Chapter 1127 – #268_En Holly – DeepL
#1121
1.
The first snowfall in Gehenna was quick.
Just as you’re thinking, “It’s time to light the fireplace,” a light blanket of snow falls overnight, blanketing the city in white.
Even a casual stroll through the streets of this witchy city is a feast for the eyes.
Through the frosted windows, I could see the Hessian Academy in all its winter glory.
Snowflakes were falling, covering the tracks of someone’s footsteps.
“…Mmm.”
Xiu had always loved snow, even as a slave.
The piles of snow on the roof acted as insulation, making it a little less cold, and unlike city snow, it was clean and fresh, so she sometimes made shaved ice with the syrup Takasho had gotten for her.
It was a small treat at a time when there was nothing else to snack on.
Now that I’m eating fresh fruit sherbet in a cozy conference room bathed in the heat of a fireplace, I often find myself wishing I hadn’t… wishing I hadn’t… wishing I hadn’t… wishing I hadn’t.
Xiu quickly shook off the intracerebral glorification of the past and resumed his stern president’s thinking.
“Hmph, that’s a memory I don’t want to relive.”
“What memories?”
“Something like that. Memories you wouldn’t understand if you were born with a golden spoon in your mouth like Aunt Periwinkle.”
“Memories of poverty? Let me guess. Didn’t you go to the party at the harvest festival?”
“You’ll never guess, will you?”
“What the hell, let me know.”
Periwinkle grumbled from where she was sprawled half-naked on the couch in front of the fireplace, her feet propped up on the cushions.
The reason she was hanging around the Hessian President’s office was because she had begun her long-overdue collaboration with Mystiltein.
She hadn’t been allowed to go home since the study began, and had stuck to the president’s office like a stick of gum.
While the researchers were flirting with her unexpected housemate, Periwinkle was wearing thinner and thinner clothes, as if she was enjoying Xiu’s embarrassment.
Today, she’s wearing a satin party dress that’s so shiny it’s almost unbearable to wear.
For the record, when the words “periwinkle” and “party dress” are combined, the amount of fabric covering the body is reduced to half its normal level.
It doesn’t really matter, though.
The president’s room is actually a cottage in a mansion with three bedrooms, a study, and a bathroom.
It’s not exactly living together.
“What? You made shaved ice out of snow?”
“Yes.”
“You’re lying again, just to make fun of me.”
“You’re making fun of my poor life. This is why I can’t talk to people from the gold rush.”
When Periwinkle realized the truth, she had a big, uncharacteristic reaction, her ultramarine blue eyes widening.
Soon, they became the eyes of a bodhisattva gazing at a compassionate sentient being.
“So that’s why you eat sherbet like it’s so delicious…. I didn’t know you had such a thing…. You can have some of mine.”
Periwinkle looked at her half-eaten sherbet and gladly gave in.
He’s been eating a lot lately, and he thinks it’s some kind of reflexive reaction to a painful memory from his past: scooping up snow instead of shaved ice….
Not exactly.
It’s more like a good memory.
If I told Periwinkle about Cynthia’s firsthand account of slavery in Gehenna, he would be horrified.
“Come here, let me comfort you. Do you want me to touch your chest?”
“It’s okay.”
“You’re being expensive. I’m not good enough for you anymore, am I?”
“Of course, how can a self-made earl fit in with a baron?”
“A sniveler who cried at the sight of a homunculus, that’s how.”
Sister Periwinkle laughing herself to sleep as she dropped her cockiness.
One month after the project midterm report.
A lot of things have happened since then, before the butts with Ms. Periwinkle became a routine.
First of all, the ‘gate’ of Border Town was completely normalized.
All of the rat-hole kernels have been closed, and the behind-the-scenes connections have been solidified to the point where it’s nearly impossible to enter Gehenna without citizenship.
The mana that went into the construction process and the various jewelry that formed the core of the magic circle.
Tons of pure gold and dozens of tons of pure silver, all controlled by the Hessian Society’s distribution network.
It was enough to pay off the debt owed to Leroux, with interest, in one fell swoop, a civil engineering feat of epic proportions.
“Gacha, gacha, gacha, lottery ticket, how’s business?”
“Yes, it’s very money-making.”
Hunting tickets have also been selling like hotcakes, despite having a bit of a luck factor.
Within three days of the pre-order opening, 1,000 packs were sold, and they hadn’t even been made yet.
It wasn’t just about the sales, though, so they also took care of the details.
First, with the help of Sensei and Ms. Sua, we signed business agreements with location points around the world.
When the Gehenna witches went on hunts around the world, they would use the location points as safe havens.
It’s a win-win for the witches, as they’ll be able to replenish their meager funds,
Xiu benefits by stabilizing his business and indirectly funding WitchPoint, thus contributing to the stability of the world.
It’s no wonder that it has such an impact on WitchPoint.
With Count Zemernai, a master artifact maker, as his sister-in-law, it was easy to establish a collaborative production system.
“The 10 hunting rights we made for the trial are in very good condition, so I think we’ll start production this spring.”
“My brother. Are you going to be richer than your sister?”
“I don’t think so.”
Even then, it would be hard to be richer than Mr. Periwinkle, whose every breath brings him good fortune.
How can you beat your sister in a money fight when you know that if you buy a lottery ticket on the street, you’ll always win at least the third prize?
“Out of curiosity, Mr. Periwinkle, how much money do you have?”
“I don’t know…. I’m not sure.”
“Oh, come on, why don’t you…. How about just a hint?”
“Stocks, checking accounts, paper companies, trusts, limited liability company funds,” Mr. Periwinkle mumbled as he pointed to his fingers.
“If you sell all of that and add it up, it’s about the GDP of a small city-state.”
“…And how much is that?”
“Not much. A drop in the bucket compared to the foundations of oil royalty.”
I recall the conversation when I proposed the Mistiltein collaboration as a way to thank my generous sister-in-law, Periwinkle.
I’m pretty sure she said, “I’ll give you all the money in my account.”….
As a human being, I know I shouldn’t have done that, but I knew she would take the money.
“What’s wrong?”
“I suddenly feel sick to my stomach….”
“You’ve got a hard-on, I get it, you’ve got a pretty girl like me by your side every day and you can’t even touch her.”
Xiu was too embarrassed to react to Periwinkle’s dirty joke.
“Speaking of which, when’s our next meeting?”
“The Tree of Sephiroth? The day after tomorrow. Are you coming again? You didn’t say a word.”
“It’s fun to watch, isn’t it?”
There are some witches in Gehenna who do nothing, like Amelia.
But the counts are the ones who are in charge of Gehenna.
As a young earl and president of the Hessian Society, Xiu attends Gehenna’s general council, the Tree of Sephiroth, as a regal member.
The Tree of Sephiroth, which used to be an occasional gathering at the town hall to discuss important matters, has become a regular meeting since the founding of the Hexenacht, with important issues coming up at every meeting.
The main topic of discussion was how to rebuild the “gate” that had collapsed and when to come out.
The demolition of the gate by Xiu and Sharon was interpreted as an act of military retaliation on the part of Gehenna against Hexenacht for its pre-emptive strike, rather than personal retaliation, so they were not held accountable, but now that they had shaken the hornet’s nest and put it in a box, they wanted to be prepared for the future.
Before attending the meeting, Xiu had some concerns.
The Gehenna, as Xiu knew them, were a group of witches who excelled at desk work, were quite bothered by non-magical tasks, and had little sense of crisis.
“To be honest, I’m a little surprised.”
“By what?”
“I didn’t expect you to be so well prepared.”
“If you want peace, prepare for war. Isn’t that a famous saying?”
But it wasn’t.
Gehenna had perfect war and counter-war protocols in place.
The city had fought a major war against Clipport in the distant past that had been virtually forgotten after years of peace.
And for the few remaining elder witches, it’s not just a ‘vague old story’.
It’s a past they can feel and feel the pain of.
The major buildings in the city were allocated the power supply of the Moon, making up the Great Magical Order, and the witches were assigned to fulfill their roles in their assigned positions.
The Society of Truth and Truthfulness, especially under the command of Duke Erelim, had been reorganized since Hexenacht’s inception, and were preparing for a temporal war of occupation, coordinating with Witchpoints, collaborating with each other, and launching a general offensive in the event of an emergency.
“I was under the impression that witches were life-savers.”
Periwinkle said, giving her a stern look.
“You know there are some things more important than life.”
“Like honor and pride?”
“Now there’s a witch.”
Anyway, enough of the banter, I was about to get back to work.
“Sister, it’s time to get up.”
“I don’t want to. I like the fireplace.”
Mrs. Periwinkle slumped down on the couch in unison.
After a while, she coughed and spoke softly.
“My shoulders are a little stiff from all the research I’ve been doing lately. I wish someone would give me a massage. Then I’ll be able to get back to work.”
It wasn’t hard to tell that this was her first flirtation in a month.
It’s not like she’s the kind of person who talks in circles.
“Ugh, why would she do that again?”
“Because of you!”
Periwinkle whined in exasperation.
“You’re the reason I’m not the least bit satisfied with doing it alone…. I think you’re cheating on me, so if you’re going to fuck me, at least do it with your hand like before.”
“Ain’t gonna happen.”
“Then I’m going to punch the department chair.”
“…….”
“And I’ll get my money back.”
“…….”
Sister Perrywinkle is a bullshitter.
It’s a rare sight.
Actually, I have a mistletoe, and the Hesed Society’s finances are strong enough that I could probably get away with punching out the dean.
But he still owes her a lot of money.
“I’m Bing Shiji,” she says, “and I’m not going to let some immature, uneducated kid fuck with me. Spare my life. Buy me a car. Give me free divination. Help my friend with his business….”
Perrywinkle continues to giggle, but it’s all true.
If Xiu’s life were a novel, Periwinkle would be the only thing that would shorten it.
Xiu, a slave captured in a witch city, becomes a male witch in five years and is killed by Bianca, a witch of desire~ End.
Or he was killed by a red knight because he couldn’t intuit the crisis~ End.
It could have been a much quicker, snappy finish.
“But Sister.”
“You’re letting me go to places I would never normally go… huh?”
“Why are you being so good to me?”
I realize that Periwinkle thinks Xiu is cute and pretty, but I don’t know why.
It couldn’t be because he was good in bed one night.
“Will you do it? I’ll tell you if you do. Really honestly.”
“Well, I can help you masturbate….”
“Did you just record that?”
“…Just don’t tell anyone.”
The two had reached a secret agreement.
