Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Amelia Merrygold (1)
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Amelia had given Siwoo a stern scolding.
He bowed his head repeatedly and fled the bathroom as if escaping.
Watching his silhouette fade away through the translucent glass wall, Amelia finally let out a small sigh.
Relief washed over her that her crude, hasty excuse had succeeded.
And a sharp pang of self-loathing stabbed at her chest for having lied just to escape the moment.
As Amelia buried her nose in the bubbles filling the bathtub, memories from five years ago flashed through her mind.
It was the story of a thoroughly boring, tedious winter day—no different from any other.
1.
2.
"Amelia, aren't you ever bored?"
"What is it this time, Avenuga?"
"Just came by because I'm bored."
"You're a nuisance."
Amelia replied to the crow from House Avenuga who had barged into the research building without any sense of shame.
A crow whose wingspan was nearly as wide as a computer monitor.
Pushed away by Amelia's hand as if she were swatting off an annoyance, the crow flapped its wings noisily and perched on the stand.
She always showed up like this during research to cause trouble.
"Why do you live such a dull life, buried in magic research twenty hours a day? You've already surpassed your predecessors by two paths."
"This is the great achievement passed down to me, even at the cost of my mentor's life. I can't afford to slack off even for a moment."
"Caw."
The crow blinked its white nictitating membrane and tilted its head side to side a few times upon hearing Amelia's words.
Indeed, Amelia's statement would strike most witches as oddly phrased.
Completing the Stigma was a monumental feat that took precedence over preserving even one witch's life.
Yet here she was describing that very Stigma as something that had stolen her mentor's life.
Of course, no one would be so reckless as to say it aloud.
Sophia knew about the bond between Amelia and her mentor.
It wasn't uncommon for apprentice witches and their mentors to share a parent-child-like closeness.
"Even so, if you keep overworking your brain like that, you'll have to pass on the Stigma sooner than you think."
"If my foundation runs dry, then that's what must be done."
"For someone saying that, you haven't even taken on an apprentice witch."
"Because there's still much I can do myself."
"Then do you really need to work this hard right now? You look like a witch in her twilight years, ready to hand over the Stigma to an apprentice any day."
Amelia sighed at the crow gaping its beak with a "caw caw," and set down her pen.
Sophia didn't seem inclined to leave quietly today.
"So, what mischief are you planning to drag me into this time?"
"New slaves have been assigned to the academy, right?"
"And?"
"They're men. Two of them, even."
It was utterly irrelevant and uninteresting to her.
Reading her expression, the crow spoke with an urgent look.
An urgent expression on a crow—somewhat comical phrasing.
"Amelia, this is advice from the previous Lady Avenuga... Want to hear it?"
"You'll just keep whining beside me until I say yes, won't you? Go on, then."
Amelia and Sophia didn't mesh well.
Sophia was the type of tank who barreled forward relentlessly, unfazed by Amelia's sharp barbs meant to ward off nuisances.
That was why Amelia had no choice but to listen, if only to avoid even greater annoyance.
"My mentor said that the stuffiness of a secluded room is sediment that clogs the inspiration for creation. Hasn't that part you've been researching lately hit a dead end?"
"......"
Sophia, who visited almost daily, would have noticed.
The fact that the draft magic circles Amelia was working on hadn't progressed in months.
Something crucial was missing—a decisive clue.
Not just tweaking variables through substitution, but the invention of entirely new formulas.
"See? That's what happens when you stare at the same workbench, the same scenery, doing the same thing day in and day out. Output is directly proportional to input, you know. A change of pace now and then isn't so bad, is it?"
"All you ever do is change the pace."
Sophia pressed on, ignoring Amelia's retort.
"You never go to the city except to buy magic items~ You skip the salons~ You just bathe and leave at the public baths~ Research building, dorm, research building, dorm, research building, dorm, every single day.
How can you come up with fresh ideas like that? What you need right now isn't clinging to the problem—it's new experiences."
Sophia's method of luring Amelia was cunning and well-suited.
Saying "it'll be fun, come play" wouldn't sway a shut-in magic otaku like Amelia.
Amelia would've had a flat ass from her chair if witches weren't spiritual beings.
So she slyly mixed in advice framed as being "for the sake of magic."
In truth, Amelia pretended to brush it off with one ear while failing to shoo away Sophia's crow.
"And?"
"Let's climb the stairs of adulthood today."
"New experiences don't have to involve sex."
This wasn't the first or second time she'd gotten such a proposal.
Unlike the orthodox Amelia, Sophia was a rather free-spirited witch.
The reason Amelia had despised her at their first meeting was Sophia's habit of sleeping around indiscriminately with whoever caught her fancy, regardless of gender.
Now, after several conversations, Amelia judged her not entirely bad, but that didn't change how tiresome it was that Sophia kept trying to drag her into her hobbies at every turn.
"No. Sex is the process by which a man and woman create a new life. Isn't that creation itself?
Of course, we can't have children because of the Stigma, but the act itself is the noble foundation that has produced hundreds of millions of lives over tens of millions of years."
By this point, Amelia felt disgust at having to listen seriously to such nonsense.
Having given her a rare moment of attention, she now averted her gaze as if the steam had killed her interest.
"I've heard you out, so leave now."
"Ah... uh..."
Amelia picked up her pen again, ignoring her completely.
From now on, she'd scribble meaningless equations no matter what Sophia said.
With the big fish that had finally bitten slipping away, Sophia decided on another tactic.
If the first approach was "tie it to magic,"
the second was "subtly scratch at her pride."
"Tch, oh well. I think you could stand to take more pride in your looks."
"........"
"You're plenty beautiful and attractive. Not as womanly as me, but there aren't many men who could stay indifferent around you."
"........."
"It's understandable to feel awkward and scared since you've barely talked to men, let alone loved one. But everyone's first time is tough."
"........"
Sophia shamelessly prodded at Amelia, who was now completely ignoring her.
She arbitrarily interpreted Amelia's avoidance of men as "lack of confidence in her appearance" and "cowardice."
It worked as expected.
Amelia's eyebrows were twitching in real time.
The key was balance.
For someone as stubborn as the previous Merrygolds, it was best to stimulate her competitive spirit without bruising her pride too much.
"You have this subtly childish side to you. Surprisingly, that could win men's affection. Even I think you're cute."
Slipping in the keyword "childish side" here would make Amelia rise to the challenge.
So easy to handle.
Amelia slammed her quill feather down on the desk and glared with wide eyes.
It was meant to be threatening, but it only came off as cute.
"Who are you calling childish?"
"Ah! Sorry. If that hurt your feelings, I apologize."
"What I learned from my mentor wasn't just magic. Poise befitting a lady, etiquette as a noble.
All of it has a depth incomparable to a pseudo-noble like you from House Avenuga."
Amelia declared solemnly.
The crow hopped down from the stand and rubbed its cheek against the back of her hand in apology.
"Sorry, don't be mad. As your friend, I just want you to have more experiences. I'd love to see a more mature Amelia, too."
"Hoo...."
Amelia sighed and rose from her seat.
Sophia's crow, thrilled, cawed excitedly and circled above her head.
"I'll make you realize how wrong you are. And after this, never bother me again."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Amelia shot a word at Sophia, who feigned ignorance.
"You think I'd fall for the same trick after all this time? I know you deliberately tried to anger me."
*She sure seems pretty pissed for someone who knew...*
Sophia wisely kept that thought to herself.
"I can't agree that a vulgar act chasing mere pleasure inspires creation. Nor do I intend to do it.
The only reason I'm going is to prove you wrong."
"What did I say...?"
"That I'm insecure and scared of talking to men because of it. That's not true. I've simply never felt the need."
Men were inferior beings incapable of wielding profound magic, after all.
"Take me to where the slaves are."
Amelia unbound her hair with a flourish and strode forward confidently.
2.
"But isn't seducing a slave kinda cheating? How could a slave refuse a witch's order?"
"If it were you, you'd know right away from his reaction whether he's coming reluctantly or not."
Guided by the crow, Amelia walked through the brightly lit corridor into the dimly lit library.
She had been told one of the slaves assigned just two days ago was here.
The moment she opened the door, she saw a slave in the midst of organizing the library.
This slave would handle administrative duties at Trinity Academy as a city hall slave for the next six years.
She might use him as an assistant occasionally, but that wasn't a big deal.
Despite the late hour, he was still working—either not adapted yet,
or just a bit dim-witted.
"Caretaker Shin Siwoo."
"Yes! Ma'am!"
-Boom!
With a spirited shout, the slave tumbled from the ladder.
Rising from a pile of dust, he stiffened and rushed over, standing at attention before Amelia.
If she could seduce a man with just one sentence, even Sophia perched on her shoulder would be convinced and leave.
Then she could immerse herself in research undisturbed for a while.
In fact, seeing his entranced gaze fixed on her face, she doubted verification was even necessary.
"Come to my chambers when you're done with work."
Wasn't he already smitten?
Honestly, Amelia had never been dissatisfied with her appearance.
Her soft golden hair, like it was spun from gleaming gold ingots; her eyes, like they held the blue sky.
Her mentor had always praised them as utterly beautiful.
And beyond that?
The grace and etiquette ingrained in her body through long training.
Even the charisma every witch ought to possess.
She was confident she possessed charms incomparable to a sloppy witch like Sophia.
"I'll assume that's settled, then..."
Judging by his reaction, no verbal reply was needed.
She planned to turn and head back to her dorm like this.
This dazed man might fantasize lewdly on his way, but he'd accomplish nothing.
She wasn't debauched enough to sleep with a stranger, and his purpose was solely to prove her allure to Sophia.
"I'm sorry!"
Then came the man's unexpected words.
He bowed so deeply his head nearly touched the floor, shouting his apology.
"Caw caw caw!"
Caught off guard, the crow on Amelia's shoulder flapped wildly in laughter.
Her face burned red.
Never imagining she'd be rejected by a slave, Amelia felt her mind go blank.