Chapter 500
Chapter 500
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 500
Chapter Title: Perfume Tycoon (7)
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1.
After meeting Duke Ererim following Count Kohav, Siwoo headed straight to Tarot Town.
No further explanation was needed; it was to meet Yebin and have her check his physical condition.
He knew where she was likely to be.
It was the very place where he'd spent two passionate days with her not long ago.
A two-story stone house standing in the corner of the square, in an area with lackluster commerce.
The moment Yebin gained citizenship, she'd opened a free clinic for Tarot Town's citizens.
If Lenormand Town had stuffed every fantasy of the Belle Époque era into its recreation, her clinic was a building quintessentially Tarot Town.
Nothing particularly flashy about its exterior, but traces of the passage of time were thickly etched into its every nook and cranny.
But as Siwoo arrived at the clinic, he instinctively sensed his efforts had been for naught.
He knocked, but the door was locked tight.
Even though it wasn't that late, both the first-floor clinic and the second floor where Yebin stayed were pitch black.
Had he come too late?
Or had she moved to a different residence?
He called out to an old man tidying up his stall nearby.
"Excuse me. Is Yebin Smirna not in?"
The old man, his face etched with deep wrinkles yet his forearms bulging with muscle as he sorted fruit crates, wiped the sweat from his brow and replied.
"Yebin Smirna... Ah, you mean the Saintess?"
"Saintess?"
"Yup, the Saintess. She treats folks like us without taking a single coin. That's why everyone calls her that. She even fixed my back, bent like a shrimp."
The old man grinned and patted his lower back.
Come to think of it, even Siwoo found Yebin's actions utterly unconventional.
She claimed it was combined with magic research, but treating petty ailments wouldn't do much for that.
For citizens used to seeing witches standing tall, steeped in elitist superiority, calling her a saintess wasn't strange at all.
"Do you know where she went?"
"Well, she said she was off on a trip to gather herbs. But it's been over two months now."
"Two months?"
It wasn't anything urgent, but this was a thorough mismatch in timing.
"If it's pressing, I can pass the word when she gets back."
"Thank you. Please tell her Shin Si-woo was looking for her."
2.
"Ha... frustrating..."
While Siwoo was off venting his frustration, Sharon returned home after crafting the perfume and groaned over the sudden, massive expense.
She could believe it was the regular price, judging by Siwoo's reaction.
But at the same time, she couldn't.
Perfume, 2.5 fl. oz—converted to the more familiar ml, that was a mere 75mL.
"A yogurt serving is 65mL... so just a bit more..."
Yet the price was 122.2 pounds.
Even on installment, that meant a fixed outflow of 10 gold coins every single day for 12 months.
From Jemernai Mansion, she received 12 gold quarterly under dignified upkeep support, and 12 gold monthly for research funds—totaling 15 per month.
It was a fair amount of money.
On top of that, Jemernai Mansion covered her rent, workshop rental, and meals entirely.
But given Sharon's magic's nature, every research project incurred massive costs, leaving her perpetually walking a tightrope with her budget.
Siwoo's help had at least spared her the installment interest, but it was still a bone-deep expense for her.
"No wonder my luck's been good lately..."
Barring that brief moment Siwoo was in peril, it felt like spring had finally arrived in her life.
Ever since overcoming the incomplete inheritance, her magic research had sailed smoothly, full sails in a tailwind.
Apparently, dropping to the 17th hierarchy and rebuilding her fundamentals from the ground up had helped immensely.
"Ugh... Should I look into some side gigs...?"
No matter how well research was going, a shattered budget changed everything...
The peridot set she'd planned to buy at month's end was obviously off the table, and two of the five ongoing projects would have to be frozen.
Sharon slumped forward, picking up the crystal perfume bottle that gleamed transparently inside.
She uncapped it, dabbed just a tiny bit on her wrist, and inhaled.
"Sniiiif..."
In that instant, her mind wandered through happy dreams, serene as a stroll in paradise.
Smelling this perfume made her heart race and flutter just like the first time Siwoo held her.
Of course, she still got butterflies around him now, but this was the thrill of nostalgically beautified memories from the past.
A soothing scent that let her forget real-world money woes and petty romantic squabbles, if only for a moment.
"Haa... How do they even make something like this?"
Sharon felt her lips curve into a lax smile as she reclined on the sofa.
No special magical effects beyond a slight vitality boost.
The rest stemmed purely from the exquisite fragrance itself.
Thus, Sharon caressed the Benz-marked stopper like a Kapur forgetting bitter worries, a cozy smile on her face.
-Knock knock knock
"Hm?"
A knock at the door.
Sharon's heart began to pound in tandem.
Because up till now, late-night visitors at this hour had been either Duke Eloa, inviting her for drinks, or Siwoo.
The Duke was away on business resolving present-world matters, so surely the knocker was Siwoo?
Sharon sprang up like a coiled spring and checked her appearance in the mirror.
It had been far too long since she'd been with Siwoo.
"...In that case, tonight we'll share the bed!"
Nightgown check: thin fabric for just the right allure—okay.
Hair: no mess, still lovely—okay.
Plus, she had that secret weapon perfume from Amelia—perfect for recreating the thrill of their first time in a fresh way.
"Coming right up~"
She finished her checks in a flash and flung open the door like a gust of wind.
But she froze solid on the spot.
"Eek..."
"Sorry for the late hour. Got a moment? It won't take long."
Standing at the door waiting for Sharon was Amelia.
2.
In truth, the perfume's shock had briefly pushed it from her mind, but Sharon had something to apologize to Amelia for.
Even if it was in the heat of the moment, she'd said things that could hurt her, and she hadn't even properly conveyed her original intent to apologize.
Seated across from each other with handmade black tea steaming between them, Sharon spoke first.
"Um... I'm sorry about everything. I think I spoke too carelessly."
"No, it's fine. It happens."
"I'm not just saying that—I'm truly sincere. If it weren't for you, I never would have met Siwoo... Talking to you like that was wrong."
Sharon bowed her head repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Amelia hadn't taken Sharon's words to heart at all.
She hadn't closed up shop and come here specifically to hear an apology.
"Sharon, there's something I need to tell you."
"...Yes?"
Amelia placed the thick tome tucked under her arm onto the table.
"I understand why you feel that way. You've spent a long time with Siwoo, after all. The harder it was to meet, the more you want to stay together even longer."
"...I get it."
"This book is the hit list I received in exchange for treating Siwoo's body. From Kether Duke."
Amelia stroked the cover with a complicated gaze.
The hit list hadn't been fully fulfilled yet.
Half of it awaited her upholding her end of the bargain.
"I'll wrap up the present-world hits as fines come in. I won't bring Siwoo along. So for the remaining time... let him stay with you a bit longer."
"You don't need... any help?"
"It's my responsibility."
Her words carried a noble resolve.
A vow to never put Siwoo in danger, no matter what.
"Mind if I take a look?"
Amelia nodded, and Sharon carefully took the hit list.
It was heavy and thick.
From the enigmatic Kether Duke, no less.
She worried for Amelia, who would face dangers ahead, but curiosity was inevitable.
Which witches, which homunculi were listed?
As Sharon opened the pages,
she couldn't help but tilt her head in puzzlement.
"Amelia."
"Yes."
"Is this really the hit list?"
"Yes?"
Sharon held out the hit list—or what was purported to be one, though she now seriously doubted it—to Amelia.
"There's nothing written in it."
No matter how she flipped through the pages Sharon held open, it was nothing but blank.
Amelia snatched it back and rifled through roughly, but from start to finish, only pristine white emptiness.
"Why... why?"
Amelia was bewildered.
This was the first time she'd opened the hit list since reuniting with Siwoo.
But the paper's texture, the hefty cover...
No way she'd mistake a book she'd treated like a part of herself for so long.
As if its duty ended here, or utterly broken, not a single letter remained.
Amelia had realized something before, but this hit list was no ordinary book.
To be precise, it was closer to a prophetic tome.
Even though homunculi and public enemies wouldn't always be in fixed spots, it pinpointed their locations flawlessly.
For such a book to suddenly turn blank—what did it mean? What case was this?
Perhaps an ill omen.
With growing anxiety, Amelia rose from her seat.
"Sharon, sorry. I have to go somewhere."
"Y-Yes?"
Amelia bolted without properly hearing Sharon's farewell.
This wasn't someone else's problem—it involved Siwoo.
She had to meet Kether Duke.
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