Tying Up Loose Ends (3)

1.

Ill categorize the experiences that youll encounter in the modern world into three main categories.

Okay.

There are three categories?

Siwoo expressed a slight concern in his heart as he attentively listened to the Countess words.

Firstly, if anyone discovers the fact that a male managed to develop a brand, it will pique the curiosity of witches in general. Considering its an unprecedented case, theres a potential that by using you as a research subject, there will be an unprecedented leap in magical research progress.

The fact that you could use magic without it was already something that would throw you into that exact situation. Now that youve developed a brand yourself, youll naturally gain more attention and itll be more than you could ever imagine.

Wouldnt it be enough to simply hide the fact that I possess the brand?

You dont really need to explain all this to me.

I already knew that much at least, Im not stupid.

The fact that you treat this matter with such a nonchalant mindset is problematic.

Currently, as a result of the abolition of your slave contracts, youve become a citizen of Gehenna. Even if words about your ability to use magic were to spread, they cant just try to mess with you without paying the price. Both our Gemini household and Baroness Marigold herself will impose severe sanctions by confiscating the citizenship and assets of any witches whod dare to touch you.

At most, youll only gain their attention. It might get tiring, but your life wont be in danger.

Albireo paused to catch her breath before continuing.

That would be the case for normal witches, but when it comes to Exiles, its a whole different story. Youve personally met one yourself, havent you? That one cruel witch, Ea Sadalmelik.

We are aware of this matter, of course and weve arranged something for you.

Denebs tone carried that of a mother trying to prevent her kid from crawling into a well.

Nevertheless, her words werent enough to suppress his desire to go home.

After all, he still had Odiles music box. As long as he was careful, there wouldnt be any issues.

While there are only a small number of Exiles that could truly be categorized as wicked, you still need to be cautious. Exiles arent the citizens of Gehenna, they arent bound by its rules and they could cause harm to you if they wish so.

Siwoo understood what the Countess was saying.

In short, he was like an alluring beauty whod capture the eyes of every man he met. And what he was going to do was basically throw himself into a world where CCTV and police didnt exist.

Anyone could cause him harm if he wasnt careful.

This is the extent of what we can do to help you in this matter.

Albiero rummaged through her pocket, took out a ring and placed it on the table.

By wearing this ring, youll be treated as the guest of our family. To touch a guest of our family means to challenge us, and there will be consequences for doing so.

Seeing this, Siwoo understood their intentions.

The Geminis didnt want to prevent him from returning to the modern world.

On the contrary, they even provided him with conveniences and a safety net.

At that moment, his previous worries about whether those two women were having hidden agendas about him disappeared and he felt dumb for thinking about it in the first place.

Thank you very much.

As for how effective the rings influence is in the modern world Honestly, I cant guarantee it will help you a hundred percent of the time. You still need to be cautious at all times.

I will keep that in mind What about the next thing?

Siwoo felt like he had received enough cautionary advice and urged them to move on to the next topic.

The second one involves the Homunculi.

Their response momentarily caught him off guard.

Homunculi? What does that have to do with me?

The number of active Homunculi has significantly increased compared to a hundred years ago. Its estimated to be ten times greater than back then.

But, what does it have to do with me?

Targeting someone bearing a brand is in their nature. That means, youll become their target as well.

Of course, as long as you carry the music box around while keeping your guard up, there shouldnt be any major issues. Were just telling you this as a precaution.

So you knew about the music box

Obviously. We are their guardians.

Apparently, the Countess had noticed that Odile had given Siwoo the music box.

I wonder what would happen if they were suspicious of me? They could treat me as someone who had deceived their naive daughters and stolen their valuable artifacts

However, the situation didnt seem to be as such, to his relief.

The last one is the most important issue of them all.

Albireo took a sip of her wine.

Do you know how Gehenna imports their slaves?

No, I dont.

I figured as much. Very few witches are aware of it and those who are aware felt no need to inform the slaves.

The humans that were brought to Gehenna from the modern world could be categorized into two.

Deneb held up two fingers.

She folded one of them before continuing.

First, death row inmates.

Huh?

Some of our witches had secret dealings with the upper echelons of various countries. Among those dealings, is the slave trafficking treaty.

Those who are awaiting execution or those sentenced to death, often end up being dragged in as slaves.

From this deal, Gehenna gets a workforce and the respective countries are able to get rid of their death row inmates without wasting any taxes. Its a win-win situation.

Siwoo, who had been oblivious to such information, stared at the Countess in disbelief with his mouth hanging open.

So, does that mean all the slaves in Border Town, whom I thought were captured for experiments, or were trapped in futile labor and suffered under the witches tyranny, are condemned prisoners?

Then, what about me?

You belong to the second group, the missing people.

Deneb folded her remaining finger.

After conducting some investigation, we discovered that you were involved in a plane crash. Is this information wrong?

He remembered the plane that he rode violently shook.

The oxygen masks hanging down, the pilots urgent tone and broadcasts filled with anxiety.

And when he opened his eyes again, he was in the port of Border Town.

No, your information is right

Every human in the world moves according to their fate. The Oracles of the Tree of Sephiroth would read that fate, choosing from among the people wholl soon meet their end and bring them to Gehenna if they were to find those people useful.

W-Wait a second! Are you saying that Im already dead?

Her words confused Siwoo.

All this time, he always thought of himself as a victim of the witches ruthlessness.

But now, theyre saying that they actually rescued me from my death?

Then, all this time, I wasnt just doing thankless labor?

Not exactly. Like Ive mentioned before, they brought in people who are about to meet their ends.

The beliefs he had deeply held shattered once again.

However, this time, he quickly regained his composure.

Calm down.

Ill be leaving this place anyway, it doesnt matter.

As he thought about that, he noticed a contradiction in the Countess words.

Huh?

He was on the right track.

At this point, it didnt matter whichever group Siwoo belonged to when he was dragged to Gehenna.

After all, he was about to leave soon.

But at that moment, an inexplicable chill ran down his spine.

His restless heart sensed an impending danger.

W-Why are you telling me this?

Fate Specifically, fate related to death is one of the easiest kinds of fate to discern. Soldiers fighting in a war, traffic accidents, murder cases, there are many signs that one could use to tell it Well, there are more difficult signs to articulate, but nevertheless, the fate of death possesses a distinct characteristic.

What is it?

Albiero looked at Siwoo with a serious expression.

Inevitability.

Once ones fate of death is determined, then it will happen without fail, regardless of the circumstances.

For example, if someone who was meant to die in a traffic accident miraculously survived, the compelling power of fate will still haunt them.

They might suffer from cardiac arrest the next day, or maybe caught in a gas explosion just a few hours after the accident. The reasons for their deaths might differ, but the fact that theyll die soon remains.

Siwoo remained silent for a moment.

So, if I were to leave Does that mean that Id be subjected to this inevitability?

If that was the case, then his determination would be rendered meaningless.

It was like he struggled for five whole years just to die.

As he was on the verge of collapsing, Deneb quickly pointed out something.

Not exactly. You see, the moment the missing people crossed the gate in Border Town and became slaves in Gehenna, their very being underwent modifications. After all, if we brought them here as they were, theyd end up dying.

She raised two fingers, mimicking the motion of scissors cutting through something.

The modifications I was talking about are mostly about severing them from their fate in the modern world.

Albireo and Deneb fell silent at the same time.

Like a doctor, about to announce a countdown to a terminal cancer patient.

As if telling him to prepare his heart for what was about to come.

However, we cant simply isolate and sever only the fate of death. Thats why, during the modifications, we ended up having to sever all their fate that were tied to the modern world. Its similar to how those Homunculi devour humans.

What does that mean?

It means that everything you have built in the modern world, from relationships, achievements, memories and even fate, all of them are severed. You basically dont exist in the modern world anymore.

Ah

Honestly, even after hearing their explanation, it was hard for Siwoo to fully grasp what they were meant to say.

Cutting the connections bestowed by fate.

Making relationships, accomplishments, memories and fate became nonexistent.

All he could think about was how those witches kept making things sound complicated.

He complained inwardly that if they were to keep talking in cryptic ways like that, there would be no one who could understand their explanations.

Such thoughts ran rampant in his mind, the thoughts that urged him to escape from reality.

His fingertips started to tingle.

But that isnt all.

Can you please wait for a moment?

It would be better if you were to listen to our words until the end before thinking about it

Sorry, but it really wont take long.

Feeling empty and defeated, Siwoo could only sit there, prompting Albireo to hand him a bottle of alcohol.

He tilted his head back, pouring the alcohol down his burning throat without even expressing his gratitude.

His eyes were blank,

He was totally unsure what kind of emotion he should be having.

Im fine now.

Are you sure? We can still wait if youre really struggling.

Its fine. Ill listen to everything you have to say now.

If what the Countess said was true, that meant his body had escaped the fate of death.

Thinking back, if I had died in that plane crash, wouldnt I be spared from this life filled with misery?

Whatever, thats irrelevant, the important thing here is the fact that Im still alive.

Seeing him wearing a determined expression, Deneb broke through her hesitation and started to speak.

Currently, theres no way to restore the fate that has been severed After all, cutting off fate and rewriting it are completely different matters. Their difficulties differed greatly also.

Can you explain what that means?

It means, even if you were to return to the modern world, reset would occur over a period of time. At the longest, a week, at the shortest, three to four days.

Please explain it in a more simple term.

Whatever you do in the present would turn non-existent. Its because you have no more connection to that world. Your fate only exists in this hidden world of Gehenna.

Lets try to comprehend what they are saying

No good, I dont understand.

In the end, he could only use his instinct to understand.

Basically, Ill turn into a ghost.

A being that was unable to leave any traces or memories in others minds.

Something that could only wander and float around the world.

Hearing his summary that directly touched the core of the matter, the Countess remained silent.

Then, Deneb broke the silence with a regretful tone.

Our Gemini Households power is extended to the modern world. We can give you sufficient support. If you were to do things using your own name, Mr. Siwoo, everything would turn pointless. Thats why well provide you with a residence and a means of transportation under our name. Additionally, we planned to compensate you with ten billion won every five years. And if you ever choose to remain in Gehenna, we will welcome you as our honored guest.

Siwoo remained silent, but his troubled expression clearly showed how he was lost in thoughts.

His desire to return to the modern world was practically his life goal.

And now, when he almost grasped that goal, after exhausting his body and soul, he realized that it was nothing but a mirage.

Does Ms. Amelia know about this too?

If were talking about the Baroness, she most likely knows.

Then, why didnt she tell me about it?

Could it be that her pitiful social skill hindered her from explaining this to me?

She thought that Id be devastated after finding out this cold truth? Thats why she tried to stop me from leaving instead?

At that moment, he realized that he was interpreting her actions in a stupidly positive way and shook his head.

Whats the point in asking that now?

Whatever her reason may be, it doesnt matter.

Ill give you enough time to think about this matter carefully.

Deneb.

Yes?

Can you go back first? I still have something to say to him.

Deneb looked at Albireo with bewildered eyes before nodding.

Fine, tell me about it later.

Then, she left the room, leaving her sister alone with Siwoo.

Albireo waited for a moment before raising her head to meet Siwoos gaze.

This might be confusing, but I have something else to say to you.

What is it?

Siwoos shoulders were slumped and it was easy to tell that he was exhausted.

But, Albireo had work to do, she also couldnt leave her research for too long. To put it simply, she didnt have enough time to wait.

I want you to return to the modern world.

That was why.

She went straight to the point without beating around the bush.