City of Witches

༺ Ars Magna Town (3) ༻

1.

Flora had a strange look on her face when she heard Amelia ask her to make a suit for a man.

“You know where you are, right? This is a place where we make beautiful dresses for witches.”

“I’ve heard that when it comes to tailoring clothes, this place in Gehenna is second to none.”

Flora took a puff from her pipe as she wondered why Amelia had brought a male slave despite the fact that she seemed to be aware that this place was used by witches to make beautiful dresses.

From Siwoo’s perspective, she had an expression a shop owner of a fruit store would have if they were asked for salted mackerel.

“I appreciate the compliment, but I’m not too keen on making a suit for a man, I do however, like the idea of making a beautiful dress for a woman.”

Flora didn’t outright reject Amelia’s request, probably due to the fact that the latter was a baroness.

Siwoo became uneasy as he noticed her lack of desire to make a suit for a slave.

“I’ll pay for the suit.”

“Money is not the issue. I won’t make a suit if I’m not motivated.”

Upon hearing Flora’s words, Amelia pulled out a tiny bottle of perfume from her sleeve.

The tiny, 15-mL bottle was filled with an enchanting purple liquid. Given the size of the bottle, it was more appropriate to refer to it as an “ampoule” rather than a perfume bottle.

Flora, who had folded her arms with an unwilling expression on her face, turned her gaze to the perfume Amelia took out and held it in her hand.

“Is it the “Perfume of Fatigue”?

“Yes, I’ll give you two of these perfumes in exchange for making a suit.”

“Two of them?”

Flora’s lukewarm attitude took a 180 as she took the bottle from Amelia’s hand with a wide smile on her face.

Just like how Flora’s tailored dresses were a sensation among witches, Amelia’s perfume was as well.

Since Amelia had no interest in making money, the amount of perfume she produced was extremely small in comparison to the demand, which increased its value even further.

Therefore, it was said that the perfume she made was so popular that it quickly sold out at the Red Roof Salon despite being a very expensive item.

Siwoo recalled hearing from his friend Takasho that Sophia was the one who received and distributed Amelia’s perfume.

Siwoo saw Flora ecstatically accept Amelia’s perfume, so perhaps Takasho was right about its popularity.

“Well, this is enough to motivate me to make a suit for him. Since I need to measure the size first, why don’t you come over here?”

Looking at how delighted Flora was, it seemed as if she wanted to get to work immediately.

Then, a man walked out, lifting the flag-embedded curtain of the tailor shop that was hanging on the corner.

“Oh, is he a customer?”

A tall, handsome blond man walked out, he appeared to have the same charisma a captain of a high school football team would have.

“Jake, I told you to wait inside.”

“I was sleeping, but when I woke up I was shocked to see that my loved one wasn’t by my side, wouldn’t you have reacted in a similar way?

“You’re so cute.”

The man’s voice was deep, and it appeared that he was speaking with a hint of narcissism. He came over to Flora, still only in jeans, and casually put his arms around her waist.

Surprisingly, he stayed in that posture as he introduced himself.

“Hello, I’m Jake Robert.”

After bowing his head to greet Amelia, he began kissing Flora.

Flora gladly accepted his tongue.

A man and a witch began kissing passionately in an American style in front of both Amelia and Siwoo.

“Splash…splop.”

“Slurp, slurp, slurp.”

Siwoo was stunned by the sudden change of atmosphere.

Siwoo felt embarrassed and wondered whether it was appropriate for them to act in such a way right in front of customers.

However, that wasn’t the most surprising thing.

Flora’s relationship with Jake seemed very natural.

Siwoo had this thought because, judging by how close they were, Flora and Jake’s relationship was not similar to that of a witch and her slave.

In addition to them being able to talk comfortably, Flora had a relaxed attitude about how Jake was treating her.

They were a couple who blatantly flaunted their love for each other.

In other words, despite the fact that one was a slave and the other was his master, they had an equal relationship.

That’s how it looked.

Siwoo felt embarrassed for some reason, so he glanced at Amelia to see her reaction.

“……!”

When Amelia saw what was happening in front of her, the shape of her eyebrows indicated that she was about 75% astonished.

Her eyes were wide with shock, and her straight eyelashes were quivering.

It seemed like she was about to open her mouth.

Flora wrapped her tongue around Jake’s as their lips overlapped.

As they parted their lips and slowly backed away, one long thread of salvia connected the tips of their tongues.

“Phew, isn’t it too hot? Wait for me inside quietly.”

“What a lovely lady you are… Fine, then come quickly, Honey.”

Flora slapped Jake on the buttocks after the kiss, and Jake threw a greasy line before leaving.

Amelia rubbed her eyes to check if something was wrong with her eyes.

But when Amelia saw Jake returning to the room in the distance, behind the flag-embedded curtain, she was certain that what she had witnessed was reality.

“He’s handsome, right? I won’t give it to you even if you stare at him like that.”

Flora smiled slightly as she noticed Amelia staring at Jake.

Amelia’s curiosity got the better of her as she asked a question that was against her better judgment.

“Is that man a slave?”

“Although he’s a slave, he’s also my boyfriend.”

Her boyfriend? However, wasn’t he just a slave?

Amelia was utterly bewildered.

Despite having witnessed it with her own eyes, she was still unable to comprehend the relationship between this witch and her slave.

How could a witch be in a romantic relationship with a slave?

“Isn’t he cute? I picked him up from an orphanage when he was seven and raised him. Even though he’s grown up so well, he’s still a child in my eyes.”

Amelia was aware that some witches had physical relationships with their slaves, but even so, Amelia despised it because she found it to be extremely not suitable for a witch.

She believed that a witch was predestined to follow the path of sorcery. Relationships with men would only impede a witch’s path to mastering her witchcraft.

Amelia felt it was a waste of time to hang out with men and stand idly by without doing any magic research.

Furthermore, Flora and Jake appeared to be a real couple by being upfront about their relationship…

“This is kind of weird.”

“In that case, it won’t be easy on your side either. You came all the way to the tailor’s to dress your beloved slave in fine clothes.”

“It’s not like that.”

Amelia retaliated angrily when Flora mistook her for being in a relationship with Siwoo, but Flora didn’t seem to care.

“Anyway, Darling is waiting for us, so let’s not waste any more time.”

“I already said it’s not like that.”

“Fine, why are you getting so angry?”

Flora walked with grace and confidence as she led Siwoo while wearing heels that were as sharp as blades.

2.

Siwoo entered the tailor’s room.

Amelia chose to remain in the lobby with a sullen look on her face.

In contrast to the neat and orderly organized lobby, the cutting room was cluttered with various decorations, jewels, and mannequins, giving it an unkempt appearance.

“Could you stand with your arms outstretched on that stool over there? I have to take your measurements.”

“Alright.”

Siwoo was standing there in a daze when Flora spoke to him and pointed at the footrest.

Flora took out a measuring tape and began measuring Siwoo’s waist.

Flora was taking measurements of the length of Siwoo’s chest, waist, and arm with her skillful hand movements.

Possibly out of boredom, Flora began speaking to Siwoo, breaking the silence.

“Well, aren’t you serving a lovely witch? Her predecessor Marigold, was a little more mature.”

“Well, um…”

“Feel free to talk to me casually. You’re a customer now, aren’t you?”

Flora was a witch with a comfortable atmosphere. Siwoo had already noticed it from her interactions with her slave.

Siwoo saw that Flora proudly admitted to being in a relationship with a slave, and he didn’t feel as if she was looking down on him compared to other witches. Perhaps it was appropriate to feel at ease around her.

Siwoo was also able to relax a little because it felt like he was being treated like a human being.

“Then may I ask what kind of perfume you have received from Ms. Amelia?”

“Oh, the Perfume of Fatigue?”

Flora took out the perfume she had just received.

“When you smell this perfume, you will feel extremely tired. Your body stiffens as if you’ve been overworked, your eyelids become heavy, and if you try to stay awake, you’ll get a headache.”

“I see.”

“Strange, isn’t it?”

This did seem strange to Siwoo.

It wasn’t a drug to relieve fatigue; rather, it was a drug that caused fatigue. Siwoo, who had been experiencing sleep deprivation for a while, didn’t need it.

“Witches don’t need sleep, do they? Perhaps that is the reason why it is so difficult to get a good night’s sleep. A witch will never again feel that refreshing sensation after a hard day’s work. Can you take a breath? A big one.”

– Huff

She continued talking while measuring Siwoo’s chest again after he had breathed in.

“But just smelling this perfume takes me back to those days. Should I call it a nostalgic perfume?”

“Can’t you use sleeping pills or other magic?”

“I can sleep, but it’s artificial. The important thing is for it to be natural.”

“I see.”

Although Siwoo didn’t fully understand what it felt like to be a witch like Flora, there were many things that the witches didn’t understand but still managed to accomplish.

“I’ve taken all the measurements I need. You wouldn’t mind if I embellish your suit as I please, right?”

“Of course, do as you see fit.”

Seeing as how Siwoo didn’t know much about suits, he decided it was best to leave it in the hands of the professional in a situation like this.

“You have a beautifully thin waistline, I think an Italian style would look good on you. Take off patterns here, add wrinkles at the end of the shoulders, use a Labarca pocket style, and button in a Strafatto style. It seems like shoulder pads are unnecessary…Wouldn’t it be better to keep it casual by not having a belt? Making the lapel a little wider will make your legs look longer. I prefer it without cuffs, GREAT!”

Flora was talking to herself about how to style the suit and such, but Siwoo had no idea what she was talking about.

All of a sudden, the fabric that Flora brought started floating in the air, and dozens of needles, scissors, and threads started quilting the fabric in all directions.

Flora skillfully made the suit even quicker than some factories, which used efficient methods as well as shortcuts to speed up production.

The synchronization was so impeccable that it was impossible for Siwoo to keep up.

“That’s great, isn’t it?”

Flora chuckled when Siwoo, who was blankly observing the suit-making procedure, exclaimed how skillfully she was using her skills to complete the suit.

“If you’ve been making clothes for over 400 years, you should at the very least be able to do this much.”

“400 years?!”

Although a witch’s lifespan was infinite, the brand was usually passed down to a successor after about 100 years, or 200 at the very latest.

They were unable to use their skills to advance their research because they became stuck at a certain point, then they eventually lose all motivation to carry out magical research to advance their rank as witches.

“I’m a little old, aren’t I? I enjoy making clothes more than magic. I apologize to my predecessor, but what should I do? It was her mistake to select a selfish witch as an apprentice.”

Flora completed the suit in less than a minute while sarcastically giggling.

Even if the suit was made at a factory, it would still take longer than Flora’s tailoring.

“Try putting the suit on.”

The suit was completed on an empty mannequin in the blink of an eye.

Siwoo put on the suit and checked himself in front of the mirror, he was taken aback by his new appearance.

Siwoo’s body was perfectly suited to the suit, which was made out of a dark navy fabric by Gehenna’s best tailor.

It was obvious that Flora made it by only measuring his size, yet there was no discomfort or inconvenience as he moved or bent his body.

But more than anything else was the suit’s appearance.

The suit was the epitome of perfection in every aspect possible, even if Siwoo went out into the world wearing it, it would leave everyone questioning if it was tailored to fit so flawlessly.

Siwoo only wore shabby work clothes every day, so when he did put on such a fine suit, he appeared strangely different and charming in the mirror.

“That’s why clothes are called wings.”

“It came out well, right?”

Flora laughed wholeheartedly as if she already knew Siwoo, who looked pleased as he checked himself in the mirror, would like the suit.

“Have you worn a lot of suits?”

“No, and it’s been a while since I last did…”

“You’re not supposed to lock the button below. Also your tie, come over here.”

Flora unfastened the necktie that Siwoo had tied awkwardly and re-tied it nicely.

At the same time, Flora once again looked closely at Siwoo’s body line.

“That’s not bad, since you and Jake have the same shoe size, I’ll give you a pair of Jake’s shoes.”

“Ah, I am much obliged.”

“If you’re grateful, you should express it to the witch outside.”

Flora covered her mouth with a smile.

Siwoo couldn’t help but think that having Flora as his master would not only have made his life much easier, but happier as well.

He wasn’t happy over the fact that he had to become Amelia’s exclusive slave.

Despite not being entirely sincere, the gratitude Siwoo felt towards Amelia, who dressed him in such a fantastic outfit, cannot be denied.

She had tormented him for five years, so receiving such a gift made him feel uneasy.

“What a mess, let’s tidy up your hair and beard a little bit.”

Siwoo’s face was cleaned, and pomade oil was applied to his head as Flora chanted the magic spell.

Siwoo stood perfectly dressed in front of the mirror.

Although the style may have appeared a little excessive, his hair’s fade and pomade were so neat and clean, they gave off the impression of being done at a barbershop, and they went perfectly with Siwoo’s new outfit.

With this appearance, Siwoo would be instantly disqualified from any small or medium-sized business interview.

It would give the interviewer the impression that Siwoo was ‘A punk with a golden spoon in his mouth, so it would be difficult for him to adjust to a social life’.

“These shoes look fantastic on you. Like a rich man, now it’s time to show off.”

Flora pushed Siwoo’s back as he walked through the curtain and went into the lobby where Amelia was patiently waiting.