Reborn as a witch in another world [slice of life, isekai] (ch.102)
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 102. Ruler's Land
I was still in awe of what Zir had just shown me. But my curiosity kept rising by the minute. We were still in the grand hall full of skeletons that kept feasting. I turned to their king and asked. “What was your Absolute Truth? What did you have to realize to earn this?” I gestured at the scene in front of us.
“My Absolute Truth,” he said with a sigh, his empty eye sockets gazing into eternity. “Feeding your enemy takes more courage than killing him. That is my Absolute Truth.”
I frowned. “Wait, I'm quite sure some people are genuinely more afraid of killing someone,” I said.
“You found your Absolute Truth but I don't think you fully understand the concept yet,” he said. “It isn't going to be something universal. It's not that it can't be. It's just that it doesn't have to be. Absolute Truth is a Ruler's weapon. People outside of the Ruler's Land may not believe in it. But in his Land, it is the Ruler's word. That's why everyone has to obey it.”
Suddenly, things started to make a lot more sense. “And thus, if I act against it my rule over my Land will grow weak. And so will my Control.”
“Now you get it.” Zir gave a single nod.
One of the skeletons got up from the table and walked up to me with a plate in hand. He held it towards me. It was a piping hot dish of steak and mashed potatoes. And it looked a little too delicious for something that was cooked in the void between life and death.
“You can eat it,” Zir said. “Everything served at this feast is the best meal anyone can ever have.”
I took a bite of steak. And it was exactly as Zir had said. It was the best steak I ever had.
I looked at him. “I won't deny. This is delicious. But I'm curious,” I said. “Where does your Absolute Truth even come from? What does it mean?”
“These skeletons you see at this table,” he said. “Each one of them tried to kill me back when I was human.”
My mouth stopped chewing. I looked at the bustling feast of skeletons. There were far too many of them. I turned back to their king. “Zir, were you a warrior of some kind?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I was a slave,” he said and got up from his throne. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. We were back in his office at the Skeleton Crew. And that plate of delicious steak and mashed potatoes was gone. My heart sank a bit. “But that's a story for another day. Right now, you need to focus on finding your Land.”
“Uh, yes, about that.” I nodded. “So your Land exists in the space between life and death. Sounds like a small world between worlds. Unfortunately, I don't have access to a place like that. So, um where am I supposed to find a world like that? And can you give me a real answer instead of a riddle?”
Zir sat back in his velvet settee. “Since I'm your mentor for the time being, I suppose I can give you a little nudge in the right direction.” He rested his elbow on the arm of his chair and rested his chin in his boney palm. “I wondered what kind of place would a mere mortal be able to establish their Land in. And the answer I got might be just the thing that might help you.”
“Okay and what is it?” I asked eagerly.
“A Ruler's Land is supposed to be a place that is out of the reach of external entities. Yet something that is initially unclaimed so the Ruler can take it for themselves.”
“Yes, okay, I get it,” I said. “Can you give me the name of that place now?”
“It should also be a part of reality that is connected to the mortal realm since it needs to be something that mortals can access,” he said.
“Yes, but that place ought to have a name, right?” I said, feeling frustrated.
“It also needs to be the kind of place that can be shaped by the skills of a mortal but also a kind of place where a mortal won't die the moment they set foot,” he said.
“Zir!” I snapped.
The tall lich perked up and turned to me. “Yes?”
“I've been asking you about the place for the past two minutes,” I said with a huff. “What is that place called?”
“Oh right, I forgot to mention that. Some people like to call it the False World. But a simpler name for it is the Mirror Dimension,” he said.
“M-Mirror?” I said.
“Mirror,” he said.
I dug into my reticule and pulled out my compact mirror and snapped it open to show him his reflection. “Mirror?”
He nodded at the compact and said again, “Mirror.”
--
He didn't tell me more than that. He said he would show me later what he was talking about. Until then I was supposed to start practicing Control. “The way of doing that is to stay true to your Absolute Truth. It won’t be easy. And you are bound to make mistakes. But it's better if you make mistakes while you are in this world. Making mistakes within your own Ruler’s Land could lead to more chaos than you would like,” he said.
And with that he had dismissed today’s class.
Even though I was eager to learn more about everything he had told me (and I knew I was going to find a way to learn about the False World) right now I had other places to be at.
So I took the tram to Merlin District.
--
The front of the Fair Deals office was just as crowded as the last time I'd been here. I checked my pocket watch. I was on time. I headed to the back of the building where Judith sat with a cigarette in hand just like last time.
She opened the door for me. “Miss Mirabelle is waiting for you, Miss Grimly,” she said with a smile.
I entered Mira's office. She was behind her desk, looking more relaxed than the last time I'd seen her. Apparently she really liked the idea of having someone above her rather than being the sole voice that directed everyone and dealt with the pressure of being a leader.
And she wasn’t alone. In a chair next to her sat a thin elf with ink-stained fingers, flipping through a stack of papers.
Mira smiled at me before greeting me and gesturing me to the opposite chair. She introduced the elf next to her as Neldor Adfaren. “He is my trusty lawyer and has helped me out of my legal troubles several times,” she said.
Adfaren nodded in greeting and went back to flipping through the papers. Then he cleared his throat.
“Miss Grimly,” he said, adjusting his spectacles. “As you and Ms. Mira agreed, once the transfer is complete, ownership of Fair Deals passes to you in full. That includes all active contracts, debts, and physical assets. However—” He tapped a section of the document. “Mirabelle will remain the operational head of the company. She will handle day-to-day management, but major decisions will require your approval. Do you understand these terms?”
I nodded, glancing at the clause. “I own it, but she runs it. And she answers me when I call upon her. I get it,” I said but asked to see the documents. I took my time going through the papers.
Ravenwind was a country with a law system that was still in a fairly infant stage. People had been legally executed under the silliest excuses. So understanding contracts like these wasn't that difficult, even for someone like me. The language was fairly straightforward and there weren't too many vague clauses that could be exploited later. On top of that, I kept observing Mira and her lawyer discreetly to hear their abyss.
There was no smug inner monologue about how they had the upper hand or no nervousness of getting caught. Mira's inner thoughts actually revolved around not having to deal with the ‘vultures’ at the front of the office anymore.
“Looks good,” I said, putting the papers down on the desk.
The lawyer slid a pen toward me. “Then we can proceed.”
The sound of the nib scratching against paper filled the quiet room. Mirabelle signed first, wings twitching excitedly once before she steadied herself. I followed, my signature cutting clean through the final line.
The lawyer gathered the papers, stacking them neatly. “Congratulations,” he said. “Fair Deals now belongs to Miss Grimly.”
Mirabelle gave me a pleased smile. “Do I have to call you ‘boss’ now?”
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Posted Feb 16, 2026, 11:53 AM UTC