Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 509 Twenty Bullet Holes (Second Update)

A perfect gown, inspired by the Muses.

The revival of ancient Greek style and elements stemmed from trends driven by the economic development of the United States in the early 20th century. Pleats, long skirts, drapes, and geometric botanical patterns became synonymous with ancient Greek style. This haute couture gown from the renowned Lebanese fashion brand Zuhair Murad perfectly embodies this element through its asymmetrical pleats.

The witch donned this white tulle gown, her bare shoulders melting her originally heroic spirit into the gentle warmth of a spring lake. Her perfectly smooth back was subtly revealed through the swaying white tulle, while the shimmering tassel-shaped gold bra and belt imbued the tall witch with an air of elegance and wisdom. The gown was simple yet dignified, possessing a distinctly classical courtly feel.

Bayonetta unusually chose a less flamboyant eyeshadow color, and her eyes no longer slanted upwards so arrogantly. She braided her long black hair and tied it into a bun at the back of her head. She stood on tiptoe on the cool wooden floor, hesitated for a moment in front of the shoe cabinet, and then picked out a pair of gold open-toed sandals to wear. The gold chains mimicked strappy sandals, and her cute toes, painted with red nail polish, wiggled restlessly. She also changed her earrings to silver leaf shapes, much simpler than the previous ornate earrings made of platinum, sapphire, and gold.

"Honey, how's this?" She walked to the sofa with her hands on her hips, satisfied. "Don't say it's bad," she added, "unless you want twenty more bullet holes in your body."

"Alright." The sorcerer straightened his back on the sofa. The long wait had left his spine stiff and his legs aching. "This is your twentieth outfit, darling," he sighed. Before this, Bayonetta had tried on many ancient Greek-style dresses, but all of them were full of off-the-shoulder designs, drapes, and gold embellishments. At first, Salomon could distinguish the differences in the details, but later he gradually became numb. All the clothes looked the same to him. He didn't even notice when Bayonetta changed her style and wore a dress similar to Cleopatra's—it was the nineteenth one! Although he didn't react immediately, Salomon's brain was gradually recovering its function, beginning to help him recall what he had seen and loudly alerting him.

“I don’t think that gold-plated dress that Elizabeth Taylor wore was very flattering. I remember the last one was too glamorous,” Salomon said before Bayonita could ask any further questions. “I assure you, you are the most beautiful woman in the world no matter what you wear.”

"And how do I compare to your foster mother?" The witch's long, slender legs lifted from beneath her white skirt, landing on the sofa. Even this water nymph-like attire couldn't suppress Bayonetta's assertive personality. She readily accepted Salomon's admiration for her ankles; the witch's blood ensured her figure remained perpetually perfect, even her ankles and toes. "I know that exposing the body was a very sacred thing in ancient Greece, and you've seen your virgin foster mother's body more than once, but you're not Theresias [Note 1]. I need you to answer properly, Boya~"

"Hiss—" Salomon gasped.

His recent busy work schedule has left him with less and less time at home, and with the manor's renovation progressing at an alarmingly slow pace, Salomon and the witch have had to temporarily reside in New York. To have time to handle official business in the Immortal City before classes begin, Salomon has been waking up earlier and earlier. It's impossible for the witch not to be angry, but the ever-assertive witch would never tell him directly. However, when Athena invited him and the witches to a gathering on Mount Athena, Salomon rushed back, much to Bayonetta's chagrin, who practically chopped him into a hundred and twelve pieces with her eyes.

"Don't you want to say anything?" The witch lifted Salomon's chin. She leaned so close that Salomon could smell her fragrance. The scent gradually soothed Salomon's nerves, relaxing him, and then he broke into a silly grin. On the surface, Salomon was wearing an extremely charming smile, but the witch knew that it meant that Salomon subconsciously felt safe and warm here.

He often does this when he's with me, Bayonetta thought. Like a cat rolling on its back, so cute.

"You're definitely the prettiest!"

"Is it because your adoptive mother isn't here?"

"hiss--"

"I think your foster mother can wait a little longer." Bayonetta pinned Salomon down, her strong legs locking tightly around his waist, her nose gently brushing against his neck. "There's still an hour left." She licked her lips. "Joan of Arc has already gone ahead; we still have time."

"But there's also the Cheshire Cat..."

"Before you got back, she'd already taken the cats and birds with her in that Aston Martin!"

The Cheshire Cat, wearing an Elizabethan collar, stared intently at the owl watching it warily. Taking advantage of the owl's momentary inaction, it suddenly ducked down, covered its small bowl with the plastic Elizabethan collar, and began to devour the fish Athena had prepared for it, thwarting the tiny, palm-sized striped owl's attempt to steal food from the cat's bowl.

The sulking owl pecked at the Cheshire Cat's fluffy tail, then turned to snatch the snake's food.

A squeaking white mouse.

The domineering owl went unnoticed by the others, except for Dina, dressed as a maid, who kept a close eye on Phoenix and the Cheshire Cat. Athena, meanwhile, chatted quietly with the women at the table about the quality of the red wine. Invited were not only witches, but also several of Athena's friends from the art world (Phoenix was magically hidden, invisible to mortals), including Vanessa—it was a women's party, and Salomon was merely an extra, his role being to be the one Athena wanted to boast about, the content of which grew increasingly elaborate with Salomon's age. Many of Athena's mortal friends had heard these stories and watched Salomon grow up; no one knew better than them about his achievements.

Athena invited the witches in order to invite them into this circle.

"Make life more interesting." Athena winked. As the representative of the Greek pantheon, she couldn't receive the missions of Kamar-Taj like the witches and be free to act as she pleased. Athena was currently missing the feeling of fighting, but she could only focus her attention on art and science, especially teaching others science, which was one of her greatest passions.

Little Lorna, whose abilities had been enhanced, sat to the side, head down, her face full of displeasure as she looked at her test paper. Although her grades were excellent, Athena was demanding of her that she study at Salomon's pace, a pace that most people couldn't keep up with. Little Lorna glanced at Salomon, who was on the balcony making a phone call, and gave him a pleading look.

Salomon hung up the phone and walked in from the balcony. He kissed Athena on the cheek, then Bayonetta on the lips. When it was Joan of Arc's turn, he hesitated for a moment, then was grabbed by the tie and pulled away by the white-haired witch. Female artists and noblewomen glanced at the witch and Salomon with ambiguous eyes.

"Ahem, excuse me, ladies," he said softly, loosening his tie with his index finger. "I think I have some things to take care of."

Little Lorna wrinkled her nose and looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at a traitor.

"What happened?" Athena squinted her eyes with interest.

She didn't mention that someone was waiting for Salomon downstairs, nor that it was a young, blonde woman in a luxury car and a business suit. She felt that if she did, the party would be ruined, but Athena saw a magical glint in Bayonetta's eyes. Athena smiled meaningfully, wanting to see how her adopted son would smooth things over.

[Note 1] The ancient Greek prophet Therese had his eyes covered because he saw Athena bathing. This was not punishment, but rather to prevent Therese from seeing the truth, and also because of Athena's grace, he could understand the language of birds. As for why Salomon didn't suffer any harm after seeing her, isn't that obvious?

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(End of this chapter)