Black Forest (2)

The witch’s cottage was surprisingly cozy. A spotless bed without a speck of dust, a study filled with old books, and even a kitchen with a sweet aroma.

“Seueup.”

Lying in bed, the forest visible outside was still dark and ominous, but inside the cottage, it was like a scene from a fairy tale.

“How about a cup of tea? You’re a guest, after all.”

Beatrice offered a teacup with an elegant posture.

“Thank you.”

As I took the teacup, a subtle mushroom scent stimulated the tip of my nose.

“It’s a specially prepared tea. Brewed with mushrooms that only grow in the Black Forest.”

A smile appeared on her lips. But I didn’t miss the dangerous air hidden within that smile.

“The mushroom scent is nice.”

I took a sip. A bittersweet taste lingered on my tongue.

Beatrice’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Hehe… How is the taste?”

“Hmm, it’s a taste I’ve never had before.”

“Yes. Because this is a very special tea.”

Her voice rang sweetly.

“It’s tea brewed with Death Spore mushrooms. It contains a poison so potent that even an ogre would collapse with just one sip.”

Beatrice grinned. A joy of victory spread through her smile.

“The poison will start spreading soon. Your whole body will be paralyzed, and your organs will melt away…”

I emptied the teacup to the bottom.

“The mushroom scent is so good, is there any more?”

“What? What… what did you just say?”

“I asked for more tea. It’s my first time having this kind of mushroom tea, and it’s delicious.”

“Wait… shouldn’t your whole body be burning up right now?”

She hurriedly examined my face.

Beatrice stamped her feet. Her pale face gradually turned red.

“How did this happen? Did I make a mistake? It was definitely a potent poison brewed with spore mushrooms!”

“Ah, that reminds me.”

I said, putting down the teacup.

“Serving such poisonous tea doesn’t seem like the way a host should act, does it?”

“Eueue…”

Beatrice lowered her head. The way she fidgeted with the hem of her black dress made her look like a scolded child.

“It’s strange! Did I make a mistake? Or…”

She looked at me suspiciously.

“Perhaps… do you have some kind of secret in your body?”

“Who knows?”

I said with a smirk.

“Why don’t you find out yourself, Witch-nim?”

“Hmph! I’ll find out, so just wait!”

Beatrice puffed up her cheeks.

“Next time, I’ll use an even stronger poison… No, that’s not it…”

Her muttering faded away.

How many days had passed? I discovered something surprising by the window where the moonlight dimly shone.

“This is…”

A doll placed on the desk. It was a curse doll intricately made with black thread.

It was made to perfectly resemble me. Even the shape of the Holy Sword was reproduced exactly.

I picked up the doll.

At that moment, I felt a presence outside the window.

“Now it’s over.”

Beatrice’s whisper was heard.

“Now, just as I say…”

She put her hands together. A black aura swirled and enveloped the curse doll.

“Euaaaak!”

I rolled on the floor. As if writhing in pain.

“Hehe… Finally!”

Beatrice’s voice rang with triumph.

“Now do you understand? The power of my curse?”

“Yeomyeongiyeo.”

The back of my right hand sparkled. In an instant, the black aura subsided.

“…Huh?”

Beatrice’s eyes widened.

“Just now… where did my curse go?”

“Ah, this is really well made.”

I said, looking at the doll from side to side.

“It’s more like a figure than a curse doll? Were you perhaps a fan of mine?”

“It’s a curse doll that I painstakingly made for a week…!”

“A week? That’s why I haven’t seen you lately.”

“No, that’s not the important thing…”

Her cheeks flushed red.

“It’s really well made. It looks exactly like my expression.”

“Don’t praise me! This is a medium for an evil curse!”

“Looking at the Holy Sword, is this perhaps my appearance when we first met?”

“Ugh, really!”

Beatrice stamped her feet.

“Next time, really be prepared…!”

She turned around and ran out.

A few days later.

Peuroook-!

A swarm of black frogs rushed in from all directions. The frogs croaked and spewed poison.

“How is it this time?”

Beatrice shouted from the tree.

“Black frogs of the Black Forest! A monster I personally modified!”

The frogs rushed in.

The Holy Sword slashed through the air. One, two… ten were knocked down in an instant.

“Wait… this easily?”

Beatrice jumped down from the tree.

“Each of these frogs is an S-class magical beast…!”

“They’re cute.”

“…What?”

“The frogs’ expressions are really cute. Especially their eyes, they resemble you.”

“Eueue… cute…”

A smile appeared on Beatrice’s lips.

“T-That’s right? Of course they’re cute since I made them!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her suddenly boastful appearance.

She hurriedly covered her mouth.

“No, wait! This won’t do!”

Beatrice shook her head.

“This is a scary monster! Not cute…”

“But they’re frogs.”

“Euaaa!”

She clutched her head.

“That’s it! I give up!”

Beatrice sighed.

“Do whatever you want now! How can a hero be so reckless!”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“Thank you? Are you mocking me right now?”

“No, sincerely.”

I carefully picked up a fallen frog.

“For playing with me so enjoyably.”

She stamped her feet in frustration.

A few days later. Beatrice, who had been docile for a while, brought out another dangerously potent poison.

“Are you trying to kill me again today?”

I asked, looking at the purple boiling soup. Something seemed to be bubbling inside the pot.

“What are you talking about?”

Beatrice wrinkled her nose.

“I worked hard to make this soup…”

“So, what kind of poison is it this time?”

“…I told you I quit, didn’t I?”

Beatrice turned her head.

“No matter what I do, it doesn’t work… I was just going to serve you a meal as the homeowner…”

“Oh? Wait…”

I took a spoonful of soup and put it in my mouth. In an instant, my whole body stiffened.

“T-This is…”

“How is it? I worked hard…”

I mustered my courage and took another spoonful. The moment it touched my tongue, all sorts of flavors mixed together. Sweet, salty, sour, and bitter exploded chaotically.

I took another sip of the soup. This is really…

“How can such a terrible taste exist… If you were trying to kill me, you almost succeeded this time.”

“Eueue…”

Beatrice crouched in the corner of the kitchen. Her black dress spread out in a circle on the floor.

“I… I’ve never cooked before…”

“It looks like it.”

“I’ve been living alone all this time! Besides, I can’t even get proper ingredients in this forest…!”

Her voice gradually faded.

“Wait a minute.”

I opened my inventory. I took out fresh vegetables and meat.

“Look at this.”

Beatrice’s eyes sparkled.

“Is all of that edible?”

“Of course.”

I took out a knife and started slicing onions. I minced garlic and peeled carrots.

Beatrice came closer to me. Her red eyes were filled with curiosity.

“Um… is that how you’re supposed to do it?”

“Yeah. You stir-fry the vegetables like this…”

As I put in the meat and stir-fried it, a savory aroma spread.

“T-This scent…”

Beatrice’s nose twitched.

“It smells delicious…”

Every time the soup boiled, a sweet aroma filled the kitchen.

“Okay, it’s done.”

I put the yellow soup on a white plate.

“So this is what real cooking is…”

“Here, please enjoy, Witch-nim.”

Beatrice carefully picked up a spoon.

“Eueum…”

Her eyes widened.

“This taste…”

“How is it?”

“It’s delicious…”

Beatrice’s eyes became moist.

“I… it’s been a long time since I’ve had a taste like this. It tastes like what my mother used to make….”

She took another spoonful of soup.

“Do you want more?”

“…Yes.”

I smiled as I watched her answer in a shy voice.

“I’ll cook for you from now on.”

“Really?”

Beatrice’s cheeks flushed red.

“To think you’ve been living without eating proper food… How pitiful.”

“I don’t necessarily need to eat something. My life is connected to the forest, after all.”

Her voice became lonely.

“This is a forest that devours everything. Everything that comes in gets eaten… and those who leave get lost.”

“I’ll make it for you every day from now on.”

“…Thank you.”

A warm smile spread across her lips. It was the first pure smile I had ever seen.

***

Beatrice secretly watched Haru chop firewood. The trees in the Black Forest were so hard that ordinary humans couldn’t easily cut them. But Haru’s axmanship was different.

Tak-

It split smoothly as if it were an ordinary tree. The hard bark peeled off easily like butter.

‘Is it because he’s a hero…’

The sweat on Haru’s forehead sparkled in the sunlight. His arm muscles moved every time he swung the ax.

Beatrice felt a smile spreading across her lips without her realizing it. She fidgeted with the hem of her black dress and watched him.

‘He’s a hero, but he’s anything but righteous and does whatever he wants…’

But she liked that. His appearance of being strong yet humble, and not losing his composure even in the dangerous witch’s forest.

The muscles in his arms chopping firewood sparkled in the sunlight. Beatrice hurriedly averted her gaze.

‘What am I looking at.’

Ordinary humans would have been eaten by the Black Forest long ago. Haru was different. He was good at cooking, and he told interesting adventure stories…

“Why don’t you stop peeking now?”

Beatrice was startled by Haru’s voice.

“W-Who said I was peeking!”

“You’ve been staring at me since a while ago.”

“That’s… that’s…”

Beatrice fidgeted with the hem of her black dress.

“Perhaps… are you inspecting whether I’m chopping firewood properly?”

“No! It’s not that…”

Beatrice stopped talking and closed her mouth. Was she watching him because he was handsome? There was no way she could say that.

Haru smiled and started chopping firewood again.

A few days later, a sharp scream was heard from the outskirts of the forest.

“S-Save me!”

Two adventurers broke into the forest. Black vines were wrapped around their ankles.

“Haru, those people…”

Haru drew his Holy Sword.

In an instant, the vines were cut off. The adventurers looked at Haru with bewildered expressions.

“Run away quickly.”

They nodded and left the forest.

In fact, Beatrice had changed a lot these days. She didn’t eat the humans who invaded the forest like she used to.

‘Because Haru wouldn’t like it…’

She felt her cheeks heating up. She was unfamiliar with herself being conscious of him.

In the evening, Haru cooked a delicious stew. Sitting at the table and listening to his adventure stories had become a daily routine.

“So you rode a dragon and flew in the sky?”

“Yeah. A golden dragon named Aris…”

Haru’s expression darkened for a moment before brightening again.

“Is it delicious?”

“Eueung…”

Beatrice nodded shyly.

‘So this is happiness.’

It was a feeling she was experiencing for the first time in five hundred years.

“Beatrice.”

One day, Haru called her name. Her heart pounded.

“What is it?”

“I have something to show you.”

What he took out was a black crystal. Red vein-like patterns flowed through the inside of the crystal.

“It’s a Chaos Crystal.”

“It looks dangerous…?”

“That’s why I came here to stabilize it.”

Beatrice smiled.

‘Ah, so that’s why.’

At that moment, the Black Forest shook. It instantly tried to snatch and absorb the Chaos Crystal. But…

Kwajik-!

The forest reacted violently. It spat out the crystal as if it were expelling poison.

“How can this be…”

Beatrice was flustered. It was the first time the Black Forest had failed to digest something.

“You’re a great witch, aren’t you? Help me stabilize this.”

Haru said.

“Why should I help you?”

“Wouldn’t that make me leave sooner?”

Beatrice’s heart sank.

‘Leave…’

She had forgotten all this time. That Haru was someone who would leave someday.

“Okay, fine.”

“Really?”

“Of course. The sooner you disappear, the more peaceful this forest will be.”

She raised her voice. Words she didn’t mean came out.

“You bother me with this and that every day… I wish you would leave soon.”

She strode away, fluttering the hem of her black dress.

“Let’s start right away from tomorrow. I don’t want to waste time.”

She quickened her pace and muttered to herself.

‘This is good. He’s someone who will leave anyway…’

“Thank you, Beatrice.”

Haru’s voice was warm.

Beatrice walked faster to hide her blushing face.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s just because you’re annoying.”

She made her voice even colder. Contrary to her heart, even harsher.

‘I have to do this. I have to…’

Beatrice quickened her pace as if trying to erase the sound of her own heart.

When he leaves, when she’s alone again… she can erase these feelings as if they never existed.

“I’ve been alone for five hundred years anyway, so I’ll be fine in the future too… Yeah.”

The small mutter was scattered by the wind.