Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: White Knight (2)
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The typhoon that had dumped rain all night long had finally crossed over Seoul's skies.
Thunder still rumbled faintly in the distance, and rain continued to fall, but nothing like the insane downpour from yesterday.
"Hmm... The modern world sure is impressive."
"So big... So tall..."
Odile and Odette stepped out of the taxi and craned their necks to gaze up at the towering skyscrapers, voicing their awe.
"But just because something's tall doesn't make it great. True architecture is an art form in itself—you can't measure its greatness by height alone."
Odile put on a serious expression, critiquing the buildings like a proper art critic.
"Exactly. To me, these tall bui... bui..."
"Buildings."
"Oh, right—thanks, Assistant. Anyway, these buildings just look like structures piled up however they could to make the most of limited land. They get a seven out of ten from me."
Odette mimicked her sister, crossing her arms and sharing her lofty opinions on the grand edifices.
Since they'd agreed to keep the nighttime stroll with Odette a secret, she naturally called him "Assistant."
Buildings in Gehenna—especially those in Lenormand Town or Ars Magna Town—were all beautiful works of art.
As Odette had astutely pointed out, skyscrapers were products designed to maximize land use, so comparing them purely on aesthetics wasn't entirely fair.
"Sure, sure—critiquing's fine, but shall we head inside?"
"Sounds good. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of amazing tour you've planned, Assistant."
"Me too!"
Both twins were dressed adorably.
Loose-fit crewneck tees printed with bunnies front and back, tennis skirts, and white sneakers.
Contrary to Siwoo's worries, Deneb had prepared proper modern outfits for them.
The twins would look good in anything, but seeing them in such casual wear felt refreshingly new.
Somehow approachable, like models.
With their level of beauty, they could snap a few casual photos, post them on social media, and easily become global influencers.
"Assistant, is it really okay to walk around in outfits like this? The skirts feel too short. So revealing..."
"You've got shorts on underneath, right? Should be fine."
"Still, my knees are all exposed..."
Meanwhile, Odette had been fussing over her outfit for a while now.
It made sense—after a lifetime of elegant, flowing dresses, a tennis skirt that bared their legs must feel pretty bold.
"It's really fine. Let's go."
They'd been whispering in front of the building for a good ten minutes now.
Siwoo was itching to head inside, but the twins kept getting distracted by every little thing, grabbing him each time.
This time, it was Odile.
"Assistant! Hold on—ear here."
"Okay, okay..."
"Look over there."
Odile nodded toward a passerby in Seoul—a woman striding along in skin-tight leggings and a crop top.
"See that woman walking around showing off her whole figure?"
"Yeah, I see her."
"Is she working at some kind of pleasure house or something?"
"No, she's not."
"Then why's she dressed like that?"
Odette chimed in.
"In the modern world, women who are confident in their figures show them off boldly. That's a socially acceptable level of skin."
"But that's basically underwear! Her cleavage is all out..."
"I'll explain later—just follow me for now. You've got plenty to see first."
Siwoo grabbed each twin by the hand and half-dragged them along.
He'd expected their curiosity to explode, but at this rate, they'd never get anywhere.
Every three steps, they'd whisper some new question, turning what should have been a quick trip into over three hours.
After all that hassle, they finally arrived at the aquarium.
Siwoo had debated between an amusement park and the aquarium for what would thrill them most, settling on the latter due to the rain.
With timed entry and limited crowds, they ticketed in advance and grabbed seats at a café to wait—and Siwoo let out a deep sigh the moment they sat.
"Haa..."
This was way more exhausting than he'd imagined.
Did Deneb handle the twins like this every day?
Suddenly, Countess Gemernai seemed worthy of respect.
Without Orgel's protection, it would've been a hundred times worse.
All eyes would have been on the twins' stunning looks.
Siwoo already felt drained before things had even started.
Meanwhile, the twins clutched their pager buzzers—one each—staring at them intently.
Then Odile spoke up first to her exhausted assistant.
"Assistant, why do you look so wiped out?"
"Beats me..."
"Want me to pat your head?"
Sure enough, Odile was already gently stroking Siwoo's hair.
Oddly enough, it made him smile, and he felt his energy returning.
"You two are amazing. In a place this unfamiliar, and you're totally yourselves—no nerves at all."
"We've got our Assistant with us! He's our rock!"
"Yeah, and I like the modern world. The air's kinda bad, but with you here, I think we could have a lot of fun."
"Me too! So I'll study hard and get that stigma as fast as possible!"
With the Assistant...
Come to think of it, the twins were out on a temporary excursion.
Only after formally receiving the Gemernai stigma would they be free to come and go from the modern world.
But inheriting the stigma also meant Alvireo and Countess Deneb would vanish.
Were the twins truly okay with that?
They were their mentors—and essentially their mothers.
"Uh, not sure if I should ask, but... can I just ask one thing?"
"What?"
"Does receiving the stigma mean Countess Gemernai will... disappear?"
Siwoo's cautious question.
But contrary to his fears, Odile and Odette responded with calm indifference.
"Yep. It's sad, but it's something we have to accept."
"You're taking it awfully well."
"It's sad that our mentor will be gone, but inheriting the stigma means we've earned the right to carry on her legacy. I'll be proud, and she'll be proud of us too."
"Odette's right. That's why we exist—why we witches exist."
Hearing the explanation he'd already known didn't make it any easier to understand.
There was an enormous gulf in perception between the twins, raised in Gehenna from childhood, and Siwoo, a modern man.
Just like how they couldn't grasp that woman's gym clothes earlier.
"I guess so."
It wasn't Siwoo's place to meddle.
And it was still far off anyway.
Instead, someone else popped into his mind, and he asked about her.
He'd been hesitating since yesterday whether to bring it up.
He broached it casually, super casually.
"By the way, how's Associate Professor Amelia doing?"
He'd deliberately tried not to think about her.
Pushed her to a corner of his mind on purpose.
But the moment her name left his lips, a bitterness like black coffee spread through him.
"You didn't know? After you recovered, Assistant, our professor changed."
"Pardon?"
"Professor had some personal issues, so Chief Professor Avenuga took over the classes she used to handle."
"Why?"
"Beats me."
"No idea here either."
Siwoo fell silent.
After all this time, she must have read the note he'd left...
"Eek!"
The twins' short squeals snapped him from his thoughts.
Their pagers were buzzing wildly, signaling their drinks were ready.
The twins stared wide-eyed at the flashing, vibrating devices.
"Is... is this an artifact?"
"Nope. Time's up anyway—let's go."
Siwoo smiled faintly at their adorable reactions and headed toward the aquarium entrance.
2.
"Whoa......"
"Whoa......"
The twins wandered about like they'd stepped into another world, gasping in wonder everywhere they looked.
Their already big eyes went huge, mouths agape.
What had stolen their souls was a massive tank filled with undulating swarms of jellyfish.
Soft neon lights cast a mystical glow.
They pressed their cheeks right up to the glass, as if they might dive in to watch the jellyfish up close.
"Oh my gosh, look at those ones. They're so cute."
"Are they models? Should I ask if I can take a picture?"
"The guy next to them is handsome too."
Even with Orgel active, they were drawing that much attention—some awareness was inevitable.
It was a bit embarrassing from his position as their obvious guardian, but thankfully, it being a weekday afternoon meant hardly any visitors.
"What... what is this...?"
"Jellyfish..."
"They look like they're wearing dresses. Wonder what they'd feel like to touch."
"All squishy."
Both twins trailed off in a daze.
And no wonder—this was Seoul's largest aquarium, showcasing every kind of fish and marine life, plus rare animals and insects.
His idea to show them mysterious modern wonders they'd never see in Gehenna had hit the mark perfectly.
The place was packed with exhibits to satisfy the twins' endless curiosity.
"Alright, enough gawking—shall we move on? Looks like there's an Amazon fish section next."
"Just a bit longer? They're so pretty."
"I wanna buy one to keep looking at forever! How much?"
"Probably not for sale. And there's way cooler stuff up ahead."
Siwoo gently nudged the twins' backs as they lingered by the jellyfish tank, oblivious to time.
Sightseeing was great, but the pamphlet showed tons more ahead.
At this pace, they might not finish before closing.
Still, seeing them so happy warmed his heart.
Next up: the Amazon fish corner.
The twins marveled at massive fish nearly two meters long.
"Whoa, I've never seen a fish this huge!"
"Assistant, Assistant! Do they not auction these? I want one!"
"We don't call those 'fish.' And yeah, probably not for sale."
"Assistant, there's no such thing as 'not for sale' against the Gemernai family's overwhelming wealth."
"When I become countess, I'm buying this whole aquarium!"
"Ooh, not a bad idea."
Siwoo smiled and clapped for the twins' bold ambitions.
It reminded him of the picnic at the latifundium back then.
That time, he'd been the one amazed while the twins explained everything—a stark reversal now.
Crossing a cloud bridge overlooking the Amazon tank led to a massive tunnel.
Not just any tunnel—it was an undersea one, designed to feel like walking right through a giant tank.
Bathed in blue light, fish, sharks, and rays glided lazily all around.
"........."
"........."
Even Siwoo felt overwhelmed—what about the twins?
At the tunnel entrance, glowing like a bluish dungeon, they hadn't taken a single step, clutching each other tightly.
"Th-that scary-looking thing... shark, right?"
"Let's see—nurse shark, it says."
"Turtles get that big? The one Pecha brought home was palm-sized..."
"Oh, that's a green sea turtle."
Giant rays passing overhead, sharks with jagged teeth brushing past, thousands of sardines shimmering in schools, turtles lumbering along with open mouths.
Once they mustered their courage, the twins scampered excitedly through the tunnel, and Siwoo followed leisurely behind.
Finally, they capped off the visit by buying two pairs of pajamas at the gift shop before leaving the aquarium.