Chapter 49

"Meow~! This smell, can't we do something about it!?"

"Hmm..."

After finishing our hunt and returning to the inn, I saw Tarte making a fire bottle, his eyes watering from the smell of the <Orc's Rag>. I smiled wryly.

"We should either get rid of the smell from the rag or find something like a mask."

But let's think about it. If the smell from the rag were to disappear and it became clean, would it still be the <Orc's Rag>...? I think not. Besides, I can't really think of a way to clean it, so getting a mask would be more practical.

...I'm pretty sure there's an item called a <Protective Mask>.

However, I know it exists but have never used it, so I don't quite remember how to get it...

"Either way, I want one, meow~"

"Let's go check if the tool shop sells it."

"―! Let's go right away, meow!"

So, Tarte and I went to the tool shop.

"<Protective Mask>? We don't carry that here..."

"That's too bad, meow..."

Tarte's ears drooped at the harsh words. He must have been quite disappointed.

"It sounds pretty urgent, what do you need it for?"

"The <Orc's Rag> smells really bad, and I want to do something about it, meow."

"Ah..."

Tarte's words made Prim look far away. She must have smelled the terrible stench of the rag before.

"But to block that smell, we'd need something pretty strong. Maybe the guild has some information?"

"Indeed! They handled the rags, so they might have something."

"Let's go, meow!"

We thanked Prim and left the tool shop.

Then we went to the <Adventurer's Guild>. I approached Prim, who was working at the reception, thinking that if I had noticed the smell at the end of the hunt, I could have asked then.

"Hey, Sharon and Tarte! What's up?"

"Actually, we have a question... The <Orc's Rag> smells really bad. Is there an item to deal with it? Like a mask..."

"Oh!"

Prim smiled wryly at my words. It seems the smell is disliked everywhere.

"There is a <Protective Mask>, but it's not for sale."

"What!?"

"Meow!"

The news that it's not for sale made Tarte and me feel despondent. It's not fair that they keep such a good item to themselves!! We want it too! At least five, including spares!!

"At least one...!"

"What do you mean, 'at least one'...? Hmm, but Sharon has helped me a lot..."

Prim said, "Wait a moment," and took out a map from the back shelf. It looked like a map of the surrounding area of Tsire. It was the same as in the game... no, the map in the game was more detailed.

"I can't give you the <Protective Mask>, but I can tell you how to get it."

"What!?"

"Meow!"

This time, we responded with brighter voices. If we can't buy it, we'll have to go get it ourselves! I nodded and asked, "Where can we get it!?"

Prim pointed to a field called <Dry Spring> in the northwest.

"Oh..."

"Master?"

When I responded with a furrowed brow, Prim smiled wryly, and Tarte tilted his head in confusion. This place used to have a very beautiful spring, but now it's occupied by witch monsters, and instead of a spring, there's a toxic swamp with poisonous plants growing everywhere. I went there as a player, and the poisonous scene was quite memorable.

"Oh! That's right, the <Protective Mask> is a drop item from the <Toxic Witch> here...!!"

I remembered and felt relieved! I had sold it for money without using it, so I had completely forgotten. The drop rate wasn't that bad, so if we hunt for a while, Tarte and I should be able to get our share.

"Can we get the <Protective Mask> by hunting here, meow!?"

"Yes! Let's do it!"

"Okay, meow!"

To do that, we need to make <Fire Bottles> to hunt the witches, but I didn't want to dampen Tarte's enthusiasm just yet—.

***

The next day, Tarte and I went to <Dry Spring> together. We rented horses, so we made good progress. We tied the horses to a tree in front of the entrance and were ready to hunt witches!

There was a reason we came alone without inviting Kent and Cocoa. It's because this field can make you extremely poisoned. When you get poisoned, it's painful, and your health keeps decreasing. To cure it, you need a <Detox Potion> or my new skill, <Cure>. Using <Detox Potions> every time would be a financial and logistical burden for Kent and the others. So, I use <Cure>, but it's quite tiring to do it for four people.

...If we had poison-resistant equipment, it would be different.

Unfortunately, buying even one piece of equipment requires a lot of money.

Fortunately, the only monsters in this field are <Toxic Witches>. They are quite strong, but there aren't many, so we rarely face multiple at once. That's one reason Tarte and I came alone.

"It's a dark forest, meow..."

"Be careful and stay close to me because there are sinister witch monsters."

"Okay, meow!"

Tarte responded with a mix of tension and determination. I nodded and cast <Body Strengthening>, <Guardian of the Goddess>, <Regeneration>, and <Mana Regeneration> before stepping into <Dry Spring>.

The dense, dark forest had a moss-covered ground, and toxic swamps were spread everywhere, making it very difficult to walk. Poisonous plants that can turn your hands red just by touching them also grew around, so we needed to be careful. If you step into a toxic swamp, you will definitely get poisoned.

"There they are."

"Flying on a broom, meow!?"

We saw a witch flying gracefully over the toxic swamp. She wore a black robe and a golden necklace. The broom had a lantern for lighting and, oddly, a bundle of poisonous plants hanging from it.

I was surprised that Tarte was surprised by the flying, but I guess I've never seen anyone fly on a broom before.

"I'll draw the witch's attention, and Tarte will attack at the right time. <One Hit of the Goddess!>"

"Leave it to me, meow!"

Hearing Tarte's response, I walked carefully towards the witch. Witches have high attack power but low defense. Therefore, using <One Hit of the Goddess> and a <Fire Bottle> can take them down in one hit.

"Kyky!?"

"Over here, witch!"

I don't have a hate skill, but I can make myself a target. I just need to get closer to the witch before Tarte does and draw her attention. If the attack hits, the hate will shift, but I plan to take her down in one hit, so it shouldn't be a problem.

The witch charged at me with her broom, and I shouted, "Now!"

"Okay, meow! <Potion Throw>!!"

When Tarte attacked the witch, a pillar of fire rose right next to me. It was quite impressive, and I couldn't help but catch my breath for a moment. But it's okay! I have a barrier from <Guardian of the Goddess>!! I returned unscathed. Phew.

"We did it, meow~!"

"Nice~!"

I high-fived Tarte and picked up the items the witch dropped. Two items: <Witch's Potion> and <Broken Broom>. Both are junk.

"A potion, meow?"

Tarte tilted his head at the liquid in the small bottle.

"This is an item called <Witch's Potion>, but don't drink it, as it will make you sick."

"That's not a potion, meow..."

You shouldn't ingest anything a suspicious witch has.

"Alright, let's keep hunting at this pace."

"Okay, meow!"

Hearing Tarte's enthusiastic response, I walked with a good mood. We need to keep our spirits high to survive in this dense forest.

After defeating about thirty witches, we finally got the <Protective Mask>.

"Yay!"

"We did it, meow~!"

We achieved our goal! I would have liked more, but it would be wasteful to use more <Fire Bottles>, so I decided to be content. I'll go out while Tarte makes the potions.

"Let's go back—"

"Kyaaaaaa!"

As we were heading towards the exit to leave, we heard a young girl's scream.