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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Chirp chirp-
Birds perched on tree branches sang beautifully.
While enjoying the ear-pleasing harmony of their song, I reached into the basket I’d brought.
Taking a bite of a cookie that was still warm thanks to magic despite being baked before we left, I savored its sweetness.
The chirping birds seemed to smell the sweetness too, as they came down from their branches and hopped closer. I smiled lightly, watching them peck at the crumbs I’d broken off for them.
‘This is nice…’
This rare outing was an incomparable luxury. From the natural sunlight bathing my whole body to the cool breeze that scratched pleasantly against my warmed skin – it was paradise.
Well, it would have been, if not for those things.
‘Wow… shouldn’t things like that only appear in monster movies?’
I thought this while looking at the monsters occupying the corner of my vision. Creatures with half-melted faces that looked like they belonged in hell.
Master said they were monsters mutated by excessive exposure to mana. Which meant they must have been cute animals before their transformation.
A dog-like monster, with half its facial muscles melted and dragging its face along the ground, opened its mouth wide. Mana gathered in its maw and shot toward Master.
Despite the beam flying at her, Master casually waved her hand. The space around her warped, and the mana beam meant for her returned to the monster.
Sizzle─! The monster’s face melted further as a hole decorated its body. Having finished cleaning up, Master wiped the sweat from her brow as she returned.
“Phew- that was tiring.”
“Welcome back, Master.”
“Yeah. Ah- it’s hot. Could I have some water?”
“Here you go.”
I quickly pulled water from the basket and handed it to her. Ice-cold water I’d fetched from the lake just this morning.
She gulped it down, then let out a small groan at the freezing sensation in her throat.
“Ahhh- looks like that’s mostly taken care of?”
“Hmm… seems so. You took down thirteen of them.”
“Really? That’s too bad. Johan, you should try fighting too.”
“No thank you, I’m fine.”
I frantically waved my hands at Master. Face those monsters? Even with the great witch backing me up, I refused.
To begin with, all I could do was enhance my body with mana – and I was so weak I’d lose to the monsters that climbed trees in the local hills. What could I possibly do against monsters that shot beams from their mouths?
I’d die getting pelted from range before I could even get close – and that would be a best-case scenario.
“Still, it’s nice to get out like this after so long!”
“It is. Should we come out more often?”
“Hmm… no! Not really.”
“…Master, I shouldn’t say this, but- you’ll get sick staying cooped up inside all the time.”
“Witches don’t get sick though?”
She tilted her head at me as if I’d said something strange. Ah right… she wasn’t just a regular shut-in. She wasn’t even human.
Obviously, the idea of her getting sick was absurd – she wasn’t even human. It made as much sense as animals getting AIDS.
“Mmm~! Anyway, I need a little rest. Johan? Can I use your lap as a pillow?”
Without waiting for permission, Evangeline started resting her head on my thigh. Feeling her hair tickling my thigh, I adjusted to make her as comfortable as possible.
Shortly after, Evangeline must have been truly tired as she quickly fell into a snoring slumber. Her magnificent chest rose and fell with each breath.
As I gazed down at her, she twisted uncomfortably. Her bare face turned toward me.
‘Eek-!?’
I’ll be cursed. I quickly squeezed my eyes shut and jerked my head up. But her bare face was already replaying repeatedly in my mind.
Snore- her small breath brushed against my pants. Her large breasts pressing down on my trapped hand started applying even more pressure.
Her face, her scent, her breath, her chest – everything about her excited me.
‘I’m screwed.’
Carefully opening my eyes to check, I saw my pants tenting prominently right in front of her face.
Squeezing my eyes shut again, I heavily sighed inside and started mentally singing the national anthem. But no matter what I did, this virile body wouldn’t calm down easily.
‘Seriously, what if she wakes up right now?’
What would happen if my master woke up using my thigh as a pillow and saw the tent in my pants right in front of her face, realizing I was aroused…
If I had to guess, it wouldn’t end well. Hadn’t it been subtly revealed that she didn’t see me as a sexual being at all-?
If she saw me that way, she wouldn’t walk around so full of openings. The only ones you can walk around like that with no shame are pets or insects – beings so far beneath you they barely register as the same species.
That’s how she acted. So wasn’t it obvious she saw me as just a pet or some human who happened to awaken mana?
And─ no one leaves an aroused pet that’s lusting after its owner alone. They’d kick it away, have it neutered – or in extreme cases, abandon it.
‘Quick- need to calm down…’
“Mmm… Johan?”
Perhaps because I’d fidgeted trying to hide my erection, Evangeline carefully opened her eyes and got up.
I could feel her gaze passing over my tented pants. It’s over. I thought this while waiting for whatever punishment was coming.
“…Master?”
“Yes, what?”
“Um, don’t you have anything to say…?”
“Hmm… your thigh is more uncomfortable than I expected. Think I’ll go home to sleep properly.”
For some reason, she completely ignored my erection. As if she had no interest in it whatsoever─.
Seeing this, I felt both relief and disappointment simultaneously. Letting out a defeated sigh, I gathered the basket and stood up.
Then I followed her back to the cabin.
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The monsters of this world had many uses.
Though they didn’t contain magic stones like in fantasy stories, their hide could be used for clothes, their meat for food, their corpses could be pressed for oil or used as water containers.
Humans, who would use even dog droppings from the street as medicine, wouldn’t leave such monsters alone.
“Hoho, thank you as always.”
“Just pay a fair price. Looks like you’re skimming almost half off the top. Keep this up and I’ll just sell directly to the merchants myself?”
“Oh my, that won’t do. This time I’ll negotiate well with the merchant…”
After staring down the village chief who wouldn’t promise a better price until the end, I turned and left the village.
In my arms were rare reagents, fruits, wheat and seasonings not available here – things received from the villagers.
They were what I got instead of money for the monster corpses.
‘Master is too kind-‘
I know we could get more than double dealing directly with merchants. Yet Master wouldn’t do it. Something about not needing to break tradition since that’s how it’s always been done-
Just hearing it, she sounds like some old fogey about to celebrate their 60th birthday. Then I caught myself, remembering she’d lived several times that long.
‘Right, Master is a witch…’
And I knew a witch who’d lived hundreds of years wouldn’t easily change her ways. I sighed and returned to the cabin.
As soon as I arrived, I put the ingredients and flour in the kitchen and washed my hands in the bathroom. Water gushed from the magically created faucet, washing away the dirt.
After cleaning off the grime, I cut some fruit, put it on a plate and went upstairs. To the place I could now freely enter since learning magic.
“Master? I’m coming in.”
─Come in.
After receiving permission and opening the door, Master greeted me wearing her hood as usual. I lifted the plate of fruit and smiled lightly.
“I’m back. Have some fruit.”
“Thanks.”
While sneakily approaching to set down the plate, I peeked at the book she was reading. It had something written about curses and breaking them.
I tilted my head wondering if she was moving from magic to cursework now, but soon lost interest and looked around.
‘What should I read today…’
I thought this while approaching the bookshelf. Master’s magical bookshelf in her room. A mysterious shelf that gained new books every day.
I’d asked before how something like this was made, and who wrote the books inside─ but Master had just smiled lightly and moved on without answering.
‘Ah, this looks interesting.’
I took out a book titled [The Difference Between Divine Beasts and Monsters] and left the room. I went to my room on the first floor and lay on the bed to open the book.
In this place without computers or game consoles, books were the only entertainment. It would have been better if there were history books or novels. Unfortunately, those kinds of books didn’t appear very often.
While reading deeply, I heard something tapping on the window.
“…Mr. Fenrir?”
Nod-
Fenrir stood outside the window. Though he was Master’s familiar, he always came to me when he had business with Master. I still didn’t know why…
Setting down my book and going outside, I realized Fenrir’s expression wasn’t normal. Not only that – despite being a wolf who shouldn’t be able to sweat, he appeared to be sweating.
“What’s wrong?”
[My daughter, my daughter is hurt.]
“Daughter? Mr. Fenrir, you had a child?”
[…Is that important right now?]
Fenrir urged me on impatiently. Since this was something that should be left to Master, I quickly went upstairs to call her. Hearing that her familiar’s daughter was injured, Master quickly dressed and came outside.
“What happened?”
[My daughter is injured. She needs treatment.]
“Healing isn’t my specialty… but I suppose it’s better than doing nothing. Let’s go.”
She said this while biting her lip hard. Then she turned to me and said:
“Johan, guard the house. Don’t go anywhere, understood?”
“Yes, be careful.”
“…Let’s go, Fenrir.”
Master disappeared riding on her familiar’s back. I watched them go before belatedly realizing something.
‘Wait, does this mean I’m free…?’
I had time to myself.
For the first time in a long while.
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