Surviving a Cruel Fairy Tale

12 – Act 1. Little Red Riding Hood’s Forest – Wolf Witch (3)

It’s hard to say that Little Red Riding Hood’s cabin is as spacious inside as it looked from the outside.

But it is warm.

The fact that you can feel the warmth is completely different from when you stayed in the village of hunters before.

“You can sit there first, and if you get tired, you can sleep right in the bed.”

“…… Excuse me then.”

I was already very tired.

If you think about it, it was definitely night when the hunters chased you in the village, but why is it that the sun is pouring down here?

I had such a question, but I thought it would be okay if I melted away my fatigue first and, like Little Red Riding Hood’s words, solved all the other questions tomorrow.

“Are you going to sleep?”

“Because I didn’t sleep well over there.”

“Really?”

At this she pointed to the bed with a grave expression.

It was a little like renting a bed at someone else’s house, but the person in charge said it, and more than anything else, her body was tired, so she immediately pulled up the blanket and lay down.

It was a small bed, but unexpectedly, I felt the soft touch of the silk-like fabric firmly supporting it.

Compared to modern ones, it may be a bit lacking, but at least it is a comfort that was not expected in such a forest environment.

In addition, a slightly sweet scent covers her nose.

Is it because I borrowed the bedding that the woman was using?

No, let’s not be conscious of this. It was not polite to the person who provided convenience, and above all, it was difficult to be conscious of Little Red Riding Hood any more.

By the time I forcibly blocked her consciousness and closed my eyes.

At the same time as the blanket was lifted, the bedding sat down a little more and I felt another warmth next to me.

“…… No, wait.”

“Why?”

When I opened my eyes and turned my head, there was Little Red Riding Hood blinking as if looking at something.

“Well, why are you coming in with me?”

“That’s right, I’m going to sleep too.”

Is this such a problem?

Seeing her talking so naturally, she first raised her upper body, and thanks to that, her blanket came off a little, revealing her sky-high nightgown.

“Then I will rise.”

“Why? Aren’t you tired?”

When she asked as if she really didn’t know, she couldn’t think of an answer.

“…… You probably don’t know my gender.”

“It’s a man.”

Are you doing it knowingly?

“What if something happens?”

“No one knows this place anyway. Besides, there is no need to worry because the wolves are guarding the cabin in case of emergency.”

I’m not worried about outside attacks.

No, that was something to be secured, but the first priority was to explain it to Little Red Riding Hood, who, at least for now, didn’t even understand the matter.

“Well, it seems that both men and women share the same bed. Wouldn’t it be a problem for people who are not in a romantic relationship or anything?”

“Are you thinking of causing a problem?”

I don’t know what he’s thinking because his expression hasn’t changed.

That’s right, given the circumstances, there’s no reason to refuse.

But the first problem was that Little Red Riding Hood didn’t come into this bed in that sense, and from here on, it’s my feeling, but the biggest problem was that if I touched her wrong, I wouldn’t see her look good.

“…… It’s not like that, but it’s good to be careful. First of all, I have no interest in sleeping in the same bed with a woman I’ve never seen before.”

“Yes. Then you sleep.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Because it’s okay.”

Afterwards, Little Red Riding Hood got out of bed and sat down on a nearby chair, crossing her legs.

“…… I’m sorry about that.”

“You don’t have to worry about this. Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, she’ll head for her mother’s tree. It’s a problem if you’re not feeling well.”

Mother’s tree.

Is this the origin of the forest?

If you think about it, a hunter raped a fairy who was said to be the daughter of this forest, so the mother’s tree’s daughter, and Little Red Riding Hood came out as that child.

Then, is the mother’s tree the same as her grandmother to Little Red Riding Hood?

Of course, you can’t call a tree a grandmother, so it was a metaphor according to the situation, but the process itself felt like following the original story of Little Red Riding Hood.

“…… I’m sorry, but I’ll rest first.”

“Good night.”

She started reading something of her with her plain reply.

It’s hard for her to stay awake, and above all, she needs to keep her stamina as she said, so she shook off her thoughts and closed her eyes.

Warm warmth.

Perhaps she felt the warmth of the sensations she received for the first time after entering this forest, and her consciousness began to slowly sink.

* * *

A day passed after I entered Little Red Riding Hood’s hut, and another day passed as I prepared this and that.

All the while, she didn’t open her mouth much except to say the words that were really necessary, and even then, sometimes she enjoyed sitting in a pack of wolves and petting their heads.

“Yes, yes. I understand first.”

As if talking to a wolf.

To my ears, the wolf still sounded like a low-pitched howl, but common sense was pretty useless in a world of mystery.

I wonder if he was sitting on a chair on the terrace watching Little Red Riding Hood interact with the wolf for a while.

At some point, she got up from her seat and was approaching me.

“I found it.”

“The Tin Woodman?”

“Yes.”

Nod your head and say it again.

“The woodcutter is still near his mother’s tree, but I’ve got the details. You might be able to avoid him if you approach in the opposite direction.”

“Not sure?”

“Because I’ve never been approached like this before. The mother tree has already lost its will and lost its role. The forest was tainted with a curse, and there was no reason to visit the mother tree in such a situation until now.”

I’m not sure, but is it an unavoidable path?

Accumulation of mysteries is not an option, it is a must.

I can’t help it if you think so, but I don’t know exactly what the Tin Woodman is.

“Is the Tin Woodman really that dangerous?”

“The hunter also avoided the woodcutter, and I have dealt with him once before, but there is no point in arguing with him.”

“No meaning?”

“Tough power with overwhelming durability. It doesn’t have any special abilities, but on the other hand, this side doesn’t have any effective means of attack either.”

When you think of the Tin Woodman, the first thing that comes to mind is a canned body, a funny face, and an axe.

Speaking of an axe reminded me of the hatchet that Little Red Riding Hood held, but judging from the words around me, the Tin Woodman’s ax wouldn’t be that small.

Anyway, the hunter and Little Red Riding Hood all said in common that it was something to be avoided.

“You must be right about avoiding it.”

“Anyway, if you don’t approach it, it won’t do anything. If you don’t have to fight, you don’t have to relax.”

That’s only if you can avoid it, but you have no choice but to believe Little Red Riding Hood’s words that you have located it.

Anyway, there was little possibility that I would be of great help in a full-scale battle.

Yeah, compared to when I was in modern times, I got a stronger body, and as a bonus, I got a strange ability, but that’s just a category of common sense.

At least, the ability to manipulate magic like Little Red Riding Hood or move at a speed that is difficult for the eyes to follow and fire a shotgun without reloading was nothing compared to a hunter.

When I think about it like this, my current situation seems insignificant.

It seems, but this must be true.

If I don’t increase my strength, I can’t help being swayed and dependent on others like this.

That’s why it was even more important to accumulate mysteries in this forest.

To not be swayed.

To avoid being tricked by anyone.

Moreover, it is not a relationship in which someone helps one-sidedly, but rather a positive relationship in which mutual help is mutually beneficial.

An accumulation of mysteries.

Rumpelstiltschen said that as long as I reached a place in this world that contained deep mysteries, my body would become a vessel and naturally accumulate it in my body.

In fact, I am accumulating a certain amount of mystery just by walking around this world, but that alone is not enough.

A better direction.

It was clear that at least I needed more groundbreaking power than I do now in order to acquire the ability to lead the situation.

Though I was thinking about that, I first followed Little Red Riding Hood down the road, but after leaving her hut for a bit, I immediately returned to the gloomy forest I was used to.

“Are wolves giving directions?”

“Because this child has figured out where the woodcutter is. Only by turning around there can he go straight to his mother’s tree.”

I saw a wolf with brown fur walking in front of her.

If you think about it, were those wolves the first to greet me in this forest?

Now that I think about it, this relationship is a bit ironic.

It was also the wolf that attacked the first day it entered the forest, but now it is acting with the wolf and Little Red Riding Hood, who commands the beasts.

“Why are you laughing?”

Ah, were you laughing?

“No, it’s a bit strange.”

“What?”

“When I was attacked by wolves, I didn’t expect this kind of relationship to happen.”

So Little Red Riding Hood closed his eyes as if thinking for a moment, then shook his head as he stared at me.

“That is wrong.”

“Wrong?”

“I heard about you from my children. It’s just that you’re mistaken, these kids didn’t attack you.”

That wasn’t a raid?

I definitely remember the first time I entered the forest, besieging me like that and rushing at it.

“Then what?”

“That’s kicking it out. I don’t know if it’s a person related to this forest, but if you’re lost, there’s a chance to go back if you don’t become deeply involved.”

In addition, Little Red Riding Hood continued, saying that the surrounding area was a place where villagers, including hunters, often came and went.

“You said the hunter and the village were cannibals, right? Then I ask you, how could they have a population of a hundred or so and use human flesh as a supplementary diet?”

“It died that night… ….”

No, it’s strange when you think about it.

Human flesh was originally the most inefficient food.

From a simple calculation, it takes about 15 to 20 years for a human to grow into an adult.

Even if it is said to eat a child, it takes 10 months from conception to childbirth, and even if it is said to eat it immediately after birth, the production is too small compared to the mouth to eat.

“…… No way.”

“They are capturing humans who come in astray. I can say that it can’t be helped. This cursed forest is clearly unsuitable for human survival.”

However, they frowned, saying that it could not justify the unethical behavior of killing and consuming others.

“They are out of the way of man. So these children were tasked with keeping the other humans out before they ventured deeper inside.”

“Then… ….”

“Perhaps you could have escaped without stepping into this forest. It would have been the worst development for me, who hoped for change.”

That means the hunter wasn’t trying to help me then…….

…… It’s ridiculous.

Thinking this way, he came to secure me from the beginning, and he was deciding whether to use hospitality as an excuse to keep me by his side and use me as the village’s labor force or food.

Is this a twisted fairy tale world?

I knew I had heard of it beforehand, but I never thought Idji would be twisted deeply and darkly in the fundamental part.

“…… Could the situation be so bad that the village couldn’t survive if it didn’t go that far?”

“I don’t know that much. But those who died would not have known such things.”

So is he.

You don’t need to understand those who kill people and mutilate their bodies.

But the reason I think about them is because the more clearly I understand what kind of situation they are in, the clearer the way to deal with it.

After that, we walked down the street again without talking.

All the way.

It was a difficult road to walk because of the moss, but I didn’t feel that it was too difficult, perhaps thanks to my body that had strengthened in many ways since coming to this world.

I think while walking like that.

A villager, and a hunter.

The hunter seemed to have taken over the village by force. However, if the residents of the village also sympathized with him in the process, would it be right for me to see them as something other than human?

If you do, what should you do to break that advantage against hunters?

His absolute superiority is that, to borrow the words of Little Red Riding Hood, wolves cannot deal with him, and also Little Red Riding Hood cannot use great power against him due to the influence of the nuclear power plant.

To overcome this situation, we must first shake the foundation.

The strongest hunter in the forest.

What will it take to break the foundation upon which it lies? Even if you increase the ability to reorganize by accumulating mysteries, you still fall behind if you don’t know how.

A little more.

At least if it’s a world where the background of the nuclear power plant in the fairy tale is melted, if that part can be twisted somehow…….

“…… For a moment.”

“Huh?”

I wonder if he silently followed her, lost in thought.

Little Red Riding Hood suddenly stopped and looked straight ahead, frowning.

“I didn’t expect to be able to spot it from that distance.”

I followed that gaze and looked forward at the words I couldn’t understand, but there was nothing particularly different from the scenery so far.

I doubted it for a while.

Soon, I realized that something had changed by the vibration transmitted through my feet.

Away, a tree fell.

Another tree.

It was unrealistic to see the huge old trees that filled this forest fall so naturally, but with just a little glance you could tell it was getting closer.

“…… Tsk.”

Little Red Riding Hood clicked her tongue and took out a book strapped to her waist.

A giant made of iron.

The huge iron giant, who seemed to be twice to three times the size of an adult man, was holding a two-handed ax and his eyes glowing red.