TLBP 23

CHAPTER 23……………………………….

—Heavy.

With my body pierced all over by thorns, I dragged the carcass of the Belzer I had hunted.

Although the raccoon helped a little, carrying a creature weighing easily hundreds of kilograms, my own strength must have been considerable.

“At this rate, I wonder if my arms are strong enough to match a bear’s or tiger’s paws.”

When we reached the foggy forest where the witch lived, we approached the tree with a cabin perched on it and rang a bell.

A clear ding-ding sound spread through the mist, and soon a small basket was lowered from the bottom of the cabin.

—“I can’t fit this in the basket.”

Though I had already eaten about half of it, Belzer’s body was still huge.

If I tried to put something like this into a basket, the ropes or pulleys would surely break.

As I pondered these practical problems, Leaf shook his head.

—“Just leave it on the ground.”

—“Then someone will take it. What if the spiders eat it all?”

I had once had a hunting snake snatched by spiders.

So it was obvious that leaving the prey here would result in it being taken by spiders, ants, or other insects acting as the forest’s cleaners.

Indeed, grotesque insects crawled all over the foggy forest. If it weren’t for the witch, I wouldn’t have set foot here at all.

But the raccoon Leaf climbed onto the basket, replying as if to reassure me:

—“If you leave it under this tree, the spiders won’t steal it. This huge tree is Eve’s domain.”

—“Hmm.”

I wasn’t sure if insignificant insects had such a concept, but I had no choice but to follow his advice.

Besides, it felt strange to carry such a large prey into the narrow cabin.

I hesitantly set my body into the basket.

When Leaf jingled the bell, the basket slowly began to rise.

“Feels like an elevator.”

It was a bit crude, but the sensation of being carried upward without effort brought a fleeting memory of my past life.

Climbing the tree with claws was fun, but letting something else move me automatically was definitely the best.

The basket eventually entered the cabin.

When Witch Eve pulled the basket, a clunking sound echoed as the mechanism in the floor activated.

The square opening in the floor was soon covered with a flat plank.

I guessed this was the official entrance to the cabin in the tree.

“You’ve returned safely. I’ve been waiting.”

Witch Eve smiled broadly.

Looking at me, bleeding and covered in thorns, she said “safely” — which made me wonder what level of injury she considered unsafe.

Would losing an arm or a leg count as unsafe? Compared to losing a limb, being pierced by thorns was nothing.

“I wonder if my arms and legs would grow back if they were cut off when leveling up.”

The thought crossed my mind. Of course, since no one was going to give me the answer, I’d have to find out for myself someday.

“I hope I don’t get my arms or legs cut off, though.”

—“Eve, I brought the Memstone.”

The raccoon Leaf pulled a purple stone from my bag at my waist and handed it to Eve. She tapped the stone like knocking on a door.

A ziiiiing sound rang out, like a thin metal sheet vibrating.

“You really got it. This should be enough. And you brought Leaf safely too, such a good child.”

Eve scratched my head with her nails. Her touch felt pleasant, but I had something more urgent to address.

—“Before that, could you do something about these thorns…”

“Oh, right. Lie down here.”

Only then did she seem to remember something. She nodded, then climbed over me while I lay face down on the wooden floor.

I hoped she might perform some kind of medical treatment, but she just grabbed the thorns embedded in my body and began pulling them out one by one.

—“Aahk!”

“Endure it. You have to remove them one by one.”

I struggled in pain as my skin was torn, but the witch’s strength was so immense I couldn’t move at all.

“Hey now, I told you to stay still.”

—“Aah… how many are left?”

“About fifty more.”

My pitiful screams echoed through the cabin about fifty-five times.

Eventually, I had no energy left to scream and collapsed, melting into the wooden plank.

“Leaf, could you fetch the ointment from the drawer in the ceiling on the right?”

—“Are you really going to use the Wildring Potion?”

The raccoon, silently witnessing this barbaric medical procedure, finally stuck out his tongue at her request.

—“It’s extremely rare! You might find one in a hundred years…”

“Bring it here.”

Prompted by the witch, Leaf opened the ceiling and brought down a small wooden vial.

Eve removed the leaf covering the vial like a lid and dipped her fingers deep into the blue liquid.

When she pulled her hand out, the liquid stretched in a long thread from her fingertips.

“Just as Leaf said, it’s extremely rare. Humans would value it more than gold by weight. But consider this a token of gratitude.”

She rubbed the blue liquid all over my body. The viscous substance soaked my white fur and spread evenly across my skin.

—“Ugh?”

I writhed as the warmth and tingling spread, giving me a strange, pleasant sensation, as if new flesh was sprouting during a level-up.

“I thought this was some kind of folk remedy, like applying soybean paste to wounds.”

Judging by the forest and the witch’s living conditions, I assumed this world’s science was not advanced.

So I hadn’t expected a proper medicine. In the past, healing acts were half magical, half medical.

“It feels good, though.”

The touch and the mysterious liquid relaxed my tense body. Moments ago I had been in pain, but now it felt like my body was melting.

What kind of medicine could have such an effect?

Thinking she might be a true “witch,” I asked Eve with curiosity.

—“What kind of medicine is this? What is it made of?”

“It’s the bodily fluid of a Wildring. The Wildring is a round, soft creature. Its fluid heals wounds and restores energy. They are incredibly rare, so very valuable.”

“Round and soft,” she said — and an image flashed in my mind.

—“Does the Wildring make squeaky noises like ‘kyu-kyu’?”

“Yes, it does. Very cute when you hear it. Have you seen one yourself?”

—“Ah.”

I remembered the first creature I had ever eaten: a slime.

I had thought it was just a slime, but in this world it was called a Wildring. And it was incredibly rare.

It was like realizing that what I thought was a simple bellflower root was actually a rare ginseng.

“Seeing one in person is lucky. If you raise a Wildring, you can make three or four bottles of this potion. They’re also very friendly and easy to keep close to you…”

Eve continued explaining about the Wildring. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her I had eaten one for a meal, reliving the memory of its final squeaks and salty taste.

“You’ve applied it all over. Good. Leave it like this for a day, and your wounds will heal quickly.”

Only after soaking me in the blue liquid did Eve smile in satisfaction.

I looked like a bizarre little mouse, dipped and lifted from the potion.

A sweet smell rose from my body. When I licked it, the sweetness spread across my tongue.

“Don’t eat it. It won’t work if you do. Leave it in the Wildring Potion for a full day.”

—“So I have to let it soak.”

It sounded like I was being treated as an ingredient in a recipe, but I went along with it.

“They say the weakness of the snake king Basilisk is the crowing of a chicken. The same applies to its eggs.”

The witch tapped the Memstone on the egg, and a ziiiiing sound followed as cracks spread across the hard shell.

Watching the rock-like shell break, I realized this world was very different from the one I knew.

Witch Eve expertly roasted the Basilisk eggs on a brazier in the corner of the cabin.

She spread the egg thin on a pan, rolled it into something like a rolled omelet, and served it on plates.

Leaf and I sat at the table, staring at the food she served. I swallowed hard at the golden hue on the white plate.

While I hesitated to eat, Leaf whispered to me:

—“This is called a fork. Do you know how to use it?”

—“Quiet. Don’t ruin my moment.”

Leaf tilted his head and made a strange grrr sound. I picked up the fork and poked the thick omelet.

Since the egg had been large, the inside was satisfying and abundant.

It seemed half-cooked, and golden liquid burst forth, making my mouth water.

“You also used a bit of the meat you brought.”

Thick pieces of meat were cut into squares around the omelet.

When I speared a piece with the fork, the juice overflowed like well-grilled pork belly.

“Delicious.”

Pork belly!

I craved the spicy, dizzying sensation. Seizing the moment, I spoke to the witch:

—“Then… I’d like my reward now.”

“Yes, I haven’t forgotten.”

Eve opened a cupboard and took out a ceramic jug. She poured a purple liquid into a wooden cup.

“It’s alcohol infused with the fruits of the World Tree. You won’t find this anywhere else. It’s worth tens of times more than the Wildring Potion. It’s delicious and removes any gamey taste from meat instantly. Also…”

Eve went on describing the alcohol, but I focused all my senses on the cup in front of me.

It smelled like fermented wine, sweet yet slightly sharp. My nerves tingled with anticipation.

“Real alcohol.”

As a former connoisseur, I shivered with excitement.

Eating well-cooked meat, cracking eggs, and drinking rare, delicious alcohol — what a joy.

“Even as a human, I rarely experienced such luxuries.”

A grin spread uncontrollably across my face.

“Drink up. There’s more alcohol. This bottle is all yours.”

Eve kept pouring into my empty cup. Being served by such a beautiful woman felt unreal, and I couldn’t avoid getting drunk.

Amid all this joy, a small anxiety began to creep in:

“This kind of luck doesn’t happen to me.”

It was my usual self-deprecating attitude, always expecting misfortune. But then I remembered something I had almost forgotten:

“She said she would tell me about my true identity, didn’t she?”

I shook off my drunken stupor and struggled to speak.

—“Zzuuh…”

The room spun. My tongue felt heavy, words wouldn’t form.

“Alright, I see you’re drunk. After drinking so much World Tree wine, the gamey taste is gone. If you leave it in the Wildring Potion for half a day, the meat will soften—”

Her gentle, beautiful voice spread ominously and eerily.