What's taking her so long?
I tap my foot on the wooden floorboards repeatedly, impatient.
The witch has been in there for one an hour–according to my internal clock.
Meanwhile, I just stood here, hopelessly waiting.
It's not like I can just leave and go off on my own; I had nowhere else to go.
Finally!
A creak resounds behind me, and the wooden door opens, revealing a beautiful figure.
The lady gave me a cocky smile.
"Like what you see?"
She wore a simple, white shirt. The size was just about perfect for her, if not a little small. Her chest seemingly burst out of her shirt, barely able to contain it. She also wore a pair of shorts, revealing her beautiful thighs.
I looked away, ashamed.
Where did she even get those? They were definitely not here when I woke up there for the first time.
"May I pass?"
She mocked, questioned my integrity.
I moved to the side.
Damn temptress
She nonchalantly walked past me, grinning all the while.
I followed her.
"…. So, what happened?"
She spoke as we went down the creaky stairs. Her voice was laced with a bit of concern.
…
"… Right."
She spoke in a lonesome tone, like she just lost something.
"Was it a spell or a skill? Don't tell me... is it one of your attributes?"
I shook my head.
"So…"
I showed her my index finger, my other fingers closed.
"So the first one, then."
Then, she was silent once more.
We reached the kitchen not long afterwards.
Hmmm… ?
A faint scent could be found wafting through the air.
"… Oh, yeah. I was preheating something before I left. So THAT's why I felt like I was forgetting something."
She quickly hurried off to the kitchen, bouncing.
The cauldron was there again, and I had to wonder just what she was up to this time.
I moved to the side, leaning on the counter, and observed her work.
The witch took a long ladle hanging just by the side of the cauldron and began stirring.
The fire was still burning, even despite the witch leaving it for what I assume to be hours.
She could have just left it a few moments before she slept, of course, but I had the feeling that was not the case.
With a snap of her fingers, the fire burned even brighter.
It became larger and more vibrant, the flames never going too far from it's target.
The witch continued stirring, saying unfamiliar and mysterious words all the while.
The soup glowed briefly in response, sometimes even changing color entirely.
Some things floated above the mysterious concoction: a sensual-looking root, violet flesh of an unknown creature, and a potato, among other things.
I was sure there were more, things that I would not assume to be ingredients or even edible.
The mysterious concoction glowed for a bit, and this time, I had to put my foot down.
What the hell was she making… ?
Just as I was about to grab her shoulders…
"It's a mana replenishment potion. As you might have guessed from the name, it recovers mana. I'm almost done."
She answered my unsaid question.
"Get me a few bowls, mhm? They're over there, in the second cabinet from the left."
I did as she asked, taking two bowls and setting it beside her.
With her ladle, she poured the yellow concoction onto the bowls, the smell entered my nose.
It wasn't appetizing, I'll tell you that
The smell was so-so, not too bad, but not great either. It was food, I could tell you that. But neither was it good food, either. The smell bordered on mediocrity for the most part.
She wiped her hands with a towel she got from who knows where, and gestured to the dining table.
I followed, setting the two bowls on the table. I also took a spoon each for the two of us.
I sat down.
"We're going hunting later." She sat down as well. "You should focus on recovering your strength. You probably have some sort of recovery-enhancing skill or attribute, right? That's most likely how you recovered so quickly from last time. It's fine if you don't wanna show or admit that you do, I'll respect that."
She brought a spoonful of the concoction to her mouth, the mystery soup staining her cheeks.
I do the same.
"… !!"
Th-this is… !
"How is it?"
Completely boring
The soup had neither taste nor texture.
It was plain and – as I just said – boring.
Though it was essentially nothing, it was not 'nothing' to the point where I would spit it out.
Rather, it felt… nice.
It was a new experience for me.
While I have tasted gravel and other non-food items, this plain soup could not be considered one of them.
The fact that it was exactly like I thought it would taste probably helped a bit
I gave the witch a so-so gesture.
"Weird, right?" She took another spoonful. "One would normally think of something vile or disgusting when seeing such a mish-mash of ingredients thrown together. Expecting something stomach-turning is a fair assumption. You, however, is different."
She took the bowl and downed the entire thing.
Her bowl was empty when she put it down.
I do the same, overcome by some mysterious pride.
The null-tasting liquid slides down my throat.
Like I expected, I tasted nothing.
"Damn." Her eyes went wide. "You continue to surprise me more and more."
I heaved a heavy breath, patting my belly.
That was not delicious
"Your mana should start recovering faster than usual. As long as you hold off on using magic for a little bit, your circuits should be fine in a couple of hours. If anything happens, tell me mmkay?"
She gave me a smile, sincere and genuine.
She looked even more beautiful when she's like this.
"I'm gonna go do some magic practice."
She declared as she made for the rune-covered door.
Wait!
"What?... Ya' wanna watch?"
I nodded.
"… Fine. But make sure to keep your distance, mmkay? I don't want you getting hurt because of me."
I think it's a little too late for that
I follow the witch outside.
I wonder how she trains...