Chapter 768
Chapter 768
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 768
Chapter Title: Side Story 01: Twins and the Contest
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#Special Extra 1
1.
Gehenna—a city created solely for witches, severed from the modern world.
Unlike the remarkable changes of the past several hundred years in the outside realm, Gehenna's landscape remains largely unchanged from its founding in the 14th century.
This stems from the conservative, aristocratic mindset of the witches who gather here.
Sacrificing formality for convenience is seen as vulgar.
They still travel long distances by carriage.
The outfits deemed refined and cultured are elegant Belle Époque-era dresses.
Even for research or paperwork, they prefer fountain pens and quill pens over convenient ballpoints.
Architectural styles are strictly regulated by building codes as well...
All these elements combine to create a world utterly divorced from the modern era.
Yet even in Gehenna, which seems eternally stagnant, great winds of change occasionally blow.
The "Witch of Special Benefits," who researched magical engineering, sought to transform this stifling city.
To that end, she erected a towering spire on her estate and attached a massive antenna, establishing a wide-area network between the modern world and Gehenna.
The result? Overnight, the internet spread through Gehenna.
What would happen while city hall witches gaped in shock at the eyesore of an antenna, and the high-ranking witches pondered how to handle the matter?
This is that story.
2.
When naming Gehenna's most prestigious noble houses, one family is always mentioned: the Gemernai Count Family, the black-and-white songbird twins.
Odil and Odet, apprentice witches of that illustrious Gemernai Count Family, lay sprawled on their bed, heads pressed together side by side.
Their identical appearances, side by side like that, were mysteriously perfect.
Jet-black, semi-curly hair carefully oiled and tended by maids each day with perfume.
Lustrous amethyst eyes that sparkled like a fairy's.
Healthy peach-blossom cheeks and plump, well-proportioned lips.
Even lying prone, they exuded an elegance reminiscent of a princess stepping out from a Rococo-era film.
Except their attire was far from princess-like.
Each wore pajamas bought from the modern world—one shark-themed, the other rabbit.
The twins weren't sleeping despite it being well past their usual bedtime, all because of the modern marvels clutched in their hands.
The mysterious device casting a faint glow on their faces was...
A smartphone they'd begged their Grand Master for amid the unprecedented data explosion hitting Gehenna.
"Yawwwn..."
"Yawwwn..."
Odil and Odet yawned every minute until tears welled up.
The twins had always been fascinated by the modern world.
But as apprentice witches, they couldn't venture into its dangers often, and Gehenna was cut off from it anyway.
So they'd made do with tales from Assistant.
Now, with the internet—a gateway to all the modern world's knowledge—in their hands, it was only natural they'd pull three straight all-nighters.
"Sis, check this out."
"What? I'm reading a different article right now."
"But I'm curious..."
"Heh, don't worry, Odet. I found a new feature. Like this... and this... See? No need to search again; we can come back anytime."
"Whoa! It's like a bookmark! As expected of Sis! Amazing!"
"Ahem!"
They'd come a long way from not even knowing how to adjust brightness; now they mastered bookmarks.
After bingeing YouTube and Wikipedia for new knowledge, tonight they dove into Google, gathering all sorts of info—until ads kept popping up.
Unique, exaggerated illustrations they'd grown numb to from repetition.
[Done? Get lost.]
[Done with what?]
[Novelpia]
Something like that.
They'd ignored it before amid the flood of info, deeming it low-priority.
But suddenly, Odet took interest.
"Sis, what's this? Safe to click?"
"Odet, hands off now!"
"Eek! Why, Sis? What's it say?"
"You saw it. It's probably malware disguised as an ad. It's practically begging to be clicked."
"M-maybe it's just a normal ad?"
"I told you not to click random stuff. It could brick your precious smartphone."
Odet's observation was spot-on; Odil's worry was overblown.
It was just a standard Novelpia ad.
"Really?"
"Trust me."
"Okay."
But this was the smartphone they'd whined endlessly to their Grand Master to activate.
With only about three weeks left before bureaucracy tore down the antenna, they had no intention of losing their treasure to foolishness.
That hesitation lasted only a moment.
The twins soon learned the terror of ads.
They bombard curiosity with repetitive, subconscious exposure.
"Sis, Sis."
"Yes, Odet?"
"This spam ad... what do you think they mean by 'done'?"
"...Beats me?"
Odil and Odet were the type to see any question through to the end.
"Shall we click it just once?"
Odet gazed at her sister with serious eyes.
Odil had recently thrilled Odet by flaunting new knowledge and scaring her, but she was curious too.
"Fine. Here's the plan."
"What?"
"We install a vaccine app first, then click."
"Vaccine?"
They'd read the same wiki pages, but Odil was far more into computers and tech.
So she smugly explained to her head-tilting little sister.
"Just like the name says. It's an app that blocks smartphone viruses. You get it from the app store."
"Oh? Then no virus worries! Let's do it!"
They'd installed apps before.
The united twins searched for "vaccine."
A list of apps scrolled up.
"Whoa, so many..."
"Should we install them all?"
"That might not be good. Potions can have side effects if you mix too many, right?"
"Hmm, then we pick the best one..."
Their wandering violet eyes locked on one app.
"Odet, this one?"
"Public Health Agency COV?"
"The name alone feels special."
"It does. So authoritative. That 'Agency' at the end means it's definitely the modern world's disease control group."
Odet solemnly accepted her sister's theory.
And so, the twins installed the COVID-19 electronic vaccination certificate.
"The internet feels cleaner now."
"Yeah... I don't know what it is exactly, but it feels hygienic."
"Now we click?"
"Yeah, one, two, three!"
Under the placebo effect, the adorable twins tapped the banner with their dainty fingers.
But their adventure didn't proceed smoothly.
"Huh?"
Another barrier blocked the twins...
Age verification and login.
"More annoying stuff."
"Login makes sense, but... why age verification?"
Odil and Odet's heads tilted in unison.
"Let's just do it."
"Okay, Sis."
But Odil and Odet were full-fledged adults.
After huddling and struggling, they easily completed registration and verification.
"Whoa, already tired."
"Why's the process so complicated?"
The twins were already sweating bullets, but work remained.
They had to check the ad's content, of course.
Regrettably, they'd lost track of the novel amid signup.
No problem, though.
The twins' attention span shifted like a kitten chasing a laser.
"What kind of site is this?"
"So flashy... My eyes are spinning."
"All girls."
"Yeah."
Odil and Odet peered at Novelpia's homepage with the eyes of explorers discovering the unknown.
Then one phrase caught their eye.
A banner whirling across the top of the main page.
[Use it right, earn 2,000 kicks a month! You too can be a novelist!]
"It's a novel site."
"What's 2,000 kicks a month?"
Clicking revealed unknowns: how to register new works, episodes, plus features, etc.
Back button for now.
This time's banner was...
"2022 Novelpia Adult Webnovel Contest?"
"Masterpiece?"
"Total prize 100 million won?"
"Plus alpha?"
The rest was confusing, but the eye-grabbing part was the "Prize Breakdown."
Grand Prize: 50 million won.
Runner-up: 20 million won.
Excellence: 2 works, 10 million won each.
"Won is Assistant's homeland currency, right?"
"Yeah, Sis. 50 million won is about... 62 gold coins."
"Ooh... They pay for writing naughty stories?"
That much, at least, they understood crystal clear.
Odil and Odet's eyes met wide.
The twins, raised together their whole lives, shared the privilege of eye-contact telepathy.
"Sis, let's do it."
"Yeah, let's."
And so.
The twins' wild, chaotic bid for Novelpia's Masterpiece Award began.