Chapter 158 - 158 City of Witches (2)

Words : 1060 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

158: City of Witches (2) 158: City of Witches (2) Walking down the dim corridor for a while, my tension only climbed higher and higher. I heard nothing out of the ordinary, I saw nothing out of the ordinary except for those floating wisps, but I could definitely feel that something was wrong around here. Occasionally glancing out the windows to one side, I saw a mystical city spread out beneath whatever building I was currently within, filled with all manner of sparkling lights in the distance to illuminate the night-time darkness. Like the interior design of this long corridor, as well as the clothes on my back, the city, flooded with a heavy white mist, appeared to be similar to that of an old, Gothic tale, with buildings focused on dark tones and elegant aesthetics. Add onto that the gigantic full moon peering down from the blackened heavens, shrouded only partially with clouds, I found the atmosphere to be enhanced to the extreme. As in, it was probably the most eerie thing I had ever seen. ‘This is a crazy place, I know it... and it doesn’t help that this corridor is so damn long.’ Gulping, I subconsciously clenched the fists to my sides. I wasn’t precisely sure for how long I had been walking, but by this point, shouldn’t I have definitely reached at least some sort of different location? Eventually, I had a thought. “...Wait.” All of a sudden, I paused my feet, subtly swivelling my head to the right, muttering. “That vase...” Swivelling my head then subtly to the left, I muttered again. “...and that painting...” Moving my gaze back to the corridor in front of me, I stared at it just for a moment before turning around to look down the corridor where I had come from. “...Oh...” Raising a hand, I naturally covered my face, letting out an almost imperceptible groan. ‘It’s the same... An endless corridor...’ I did think it was odd that I couldn’t see the end of the corridor, but it was just so dark that I didn’t pay too much mind to it, thinking bad lighting was the issue. Now that I thought about it, the view outside the windows on the right also hadn’t changed at all. “Tsk...” Contemplating briefly on how to escape the illusion in which I appeared to be stuck, the gears in my head were suddenly interrupted by a voice. “―Wilt thou wander aimlessly for long?” “...!” Instinctively snapping around to face its origin, I saw an expressionless woman standing there. Absurdly tall at what appeared to be easily over six foot, with a flowing black garb I would only expect to see someone who was practicing magic wear, and donning a giant black witch’s hat atop her head, beneath which straight white hair cascaded down all the way to just inches above the floor. Like Leinth and the Librarian, she also wore a blindfold over both of her eyes. “Should’st I repeat myself?” Her flat, entirely dispassionate tone called out again, and as I tilted my head up just slightly to face her, I opened my mouth. “No, sorry. Can I help you?” She didn’t respond for a moment, then replied. “Follow hence, lest thou be lost.” Immediately after saying that, she turned around, walking down the corridor I should have already passed. Of course, I knew that I couldn’t have actually travelled anywhere in reality, so before I found myself stuck in an endless loop again, I hurried my steps to chase after her towering figure. Strangely, when I did follow along, we both seemed to have no problem walking through the corridor at all, and didn’t even take a minute until we arrived at a set of double doors, which opened itself upon the woman’s approach to let us pass, entering a wide room with various extravagant furnishings, like a sort of lounge area, the doors closing behind us on their own. Taking slow steps into the room, which was just as dark as the outside corridor but with a single lit candelabra atop a coffee table in one corner, I quietly observed as the lady walked over to that particular table, swivelling around to face me once she reached it. “Thou schedule.” “...Huh? Oh! Thank you.” Belatedly noticing a scroll placed atop the table, I walked beside her and picked it up. “Watching” me do so, she seemed to nod her head ever-so-slightly. Before I had the chance to unfurl it and check the contents, she started off back towards the doors we entered the room through, and although I wasn’t sure if she wanted me to follow her or not, I did. Either way, judging by the fact that she didn’t do anything to stop me, I felt she was fine with it. Once again, the double doors opened by themselves to let us through, and the instant I crossed the boundary, I flinched. Instead of the previous corridor, we now stood in a bedroom. ‘What the hell...’ It was just as lavish as everything else, and equally void of life. Rather than those blue wisps to provide light, it also only had a few candles and candelabras dotted around the place. “This shall be your chamber.” “Ah. Yes, okay.” I guess I was expected to live in the home of the person who I was to be tutoring... A live-in tutor? Although, whoever my student was, I still wasn’t sure... ‘Well, it’s gotta be the Protagonist, right...?’ Pushing that thought away for the moment, I watched her place something on the bedside table. Moving her hand away, it was revealed to be a small, metal pin in the shape of a red flower. “Don the carnation to traverse the illusory barrier.” Before I had a chance to respond, she turned her back and walked to the door. Once again, it opened automatically, revealing yet another location beyond that was unfamiliar. Halting her steps just before crossing that boundary, she turned her head halfway to me. “...I am Aradine. I trust you to fulfil your duties.” Leaving just that as an introduction, she promptly left the room, the door closing softly behind her.

Chapter 158 - 158 City of Witches (2)

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