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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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A witch’s daily routine is remarkably simple.
After waking up, she eats the breakfast prepared by her assistant. The ingredients all come from her own gathering – from the mountains, her vegetable garden, and the small chicken coop in the backyard.
It wasn’t coincidence that she had been carrying a basket full of vegetables when I first met her. She gathered each day’s portions herself.
This witch, whom I’d expected to live a magical life, actually lived quite pastorally. The only magical part was how she went about it.
“Mmm~! Johan, I’m off to do some research. Work hard!”
“Yes, Eva.”
Evangeline headed up to her room – a space she kept completely off-limits to me, her assistant.
Though I was curious, I had no intention of entering a witch’s room where who knows what might be lurking. Besides, I didn’t have time for such thoughts.
Unlike the witch who could use magic, I – who didn’t know the first thing about it – would need all day just to gather our daily provisions.
‘At least I have this…’
I touched the necklace at my throat. She’d given it to me the day after I became her assistant so I could move around outside safely.
Sure enough, since wearing it, I hadn’t been attacked by wolves. Well, pounced on still, but not attacked…
‘Better get going.’
First, I needed to fetch water. There was a river not far from here – the only one with water safe for human consumption.
I grabbed the water containers and headed to the riverbank. My steps were light now, but my shoulders already ached thinking about carrying them back full.
Still, we needed water. Most of it was for my use anyway. As I trudged along, the bushes rustled.
“Wooof!”
A familiar sensation of weightlessness hit as a wolf burst from the undergrowth, knocking me down and pinning me.
Sharp fangs glinted as drool dripped onto my face. Its eyes were slightly bloodshot, as if starving.
The wolf approached my neck as if about to tear into it, opening its mouth as it got close to my face…
“Heh heh!”
“There’s a good boy.”
As I petted the wolf licking my face, I realized how thin it was. Seemed like another failed hunt today.
I gently pushed it away and pulled some jerky from my pocket. Its tail started wagging the moment it caught the scent of meat.
“Hey! Not yet!”
“Whine- whiiine- whimper!”
“Still no. You have to be good first.”
When I hid the jerky behind my back, the wolf started whining. I get it. You’re hungry. You want the jerky, right? But if you want it, you have to listen. Really listen.
I held out the jerky and commanded:
“Sit.”
“Whine?”
“…Paw.”
“Woof!”
“Come on, do something… ah forget it. What am I expecting from you?”
I sighed deeply at the wolf who still couldn’t understand commands despite our many meetings. Being this dumb must make survival hard. No wonder it was hungry today too.
Giving up on training, I tossed over the jerky. The wolf caught it, chomped a few times as if savoring it, then swallowed it whole.
With the jerky gone in an instant, it looked at me and whined again. Sorry buddy, that’s all I’ve got.
“Well, at least keep me company. So I’m not lonely.”
“Woof!”
Though it couldn’t understand any other commands, it seemed to get this one just fine. The wolf took the lead, and I followed, watching its wagging tail.
We reached the river shortly after. It was pristine water – grade A quality, safe for humans to drink, teeming with fish. For some reason, animals stayed away, so there was no worry about contamination.
I tossed the container into the river, watching fish dart past. If only I knew how to fish, I could catch and grill some. But I couldn’t even make a fishing rod, let alone fish.
‘How do you even make a fishing rod anyway?’
Feeling a new appreciation for my ancestors’ ingenuity, I lifted the now-full container. Hoisting several dozen liters of water wasn’t easy, but I managed somehow.
I secured the straps and heaved it onto my shoulders. This would have been impossible for me back on Earth, or even when I first arrived in this world.
It only became possible after coming to the witch’s cabin. Or more specifically, after eating the food here.
“Nnngh!”
Still, while I could lift several dozen kilos of water, it wasn’t exactly easy. Far from it.
Sweating profusely, I carried the container. The wolf followed, gently nudging my backside. Whether it actually helped or not, the moral support was appreciated.
When we finally reached the cabin, the shameless wolf lifted its head proudly, presenting itself for praise and rewards. Cheeky thing.
But I decided to oblige. I patted its head and pulled out another piece of jerky from my pocket. After happily accepting the treat, it nudged the water container.
“What, you want water too?”
“Woof!”
“Fine, fine, you little extortionist.”
Only after drinking a ladleful of water did it disappear into the forest. I watched it vanish among the trees, then went inside to get my basket.
There was lots to do. So much that it would be lunchtime before I knew it if I just sat around.
I moved quickly, like the slave I was. Though the tasks were simple, they felt more rewarding than being the villagers’ slave.
After all, I was the slave of a beautiful woman who claimed to be cursed. There weren’t many jobs more fulfilling than that.
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“That female…”
Evangeline, watching Johan through her magical abilities, ground her teeth at the sight of the wolf clinging to him.
She wanted to run out and kick the wolf away right then. The fact that she couldn’t only frustrated her more.
‘He’s mine. Stay away from what’s mine…’
Most people wouldn’t feel such jealousy over someone being close to an animal. But she was a witch – a witch whose heart had rotted from centuries of solitude.
If a witch and human could become lovers, then perhaps a human and beast could too.
Even if others didn’t think that way, she, as a witch, did.
“Ah, he’ll be coming up soon…”
Grinding her teeth while staring into her crystal ball, Evangeline straightened her clothes when she saw Johan enter the cabin.
Soon after, Johan knocked on her door. After clearing her throat with a few coughs, she responded in a gentle voice.
“What is it?”
“I wanted to ask what you’d like for lunch…”
“Anything is fine.”
“Understood.”
After Johan went back downstairs, she immediately turned back to her crystal ball. It showed him cooking in the kitchen.
His back view made her want to run down and embrace him. Evangeline took a deep breath, suppressing her rising desires.
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I got lucky.
A fish had gotten caught in the water container.
An unexpected stroke of fortune. Unexpected things were always pleasant.
‘Wait a minute.’
But then I faced a serious problem.
I had no idea how to prepare fish.
‘How do I even eat this?’
I’d watched some videos on fish preparation, so I knew the basics. Cut off the head, split the belly, remove the guts… rinse the inside with water?
I needed a knife for that. No, before that, rubber gloves, or at least tongs…
‘You want me to grab that with my bare hands?’
I frowned at the fish flopping around. The slippery scales made it hard to even hold.
Unfortunately, there were no rubber gloves here. No one to prepare the fish for me either. As an assistant, I could hardly ask my master to clean a fish for me.
Finally, I approached the fish, recalling what I’d seen on YouTube. Pin down the thrashing body, then use the handle of the knife to strike the head.
BANG! THWACK! I hit it so hard the head was crushed against the cutting board. Soon after, the fish stopped moving.
“Ugh… damn…”
I squeezed my eyes shut as I removed the head. I’d hit it wrong so the body was slightly crushed too, but it should still be edible…
Split the belly, remove the guts. Rinse the empty cavity under running water, remove the scales.
Cooking the cleaned fish was actually quite simple.
‘Ah, whatever.’
This place had the witch’s magical seasoning, and anything became edible with that added.
With that thought, I threw the filleted fish right into the stew and brought it to a boil. My attempt at spicy fish soup…
“…What is this?”
“Ah, well, this is…”
When the witch came down shortly after, she frowned at my creation. Fair enough – in this place where fish was rare, the spicy soup probably looked like something straight from hell.
I started making desperate excuses.
“It’s called maeuntang, a spicy fish soup from my homeland! It looks scary but tastes great! Really!”
“Hmm… so you eat things like this.”
“Yes! It’s actually a delicacy!”
The witch stirred the soup a few times with her spoon, then took a small bite.
I watched her chew, waiting for her verdict. Even a criminal before a judge wouldn’t be this nervous.
“Well… it’s actually good.”
“R-right!?”
Thankfully, she said it was delicious. I let out a relieved sigh and served myself a bowl of the soup.
The plump flesh burst in my mouth, and moments later I felt something hot swirling in my stomach.
“Um, Eva?”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“Ex-excuse me, but the bathroom…”
“…Go ahead.”
I clutched my burning stomach and ran to the bathroom. Shit, must have been parasites or something.
How embarrassing to show such unsightly behavior in front of someone who was practically my master.
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Rushing to claim my spot in the bathroom, I realized it wasn’t just waste coming out of me.
“…What is this?”
Blue mist swirled around my hands.
Just like Neji from Naruto.
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I didn’t know eating witch food gave you the byakugan