NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5 Part 19
“Thank you so, so much!”
The day after the festival ended—
Mayor Carter paid a visit to my house.
The moment I opened the door, he immediately bowed deeply at a full ninety degrees.
“Thanks to you, Sophie, this year’s attendance saw a huge increase! We even got media coverage, and it looks like next year’s Otherworld Festival will be even bigger!”
“I see. That’s good to hear.”
“Yeah, I was pretty nervous about how things would go this year, but you really saved us, Sophie.”
“Indeed… truly.”
Carter turned to look at me.
“So, um… what exactly happened to Meg? That…”
I was sprawled out on the sofa in the living room.
My body had gone completely limp, like a blob of slime, and I had no strength left.
Not only was my energy drained, but even my willpower had been completely sapped.
Sophie and Master, sitting nearby and sipping tea, looked at me with cold, unimpressed eyes.
“Tsk. This is the pitiful fate of a foolish witch who recklessly used too much magic without knowing her limits. She did the same thing when she opened the gate. Truly disgraceful, even though she’s my apprentice.”
“Zuberi is foolish. That is why she repeats the same mistakes.”
“Waaah! I can’t move at all!”
“Ahaha… looks like you’re in quite the predicament.”
Apparently, this is what happens when you overuse magic.
When I opened the gate, I just got a nosebleed and felt dizzy. But this time, the symptoms were different again.
It seemed that depending on the magic used, the side effects also varied.
What a troublesome thing.
As I lay there, completely exhausted, Sophie walked over and tapped my forehead lightly.
“Stop that…”
“It’s amusing.”
“Quit it already!”
“There’s nothing quite as entertaining as tormenting a defenseless person.”
“That’s not okay! Milady, you can’t do that! Waaah! Master, help me!”
“Curse your own lack of training.”
Master, saying that, then turned to Mayor Carter.
“So, Carter, what brings you here today?”
“Oh, uh, well, I came to express my gratitude for the other day…”
“That’s not all, is it? Don’t underestimate the Witch of Clairvoyance.”
“Ah… haha, I can never win against you, Lord Faust.”
Sophie and I exchanged glances at the sudden exchange.
Then, Carter took out a single sheet of paper from his chest pocket.
It wasn’t ordinary paper—it was parchment, made from animal skin.
“A request has been submitted to the special affairs division of the city administration.”
“A ‘contract,’ is it? That’s rare this year.”
—A contract.
Master had indeed said that.
In that instant, Sophie and I understood the situation.
After the Otherworld Festival ends, all beings from the other world must return to their own realm.
If they don’t, they won’t be able to maintain their physical form and will disappear within days.
To be precise, their existence itself would cease to be.
The inhabitants of the other world are fundamentally anomalies in this world—irregularities that should not exist here.
Once the gate connecting the worlds vanishes, this world no longer acknowledges their existence.
Beings unrecognized by the laws of reality are fated to vanish.
Their presence fades, people cease to perceive them, and eventually, they can no longer interact with the world at all.
They become ghosts in every sense of the word—unable to touch anything, unable to be acknowledged. They either starve to death or, if death is not an option, wander this world forever.
Those from the other world have no means to sustain themselves here.
That is why they only come to this world once a year for the festival, and once it’s over, they return to their own world.
However, there are times when someone wishes to remain.
For those individuals, a ‘contract’ is established.
The contract binds them with magical restrictions, limiting their actions and range of movement, ensuring they abide by this world’s rules.
At the same time, it forces the laws of this world to recognize their existence, allowing them to remain here.
“Apparently, a young woman from town fell in love with someone from the other world. They wish to live together here. And considering the parade situation, I figured I should personally bring this request to you.”
I realized it immediately.
It was Marie and Woof.
They wished to stay together in this world.
Master, as if reading my thoughts, turned to me.
“Meg, what do you think?”
“Huh?”
“You had a hand in this, didn’t you? Surely, you know something.”
“Uh, well, sort of…”
Carter, seemingly understanding, let out a chuckle.
“Ah, so that’s why. They wanted to thank you personally. I wasn’t sure what they meant, but perhaps I should have brought them along?”
“Whether they come or not, our job remains the same. If both parties consent, forming a contract isn’t difficult. But we can’t just grant contracts carelessly. There have been cases where impulsive couples later begged to break the contract. It’s not that simple. The contract has a set duration—they must stay in this world for at least a year. It requires a certain level of resolve. Do you think they have it?”
Just as I was about to answer, Sophie spoke first.
“They’ll be fine.”
“Sophie…”
She didn’t avert her gaze from Master.
Master stared at her for a moment, as if assessing something.
Tension filled the room, and Carter fidgeted uncomfortably.
Then, suddenly, Master let out a chuckle.
“If you say so, then it’s fine.”
A relaxed smile formed on her lips.
“Alright, let’s proceed with the contract. The witness will be—”
“I’ll do it.”
Sophie stood up.
“I want to be the witness.”
“Huh, that’s rare. Do you have a special attachment to those two?”
“Not really. I just felt like it.”
“I see. Well, I’m sure they’d be happy with you as the witness. Fine, it’s yours.”
Before I could process it, Sophie smoothly drew the contract spell onto the parchment and, with a small knife, pricked her finger to seal it with a blood imprint.
“In my name, I establish this contract here.”
With those words, two new lives were welcomed into this world.
And so, with the festival over, life in town returned to normal.
Yet, something had changed—just a little.
The girl who once despised magic had begun to accept it.
And I… had made a world-famous friend.
I found myself picturing next year’s festival.
Imagining myself within it.
And with that thought, I stepped back into my everyday life—just a little more resolved to keep living.