episode_0012

Our esteemed ancestors once said:

“If you want to beat a tiger, you must enter its den.”

Furthermore, they left us with these words:

“Even if you enter the tiger’s den, you can survive as long as you keep your wits about you.”

Now, the issue at hand.

What kind of wisdom would emerge if we combine these two invaluable sayings?

Indeed!

The birth of the saying: “Keep your wits about you, enter the tiger’s den, and defeat the tiger!”

Our wise ancestors have always known this!

To solve a problem, you must eliminate its root cause!

And while solving the problem, one must overcome any challenges with caution and focus!

Of course, in this grim situation, we cannot eliminate the root cause of the problem as our ancestors advised.

However, by approaching the problem’s root cause indirectly…

It becomes possible to solve the problem.

My chosen method was just that.

With the current protagonist’s group, the priestess, and my own power, it is impossible to wipe out the elves living in the Great Forest.

Realistically, if we don’t perish within a few minutes after the battle begins, it would be considered fortunate.

6 vs. 500.

Unless this were a novel featuring a crazed race, overcoming such a disparity in strength would be incredibly challenging, wouldn’t it?

So I proposed:

“Now that things have come to this, let’s go deep inside and try to inflict fatal wounds.”

If all the prisoners gathered by those lunatics are released during this process, wouldn’t there be a chance of escape?

Upon hearing this, the priestess and Kal expressed concern and posed a question:

“How do we even get to the Stable of the Lasting Horses?”

“Aren’t we likely to be shot with arrows or hit by magic before reaching the stable?”

But the answer to that question was surprisingly simple.

“Your name is Kal, right? Kal Possible, was it?”

“Yes, ‘Possible’ meaning.”

“Your name’s meaning doesn’t matter; anyway, are you empathetic right now?”

“…What?”

“Just answer that, are you empathetic? Yes or no?”

“I-I am…”

Thus, by leveraging the protagonist’s empathy, we threatened the elves.

While this tactic might seem ineffective against those lunatics, it surprisingly turned out to be the most effective threat.

Because those individuals attach a special meaning to “empathy.”

Indeed, it’s an extraordinary sight.

A “premium male” that appears once every 50 or 100 years, especially in the Great Forest.

But what would the elves’ reaction be if we were to capture him as a hostage, including the empathy that holds special significance?

Yes, their actions become much more cautious.

Just like right now.

Entering the forest with Kal, we were surrounded by all sorts of fierce magical traps.

Arrows, whose origin was unknown, precisely targeted me and the priestess, while terrifying traps engulfed us.

Fortunately, amidst this dire situation, the priestess, true to her title as a “saintly candidate,” successfully defended against all attacks by reciting incantations.

However, it seemed unlikely that we could withstand this fierce onslaught for long. Therefore, I quickly spoke up to the elves.

“I’ve brought two pieces of news that you need to hear!”

[…?]

“For now, stop the attacks and listen. One is good news, and the other is bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

Seemingly intrigued, the elves collectively halted their attacks.

The arrows ceased flying, and the magical traps remained on the verge of activation, frozen in place.

Granting me a brief respite, the elves, with their icy expressions, stared at me and opened their mouths.

“Are you trying to buy time? But stalling won’t benefit you, witch.”

“Pfft, if I had intended to delay time, I wouldn’t have even entered the forest. I came to find you with a pure intention of just wanting to provide information.”

“Do you think there’s no valuable information to gain from a witch?”

Not particularly curious, but I definitely noticed it.

It was the sparkle of curiosity beyond her pupils.

“So, do you want to listen? Or ignore and kill me? Honestly, even if you listen and then kill me, you won’t lose anything, right?”

“Well, I don’t care much… Fine, then let’s hear the good news first, witch. What exactly is this good news?”

“Well, for starters, this male you call ‘special grade’ is a perfect virgin who has never experienced a female before.”

As her gentle voice resonated through the quiet forest, the brief silence shattered, and the entire forest began to stir.

“A special grade virgin? That’s truly top-notch!”

“They say the one who strikes first wins, right? Should we just go for it? After all, we can leave the rest to our future selves…”

“Sis, don’t drool. You had your turn yesterday. Today it’s my turn.”

All sorts of nonsense filled the forest.

The elf who appeared to be the leader, sensing the chaos that seemed to be brewing, rubbed his forehead and shouted loudly.

“Everyone quiet down! The witch hasn’t delivered bad news yet! Save your cheers for when you hear the bad news!”

“But can we really cheer just upon hearing bad news?”

“What do you mean by that?”

What did he mean?

I took out a sashimi from my bosom and placed it just above the edge of the knife, flashing a wicked smile.

“The bad news is that I’m holding hostage that ‘special grade virgin’ you’re all so crazy about. How’s that for bad news?”

“T-This wicked witch…!”

“Wicked? I wonder who’s calling who wicked.”

Even as I spoke, I felt a twinge of guilt.

Threatening someone by pointing a knife at their most precious spot, especially someone who has never experienced it… Isn’t that too wicked?

But it couldn’t be helped.

This is a necessary evil to escape the Great Forest.

If I don’t do this, there’s no chance of escaping at all.

I pushed the sashimi closer to the edge of the knife and commanded the bewildered elves.

“Back off. If anyone attacks or approaches beyond a certain distance, I will not hesitate to strike.”

“You wench…!”

“To have sympathy for a special grade, not just a natural being. If you want to lose it in front of your eyes, feel free to attack.”

“Are we going to let this wench leave the Great Forest unharmed? If it’s a fruit that can’t be eaten, we might as well crush it!”

The elves, readying themselves for an immediate attack with a fierce aura, stopped their actions at just a single word.

“First calm down, how about we make a deal?”

“…What kind of deal are you suddenly proposing?”

“Instead of me personally putting this special grade male into the ‘horse breeding facility,’ you won’t launch any attacks until this woman and I leave the Great Forest. How about that, okay?”

“That’s a strange condition. Wouldn’t it be better to just let it go now if that’s the case?”

The elf leader looked puzzled, not understanding.

I shook my head and glanced around at the elves surrounding us.

“I got involved in this troublesome situation for no reason, so I must exact revenge.”

“I understand. However, bringing non-elves to the horse breeding facility…”

“There must be some purpose for going there, right? Funny, I have no interest in your pathetic place.”

Of course, there is another purpose, but it definitely isn’t what the elves are thinking.

Those women probably think by now that I’m going into the stallion detention center to pick out a favorite male and take him away.

Not at all.

Even though my appearance has changed like this, I am still undeniably a man.

Isn’t it natural for a man to recognize another man? I’m not some gay guy.

Responding with a stern look, the elf who seemed like a leader turned to me and asked another question.

“By the way, do you really feel sorry for that man?”

“You don’t believe it? It’s strange. If those bitches have experienced sympathy at least once, they should know well that this ‘top-notch male’ deserves sympathy, right?”

[…]

After hearing confident words, the elf leader scanned each of his colleagues silently.

Soon, she realized that something was off with some of them and sighed.

“It seems like sympathy is certain.”

“So what should we do now?”

“…Alright, I’ll guide you to the detention center. But if anything goes wrong with that male on the way…”

“Don’t worry. I said yesterday, as long as you guys don’t act up, I won’t cut anything, right?”

With a cheerful smile, when I lightly touched the lower body with the sharp edge of the scimitar, the metal shivered slightly, as if feeling the chill.

Clang.

Then, turning his head slightly, he whispered to me.

“…You wouldn’t actually cut it if things go wrong, would you? If you fail to graduate in sympathy, you might turn into an evil spirit.”

“You said you’d do your best, right? Then shouldn’t you do your best in every aspect?”

“The bar has been set too low, too low. The low point I had in mind was enjoying fiercely with those beauties, not becoming a sage after losing my manhood.”

If becoming a sage is the goal, isn’t losing your manhood quite acceptable?

Handing over the tools needed for reproduction and reaching the pinnacle of a field, isn’t that a pretty good deal?

Of course, I’m not saying this because I lost mine, absolutely not.

Suppressing the sudden surge of anger within me, I whispered softly in his ear.

“If you don’t want to lose it, give it your all. You swore, didn’t you? You promised to help me escape even if it means risking your life.”

“That doesn’t mean burning it, clearly.”

“Hmph, don’t worry. What else can happen if it goes wrong other than getting cut off?”

“Isn’t that a big enough problem?”

Sigh.

The sword, exhaling a sigh, shook its head back and forth while looking down at me.

“As the village chief said, there was a truly wicked witch… Among all the witches I’ve seen so far, you’re undoubtedly the worst.”

…Oh, come on, it’s just about surviving.

Why such bitter words.