Chapter 70: The Mistbound Doll

The workshop was filled with silence.

Countless dolls and their parts were piled everywhere, deepening the tranquil atmosphere even further.

At the end of the workshop, under a window where sunlight poured in, a woman with a scowling face was sipping tea.

Her white hair shimmered, catching the light.

A cake was placed in front of her.

It was a carefully crafted dessert, made in the hope that it might improve her mood.

“I’ve prepared a soft and light dessert to match the tea you’re drinking.

I added some tangy flavor with raspberries, which will enhance the depth of the tea’s aroma.”

The woman sneered as she looked at it.

However, her hand subtly reached out, and she carved a small piece of the cake with her fork.

Putting it in her mouth, a hint of satisfaction appeared on her face.

I poured another cup of tea into her empty teacup.

She alternated between the cake and the tea, savoring the flavors.

Gradually, her expression began to soften.

“I’m glad you seem to like it,” I said as I sat down at the table.

She glanced at me and then filled her face with dissatisfaction again.

I poured tea into my own cup and smiled gently.

At least, she had calmed down quite a bit.

***

Three hours ago, when she had first awakened, I had genuinely feared for my life.

In the blink of an eye, mist had coiled around my neck.

I had expected some resistance, as everything wasn’t yet fully adjusted.

But I hadn’t anticipated her attacking me without a word.

Well, it wasn’t entirely unwarranted.

Her last memory of me must have been of abandonment—me leaving her behind.

Still, dealing with someone whose emotions were so transparent was a relief.

It reminded me of people I’d faced in the past: Miryeong, Myra, Hwaryoung, and others—schemers to the core.

She had a touch of cunning, but compared to them, it was mild.

At least her desires were clearly expressed, albeit in their purest form.

So, I had done my best to placate her mood.

As a result of sincere hospitality, the icy aura she exuded at first had slightly thawed.

It seemed like we were ready to talk.

Carefully, I opened my mouth to speak to her.

“I’m relieved. At least the professor granted permission for you to move freely now.”

“Yes, thanks to Irien… and not you.”

She glared at me as she spoke.

Her eyes still burned with anger directed at me.

I needed to ease that fury somehow.

Thinking for a moment, I looked at her intently.

“Would you believe me if I told you this was all part of my plan?”

“This was your plan? To abandon me without hesitation and then bind me to this body?”

Her expression was incredulous, though tinged with curiosity.

She seemed slightly intrigued.

“Yes. I couldn’t control you. So I wasn’t sure if the professor would allow you to be brought out.”

“Hmm, go on,” she said, touching her teacup.

I sipped my tea before continuing.

“But it was clear the professor was watching us. So I fabricated a story—one that would appeal to the professor. The conclusion of that story deeply moved him. And so, he helped. He bound your essence to this body, placed you under my control, and allowed you to come outside.”

She stared at me intently.

I added with a slight smile, “Had I explained beforehand, the professor would’ve caught on. That’s why I left you in there.”

Her face, so similar to the professor’s, held a trace of doubt.

Something about my explanation unsettled her, though the anger in her eyes had softened considerably.

Yes, that’s how it happened.

Though most of it was a lie.

If not for the professor’s insistence, I wouldn’t have brought her out.

I drank my tea, recalling the situation.

I had retrieved her from the warehouse and approached the professor, only to get struck.

In truth, I had pondered a lot in that treasure trove.

Everything seemed to be following a predetermined path.

The mist heart conveniently being there, its favorable disposition toward me, and the subsequent cooperation—it all felt orchestrated.

Why had events unfolded this way? Likely because of the professor’s intentions.

It was his command that led me inside, after all.

I guessed he had guided me to choose her.

Perhaps she was a fitting match for me, or perhaps she was an item the professor deemed suitable to hand over.

So, I ran.

I didn’t want to play into his designs.

Of course, she had lamented the mist heart’s fate and forced me to take it.

In front of her, I had grumbled endlessly, claiming it was too much for me to handle.

Deep down, I knew this outcome was inevitable.

No matter what I did, I would end up with the mist heart.

Once she decided, there was no escaping it.

But the process mattered.

If I had simply brought her out, the professor wouldn’t have listened to me.

That would’ve been my choice alone.

However, since she had forced it upon me, she bore some responsibility.

This gave me room to voice my concerns.

***

After taking a few hits from the professor, I eventually got his help.

Through that process, the mist heart inside the doll fully fused with her body.

I tamed it with magic—a meticulous task that took an entire month.

That’s how the woman before me was completed.

She carried such lifelike vitality that it was hard to believe she was a doll.

The harmony created with the mist heart was astounding.

Through the wood, I felt a strong connection to it.

As long as her heart was confined to that body, she couldn’t harm me.

Of course, the same applied to me.

Its overwhelming power made it difficult to enforce commands without pouring a significant amount of magic.

Maintaining a good relationship with her was essential.

“So, what should I call you? It feels a bit odd to keep referring to you as ‘you.'”

“Call me whatever you like,” she replied, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes.

I smiled.

I already had a name in mind, one that suited her perfectly.

“Then I’ll call you Ansim.”

“…No. I’ll decide. Let’s discuss it later,” she said, her eyes snapping open to glare at me.

The contempt and irritation in her gaze dampened my spirits a little.

I thought it was a good name.

“I chose it to reflect the core of the mist heart, ‘Ansim’—”

“Stop.”

She exhaled a mist that sealed my lips.

I nodded quietly.

If she didn’t like it, there was nothing I could do.

***

Zero approached us, holding a clock and pointing outside.

Looking out the window, I saw many students gathered there.

The lecture time was fast approaching.

That was also why she had been awakened, even though her adjustments weren’t fully complete.

I had to enter that space, too.

‘Without her, who knew what horrors the Eye would inflict on me?’

“Shall we get moving? The lecture is about to start,” I said.

She gave a slight nod and began to slowly sip her tea.

It was quite some time before she put her cup down.

“Hmph, let’s go,” she said, rising with a disgruntled motion.

Then, she swiftly exited the workshop.

Zero patted me on the back.

I gave a wry smile in response to his attempt at comfort.

Somehow, it felt like I had gained another superior to serve.

Perhaps it was because her face resembled the professor’s so much.

Slowly, I got up.

I needed to head over and give the lecture about the treasure to the students.

Following the path she had taken, I started walking.

***

The lecture went smoothly.

Within the mist exuded by the Mist Heart, I sold the dolls.

The specters wandered inside before eventually dispersing.

The atmosphere was perfectly safe, allowing the students to accumulate small amounts of points.

Of course, I didn’t let the mist grow too thick.

I designed it to feel more like a barrier—subtle enough not to draw attention.

The other students had already encountered the Mist Heart’s mist once before.

Some might grow suspicious.

They didn’t need to know I had obtained the treasure.

The experience with the Mirror Beetle taught me that excessive treasures only invite excessive interest.

It was better for this woman to be perceived as just a slightly powerful and unusual doll.

A strange sensation, akin to being underwater, enveloped my body.

It was similar to what I’d felt before, inside her form.

This space was crafted using the power extracted from the Eye.

Because of that, the Eye was much weaker than what I’d faced before.

Even so, it was strong enough to challenge the students.

The professor had intentionally lowered the difficulty.

I’d thought dealing with treasures had been oddly manageable, and this explained why.

If the Eye had been at its full strength, it would have devoured the students instantly.

Compared to its form in the warehouse, it now seemed almost… cute.

Of course, that didn’t mean I could handle it.

The Eye stared at me, its gaze brimming with hostility.

I subtly hid behind the doll sitting next to me and gave the Eye a sly smile.

The Eye was enraged but didn’t attack us.

It seemed wary of the Mist Heart.

The woman, ignoring the Eye entirely, was gazing elsewhere.

She pointed a finger in a specific direction.

“I like that one,” she said.

Following her gaze, I saw Cassian moving among the specters, cutting them down with his sword.

Each swing turned the specters into ash.

The woman clicked her tongue as she watched Cassian.

Mid-swing, Cassian shuddered.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if I could take that body? It was delightful the last time I possessed it,” she said.

Cassian, scanning his surroundings, eventually locked eyes with us on the hill.

Though the light mist blurred the view, she looked directly at us.

Cassian blinked at the doll sitting beside me.

The doll waved at her, and Cassian returned the wave before quickly moving away.

“What a shame,” the doll muttered, swallowing her frustration.

I glanced at the doll.

The Mist Heart had fused with her body perfectly.

If her form were destroyed, the heart would suffer significant damage as well.

If she hadn’t been bound like this, she would’ve attacked Cassian immediately and taken his body.

To prevent that, I had bound her in this form, ensuring she couldn’t escape my control.

The Eye didn’t need to concern itself with us at all.

The Mist Heart, confined within the doll’s body, had clear limitations.

Too much exertion would undoubtedly cause it to break.

Enhancing her output would require better materials to reinforce her body.

And as the Mist Heart mentioned earlier, human bodies were ideal.

Of course, such a thing couldn’t be done at the academy.

Adding another treasure to her body would have been wonderful, but there was no way the professor would allow it.

***

I idly observed the scene before me.

This lecture had been a great success.

Most of the students gradually succumbed to the Eye’s assault.

Surprisingly, a few managed to withstand its power—not enough to face the Eye directly, but enough to escape its clutches.

These were the results of their steady growth over time.

They had done their best to obtain the treasure.

Unfortunately, they ran out of time and ultimately failed.

Thus, the treasure hunt concluded.

It was the 16th lecture.

That meant four lectures remained.

And, as always, I would need to retrieve the treasures for those sessions.

I had barely managed to extract the Eye using other treasures.

That process also brought out the Mist Heart.

I gave a bitter smile.

‘What would the professor have me retrieve next?’ I had no clue.

A strong sense of dread filled me, and that fear became reality.

The first treasure had been easy to retrieve.

I had moved quickly before it awakened.

The second involved negotiation, as the treasure had clear intelligence.

In the end, I secured cooperation by offering some minor concessions.

The third was the real problem.

That treasure was intensely hostile.

I had to scrape together every bit of strength to extract it, much like the Eye.

As for the fourth, I couldn’t even think about touching it.

I ended up rolling around the warehouse until I finally escaped.

Failing to retrieve it on time, I was punished by the professor—and so was the Mist Heart.

It took quite a bit of effort to appease her.

Somehow, the four lectures came to an end.

Thus concluded the treasure-hunting course.

It was five years after I’d entered the academy.