…
“Ugh… my head is so dizzy. How long have I been asleep?…”
Airlis felt her head was groggy. Looking out the window, the tall trees had shed their daytime emerald green, leaving only dark silhouettes standing in the night. The moonlight, however, was like crushed silver gossamer, dappling through the gaps in the leaves and spilling onto the windowsill.
She tried to sit up from the bed, but a wave of pain surged through her entire body.
She looked at her skin. It was red, swollen, and blistered. There were various degrees of burns on her cheeks, arms, and thighs, with several strands of hair scorched by the high heat sticking to the wounds. It hurt so much!
Sophia had wrapped her in a massive amount of bandages and applied the herbs and life potions they had saved from before. She felt like she was being turned into a mummy by that idiot Sophia…
She immediately checked her status.
[Status Window]
Name: Airlis Omnia
Level: 21
HP: 232/448
Status: Alchemy Backlash (Burn, Weakness)
“Sigh… it seems there was a problem with the recipe for the disguise potion,” Airlis said with a sigh, recalling the previous explosion.
“It seems my dear idiot sister is finally awake?”
Following the *tap, tap* sound of a beautiful girl’s slippers climbing the stairs, Sophia arrived carrying a tray and sat down by the bed.
Airlis admitted with a bitter smile, “I really am stupid enough. Things must have been going too well for me lately. Today’s alchemy explosion was the perfect punishment for my pride and carelessness.”
“Heh, today? You’ve been unconscious for more than an entire day, my silly Erle,” Sophia said, pouting her lips in annoyance.
“What? I was unconscious for that long?… I’m sorry, Sophie, for making you worry.”
“Also, thank you for dealing with the mess at home… I didn’t help at all.”
Airlis was somewhat surprised she had been out for so long, and at the same time, she felt guilty that Sophia had to clean up the aftermath.
“Aha~ Yeah, the first floor was covered in slimy, unidentified liquids. It was disgusting. I’ve already tried to fix the walls, but the scorched parts are hard to restore to how they were.”
‘Should I perform a dogeza immediately?’ Airlis thought. However, Sophia’s next words made her abandon that idea.
“But still, thanks for the treat~ Big sister was very diligent~ I carefully washed little Erle and changed her into clean pajamas~ I was v-e-r-y g-e-n-t-l-e while bandaging your wounds~” Sophia finished with her signature excited expression and a teasing tone.
‘Wait, am I clean? Maybe… Is it even possible?!’
‘There’s no way!’
‘What did this obsessive, green-eyed woman do while I was defenseless!’
The more she thought about it, the scarier it got.
“Cough, ah! You stinking lolicon! Sister-con! Perverted green-eyes! What did you do? Confess! If you don’t make it clear today, I… I’ll run away from home tomorrow!!” A little white cat bared her teeth and hissed.
“My, such a big reaction. Erle is as unable to take a joke as ever. Don’t worry, your injuries were severe, and I didn’t have time to do anything extra. Tsk.”
The corners of Sophia’s mouth actually curled up as she looked at the hissing, white-haired kitten before her with a mix of disdain and amusement.
“Sophie… did you really not do anything out of line?”
“Erle, your Strength stat hasn’t even broken 100 yet. With my physical suppression, if I really wanted to do something, would I even need to be sneaky about it?”
Airlis couldn’t help but turn red in the face. ‘Curse you, Sophia! I’ve been played by her again.’
‘What? Is she saying she doesn’t care if I’m unconscious or not? Since I’m just a strength-stat weakling, this rotten green-eyes isn’t afraid at all…’
‘Too wicked! Too mean!’
She prepared to glare at her.
‘Run away, I have a dual cat personality! Meow~~ Hah!! WRYYYYYY!’
Today’s victory went to the older sister, Sophia Omnia! It was a humiliating defeat for Haji-Erle!
“There are too many bandages. It’s so uncomfortable, you idiot! What kind of twisted fetish play are you doing?!” Airlis tore off most of the unnecessary bandages and began her magical incantation.
“Angels who dispel the darkness, please fade that loathsome crimson. **[Cure Disease]**, **[Minor Fast Heal]**.”
A warm, silver-white light emanated from Airlis’s body. After a while, her burn and weakness statuses vanished. Most of her wounds healed, and her health points recovered significantly.
“Oh my, our family’s Priest is so capable~ Why don’t we consider going to a human town to open a hospital and make some money?” Sophia suggested on a whim while resting her chin on her hand and giggling.
“I suggest you drop that idea as soon as possible. Do you see the divine mark surfacing on my forehead? If we go to a human town to open a hospital now, it’s because we think our lives aren’t long enough and want to hand someone a bounty reward.”
Airlis pointed her small finger at Sophia, speaking indignantly.
“The reason I’m making disguise potions is so we can blend into human villages. If we remain isolated and can’t get information from the outside world, do you want to be a forest shut-in for the rest of your life?”
“I have a feeling that the protective barrier of the Arden Woods will be broken sooner or later. We must keep getting stronger now to change the situation.”
A fish swimming against the current will persist resolutely even if pushed back countless times by the rushing waters. In the eyes of others, isn’t this the manifestation of the determination to defy fate?
“Fine, fine, I’ll listen to whatever you say, Priest. Aren’t you hungry? Hurry up and drink this fresh mushroom soup. The bread next to it was just baked, so don’t let it go to waste~”
“Alright… I shouldn’t waste our head chef’s hard work. Thanks for the food!”
Future plans wouldn’t change, but more importantly, they had to live in the moment and cherish each other.
Inside the witch’s cottage, the two sisters complimented each other, enjoying a hard-won peace amidst laughter and chatter.
***
The swamp deep within the Arden Woods was like a forgotten, damp canvas. The murky black water shimmered with a rotten green luster, and occasionally, bubbles would churn up from the mud in the nearby marshland, releasing a heavy scent of decay when they burst. The silence here was eerie, and the snap of a branch underfoot would put anyone on high alert.
Airlis and Sophia decided to move together to explore this unknown area. After all, the seemingly calm swamp held many silent traps.
Airlis was still following the decree from her dream. The kind and trusting words she had heard back then were not unpleasant.
As they reached the entrance to the depths of the swamp, the game system prompt sounded again.
**[Insufficient permissions. Level 25 required to enter the depths of the swamp.]**
A familiar scene appeared. Pathetic! Pathetic! The witch sisters’ cultivation was not enough; please train more.
“Let’s head back and level up. It looks like we can only come back another day…”
…
Deep within the swamp, a red dragon hatchling was entangled by a large number of poisonous vines. Weakened, it was completely unable to break free.
Its scales shimmered with a fiery luster like molten rubies, but its body was only about the size of a kitten. Two pairs of short, reddish-gold dragon horns protruded from its head, proving its racial identity.
The hatchling’s breath was as thin as silk, but it forced its will to resist the invasion of the toxins.
‘Lady Felicitara… my mission is not yet complete.’
‘I must atone. I must give my all with my apologies.’
‘How can the proud dragon race be trapped in a place like this… if not for the loss of my power…’
‘Damn it… you two must stay safe, my two young masters…’