City of Witches

༺ Night of Homunculi (1) ༻

1.

“You’re pretty.”

“W-What?”

“You’re really pretty, prettier than any witch I’ve ever met in my life.”

Hearing Siwoo’s words, Eloa pupils began shaking uncontrollably.

She began to doubt her own ears.

His whispers were soft.

They carried a hidden message, one that even a mature woman could sense intuitively.

He was trying to seduce her.

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

Trying to mask her confusion, Eloa avoided his gaze.

Why exactly would he do this in the break of the dawn?

She just couldn’t understand.

‘Is this sudden behavior of his because of what happened in yesterday’s sparring session?’

“Master…”

Right as he was about to speak again, Eloa interrupted him.

“Thanks for your compliment, but like I mentioned earlier, I need to change, so could you please wait outside?”

She tried to shut him up again, but she still couldn’t conceal her embarrassment.

‘Pretty he said…’

That was a familiar compliment, she received it often during her time as an apprentice witch.

Though she hadn’t heard it at all since she became an official witch and inheriting her title as a Duchess.

Because it was common knowledge that she despised flattery and insincerity.

Not only that, she also wasn’t fond of her own looks.

She couldn’t stand her overly bright pink hair or her creepy magenta-colored eyes that glowed with ominous glint.

There was also her height.

She was almost as tall as her Sword of Covenant, there was hardly any difference.

Simply put, he had nothing to boast about her appearance.

“Did you not hear me?”

But, even though she asked him to leave, he stayed put.

This unsettling behavior left her feeling even more uneasy.

Usually he knew how to behave without her telling him what to do, but now he abruptly complimented her and ignored her words…

The situation made her feel uncomfortable.

“Do you need help?”

He let out a mischievous grin.

“Help? With what?”

“With changing your clothes.”

“How could that—”

Before Eloa could finish her words, Siwoo suddenly climbed onto her bed.

Their faces were inches apart, almost touching.

Despite wanting to give him a piece of her mind, Eloa was taken aback by his boldness instead.

“I know I chose that pajama, but it looks great on you, Master.”

“…R-Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Siwoo moved closer, reaching out his arms as if to embrace Eloa.

She felt a lump in her throat.

In truth, she could easily push him away if she wanted to.

Even without resorting to magic, she could overpower him with her physique.

However, she refrained from doing so.

“Trust me, I don’t have any ill intentions, I just want to help you change.”

“I-I…”

“You don’t need to worry. We used to get this close during our spars, remember?”

He gently grasped the wrist of her hand that was holding on her buttons.

Even when their hands barely touched, she already felt a jolt running down her spine.

Her instinct recognized it.

The current ‘contact’ held a completely different meaning from when their arms and legs touched during their spars.

Eloa’s hand slipped away from his grip, fell weakly like a child whose candy was snatched away.

It was as if she had regressed to her carefree day, back when she hadn’t become a witch.

A simpler time, free from all her burdens and worries.

“Let’s start by unbuttoning these, I’ll guide you through it.”

His hands moved dexterously like those of a magician as he began to unbutton each button.

While Eloa was still processing what was going on, letting out her dumbfounded voice from her mouth, he had already unbuttoned five buttons, leaving her pajamas open.

Her flawless stomach, cleavage and adorable looking belly button were fully exposed to the chilly morning air.

“T-That should do it. Thank you, but I think it’s—”

“No. It’d be a shame to stop now after I’ve come this far to help you, no?”

“…Why exactly would it be a shame?”

“Well, you might not think so, but I would.”

“Ah—!”

Siwoo casually threw the unbuttoned shirt aside.

Her beautiful breasts, shaped like droplets, were shown for the world to see.

Usually, she’d wear a sports bra to avoid any hindrance during her movements, but her size and shape still exuded femininity.

‘Ah…’

And just like that, Siwoo’s eyes were focused on her half-naked body.

She slowly became more aware of the fact as her heart began to race, as if it would go crazy.

Embarrassment flooded over her.

Her breathing became more rapid and her body felt like it was dissolving like melting honey, making it impossible for her to move it at all.

She could’ve tried to tell him to stop, but she had lost control of her body at this point.

“Let me finish undressing you.”

Siwoo calmly grabbed her open collar, looking at her bare chest.

He didn’t wait for her response and just proceeded to slowly peel off her clothes.

Whether it was intentional or not, his fingertips grazed her skin, sending shivers down her spine.

“Ah…”

When she finally gained control of her body again, her pajama top was already in his hands.

After a brief period of hesitation, she quickly covered her chest with both hands.

It was embarrassing for her to show her bare body to him.

But what Siwoo did next was something that would make her feel even more embarrassed than that.

“Hm, you’re sweating a lot when you sleep, I see.”

“S-Stop that!”

He took a deep breath, burying his nose in her pajamas, which was damp with sweat and reek with her body odor.

It was strange, but she did feel more embarrassed by this than exposing her chest to him.

She tried to snatch it away hastily, but to her surprise…

Her shaky arm couldn’t even reach it, let alone take them away from him.

“Stop it! I warned you!”

Unable to bear it any longer, she pleaded with an urgent tone.

As if disappointed, he eventually set the pajamas down.

“You’ve done enough helping me undress, so you can leave now. I won’t…make an issue…out…of…”

She intended to push him away, following her instinctual urge, but she found herself faltering as she went on.

In the blink of an eye, he had stripped off all his clothes and he was currently standing there, completely naked.

The large object she had seen before, the one she previously felt pressing against her back, was now standing erect like a trophy.

Just from seeing it already made her feel dizzy, thanks to that she couldn’t see its form clearly. But that was irrelevant, she quickly closed her eyes and said some words in panic.

“Just what are you doing right now?! Stop it! You can’t commit any more atrocities—”

“Atrocity? But you were the one who came in when I was having sex with Sharon, Master. Not only did you see her naked body, but you saw mine as well.”

Siwoo’s defense was weak, but it managed to shake her.

But, there was still a limit on how much things she could tolerate, no matter how much she cared for him.

Besides, if she were to indulge in his childish behavior, it would only impact him negatively.

“That was an accident.”

“Well, this one is also an accident. After seeing your body by chance, Master, I can’t hide my true feelings anymore.”

“…This isn’t something you can call an accident!”

Though she scolded him in an angry tone, Siwoo didn’t seem bothered at all.

Because she still had her eyes shut, she didn’t notice what he was doing. So when she felt the light touch of his hand caressing her breasts, she became startled and ended up falling onto the bed.

Bothered by this shameless display, she finally opened her eyes and saw him, seemingly ready to pounce on her.

With a calm gaze, he looked down on her, his pupils reflecting her appearance like a mirror.

She saw herself half-naked and cowering, making her feel even more embarrassed than before.

He had gone too far.

No matter what his excuses were, this was simply out of line.

That was why she had expected her to wear an expression of anger when she saw his reflection in his eyes, but…

The truth was far different from that.

Instead of anger, she showed hesitation, as if she was being led around, pushed and pulled in different directions, like a puppet controlled by his whims.

“Stop…! T-This kind of—! Ah!”

Again, his hand grabbed her breasts without permission.

His unexpectedly rough, yet warm hand, gently cupped her soft breasts.

Though, what worried her the most wasn’t the hand that was touching her chest.

Instead, she feared that he’d notice her heart that was beating erratically at the moment.

“A-As you said, I am your master…”

“But, you’re also a woman.”

“A…woman…”

His words confirmed her suspicion.

Siwoo did see her as a woman.

That was why when he found a chance to be alone with her, he stripped her of her clothes and pushed her onto the bed.

Siwoo withdrew his hand and leaned in slowly.

He pressed his lean, toned body against her soft, bare skin.

At this point, Eloa’s breath had turned into ragged gasps.

“It’s still autumn, but the morning air is still chilly. We can keep each other warm until sunrise if we huddle together.”

“N-No, d-don’t— No! Ah…”

Eloa desperately tried to push him away.

But, her arms felt weak, as if she had just been hit with a tranquilizer.

He gently nibbled at the nape of her neck.

And with just that, she was already too powerless to resist.

At that moment, a sweet sigh escaped her lips.

His teeth nipped at her neck, but she didn’t feel any pain.

But the heat that she felt on his skin, the scent of his sweat and the warmth of touch made her fear grow.

As if she was being tickled by feathers, waves of pleasure repeatedly assaulted her body.

“T-This is wrong…wrong…”

“There is nothing wrong about love.”

She pushed against him again, but it was futile.

Because he persisted, pressing himself closer to her.

Realizing that his hot object was pressing firmly against her soft lower abdomen, Eloa let out a muffled breath and a light gasp.

“I want to become one with you, Master.”

His hand slowly began to remove her pants.

Soon, she’d be completely naked in front of him.

‘Will that actually happen? We becoming one?’

‘Am I gonna end up trembling helplessly beneath him?’

‘Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad.’

‘…No, it can’t happen!’

Amidst her conflicting thoughts, a sense of unease crept over her.

There was no other reason.

An inexplicable chill just washed over her body, as if someone had poured ice water on her.

Her instinct, sharpened by countless life-or-death situations…

Was now ringing alarm bells.

Something was wrong and she sensed it.

So, she forcefully shoved Siwoo’s chest aside.

The Sword of Covenant appeared in her right hand, responding to her call.

Her previously weakened body was now filled with vitality and strength. She got up from the bed and pointed her sword at Siwoo.

“M-Master!”

There was a genuine panic in his expression.

Eloa’s strong reaction, backed up by her body language, clearly showed her feelings at the moment.

“I-I made a mistake! T-This wasn’t my intention—”

If the person in front of her was truly Siwoo, he would undoubtedly react the same way.

Even Eloa, despite her instincts telling her otherwise, still thought that she might have made some kind of mistake and about to lower her blade.

But, she decided to trust her instinct over her muddled logic.

“Hereby, I declare a covenant.”

The Light of Truth shone in her eyes, cutting through all falsehood and deception.

Sharon!