City of Witches

1.

Due to an unexpected appearance of a third party…

Siwoo became bewildered.

So was the witch whose name he didn’t know.

“W-Wait…! Is that really you? THE Witch of Fortune? Cybele Periwinkle…?”

“Thanks for introducing me on my behalf, but why are you looking at me like that? Do you want my autograph or something?”

“Sure! An autograph from you would be awesome! But…wait, what is this about killing the Cowardly Witch?”

As usual, she was clad in a revealing and seductive dress.

Periwinkle then strutted over with an air of arrogance. Her heels clacked against the floor, as if announcing, ‘Look at me, I’m the hottest bitch here!’, then she casually positioned herself right next to Siwoo.

“You have no clue how dangerous the guy you’re flirting with is, do you?”

“U-Um, I…”

“You witches who spend all your time in Gehenna are behind on the news it seems. Do you know about the Red Knight that was under the Cowardly Witch’s control? This guy right here was the one who took it down, you know?”

“No way! They said it was Duchess Tiphereth who killed the Cowardly Witch…”

Periwinkle looked down at the witch, who was a head shorter than her, then flashed a relaxed smile.

“Alright, if you say so, why don’t you have a go, then? I’ll be your referee to keep it fair and square.”

The witch glanced at Siwoo’s face.

As if trying to gauge whether Periwinkle was serious or bluffing.

“C’mon, why are you hesitating now? It sounds fun, no? The winner will get to do whatever they want to the loser, also, before the duel, you two need to agree that both of you don’t mind getting hurt during the thing. So, what do you say?”

“J-Just wait a minute…”

The witch, who had been on her high horse earlier, suddenly spoke in a more subdued tone. Her initial bravado had faded away.

No matter how confident she was as a witch facing a man…

If that man had truly killed the Cowardly Witch…

Moreover, the one who delivered the news was a Grand Witch, Periwinkle…

She couldn’t just shrug it off lightly.

“I-I suddenly have urgent matters to attend to, s-so I’ll take my leave now… H-Hahaha…”

“Sure thing. Take my autograph with you.”

Periwinkle casually grabbed a pen and scribbled on a business card. Then, she slipped it into the witch’s cleavage.

It was like she was giving a tip to a stripper.

“Kyaa! Thank you, thank you!”

The witch, who Siwoo thought would lash out in anger due to such a humiliating act, instead disappeared into the distance with sparkling eyes after receiving the business card.

Periwinkle watched her with an amused gaze, then turned around to face Siwoo.

“Funny, isn’t it? Seriously, who does she think am I, a fortune pig? This is why I hate Gehenna. Everyone’s like, ‘Please hold my hand~ Give me an autograph~ Kiss me~’”

“It’s great to see you again, Ms. Periwinkle, thanks for your help. But, about the Red Knight…”

“Oh, I know, I know, don’t worry, I was just messing around with her.”

She then reached out and straightened his clothes.

“You made it out alive, Shin Siwoo, you Wild Horsey.”

After saying that, she flashed him a wide grin, revealing her pearly white teeth.

2.

The Coiled Serpent Inn, first floor.

Siwoo and Periwinkle, each holding a wooden beer mug, clinked them together in a toast for their long-awaited reunion.

“Now I know why the portal malfunctioned as soon as I entered Gehenna. It was all to meet up with you here, hm?”

Cybele Periwinkle casually tossed out a line that could be passed up as a pickup line.

She had saved Siwoo and Sharon’s lives once, and later, she granted him a four-leaf clover to save his life once again.

In a sense, she became his benefactor and he owed her a lot for saving his lives twice.

He had been surrounded by gazes that treated him like a strange and rare specimen, so now that he found a familiar face, he felt a sense of relief washed over him.

While at first, she was treating him the same way as those strangers, after their night together, she seemed to see him as her equal.

“How have you been all this time?”

“Me? Oh, I’ve been enjoying myself in Guam until a business matter brought me here. What about you?”

“Same here, I need to take care of some things here.”

Now that they were here, he could feel how much of a unique vibe Periwinkle gave off.

With her ultramarine hair, eyes and black dress…

Though she hadn’t worn anything made out of gold, the shabby bar she sat in seemed to shine like a treasure trove just because of her existence here.

As if this place right here was in a separate space from everything else.

With her chin propped on her hand and legs crossed, Periwinkle tapped her high heels.

“You’re still not good at leading conversations, huh? If only you can be as good at it as you’re in bed.”

After she brought up sex out of the blue, she set her beer glass down.

She let her heel drop down from its precarious perch on her toe and smoothly slid her foot between Siwoo’s legs.

Though her invitation was crystal clear, Siwoo discreetly declined it, sensing that this wasn’t the right moment.

When his hand brushed against her foot, she let out a giggle, as if it tickled her.

“Speaking of, that four-leaf clover you gave me saved my life once.”

“Worked like a charm, didn’t it? I put all my energy into making it for you, like, I even used some purified water just for that.”

Seeing her theatrics made him chuckle.

He clearly saw her taking it out and giving it to him with his own eyes.

She casually fibbled, moving closer to Siwoo to the point that she sat right next beside him.

Meanwhile, he maintained a decent distance, trying to guard against the crown of her head as they continued to talk.

“By the way, how did that pink clover work out?”

“Ah, right, that thing!”

The matter that he had been forgetting about suddenly came to his mind.

That clover with a peculiar color…

He planned to ask her why she even gave him that in the first place..

But, judging from her tone and mischievous attitude, it seemed like any further inquiry was unnecessary.

“You had some fun with it, didn’t you? I bet it led you to a bunch of naughty events.”

“Yeah, and I got into a bit of trouble because of it.”

“Well, that’s still a cool item for a guy to have, no? Want me to make you another one?”

“I’ll just accept your good intentions.”

Periwinkle let out a giggle while Siwoo chuckled wryly.

It was in the past now, so he could just laugh this matter off, but there were definitely moments that gave him shivers.

“By the way, who were you with and how did it go? Can’t you tell me that much, at least?”

At that time, the person who was the closest to Siwoo was Eloa, so the target of all those naughty events was her.

But, he didn’t feel like telling Periwinkle that.

Because it felt kinda impolite for him to do so.

“U-Uh, no comment.”

“Alright, how can I get you to talk, then?”

As if it had been waiting, Periwinkle’s hand gently lifted his chin, bringing the top of her head close under his nose.

And this was something that he had expected, so he successfully dodged it.

She clicked her tongue, grumbling out her next words.

“Is that how it's gonna be? What a bad boy you are, setting a girl’s heart on fire and pretending to not know anything about it.”

“When did I ever do that? The fire just sparked on its own.”

Still, since they had history with each other, dealing with her didn’t make him uncomfortable.

Their conversation flowed rather smoothly.

“Ah, by the way, I heard you broke the toy I gave you a few days ago. If I were to become yours, would you also treat me so ruthlessly? My dear Siwoo, are you actually a bad boy?”

“Uh… I was trying to keep that a secret, but you found out, huh…?”

“Of course I did! The repair shop contacted me about it! Anyway, what did you do to it? C’mon, tell me!”

“You gave it to me, so that’s that. Just know that I did it for something good.”

“Ooh, we got a smooth talker here.”

Maybe it was because Periwinkle already got a taste of Siwoo’s hot rod, but she seemed much more affectionate than before.

Back then, she was really pushy, but now it was different.

They felt like they were colleagues who actually got along with each other.

Though their first meeting wasn’t that great, since she saved his life along the line, he felt more at ease around her.

Most of all, he really appreciated the way she looked at him; Not treating him like some ‘rare item that she should own’.

“Anyway, while we’re on this subject, do you want me to gift you something today?”

Periwinkle gently grabbed the top of her dress and pulled it to the side.

That revealed just enough of her bare chest for Siwoo to see.

The same chest that he had bitten, pinched, and nibbled for two days straight in bed. But still, seeing them being exposed to him like this out in the open was something he never imagined.

It almost hooked him in an instant.

“I’ll do anything you want for you. Those two nights were incredible, the most amazing nights I had in my life. Like, after that, I couldn’t get you off my head.”

“Even though I used your anus?”

“Hey! I told you to stop calling it that!”

Periwinkle quickly looked around in a panic.

It was rather cute to see her all panicky when hearing that specific word, even though she was completely fine with showing him her breasts.

“...Anyway, if you want that again… I’m fine with it…”

She bashfully fixed her dress, making her look even more adorable.

But, as much as he wanted to hang around with her, he couldn’t keep Eloa waiting.

The image of her patiently waiting for her disciple, who had claimed to be taking a quick break but never returned, tugged at his heartstrings.

It’s been about thirty minutes, time to head back, I guess.

“Sorry, I really don’t have time today.”

“Fine, but, if you’re going to do the ‘neglect play’, why can’t you just do it in bed instead?”

Though clearly disappointed, Periwinkle smacked her lips in resignation and accepted his decision.

“Because my master is waiting for me up there.”

“Your master…? Who?”

“Duchess Tiphereth.”

At that comment, she shifted her gaze slightly upward.

Then, she went silent for a moment, as if she was trying to process what she had just heard. After a while, her mouth opened wide, as if she had finally figured something out.

“Y-You… N-No way! Y-You hooked up with Duchess Tiphereth?!”

She stumbled over her words, completely shocked by the snowball effect that her pink clover had brought.

At that moment, Siwoo realized that she completely misunderstood him, so he quickly attempted to clarify the situation.

But, he actually had done it with his master.

That fact made him hesitate to say anything, making Periwinkle think that her conjecture was the truth, so she stuck her tongue out.

“Look at you, acting like it’s nothing… Anyway, you’re quite the player, huh?”

“I think…you’ve misunderstood something, that’s not what happened at all.”

“So, you didn’t do it with her?”

He lamented the fact that Periwinkle had caught on to it quickly.

Still, he needed to protect his master’s reputation, so he decided to throw a lie here.

“No, I didn’t.”

“So you did. You know, you really suck at lying.”

But she saw through him in an instant.

With her eyes still wide in disbelief, Periwinkle’s mind wandered.

Any thoughts of sex had long since disappeared as she murmured something to herself.

“That stubborn Duchess…? No way… Even with the pink clover… Just how…?”

“Anyway, it’s great to see you after such a long time. See you again.”

“Now, wait a minute!”

Periwinkle grabbed Siwoo’s sleeves as he stood up, yanking him back down on the chair.

“Seriously, tell me the truth. Did you do it?”

“I didn’t though!”

“You definitely did… But how?”

Even though he knew that she had seen through his lie, Siwoo still denied her words.

Still, the truth was so unbelievable that Periwinkle herself found it hard to believe.

That was why she was all confused like this.

Anyway, he figured that she wasn’t the talkative type, and since it would be better to clear any possibility of misunderstandings and unsavory rumors from spreading out…

“Heh, alright, I’ll tell you the truth… I did it.”

“Liar!”

“I’m not! What do you take me for?!”

And so, Siwoo slowly and carefully explained the sequence of events to Periwinkle, who was clearly bewildered.

Gradually, she began to understand and accept his explanation.

At the end of his story, she nodded in relief, regaining some of her composure.

“I see… So that’s what happened…”

“Keep this a secret, okay?”

“Oh, c’mon~! Do you think my tongue is loose like that? I’ll only open my mouth when you eat me in bed, you know?”

But maybe it would have been better for him if she had stopped there.

“How could I, a mere mortal, refuse a request from the heart thief Shin Siwoo… Also… Seriously, this is just too shocking, even for me.”

In any case, she regained her playful spirit and started teasing Siwoo again.

“Anyway…”

She chugged the last of her beer and got up from her seat.

Probably figured that this wasn’t a situation she should meddle in.

“It’s good to see you too, I’m really glad that you’re okay.”

“Don’t mention it. Thank you for everything, Ms. Periwinkle.”

“Well, I actually want to ask if I could try it with the Duchess in bed… But I guess that’s out of the question, huh?”

“Yeah, not happening.”

After making that provocative statement which made Siwoo’s head spin, Periwinkle grabbed her purse and handed him something.

A business card, but it was different from the one she gave him before.

On it was a strange sequence of numbers.

“Well, you know there’s no signal in Gehenna, right? Can’t even make a call and stuff.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll get in touch.”

After he received her crystal ball’s contact info so they could communicate remotely, she gave her a quick peck on the cheek and grinned.

“You’re not stopping me from doing this?”

“Figured I should at least let you this much. Take care.”

Just like her storm-like entrance, her exit also left an impression just like a storm. She then disappeared from the inn.

***

https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken