Chapter 302
Chapter 302
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 302
Chapter Title: Mimaya Takasho
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The town where Siu had spent the longest time in Gehenna was, without question, Lenormand Town, home to Trinity Academy.
Gehenna's second-richest district, where witches who weren't nobility but had wealth on par—or greater—gathered to live. If Ars Magna Town was like Gangnam's Seocho, then Lenormand Town was about Yongsan or Gangdong.
That meant starting from Lenormand Town, the witch population more than doubled compared to Tarot Town, where ordinary citizens and witches lived mixed together.
Siu's spatial warp dropped him at the northern classroom building of Trinity Academy, shaped like a cross.
It evoked the grandeur of Versailles Palace, particularly the Hall of Mirrors.
Everywhere you looked, it boasted opulence like gold melted and shaped to the flicker of candle flames on ornate candelabras. It was a place that fueled blind confidence in the idea that such beauty would remain unchanged even after a thousand years.
"Still the same as ever..."
The moment he stepped into the corridor, memories of his grueling years flooded back like a panorama.
He'd half-expected something close to PTSD.
Instead, it was just a vague, itchy ache in his chest—a slightly frustrating nostalgia.
"Well then..."
Maybe he'd wander around a bit while looking for Takasho.
At this hour, she was probably cleaning the hallways or just waking up late in some other professor's bedroom.
Siu strolled leisurely, poking around his old workplace.
A place this lavish should have been bustling with noise.
Yet the dawn-silenced classroom building was eerily quiet, like a tomb—creating a bizarre dissonance. It was an unfamiliar unease he'd rarely felt before.
The difference was, now he could saunter about relaxed, whereas back then he'd have been diligently dusting the candelabras.
He checked the well yard where he'd bathed with cold water after work.
The drainage ditch he'd dug tirelessly every rainy day.
Even the library, his actual workstation and secret spot for magic research.
No sign of Takasho. He'd been at it for a good hour.
"Where the hell did she go?"
Figuring he'd keep missing her if he searched blindly, Siu headed to a new spot: the administrative office in the southeast of the classroom building.
True to its name, it handled all the miscellaneous paperwork.
*knock knock*
The admin office looked older than the library where Siu had worked.
He knocked and entered to find a woman already buried in documents early in the morning.
He recognized her face.
No deep personal connection—just someone who'd given him work orders directly.
"Hello."
"Huh?"
The woman, glasses on and eyes glazed as she scribbled with her pen, snapped awake at the sight of him.
"Y-you, uh... that...? Caretaker Shin Siu?"
"Yes. Not a caretaker anymore, though."
"Good morning, sir!"
She shot up from her seat like a raw recruit snapping to attention, bowing deeply.
Admin staff were ordinary Gehenna citizens, not witches.
Now an official 'witch,' Siu outranked her socially.
But...
"...S-s..."
Siu eyed her awkward expression, head bowed low, trembling visibly.
As his old workplace, news of Caretaker Shin Siu becoming a witch had likely spread faster here than anywhere.
But was that any reason to be this terrified?
"S-sorry... About the dorm thing back then, I really am so sorry..."
Ah.
That was why.
The admin office had meddled in evicting him from decent lodging to live in the stables.
She clearly thought the risen ex-slave caretaker had returned for revenge.
"I-it's fine. Mind if I ask a few questions?"
"Y-yes!"
"Please, have a seat first... I'm not here to do anything bad."
"I'm sorry!"
He spent a good ten minutes soothing her with lengthy reassurances before they could talk normally.
It left a bitter taste—how badly tarnished was the witch image among citizens to inspire this much fear?
Despite his repeated protests, they ended up facing each other over a tea set she'd prepared with utmost care.
"I'm truly sorry..."
"Don't worry about it at all. By the way, do you know Mimaya Takasho? She worked here with me."
"T-Takasho?"
A faint blush colored the woman's cheeks at the name.
Well, well.
She'd even extended her reach here.
Impressive, for a friend.
"Yeah, came to see her. Can't find her anywhere."
"Takasho finished her full six years a few months ago..."
Ah.
He'd completely forgotten.
Like Siu, Takasho was a public slave under Gehenna's city cleaning service.
Six years meant reassignment elsewhere.
"Do you know where she was reassigned?"
"She wasn't reassigned."
"What?"
Siu's face hardened.
Not reassigned?
Had her reckless lifestyle finally crossed the line?
Did she mess with an apprentice witch and get killed?
Dark thoughts swirled.
This was the witches' city, after all.
No matter how sly Takasho was, she was just a slave.
"Count Adonai bought her as an exclusive slave."
"What?"
2.
After pressing for more details, Siu got the address of Takasho's current workplace.
"That startled me."
He'd half-feared she'd met a grim end or something worse upon hearing no reassignment.
But Takasho was the type who could thrive in a desert by charming cacti. It was needless worry, really.
Anyway, it wasn't far.
Still in Lenormand Town.
If Border Town had the 'Relay Station' and Tarot Town the 'Plaza Market' handling Gehenna's logistics, Lenormand had the arcade shopping district 'Malkuth Gallery.'
Border Town barely dealt with retail customers, and upscale Ars Magna Town lacked large shopping areas, so Malkuth Gallery saw the most dynamic flow of goods.
It was a street wide enough for four carriages to race, lined with shops covered by an arched glass ceiling to create an indoor space.
As a side note, such arcade-style shops dated back to the early 19th century in the modern world.
Gehenna's Malkuth Gallery predated that, emerging in the late 17th century—quite trendsetting.
True to its over-400-meter straight length, it sold a vast array of items.
Magic tools, artifacts, alchemy ingredients and reagents—anything magic-related.
Luxuries like jewels, crafted goods, furs, liquor, hookahs, herbs, carpets, artwork, furniture, and furnishings.
Not stopping there: beauty salons, theaters, boutiques, bookstores, bars—a full range of services.
Of course, as a slave, Siu could only afford a handkerchief here at the cost of his entire fortune, so stepping inside was a first.
He wandered in awe, feet on the gleaming floor that looked freshly polished yesterday.
"She works here?"
It was barely 7 a.m., so most shops were still shuttered.
Only a few ordinary citizens prepping to open, no witches in sight.
For Siu, who attracted witches like a kid with a lantern, it was a relief.
"Hmm..."
Siu scanned around and trudged toward the shop where Takasho was employed.
"This the place?"
It was at the gallery's far end, tucked in an obscure corner unlikely to draw casual visitors—no signboard.
The exterior was tidy enough, with a red carpet leading up the steps.
Still, one couldn't help wondering what slave work there could be in such a spot.
He approached, gripped the handle, and knocked on the firmly shut door.
*thud thud!*
"......"
The sound echoed decently loud.
No response from inside, so he knocked again—then the door finally opened.
"Who i... Who're you?"
A blond blue-eyed man, a bit younger than Siu.
Shaggy hair contrasting carelessly thrown-on clothes.
One standout trait: tall and handsome.
He'd opened the door with a forced amiable smile that soured instantly upon seeing another man.
"Here to see someone."
"Someone?"
"Yeah, Mimaya Takasho—is she in?"
The man's expression shifted again at Takasho's name.
Annoyance vanished, eyes sparkling.
He asked cautiously.
"A close friend of Takasho-hyung?"
"Yes."
The man quickly sized Siu up.
Fancy eyepatch, modern attire, even a ring on his finger.
Outfits forbidden to ordinary slaves.
"Ah, come in and wait. Hey! Liam! Guest's here. May I have your name...?"
"Shin Siu."
"Tell Takasho-hyung that Mr. Shin Siu's come to visit!"
Siu entered amid the brisk shout.
Through the front door and another thick one lay a swanky salon.
Or close enough in layout.
Scattered chairs and tables, wooden crates stacked haphazardly—minor flaws.
The interior design was sleek and sophisticated.
Wall paintings, sculptures, even the billiards table screamed high value.
It reeked of a classic bar, dim despite the rising sun.
"Please wait a moment. Hyung'll be right here."
"A bar?"
"Something like that."
As Siu puzzled over it, heavy footsteps approached with a deep voice.
"Shin Siu!"
The voice was much lower than before, but Siu recognized it instantly.
Turning, though, it wasn't Takasho.
"Feels like ages. Good to see you!"
A Japanese man sharply dressed in an Italian suit, hair slicked back with hard pomade, neat goatee, flashy Patek Philippe on his wrist.
Takasho's confident smile beamed even in the twilight glow as he offered a firm handshake without hesitation.
"Y-you're really Takasho?"
"Who else?"
Siu shook hands in a daze, frozen awkwardly.
As if expecting it, Takasho grinned boldly and handed over a business card.
"Manager and madam of Gehenna's one-and-only host bar, freshly opened: 'Rose Glass.' Mimaya Takasho, at your service."