Chapter 21 : Black Forest (2)

The witch’s cabin was unexpectedly cozy.

A clean bed with no dust, a study full of old books, and a kitchen filled with a sweet scent.

“Shh.”

Lying on the bed, the forest outside still looked dark and ominous, but inside the cabin, it felt like a scene from a fairy tale.

“How about a cup of tea? You’re a guest, after all.”

Beatrice gracefully handed me a teacup.

“Thank you.”

As I accepted the teacup, a subtle mushroom scent tickled my nose.

“This tea is special. It’s brewed from mushrooms that only grow in the black forest.”

A smile crept across her lips. But I didn’t miss the dangerous gleam hidden in that smile.

“The mushroom scent is nice.”

I took a sip. The sweet and slightly bitter taste lingered on my tongue.

Beatrice’s eyes sparkled with expectation.

“Hehe… how is it?”

“Well, I’ve never tasted anything like this.”

“Yes, this is a very special tea.”

Her voice was sweet as she spoke.

“It’s brewed from the spores of a death mushroom. Just one sip contains enough poison to bring even a god to their knees.”

Beatrice smirked. The joy of victory spread across her face between her smiles.

“Soon, the poison will spread. Your body will become paralyzed, your organs will melt away…”

I drained the teacup to the bottom.

“Because I like the mushroom scent, is there one more cup?”

“What did you just say?”

“I asked for more tea. This mushroom tea is so good.”

“Wait… I’m supposed to see you burning up right now!”

She hurriedly looked at my face.

Beatrice was pacing back and forth, her pale face turning redder by the moment.

“What happened? Did I make a mistake? It was definitely brewed with poisonous spores!”

“Oh, by the way…”

I said as I put the teacup down.

“Serving a poisonous tea like this doesn’t seem like what a good host should do.”

“Wh-what…”

Beatrice lowered her head. The way she fiddled with the hem of her black dress looked like a child being scolded.

“This is strange! Did I make a mistake? Or…”

She looked at me suspiciously.

“Could there be… some secret about your body?”

“Who knows?”

I smiled lightly.

“Maybe the witch should figure it out herself.”

“Hmph! I’ll figure it out, just wait!”

Beatrice puffed out her cheeks.

“Next time, I’ll use a stronger poison… no, I mean…”

Her mumbling was faint, barely audible.

How many days passed? Under the moonlight that softly shone through the window, I discovered something truly shocking.

“This is…”

A doll placed on the desk. It was a curse doll intricately made with black thread.

It was modeled after me. It even recreated the shape of the sacred sword.

I picked up the doll.

Just then, I heard a movement outside the window.

“This is the end.”

Beatrice’s whisper echoed.

“Now, follow my instructions…”

She clasped her hands together, and black energy swirled around the cursed doll.

“AAARGH!”

I rolled on the floor, writhing in pain.

“Hehe… finally!”

Beatrice’s voice rang with triumph.

“Do you understand now? The power of my curse?”

“At the break of dawn…”

The back of my right hand gleamed, and in an instant, the black energy faded.

“…Huh?”

Beatrice’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Where did… my curse go?”

“Oh, this is really well made.”

I examined the doll carefully.

“This isn’t really a cursed doll, it’s more like a figurine, isn’t it? Were you my fan?”

“I spent a whole week making this cursed doll…!”

“A week? No wonder I haven’t seen you around lately.”

“No, that’s not important…”

Her cheeks flushed.

“You really did a great job. It looks just like my expression.”

“Don’t praise me! This is a medium for an evil curse!”

“Seeing the sacred sword, I wonder if this was made when we first met?”

“Ugh, really!”

Beatrice stamped her feet.

“Next time, you’d better be ready…!”

She spun around and ran out of the room.

A few days later.

Croak-!

A horde of black frogs appeared from all directions. The frogs croaked and sprayed poison.

“How about this?”

Beatrice shouted from a tree.

“The Black Frogs of the Black Forest! I personally improved them!”

The frogs charged at me.

The sacred sword sliced through the air. One, two… in an instant, ten frogs fell.

“Wait… this is so easy?”

Beatrice jumped down from the tree.

“These frogs are all S-rank monsters!”

“They’re cute.”

“…What?”

“The frogs’ faces are so cute. Especially their eyes, they look like yours.”

“Ugh… cute?”

A smile crept across Beatrice’s lips.

“Re-really? Of course, they’re cute, I made them!”

She suddenly became flustered, trying to cover up her pride.

“No, wait! This isn’t supposed to be cute!”

Beatrice shook her head.

“These are terrifying monsters, not cute!”

“But they’re frogs.”

“AAAH!”

She clasped her head with her hands.

“That’s it! I give up!”

Beatrice sighed.

“Do whatever you want! A hero being so stubborn like this!”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“Thank you? Are you mocking me right now?”

“No, I’m sincere.”

I carefully helped the fallen frog back on its feet.

“Thanks for playing along like this.”

She stamped her feet in frustration.

A few days later. After a while of being somewhat gentle, Beatrice brought out another dangerously poisonous substance.

“Are you trying to kill me again today?”

I asked, looking at the purple bubbling soup. It seemed like something was squirming inside the pot.

“What are you talking about?”

Beatrice scrunched her nose.

“I made this soup with great care…”

“So what kind of poison is it this time?”

“…I told you, I’m done with that.”

Beatrice turned her head.

“No matter what I do, it doesn’t work. I just wanted to serve you a meal as a host…”

“Huh? Wait a minute…”

I scooped up a spoonful of soup and put it in my mouth. Suddenly, my body froze.

“T-this is…”

“How is it? I worked hard…”

I mustered the courage to take another spoonful. The moment it touched my tongue, all sorts of flavors exploded—sweet, salty, sour, and bitter in chaotic disarray.

I took another sip of the soup. This was really…

“How can something taste this awful… If you were trying to kill me, this time you almost succeeded.”

“Ooo…”

Beatrice crouched in the corner of the kitchen. Her black dress spread out around her on the floor.

“I… I’ve never cooked before…”

“I can tell.”

“I’ve been living alone all this time! Plus, there are no proper ingredients to be found in this forest…!”

Her voice grew quieter.

“Hold on a second.”

I opened my inventory and pulled out fresh vegetables and meat.

“Look at this.”

Beatrice’s eyes lit up.

“Are all of these edible?”

“Of course.”

I took out a knife and started chopping onions, mincing garlic, and peeling carrots.

Beatrice came closer, her red eyes full of curiosity.

“Umm… is that how you’re supposed to do it?”

“Yes. You sauté the vegetables like this…”

When I added the meat and began frying it, a savory aroma filled the air.

“Th-this smell…”

Beatrice’s nose twitched.

“It smells delicious…”

Each time the soup simmered, a sweet fragrance filled the kitchen.

“Alright, it’s done.”

I ladled the yellow soup into a white bowl.

“This is real cooking…”

“Here, try it, witch.”

Beatrice carefully picked up the spoon.

“Mmm…”

Her eyes widened.

“This taste…”

“How is it?”

“It’s delicious…”

Tears welled up in the corners of Beatrice’s eyes.

“I… it’s been so long since I tasted something like this. It reminds me of what my mother used to make…”

She took another spoonful of the soup.

“Do you want more?”

“…”

I smiled as I watched her answer shyly.

“I’ll cook for you from now on.”

“Really?”

Beatrice blushed.

“By the way, it’s sad that you’ve lived without proper food.”

“I don’t really need to eat anything. My life is connected to the forest.”

Her voice became lonely.

“This is a forest that devours everything. Everything that enters gets eaten, and… everything that leaves gets lost.”

“I’ll cook for you every day from now on.”

“…Thank you.”

A warm smile spread across her lips. It was a pure smile I had never seen before.

I secretly watched as she chopped firewood. The trees in the black forest were so tough that ordinary humans couldn’t cut them easily. But Beatrice’s axe swings were different.

Thwack—

The wood split smoothly as if it were an ordinary tree. The tough bark peeled away easily like butter.

‘Is it because she’s a hero?’

Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, sparkling in the sunlight. Her arm muscles rippled as she swung the axe.

Beatrice felt a smile spread across her face unknowingly. She fiddled with the hem of her black dress as she watched him.

‘For a hero, he’s selfish and reckless…’

But she liked that about him. Strong, yet humble, never losing his composure even in the dangerous witch’s forest.

The arm muscles chopping firewood sparkled in the sunlight. Beatrice hurriedly turned her gaze away.

‘What am I looking at?’

If he were an ordinary human, he would have been eaten by the black forest long ago. But he was different. He cooked well, told fun adventure stories…

“Are you going to keep peeking?”

Beatrice was startled by his voice.

“Wh-who’s been peeking?!”

“You’ve been staring since a while ago.”

“Th-that’s… that’s…”

Beatrice fiddled with the hem of her black dress.

“Are you… checking if I’m chopping firewood wrong?”

“No! That’s not it…”

Beatrice closed her mouth before she could finish. Could she really say she was staring because he was handsome? There was no way.

He laughed and began chopping firewood again.

A few days later, a sharp scream echoed from the outskirts of the forest.

“Please… save me!”

Two adventurers had entered the forest. Thick vines were wrapping around their ankles.

“Haru, those people…”

Haru drew his holy sword.

In an instant, the vines were severed. The adventurers looked at Haru with confused expressions.

“Run away quickly.”

They nodded and quickly fled the forest.

In fact, Beatrice had changed a lot lately. She no longer ate humans who trespassed into the forest, like she used to.

‘Because I think Haru would dislike it…’

She felt her cheeks heat up. She was aware of how much she was thinking about him.

As evening fell, Haru made a delicious stew. Sitting at the table, listening to his adventure stories had become part of her daily life.

“So you rode a dragon and flew through the sky?”

“Yeah. It was a golden dragon named Aris…”

Haru’s expression darkened for a moment, then brightened again.

“Is it good?”

“Mmm…”

Beatrice nodded shyly.

‘This is what happiness feels like.’

It was the first time in five hundred years that she felt this way.

“Beatrice.”

One day, Haru called out to her. Her heart skipped a beat.

“What is it?”

“I have something to show you.”

What he pulled out was a black crystal. Red vein-like patterns were flowing inside the crystal.

“This is the crystal of chaos.”

“It looks dangerous…”

“That’s why I came here to stabilize it.”

Beatrice smiled.

‘Ah, so that’s why.’

At that moment, the black forest trembled. In an instant, it tried to absorb the crystal of chaos, but…

Crack-!

The forest reacted violently. The crystal was repelled as if the forest was spitting out poison.

“How is this possible…”

Beatrice was taken aback. It was the first time the black forest couldn’t digest something.

“You’re an amazing witch. Help me stabilize this.”

Haru said.

“Why should I help?”

“Then won’t I be able to leave sooner?”

Beatrice’s heart sank.

‘Leave…’

She had forgotten for a moment. Haru was someone who would eventually leave.

“Alright, fine.”

“Really?”

“Of course. If you leave quickly, the forest will be peaceful.”

Her voice rose. Words she didn’t mean slipped out.

“You’ve been bothering me with so many things every day… I wish you’d leave soon.”

She swished the hem of her black dress and strode away.

“Let’s start tomorrow. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

She quickened her steps and murmured to herself.

‘This is for the best. He’s going to leave anyway…’

“Thank you, Beatrice.”

Haru’s voice was warm.

Beatrice tried to hide her red face by walking faster.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s just because you’re a bother.”

She made her voice colder. Rougher, in contrast to her heart.

‘I have to do this. I must…’

Beatrice quickened her steps as if to drown out the sound of her heart.

When he leaves, when she’s alone again… she’ll erase all these feelings as if they never existed.

“I’ve been alone for five hundred years, so it’ll be fine… yeah.”

Her softly muttered words were carried away by the wind.