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chapter 456
At most, it was a tiny fairy no bigger than the palm of my hand, but instinctively, I observed it through Sammae.
“Monster? No. Spirit? The spirits used by elementalists are just flows of natural energy. They wouldn’t take the form of a fairy like this. It’s not a mutant whose appearance changed due to monster DNA, nor a person whose form changed upon awakening.”
It was different from any being I knew.
Above all…
“There’s a creature like this in the apartment, and I didn’t notice?”
I wasn’t careless because I thought the owner of this house was a sage. Just moments ago, I had confirmed that nothing was detectable in this house.
“… No, that’s not right.”
Looking back, it was strange that I sensed nothing. Unless the owner was absent, that didn’t make sense. Just recently, the owner had spoken to us through the intercom. That meant…
“There must be some kind of barrier here that can deceive my senses.”
My head tingled. I hadn’t actually been hit, but ever since before the regression, I had assumed the owner wasn’t an awakened one…
“Um… please come in…”
While I was thinking this, the tiny, cute fairy who opened the door spoke.
“……”
I turned to look at Sophia. She too couldn’t hide her astonishment, but when she saw me looking, she nodded. It meant we should go inside.
Following that signal, I stepped into the house behind the fairy.
“… Good grief.”
As soon as I entered, I felt a sudden wave of dizziness. My senses were suddenly overwhelmed by countless presences. Had I stepped into a barrier?
No, that wasn’t it.
This wasn’t a barrier…
“Ah… I see. In a space like this, no matter how sharp my senses are, I wouldn’t be able to perceive the inside.”
A dungeon.
Yes, it felt like a dungeon. Not a literal dungeon, but a space similar to one.
“Hello, Artist.”
At that moment, the owner of this space spoke to me. The fairy who guided us had already flown away to hide where her friends were.
“… How should I address you?”
“If you came to meet me as the academy instructor and resident of this apartment, you can use my name… Otherwise, if you came to meet me as the owner of this space, call me the Bell Witch.”
“The Bell Witch…”
The witch hat and robe he wore were covered in bells. It suited the nickname.
“But you’re a man, and a witch?”
“… Can we skip over that part?”
“Fine.”
I observed him through Sammae. To my eyes, he appeared as a gender-neutral man wearing a witch hat and robe…
“Through Sammae, I see something different. Is this how a Reincarnator appears?”
Noticing my gaze, the Bell Witch asked me,
“Hmm… Artist? Are you seeing me with something other than your eyes?”
He seemed to have realized I was viewing him through Sammae.
“Yes, something like that.”
“I don’t know exactly how you see me, but what did I look like?”
“The appearance of a gender-neutral man in front of me overlapped with a voluptuous woman’s figure.”
The voluptuous woman I saw through Sammae must be his form before reincarnation.
“You can see that too… As expected of someone called the strongest in this world.”
“Artist… So that means…”
Sophia, having overheard our conversation, asked me for confirmation. I nodded, affirming her suspicion.
“The Bell Witch is a Reincarnator. And… doesn’t seem to be from Earth.”
I scanned the fairies in the room. They hid from my gaze, but I could roughly identify their nature.
“No need to hide so much. These children… they were contracted before I reincarnated, and they followed me into this life too.”
Hearing this, Sophia asked the Bell Witch,
“Then, in the world you lived in, were such fairies common?”
“Yes. Technically spirits, but they’re different from the spirits in this world, so calling them fairies is fine.”
This wasn’t just an explanation about fairies—it was an acknowledgment from the Bell Witch that another world exists.
“What an incredible discovery.”
“Oh, but I don’t recommend researching other worlds. Between worlds, terrifying and dreadful things exist. When I crossed worlds for reincarnation, seeing them nearly drove me insane.”
“… Terrifying and dreadful things…”
Beings that could drive one insane just by seeing them.
“Those beings beyond the tears created when slicing through space. That’s probably what the Bell Witch meant.”
Does that mean if I pass through them, I can reach another world? Currently, even if I don’t kill them, just observing them wouldn’t affect my mind.
“I didn’t expect you, Artist, to come find me. I thought even you wouldn’t detect this space…”
“Well, technically, Earth and this place are almost in different dimensions, so it makes sense.”
I nodded at the Bell Witch. I hadn’t sensed anything either.
“So, what business brings you here?”
“First, to understand what kind of person you are. Nothing else.”
“Good. If it were to fight because you disliked someone occupying another’s space, I’d have to lose.”
I wasn’t planning to sit back and do nothing. The Bell Witch deactivated all the spells he had prepared. If I had challenged him, dozens of powerful spells capable of destroying the space itself would have been aimed at me. Alone, I could have dodged or blocked them, but Sophia behind me would have died.
“So, you didn’t have business before, but now you do?”
“I have a few questions.”
“About my past life? If so, I welcome it. I could only ever talk about my past life to someone who knows I’m a Reincarnator.”
The Bell Witch seemed willing to share anything about his past life.
“I can even give you my past life’s measurements if needed… The units differ from here, but you can convert them…”
“Oh, that’s unnecessary.”
Not interested. I could roughly gauge them through Sammae anyway.
“I heard you dislike Awakened. Could you explain why?”
This was my curiosity. Why did the Bell Witch dislike Awakened?
“I hated seeing those who used magic just because they awakened.”
In our world, unless someone was exceptionally talented, it would take years of study to cast proper offensive spells.
“Of course, people like you, Artist, who train after gaining abilities are an exception. You can’t hate someone who works hard. But…”
Those who enter dungeons after awakening without effort, without learning to control their powers…
“……”
He didn’t continue, but I could tell the sentiment—hatred lingered in his eyes. Something must have happened with Awakened in his past.
“Or maybe it was similar events before reincarnation, not on Earth.”
Either way, it was a sensitive subject for him, so I didn’t press. I wanted to maintain a good relationship.
“Sorry. I got a bit emotional. I don’t want to talk more today. Could you leave?”
“Sure. Next time…”
“Call ahead next time. I need to prepare to host guests.”
Host guests? Not necessary… I thought, but…
“Not me, them.”
“? Ah…”
The Bell Witch pointed to the fairies peeking out, eyes gleaming. They lit up at the mention of hosting guests.
“… Why are they like this?”
“They handled all guest hospitality in my past life. They like it. Actually, one of them went to open the door just now for that reason.”
Because the Bell Witch wanted to hide his identity as a Reincarnator in this life, he likely never invited guests. Even if he did, he couldn’t reveal the fairies, so he wouldn’t let them handle hospitality.
“… Will they come often?”
“As long as you keep in touch, it’s fine. They can come and play even if I’m not here.”
Oh, right.
“Just don’t tell others. Unless it’s your disciple, Geomhwa, or Little Archmage, it’s a problem for anyone else.”
Especially anyone connected to the Association. The Bell Witch glared at Sophia. He must know she worked for Chairman Richard.
“… Understood.”
Sophia paused, then nodded. I think she would inform Chairman Richard of the Reincarnator’s existence but wouldn’t turn him into an enemy, and wouldn’t divulge more than requested.
“That’s enough.”
The Bell Witch seemed satisfied.
As Han Geonwoo and Sophia left the house, the fairies clung to the Bell Witch, chattering.
“They seem nice!”
“When will they come again?”
“I hope they come tomorrow!”
The Bell Witch gave a wry smile.
“Tomorrow is the last day of the holiday, so they’ll be busy. Still, should I let them come?”
“Hmm…”
“Can’t you just tell them to come?”
“No! The Witch said we shouldn’t disturb busy people!”
“Right. Good memory.”
Watching them, the Bell Witch thought:
‘If these sensitive ones react this way, they must not be bad.’
He’d always been cautious, having met many people whose appearances and intentions didn’t match before reincarnation. But if the fairies respond this way, he needn’t be as guarded.
“Even if busy, won’t they come tomorrow?”
“Then let’s make cake for them!”
“There’s tea too!”
“… Make just enough. They might not come.”
Whether the Bell Witch knew it or not, the fairies next to him were lively and full of energy.
