Chapter 59….The Sorcerer
The next day, as soon as dawn broke, Bella searched the entire village and eventually found Chai. Fortunately, since he was one of the few outsiders in this village, locating him wasn’t too difficult.
“Chai. Here, take this.”
“What’s this?”
Chai, who had come down to the first floor of the inn to spread jam on some bread, widened his eyes as he watched Bella stride in so boldly.
Bella placed the documents on the table with a commanding presence, but Chai couldn’t tear his gaze away from her.
“It’s a contract. Because this is a deal, a verbal agreement won’t hold any weight. Now, please sign here.”
Bella took a pen from her bag and handed it to him. Chai hesitated, unable to hide his embarrassment, and didn’t immediately take the pen. Then, realizing belatedly that he was still in Hayden Hope’s body, he awkwardly accepted the pen from Bella.
“I can… ah, I can hold the pen. So I just… sign like this?”
“Yes. Perfect. Now, there’s one thing we need to check first. If you keep occupying the body like this, couldn’t the original soul die?”
Bella snatched the signed document and held it high with a very satisfied expression. Then, naturally sitting down beside Chai, she bit into a large piece of bread as if it were hers. Chai quietly watched her, and instinctively passed her some jam.
For Chai, being able to hand Bella something she needed was overwhelming. Bella, however, seemed completely unaware of it.
“That said, since I haven’t directly interacted with her, her spirit is relatively strong, and she’s more receptive to me. Even without prior contact, she saw me,” Chai explained.
Bella pouted slightly at Chai’s words.
“Not me?”
“Jealous, perhaps?”
Chai asked with an innocent expression. Bella exhaled in exasperation and quickly stuffed some bread into her mouth.
“Not at all. Let’s catch a carriage and go, then.”
“To where?”
Chai followed Bella like a tamed fox as she stood up abruptly. Outside the inn, Bella waved her hand at a carriage approaching along the main road, signaling her intent to board.
“Where else? You want to lift a curse, right? Let’s start at a place worth hearing about first—the sorcerer’s village.”
The carriage stopped in front of them, sending up a cloud of dust. Bella smiled at Chai as she looked back, and Chai stared at that smile for a moment, dazed. Though they had just completed the contract, he hadn’t expected Bella to prioritize him before her own business. It felt like walking in a dream as she led him onto the carriage.
Entering the astrologer’s village, rows of willow trees stretched along the path, giving off a damp, slightly chilly atmosphere. Chai instinctively tensed, pulling Bella close to him.
“How do you even know about a place like this?”
“Well, there are ways,” Bella replied.
“But it doesn’t look like the place welcomes us.”
The atmosphere was indeed unfriendly. If they lingered too long here, Hayden Hope’s soul could be overwhelmed by Chai. More concerningly, everyone outside the tents was watching them with wary eyes. But Bella shrugged cheerfully, as if used to such stares.
“Probably so. Alright, Chai, you go from there to here; I’ll go from there to here. Let’s start.”
“Start what?”
Bella pointed to a path on the left. Chai tilted his head, unsure what she meant.
“We’ll catch each person one by one and ask! Don’t tell me you’re too shy to do it.”
“I don’t want to be apart from you,” Chai muttered, lowering the corners of his eyes.
Bella almost gave in to his charm but quickly shook her head vigorously.
“…Fine! I can’t resist your temptations!”
Then she bolted, and Chai watched her round-eyed before letting out a soft laugh. Unfortunately, the villagers scattered into their tents as soon as Chai turned to ask about the curse.
“Are you here?”
Inside one of the tents, Bella boldly summoned the astrologer. The astrologer scanned Bella from head to toe and asked gruffly,
“What brings you here?”
Bella couldn’t help but wonder—shouldn’t someone skilled in astrology at least have an idea why she came? She narrowed her eyes slightly at the astrologer.
“Hmm, what do you think you’re here for?”
“Are you testing me?”
The astrologer slammed the small desk and shouted, but Bella bowed politely without flinching.
“No, not at all.”
Leaving that tent, Bella moved from one to the next, asking the same question, but received no clear answers. Everyone tried to extort something from her, threaten her, or scare her. Slightly weary, Bella entered the next tent and repeated the same words like a parrot.
“Are you here?”
Inside, everything was neat and quiet. The astrologer, an elderly woman, slowly opened her eyes as she sensed Bella approaching. A clear bowl of water was set before her.
“Don’t expect to hear what you want here.”
“Do you know what I want to hear, ma’am?”
Bella perked up at this unusual remark and sat opposite the astrologer. The astrologer lit a candle by the water and closed her eyes again. Bella was about to speak when the astrologer spoke first.
“You want to ask about the curse, right? About that monster beside you.”
“…Monster?”
Bella felt a shiver run down her spine and glanced around the tent nervously.
“What else would you call a spirit that devours the living?”
“…”
Bella recognized Chai’s identity. She swallowed dryly, ready to pay close attention. This was serious. Her heart raced at the thought of obtaining a clue.
The astrologer opened her eyes and stared at Bella’s violet eyes, as if peering into her soul.
“You’re deeply bewitched. Or how did a lucky girl like you fall for something like that?”
“My fortune isn’t that great,” Bella replied.
“Hah, you’ve been lucky enough to survive against that spirit. Lucky, indeed. Now, take this as payment.”
The astrologer sprinkled ash onto the clear water and pointed at something. It was the pen Bella had tucked in her pocket.
“This is just a pen,” Bella said.
“We can’t refuse payment entirely. You must give something, and she wants this pen.”
“Who wants it?”
Perplexed, Bella handed the pen over. The astrologer took it and nodded.
“Let’s see… your mother passed away long ago, your father recently, and there’s the scent of the North on you.”
“…”
The astrologer continued to recount Bella’s life story, clapping her hands and exhaling once she seemed satisfied.
“Ah! Now I understand why you protected that spirit so fiercely. I’ll stake my neck on this.”
Despite the threatening words, the astrologer smiled gently. Bella, unnerved, rubbed her goosebump-covered arms repeatedly. She recognized the feeling—similar to when she connected with Chai’s spirit.
“If you’re scared, you don’t have to speak. I can find out by other means.”
“If an astrologer fears life and death and doesn’t save life, she will be punished. Yes, you’re curious about the curse. You want to lift it, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll tell you just one thing. Do you know who the kingdom’s greatest sorcerer is?”
The astrologer asked as kindly as a grandmother reading a storybook. Bella hesitated for a moment, then answered the enigmatic astrologer.
“Hmm… is it you, ma’am?”
The astrologer shook her head gently, replying calmly,
“It’s the royal family.
