The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 111



111 – Not a Witch, but a Crazy Woman #2

111 – Not a Witch, but a Crazy Woman #2

I, Hanamjin, am a man who charges forward even when running away!

Because of that, I didn’t particularly like talking about old stories.

The past should be buried, and we should march forward!

However, when I arrived at this “Eden Farm,” I couldn’t help but be kidnapped by nostalgia, as if abducted by old memories.

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In the post-apocalyptic era, it was natural to be wary of outsiders.

One day, I had to embark on a long journey with my limping leg to find food, and I ended up in a place called “Stove Village.”

It was a region that worshipped an eternally burning stove placed in the center of the village.

Was that stove a conceptual treasure?

Anyway, it was an unusually cold winter.

I thought I might warm myself up a bit, so I entered the village, and the people who were gathered in groups looked at me warily.

─We don’t have any food, so get lost!

─If you do anything stupid, you’ll get shot! This is a real gun!

That’s what it means to be an outsider.

Something to be wary of.

If you have something to protect, like the “Eternal Stove,” you would be even more inclined to reject outsiders.

But?

The world I live in now hasn’t collapsed yet.

I stopped the zombie apocalypse and struck down the garnish of destruction!

“Who are you?”

“This is a place where outsiders shouldn’t enter carelessly.”

But the way the women looked at me reminded me of the old “Stove Village,” and I couldn’t help but fall into a reverie of the past.

An overt expression of vigilance towards the visitor.

Is there something to protect in this “Eden Farm”?

Or are they up to something suspicious?

“Who are you?”

An older-looking woman asked again.

Was she in her mid to late thirties?

She was wearing tight-fitting clothes like a typical mom in a new town, but unlike the other women who had dirt on their hands, this woman was sophisticated.

She must be the leader of the group.

Like a class president.

I decided to make up an excuse.

“I heard there’s a religious facility here, so I came to get some counseling.”

“……”

“……”

The women’s eyes turned suspicious at my words.

The sense of vigilance seemed to grow stronger.

Soon, the woman who appeared to be the leader of the group let out a long nasal sound, “Ah─,” and began to speak with a rather skilled demeanor.

“Are you hoping to join? Unfortunately, we only recruit women according to our regulations. Since we live together, we try to prevent any unpleasant incidents as much as possible. Are you, by any chance, a woman…?”

Are you asking me if I’m a woman?

Even though I wore my father’s sunglasses and pulled my hat down low to hide my identity, I was unmistakably a man.

From my physique alone, it was clear—I was different.

But?

There might be women like that.

In a world where there are women who shoot lasers from their eyes and women who rampage like crazy raccoons, there’s no rule that says there can’t be a handsome woman like me.

This woman, she’s more open-minded than I thought.

So my answer?

“I’m a man among men.”

“Ah─. Then I’m sorry, but you’ll have to leave.”

“Too bad, what a pity.”

And with that, I turned on my heel.

It was the expected outcome.

The “Witch Cult” is a group primarily composed of women.

That’s why it’s called the Witch Cult (魔女敎).

The reason they are composed of women is simple.

The “Witch Herb” they cultivate, also known as the “Blood Rose,” only works on women.

I don’t know why it only works on women.

There must be a reasonable explanation.

Anyway, the research was sufficient.

It was certain that this “Eden Farm” was the headquarters of the “Witch Cult.”

Then there must be an entrance to the Great Labyrinth.

“A rural village bustling with young women.”

It was when I turned my steps.

The nymphs, who had disappeared somewhere, reappeared.

Baonoi was holding a very bright red rose in her hand.

To be precise, it was a flower bud.

“Look at this…! This red thing is definitely a “Blood Rose”…! This Baonoi stole one from that strange field…! It is a very wicked crop…!”

When the “Witch Grass” grows to a certain extent, it blooms into a rose as red as blood, hence it was called the Blood Rose.

It was said that the process of blooming consumed so much magical energy that the land where the Blood Rose bloomed eventually became a barren wasteland where nothing could grow.

“This is the flower of an evil witch…! It must be plucked out whenever seen…! The foolish choices of the Fairy Royal Family are extending their evil influence even to this outsider’s land…!”

“Do not insult the Fairy King…!”

The nymphs quarreled again.

From what I heard, Baonoi seemed to dislike the Fairy King, while Inonoi seemed to like him.

Even fairies fight over politics.

“But what is the foolish choice of the Fairy Royal Family?”

“Oh, the outsider does not know…? If you buy me more of that thing called chocolate, I might be able to talk…!”

That Baonoi.

Like a true survivalist nymph, she had perfectly adapted to the capitalist world of the 21st century.

I went to a nearby convenience store and bought chocolates and drinks.

The nymphs who tasted the “Zero Cola Fresh” liked it very much.

“This tastes exactly like the commemorative nectar brewed for the princess’s 10th birthday…! It was so precious that even this Inonoi could only taste a few sips…!”

“Very delicious…!”

Originally, “Zero Cola Fresh” was a drink from the fairy world, adapted for the 21st century. It seemed to suit the taste of the fairies perfectly.

Feeling good, Baonoi said,

“The foolish choice of the fairy royal family means greed…! Long ago, the first fairy king who founded the fairy kingdom made a deal with a terrifying witch…!”

Baonoi’s explanation was as follows:

The king who founded the fairy kingdom made a suspicious contract with a being called the “witch,” hoping for infinite glory and prosperity.

It was such a long time ago that no one knows the contents of the contract, but the fairy king must have promised something to the witch in exchange for ‘prosperity.’

A deal is always an exchange of similar things.

What could have been the price of such great value that it could be traded for the ‘endless prosperity’ of the fairy kingdom?

“This blood rose was a flower that did not bloom in the fairy world…! A flower bloomed by the ‘witch’…! Seeing it grow more luxuriantly in the land contaminated by black rain, it must be an evil flower…!”

The fairy world was destroyed by your end.

Baonoi seemed to think that the end was brought about by the ‘witch.’

As a result, the foolish contract of the fairy king ruined the world.

At least, Baonoi seemed to think so.

Of course, Inonoi thought differently.

“That’s not true…! This Inonoi does not think so…! All the fairy kings were warm people who cherished the nymphs…!”

“Even after reaching this situation, do you still support the royal family…? This is why it is impossible to communicate with royalist nymphs…!”

“I don’t want to talk to Baonoi who insults the Fairy King anymore…!”

“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have reunited with Inonoi…!”

These guys, they’re friends but don’t get along well.

I lightly tapped Baonoi’s side and asked quietly.

“How can you just fight with a friend you haven’t seen in a long time? You said you wanted to see Inonoi too.”

“But Inonoi is a bad nymph who thought becoming the Fairy Princess’s errand runner was more important than Baonoi…! Inonoi abandoned a friend first…!”

Everyone has their own circumstances.

It’s not something I should interfere with.

The important thing was that the “Witch’s Grass” consumed a considerable amount of earth power.

In the world after the apocalypse, this “Witch’s Grass” was growing everywhere. Because of that, it was hard to find edible crops and flowers.

The culprit that ruined my dream of being a “gardener”!

The women of “Eden Farm” couldn’t be said to be entirely blameless for spreading such flowers in the world.

So, I have no choice but to step in?

Prevent the cultivation of illegal crops, protect my dream, secure the entrance to the Great Labyrinth, normalize Yuyeoreum, and get hints about ‘Soft’.

As a result, Seogaeul’s training enthusiasm might be greatly inspired, and we might even be able to prevent the end of the world.

Killing two birds with one stone, or rather, catching Goliath along with them.

The problem is that since I’m a man, it’s impossible for me to approach the “Witch’s Church”.

If I recklessly charge in, they’ll all hide away.

# # #

“So Yuyeoreum, I need your help. You become the spy.”

I was thinking of putting Yoo Yeoreum into the “Witch Church.”

I was planning to use her as a so-called spy, but a minor problem arose.

“Why is she here?”

“Han Namjin! You! Pretending to be dead while you were alive!”

Who would have thought Yoo Yeoreum would bring along Bbangdaengi Baek Yeoul.

Seo Gaeul also chimed in, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Yeah, you really do everything. If you came back, you should have quietly held a return party. Are you planning to fight a cult? Can’t you go a day without causing trouble?”

It seemed that Yoo Yeoreum, who came to school this morning, had spread the news that I was alive.

I kind of expected this to happen.

“I did nothing wrong.”

Yoo Yeoreum, acting shamelessly.

I don’t care anymore.

Three women.

With three spies, I’ll get three times the results!

Shall we attack the “Witch Church” from the inside?

While I was rubbing my hands together with such thoughts, Bbangdaengi kicked my butt.

“Ouch.”

“This is for kicking my butt!”

Bbangdaengi, this guy, held a grudge against me for kicking his butt.

They say a woman’s grudge can bring frost even in the middle of summer.

She was indeed a terrifying girl!

“I really thought you were dead!”

Wham-.

The one who had kicked my butt was now hugging me.

“And… and this is my way of repaying you for saving my life!”

She was all over the place.

But still, her warmth felt nice.

I had realized recently that I liked it when others hugged me!

But then, Yu Yeoreum, angry, pulled her away and threw her aside.

“Stay away from Han Namjin. He has to become my husband.”

“What…!? Husband…!?”

Bbangdeng, trembling on the floor.

Seo Gaeul, who had been watching Baek Yeoul with narrow eyes, frowned as if hearing this for the first time.

“Yu Yeoreum, what on earth is wrong with you? Have you gone mad?”

It seemed they still didn’t know about the dark side of Yu Yeoreum.

But there’s a saying.

Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.

Women’s issues should be resolved by women.

In the meantime, I thought it would be best to handle something very important.

Preparing a ‘shelter’ for the impending doom!

It was something I had been putting off, like saving the single strawberry on top of a cake, but I thought it was about time to give it a try.

There are nymphs who have survived for a long time, so I thought I could get some help.

Hehehe-.

My own secret base.

Just thinking about it makes me so excited…!