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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Lina’s group prepared to enter the forest. The pig and the skeleton could only be in the forest.
“People mostly disappear in the forest, and they return from the forest too,” Kerry explained.
This was the information Lina had gathered while Kerry was busy having sex. He felt a little guilty.
The party prepared to enter the forest.
Bears, wolves, and even monsters lived in the forest, so thorough preparation was necessary. They needed to pack enough food and water too.
This was Kerry’s responsibility. His two years of experience as an adventurer were finally paying off.
“We’re ready now, Lady Lina.”
“Yes, thank you, Master Kerry. I feel reassured.”
The forest wasn’t far from the village.
A short walk outside revealed the densely wooded forest. Knowing the sinister rumors, it felt a little frightening.
Lina walked ahead without hesitation.
The party advanced, pushing through the tall grass with their feet. The *whooshing* sound of the wind seemed eerie only to Kerry.
The other members of the party, even the old woman, looked indifferent.
“The trail ends here,” Lina said, shaking her head. They’d ventured quite deep into the forest. They couldn’t just turn back now because the trail disappeared.
“Is it my turn now?” Kerry asked.
“….Master Kerry? You know how to track?”
“No, I don’t know anything that complicated. But I have this.”
Kerry took out a magic orb.
“No way? A tracking spell?”
“That’s right. Luckily, this magic storage orb has a tracking spell on it.”
It wasn’t a lie.
Kerry had asked the White Witch to imbue a rare-grade magic storage orb with a tracking spell. Putting a low-level attack spell in it would have been insignificant compared to Lina’s attack power, so this was better.
He knew it would come in handy like this.
Kerry infused the magic storage orb with mana.
Instantly, a mana wave emanated from the orb. After a few pulses, it stopped.
Kerry could sense it. He could feel the forest and the animals within the range of the mana wave in detail.
And within his detection range, he sensed a person.
“There’s a person 700 meters in the 2 o’clock direction. I don’t know who it is, but… it’s suspicious for someone to be alone in a forest like this.”
“Wow! That’s amazing, husband.”
“We don’t have any other leads, so let’s head that way. Good work, Master Kerry.”
“Kerry, you’re quite the magician now, aren’t you?”
“Hoho… what frightening talent.”
He still had three more spells he hadn’t revealed. Two were low-level spells in rare-grade orbs, and one was a mid-level spell in a hero-grade orb. He planned to keep them hidden and use them when necessary.
Lina’s group moved in the direction Kerry indicated.
At the location Kerry had specified, they saw a man standing blankly. He seemed to be a villager. What was he doing here?
His appearance was strange considering something was happening in the forest. He wasn’t even carrying common equipment like an axe.
There was no other way but to talk to him. Kerry called out to the man.
“Excuse me.”
“?”
The man, who had been standing blankly, turned around.
“May I ask what you’re doing here?”
“….You’re the outsiders who arrived recently.”
“Yes, we are, but…”
“Outsiders shouldn’t meddle in the affairs of other villages. Go your own way…”
This damn other world was always like this. What was the problem with being outsiders?
Just as Kerry’s irritation was about to spike, Lina intervened.
“Excuse me for being so forward, but could we talk to you? We are actually the hero’s party, chosen by the Goddess Elena. We heard unpleasant rumors about this village and came to help.”
“….Heroes? A, are you really the heroes from the rumors?”
“Yes, we are.”
The man’s attitude changed completely upon hearing the word “hero.” Kerry should’ve revealed their identities sooner.
He’d been avoiding it because Lina didn’t like being the center of attention.
The man started sobbing, relieved that the heroes had come. He should just tell them what happened.
After crying for a while, the man calmed down and began to speak.
“Heroes, please save my brother… no, please save our village.”
“Yes, please speak slowly. What exactly is happening in this village?”
The man sniffled as he spoke, his expression as if he was afraid to even mention it.
“In this forest, the White Witch… the White Witch lives here. The witch is definitely kidnapping people!”
Kerry shook his head.
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To summarize the man’s story:
There was an old legend that the White Witch lived in this forest, and the villagers believed she was responsible for all the disappearances. The White Witch wasn’t that bad of a person if you actually met her.
“Then why are you standing here blankly, mister? What if the White Witch captures you?”
“….I can’t do anything else. My brother disappeared in this forest.”
“You didn’t look like you were looking for your brother.”
“I’m waiting for my brother’s voice… Everyone who returned alive from the forest said they survived because someone who heard their voice saved them. So I thought, if I wait here, maybe I’ll hear my brother’s voice…”
You have to hear a voice in the forest to save someone? You have to enter the forest to save someone? Suspicious.
“….Haven’t you considered it might be suspicious? It’s like they’re luring people into the forest…”
“Of course I have! Everyone in the village knows it’s suspicious. They’re all afraid, calling it the voice of the dead. But… but… my own brother is missing… How can I just sit comfortably at home?”
“….”
“There are actually quite a few cases where people return safely from the forest. So… I have no choice but to wait here for my brother’s voice. Sob sob.”
The picture was becoming clearer.
Kerry understood his feelings, but he felt this way would only increase the number of victims.
Lina, also seemingly grasping the situation, clenched her fists. She took a deep breath, calming her anger.
“Let’s return to the village for now. It’s dangerous here.”
“But heroes… my brother… he’ll be waiting for me to save him.”
“Leave the rest to us. We will handle this.”
The man insisted he couldn’t return until he found his brother, but after Lina’s persistent persuasion, he went back to the village.
“Tsk. He’s a pitiful man.”
“Perhaps… there might be more people like him in the forest.”
“Are you planning to find them all, Lady Lina?”
“No.”
That was unexpected. Kerry thought she would suggest searching for them immediately.
“That’s not how this will be resolved. It would be faster to crush the bastards hiding in the forest than to search for people whose whereabouts are unknown.”
Kerry nodded in agreement. Their method was incredibly irritating.
Lina’s group continued to explore the forest. The deeper they went, the eerier it felt. What were those bastards doing in this forest? What was the reason for kidnapping and releasing people?
More than that, he felt sorry for the White Witch. She was being wrongly accused and slandered. He wondered what she would say if he told her later. He looked forward to it.
Lina’s group searched the forest until nightfall, but ultimately found nothing else. It was alright. He’d already anticipated this wouldn’t be resolved in a day or two.
That’s why they had come prepared.
Lina’s group started to set up camp in a suitable spot in the forest. Kerry built a fire and began cooking food for the group.
“Wow, it smells good. Husband, you’re really good at cooking. Where did you learn?”
“I picked it up while working as an adventurer. I had to pay attention to cooking. The ingredients were often so terrible that if I couldn’t cook, it was a struggle to even eat.”
Compared to those times, this was paradise. The meat and soup, sizzling on skewers, stimulated their sense of smell.
Eating food huddled around a campfire had its own charm.
Besides, with such beautiful women around, anything would taste great.
“I’m always indebted to Master Kerry.”
“I know Kerry’s cooking skills well. Huhu.”
The group enjoyed the skewers and soup Kerry made. Even the eerie forest felt atmospheric during mealtime.
Moonlight filtered through the tall trees.
Natasha and Victoria bickered while they ate.
“Make sure you eat your vegetables too, Natasha.”
“….I can eat by myself. Why are you acting so friendly lately? It’s burdensome.”
“Huhu. There’s that. But you don’t seem to hate it, do you?”
“I… I hate it! I totally hate it!”
Despite saying she hated it, Natasha readily accepted the vegetables Victoria offered.
The atmosphere had changed considerably. As expected, nothing beat skinship for building rapport.
Something continued to bother Kerry as he ate.
This was the forest where the White Witch lived.
Honestly, he wasn’t pleased when she was being wrongly accused of kidnapping people. Had he become attached to the White Witch?
It seemed he needed to see her tonight.
He was curious about her reaction when he told her what was happening.
The party finished their meal. They didn’t seem tense at all. It almost felt like they were on a camping trip.
After the lively dinner, they decided on the watch order and went to sleep.
Kerry also lay down in his sleeping bag. He intended to wake up before dawn and visit the White Witch.
While Kerry was asleep, someone carefully shook him awake.
What? Was it already his turn to stand watch? It reminded him of the army. Damn it.
But the face he saw when he opened his eyes was different from those in the army. He saw Natasha, with her large, red-eyed gaze. Just looking at her made him feel refreshed.
“Natasha, already… is it my turn to stand watch?”
He didn’t think his turn was after Natasha’s.
“Hu…Husband, that’s not it…”
“Did you wake me up by mistake? It’s alright. You can go back to sleep. I’m a good sleeper.”
“That’s not it either…”
“?”
Then what was it?
“I… I… I can’t hold it in anymore…”
“Hold what in?”
Natasha hesitated shyly, then whispered in his ear.
“…Urine.”
“…”
“I’m too scared to go alone. It’s dark at night… and the forest is creepy…”
“Then wouldn’t you normally wake your grandmother…?”
“If I asked Grandma to go with me… she would be furious. She’d say, ‘Can’t a warrior of Maruna even go pee by herself?’ But… what can I do if I’m scared? I’m most afraid of ghosts in the world.”
“…I can’t protect you even if a ghost appears.”
Natasha was stronger than him anyway.
“Hee! Don’t talk about ghosts! I’m already terrified.”
“You’re the one who brought up ghosts, Natasha.”
“Anyway, hurry up, husband. Hurry. I’ve been holding it in for too long.”
Natasha stamped her feet.
Kerry reluctantly got up. He went with Natasha into a dark part of the forest. He could see the rest of the party sleeping a short distance away.
“Hu…Husband, wait here… I’ll go pee in those bushes over there.”
“Okay, I understand, Natasha.”
“Don’t… don’t go anywhere else, okay? You have to stay right there.”
“Alright, don’t worry.”
Natasha entered the bushes.
Then he heard a *pissing* sound. It was similar to the sound Natasha made when she sprayed her love juices.
Come to think of it, there was something else he needed to confirm with Natasha.
The obedience training.
He hadn’t fully confirmed its effects yet.
“Phew. I thought I was going to die.”
Natasha had removed her heavy armor and was wearing light, casual clothes. She couldn’t sleep in armor, could she?
The fluttering of Natasha’s skirt was arousing.
“Natasha, feel better?”
“…I don’t know. Don’t ask such things; it’s embarrassing.”
“Lift your skirt so I can see if you wiped properly.”
“!”
Natasha’s face flushed red as she said,
“I, I wiped properly, husband. You’re so mean. Are you getting revenge because I woke you up?”
Natasha glared at him with narrowed eyes, but she just looked cute.
More importantly, Natasha didn’t realize what she was doing.
Unconsciously, she lifted her skirt.
Just as Kerry had commanded.
He could see Natasha’s panties beneath her skirt.
Perhaps she’d been in a hurry because Kerry was waiting, but the plump flesh of her pussy peeked out from the side of her panties. Wow. Fuck. That was hot.
The obedience training had been incredibly successful.
Natasha, seemingly realizing her situation belatedly, looked down. She saw her hand lifting her skirt.
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence hung in the air.
“Kyaaa! Husband, you’re so mean!”
She was the one who showed him.
Tears welled up in Natasha’s eyes as she ran back to her spot.
This was amazing. He never expected the obedience training to have such a powerful effect.
Natasha hid inside her sleeping bag.
Since he was already awake, Kerry decided to visit the witch for a bit.
“Natasha, I’m going to get some fresh air.”
“Do whatever you want! Husband, you’re really too much!”
He’d better appease Natasha in the morning.
Kerry entered the forest and held the White Witch’s seal in his hand.
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