Chapter 711
Chapter 711
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 711
Chapter Title: Witch of Gold Coins (7)
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1.
It was a strange dream.
A vast lake whose end one could not chase with the eyes.
Beyond that horizon, a sea of stars meeting the black water's surface.
Amid the thick fog that even conveyed a sense of volume, obstructing the view, a tall tower stood tall like a lighthouse in the middle of the lake.
Despite its vastness, the water level was shallow.
Even if one waded to the center, it would only lap at the waist.
Beneath the ceaselessly rippling surface, without a single breeze, clusters of bizarre lights in every color spun long threads, faintly revealing themselves and vanishing repeatedly.
Si-woo stood blankly by the lakeside, merely watching the dance of those threads.
Suddenly, waves—not something that should exist in such a calm lake—splashed and wet his toes.
Each time the overflowing water touched his skin, whispers he couldn't properly comprehend reached his ears.
They sounded like someone's laughter, or someone's sobs.
Sometimes like gentle advice, other times stern admonitions.
If he listened to those needless murmurs, joy, sorrow, excitement, despair—
A palette of various emotions painted over his mind, offering endless reverie before vanishing into nothingness.
A bright moon rose over the lake.
The constellations, which had quietly shown themselves, hid as if ashamed compared to the moon's brilliant light.
Gazing up at the full moon shining purely like a massive hole, it felt as if it might fall from the sky.
Along with humming song fragments, someone walked across the lake.
The figure in seamless white clothes appeared to be a girl of about ten years old at most.
He knew instinctively.
The little girl dancing through the splashing water was a being that even witches would struggle to gauge, accompanied by a long history.
And that conviction turned to certainty the moment their eyes met from afar.
Eyes dulled and worn by the world's reflux over repeated long lives, no longer shining—they were not something a girl could possess.
Spotting Si-woo, the girl rounded her mouth in surprise.
Then, playfully grabbing the ends of her dress, she curtsied with a giggling laugh.
Words that rang vividly in his ears despite the great distance.
"My obeisance to the king hanging upside down."
Words that could be heard as sacred worship.
Or as mockery laced with scorn.
2.
...What the hell kind of dream is this?
It was so vivid that he muttered this the moment he opened his eyes.
So real that he could vividly recreate the scene just moments ago on the hazy ceiling.
He hadn't understood in the dream, but now that the fog of sleep had somewhat cleared, he vaguely recalled what that landscape resembled.
A massive lake, a tower.
It bore a striking resemblance to the prophecy institution his master had described.
Then, was that girl who danced and spoke strangely to Si-woo the Oracle Witch who managed the prophecy institution?
Even dismissing it as mere dream, the moment their eyes met lingered in his mind.
An unfounded certainty that this couldn't be just a dream writhed in his chest.
"Ah..."
However, realizing after a few blinks that the hazy ceiling had an extremely unfamiliar shape, Si-woo remembered it wasn't the time to dwell on dream interpretations.
The incident where he couldn't tolerate Lodge's evil deeds and beat him down.
The Gold Coin Witch entering the playroom and casting a powerful sleep spell.
Then, this bed?
From the soft bedding and pillows that made him want to stay forever, along with a faint bodily scent, he bolted upright.
Where was this place?
"......"
First, it was too well-equipped to be an underground prison.
One corner of the room was shrouded in thick blackout curtains, with dim indoor space and quietly burning candles.
Looking around carefully, it resembled a wealthy merchant's room from the age of great voyages.
Luxurious decorative items from East and West alike reinforced that impression.
For instance, a carpet muffling footsteps covered the entire floor—something Si-woo, whose eye for luxury had sharpened, deemed quite impressive.
A Persian silk carpet, undoubtedly handcrafted from the finest materials.
Considering that the carpets in the count family reception room, which he'd walked on carelessly, were worth 10 billion won each...
The price of one large enough to cover this entire room was unimaginable.
Besides that, frames displaying collected gold coins hung on the walls, tribal horn pipes suitable for rituals sat on shelves, and knight's armor stood in the corner.
Even ornate crowns that should be under the strictest guard in a museum were casually hung on clothes racks.
Seeing it all, it evoked the lair of a dragon hoarding treasures.
Yet, despite the haphazard pile of expensive items, it exuded quiet dignity rather than the vulgarity of a parvenu pretending to be rich—a peculiar thing.
Sightseeing could wait.
First, he needed to figure out where he was.
As Si-woo rose from the bed and reached to open the blackout curtains to peer outside—
"You're awake, feisty male witch."
Startled by the voice from behind, Si-woo whipped around.
On a table cluttered with knickknacks from various curios, amid things he hadn't properly checked earlier, the Gold Coin Witch smiled brightly.
He hadn't noticed her at all.
Her radiant presence among the piled treasures blended so naturally, as if one with them.
"You must be tired. You can lie in bed longer. I've restricted your magic power. First time putting a restraint on a man, so I might've overdone it."
As she said.
His body felt heavier than usual, and key parts of his magic circuits were restricted.
Of course, with his trained spirit body, he could still fight in this state, but against a witch, it was practically defenseless.
The cause of the restraint: a necklace.
Seemed like the same artifact Alice wore.
Yet, the mark's eye function remained normal.
"Thank you for helping me first off."
Counting from his enslavement in Gehenna, this was his fourth kidnapping after Lurye and Rinne.
At this point, he could proudly call himself a professional kidnappee.
Panicking and causing a scene was the worst option.
Politely gaining the kidnapper's favor while prioritizing situational awareness was best.
-Clack!
Lydia set down the pen she'd held in her gloved hand.
She rose from the desk where she'd been working and approached Si-woo step by step.
"You should be grateful. If not for me, Clifort would've torn you apart and tossed you to Gehenna. Why'd you go and do that?"
"I have anger management issues."
"Hm, Korean origin, right? Were you in public service?"
"Full active-duty discharge."
Excuses like unable to contain righteous fury or fulfilling human duty wouldn't help much.
She was public enemy too, after all.
The point was why the Gold Coin Witch helped Si-woo in distress.
Her intentions weren't pure, so grasping the surrounding context was key.
Fortunately, unlike her schemes, she lacked the unique madness of public enemies.
Ea, Bianca, Lodge—even Rinne had that 'what the hell?' glint, but Lydia was different.
If anything, like a rational businesswoman driven by logic?
She reminded him of his mothers-in-law somehow.
"I can hear your brain churning from here."
"......"
"You smoked, right? Have one. It'll calm you down."
Approaching Si-woo with a soft voice, Lydia took a cigarette from her case.
She placed one between her red-lipsticked lips and offered one to Si-woo.
-Flick!
Lighting up with a flame at her fingertip, she and Si-woo began smoking together.
In that moment, glancing down at her.
Hair a bit darker than Amelia's.
Golden blonde of a shade that made one question if it could exist naturally, neatly cut to shoulder-length bob.
And golden eyes like pure molten gold—not amber or topaz—were eerily bewitching.
He'd never believed in fortune like wealth luck, but with Lydia, he vaguely felt she'd amass fortunes just by breathing.
"Sit and smoke comfortably."
Lydia gestured to one of two sofas facing the blackout curtains.
On the table between them sat an ashtray and expensive-looking champagne chilling in an ice bucket.
"Where is this place?"
"My bedroom."
"Why did you help me?"
"I get you're curious, but you know I'm not about to harm you right now, right?"
"...Yes."
As she said.
If Lydia wanted, she could've left him there and put him in dire straits.
Temporary master or not, how far Rinne would shield Si-woo for breaking Hexennacht rules was unknown.
From circumstances and her attitude toward him, he could only guess 'probably not abandoned.'
She could've extracted the mark while unconscious, but didn't.
Perhaps the 'our interests might align' she mentioned before hadn't expired.
"The event's about to start anyway. How about we watch leisurely and talk?"
"Understood."
Lydia crossed her legs, leaned back, and snapped her fingers.
The curtains covering an entire wall parted like a theater curtain, revealing an unexpected sight beyond the transparent glass wall.
3.
Dorothy, Amelia, and Eloa were discussing future plans.
As they gravely sought the optimal strategy, Lurye interjected with a serious expression.
"Dorothy, something seems to have gone wrong."
"Yes, yes, what's up, Princess?"
"You know well that I am an exceptional diviner."
"Of course~"
Of course, Lurye's self-magic had nothing to do with astrology, and as far as she knew, only the Witch of Luck or the Oracle Witch could divine properly, but she agreed for now.
"Thus, before our grand rescue plan, I cast the cowrie shell divination. Behold."
Lurye pulled out a single cowrie shell with the grave expression of a prophet foreseeing the world's end.
"See how this curled shell and its pattern indicate 'it seems to go smoothly at first, but in truth, everything is going awry.' In such cases, one must not take the situation lightly and prepare even better measures."
"Yes, yes, I'll make sure to prepare."
Dorothy patted Lurye's head dismissively as if it were nothing.