.

All he could think about was how those witches kept making things sound complicated.

He complained inwardly that if they were to keep talking in cryptic ways like that, there would be no one who could understand their explanations.

Such thoughts ran rampant in his mind, the thoughts that urged him to escape from reality.

His fingertips started to tingle.

“But that isn’t all.”

“Can you please wait for a moment?”

“It would be better if you were to listen to our words until the end before thinking about it…”

“Sorry, but it really won’t take long.”

Feeling empty and defeated, Siwoo could only sit there, prompting Albireo to hand him a bottle of alcohol.

He tilted his head back, pouring the alcohol down his burning throat without even expressing his gratitude.

His eyes were blank,

He was totally unsure what kind of emotion he should be having.

“…I’m fine now.”

“Are you sure? We can still wait if you’re really struggling.”

“It’s fine. I’ll listen to everything you have to say now.”

If what the Countess said was true, that meant his body had escaped the fate of death.

‘Thinking back, if I had died in that plane crash, wouldn’t I be spared from this life filled with misery?’

‘Whatever, that’s irrelevant, the important thing here is the fact that I’m still alive.’

Seeing him wearing a determined expression, Deneb broke through her hesitation and started to speak.

“…Currently, there’s no way to restore the fate that has been severed… After all, cutting off fate and rewriting it are completely different matters. Their difficulties differed greatly also.”

“Can you explain what that means?”

“It means, even if you were to return to the modern world, ‘reset’ would occur over a period of time. At the longest, a week, at the shortest, three to four days.”

“Please explain it in a more simple term.”

“Whatever you do in the present would turn ‘non-existent.’ It’s because you have no more connection to that world. Your fate only exists in this hidden world of Gehenna.”

‘Let’s try to comprehend what they are saying…’

‘…No good, I don’t understand.’

In the end, he could only use his instinct to understand.

“Basically, I’ll turn into a ghost.”

A being that was unable to leave any traces or memories in others’ minds.

Something that could only wander and float around the world.

Hearing his summary that directly touched the core of the matter, the Countess remained silent.

Then, Deneb broke the silence with a regretful tone.

“Our Gemini Household’s power is extended to the modern world. We can give you sufficient support. If you were to do things using your own name, Mr. Siwoo, everything would turn pointless. That’s why we’ll provide you with a residence and a means of transportation under our name. Additionally, we planned to compensate you with ten billion won every five years. And if you ever choose to remain in Gehenna, we will welcome you as our honored guest.”

Siwoo remained silent, but his troubled expression clearly showed how he was lost in thoughts.

His desire to return to the modern world was practically his life goal.

And now, when he almost grasped that goal, after exhausting his body and soul, he realized that it was nothing but a mirage.

“…Does Ms. Amelia know about this too?”

“If we’re talking about the Baroness, she most likely knows.”

‘Then, why didn’t she tell me about it?’

‘Could it be that her pitiful social skill hindered her from explaining this to me?’

‘She thought that I’d be devastated after finding out this cold truth? That’s why she tried to stop me from leaving instead?’

At that moment, he realized that he was interpreting her actions in a stupidly positive way and shook his head.

‘What’s the point in asking that now?’

‘Whatever her reason may be, it doesn’t matter.’

“I’ll give you enough time to think about this matter carefully.”

“Deneb.”

“Yes?”

“Can you go back first? I still have something to say to him.”

Deneb looked at Albireo with bewildered eyes before nodding.

“Fine, tell me about it later.”

Then, she left the room, leaving her sister alone with Siwoo.

Albireo waited for a moment before raising her head to meet Siwoo’s gaze.

“This might be confusing, but I have something else to say to you.”

“What is it…?”

Siwoo’s shoulders were slumped and it was easy to tell that he was exhausted.

But, Albireo had work to do, she also couldn’t leave her research for too long. To put it simply, she didn’t have enough time to wait.

“I want you to return to the modern world.”

That was why.

She went straight to the point without beating around the bush.