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By the time Siwoo finished helping out at Amelia’s shop, evening had already set in.

He excused himself, telling her that he had something to take care of, and left for a while.

Tonight, he was scheduled for an appointment with Countess Kohav for an adjustment to his prosthetic arm.

If there had been even the slightest sign of his arm being healed, he would’ve told everything to Amelia.

But his left arm remained completely numb ever since the day he woke up.

Since he could do it enough for daily tasks anyway, he figured that he didn’t need to tell the others about it, since it’d only add to their worries if anything.

Besides, he wasn’t particularly concerned about his arm.

After all, even his brain had been turned to mush once and somehow it got fixed.

He figured that the witches could do something about his left arm too.

Countess Yvonne Kohav.

Unlike most high-ranking witches, she didn’t have a separate mansion of her own.

Instead she lived in an annex on Duchess Erelim’s mansion, which also served as the Jinri Jinmyeong Academic Society’s Headquarters.

At first, Siwoo was worried he might run into too many witches.

He didn’t want to be caught up in some troublesome business, after all. But, it turned out that it was a needless concern.

Duchess Erelim’s mansion was vast—as vast as a small campus. Most of the witches in the building were also holed up in their labs, immersed in their research.

Of course, he still crossed paths with a few witches, but they only gave him a curious glance before moving on, showing no particular interest in him.

Thanks to that, he was able to take his time looking around the surroundings as he made his way to the annex.

“This place feels like a monastery.”

If he had to use a comparison, it was like a less extravagant Trinity Academy.

The atmosphere was as silent as a church that was frozen in time.

It felt like only witches who lived like reclusive nuns, who had detached themselves from the world, only dedicating themselves to their research were the ones who’d live there.

The entire mansion bore the weight of centuries, with traces of history etched into every corner.

It was the perfect example of how a beautifully maintained building could exude a quiet, timeless charm.

People always said that a home often reflected the personality of its owner.

Case in point, Yesod’s mansion that felt warm and inviting, and the Gemini’s mansion that carried a sense of calm elegance.

Siwoo had never spoken to Duchess Erelim personally, but just from seeing her mansion, he could guess what kind of person she was.

A seeker, unwavering in her pursuit of great achievements.

That was the impression he got.

His thought naturally wandered to Countess Kohav—who was known as one of the duchess’ followers. She always gave the impression of a rigid scholar, even more so than Amelia back when he was still a slave.

Among the scattered buildings standing in the untamed fields, Countess Kohav’s annex was located near the center of the mansion, just east of Duchess Erelim’s residence, the ‘Hall of Truth’.

Its most striking feature was its pristine white roof, like a swan at rest.

Just like other buildings on the mansion, it didn’t look flashy, instead, it looked like a sturdy and tall, yet ordinary three-story mansion made of bricks that were covered in ivy.

-Knock, knock!

“Excuse me.”

The annex, which was about the size of an average house in Tarot Town, had a small door.

Siwoo knocked lightly on the knocker beside it.

-Creak!

A moment later, the door swung open, revealing a freckled woman in her forties.

From her attire and demeanor, it was obvious that she was one of the maids working here.

“Hello. My name is Shin Siwoo. I have an appointment with the countess at 8.”

“...”

“Is the countess available?”

“...”

The maid bowed politely, keeping her silence. Then, she turned and started walking.

For a moment, Siwoo hesitated, unsure if he should follow her, but he decided to step inside, his boots tapping softly against the wooden floor.

While walking, he stole a few glances at the mansion’s interior.

It felt like it was the duchess’ annex in name only.

Since its exterior looked rather run-down, he had expected that the interior would be totally different, but that expectation was thoroughly trampled.

If he had to sum it up in one phrase, this place felt like a dusty and old research lab.

The facilities here were even more outdated than the research building Amelia used back at Trinity Academy.

As Siwoo walked through the hallway—where rooms (likely laboratories and workshops) spread out like tree branches—and went up the stairs, he noticed that the only decorations in the entire place were a couple of sparsely hung picture frames.

They didn’t even have glowing chandeliers that filled up the Gemini Mansion’s ceilings, fresh flowers to brighten up the bare corners, artwork on display, plush sofas, or fancy tables.

The floor wasn’t even made of marble, let alone carpeted.

It was made of plain wood, yet it neither creaked nor had a single speck of dust, almost as if it was obsessively maintained.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the dim interior was illuminated by decorative lamps that looked like mass-produced products from Border Town.

Perhaps it was due to the sheer emptiness of this place, but everything inside felt oddly small.

The space itself was actually quite large, so it was taking longer than expected to get to their destination.

“Um...”

“...”

Siwoo called out to her quietly, but the maid simply quickened her pace without a word.

-Knock, knock

Upon reaching the third floor, she knocked on the first door she came to, then turned to him, gave him a small bow, and disappeared without a sound.

Her footsteps were so silent it was almost ghostly.

“Come in.”

The door swung open more smoothly than he expected and he heard Countess Kohav’s voice calling out from inside.

Clearing his throat out of habit, he stepped inside.

The first thing he saw was Countess Kohav, seated at a massive rosewood desk, furiously scribbling with a quill pen.

“You’re fifteen minutes early. Be more precise next time.”

“A-Ah, yes. I apologize.”

Ivory-colored eyes.

Black bobbed hair that looked as curt as her tone.

It hadn’t been that long since he last saw her, so of course, she hadn’t changed her style at all.

What caught Siwoo off guard wasn’t the countess herself, but the state of her workshop.

Rather than a witch’s laboratory, it looked more like a dollmaker’s studio.

Also, it was much larger than he expected.

Now he understood why the hallways had been so narrow.

Instead of opening up the space by knocking down walls or raising the ceilings, every inch of the building seemed designed for pure efficiency, maximizing the workspace.

The vast area was cluttered with an assortment of mannequins from various parts scattered around, on shelves, and even rolling on the floor.

It was probably related to her major, ‘self-prosthesis’.

Even he could tell from a glance that these weren’t ordinary mannequins.

They didn’t look grotesque enough to the point that they resembled real severed limbs, but the meticulously crafted veins, bones, and joints made them give off this unsettling feeling that if he had been alone in this place, he’d shudder in fear.

“...”

“I-I’m here for my check-up.”

“...”

Countess Kohav continued her work in silence.

She didn’t acknowledge him, tell him to sit, or even look in his direction.

Is she seriously gonna make me wait the full 15 minutes just because I am early?

As he stood awkwardly, unable to decide what to do, Countess Kohav let out a short sigh and gestured with her chin.

“...Please sit down and wait.”

Yep. She’s a strict, by-the-book kind of person...

Carefully moving a mannequin off the sofa, Siwoo took a seat.

Exactly fifteen minutes later.

Countess Kohav removed her glasses and stood up.

In her hand was the same toolbox he had seen last time, as if she had prepared it in advance.

She walked to Siwoo’s side without saying a word and then opened the box.

The oppressive silence was beginning to feel suffocating, so Siwoo decided to try making small talk.

“Is the maid who guided me earlier the only one working here?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I only ran into her on the way in, so I’m kinda curious...”

“You’re correct.”

“She seemed pretty quiet.”

Countess Kohav sent him a brief glance, seemingly surprised that he was trying to make a conversation with her. Then, she continued to arrange her tools.

Though she was acting like that, she was willing to engage in conversation with him.

“The Jinri Jinmyeong Academic Society is a place for witches to study and reflect on their studies. Those who are working here are prohibited from speaking without permission while on duty.”

“Is that so?”

But, her words were as cold as ice.

Her cold tone was a given, it was just her usual way of speaking, her words were the real issue here.

It wasn’t like she was a hysterical senior high school student that had started to lose it due to the incoming CSATs, and yet here she was, pressuring him to keep his mouth shut.

He felt that she was overreacting, but Kohav didn’t bother explaining herself, as if this was common sense.

Well, Countess Yesod had mentioned this before.

The Jinri Jinmyeong Academic Society was one of Gehenna’s largest factions, rivaling even the Emerald Tablet.

Its members were among the most conservative witches, in fact they were the face of the conservative witches.

They devoted themselves solely to researching their self-essence magic, showing little to no interest in the outside world.

Now, it would be one thing if she was just a regular member, but Countess Kohav was the vice-president of the academic society, and she was likely steeped in old-fashioned aristocratic entitlement.

Siwoo knew that not all witches were like his master, Sharon, or the twins, but encountering witches like this occasionally made him feel uncomfortable.

“How is the condition?”

“Externally, there’s no change from last time.”

“I’m going to run another sensory link test. It might sting a little.”

Kohav pulled out a long, menacing-looking needle and stabbed it straight into Siwoo’s left hand.

The sharp silver needle pierced through his palm, the tip poking out the other side.

He didn’t feel any pain, but seeing that it had gone through his hand directly and knowing that it wasn’t some magic trick, it sent a chill down his spine.

“I still can’t feel anything.”

“...That doesn’t make sense.”

A frown appeared on Countess Kohav’s brows.

She spread out the parchment she had used before and ran a series of tests, but the result only further deepened her furrowed brows.

“Countess Kohav, this is a prosthetic arm, right?”

“Yes.”

“???? ?? ??? ???? ? ????”

“Could we try removing it and attaching a different one?”

“That would be a waste of time. The prosthetic’s mechanisms are noted to have no issues at all. If there’s an issue, it’s not with my work...it’s with you.”

Countess Kohav’s unwavering confidence in her own magic was evident.

She even gave him a look as if she was saying, ‘What’s wrong with you?’.

“Like what, exactly?”

“There’s a chance something is wrong with your spirit body itself.”

“That can’t be... Doesn’t a spirit body usually fix itself?”

“Yes, in most cases.”

A spirit body was far superior to a regular body in both durability and regeneration.

As long as its fundamental structure remained intact, it could recover from severe injuries like losing a limb.

Countess Kohav casually began packing her tools away.

“That’s it?”

“No. We’ll conduct a more precise examination with better equipment. Don’t expect too much though. I specialize in prosthetics, after all. Follow me.”

She led him to a workbench about the size and height of a pool table, tucked in the same corner of the room.

Scattered around it were eerie-looking prosthetics, along with tangled cables and tubes hanging from the ceiling like unorganized electrical wires.

“Take it off. Just the top.”

This situation felt oddly familiar

But one look at her serious face, the sharp focus in her eyes, and her dry tone immediately killed any stray thoughts from even budding in his mind.

“You’ve been badly wounded.”

“You can tell?”

The pain from previous events; the fierce battle with Bianca and his effort to rescue Amelia still stung whenever he thought about it.

Thinking back, he had been through hell and back lately.

But thanks to his spirit body, which healed even the scars out of his body, there shouldn’t have been any visible traces left.

Yet Countess Kohav noticed right away.

She attached the electrodes (if they could even be called that) that were hanging from the workbench’s ceiling to various parts of Siwoo’s body, and began a full-fledged examination.