City of Witches

When Siwoo woke up, he found Amelia busy packing her belongings.

Three large travel trunks sat before her..

Each of them contained supplies that could last for a week, meaning all of the trunks were enough to sustain them for three weeks outside.

Siwoo rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked her.

“What’s all this?”

“I want to go somewhere with you. Do you want to pack our things together?”

“Yes.”

Not knowing what was going on, Siwoo took the small travel bag handed to him by Amelia and went to his room.

He packed a few sets of clothes (Amelia bought them for him), pajamas, paper and a pen.

When he went down the stairs to the second floor, he found Amelia waiting in the lobby while holding a bag.

“Have you packed everything? Including your toothbrushes?”

“I have.”

“You don’t need towels or anything of the sort. I’ve packed them for you.”

“Okay.”

Siwoo hurried down the stairs and stood by Amelia’s side.

Based on his prior experience, he knew that Gehenna was incredibly beautiful.

At times, he’d take leisurely strolls with Amelia, exploring places like Lenomond Town or Ars Magna Town.

Each time, the scenery around him never failed to captivate him.

That was why when Amelia proposed that they’d go on a trip, he became excited.

‘Wherever we’re headed, the scenery must be nice!’

“Where are we going?”

“The cabin I used to live in.”

“Are we going camping?”

“You could say that.”

Amelia gently stroked Siwoo’s head and he accepted her touch without hesitation.

The latter had never witnessed her smile prior to this.

However, he knew that beneath her cold demeanor, she was a kind-hearted person. That was why he didn’t resist her touch.

“Let’s go.”

The two of them placed their luggage behind the waiting carriage in the garden and boarded it together.

When Amelia waved her hand in the carriage, which inside was adorned with plush cushions and beautiful decorations, it began to sway.

“It feels like I’m boarding a plane. Except I have my luggage with me.”

Siwoo smiled as he said those words to Amelia.

“Plane? …Ah, you meant an airplane.”

Amelia tilted her head at the unfamiliar word, but she soon nodded.

Airplane, the thing that was said to be the fastest means of transportation in the modern world.

She often heard it being referred to as a piece of metal flying in the sky.

“Have you rode it?”

“Yes. I was incredibly scared when I first rode it. I think I was seventeen at that time… Huh?”

Siwoo paused, his voice trailing off as he delved into his memories.

In his current look, it was hard to not think of him as a child.

He reminisced about the time when he was seventeen, but he possessed the appearance of a prepubescent child.

Amelia’s expression momentarily darkened.

Whenever Siwoo dropped hints of regaining his memories, Amelia couldn’t help but think that all this happiness she experienced were nothing but lies.

She forced her tightly sealed lips to part and gently consoled Siwoo.

“Maybe you remembered it wrong.”

“Maybe. My head hurts a little…”

“Do you want to lie down for a while?”

“Yes, that would be nice…”

This carriage was something Amelia received from Sophia and it didn’t have any space manipulation magic applied to it.

Such things were luxuries, reserved for those who were filthy rich like the Countess Gemini.

Nevertheless, there was sufficient space for Siwoo to stretch his body out and rest.

That was when Amelia stood up from her seat and approached Siwoo.

“Yes?”

“Rest your head here.”

After tidying the fringed hem of her blue dress, Amelia lightly tapped her thighs.

Seeing this, Siwoo became flustered.

“Ah, no! It’s okay! I’ll stay like this!”

“This will make your head feel more comfortable.”

“But, I’ll be troubling you, Ms. Amelia…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

After some scuffles, Siwoo eventually followed Amelia’s suggestion.

In truth, he found her soft thighs more appealing than the creaking chair.

“Thank you, but it feels like I’m troubling you somehow…”

“No need to feel that way.”

He could feel her soft and elastic thighs against the back of his head.

As his gaze moved upward, even from below her chin, he couldn’t help but notice her undiminished beauty.

He even caught a glimpse of her perky bosom from this angle.

“Since this might take a while, you can close your eyes.”

Amelia calmly ran her fingers through Siwoo’s hair.

The gentle shaking, the comfortable thighs pillow and the touch of her fingers were more effective than any sleeping pills.

Before he knew it, Siwoo had fallen asleep as the carriage raced along the secluded bath through a green barley field.

2.

Despite them leaving early in the morning, by the time they reached the oyster tree forest, lunchtime had already passed.

Amelia gently tapped Siwoo’s shoulder, rousing him from his undisturbed slumber before she took her belongings and set foot on the forest path.

“Wow… It’s so beautiful…”

The natural preservation in Gehenna was remarkable since there was no haphazard development taking place.

Furthermore, this forest was an uninhibited zone, located between the Lenomond and tarot Town, but belonged to neither.

Since no one had ever touched the trees, all of them had grown tall and majestic.

“Isn’t it?”

Amelia responded to Siwoo’s amazed expression, acknowledging his praise while making her way amidst the brownish tree trunks.

The pointy and round leaves danced in the mountain breeze, appearing as if they were breathing.

As they strolled around the narrow mountain path, they stumbled upon an open space.

The oyster trees had thick leaves, making it hard for sunlight to go through it. This space in particular though, was a special case.

Sunlight shone through it, giving birth to beautiful wildflowers that adorned the grassy ground.

Within the clusters of nameless wildflowers, amidst the picturesque and enchanting scenery, there stood a small wooden cabin.

Bathed in the refreshing sunlight, it was a cozy looking cabin with a small detached cottage standing by its side.

Amelia’s happiness was her life within this little cabin.

Considering the limited time left with him, she had been yearning to spend that time together with him in this place.

“Let’s unpack.”

“Okay!”

In truth, compared to her splendid mansion or the buildings that Siwoo had visited so far, it felt wrong and disrespectful to call this unremarkable place as a ‘lodging.’

However, the wooden cabin still possessed an allure that ignited a young boy’s romantic imagination.

That was why he entered the cabin with excitement.

Just like what it looked from the outside, its interior was cozy.

The place was small enough that if the two of them were to live here, they’d always be within each others’ sights.

“What do you think?”

“I love it!”

Siwoo explored the cabin, wandering from one corner to another.

In front of the fireplace, there was a small cupboard and a rocking chair.

Despite showing signs that this place was unoccupied for a long time, it was remarkably clean and tidy.

“There are bedrooms on the second floor. Do you want to take a look?”

“There’s a second floor?”

“Follow me.”

Seeing Siwoo’s happy expression made Amelia feel delighted.

After all, he seemed to like the place she held dear.

She took his hand and climbed the stairs.

Due to the nature of the wooden cabin, it was a challenging errand to build it to be large and spacious.

That was why there were only two extremely small rooms on the second floor.

“This room was my master’s. This one was mine.”

Amelia stepped into the room she once stayed in during her days as an apprentice witch.

The ceiling slanted upwards due to the fact that the room was placed right below the roof.

A small window adorned the room, offering a picturesque view of a charming forest of oyster trees. Below the window, there was a small bed that seemed barely big enough for someone to sleep on.

There was also a small desk and chair in the corner of the room. Other miscellaneous objects were also there, neatly packed inside several small boxes under the bed.

“You can use this room, Siwoo. It’s a little narrow, but it’s clean.”

“Did you come here to clean it regularly?”

“Yes.”

Siwoo eagerly unpacked their belongings with excitement resembling that of a young child who had discovered a secret base.

He hung his clothes in the closet and placed papers and books on the table.

“My room is just across here. Do you want to help me unpack?”

“Yes! I’d love to!”

Siwoo responded enthusiastically before following Amelia downstairs to help pick up her suitcase.

Amelia’s current room, which was used to be her predecessor’s room, was slightly more spacious than her old room. It also had a larger bed.

Siwoo and Amelia opened the latter’s suitcase and started unpacking the items inside one by one.

Though this was a mere trivial task, Amelia found her mind at peace.

However, this peaceful time didn’t last long as she found her underwear in Siwoo’s hands.

“Ah…”

“Um…”

There was an unfortunate truth about Amelia.

At one point, she started following Sophia’s advice.

According to her, true adults should wear mature-looking underwear.

This led to her possessing mostly provocative underwear. Some of her bras revealed half of her breasts, some of her panties exposed her buttocks and so on.

Because she was too caught up in joy and excitement, she had momentarily forgotten about this.

Siwoo’s eyes were filled with unease as Amelia watched his moves attentively.

His gaze moved from her chest, lower body and underwear, making her feel an unusual sense of embarrassment.

Her face flushed.

Nevertheless, she knew that she had to remain composed.

If she showed any signs of embarrassment, they’d end up in a more awkward situation than they already were.

Besides, there was no reason for her to feel that way since Siwoo was still looking like a young boy.

She also convinced herself that if other witches were to see her underwear, she wouldn’t feel bothered at all.

And so, she managed to keep her composure.

“I-I’ll pack that out separately—”

…Or so she thought until she managed to accidentally bite her tongue.

The way she was fidgeting, it seemed like she was more nervous than she thought.

“O-Okay…”

Siwoo quietly handed her underwear over with a red face.

-Rustle, rustle

An awkward atmosphere lingered between them for a while.

3.

After finishing their lunch, they walked together to the front yard of the cabin.

Siwoo, who had noticed the wildflowers blooming around him, came forward with a suggestion.

“My mom taught me this a long time ago. If we gather some clovers like this, we can make a crown.”

Amelia sat on top of the clover bed while watching Siwoo’s hands moving to create something.

He gathered the long stems of the clover and tied them into knots.

As he skillfully weaved the stems, they formed a round crown with a thickness similar to that of a little finger. He then inserted small flowers he picked up in between the stems.

“When you adorn it with flowers like this, it turns into a beautiful crown! Isn’t it pretty?”

Pink, green, purple, orange, navy blue and red.

A charming-looking crown, adorned with an array of colorful flowers among the white clovers was completed.

“I could have made it a little larger… It’s been a while since I’ve done this, so it didn’t turn out quite right… There weren’t many long stems around here too…”

“It’s beautiful, Siwoo. You have a talent for this.”

In truth, it was difficult to say that the crown was perfectly made.

There was a slight crook on it and the knots were tied way too tightly, causing some broken stems to protrude here and there.

If Amelia, who had observed from the side and managed to learn how to craft it, were to try to do it on her own, she’d do a way better job than him.

Nevertheless, she gave him praise.

Because she found it cute.

Siwoo hesitated for a moment before offering the crown to her.

“It’s for you, Ms. Amelia.”

“For me?”

Amelia’s eyes were brimming with surprise, like that of a startled rabbit.

This was the first time she had ever received something from him.

With a hint of embarrassment, Siwoo spoke, while avoiding to meet her gaze.

“I want to thank you for always taking care of me and treating me well. I always wanted to give you something like this.”

“…”

Amelia felt tears welling up in her eyes.

‘Why am I feeling this way?’

The emotions she felt were too complex to be summed up in a single word or sentence.

She decided to postpone looking for the answer to that question.

“Siwoo… WIll you put it on me?”

“Yes!”

She slightly lowered her head.

When she felt the weight of the crown residing on her head, she raised her head.

“Ah…”

What was reflected in Siwoo’s eyes was,

Amelia, wearing a crown on her head with tears streaming down her face.

On her lips was a smile brighter than any blossoming flower.

“Thank you, Siwoo.”

The expression on her face was the smile she had regained for the first time since her master had passed away.