Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Severed Fate
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"Let me divide the challenges Siwoo will face upon entering the present world into three main categories and explain them."
"Yes."
Three things already?
Siwoo felt a flicker of worry deep inside but leaned in to listen to the countess's words.
"First, any witch will be curious about a man bearing a stigma. It's unprecedented, and that could lead to groundbreaking academic progress, so it's only natural."
"Even if he could use magic without a stigma, the attention would be similar—but now that he has one, it'll draw far more scrutiny, incomparable to before."
"Can't I just hide the fact that I have a stigma?"
Is this something we really need to discuss so seriously?
He knew that much without needing it spelled out.
"That casual attitude is exactly the problem."
"With the slave contract nullified, Siwoo is now officially a citizen of Gehenna. Even if word gets out that you can use magic, no one can harm you recklessly."
"If anyone shows signs of trying to hurt you, not only our Gemernai family but also Baron Merrygold will impose severe sanctions, stripping that witch of her citizenship and assets."
"You'll face some annoying attention, but your life won't be in danger."
Albireo took a moment to catch her breath before continuing.
"But exiles are different. Didn't you sense it when you met her? How ruthless Ea Sadalmelik was."
"I know. But this is something we've all braced ourselves for."
Deneb's tone carried the nuance of an adult trying to dissuade a child from crawling toward a well.
But with the music box from Odile, as long as he wasn't caught, it wouldn't matter.
It wasn't enough to suppress Siwoo's homing instinct.
"Only a few exiles are truly malicious, but still, be cautious. They have no citizenship as a safeguard. They might act on a sudden impulse."
Siwoo understood what the countess meant.
Whether the description fit or not, to any man, he was now a nation-toppling beauty that turned heads. Heading to the present world was like being thrown into a place without CCTV or police.
Anyone might think to give in to a momentary urge.
"This is about all we can do for that issue."
Albireo rummaged in her pocket and placed a ring on the table in front of Siwoo.
"It's a ring proving you're a guest of our family. Touching someone wearing it means being prepared to make an enemy of Gemernai."
That's when Siwoo realized it.
Gemernai had no intention of dissuading his trip to the present world.
On top of that, they were providing this convenience and safety net.
For a moment, his worries that they might be witches with two faces seemed foolish.
"Thank you so much."
"How effective it'll be outside... honestly, I can't guarantee. Always stay vigilant."
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind. What's next?"
This seemed like sufficient warning, so he moved on to the next topic.
"Second, homunculi."
It was such an unexpected answer that he blanked out for a second.
Homunculi? What about them?
"Homunculi in the present world have exploded in numbers. Compared to a hundred years ago, it's nearly tenfold."
"What does... that have to do with me?"
"Homunculi fundamentally target stigmas. Now that you've acquired one, you're no longer exempt."
"Of course, with the music box taken from the twins, carrying it properly should avoid major issues. Just treat this as a precaution."
"The music box... You knew."
"We're your guardians, after all."
The Gemernai countess had apparently noticed even Odile passing the music box to Siwoo.
He'd worried they might see him as a sly snake tricking the naive twins out of a precious artifact.
But from her words, she seemed to tacitly approve, which was a relief.
"This is the most critical issue."
Albireo took a sip of her beer and asked.
"Do you know how Gehenna brings in slaves?"
"No."
"I figured. Few witches know, and there's no need to tell slaves anyway."
"Humans brought to Gehenna fall into two broad categories."
Deneb held up two fingers.
She folded one down as she spoke.
"One: death row inmates."
"Pardon?"
"Witches have secret deals with high-ranking officials in various nations. Among them is the slave delivery treaty."
"Death row inmates who've been sentenced or are awaiting execution are often brought here as slave laborers."
"Gehenna gets manpower, and the nations offload useless tax drains. Mutually beneficial."
Siwoo, who had no inkling of this, gaped blankly.
Did that mean all the slaves in Border Town, suffering in experiments or wasting away in futile labor due to witches' whims, were death row convicts?
"Then... what am I?"
"Two: the missing."
Deneb folded down the remaining finger.
"From what I looked into, Shin Siwoo was in a plane crash, right?"
The plane jolting through turbulence.
Oxygen masks dangling, the frantic captain's announcement.
When he next opened his eyes, it was Border Town's harbor.
"Y-Yes..."
"All humans follow 'fate.' The Tree of Sephirot's 'divination organ' charts it. Then, among those fated to die soon, they select humans who seem 'useful' for Gehenna."
"W-Wait, does that mean I'm already dead?"
Extreme confusion hit him.
Siwoo had always seen himself purely as a victim of some reckless witch.
But actually rescued from death?
His slave life wasn't unpaid lifelong labor after all?
"No, I said those soon to die."
The beliefs he'd clung to shattered again.
But Siwoo quickly composed himself.
Stay calm.
It wouldn't matter once he left anyway.
And as that thought crossed his mind...
Siwoo spotted a contradiction in the countess's words.
"Huh?"
She was right.
How he'd been selected and brought to Gehenna wasn't important now.
Wasn't he about to leave Gehenna?
An inexplicable chill ran up his spine.
His heart stirred, sensing foreboding faster than ever.
"Why... are you telling me this?"
"Fate—'fate of death' is the easiest to pinpoint. Causes vary: illness, accidents, murders... countless reasons. But it has one strong trait."
"What?"
Albireo looked at Siwoo with a grave expression.
"Inevitability."
"Once divined, the fate of death is 'certain,' no matter what."
"Even if someone fated to die in a traffic accident miraculously survives by sheer luck, fate's compulsion kicks in."
"Heart attack the next day, or gas explosion. Different cause, but death comes soon after."
Siwoo fell silent for a moment.
"So... if I leave, I'll be subject to that 'inevitability'?"
Then his resolve to escape this place meant nothing.
He'd struggled for five years just to die.
As futility drained his strength, Deneb corrected him.
"No. Missing persons selected as slaves have their fate altered right after crossing Border Town's 'gate.' Otherwise, they'd die soon anyway."
She raised two fingers like scissors and mimed snipping.
"They sever the fate from the present world."
Albireo and Deneb both fell silent at once, though Siwoo hadn't said a word.
Was it his imagination that they looked like doctors delivering a terminal countdown?
As if urging him to steel himself.
"But you can't selectively cut only the 'fate of death.' So they sever all ties to the present world. Like when homunculi devour humans."
"What... does that mean?"
"All bonds, achievements, accomplishments, memories, and fate Siwoo built in the present world become 'as if they never were.' Your very existence erased."
"Ah..."
Honestly, even hearing it didn't make it feel real.
Cutting ties.
Bonds, achievements, accomplishments, memories, fate—all undone.
Witches had a way of complicating things.
Who could understand phrased like that?
Escapist thoughts swirled wildly.
His fingertips went numb.
"That's not all."
"Wait, just a moment?"
"Hear this out first, then think..."
"Sorry. Just a sec."
As Siwoo slumped in despair, Albireo handed him a beer.
He wet his parched throat without even thanking her.
He was utterly dumbfounded.
Truth be told, he didn't know what emotion to feel.
"I'm good now."
"Are you sure? If it's too much, we can take more time."
"No, tell me now."
Per the countess, he was alive despite a fated death.
If he'd died in that crash, he wouldn't feel this anguish or loss.
Being alive still mattered most.
With resolve on his face, Deneb hesitated long before speaking.
"Ties severed from one 'world' can't be restored now. Severing bonds is simple; completely rewriting fate is entirely different in difficulty."
"What does that mean?"
"Even if you return, 'resets' will happen—longest a week, shortest three or four days."
"Make it simple."
"Anything you do in the present world will soon revert to 'never happened.' Your only connections now are to this severed world—Gehenna."
Let him sum it up.
He couldn't.
His mind wouldn't turn.
Siwoo could only mutter what he felt.
"I'll become a ghost."
No actions leaving traces in others' memories.
Just wandering, floating—a non-entity.
Even to Siwoo's clear summary, the Gemernai countess said nothing.
Deneb merely added pityingly.
"Our family's influence extends to the present world, so you'll get full support."
"Property and a car in our name—yours won't hold—so compensation too: about 100 billion won every five years. Separately, if you choose to stay in Gehenna, we can host you as a family guest."
Siwoo clasped his hands, lost in thought for a long while.
Returning to the present world had been his life's goal.
Chasing the rainbow's end only to find a cliff—emptiness flooded his chest.
"...Does Lady Amelia know this?"
"The baron? Probably."
Why hadn't she told him?
Because she was so awkward she couldn't bring herself to?
Fearing he'd be heartbroken by the cruel truth, had she blocked his escape?
Siwoo caught himself reflexively interpreting it kindly toward Amelia and shook his head.
Did it matter now?
It was irrelevant anyway.
"Take all the time you need."
"Deneb."
"Hm?"
"Could you leave first? I still have something to say."
Deneb widened her eyes at Albireo as if asking what?, then nodded.
"Sure, tell me what happened later."
Deneb left first, leaving Siwoo alone with Albireo.
Albireo waited a moment, then met Siwoo's gaze as he looked up.
"I know it's confusing, but there's more."
"What..."
Siwoo's shoulders slumped pitifully, but she was always swamped with work and magic research.
Albireo didn't have much time.
"I want you to return to the present world."
So.
She cut straight to the point without delay.