It was unknown how much time had passed, but Lance slowly woke up, and his vision gradually returned.
‘Is this… a ceiling?’
His mind was still hazy as he identified the scene before him, but why would there be a ceiling in the Underground Labyrinth? A wooden one, at that?
“Are you awake?”
A soft female voice reached his ears, startling him. He hurriedly tried to roll over and stand up.
After issuing the command in his mind, Lance did not stand up as imagined. Instead, he began spinning wildly in the air.
The objects in his sight blurred past as space itself felt utterly disjointed.
“Oh my… what are you doing?”
As she finished speaking, a peculiar force tugged at Lance’s drifting soul and pinned it in place, stopping his rotation.
Lance was familiar with this force. Wasn’t this the same power that had just forcibly dragged him through the Wooden Door?!
Alarm bells rang in his mind as Lance focused his gaze in the direction of the voice.
A petite figure wearing a giant wizard’s hat came into view. Just one look was enough to throw Lance into a panic.
The girl sat at a desk by the window. Soft, natural light filtered in, casting a glow over her long, silver hair and lending her an air of holiness and tranquility.
Her face, however, was a stark contrast to her cool aura.
Her amber eyes were full of warmth, and a faint smile played on the corners of her lips.
She made one instinctively want to open their heart and share their academic troubles with her…
Yet, none of these were the true reason for Lance’s panic. The real cause lay on her gold-trimmed robes!
Decorative-looking gilded patterns were embroidered across the girl’s chest, forming four rings that appeared exceptionally mysterious.
‘A… a Witch?!’
Lance was shaken to his core as he realized he was in deep trouble.
The four-ring pattern was famous—or rather, infamous. It was the symbol of the Witch’s Hermitage, an organization wanted by all the major Churches!
The Churches’ stance toward suspected members of the Witch’s Hermitage was surprisingly consistent: they would rather kill an innocent person by mistake than let a member go!
Although Lance had zero faith in the gods of this world and remained skeptical of the Churches’ propaganda, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe that the wanted Witches were entirely innocent.
“Oh? You recognize me?”
Seeing Lance’s pupils dilate in shock, the amber-eyed Witch asked with interest.
A pale hand emerged from her robes and pointed toward him. A streak of pale gold light shot toward Lance.
It hit him before he could even react. Suddenly, Lance felt his body was no longer ethereal; it was as if he had regained his physical form.
Belatedly, Lance raised his hand to block, only to freeze.
The hand he raised was not a skeletal one; it was his original long-fingered hand, callouses and all.
He instinctively touched his face. What he felt was no longer a hard, cold surface.
‘Am I human again?’
“No. I’ve simply fashioned a false body for you here.”
Lance: !
‘What is this? Mind reading?!’
The Witch didn’t answer. She simply picked up a white porcelain teacup and took a gentle sip.
“Sit down. Let’s talk.”
As soon as she spoke, Lance’s vision shifted. In an instant, he found himself sitting properly on the other side of the desk.
After a moment’s hesitation, Lance asked cautiously, “Who are you?”
“I am Falia. And you?”
The petite Witch smiled. Her amber eyes remained fixed on Lance, watching him quietly.
Lance remained silent. He didn’t really want to give her his name.
According to the Churches’ propaganda, Witches were demons who enjoyed torturing living beings through curses.
It was dangerous for a Witch to even know your name!
Seeing that Lance would not answer, the petite Witch did not get angry. She gave a faint smile and took another sip of tea before speaking again.
“Lance Fallos… or [Name]?”
When he heard those three words, Lance’s pupils constricted!
That was his real name from before he transmigrated! It was his greatest secret!
“How do you know that?!”
“Haha, don’t be nervous. I mean you no harm.”
“I just took a look at your memories. After all, when a guest visits, the host has to do a little screening… right?”
‘Right, my foot! I was forcibly dragged in here!’
Lance mentally denounced the Witch’s shameless explanation.
He was both shocked and furious, but he suddenly realized she could read minds and hurriedly reined in his disrespectful thoughts.
Unease gradually welled up in his heart… Why had she dragged him in?
“There, there, don’t be so tense. I was sleeping soundly, not even wearing any clothes, when you barged in.”
“I’m a victim too!”
Lance: ???
‘Why does that sound so strange?’
Seeing Lance’s odd expression, the petite Witch chuckled and said, “Your memories are very interesting, and I’m not one to take things for free.”
“How about this: you may ask me one question. Anything at all. As long as I know the answer, I will tell you the truth.”
“The truth?”
Lance hesitated, unable to figure out what the Witch was up to.
“Hmm? That question…”
“I didn’t have time to put them on because of your sudden intrusion.”
The Witch glanced down at her chest and then even lower, putting on a troubled expression.
Lance didn’t understand at first. He was confused for a second, then realization dawned.
His face flushed red, and he suddenly slammed the table and stood up, shouting, “Who asked you about that?!”
Seeing Lance’s reaction, the Witch pulled down the brim of her hat. She couldn’t suppress her laughter anymore and let out a snicker.
She clutched her stomach and laughed for a long while before finally looking up, wiping a tear from her eye, and clearing her throat.
“All right, all right, I’ll stop teasing you. As compensation, you can ask me one question, but only one.”
“I should tell you first that all those old fossils at the Academy of Sages combined might not be as knowledgeable as I am. So, you’d better treasure this opportunity.”
Lance was skeptical. The Academy of Sages was a powerful organization with significant influence in the North Continent, and its Seven Speakers were recognized across the North and South Continents for their vast knowledge.
This Witch looked to be only 16 or 17 years old. Her boast was truly arrogant.
However, the girl remained calm. A slight curve touched her lips as she quietly waited for Lance’s question.
Her composed demeanor made Lance wonder. What if?
Thinking carefully, Lance felt the blood flowing through his veins.
The warmth of his body was a sharp contrast to the icy chill of his previous Skeleton form.
His eyes sharpened. This was it! This was what he wanted to know!
“Do you know of a way to turn a Skeleton back into a human?”
The petite Witch’s expression turned serious as she wiped away her smile.
She said solemnly, “For an ordinary Skeleton, there is no way…”
Hearing this, the spark of hope that had just ignited in Lance’s heart was instantly extinguished. He lowered his head. ‘So that’s how it is?’
“But you are no ordinary Skeleton. Therefore, there are many ways to achieve this.”
Her voice, which was clearly struggling to suppress laughter, reached him.
Lance snapped his head up to see a bright, grinning face.
How could he not realize he had been played again?
However, since he was in her domain and needed her help, Lance could only force down his irritation and ask uncertainly, “You truly have a way?”
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