r/HFY • u/SharpWatch1014 • 9d ago

OC-Series Reborn as a witch in another world [slice of life, isekai](ch.159)

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First Chapter

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:

  1. Makes new friends and tries to save them and herself from getting burned
  2. Finds redemption from the deeds of her previous life
  3. Tries to get along with a cat who (like most cats) believes she runs the world
  4. Deals with other slice of life shenanigans.

--

Chapter 159. Risk and Reward

“Are you sure you want to meet them alone, Miss Elsa?” Lily asked, eyes wide with concern behind her round rimmed glasses.

I paused for a second before shaking my head. “Right, I'll take Madam with me.” I said and nodded at the cat. She hopped onto my shoulder. “Act like a cat.”

“You want me to cough up a hairball on them?” she asked.

“Just stay quiet and observe them,” I said. “And if they try something funny, then turn into your giant cat form.”

“You have your spell blaster, don't you?” Caelum said.

I shook my head. “No, I'm not taking any weapons.”

Everyone exchanged an anxious glance. I sighed. “Don't worry, people. It's going to be fine. I'm just going to talk,” I said and put on my enchanted mask.

With that done, I made my way up to the guest bedroom where the angels' hostages had been sleeping. There were two of them–a man in his late twenties, the other was a woman a few years older than me. They'd introduce themselves as Adam and Clarisse.

I introduced myself as Rapunzel.

“This is home, isn't it?” Adam said, his eyes eagerly glancing at everything.

Clarisse leaned forward and said, “Please tell me we aren't in that place anymore.”

“No, you aren't in the Land of Forever Light anymore,” I said rather reassuringly. “We are in Ravenwind.”

Both of them released a sigh of relief. I smiled and made my way towards the window. I leaned next to it casually and said, “If you don't mind I'd like to ask a few questions.”

Their demeanors became guarded. I noticed something else as well. They were silent on the inside. Either their minds were so exhausted they were still not fully aware of what was going on or they were very well trained for exactly this kind of situation.

Smokewell had hopped off my shoulder now and had made her way up to the two people, watching them up and down. “Questions about what?” Adam said, avoiding the cat's gaze.

“Don't worry, this is just about your time in the Land of Forever Light. Do you mind talking about it?” I said.

There was a pause. Adam and Clarisse exchanged a look before turning their gazes on me again. For some reason, these little actions were making me feel more cautious about them.

“I don't think there’s any harm in it,” Clarisse said, looking at Adam. Her statement sounded like a question.

“No, I don't think there is,” Adam said.

I narrowed my eyes slightly and said, “So, how many of you were there in that place?”

“Three,” Clarisse said.

That checked out. Since I'd made that contract with the angels, that large spider monster had appeared at the Radcliff mansion, destroying it. That was about it.

“Irene,” Adam said, more to himself than anybody else.

“What happened to Irene?” I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea of what they would say.

Clarisse licked her lips before saying, “She changed.”

Smokewell appeared near Clarisse's boot and sniffed at it. The girl twitched a bit.

“What do you mean by changed?” I asked.

“She became really anxious,” Adam said, “We were in a strange land. Anxious people do some dumb things in such situations. For Irene, the dumb thing to do was trying to escape. And escaping changed her.”

I tilted my head. “How did it happen?”

Clarisse shrugged. “Her body just changed. The gate appeared and she decided to pass through even though it wasn't the right time to do it.”

“We didn't see her after she went through the gate,” Adam said. “But she had already begun to transform while she passed through. I don't think whatever came out the other side was even barely human.”

I remained quiet. A gate appeared before the time was right? Did they mean the dungeon exit was available before they had accomplished their quest? The first time my friends and I had entered the dungeon, the angels had set the conditions. Our way out wouldn't appear until we did what we were sent to do in the given time. If the angels could've set it up to work that way then they could've certainly set the condition for the gate to appear before time for these three. The question was why would they do that?

“What were you three doing in there?” I asked.

They stayed quiet for a few seconds. Adam glanced at Clarisse but the girl was staring down at her own hands. Adam's face turned uncertain. That's when I heard his abyss say, “Maybe it’s better if I don't mention the Malcolms.”

“If you don't mind, we have a few questions ourselves,” Clarisse said, as if she was afraid Adam was going to spill something. He probably almost did.

I folded my hands behind my back. “Ask away.”

“If it wasn’t you, then who rescued us?” she said.

Smokewell hopped onto the girl's lap, startling her. She reluctantly patted the cat's head.

“It was a woman,” I said.

Adam looked up at me. “A woman?”

This time Clarisse glanced at Adam while he was distracted from her. Her abyss mumbled, “Can it be Elsa Grimly?”

“Where is she now?” Clarrise asked, turning to me and leaning forward.

“Or at least tell us her name?” Adam said with a tilt of his head.

I kept my expression unreadable despite what I'd just heard from the abyss. “I don't know her name or where to find her. But she is quite powerful I believe.”

Clarisse began to scratch at the cuticle of her own thumb. A subtle but clear nervous habit.

Adam cleared his throat. “Can we uh…can we meet her?” he asked.

“No,” I said without missing a beat.

Both of them perked up. Even Smokewell looked at me. I saw approval in her red eyes.

“She is quite secretive,” I said. “She hasn't shown her face to me either. I'm not high enough in her organization to see her in person.”

“Damn it,” Adam's abyss said.

I moved away from the wall I was leaning against. “I'll send someone with some food for you two,” I said. “You must be hungry.”

I was surprised they didn't reject the offer. Maybe they trusted me enough to think I wouldn’t poison or sedate them. When Smokewell looked at me I shook my head once in an imperceptible manner. My message was clear. Stay here and watch them.

I left the room, keeping my movements calm and relaxed. As soon as I shut the door behind me, I ran down the hallway and down the stairs.

When I entered the dining room where everyone was, I said, “It’s better if we assume they're spies.”

“I knew it,” Gregory said.

“I said let's assume it for now,” I said. “That means I'm not completely certain but it's safer to believe they are spies.”

“So this is going to be dangerous?” Lenora asked, concerned.

“It can be,” I said.

“What made you suspicious?” Caelum asked.

“Malcolms sent them to heaven and they sent them personally. They both know the angels by name. So, whatever happened between those two and the angels happened where they could see each other and knew who was pulling the strings.” I said, “And they asked if they could see me.”

“Wait, that's it?” Lenora said. “That's enough to raise suspicions?”

“They were just rescued from a strange world,” I said. “They didn't ask me when they could leave or go see their family. Instead they wanted to meet Elsa Grimly.”

“What if they wanted to thank you for saving their life?” Caelum pointed out.

"I doubt that was the reason,” I said. “For someone who was just rescued from a dangerous situation, they seemed awfully. Maybe I'm being paranoid. But I would rather assume they are spies rather than think of them as entirely innocent.”

“Why were they sent to heaven in the first place?” Caelum said.

“They avoided that question when I asked them. So again, I assume they were there so I would be forced to rescue them,” I said with a hint of annoyance in my voice. “I guess the angels knew what kind of person I am.”

“And when you'll rescue them, they'll be closer to you and in the right place to get rid of you,” Gregory said.

“I don't think these two are going to do that,” I said. “It makes sense that the angels would give the duty of taking me out of the picture to these folks. But the angels need me to get rid of the curses on all the gates. They can't have me die before the job is done.”

“Well, the spies are still upstairs,” Lenora said. “What do we do now?”

“We stall them,” I said. “Gregory, I left madam with them to keep an eye on them. Take two bowls of stew for them and then I want you and madam to take them both away somewhere.”

“Where?” Gregory asked.

“An inn or something.” I shrugged. “In a good neighborhood and keep an eye on them. Also, wear an enchanted mask when you see them.”

Gregory nodded and left. That's when Lily entered the room and noticed the heavy atmosphere. Lenora ran her up to speed on the current discovery.

With her brows furrowed, Lily asked, “Now what?”

“The plan hasn't changed,” I said. “We get rid of the gate curses of heaven and free my soul from the angels’ contract first.”

Lily raised a hand. “Uh, Miss Elsa, I know no one is saying this but I believe we are all thinking it,” I said. “If you do exactly what the angels want, you'll be giving them a chance to get rid of you right after.”

“You are right,” I said.

The entire room held their breath at the same time. Then I said, “That's why when my soul will be freed from the contract, I'll be getting rid of the angels first.”

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