episode_0079

“It’s a strange ceiling.”

Upon awakening, the boy first surveyed his surroundings, taking in the unfamiliar sight that greeted him.

While it was indeed remarkable that he was still alive, he didn’t dwell on that fact.

Knowing where he was would perhaps extend his fragile hold on life a bit longer.

Contrary to the boy’s concerns, the place he found himself in was remarkably peaceful.

It felt almost like visiting a rural cabin, if not for the scattered corpses of monsters outside and the ominous-looking spellbooks propped up on shelves.

The boy had no idea that he was right in the heart of the Maekyung.

“Where am I?”

Rising from the soft bed, there was little else the boy could do.

His body being a mess from the monsters, it was only natural.

With his body not moving as intended, the boy lifted the blanket to inspect himself.

What met his gaze was a gruesome sight, his body wrapped in bandages soaked with blood and pus.

A bitter smile crossed his face momentarily.

But soon, he shook his head.

Simply surviving in that place was close to a miracle in itself.

Though his injuries were severe, well, at least he hadn’t lost any limbs.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, the boy lay back down on the bed.

He wondered.

Who exactly had saved his life?

No, for what purpose had they spared him?

Lost in these unsettling thoughts, he heard shuffling noises outside.

The boy instinctively realized.

Ah, the landlord must have returned.

He closed his eyes and feigned sleep, but of course, the landlord wasn’t fooled in the slightest.

Thinking he could fool someone like the landlord was naive. A person who navigated this insane Maekyung was not one to be easily deceived.

Approaching the bed, the landlord looked down at the boy and spoke.

“You’re not sleeping, so get up.”

At those words, the boy opened his eyes and gazed at the landlord.

And he was taken aback.

The being who had saved him, the ‘witch,’ had no interest whatsoever in others’ affairs.

Hence, the boy inquired.

“I’m grateful for being saved, but why did you save me? Perhaps to use me for creating a chimera or…”

“Hmm? Why would you think I’d be researching something so crude? That’s quite offensive.”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“It was just a whim. Don’t read too much into it.”

The witch, with an impassive face, briefly stepped out, then returned, offering the boy a steaming plate of stew.

Feeling hungry, the boy devoured the stew without a second thought.

Was it because he had never eaten with such a painful body before?

To the boy, that stew tasted better than any delicacy he had ever had in his family.

However, there was one thing the boy overlooked.

This was one of the Four Great Maekyungs, the Southern Grand Forest.

Nothing here, not even the food, was easy.

As the boy patted his full belly, he soon realized that something was amiss.

His stomach began to feel like a fiery furnace, and his limbs, which had moved slightly before, now refused to budge.

The witch was unaware.

Unaware of how lethal the ingredients she usually ate could be to others.

How what might be delicious to some could act as poison to others.

“This wicked witch.”

As he saw hallucinations seemingly gestured by Grandpa Gojo, who had been summoned by Agathon not long ago,

the boy once again lost consciousness in a daze.

—–

Thanks to the witch’s capriciousness, the boy was able to lead a safe life in the Southern Grand Forest.

However, apart from safety, the boy didn’t particularly enjoy living with the witch.

And understandably so, the witch was too different from the kind family members he was used to.

“If I can’t even do the dishes or cook, what good am I for?”

“I’m truly useless and pathetic. Sigh, it can’t be helped. I have to do everything myself.”

Perhaps due to only hearing harsh words, even after nearly a month of cohabitation, the boy couldn’t warm up to the witch at all.

Underneath the witch’s sigh-laden mockery, even his self-esteem was gradually worn away.

But there was nothing he could do about it.

Even if he managed to hunt with great effort, to the witch who could sweep away an entire army with a single spell, he was like a wrinkle in front of a maggot.

And as he had lived his whole life as a nobleman unable to do anything, even household chores were out of his reach.

Realizing how powerless he truly was, the boy had to feel despair for the second time since he was born.

“I want to go home.”

He knew that the moment he returned without any achievements, he wouldn’t be able to escape punishment, but still, he wanted to go back home feeling this helpless.

Being by the side of people who praised him was much better than always being around the wicked witch who only scolded him.

And so, foolishly, the boy began to plan his escape from the witch.

——

“I have some research to do, so you’d better stay inside as if a dead mouse is stuck in the house. If you go out and cause trouble, you’ll regret it.”

The opportunity came sooner than the boy had anticipated.

You know too, being a witch yourself, right? Witches are always consumed by their research.

The Witch of Darkness had left the cabin for her research, and upon confirming this, the boy hastily began to pack his things.

“…Rather than living so miserably, it would be much better to fight enemies and die.”

Was it because of the young age’s immature pride?

Or was it that he still couldn’t let go of that damn arrogance?

Thinking that this time he could finally escape the witch, the boy grabbed a dagger from the witch’s kitchen instead of his sword.

With determination, he set foot towards the harsh world outside the cabin.

But the boy didn’t know.

How many monsters were eagerly waiting to unleash their wrath because the witch had let him slip away.

They were cunning creatures of the magical realm.

To eliminate even the slightest variable, they waited for the boy to stray far from the cabin.

One step, then another.

With each step the boy took, the monsters salivated in anticipation.

Just a little more, one more step.

And the moment the boy reached a point of no return.

The horde of monsters rushed towards him to end his life.

“Ah.”

It wasn’t until countless monsters appeared in front of him that the boy realized.

There was a reason why the witch didn’t let him out of the house.

But regret always comes too late.

Preparing himself for death, the boy readied the dagger he had taken from the witch’s kitchen.

“I will survive.”

Staring fiercely at the monsters, using the wind’s sound as a signal, he charged towards them with a beastly roar, akin to a wild animal.

—–

It was truly a desperate battle.

Unlike the initial fear, the boy wielded his sword like a mad beast, causing the monster corpses to pile up.

However, with each additional corpse, the boy also gained wounds, and realizing that the boy’s stamina was running out, the monsters ruthlessly attacked him even more.

“This is my grave.”

He had shed too much blood, making his vision blurry.

His arms trembled so much that he couldn’t even gauge how many more times he could swing his sword.

Even his once abundant courage had now emptied, leaving him uncertain if he could defeat the monsters.

*Exhales deeply…*

The boy looked down at the dagger in his hand.

It was still sharp, a weapon he had taken from the witch’s kitchen.

“If I hadn’t brought this dagger, could I have lasted this long?”

He shook his head.

He knew well that without this dagger, he would have turned into mere meat and rolled around in the monster’s belly long ago.

“I’m just going through all this because of a debt of gratitude.”

The boy chuckled bitterly and adjusted his posture.

“The witch won’t come to save me again… That’s for sure.”

Having repaid kindness with theft, what noble soul would come to rescue him again?

Especially that ‘witch’ who, isn’t it natural for her to just leave him to die quietly?

“I don’t know about anything else, but I’d like to hear a simple apology before I die.”

However, it seemed unlikely that the boy’s small wish would be granted.

As the boy reached his limit, there were still plenty of monsters around.

With a thud –

As the boy finally knelt down, the monsters, sensing their opportunity, rushed towards him to devour him without hesitation.

Facing the approaching jaws wide open, the boy quietly closed his eyes.

“Ah, now I’m going to die.”

He braced himself for the impending agony, but no matter how much time passed, he felt no pain.

Instead, a warm body temperature enveloped him.

“I told you, if you go out and make trouble, I’ll eat you alive.”

A cold, irritated voice mixed with annoyance.

But the boy found that voice so welcoming.

And the wicked witch who had come to save him looked so beautiful.

For the first time since he was born, the boy cried.

In that moment, he silently expressed his gratitude, knowing she wouldn’t hear it.

Thank you, truly.

I will repay this kindness over a lifetime.