City of Witches

My Dearest Daughter.

That was the name of Countess Yesod’s project to boost her lethargic daughter’s motivation and foster diligent habits in her.

It sounded grand, but the countess actually thought that she had done everything she could for Diana.

From tearfully kicking her out of the house to searching far and wide for any medicine that might help her.

She even spent a small fortune—enough to buy several lavish villas in Lenomond Town—to try to find hobbies that might spark her interest

But, even after all that, her efforts were in vain.

Sometimes, Diana would show interest for an hour, or even a week, seemingly about to break free from her lethargic lifestyle.

But after that, she always went back to square one.

And the countess couldn’t do anything about it but let out a deep sigh.

However, recently, something different happened.

Thanks to a new ‘factor’ that hadn’t existed before, Diana started showing a newfound enthusiasm and seemingly was about to break out from her reclusive life.

Said factor was a male witch that she had met at a host club.

The way that she instantly turned gloomy the moment she wasn’t able to see him anymore proved this conjecture.

And so, Countess Yesod decided  to prepare a gift for her, as well as a plan to rejuvenate her.

The plan was to make the male witch her private tutor.

“Hmm…”

And so, that morning, she visited Countess Gemini’s mansion to have a word with her.

She wanted to find out in more details about the male witch who had been causing quite a commotion in Gehenna, but more importantly, she believed that couldn’t just place any man next to Diana.

The countess couldn’t imagine Diana, with her high standards and even higher pride, falling for any man.

So, if there was anything going on between the two of them, it would be the male witch falling head over heels for her, as she was the most adorable girl in the world.

“Is this the lab…?”

Currently, she was in front of the mansion’s twelfth laboratory.

She held her breath as she quietly opened the door and stepped inside.

True to the Gemini Family’s reputation—their excellence in various magic tool business, apart from their self-essence magic—the lab’s experimental apparatus was of high quality.

At a glance, it felt like this place was an antique shop due to the sheer amount of antique items inside. Amidst them, a man’s back came to her view.

There was a table designed to allow for observation with minimal disturbance.

On it, floated something that looked like a pillar, wrapped in a black ribbon.

However, Countess Lucy’s gaze wasn’t drawn at the mysterious specimen, instead it was drawn elsewhere.

“Oh my…”

‘A man’s back says it all,’ was a phrase she often had heard.

In front of her was the broad back of a man, with a towel draped around his neck, looking at the manuscript in his hand.

His sharply defined muscles, unimpeded by body fat, reflected even the slightest movements he made.

Unlike a bodybuilder’s physique, his muscles didn’t look showy.

Instead, they were densely packed and tightly compressed.

Countess Lucy, who had been standing there dazed, shook her head in disbelief.

She couldn’t believe how foolish she was being.

While yes, she admitted that the man had an extremely attractive back—the kind that prompted a smile out of her just by looking at it—she wasn’t here just to enjoy the view.

“Excuse me.”

Clearing her throat, she called out in an elegant and dignified voice, befitting her status as a countess.

When the man, who had been engrossed in whatever it was he was doing, turned around…

Countess Lucy held her breath for a moment.

This was the first time she had ever seen a male witch.

Naturally, it was also the first time she had seen a man in a spirit body.

Having a spirit body gave one a lot of benefits.

The most noticeable one among them was that it would make one look more beautiful than before.

As if a metamorphosis had occurred, all scars and blemishes on one’s body would disappear and their body would take on its most ideal form.

The male witch’s appearance completely showcased this, that was how beautiful his body looked.

His black hair, slightly damp with sweat, just like his back, his eyes, shimmering with melancholy, and his sharp jawline…

He was exactly the type of pretty boy Countless Lucy disliked the most, if she were only to judge him by this alone.

But, there was his pronounced Adam’s apple and gymnast muscles, which matched the strength of the muscles of his back…

And the leather eyepatch that looked like it had seen some rough times, added a strong sense of masculinity in his appearance.

At this point, the man had already turned his back, looking at the countess in surprise before letting out a soft smile and bowed to her politely.

“It’s an honor to meet such an exalted personage as you.”

Hearing him speak, the countess grew even more surprised.

Because she could feel that his polite manner of speaking was genuine and it seemed like some sense of etiquette was ingrained in him.

This gentlemanly demeanor, combined with his extraordinary look made the countess’ heart tighten.

She never expected that a man could make her feel excited ever again.

It was a feeling that she hadn’t experienced in ages; a familiar feeling for her, yet at the same time it felt strangely fresh.

“I believe you are Countess Lucy Yesod.”

When he recognized her and even called her by name…

The countess had to fight back the smile forming on her lips.

Because she felt satisfaction after knowing that even a newly-turned male witch recognized her.

“You know me?”

“Of course. Your work on the First Law of the Yesod Mana Field deeply astonished me.”

He casted his gaze down with respect, but it didn’t look like he was being submissive.

With such poise, he praised her magic research, adding to her satisfaction.

At this point, she started having difficulties to prevent her lips from twitching, so she averted her gaze a little.

…Or not.

That was what she wanted to do, but her eyes kept drifting back to him for some reason.

To his incredibly firm-looking body…

…For some reason, she felt a sudden urge to touch him.

“By the way… Is that look… Normal for you?”

“Huh? Ah, sorry, I just finished sparring…”

Then, the man calmly put on a white shirt, not hurried at all by her remark.

The white shirt fluttered as a wild scent of sweat permeated through the air.

It had been a while since she encountered such a scent.

Even the way he adjusted his shirt cuffs looked so hot, forcing the countess to bite the inside of her cheek to keep her focus.

She came here without any particular thoughts, but his looks and physique alone was able to make her a little flustered. But that was it.

While yes, she had been lonely since she had been without a partner all this time, if this was all it took to get her going, she would’ve found someone else a long time ago.

She had no intention of giving in to this fleeting impulse or showing him any inappropriate behavior.

However, she still wanted to put him to a little test.

“May I ask what business you have with me?”

Countess Lucy calmed her racing heart and looked him straight in the eye.

He looked even more striking from up close.

This is all part of the test, I don’t really want to do this, not at all!

Repeating that to herself, she started unbuttoning his shirt, one button at a time.

“You buttoned your shirt wrong.”

She licked her dry lips before continuing to undo his shirt buttons, one by one.

The pecs and abs that were hidden under his shirt were put on display once again.

She gently placed her hand on the chest she had been itching to touch, before softly caressing it with her fingertips.

Just as she had imagined, it was perfectly toned.

It was warm too, probably because he had just finished working out.

“This lab… Does anyone visit it often?”

If he was easily seduced, he’d probably give in to his desire right here.

He’d wrap his veiny, muscular arms around her waist and ask her, ‘Why don’t we go somewhere quieter?’.

If that were to happen, it’d be a pity, but…

A pity, but…

Huh, it’d be a pity, right?

Y-Yeah, it’d be a pity since he’d lose his chance to be Diana’s tutor!

Because it meant that he lacked self control under such mild temptation.

“Countess Gemini occasionally pays me a visit. Also, pardon me, Countess, you still haven’t told me why you came here…”

But, he brushed away her hand decisively, prompting her to let out a sigh inwardly.

This meant he passed the test.

And that Deneb’s words were true, he wasn’t an impulsive person like that.

Yet somehow, she felt a little disappointed by this. It felt like she had just licked the sugar off a donut before being forced to put it back.

Still, now that things had come to this, it was time to get to the point.

“I’m here because I have an offer for you.”

2.

Countess Yesod spoke in a regal way, like a queen out of a play.

Siwoo managed to figure that out after her little test was over.

Sitting quietly in the chair, he listened to the countess’ proposal.

“Tutor? Me?”

“Yes, as I have mentioned before, I need a tutor to help cure our Diana’s…laziness…”

The sudden offer to be a tutor puzzled Siwoo, especially since he wasn’t a particularly strong witch.

It turned out that the content of the proposal seemed to be much simpler than he anticipated.

“Um, cure her laziness? How am I supposed to…”

“You only need to spend time with her, find some fun things to do together to… You know, keep her busy?”

“Is that really all there is to it?”

“Yes.”

Countess Yesod told him about her plan to hire a tutor to help her apprentice witch, Diana Yesod, overcome her laziness.

That girl’s laziness was something Siwoo had no knowledge of since he had only seen her enthusiastic side whenever they played their games.

According to the countess’ words that seemed to be her true nature.

“Of course, I don’t plan to have you work for free. If there’s anything you want, just say so. Our Yesod family believes in fair exchanges.”

Seeing his hesitation, the countess made another offer.

Siwoo realized that this was a golden opportunity for him.

He could get help from her to get the Red Branch under control, a problem he had been wrestling with on his own for quite a long time now.

Which meant, he didn’t need to go through all those crude trial and errors, like pulling a cart up a rocky path with his bare hands.

But, he still wasn’t sure about it. After all, being a play tutor for an apprentice witch didn’t seem to justify his wish.

That was why he asked her carefully…

“I’m studying a little bit about force fields… Could you possibly help me with that?”

“Sure, I could lend you a hand on your research.”

Thankfully, Countess Yesod readily agreed to that and immediately looked at the Red Branch on the table.

“So, this is what you want me to help with?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hmm… I know this might sound a little odd since I’m the one asking for a favor here, but this arrangement isn’t permanent. We’ll renew it weekly. If Diana were to… Um…”

“My name is Shin Siwoo.”

“Thank you. Anyway, if Diana doesn’t take a liking to you, Mr. Shin Siwoo, that means I won’t go out of my way to assist you.”

“Yes, I understand that.”

That was about what he expected.

Compared to the almost honorary role of a baroness, a countess was often heavily involved in managing Gehenna. Just look at Countess Gemini; they were always swamped with their magical research and business.

Even he himself thought that getting help from a countess in return for being a play tutor was an extremely unfair trade.

“Why don’t we take a look straight away? This is the Red Branch that the Red Knight carries, isn’t it?”

“Right now?”

“Yes, I’m a little curious about it myself. Could you unbind it?”

Though, it seemed like the countess was more enthusiastic than he expected.

She exuded the vibe of a pro gamer offering to help a newbie like him clearing a difficult level.

While he didn’t have a reason to refuse her, he did have one rather big concern about her request.

“Countess Yesod, I don’t mean to sound presumptuous, but there are too many magical tools here. If we unbind it here…”

Seeing his worried expression, Countess Yesod chuckled, her voice tickling his ears.

Her eyes, full of laughter, looked at Siwoo as if she found him cute.

“Oh my, it seems like you’re more cautious than I thought. Don’t worry, I can handle this, but well, if this could ease your worry a little…

Countess Yesod snapped open her white fan.

Accompanied by a silver aura of mana reflection, reminding Siwoo of pure moonlight, her beautiful voice chanted the starting words like a song.

“Divine Wisdom.”

With that, several layers of force fields enveloped the lab.

The lights emanating from them made the lab appear several times brighter.

At the same time, the mana inside the fields became completely stable.

It transformed the room into a sterile environment where no variables could occur.

Siwoo, who struggled to create even one force field, was amazed at how effortlessly she layered dozens of them.

Even though he possessed a very limited knowledge in regard to force field, he could understand why she was so highly regarded in the area, and acknowledged that she was indeed worthy of the title of a countess.

“You can go ahead now, Mr. Shin Siwoo.”

The countess nudged Siwoo’s side, urging him on as he stared at her in amazement.