Seeing the elegant, lavishly dressed stranger before him, Ian felt a touch of inevitable nervousness.
Although he had the talent to enter the Blurry Realm, he had encountered only two people in this world so far.
This woman was the third.
This was the world of the dead.
Who knew what kind of past or status she had?
"Who are you?"
Ian quietly readied himself to run.
At Ian's question, the young woman raised an eyebrow.
"That poor girl went with your wandering friend to search for the ridiculous Golden Apple. There's no way a place like this could have a Golden Apple."
Her words carried a clear note of mockery.
Wandering friend?
Ian quickly realized that the person this mysterious young woman meant was another of his friends. Like Ariana, this friend was a wandering soul.
Pendro Natger.
A very ordinary name. He was a boy full of passion for adventure, which was probably why the mysterious woman before him called him a "wanderer."
Even in Limbo, Pendro had tirelessly explored this world for many, many years. As he put it, he had lost track of time.
Though he was a soul who had lived for at least a thousand years, his face had miraculously remained that of a boy of about fifteen. Perhaps that was one of the wonders of Limbo. According to Ariana, who was in this world too, Pendro had already looked that young when she first met him.
Ian wondered if Pendro had offended the mysterious woman before him.
Were they close?
What kind of relationship did they have?
Ian couldn't suppress his curiosity.
He didn't know much about Pendro Natger. His impression of his friend was that he had the wisdom of an elder and the high spirits of a boy.
And that he could be a little silly at times.
Pendro didn't seem to be a character from the original story. Ian had never heard the name, whether in history or in anything he knew about the original.
What sort of obsession could have kept Pendro Natger in the Blurry Realm for so many years?
And an expedition like "searching for the Golden Apple" really did sound like something Pendro would do. Bringing Ariana along as a companion was just his style, too.
Ian remembered Pendro once taking his five-year-old self along, brimming with excitement as he said they were going to find Herpo the Foul, the most infamous Dark Wizard in the wizarding world.
Me?
Five years old?
Going after Herpo the Foul?
Whenever Ian thought about it, it still seemed absurd.
"Is this Golden Apple the same one from the fairy tales I know?"
Looking at the elegant young woman in the black dress, Ian tried to make himself sound as respectful as possible. He also tried to use his youth to put on an innocent expression.
"Something all show and no substance. Do you expect the Golden Apple Tree to blossom in this world?" The noblewoman continued to mock him, looking at Ian as if he were an idiot.
"I cut down the last apple tree while I was still alive. And besides, there can't be a Golden Apple in the Blurry Realm." The woman sounded certain.
"Are there Golden Apples in the living world?"
Ian was taken aback.
Just then, the mysterious young woman turned her head. Her stunning face suddenly drew close to Ian's, and she even took two steps toward him. The scent of roses washed over him.
Ian quickly stepped back.
The mysterious young woman was simply too intimidating, whether it was her presence or something else.
"What do you think a fairy tale is? Do wizards count?"
At that question,
Ian was rendered speechless.
Looking at Ian,
the mysterious young woman suddenly laughed.
"Though you really are a fool, as dull-witted as a little pig, you're the one who's different." She lifted a fair finger and pointed toward a castle, barely visible in the distant woods.
"If you want to learn magic, come find me there."
Following the direction of her finger, Ian saw the castle, its facade weathered by time, old and gloomy. He immediately understood.
So this was the witch from the castle Ariana had often mentioned!
Just as he thought.
His urge to run hadn't come from cowardice! It was a wizard's instinct! Yes! That had to be it... a natural ability to sense powerful wizards!
"What would I have to give in return?"
Ian had found a way to justify himself. Faced with the mysterious witch's invitation, he was cautious. There was no such thing as a free lunch.
"Hmm?"
The witch looked at Ian in surprise. She even circled him, her black robe gliding over the dirt.
Yet it didn't pick up a speck of grime.
"It seems you still don't know how special you are..."
The witch gave a mocking laugh.
Then,
her expression changed again.
"Still, for someone so young to understand the rules of the wizarding world means your dullness is only temporary. That's not a bad thing in the living world."
The witch stopped and looked into Ian's eyes.
"If you truly want to follow the principle of equivalent exchange, then bring my magic mirror back to me."
After she said this, Ian saw a hint of remembrance in her beautiful eyes. But her tone soon turned cold again.
The look of nostalgia vanished without a trace.
"Find my mirror and bring it to me... You'll learn the most powerful magic from me."
"A mirror?"
Ian frowned, confused.
The witch didn't answer, only giving him a smile full of meaning.
"Actually, even if you don't find the mirror, you can still come to me to learn." She smiled mysteriously, and Ian couldn't tell if she was trying to scare him.
"After all, I do like teasing little boys."
Her words sounded rather wicked.
As soon as the witch finished speaking,
Ian felt that his time was up. In his last glimpse, he saw the elegant witch quietly watching as he slowly turned transparent and disappeared.
With the sound of their conversation gone,
the whole town fell silent once more.
The witch's expression slowly turned despondent. She turned and walked along the cobbled path in her high heels, entering the quiet forest and returning to her castle.
The castle stood in a clearing in the forest, vines winding around its tall walls of gray stone. The walls bore the mottled marks of age, and sharp spires pierced the cloud-choked sky.
The weather here
was the exact opposite of the town's.
It was gloomy and oppressive. Yet when she pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside, she found the castle's splendid interior: a carved marble table stood in the middle of the spacious hall, covered with a bright red silk tablecloth. Gold-edged utensils lay scattered across it, while the blazing fire in the hearth cast shadows of exquisite murals on the walls.
The stories of knights and princesses in the paintings seemed to come alive in the firelight.
The witch walked gracefully. The moment she entered the castle, everything around her began to work by itself.
Candles lit one by one. A tablecloth floated down from the air and spread itself over the table. The utensils arranged themselves neatly, and all kinds of food floated out of the kitchen on plates, flying in orderly fashion to the dining table.
Among them was a little pig, roasted until golden and glistening.
The witch glanced at it. She had been silent until then, but suddenly murmured, "I've already seen one stupid pig today. I don't want to see another."
The little pig flew back to the kitchen, and soon a little lamb followed the same path to the dining table.
The clothes on the witch's body shimmered with unseen magic, becoming spotless and neat. She didn't eat. Instead, she slowly walked to the bedroom.
"Mirror, mirror, who is the fairest woman in the world..."
In the empty room, the witch seemed to be talking to herself. Sitting before the dressing table, which was missing its mirror, she murmured in a voice tinged with self-mockery and complicated feelings.