Reborn as a witch in another world [slice of life, isekai] (ch. 80)
Blurb:
What does it take to turn your life around? Death, of course!
I died in this lame ass world of ours and woke up in a completely new one. I had a new name, a new face and a new body. This was my second chance to live a better life than the previous one.
But goddamn it, why did I have to be a witch? Now I don't just have to be on the run from the Inquisition that wants to burn me and my friends. But I also have to earn a living?
Follow Elsa Grimly as she:
- Makes new friends and tries to save them and herself from getting burned
- Finds redemption from the deeds of her previous life
- Tries to get along with a cat who (like most cats) believes she runs the world
- Deals with other slice of life shenanigans.
--
Chapter 80. Breaking News
A dark mage. Surprisingly, Old Elsa's memories didn't help me understand much about that. I could only glean the basic information that mages, similar to witches, drew power from their malice. And even though the magic they performed was only remotely similar to witchcraft, it was much less complicated in comparison. And it was as rare for a woman to be a mage as it was for a man to be a witch.
The last train to Orowen would arrive in a few minutes, so I didn't have much time to ask the siren about the history of mages. I would have to ask Smokewell about it when we returned.
I decided to utilize the time I had left for something better. “Is there anything more you can tell me about this dark mage?” I asked her. “Maybe I might be able to help you with it in some way.”
The violet eyed witch's face turned grave and for a split second and she seemed to age several years with the weight of the knowledge she carried. “We know nothing about him except for the fact that he doesn't seem like he was from this province. There's also no name to follow. There are only two conclusions we could draw, his appearance seemed to resemble that of natives of the Thrymsdottir province. And maybe he was part of some cult there that gave that mark to him. None of the sirens recognize that mark. Nor does anyone from the Internal Police.”
That seemed to make sense. Ruler of the Abyss was imprisoned in the World beyond the veil. Other Soul Sages had made sure her name was forgotten. But she was stubborn enough to stop them from succeeding. And this alleged cultist was an example of that.
The possibility of there being a cult that worshipped the Ruler wasn't zero. If anything, it was perfectly within the realm of expectations that there would be an organization that believed in the Ruler the same way the Scarlet Society believed in the Sovereign of Sins.
That possibility, however, disturbed me deeply. Old Elsa's memories suggested that she had crafted the Liberation Ritual by referring to the books of Dark Arcane. But what if she had altered that part of the memory to hide something else? Was that possible? Maybe if there really was a cult of the Ruler of the Abyss, Elsa might've been a part of it. And they had helped her tamper with her memories before she performed the ritual on herself and I took over.
I didn't want to believe that. But it was terrifyingly plausible. I felt a bit uneasy and I turned to Lily, who was still poking and prodding at the siren beast. If Elsa had been part of such a cult, wouldn't that mean she had put Smokewell and Lily at a risk? From what I'd read in her notebook and the conditions she had set for the ritual, it had felt like she was doing this to protect them but–
“Did you figure something out?” the violet eyed witch said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I started a bit and then I sighed. “No. Not even close. But I'm going to try. This is quite important.”
The other witch gave me an earnest look. “I'm glad. We welcome any help you have to offer.”
I nodded. “I'll be sure to get back to you when I find something substantial.”
She smiled. “I'm grateful.” Then she paused. “So…I don't think you are going to tell me your name, but you'll probably need mine to find me again in future.”
I raised an eyebrow at her graciousness. I looked at her patiently.
She lifted the sides of her billowy dress and curtsied like the refined lady that she was. “Wilson. Aria Wilson. Pleased to meet you."
--
Aria courteously left before our train arrived so she couldn't see where we were headed. Lily was grumpy since she didn't get to ride the Centennial Express–the train that had all the handsome attendants, five star dinner service and velvet cushion chairs.
“Stop pouting at me, we came too late for that one,” I said, squeezing the bridge of my nose.
“This is not fair, Miss Elsa.” She flicked her head away with her chin high like a petulant child. “We should be living according to what we earn.”
I brought my palm to my face. “Right now, we aren't earning anything, Lily. We just did one job that paid magnificently well. That doesn't mean that we should just be burning all that because we can burn it.”
“What else did we earn it for?” Lily said, pouting even more.
“Not for burning it!” I poked her puffed up cheeks with my fingers.
“Not fair, Miss Elsa,” she said again and pressed her face into the window next to her. She squinted at the city of Noblegate growing distant and small. “But we'll return again, Miss Elsa. Because I want to watch a full play from the box seats. And next time we'll ride the Centennial Express as well. And…And we’ll have our own carriage. And a chauffeur. And a butler.”
--
Eventually, Lily fell asleep in the middle of her consumerist rambling. I couldn't keep my eyes shut, however. Loose thoughts dangling like threads in my mind seemed to weave together on their own as I sat awake in the dim coach. I finally took off my enchanted mask and let out a soft sigh.
I'd thought of Old Elsa as this aloof, intelligent and caring girl. But if she had really learned the Liberation Ritual from a cult of the Ruler, it would mean she was reckless. Or maybe, she was ready to take a risk for Smokewell and Lily, even if that risk meant killing herself at the price of leaving behind a stronger body to protect her friends.
I looked at the mark on my palm. As dangerous and disturbing the Liberation Ritual was, it had undeniably saved my life multiple times since I'd arrived in this new world. The only time it put me in danger was when I acted like an idiot and let its strength control me in Godfrey's domain.
I looked out the window but couldn't focus on the passing scenery. Elsa's face in the glass kept staring at me. I finally met her eyes.
Maybe you weren't really reckless, I thought, as if I was addressing her. Maybe you trusted the spirit that you were leaving behind. The spirit that allowed you to make dangerous decisions because you knew, you'd find your way out somehow and let fate do the rest. Maybe you trusted the new owner of your identity to do the same.
I smiled wryly as I remembered Smokewell's accusations of me not being the Elsa she knew. Maybe I was reckless because Old Elsa had been reckless too, but she knew how to hide it better.
I looked at Lily who was asleep in the seat opposite to mine. Even though I'd come to care for this person deeply, half of my feelings were borrowed from whatever Old Elsa's memories told me about her. Same went for Smokewell.
Despite that, to me they were family. And to them I was Elsa Grimly. Human relationships are more fragile than we like to admit. But that doesn't mean we abandon those relationships for not being forged from stronger stuff. I don’t think Old Elsa would have done that either.
She would have tried to find another way. And to a degree, she did just that. I looked at the mark on my palm again.
I couldn’t stop using the Liberation Ritual. It was too strong and useful to be discarded so easily. But I also couldn't keep using it while ignoring the fact that I was making the Ruler of the Abyss stronger.
I looked at my reflection into the glass window again. Elsa's face gazed back at me. I asked her, “What would you do in this situation?”
--
I don't know when I fell asleep. But I remember I couldn't find any real answer to my question before my mind started to feel tired.
Lily was the one who shook me awake. “Let's get going, Miss Elsa,” she said. “We are home.”
I blinked into the sunlight pouring in from the window and stretched my limbs in my seat. My back had gone stiff and I felt cramps in the back of my neck. We exited the coach with my groaning softly as I followed Lily out.
The girl dragged me over to the newspaper stand. “I want to buy some candy for the carriage ride home,” she said.
I followed her like a half asleep ghost.
I was still rubbing my eyes when I caught a glimpse of something in the Orowen Tribune front page.
The headline said:
An unknown abomination appears by an old wealthy estate; leaves behind a half destroyed manor.
I grabbed Lily's arm and pointed at the destroyed manor in the photograph. “I-Isn't that…Rowland and Cynthia's house?”
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Posted Oct 27, 2025, 6:46 PM UTC