Chapter 25 A Gift "I told you! This woman isn't a witch!..."
The witch raised her hand and hooked Catherine's chin, her long, sharp nails scraping her skin painfully.
"Do you really think you can outrun my vines?" The witch laughed for a while, her body trembling with laughter, before moving the hand that had been holding her chin behind her back.
The next second, Catherine felt a sharp pain in her back. She couldn't help but scream, and cold sweat instantly beaded on her forehead.
"Sweetie~ It'll be over soon, you just need to be patient." Her tone was like coaxing a disobedient pet. It was more of a coaxing tone, even with a hint of indifference.
Catherine had never wanted to faint from the pain more than she did now, even if it would put her in a more dangerous situation. But the pain was unbearable; she felt her entire body being slowly torn apart, as if countless insects were swarming into her wounds, gnawing at her flesh and sucking her blood.
Her body had reached its limit in terms of pain. Catherine felt her vision blurring, as if she might faint from the pain at any moment.
But the witch had clearly noticed something as well. She chuckled softly and spoke in a low voice, her obscure and difficult-to-understand language instantly waking Catherine from her drowsy state.
"Hahaha, this is your punishment~"
"I've been so good to you, and instead of being grateful, you're thinking of running away." The witch's voice, though laced with laughter, carried icy coldness. "How truly heartbreaking..."
Catherine was drenched in cold sweat, and the veins on her forehead stood out prominently. But the curse she had just been under had kept her damnably clear-headed, even though she was trembling with pain.
After an unknown amount of time, when Catherine felt as if she had been pulled out of the water, the pain in her back gradually subsided, and an unbearable itch slowly replaced the pain.
Catherine knew that it meant her wounds were healing.
"alright."
Upon hearing the witch's words, Catherine felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and the vines binding her instantly retracted.
Suddenly losing her support, Catherine staggered due to exhaustion and almost fell to the ground because her legs gave way.
The witch chuckled as she looked at Catherine's disheveled state: "Feel the power you've just gained~"
What did you do to me?
"You don't want to know, little girl. All you need to know is that this will make you stronger. As long as you obediently listen to me, the things I put in will hardly have any effect on you."
Catherine pursed her lips. It seemed that what she had just felt wasn't entirely a hallucination caused by her immense pain; it was very likely that what the witch had mentioned putting into her body was some kind of insect.
She clearly didn't trust herself. This added a layer of security to their "deal."
By this time, quite some time had passed since she came out, and the sun could rise at any moment.
She should leave. This was the thought in her mind as Catherine slowly pushed herself up, her hands bracing against the mud.
The witch clearly saw through her thoughts and made no attempt to stop her. However, as Catherine turned to leave, she reminded her with a half-smile, "Don't forget our promise~"
After walking a very, very long way, Catherine looked back again.
At this moment, she finally saw the giant tree clearly. Its crown was thick and dense, growing freely, spreading outwards, and swaying. All the other plants around it, bowing to it, appeared small and pitiful in comparison to the giant tree.
Catherine inexplicably felt as if she were one of those pitiful plants.
-
In the camp
On the eve of sunlight seeping into the Devil's Forest, at this time when everyone should be sleeping soundly, a few whispers could be heard from time to time in a certain corner.
"I told you! This woman is not a witch!" Suddenly, a low, angry roar came from Benson.
He raised the object he had been clutching. It was a flat, round, thin sheet that shimmered with a captivating light in the dim moonlight. He glanced around at the people sitting in front of him and continued, "This is clearly a scale from some kind of beast! When we brought that so-called witch back, those magical beasts kept their distance and didn't come any closer, all because of this."
These scales were the ones he had found earlier in that woman's room.
After finding the little creature, he became even more convinced of his idea. He immediately woke up several middle-aged men who were still asleep and hid in a corner to discuss his discovery.
"After I found this thing, I took it with me when I went out. Most of the wild beasts I encountered kept their distance and dared not approach me. This scale must come from some kind of powerful magical beast! That's why such a small piece can intimidate those magical beasts that are not as fierce as it."
After Benson finished speaking, the people around him couldn't help but murmur in surprise.
Benson looked around at his companions and stated his final conclusion: "Of course, these are all just my speculations. But think about it, would a powerful witch need the scales of strange beasts to drive away magical creatures?"
But those as certain as Benson are still in the minority. Most people still hold onto a faint hope.
"What if...she really is a witch?"
Benson had anticipated his companions' reaction.
Everyone had endured so much hardship in the Devil's Forest, and finally had a glimmer of hope; they certainly didn't want it to become a bubble that burst in an instant. But if that hope itself was a bubble... then he felt it was better to pop it sooner rather than later.
Benson chuckled coldly, looking up at the dark, shadowy figure of the demon in the distance: "Then let's conduct an experiment. I believe that with the witch's power, any problem can be easily solved by her."
-
When Catherine returned to the camp, everyone was still asleep, and it seemed that no one had noticed that she had been gone for a while.
She went back to her room, lay down on the bed, and forced herself to close her eyes.
Having not slept all night, Catherine was already feeling mentally exhausted. But her recent experience by the giant tree kept her awake.
After another ten minutes or so, Catherine sighed and opened her eyes, realizing she still wasn't sleepy.
She looked at her outstretched hands... To be honest, she didn't feel any different from before, but the witch's words still echoed in her ears, and she felt as if there were some insects crawling inside her body, causing a faint itch.
"Witch! Are you awake?"
Just as dawn was breaking outside, there was a knock on the door. The voice of the girl who had delivered the food earlier rang out, carrying an urgent tone that was hard to ignore.
Catherine raised an eyebrow; it wasn't time for breakfast yet.
The young girl outside paced anxiously, afraid to knock too hastily or ask too many questions, lest the witch think she was urging her. But... the girl glanced at the tent not far behind her, gritted her teeth, and raised her hand to knock again.
Just as her hand was about to knock, before it even touched the door, the door suddenly opened.
The girl's eyes widened suddenly, and she quickly withdrew her hand and stood respectfully at attention: "Witch..."
What happened?
“Just now, Bart… oh! He was one of the members of today’s hunting party. He was attacked by a wild beast while hunting and was covered in blood. He was just brought back, and he’s completely unconscious…” The girl was incoherent with anxiety and worry. She bit her lower lip, tears welling in her eyes. “Please, Witch, can you save him? Please!”
The girl clearly had no other choice.
She recalled what she had just seen: everything was fine when she went out, but when she came back, Bart was lying on a stretcher, covered in blood, so much so that it was impossible to tell whether it was from a wild animal or his.
There was no healer in their group, so unless a miracle occurred, it wouldn't be long before another human corpse appeared in the Devil's Forest.
She couldn't think of any other way but to beg the witch.
Catherine raised an eyebrow: "I think I said that..."
"Yes, yes, you said that, but I really have no other choice." The girl covered her face and cried. "If you don't save him either, he... he definitely won't make it through the night."
As the two were talking, they heard footsteps approaching from not far away. Catherine looked up and saw a group of familiar faces walking towards them. When the group got closer, Derrick, who was at the head of the group, looked surprised when he saw the girl next to the witch.
"It seems that Xiao Xi has already told you everything." Xiao Xi is the girl's name.
Derrick suppressed his anxiety, raised his hand to his chest, and bowed to the witch: "Your Majesty, we earnestly beg you! Save Bart!"
The crowd that followed him also raised their hands and pressed them to their chests: "Please, Witch, save Bart!"
Catherine glanced around at the crowd bowing their heads in supplication; almost half the people in the camp had come over.
Catherine fell silent. She knew that if she refused to treat them, even if these people wouldn't do anything out of respect for the witch, it was hard to guarantee that a seed of resentment wouldn't be planted in their hearts.
Her eyes darted around: "...Take me to see."
Upon hearing this, everyone straightened up, their faces filled with excitement and gratitude. Although the witch hadn't given a definite answer, now that she had relented, they had a good chance.
Derrick stepped forward and led Catherine to Bart. The others also surrounded Catherine, keeping a respectful distance from her.
Benson, hidden in the crowd, trailed far behind. He looked at Catherine walking ahead and frowned.
The group arrived at a tent in a large procession. Because the space inside was limited, most people stayed outside, and only a few went inside with Catherine.
The bloodstains on Bart's body had been gently wiped clean, and now he lay on the bed with his eyes closed, looking as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
An elderly woman lay slumped beside the bed, her face pale as she looked at Bart. Hearing the noise behind her, she reacted somewhat slowly, turning her head after a few seconds. Her dim eyes swept over Derrick and the others, only brightening when she saw Catherine.
"Witch, you've arrived too..."
Derrick quickly followed up: "The witch heard about Bart from us and came to see!"
The meaning behind those words made the woman's eyes light up instantly.
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Author's Note: It seems the comments were deleted (scratching head), so I'm posting them here too~ [Let me see][Let me see]
I'm getting a clipped update~ So there will be no update tomorrow, but I'll post a double update at 11:50 PM the night after tomorrow! [cat emoji][cat emoji]
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