City of Witches

༺ Foolery (2) ༻

1.

Boisterous voices wafted through the serene garden of Amelia’s mansion.

The twins, who had come from the academy through the portal, were running through the garden with ‘Water Lizard Strides.’

“Run faster, Odette! Why are you so slow?!”

“W-Wait for me, Sis!”

Similar thing happened last time.

Back when they heard that Siwoo had woken up, they rushed over in a frenzy, only to find him sitting still like a puppet.

After that, as soon as they returned to the mansion, they grabbed their master, Countess Gemini, begging to be taught recovery magic by them.

Sensing the twins’ emotions, the Countess had no choice but to open the mansion’s study room and let the twins be engrossed in their studies inside.

As they pored over those incomprehensible scholarly books, they didn’t even notice how much time had passed.

If the Head Maid, Galina, didn’t tell them about how Duchess Keter went out of her way to heal Siwoo personally, they wouldn’t know about it.

Upon hearing that, they pushed aside their books and rushed to find Siwoo.

Because it was Duchess Keter herself who made a move, they were confident that Siwoo had finally recovered this time.

As soon as they opened the front door to Amelia’s mansion, the twins hurriedly made their way to the second floor, towards Amelia’s room and knocked on the door.

“Associate Professor! Associate Professor!”

“May we come in?”

The door creaked open.

Amelia came out with a rather bright expression, an expression they hadn’t seen in a long time.

Actually, it wasn’t like she displayed her emotions through her facial expression, it was just that it was easy to tell what her mood was by the air she exuded.

Until recently, it was as if a dark cloud was hanging over her head, but now it felt as if there was a radiant sun and a rainbow instead.

“Is it okay if we meet Mr. Assistant?”

“We heard that Mr. Assistant has recovered!”

“We want to go out and have fun together!”

Amelia hesitated for a moment at the twins’ words.

“You no longer need my permission. Assistant Shin Siwoo is no longer a slave.”

“Sorry?”

“Go and see for yourself.”

The twins quietly left after seeing her dismissive gesture.

‘He isn’t a slave anymore? What does she mean?”

“What happened?”

However, the twins wanted to see his face so badly, so they decided to not ponder over it too much.

‘Does that mean we can freely play with him? We don’t need to ask for permission anymore?’

“I don’t know what happened. But does it really matter?”

“No… I mean, isn’t that actually a good thing?”

Like baby rabbits hopping around in excitement, the twins eagerly swung open the door to Siwoo’s room.

““Mr. Assistant, we’re here!””

The warm spring sunlight poured inside the room today.

Siwoo, who had been diligently writing something on the table, looked up in surprise at the suddenly opened door.

His figure came to the twins’ sight.

Instead of their sturdy-looking young assistant, it was a little child.

“Huh?”

“What…?”

The room descended into silence.

Siwoo finished organizing the papers he had been scribbling on and got up from his chair to greet the twins.

“Hello.”

The child looked identical to Siwoo, with his black eyes and black hair.

Not to mention that he wore an eyepatch over his left eye.

Noticing the uncanny resemblance, the twins tilted their heads in curiosity and asked.

“Do you know where Assistant Shin Siwoo is?”

“Ah, I’m Shin Siwoo… But…”

““?””

They stared at each other’s faces, looking clearly confused.

Before the confusion could escalate though, Siwoo began to explain.

He couldn’t provide the exact explanation, but he told them that he had gone through some sort of incident that left his body in its current state.

His memories were fragmented and obscured.

Nevertheless, he assured them that he’d completely recover soon enough.

The twins, who had been listening to him attentively, nodded their heads in unison.

“Ah, so that means you’ve turned into a little kid, Mr. Assistant?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Do you remember who I am?”

Siwoo pondered for a while.

It was as if he was trying to recall a math formula he had memorized a long time ago.

As he concentrated intensely, faint glimpses of memories started to surface.

“You’re Ms. Odette… Right?”

“Yes, you’re correct!”

“What about me?”

Odile also indicated herself by placing a finger on her chest.

Once again, Siwoo responded with his soft and timid voice.

“You’re Ms. Odile…”

“You haven’t forgotten who I am, hm~?”

Odile nodded with a satisfied expression.

After a brief confirmation and assessment, the twins quietly observed Siwoo’s current state.

As the initial confusion of their encounter faded away thanks to his explanation, they began to grasp his current condition more clearly.

The twins walked gracefully and stood in front of him.

This evaluation session lasted for a while.

“You’ve gotten smaller than me!”

Starting from his small height; barely reaching Odile’s chin.

“Look at his skin, Sis! It’s smooth like a baby’s!”

Due to him reverting back to his childhood, his skin became flawless, without a single scar.

“Your pajamas look great on you, Mr. Assistant!”

He was wearing sky blue dotted pajamas.

It fit him perfectly.

The twins found it unbelievable that this little child was the same person as the handsome Assistant Siwoo they used to know.

That was why they gave him a thorough examination.

They grabbed his arm, twirled him around and even poked his cheeks.

Siwoo was left dumbfounded by the twins’ antics.

After a while, Odile regained her composure. She cleared her throat and began to speak.

“Mr. Assistant.”

“Yes, Ms. Odile.”

She had just thought of something she wanted to ask him to do.

With an excited and determined expression, she opened her mouth.

“Call me Big Sis Odile.”

“Huh? Wait, me too! Call me Big Sis Odette!”

“Stay quiet, Odette, I asked first, so he should call me that first!”

“Rock-paper-scissors! We’ll settle it with rock-paper-scissors so it’ll be fair!”

“What are you on about? I came up with the idea first, you barging in is what makes it unfair for me!”

Before Siwoo could even respond, the twins already started a heated argument. He could only awkwardly chuckle as he watched them.

His response was exactly like what Siwoo would respond, making the twins think that his current appearance must be how he looked when he was younger.

“Big Sis Odile, Big Sis Odette… Like this?”

To prevent unnecessary squabbles between them, Siwoo quickly spoke.

“…”

“…”

The twins, who had been noisily talking about who should be called ‘Big Sis’ first, suddenly fell silent.

They stared at his face intently.

Feeling like something was wrong, Siwoo rearranged his words and spoke out again.

“Big Sis Odette, Big Sis Odile, you don’t need to fight…”

“…”

“…”

Even after he did that, the twins just stood there with their mouths slightly open as they stared at him.

Although they were apprentice witches, at their cores, they were still girls who loved cute and sweet things.

The little Siwoo’s charm lies in his extraordinary cuteness that was able to melt the twins’ hearts apart even though they were in the middle of a conflict just a few moments ago.

“Kyaa! Little Assistant Siwoo is so cute! Look at these squishy cheeks!”

“So cute! Assistant Siwoo is adorable!”

Odile pressed herself against Siwoo and playfully pinched his soft and squishy cheeks while rubbing her own against his.

After showering him with affectionate gestures and the word ‘cute’ for about 200 times per person, the twins embraced him gently.

Their hearts couldn’t help but melt when they nuzzled him.

“When I hold him, my heart feels at peace…”

“Sis, can’t we just take him home and raise him?”

“Good point. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could sleep together while hugging each other?”

“Mm…”

In their minds, they were already dead set on taking him to their mansion.

On the other hand, being sandwiched between the twins, Siwoo’s face was turning red from embarrassment.

“By the way, Mr. Assistant, you said you don’t remember much, right? How much do you remember?”

“Do you remember about the time you played with us?”

“Well, I remember your names and the fact that you are apprentice witches… But, could you please release my head…?”

“Oh, sorry, sorry!”

It was only after seeing his frustrated expression that the twins finally released him.

“You saved our lives twice, Mr. Assistant.”

“Back when you were an adult, you were really cool! But, the way you are right now is good too~”

Feeling overwhelmed by the twins’ flirts, Siwoo became flustered and averted his gaze.

They pulled his sleeves and urged him.

“Anyway, that’s not important!”

“That’s right! Do you want to come and play with us, Mr. Assistant?”

“Play…?”

“Yeah! Let’s go shopping for clothes and go to the Grand Bath together!”

“Good idea, Sis! Mr. Assistant, do you know how beautiful the Grand Bath is? We go there once a week! We should go together now!”

“But…”

In truth, the twins were practically strangers to Siwoo.

All the memories they had built together had been sealed away.

However, due to the strange sense of intimacy they exuded and the fact that they treated him so well, he didn’t feel the same resistance he felt when he first met Amelia.

“Yes, I want to go.”

“Yay!”

“You made a good decision, Mr. Assistant! Who’s the cutie~?”

Odile showered him with head pats, even though he had only given them a simple answer.

With the twins enthusiastically shouting about how cute he was, it made Siwoo feel good for himself.

Then again, there were no children his age that wouldn’t feel giddy after being praised so many times.

“But before that, I need to get permission from Ms. Amelia.”

“What? But you’re no longer a slave, Mr. Assistant…”

“Be quiet, Odette. This is how it should be.”

“Fine.”

Since the only clothes that fit him were the pajamas given by Duchess Keter, he left his room in pajamas.

“Sis, why does he need to ask for permission?”

“First of all, there’s this thing called manners.”

Siwoo listened to their chatter through the closing gap of the door as he made his way down the corridor.

-Knock, knock.

He knocked on the door and it swung open smoothly.

Inside, Amelia was sitting at the table, engrossed in her research that had been piling up.

In fact, she had gained a lot by breaking through the barrier of the 23nd rank.

Now that Siwoo’s condition had improved to some extent, she was gradually organizing and catching up on her work.

“What’s the matter?”

Amelia asked, tilting her head after seeing Siwoo entered alone despite the twins’ plan to play with him.

“Ms. Amelia, may I go and play with the apprentice witches?”

Compared to yesterday, Amelia could sense that Siwoo’s attitude toward her seemed to be more relaxed.

The reason was because she had taken care of him with genuine affection, almost like a mother, leaving a favorable impression on him.

Moreover…

He could still remember the sight of the breasts he fondled last night.

Looking back, he realized how shameful of an act that was. He couldn’t understand what the hell he was thinking back then.

The sensation lingered in his mind, making it hard for him to meet her eyes.

Yet, Amelia seemed to be completely indifferent.

“You may. Go and have fun.”

“Thank you.”

After Siwoo gave a respectful bow, Amelia added.

“And Siwoo, you don’t need to ask for my permission anymore. You’re no longer my slave or anything like that.”

“But you’re the one who takes care of me. I thought it’s just proper to inform you about something like this.”

Taken aback by the unexpected response, Amelia nodded slightly.

“In that case, just let me know the destination when you’re going somewhere. Otherwise, it might cause problems.”

“Okay… Then…”

“Also, Siwoo…”

“Yes?”

Amelia called Siwoo over.

Something suddenly passed through her mind.

It was about his past, where he engaged in a physical relationship with the twins.

After hesitating for a long time, unsure on how to approach the subject, Amelia took a deep breath and spoke up in a loud and clear voice.

“…Don’t do bad things with them.”

Siwoo tilted his head in confusion.

He didn’t seem to understand her words. In his mind, he wondered if there was something that prompted her remark.

“Yes, understood. I’ll be back, Ms. Amelia.”

Siwoo replied, bidding his farewell with a slight bow before leaving the room.

Amelia stood up and walked over to the window.

As she looked out at the garden, it didn’t take long before she spotted Siwoo being led by the twins, running towards the direction of the academy.

Watching him, she couldn’t help but feel as if she had become her Predecessor.

Everything she was doing for him reminded her of what she had received from her own Master.

She had no intention of seeking his forgiveness through these actions.

‘Yet, I always found myself wanting to do something for him.’

Her gaze followed the three figures as they gradually moved further away.