Hag And Cure Potion
"Blooooaaah! Where are you, you little rascal?! Come out!"
The gigantic hag made a thunderous sound like an elephant running, snapping thick bamboo as she appeared. Bamboo fragments scattered around, kicking up a dusty whirlwind. It felt like a dream, yet incredibly real.
I never knew hags could be this huge. Seriously, it's mind-blowing. Easily over 3 meters tall, with a head size of over 1 meter. Wait, that's a big head, right?
Speaking of folklore, there are annoying spirits in Tohoku who visit homes saying, "There are no bad kids here!" Aomori, or was it Akita? Yeah, the Namahage. Even though that event has humans wearing demon masks, making them look big-headed, this hag's head is way larger. It's almost three times the normal size! What kind of skeleton supports that?
(But man, Onis. What a hassle.)
Onis, in Western terms, are like Ogres.
They are famous yet elusive beings. In Japan, children learn about them through customs like throwing beans, portraying them as monsters. Yet, sometimes they're called gods, sometimes yokai, or even evil spirits, making you wonder, "What are you really?!" They are a puzzling bunch.
"Huh? What's this? What are you!?"
But amidst such pondering, the giant hag, scanning left and right, finally noticed me and turned her bloodshot eyes towards me.
Oh no, her voice is ridiculously loud, and every word she utters splatters spit everywhere, grossly so. And peeking from her mouth are yellowed, crooked teeth. I can almost smell her bad breath from here.
As if on cue, a foul wind blew, causing the surrounding bamboo to sway violently. Suddenly, darkness enveloped the area, and dark clouds loomed in the sky.
What is this? Is all this because of this hag? Ugh, what a nuisance. I definitely don't want to live near her.
"Bloooah! Are you planning to steal my prey!?"
(Huh, what?)
I glanced behind me and noticed a beast-eared girl who had somehow hidden behind me. She trembled, her tail shivering, tearful eyes pleading for help. I didn't plan on getting this close.
Even though I know it's a dream, suddenly jumping scenes is making me nervous.
Anyway, the real issue is the giant hag. She wields a ridiculously huge kitchen knife in her right hand, swinging it as she approaches.
"Hey, hold on a second. I don't want to fight—"
"Bloooah! Are you planning to steal my prey!!"
Whoa, hold up! Don't just swing at me out of nowhere! Her thick, short arms made it easy to predict her trajectory, but she could still hit me if I was not careful!
"Don't dodge it! Grolaaaah!!"
Of course, I'll dodge! What do you take me for? And planning to steal. Why am I being treated like one of her kind? Well, whatever. If that's how it is, then bring it on! Skill: [Salt]!
"Hey, hag! Take a look at this! (Shiiiiing!)"
I raised my hand high, conjuring a shining white sword blade, the Salt Blade imbued with holy power.
"How's that? Even though I don't have three sacred talismans or peaches, I have the protection of this salt!"
Upon seeing the gleaming Salt Blade, the hag trembled in fear. Yeah, this is working perfectly.
"Eek! Th-That's...!"
"Hahaha! See that? It can even vanquish an evil spirit like you with this holy attribute. You're next!"
"W-Wait! Let's talk—"
"Shut up! Don't think you can attack and get away with it! Die!"
I leaped, slamming the Salt Blade into the hag's forehead, splitting it vertically.
"Aaaahhhh!"
"Phew... Your big head was your downfall..."
The hag tried to block the Salt Blade with her kitchen knife but couldn't reach it due to her oversized head.
Thus, split in half, she turned into white light bubbles, gradually disappearing into the air.
Strangely, only a petite naked girl remained in her place.
"Aaaah! My demonic power is unraveling!"
Demonic power? So the hag's appearance was some powered suit, and this petite naked girl was the real hag!
"Huh? What's happening? Am I being purified?"
The girl frantically touched her limbs, panicking at her now smooth body.
It seems being slashed by the holy Salt Blade purged even the hag's malevolent aura.
"Hey, you're the hag, right?"
"Eek!"
Well, no need for an answer. Two small horns protrude from the girl's forehead. That settles it; she's the real hag.
"I-I surrender! I won't commit any more crimes, so please forgive me!"
The petite naked demon girl, with a cute butt, begged for mercy in a dramatic bow.
After being cleansed, she seems genuinely repentant. And upon closer inspection, she's quite cute. Well then, gulp.
"Very well, but don't think your past misdeeds are forgiven just because you've had a change of heart!"
"Eehee~! Please spare me from annihilation!"
"Alright, I'll personally deliver your punishment. Consider it the atonement for your sins."
"P-Punishment...?"
"Heh... It's obvious. Here we go! Punishment Sword!"
"Aaaahhh~!"
When a guy says he'll punish a cute girl. Well, you know what that means. Hehehe.
.....
"No way, Egetsu-san! I really appreciate this! To prepare such a large quantity so quickly..."
"Oh no, it's just a coincidence this time. Still, I'm glad you're happy with it."
I parked the rental car in the underground parking of the Sanada Pharmaceuticals building. After showing the collected drop items to Tadokoro-san, he was overjoyed and thanked me profusely with enthusiastic handshakes.
We had left our lodging early in the morning, returned home to get ready, and then dropped off Ruka and the others at the university. After that, it was me making this delivery alone.
"Wow, this is amazing... Oh! Is this not Korean Ginseng?!"
Tadokoro-san, practically drooling, exclaimed as he peeked into the beer case containing the dropped items.
"Oh, Korean Ginseng? No, those are drops from a Bloodsucking Ginseng."
"No, no, it's different from Korean Ginseng. This is High Spirit Ginseng, known for its high medicinal properties and its effects on magical substances. It's a rare material."
"I see, I didn't know that."
"And this one here is Rampant Bamboo drops. This is great! And this case is for Rampant Aloe...!"
Hmm, Tadokoro-san calls Kung Fu Bamboo "Rampant Bamboo", huh? The name Kung Fu Bamboo was just something Shark came up with. Besides, monster names vary widely depending on the person or region.
Some websites compile such information, but even they have a lot of monsters with no standardized names yet, popping up like bamboo shoots after the rain. Anyway, I handed over the drop items to the excited Tadokoro-san and the white-coated staff who arrived, and my work was done today.
With the delivery complete and feeling light-hearted, I gripped my rental car's steering wheel and went home. Apparently, in English-speaking countries, you don't say steering wheel; you say 'steering'.
"Hum, hum, hum ♪"
Ah, I'm glad Tadokoro-san was pleased. He's a valuable client, after all. Usually, big companies like that only deal with individuals who have personal accounts. It was the same even at the small company I used to work for.
But Tadokoro-san makes it convenient for me to do business with him. Part of it is because I haven't firmly established other procurement routes yet. But for me right now, this is my only source of income, so I'm truly grateful.
"But man, what a strange dream."
As I went to return the rental car, I suddenly remembered last night's dream.
After a friendly bath, the four of us did a "Love 100 Million Muscle Docking" and went to bed fully satisfied. So why did I dream that...?
It was a bizarre dream with a ridiculously huge hag at first, but it ended with me punishing a smooth-skinned oni girl.
Also, after punishing the demon girl, I couldn't help but notice the nearby Japanese Wolf Girl who was keenly observing the whole thing with keen interest. She was so fluffy and soft, and quite delicious. Bon appétit indeed.
Maybe because of that dream, I feel a bit sluggish today. Yeah, I'll head home early and get some rest.
[And now for the next news... guess what, folks? The major American pharmaceutical company Kaiser has announced the development of a dream potion that can heal injuries instantly!]
[Wow, that's amazing!]
[This dream potion, called the Cure Potion, is already gathering expectations and attention, with its release expected soon!]
A pretty significant news update flowed in from the radio I casually turned on.
So, America has finally succeeded in developing a healing potion.
With things going this way, it seems like the Japanese government, which had been holding back for good terms, has lost its trump card without even using it.
Amidst various international tensions, this seems like a significant shift in events is about to occur.
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