When we finally got to eat lunch, it was utterly pathetic, being essentially just rations. I guess I should've expected this considering the entire kitchen's staff revolted. The school… well, it had definitely taken some damage, but nothing too serious. Still, the place was a mess by the time the students were allowed outside of their dorms again. Broken windows and furniture, scattered papers, cracked and burnt spots on the floors, but nothing structural.

A bonus was that the password on the Slytherin dorms was changed before that Gringly left to the parallel plane, and to a pretty funny thing too. The password was now "House Elves Rulz", which Snape had desperately tried to change for hours before finally giving up. I guess whatever was done to the thing was too complex for him to unravel.

Things seemed to go back to normal over the next week, outside of the noticeable drop in the quality of the food. That, and apparently Dumbledore was away, likely to take care of bureaucracy to do with the house elf incident. I guessed that he needed new staff brought over and stuff, although I bet the government was in just as much of a scramble as the Hogwarts staff right now since house elves were used all over wizarding society up until my interference.

{{Master, I have finished.}} Hebi's voice rang in my head with no warning, right in the middle of a class with that idiot blond.

The fool was talking about some sort of 'Mummy Scorpion', whose sting can make you fear water enough that you dehydrate yourself. It was a cool enough bug to interest me, at least, even if it was Lockheart teaching about it.

Unfortunately, I didn't really have the time to see the demonstration of how it would hunt a mouse, so instead I got up and headed for the door. On the way I bumped into the teacher's desk, just to annoy him a bit, but otherwise, I'd be out of there and in the forest as fast as possible.

It startled the little creature enough to make it jump at the sorry excuse for a teacher and latch onto his face. Lockheart squealed as I assumed the scorpion stung him, and he started clawing at his own face.

The creature fell to the floor at his feet, but Lockheart kept on clawing, now at the inside of his own mouth and even at his eyes. This was obviously an effect of the venom, which made him fear even the moisture in his body.

As funny as this was, I thought it would be cruel to let these kids witness a man maim himself right in front of them.

I grabbed a nearby rope, conveniently placed, and tied the man's hands behind his back to stop him from hurting himself.

"Sebastian, take care of him," I ordered the boy who considered me his friend.

"Me!?"

"I need to go do something. Find a way to make him stop acting psychotic, you're smart enough to."

Then I left without saying anything else and nobody tried to stop me. I may have heard the sound of a slap as I walked out the door, but ignored it.

As I got to the exit gates of the courtyard, I ended up detecting a very large man right outside them. So I'd need to deal with Hagrid before actually getting out into the forest…

Knowing he could go out into the forest though, I came upon the idea of distracting him in some way so he didn't put himself in danger just to go out and find me.

I sighed deeply, not particularly liking the idea. So as I walked through the gate I put on my diplomatic smile. "Hey, big man!"

"Oi, what'cha doin' out 'ere, missy?"

"Uh… taking a nice walk."

"Don't tell me yer skippin' yer classes."

"No, I'm not missing anything, I promise."

With how that class with Lockheart was going… yeah, nope, I'm not missing a single thing. Well, maybe I was missing a bit of entertainment, but that didn't matter.

"So, where're you going, big man?"

"Ah. Back to me hut."

"Oh, then I guess I'll seeya around." I turned and started walking away.

"Wait there, lass. Maybe ya'd like ta come help with these farm animals I got? It is good for learnin. Lot'sa magical beasties."

I hesitated. I had a job to do, but at the same time, I was a little curious about these magical beasts Hagrid apparently had back at his 'hut'.

Sparing a bit of time for this should be fine. Hebi could wait a few hours, even if I was rushing at first.

"Sure, why not?"

"Alroight then, I gots sum new magic rabbit beasties, if ya like cute ones?"

"That's fine, got anything more dangerous? I like seeing 'beasties' with some real power behind 'em."

"Ohohoh. Well, these bunnies do got sum magics, but is hard for me to keep anythin' dangerous with da rules to worry bout."

"Oh really? What kinda magic do they got?"

…

I somehow ended up spending several hours keeping an eye on a rabbit that seemed to be able to bend water to its will, it was pretty interesting.

Plus, it was a lot cuter than the horned rabbits in my world, that kinda just cut down trees.

During all of this, Hagrid and I just kinda talked. He seemed to have a lot of stories to tell, and few people to tell them to, based on his enthusiasm. He was like an excited child, blabbing about a variety of things, which I found pretty funny.

When it started getting dark, Hagrid insisted I head back to the school. He walked me part of the way before returning to his hut that I thought was much too small for anyone to live in, let alone a man his size, and this is coming from someone that finds small living spaces more comfortable.

As soon as I was sure he couldn't see me, I turned right around and snuck my way to the edge of the forest, careful to avoid anyone else's eyes.

I managed to get there without too much of a fuss, seeing as everyone was exhausted from being wrapped up in classes, and from there I followed Hebi's magical presence. I was somewhat excited to see her again if I was entirely honest.

She was adorable but was also cool to look at in her true form, which may have been influenced a little bit by myself when I thought about it. I didn't sweat the details though, and finally arrived in a small clearing where I saw a tiny group of spirits…

And around three dozen child 'statues.'

It was a grim sight. It reminded me what exactly she'd been ordered to do by her previous masters, and it was pretty terrible. But, just like I bear all the sins of my subordinates when they act under my orders, the same goes for those whom Hebi used to serve. She was merely a tool to them and they hold all the responsibility for… this.

Particularly considering she had a rather childish mind herself at the time.

I stood a bit straighter and approached the small group of ghost children, intent on finding out as much about them as I could. I was already considering sending them to Tempest, but I knew all of them wouldn't want that. So instead at that moment, I was thinking of creating some way to allow them to regain life in this world, and perhaps keep it in some way.

The kind of death those in this world suffered was particularly distasteful compared to others.

At my approach, the ghosts seemed to notice my staring at them and almost seemed frightened by it. That was when I realized they must've been hiding their presences in one way or another.

One of the more bold ones called out to me right away. "Hey! You there! Get out of here… It isn't safe for you, or anyone!"

I guessed he was talking about the presence of Hebi and how 'dangerous' she was, considering she was the one to bring them all to this spot for me.

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself," I assured him calmly, but it didn't seem to help a lot. "I'm here to help you actually, with your… whole 'being dead' thing. It's kind of annoying and hard to deal with for most people. Not for me, but my point still stands."

Oops. I just said something weird, didn't I? Better get to the point already.

"You're in a pretty bad situation, being stuck floating around this forest, so I'm gonna get you out of here. Well… only if you want to leave this place."

I couldn't see why these ghosts would want to stay here, but I wasn't gonna force them to leave if they liked things as they are now. This was meant to be an offer, not something I'd just do to them without their consent.

The five ghosts just stared at me blankly for a few long, uncomfortable seconds before one of them finally spoke up again.

"Why leave when there's nowhere else to go for us? We'll still be dead either way."

"Yeah… what's the point?"

"What do you mean 'what's the point'!? This is our chance to get out of here!"

"I don't see how this is a 'chance'. Just some student that's lost out here, I bet. How're they supposed to help us?"

"And even if she can, what's this girl get out of it, huh? Why's she even out here!?"

"Maybe she's dead too, but just better at hiding it…"

Well, something like that, I'd certainly not be counted among the living, hahaha! I'm more of a 'concept' nowadays rather than a 'living being'. That's what being a digital lifeform means. The idea of that used to bother me, but by now I'd accepted it.

Time to move on from that, though.

"My name is Rimuru, and I'm here to help you kids." I flashed the group my best smile.

"And I repeat, what do you get out of it?"

"Well… I wouldn't be a very good master if I didn't make up for the mistakes of my subordinates, now would I?"

"You're the master of that giant evil snake that killed us!?"

"Yup."

The air around the ghosts immediately turned hostile.

"But not at the times of your deaths. I only brought Hebi under me recently, and I'm trying to fix the problems she caused."

Hebi had already moved to wrap around me protectively, feeling the threatening presence of the ghosts grow.

I pushed her away. "It's alright. They are no threat, and they'll realize I am here to help." I set my gaze back on them, picking out the one that saw it as some exchange. "If you really wanna know what I get out of this, it's simple. I'd rather not let souls go to waste, and you're all more useful to me if you come back, eventually. Whether that be in a year, or a million."

"What… are you?"

"Just someone who's here to help."

There was some murmuring between the ghost children, all of them seeming unsure about me, which was understandable.

"I don't need help." One of them said resolutely. There was no suspicion in their tone, just a calm acceptance.

"You want to just fade away to nothing eventually? Because that's what happens to ghosts in this world once their time is up."

"Oh… so that's what happened to Robbie… well, so be it. We were gone the moment we died, we're all just echoes at this point."

"That's not true, Destiny! Don't say that about us or yourself!" The ghost screamed, grabbing Destiny by the shoulders.

The other ghost shoved them off, unbothered and unconvinced, her expression not changing one bit the entire interaction.

"I am not dead! Until I'm gone, I'm not dead!" The screaming ghost shouted, mostly to himself.

"We're dead… but maybe we don't have to stay like this? I didn't think we could come back, but this girl…" The saddest-looking ghost of the bunch turned her eyes to me, "If she can help, then let's go along with it. Nothing can be worse than being trapped in this forest…"

"This better not be a trick! I still don't buy that reason you gave us, but–" The boy seemed to bite his tongue mid-sentence, "I wanna get out of here. At any cost. Just take us out of here!"

The boy that first spoke opened and closed his mouth a few times, a troubled look on his face, before finally saying what he'd been stewing on, "I'm guessing if you revive me you won't let me kill that snake thing… since it's yours. All I've thought about since it killed me was somehow killing it back, but now…" The ghost boy paused, "I… I-I just want to see m-my family again…"

"Your family is dead. All of our families are dead. Don't be such a bloody fool."

"That might not be true. At least, not for all of you. And really, you don't need to go back to your families, you could instead start a new life with a new one. I actually recommend that option, considering how long you all have been dead."

I considered giving these five the same treatment as Myrtle at first, but Ciel informed me that the Voice of the World is 'still mad at me' for that, so pushing it might not be the best choice.

Since when did that thing have enough of an ego to 'get mad' at me anyway? When I think about it, though, I suppose it had enough to decide to kill my oldest brother…

[[Any resistance from the Voice of the World can be dealt with, Dear. But, without more interference, it can not be ensured that these souls will be strong enough to survive the selective process it performs when reincarnating individuals.]]

With that in mind, reincarnation within this world was the best choice. It was an alternative I'd worked out ahead of time.

It wasn't hard, but it was frustrating that there was no system in place for it already… I never did like the worlds that seemed to form on their own. Always seemed to be missing something, or in this case, a lot of things.

I'd fix it eventually, I just wanted to have my fun first.

"How do we know you won't send us to worse lives?"

"Considering the state of this world, giving you a worse life actually sounds kinda hard."

"You're no demon, are you? I'm not making a deal with a demon!"

"I'm no demon. All you're sensing is some of my leftovers from a few decades ago."

I'm a slime… or a dragon, depending on how you look at it. Either way, I'm not a demon, even if I'm a Demon Lord.

"Fine. If you say you're not a demon, I'll believe you."

"Please take us from this horrible place! Please…"

"I finally get to leave… I can't believe it."

"What kind of life could I get?"

I just shrugged with an, "I don't know."

"Can I have rich parents at least?"

I sighed at the audacity of this kid, "I guarantee nothing like that."

I could probably do it, but I saw no point in making that effort. Best to not spoil this one, they seemed like the type to exploit my kindness. I'd encountered this sort of person many times before.

I was offering him the deal of a lifetime… or deathtime? No, I was offering him an actual lifetime, but he was still wheedling me for more! Now I can see why this kid went straight to bargaining earlier. Maybe when I'm done with this world, I can bring him back home with me and give him a job.

But future plans aside, I had a job to do myself now. Four of the five seemed like they wanted to take my offer, which was good enough for me to get started.

"Come closer, you four that wanna go."

They shot each other cautious glances, but all four stepped, or more accurately glided, forward together, the fifth standing by to watch the process.

"Ready?"

Nods all around gave me the okay to proceed.

Do it, Ciel.

There was a bright flash and the ghosts were gone, now in the hands of my manas and the process she constructed to reincarnate them here. I didn't pay any attention to the notices she was giving me about it, but instead watched the remaining ghost girl. She seemed a little sad and lonely, now being the only one here and likely the only one in this forest. I couldn't just leave her like this, even if she wanted to linger.

"Destiny, was it?"

She nodded.

"What're you gonna do now that your friends moved on?"

"The same as I've been doing for the last 150 years."

"You can't stray from the forest, can you?"

"No, I cannot."

Her soul was so weak that it was bound to her remains. If I were to guess, Destiny wouldn't last another decade in this state.

"If you won't accept a new life, I might as well help you in another way." I didn't wait for the girl to answer and walked up to her ethereal form, laying my hand on her shoulder. "There. Now you won't fade away."

She seemed stunned and confused, staring at me cautiously as she floated away from me.

"What did you–?"

"I gave you a skill that'll let you absorb magic from your surroundings. Now you won't run out and blip out of existence. But, if I catch you using it like you're some mana vampire, going around draining people dry, I won't be happy."

"Thank… you. I won't abuse this spell, I swear it."

"You shouldn't be stuck here anymore either. If you absorb a bit of magic, you should be able to go wherever you want."

The girl seemed to have new life in her eyes, as strange as that is to say about a ghost, but it was true. I'd given her a second chance at 'living' without bringing her back to life.

"Alright, Hebi. I think we're done here. Are you satisfied with what you've done?"

Hebi stared out at the statues. "We didn't save the others… So I am unsure."

"Well, we did what we could. It's not like it's our place to change the past."

"Can I… go back now?" I could tell Hebi was staring at my hand.

"Yes, Hebi, you can come back."

Hebi rapidly shrunk down to her tiny size and made herself comfortable around my finger. The little nuzzle she gave the palm of my hand before turning into metal didn't go unnoticed.

"You, before you go… It's just me… Explain what you are." The final ghost spoke one more time. It seemed getting a new life reignited their curiosity.

"After all the effort I put into not answering that question directly, do you really think I'm going to tell you?"

"Even if it's just me? I promise I won't tell a soul if you're that concerned."

"Maybe you'll find out later."

I left it at that and walked away from the ghost girl.

I wasn't alone, though, because as soon as I started down the path, some eavesdroppers stepped out of the brush around me.

I'd sensed them before, but didn't mind them watching. Now that I was taking a closer look, though, I could see that they were all a type of magical creature I had never seen before. Centaurs, if I were to take a guess from my first life's knowledge. The Cardinal World simply doesn't have them, but apparently, this world does.

I watched as they 'quickly' surrounded me and attempted to place spears in a threatening circle. "State your purpose, dark one."

Dark one? Where're they getting that nickname from?

"Hello… fellows. I'm just taking a nighttime stroll."

"We saw what you did, you cannot lie now."

"And what did I do?"

"You have banished spirits, and you command an evil creature. One that has wronged our people many times."

{{Hebi, what did you do?}}

"Where is the creature now? It disappeared when you touched it."

{{I did not disobey your orders, Master. You said not to eat anything intelligent, so I did so.}}

{{Please tell me you didn't eat a centaur.}}

{{I did not eat a centaur, I ate 3. Elderly ones that would soon expire and go to waste.}}

{{Hebi…}}

"Answer me!" The centaur demanded, turning my attention back to my surroundings. That, and the multiple spearpoints uncomfortably poking into my neck.

I sighed and broke one of the speartips off with my fingers. "Too close, too sharp."

"Answer us… We need to know why. Why us? Have we not suffered from those wizard-kind enough?"

"It wasn't a targeted attack if that's what you were wondering. I accidentally let my pet go out of control, is all. If you would like me to, I could attempt to bring them back."

Hebi, who was still wrapped around my finger, tightened a bit at the word 'pet', but she deserved being called that right now since she'd made a mistake. I consider it part of her punishment for acting out.

"Bring… them back?" the centaur questioned, before gasping and taking a step back, along with the other centaurs.

I had guessed bringing back the dead was a bit hard in this world, but I didn't think it was unheard of. I mean, hell, I was sure in the right conditions I might've been able to do it before I was even a demon lord.

So that rested as a shock to me.

"What kind of price could such a thing invoke?"

"Price? I'd do it to make up for what happened. Then we'd be even." But after a few seconds of thought, I decided to add "I guess the only 'price' would be keeping it a secret that I can do that."

It took some mumbling and crosstalk before the leader of the group spoke again. "We do not trust you…"

"Understandable. How 'bout you just let me leave, then? My pet and I won't bother your people again, I can promise that."

So… uh, Ciel? What are the chances I talk my way out of this without needing to kill one of 'em?

[[There is no chance of such a thing.]]

How reassuring…

"We are unsure it is safe to allow you to leave."

I sighed dramatically before crossing my arms and used shadow-step to fall through the ground behind me. From there, I fell into my bed.

"I always hate it when talking it out isn't enough… at least I didn't have to hurt them to get away," I grumbled to myself, confident that everyone else in the dorm was asleep and unable to hear me.

"Shut up… you weirdo… I'm trying to sleep…"

Or maybe not. Well, what I said did no harm.

"Where'd you even come from?"

"I was under the covers, I just got spooked by a spider, Gabriella." I knew her real name was Willnia, but I knew she hated it because it sounded dumb and too witchy.

Lots of magic folks in this world had stupid-sounding names.

"By a spider? You? Whatever… lie to me if you want. I don't care."

I could practically hear the eye-rolling in her voice, but that was fine. I appreciated that she wasn't prodding me more about the subject.