-Visitors
In my previous world, I lived an unhappy life because of a wicked man named Samir, and though I tried to take revenge, I failed.
After being reborn in a new world, there was only one thing I wanted to know.
If this was a parallel world, would Samir exist here as well?
In my previous life, the goal of my existence had been to kill Samir.
That alone kept me alive.
If Samir existed in this world too, then my goal in life here would not change either.
‘Samir must die.’
Samir, the leader of a cult, had created an isolated community cut off from society, and there he raised all his followers into brainwashed monsters.
It was a religion whose doctrine was to destroy and bring down the world.
Samir constantly brainwashed his followers, telling them they could obtain eternal life by causing calamities.
My parents gave birth to me within that community. Every moment I spent there was so horrific I did not even want to remember it.
From the moment I was born, I could not escape Samir’s grasp, but back then, Samir’s power had not yet grown enough for him to ignore the government, so we were able to attend elementary and middle school outside the community as part of compulsory education.
Because our egos had been twisted by Samir’s brainwashing, we were constantly mocked by the ordinary children at school.
When I returned from school, I had to undergo the ritual of calamity to have my brain washed clean again.
Even so, I liked school. I liked being able to meet people from outside the cult.
My soul was in tatters, but in the end, Samir could not completely brainwash me.
Only when I turned seventeen was I able to set fire to the communal village and escape.
A great fire broke out. When the fire I had started created the risk of exposing the community to the outside world, the cult leader simply poured oil over the place.
All I had wanted was for Samir to die, but he did not die. He merely disappeared.
‘I have to find him and kill him with my own hands.’
Killing Samir had begun as nothing more than personal revenge, but little by little, it became a mission.
Because the great fire brought the cult into the public eye, Samir became a fugitive hunted by the government.
Samir vanished, but the seeds he had sown—his followers—scattered in all directions and brought all kinds of calamities upon the world.
I knew very well that those calamities were the work of Samir and his followers. They were all acts of destruction carried out according to their doctrine.
I had to stop them. By killing Samir, I had to prevent the end of the world.
Even if it meant becoming a monster among monsters. With my own hands.
Suddenly, something pitch-black came flying toward me at high speed.
I had been standing by the window, lost in thought. I hurriedly stepped back from the window.
At that instant, a black shadow shot through the open window.
Caw!
Caw!
‘Crows……?’
There were two crows. The crows landed quietly on the desk.
One on the laptop, the other on the grimoire. Their attitude was so natural it was as if they had walked into their own home.
‘Why would crows come into a human’s house without the slightest fear?’
I was dumbfounded. I stared at the crows in utter bewilderment. The crows met my eyes and looked straight at me.
Caw!
Caw!
All of a sudden, my forehead grew hot. A wave rose from my heart, and energy gathered between my brows.
At that moment, something strange happened.
[Where have you been?]
[We’ve been looking for you all this time.]
I could understand the crows. It was not a sound I heard with my ears, but words seeping into my head.
Should I call it voice transmission? In any case, I understood their meaning naturally.
‘Ha! In this world, even crows talk.’
Having been deeply immersed in memories of my previous life, the appearance of the crows reminded me anew that this was a new world.
After zombies, now even crows could talk, so I could not help but be surprised, but first, I focused on what they were saying.
Where had I been? The crows spoke as if they knew me very well.
“You know me?”
I asked the crows without thinking. Since I did not know how to send voice transmissions like them, I simply spoke aloud in the ordinary way.
[What?]
[What are you talking about?]
They seemed quite flustered. Their faces were so identical I could barely tell them apart, and they were making the exact same expression.
In any case, the meaning in their round black eyes was simple.
What on earth was I talking about? In other words, these fellows and I were very well acquainted.
[Oudin. What’s wrong with you?]
[Did you hurt your head or something?]
[Why are you suddenly pretending not to know us?]
[We’re Hugin and Munin.]
My name was O Ujin. But the crow had said “Oudin.”
At first, I wondered if the crow’s tongue was short and its pronunciation was slurred, but then I abruptly realized that these crows were not speaking by moving their tongues, but by sending voice transmissions.
In other words, my name in this world was “Oudin.”
What was even more important was that the crows had said their names were “Hugin” and “Munin.”
‘My name is Oudin? Don’t tell me—Odin?’
I was someone whose educational background, having only graduated middle school, was nothing to boast about.
But even with my limited knowledge, I knew that Odin was a god from Norse mythology.
And that Odin’s two crows were named Hugin and Munin.
In truth, I knew it well because the setting of the only game I had ever played in my life was Norse mythology.
All at once, Father Bruno came to mind. The man who had saved me when I was sleeping on the streets after escaping the cult.
If there were things I knew or had experienced about the lives of ordinary people, they were all things Father Bruno had given me. Games were the same.
‘You’ve never played a game before? Then try this one. You should live while trying the things other people do.’
When Father Bruno’s gentle smile and eyes came to mind, hot rage flared up in my chest once more.
The one who had taken Father Bruno from me was also that bastard Samir.
The bastard who destroyed my entire world.
In that instant, my forehead grew hot again, as if it were blazing.
[Oudin, what’s wrong?]
[Are you really feeling unwell?]
The crows were worried about me. I looked at them and steadied myself.
This was another world. What I needed right now was not rage, but to understand this world.
“Hugin, Munin. Why would I not know you? Of course I know you.”
When I responded appropriately, the crows let out sighs of relief.
[You were joking, right? Whew, I thought something had happened.]
[I really thought you’d hurt your head or something. We came home and found you gone, too…….]
As I listened to them, I thought of the crows from Norse mythology.
Odin’s crows told Odin news of the world, and played the role of aiding memory and wisdom.
If these fellows served the same role, then they would likely be quite useful to me now.
Within my consciousness, another self—probably the self of this world’s mage named Oudin—had seeped in, but its memories were not complete.
I thought I should receive the crows’ help in order to understand who I was.
I quietly laid some groundwork.
“That’s right. Actually, I think I did hurt my head a little. I had to jump out of a car and rolled on the ground a bit.”
[What? Why?]
[Seriously. What kind of action scene was that?]
“I was kidnapped out of nowhere. Of course, I got out without anything happening.”
[What? What kind of bastards kidnapped Oudin?]
[Good heavens! They must have guts bigger than their bellies!]
Seeing the crows make such a noisy fuss, even flapping their wings, it seemed Oudin being kidnapped was quite an unlikely occurrence.
It was not a bad reaction. It probably meant Oudin was that strong.
I felt better. And it was not only my mood. As I talked with the crows, I even felt a cool sensation between my brows.
My sight brightened, and the golden vision of my right eye shone clearly.
Just then, footsteps came from outside. They were footsteps climbing the outdoor stairs leading to the rooftop room.
Soon, the footsteps stopped in front of the entrance. Then came the sound of someone carefully knocking on the door.
‘Who is it? They must have come looking for Oudin, not me. What should I do……?’
I felt that adapting to this world as quickly as possible was the most urgent priority. For now, I had no choice but to face things head-on. I opened the front door.
Outside the door stood two men in black suits. One was in his twenties, the other in his thirties. Both were fairly sturdy in build, and their eyes were quite sharp.
“Ah, you were home.”
The older of the two opened his mouth. His tone was cautious.
Since I did not know who these people were, I did not speak and waited for a moment.
Caw!
Caw!
[As expected, it’s the Hall of Magic people again.]
[I thought they might just skip today.]
The crows gave me a hint.
I could tell that these were people from the “Hall of Magic,” and that this was not the first or second time they had come looking for me like this.
But what exactly was the “Hall of Magic”?
“What brings you here so late at night?”
I asked. I thought it was a safe enough question, but the men looked at me in surprise.
It seemed there was something awkward about my attitude.
“Ah, well……. Have you given it some thought?”
“No.”
This time, I answered informally. For some reason, I suddenly felt that I should.
Judging by the men’s cautious attitude, I guessed they were the ones in need.
When I spoke informally, the surprise faded from the man’s expression. It seemed this was how Oudin usually acted after all.
“There has been a change in the conditions. If you attend the tournament, not only will we restore your qualifications as a Hall mage, but we will also consider promoting you to a member of the board…….”
“That’s enough. Go back. I said get lost!”
In that instant, harsh words burst from my mouth. A fierce anger welled up inside me without my knowing.
And after that, I was secretly flustered myself.
‘Wait, I don’t think this emotion is mine……?’
This was probably Oudin’s emotion, but for the moment, I could not control it. My nerves were on edge, as if someone were scraping my brain with an iron stylus.
“Please don’t be like that. Think about it in a more forward-looking way. As you know, Master Mage, the atmosphere these days really is not normal…….”
The man could not finish speaking. Because I slammed the front door shut right in front of his nose.