Chapter 24
Chapter 24
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Inn (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
While Amelia was deep in her bath,
Shin Siwoo, booted out of the treehouse, was puffing away on his cigarette.
"Ugh, tastes like shit..."
In a way, it was a bit of a shock.
Amelia, who tormented him relentlessly every single day—her sudden kindness toward him.
Honestly, wasn't there plenty of room for confusion?
Inviting him to drop by her lodgings after work on a quiet night like this.
What guy would hear that and think, "Oh, she must want to make me her assistant"?
And then there was Takasho's fanning the flames from the sidelines, smirking about how Amelia had fallen for Siwoo, how she was acting just like some lovesick teenage girl.
Maybe Siwoo himself had wanted to believe it was true.
A wave of embarrassment crashed over him amid the melancholic patter of rain.
He'd gone and blurted out in front of her, "You were trying to have sex with me back then, weren't you?" How dumbfounded must Amelia have been?
Now he had to spend the whole day alone with her in this villa once her bath was done. Worry was already piling up like a mountain.
The bathroom door clicked shut, and Siwoo agonized over whether to go in or not.
Truth be told, his honest urge was to curl up on the terrace, even if it meant tumbling off in his sleep.
He just couldn't face her again.
Siwoo swallowed hard and opened the door.
She'd probably come out fully dressed anyway, and once a witch finished her bath, it was the slave's duty to attend her.
Excuses about getting some fresh air wouldn't fly with Amelia.
"......"
Amelia was intently staring at something on the bed.
Her cheeks flushed peach-pink from the recent bath.
Deep thought clouded her starlit eyes.
Siwoo glanced at the item she was examining.
It was a babydoll nightie.
Oblivious to his return, Amelia held it up, giving him a clear view of the design.
Hmm.
What to even say.
For starters, it was see-through.
Not some cheap, sleazy costume from an adult shop—this was luxurious silk, the kind that would reveal every inch of skin underneath the moment it was worn. Pure sensuality.
Amelia fiddled with it for a good while, tilting her head in confusion.
Siwoo instantly clocked it as "pajamas designed to please a man," but Amelia was different.
To her, a sheer scrap of fabric that showed everything wasn't clothing at all.
Yet it looked like clothes, so naturally, she was curious about its purpose.
But piecing together that this was all Sophia's doing, Amelia quickly figured out what the flimsy thing was for.
-Rip!
The babydoll nightie, never once shared with its owner, let out a final whimper as it met its end in her hands.
"What a pointless..."
Amelia shook her head in disbelief, then suddenly noticed Siwoo standing right there.
She froze, still clutching the two torn pieces.
"Ah..."
Pink flames erupted from her hand before he could blink.
"Hold on!"
Siwoo reflexively ducked at first, thinking she'd hurl the flames at him.
But contrary to his fears, the thousands-of-degrees inferno engulfed only the nightie in her grasp.
It vaporized without a trace of ash.
And Amelia acted like nothing had happened.
"Room's gotten chilly."
Reading her intent, Siwoo played along and pretended not to notice.
This villa belonged to one of Amelia's friends—a witch who was probably very fond of men.
That explained the love-hotel vibe and the prepared nightie.
"Has it? I'll light the fireplace right away."
For such a small villa, it had all the amenities.
As Siwoo headed to the fireplace, he sensed something off.
Black smoke billowed from the vented window above it.
"What the...?"
Siwoo flung open the window and peered down into the fireplace.
There it was.
Pink flames—the same ones that had torched the babydoll earlier—flickering at the base of the massive oak tree bearing the treehouse.
"Um, Amelia."
This wasn't ordinary fire.
Her mana-born crimson blaze greedily sought fuel, climbing the trunk with impossible ferocity.
"I think we're in big trouble."
"What's wrong?"
"We need to get out. Now."
"Out where at this hour..."
-Whoosh!
Less than fifteen seconds after Amelia's reply, the once-charming treehouse was swallowed by magical flames.
Fire magic was child's play.
As one of the four elements—fire, wind, earth, water—it required no complex transmutation, just a single rune path for easy invocation.
For Amelia, who'd reached the lofty 22nd hierarchy, botching control on such basic magic was inexcusable.
The blaze surged into the villa like a flamethrower, only to vanish the instant she flicked her fingers.
But the villa, already ravaged by the fire demon, was little more than rubble now.
The moment Siwoo and Amelia touched down on solid ground via her magic,
-Creak... Thud!
The tree, charred to charcoal at its core, toppled sideways in that brief span.
The cozy villa shattered like a bird's nest blasted by a typhoon.
"Associate Professor."
"......"
"What do we do now?"
"......"
Amelia and Siwoo stood there like disaster refugees, getting drenched in the rain for minutes, staring at the fallen tree and ruined treehouse.
"No way I can spend the night in such a tacky place."
"So you burn it down?"
"Quiet."
Amelia seemed intent on glossing over her magical mishap.
Siwoo, guilty over his own earlier blunder, didn't press and let silence settle between them.
-Caw! Caw! Caw!
A crow's mournful cry echoed from somewhere.
Siwoo might rough it, but Amelia was nobility.
No way she'd camp out under dawn dew and drizzle.
So they trekked through the forest path back to Border Town's docks.
Over three hours had passed since earlier; it was past midnight, yet the docks teemed with slaves unloading cargo.
As Gehenna's central port, it ran 24/7.
"I'll scout nearby lodgings."
Siwoo held an umbrella over Amelia while darting around, hunting for a room.
Inland towns like Tarot Town or Lenormand Town lacked proper inns.
Gehenna's citizens were essentially serfs—travel wasn't free.
For business trips to other towns or villages, crashing in a tavern's spare room for a fee was standard.
Border Town was different.
Sailors and captains constantly shuttling between the mortal world and Gehenna, plus witches popping in from there—large-scale inns abounded.
The problem? They were packed solid.
A stray single room popped up now and then, but never two.
After scouring every inn, Siwoo's last stop was the Reclining Serpent Shelter.
A three-story wooden building: ground floor tavern, upper floors for guests, like any inn.
"Cheers!"
The tavern was jammed.
Sun-baked skin, rugged builds.
Obvious seafarers hollered in gravelly voices.
"Listen up! Next, a toast from our captain!"
"Boo! Just drink!"
Siwoo squeezed through the laughter and jeers to the bar counter.
"Any rooms available?"
The innkeeper looked more like a thug than a host.
Chewing a cigar, wiping a glass, he eyed Siwoo's disheveled state.
"Rooms yes, but no guests."
"If it's because I'm a slave..."
"Nah. Naga Ho crew rented the whole place today."
Disaster.
This was the last inn.
As he fretted, an unexpected face popped up beside the counter.
"Boss, going a bit hard on him, aren't you?"
Larissa—the one who'd eagerly serviced Siwoo's goods at the contact point around lunchtime.
She seemed pleasantly buzzed, her face unusually flushed.
"What? You lot said you'd party hard."
"Still, we can spare a bed for someone in a bind."
"Fine by me."
The innkeeper shrugged and set down the glass.
"Double room, breakfast included: one shilling per person per night. Plenty free—pick any."
"Thank you!"
Room secured, Siwoo bowed to Larissa too.
"Thanks to you, we have a place."
She flashed white teeth at his politeness, grinning like at a playful pup.
"Missed me that much? Wanted to bury yourself between my tits?"
Larissa leaned in, cleavage on display, necklace dangling temptingly in the valley.
"Not at all. I had no idea you were here."
"Who hasn't heard I'm Naga Ho's sole flower? The ships supplying the Blue Snake Contact Point are from Naga Ho."
Her misunderstanding made sense.
She probably thought Siwoo, lured by sweet promises, couldn't wait a day and rushed here for her.
"But really, no. My witch is waiting outside right now."
"A witch? Her from earlier?"
Larissa's eyes sharpened for a split second.
Then she beamed her usual sultry smile.
"She's just here to sleep, right? If you have time tonight, come to my room."
This was dragging too long.
As her fingers teased his chin and he glanced at the door, a savior arrived.
"Larissa, flirting again? Forget those guys—come to me. What's so great about this scrawny kid?"
The gravel-voiced interloper was a muscle mountain.
Built like he could wrestle a gorilla to a draw.
"Ew, Fedor. You look too dumb. I know your type—brute force even in bed."
"The bitch who squeals when I stick it in talks big."
"Oh? Bet you'd cry like a girl and bust in three minutes."
Fedor chuckled dryly, clearly digging her feisty comeback.
As the chat veered from R-rated to hardcore XXX, Siwoo slipped away—only for Fedor to grab his shoulder.
"Hey, punk. Sleep it off, no funny ideas. Unless you want a snapped spine."
"Cut it out, idiot! Why scare the kid?"
"Joking, joking."
His casual pats sent shockwaves rattling Siwoo's skull.
Ignoring the gorilla, Siwoo thanked Larissa.
"Anyway, thanks for the help."
"No need. Grab a drink later."
"If I can."
With a wave to her waving hand, Siwoo headed outside to fetch Amelia.