[Afterword] Thank you! Chapter 19
6. Raccoon, Leaf, Chapter 018 – Raccoon, Leaf #3
“These days, just keeping my body in shape is quite the task, you know? I tried to drink some Mepar tea to get my energy back, but I ended up fainting instead! I owe my life to the cup I dropped!”
On the flat wooden floor, droplets like beads began to gather from the narrow gaps between the planks.
The foggy liquid seemed to pulse and then transformed into the shape of a woman dressed in a blue gown.
‘That’s a human form!’
With pale skin, dark blue tresses flowing like raven feathers, and an unsettling sharpness about her, she was definitely not your average human.
To put it mildly, she was a jaw-dropping beauty. In a previous life, was there ever a woman this stunning to be found anywhere other than on TV or the internet?
‘Still, I’ve never seen anything like that on TV.’
I couldn’t help but let my gaze wander to the area around the witch’s chest. The buttons on her neatly fastened dress looked like they were about to pop off any second.
Now, that was something remarkable.
Coming from a place where an A-cup was considered average, I couldn’t even begin to estimate the size of those!
━ “Eve! I couldn’t see you, so I was getting worried thinking something went wrong!”
The Raccoon suddenly snuggled into the woman’s skirt and rubbed his face against it. The woman then moved her slender fingers to pet the Raccoon’s head.
“Seems like you don’t have any qualms about handling things carelessly, do you?”
━ “N-no! That was not me! It was that guy over there!”
The Raccoon pointed a finger at me, and as the witch followed its gaze, I flinched.
‘This woman is far stronger than she appears.’
Ever since encountering a gigantic wolf and a dinosaur, my instincts had become razor-sharp.
To elaborate, I could now instinctively sense the strength and temperament of beasts.
Maybe being a small creature has amped up my survival instincts to identify the strong ones around me?
And to me, this woman felt as imposing and historical as staring up at a massive ancient tree.
“What a cute little critter you are.”
The woman, possibly named Eve, smiled down at me with a chuckle. Although her tone was reminiscent of an elderly person, her voice was extremely soft and beautiful.
I felt an icy shiver run down my spine, and every hair on my body stood on end.
“There’s no need to be so wary. If you’re a friend of Leaf, then you’re like a friend of mine.”
━ “N-no! She’s not my friend! She tried to eat me!”
Leaf threw up his hands, growling at me.
“Is that so? Trying to eat Leaf? Well, I’ll just have to teach you a lesson then!” The witch replied casually as she slowly approached me.
I froze in place, unable to move. The witch’s hand reached down to pet my head, which felt like it was caught in a vice.
“Such wonderful fur! With this much soft and fluffy fur, I could knit a curtain. So soft and plush! Maybe I should make a cushion out of it?”
The witch’s hand ran over my face and jaw, like she was meticulously examining the quality of my fur.
She seemed to have a knack for it, adjusting her touches so gently.
As she scratched the itchy spots beneath my chin and behind my ears, a pleasant sensation surged down my spine.
━ “Grr, wh-what? Oh, no!”
Without realizing it, I let out a happy low purr. I quickly backed away a few steps, as if to shake off her touch.
“Just kidding! I was only teasing you. It’s the first time Leaf has brought home a friend.”
━ “Friend? No! Anyway, that’s not important, Eve! This guy said he has five talents! He doesn’t even know what kind of beast he is! Do you think you could tell me what animal he is?”
“Hmmm. It seems Leaf’s curiosity has been piqued.”
The witch hummed thoughtfully and then began circling around me, inspecting every inch.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
She grabbed my front paw and examined it from every angle, pressing on the pad like it was some kind of squishy toy.
With her skilled hands pressing down on my paw, my claws popped out.
“You seem to be a young beast, but you have some remarkably excellent claws. You must have a talent called ‘Sturdy Claws,’ right?”
━ “C-can you tell just by looking?”
I unconsciously switched to polite speech.
Even though she looked like a human, she had such a strong presence that I felt compelled to show some respect. Plus, she was breathtakingly beautiful!
“Well, I don’t know everything, but I can figure this much out. Your paws are surprisingly soft and not callused, which makes me think you also possess another talent—let’s say ‘Stealthy Movement.’”
The witch continued to press on my paw with her delicate fingers.
With each firm yet soothing pressure, it strangely felt like the fatigue in my entire body was melting away.
“And let’s see….”
The witch held my jaw and opened my mouth wide. She leaned in closely to examine my teeth.
Feeling a bit embarrassed having such a beauty look into my mouth, I noticed she seemed unfazed by it at all.
“What fine and sturdy teeth. This is definitely a sign of the ‘Omnivore’ talent. A sure indication that you can eat and digest just about anything!”
With that, she released my jaw, and as if to let go of the tension built in my jaw, she circled her thumbs around my cheeks.
‘This massage technique is exceptional. It reminds me of how my sister would pamper her dog.’ Aaaah.
I melted at the delightful touch.
I ended up lying on the wooden floor, and the witch climbed onto my back, massaging my shoulders and neck.
The tickling sensation as my muscles stretched felt heavenly, and I let out a comforting purr. But then, wham! Her palm came down heavily on my back!
Crack!
━ “Ugh!”
I let out an involuntary scream as a wave of pain coursed through my body. I squirmed, but the witch just kept pressing down on my back and waist relentlessly.
Snap, crack, pop, the sound of my joints echoed as she continued her tortuous massage.
━ “Aah, stop, please!”
“The first time is always painful. But it’ll feel good soon enough. Your muscles are quite tense, and your joints are all knotted. Creatures from this forest usually feel like this.”
━ “I-it does?”
I squeaked in between whimpers as the witch’s hands kept kneading me like dough. Eventually, I could feel tears welling up as her palm struck my thick pelt.
She sure had some serious strength behind those hands!
“Okay, we’re done. Your fur is so fluffy that even a light touch ended up warming you up all over.”
━ “N-no, I’m fine. Uh-oh.”
As I straightened up, I felt lighter as if the stiffness in my body had evaporated.
This revitalizing feeling was nothing like the satisfaction I felt when leveling up after healing from wounds.
The witch sat at the table and sipped her tea. After such a robust and demanding massage, not a single bead of sweat adorned her forehead.
“From what I can tell of your outer talents, there are three. Sturdy claws, stealthy movement, and teeth that can chew and digest anything. Each one of these talents is phenomenal. With just one of them, you could be the ruler of the forest—of course, that’s if you survive and mature into an adult.”
━ “Is that true!? Just one of them is enough to be the ruler of the forest?”
“Have you ever seen me lie?”
The Raccoon appeared stunned by the witch’s response, and I was equally flabbergasted.
Realizing that the abilities I possessed were quite impressive filled me with a sudden pride.
In my previous life as a human, I’d never been lucky at all, but now as a beast, it felt like I’d hit the jackpot!
“It seems you received immense love from the World Tree. However, I can’t quite tell what sort of beast you are. While some parts resemble this or that, overall, you seem like a beast I’ve never seen before.”
━ “Witch, I can’t believe there’s something you don’t know.”
“Even I don’t know everything. I’ve just lived longer than most, giving me a bit more experience. Hmmm, still, there might be a way to identify what you are.”
The witch set her teacup down on the table.
“For essential matters, there’s always a corresponding price to pay.”
It seemed like she was hinting she wanted some kind of payment.
I felt the weight of Leaf’s vine bag hanging at my waist, the green gemstone inside drawing my attention.
‘It’s a precious stone that chases away insects. Is finding out what animal I am really that important? More than this stone?’
I weighed the value of the gemstone against the curiosity of my identity.
The identity weighed light as a feather with no real substance, while the blue gem was solid and heavy—clearly tipping the scales in favor of the gem.
‘Can I maybe find out for free? But if it’s a cost, then I might not necessarily need to know.’
Just then, Raccoon Leaf reached out toward the witch.
━ “If it’s a reward, then I’ll give you this.”
In the Raccoon’s palm lay a tiny, shiny golden nugget.
The witch’s blue eyes widened as she stared at it.
“This is a piece of gold, isn’t it? Where did you find it?”
━ “I picked it up by the riverbank. Would this be enough as payment? You like shiny things, right, Eve?”
I was unexpectedly touched by the Raccoon’s actions. I never suspected he’d be willing to pay for me!
‘Was he that curious about what I am? Or perhaps…’
I started reconsidering him as a decent little fellow.
“Of course I love shiny things. Let’s take a look.”
Witch Eve took the nugget from the Raccoon’s hand and examined it closely. Then, it sounded like she bit into it to test its purity before swallowing it whole.
She just ate a gold nugget!
I felt utterly blindsided by her unexpected action.
The witch smacked her lips as if it was the most delectable morsel she’d ever tasted.
“It’s tasty, but this amount is a bit lacking. The magical power hasn’t fully activated.”
━ “Lacking?”
The Raccoon’s tail started to wag nervously. He glanced at me and gestured towards the vine bag.
━ “Give her that. I guess what I prepared wasn’t enough.”
“Do you have anything else?”
The witch’s gaze fixed on the vine bag tied to my waist. I went through quite the internal dilemma in a brief moment.
‘It can’t be helped.’
I pulled out the blue gemstone and shakily held it out to the witch.
Her blue eyes sparkled wide, matching the color of the gem.
“…This is.”
Taking the gemstone from my hand delicately, the witch sighed dramatically.
“This is too big for me to keep. Can I ask where you found this?”
Her eyes locked onto mine, glistening with intent. I didn’t dare lie under that probing gaze.
━ “I found it in the graveyard of the Snake Queen, El-Gasa. I think it was probably dropped near those human-like statues.”
━ “The Snake Queen!?”
The Raccoon staggered back, eyes wide in shock. The witch, on the other hand, closed her eyes tightly and nodded.
“Humans… I see. So, what became of that El-Gasa?”
━ “She’s dead. I… I ate her.”
A brief silence fell over the cabin at my clumsy admission. Outside, the wind blew howl-like through the trees.
Witch Eve set the blue gemstone on the table and said somberly, “I see. The spider and scorpion have been babbling on about some strange beast for days. They said a creature no one has seen before took down a great serpent. Looks like that creature was you and El-Gasa.”
━ “You can’t be serious! You ate that Snake Queen? Isn’t she the one with enough venom to melt a regular beast’s bones!?”
The Raccoon’s face went pale with terror.
“It’s likely to be the truth. Indeed, El-Gasa is finally dead.”
Tears rolled down from the witch’s blue eyes. I was utterly flabbergasted to see such a stunning beauty crying.
━ “Did you know the snake well?”
“Of course. Once upon a time, she was part of my family. I was the one who gave her a name.”
