Chapter 664
Chapter 664
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 664
Chapter Title: The Peculiar Date (5)
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In an era where news from the opposite side of the Earth reaches us in mere minutes, witch society still lags behind when it comes to rumors.
There is no proper community connecting witches.
Unlike the modern world, where you can access all sorts of information through SNS or news articles, witches have a strong tendency to shun the latest technology. As a result, rumors spread through old-fashioned means like letters or word of mouth.
In such circumstances, Dorothy only learned that Si-woo had been captured by Hexennacht after ten full days of leisurely relaxation on a remote, uninhabited island following their parting.
If even Dorothy, who wielded considerable influence within Cliffort, heard the news this late, the Gehenna side likely hadn't caught wind of it at all.
And what had Dorothy been up to during that time?
She'd been buried in work.
In an elegant office overlooking an emerald sea, Dorothy propped her phone between her chin and shoulder while flipping through a stack of documents.
"Sell the whole lot."
[Pardon? You're saying to close the deal at this price?]
"What's the problem?"
[If we reject twice, we could squeeze out another $20,000 per foot.]
Dorothy responded nonchalantly to her worried subordinate witch.
"It's fine~ It's fine~"
[...Understood, we'll proceed that way.]
One could tell the scale of her business from the fact that she'd been dealing in nuclear submarines for decades.
This very call was an encrypted communication routed through her own private communications satellite.
A businesswoman with razor-sharp instincts and meticulous planning, Dorothy had never suffered a pointless loss. If she played the current war right, multiplying her fortune overnight would be child's play.
Yet amid this golden opportunity...
She'd just taken a hit of at least ten million dollars on a single phone call.
It was a foolish choice that not even Lurye would have made in her position.
"Aah~ This is such a hassle."
Dorothy tossed the phone aside with an expression full of annoyance and flung the documents away haphazardly.
"Can't someone just buy the whole thing off me?"
The reason she'd been run off her feet since returning to her workshop wasn't because the war had made her business busier than ever.
It was simply that shutting down her arms brokerage and liquidating everything required handling a mountain of tasks.
Her subordinate witches had all tried to dissuade her like she was insane, but Dorothy's decision was firm.
Why fold a thriving business at its peak season?
Dorothy brushed it off as a mere whim,
but unfortunately, she was far too clever to fool herself with her own lies and excuses.
"How ridiculous."
So what was the real reason?
It dated back to when Si-woo had once voiced his displeasure with her arms dealing.
Like a child scolded for not cleaning their room, scrubbing away furiously in hopes of praise.
She just wanted to reunite with him someday, say "I wrapped up the business~," and see the happy look on his face. For that alone, she was gutting the golden goose.
For the same reason, she'd pulled all her investments out of Hexennacht too.
Decisions and motives that, just a few months ago, would have made Dorothy scoff in disbelief.
"Acting like some naive maiden."
Still, she had no regrets.
2.
Amid her hectic days, Dorothy heard a shocking rumor from a subordinate reporting in.
Si-woo had been taken captive in Hexennacht.
Having withdrawn her investments, she hadn't secured a fine mansion or title, but her status as a Cliffort heavyweight remained unchanged.
Armed with her citizenship, she headed straight to Hexennacht to eavesdrop on more rumors.
Fortunately, hearing about him wasn't difficult at all.
Unlike Gehenna, where interest had already waned, Hexennacht was abuzz with talk of the male witch.
Some said he and the Sword Witch were lovers.
They'd seen them kiss at the auction house.
No, they were master and disciple.
Someone witnessed the male witch call the Sword Witch "Master."
No, they were both—acting as master and disciple in public but surely indulging in lewd trysts in private. Wild speculations and rumors swirled endlessly.
Filtering out the sensational gossip and piecing together the facts:
He'd been captured by the Sword Witch: true.
For some reason, he wasn't being treated as a prisoner or slave but was casually wandering around with her: also true.
They were staying together at Hyangwol Tower: confirmed.
"What kind of pairing is this...?"
One thing was crystal clear, regardless.
He wasn't staying in Hexennacht of his own free will.
As far as Dorothy knew, Si-woo wasn't the type to roll around in the muck of politics among the public elite, except maybe in bed where he was all soft and pliant.
She owed him a debt.
Naturally, she resolved to rescue him.
When else would she repay it if not now?
"Guess I'll just~ watch and wait for now."
But Dorothy refrained from rashly making contact.
The public dismissed Linne as nothing more than a sword-obsessed demon.
Dorothy, who had some prior dealings with the Sword Witch, knew her nature well.
Contrary to appearances, Linne was highly suspicious and quick on the uptake.
If Dorothy suddenly approached, she'd go on high alert.
As she pondered how to engineer a natural encounter...
"Lady Dorothy!"
The blue-haired witch who burst in, face flushed red, was the Gale Witch.
Though the visit was sudden, Dorothy swiftly recalled everything she knew about her.
Her real name: Landa Sylphid.
19th Hierarchy.
Not a Grand Witch, low rank, but a key figure in the Solidus Merchant Group led by the Gold Witch.
Dorothy had relied on her services several times back when her own business was booming.
And, if memory served, quite some time ago they'd tumbled into bed together after getting drunk.
"Landa~ Long time no see? What's up?"
"Perfect timing. Mind if I ask a favor?"
"A favor?"
"There's this insolent bastard I want to give a thrashing."
She spoke of "favors," but her tone brimmed with certainty that Dorothy would oblige.
Even though her hierarchy was far below Dorothy's.
The reason a mere 19th Hierarchy like Landa could so casually ask a "favor" of Dorothy lay in her extraordinary talent.
Unrivaled money laundering skills.
To utilize the massive profits from shadowy economic activities rather than legitimate ones, laundering was essential.
This was especially crucial for public figures and those with public leanings living as exiles.
Skimp on it to save a 10% or 20% fee, and you'd wake up to frozen accounts or seized vaults overnight.
Try to flip the table in rage, and the Witchpoint authorities, led by Tiferet Duke, would come down hard...
Such infuriating incidents were commonplace.
Witch society might be a brutal hierarchy of rank and power, but it was still a society of people.
Among the wealthier public witches, few turned down Landa's consultations or laundering services.
In short, Landa had political backing and catered to rich witches.
"So here's the thing...!"
Landa gesticulated wildly, still too excited to calm down, explaining the whole story.
What Dorothy had assumed would be a tiresome request unexpectedly delivered a golden opportunity.
A natural way to make contact with Si-woo.
3.
"This guy's got such an uppity look on his face, doesn't he?"
Si-woo hadn't expected the witch he'd just quarreled with to actually buy the Melona as he'd asked.
But bringing Dorothy along was even further beyond imagination.
"......"
Then again, there was nothing strange about it.
Hexennacht was a city of public witches, after all.
That the "backer" she'd dragged in among all those witches happened to be Dorothy was pure coincidence, no matter how you sliced it.
"People fussing over him as some rare male witch? Thinks he's hot stuff? Time for a good spanking~."
She offered no friendly greeting, no pretense of familiarity.
From those brief words, Si-woo instantly grasped her intent.
She planned to act as if they'd never met.
"See? Told you to sit tight and watch. Low rank makes him look like easy prey, huh?"
Misreading Si-woo's stunned expression as panic, the blue-haired witch rampaged on, smug and snorting.
"Better start bawling and beg for mercy while you can."
Dorothy boasted power rivaling Linne's.
A mere male ignorant of his place picking a fight? She intended to deliver fitting punishment.
"What's your business?"
At that moment, Linne's chilling voice rang out—sharp and sober, unlike her drunken stupor after half a bottle of liquor.
"Sword Witch, this male whore publicly insulted me. I'm demanding due recompense."
This wasn't reckless escalation.
Nor was it because fights were strictly forbidden in Hexennacht.
It was because harming Landa would bring trouble from her backers.
A calculated frontal assault: even the Sword Witch couldn't strike her down without facing political pressure and backlash.
"Explain the situation."
"Linne, how've you been?"
Dorothy responded to Linne's words.
"As you can see~, this male witch hurled some awful abuse at our cute little Landa here. She suddenly showed up asking me to come protest on her behalf. So here I am."
"Is this true?"
"...Yes. But there are circumstances."
He could explain the whole story if he wanted...
But he had no clue how this mess was unfolding.
How a low-rank witch like her could drag a heavyweight like Dorothy into a petty spat.
He couldn't even grasp their relationship properly.
Staying silent seemed wisest; he half-assed a response.
"Anyway, I couldn't just sit by, so I rushed right over."
"Yeah, right now! On your knees, apologize!"
"......"
In the midst of the chaos, Si-woo felt a chill of crisis.
Because Linne had gripped her sheath under the table.
Gone was the trembling hand from her drunkenness; with steady precision, her thumb silently drew the sword.
He didn't know what gave the blue-haired witch such brazen confidence, but from what Si-woo had observed, Linne operated beyond common sense.
The restrained killing intent, palpable only from this close, proved it.
She was going to draw.
And slash whatever was in reach.
If Linne's position shook, so would his as her captive.
The moment he moved to dissuade her and avert disaster...
"Naive little Landa here, thinking she can boss around the great Dorothy with a flick of her chin, believing one word from her would turn even the Sword Witch into an enemy.
How could I stay away when such a reckless girl comes running back red-faced from getting chewed out~?"
Dorothy had subtly redirected the arrow's aim.