The Woodcutter's Healing Touch
Woodcutter - [3]
[You have obtained a clue regarding the location of human vital points.]
[The trait 'Healing Lv.1' has evolved into 'Healing Lv.2'!]
• Slightly reduces the chance of contracting illnesses (New!)
• Slightly increases the effectiveness of medical treatment → Increases the effectiveness of medical treatment
The afternoon sunlight streamed at an angle through the cottage window.
Sitting side by side on the edge of the bed, Ariel and Seria recalled the events of the past week.
One week ago.
It was the moment Seria first crossed the threshold of this cottage.
Ariel, who had been groaning in pain on the bed wrapped tightly in bandages, widened her eyes in shock upon spotting her younger sister.
"Se-Seria? How did you get here...?"
"Sister...!"
Tears welled in Seria's eyes as she rushed over, taking in the sight of Ariel's battered body.
Ariel, too, wrapped her arms around Seria's small back as the girl buried herself in her embrace.
"I'm so sorry... *sob*, I got hurt... I'm so sorry for leaving you all alone and making you worry..."
Feeling each other's warmth, the two wept, tears and running noses flowing freely.
It was a deeply moving, tearful reunion—a moment of profound familial love.
Rustle.
But the tender sisterly embrace did not last very long.
Because they could feel Lee Han's gaze on them.
Hugging like this right in front of him felt incredibly awkward.
It was almost as if they were inviting him to join in.
Seria and Ariel let out awkward chuckles, "Haha, haha..." and quickly pulled away from each other.
That night.
Seria confessed the horrifying truth about the inn's basement to Ariel.
"Sister... the basement of that inn I was staying at. They were manufacturing illegal drugs down there..."
Seria's voice trembled slightly.
"I might have ended up as a toy or a drug test subject... Master Lee Han showed me himself. I saw it too. It was really down there in the basement..."
Hearing this, Ariel's lips turned pale in an instant.
What if she hadn't told Lee Han about Seria?
What if she had never met Lee Han in the first place?
What if Lee Han hadn't delivered her letter to Seria?
She would have been violated and defiled by a pack of goblins in the forest.
And her only younger sister would have been dragged away by a pig worse than a beast, rotting away as a sex slave for the rest of her life.
Ariel shuddered in sheer terror just imagining that horrific chain of tragedies.
And once again,
she offered a prayer of heartfelt gratitude to Lee Han.
He was the savior who had rescued not only her life, but also the very soul of her beloved sister.
Though her body was far from recovered, Ariel had forced herself to sit up.
Seria had tried to stop her, but Ariel insisted that she had to do this.
Bowing as deeply as her battered body allowed, Ariel had spoken to Lee Han.
"Thank you... thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving both me and Seria."
"Right now, I am powerless—nothing but a helpless burden to you... but somehow, no matter what it takes, I will make myself useful to you."
The moment Ariel finished speaking, a system window had materialized before Lee Han's eyes.
Then came the week that followed.
Every morning and evening, Lee Han personally tended to Ariel's wounds, treating her with the utmost care and devotion.
The problem was that the treatment process was incredibly embarrassing and suffocating for both Ariel and Seria.
"I'm removing the bandages. Stay still."
Lee Han unraveled the bandages that bound Ariel's entire body.
Slide.
The white bandages, stained with blood and fluid, slipped to the floor, completely exposing Ariel's voluptuous, naked body.
The explosive, bursting curves of her breasts.
Her slender, smoothly tapering waist.
The sensual sweep of her hips.
And finally, her completely hairless body.
Every single time, Ariel's entire body would tremble as she squeezed her eyes shut.
Seria, who had to watch this spectacle from right beside them, also flushed beet-red every time, her face looking ready to burst.
S-she's exposing such an incredible body... completely naked in front of a man...!
At first, Seria had desperately tried to intervene and stop this suffocatingly awkward situation.
"U-um... Master Lee Han! I can do the treatment instead! I've applied herbs to my sister's wounds plenty of times in the past, so..."
But Lee Han was resolute.
"I must do it."
There was not a shred of compromise in Lee Han's voice as he spoke.
"This is a task that requires a high level of skill. If handled carelessly, the wounds could become infected or leave permanent scars."
In the end, Seria had no choice but to shut her mouth and step back, while Ariel, the subject of the treatment, could only hang her head in shame, unable to offer any resistance.
Watching Lee Han's actions, Seria thought:
I knew it, all men are the same. He's just trying to satisfy his own selfish desires by looking at and touching my sister's body up close.
After all, what man could possibly resist such a temptation?
However, as the second and third days passed, Seria began to notice something strange.
Huh...?
Lee Han's gaze.
While there was indeed a trace of lust in his eyes as he looked at Ariel's naked body...
...it was overshadowed by an incomprehensibly serious intensity.
It was as if he was purely focused on the act of 'treatment' itself.
The moment she realized this, Seria felt a slight shiver run down her spine.
For a normal man to resist such physical temptation was common-sensically impossible.
Which meant there was only one logical conclusion.
...!
Seria's blue eyes shook violently, as if hit by an earthquake.
It was true. What he told me was actually true!
[I'm a pedophile.]
He didn't spare even a single glance for the alluring, mature, and voluptuous body of her older sister!
He was a true, dyed-in-the-wool pedophile who only reacted sexually to young girls like her!
As misunderstandings and delusions piled up day after day, the fateful moment arrived.
The moment Lee Han returned from the forest, Seria dashed out like a bullet and bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"Master! Welcome back!"
Seria had blurted out "Master" without even realizing it. Ariel was utterly shocked.
When Ariel asked why she called him that, Seria had only blushed furiously, unable to answer.
Seeing this, Ariel... swallowed hard.
Wait. If Seria serves Master Lee Han as her master... then what about me?
Her younger sister had already fallen. And perhaps... she had too.
Cupping her burning face in her hands, Ariel squirmed and asked in a tiny, barely audible voice.
"Um... Master Lee Han."
"What is it?"
"Could... *gasp*, I, I... also call you 'Master' from now on...?"
"I think both of you are sick."
Ariel and Seria could only gape like fish. A man who had been tempting them all this time, only to coldly reject them.
What on earth was wrong with him?!
Time passed, bringing them to the present day.
Lee Han was busy chopping firewood in the front yard, just as he did every day.
Crack! Thwack!
Ariel and Seria, now fully recovered and free of their bandages, stood side by side, leaning against the window frame and looking outside.
The sisters were conversing in hushed tones.
"It's obvious, Seria. He is definitely a hidden master."
Seria nodded in agreement.
"I think so too, Sister. There's no way someone exuding such an incredible aura is just an ordinary woodcutter. Maybe he's a legendary hero who saved the world and is now living in seclusion deep in the mountains?"
Just as the sisters were exchanging these thoughts,
Creeeak.
Having finished his daily quota of chopping wood, Lee Han let out a breath and stepped inside the cottage.
Seria scurried over to him, speaking in a bright, clear voice.
"Master! Thank you so much for working hard outside today. For tonight, please let me cook dinner myself!"
Ariel also approached cautiously, gesturing as if tying an apron to chime in.
"That's right. Now that my body is fully healed, please let us repay your kindness, even if just for today. We will take care of all the housework!"
Lee Han shook his head. Then, he spoke with absolute confidence.
"Do you two not know the basic common sense that a man belongs in the kitchen? It seems both of you are lacking in education."
Seria and Ariel widened their eyes in utter bewilderment.
"Huh...? Isn't it usually the other way around?"
"Are you talking back to your master while claiming to be maids? You really are lacking in education."
"No, but Master Lee Han... we feel so guilty just receiving everything without doing anything..."
"Ah-ah! Do not rob me of my opportunity to cook. Just pay me back later by learning magic."
"...Yes, sir."
"And Miss Ariel can pay me back later by learning Divine Power."
"Pardon? Divine Power? Me?"
"Yes."
Seria stared at Lee Han's retreating back with a thoroughly dubious expression.
And Ariel, too, could not hide her skepticism.
Even without speaking, they could intuitively sense it.
That they were currently sharing the exact same thought.
As the sisters sat side by side in polite silence,
Clatter, chop! Clatter!
The rhythmic, cheerful sound of chopping echoed from the kitchen, followed by the bubbling of a pot.
And shortly after,
"I've finally done it! Hahaha!"
Seria and Ariel heard Lee Han laughing joyfully.
The sisters exchanged uneasy glances once more.
"..."
"..."
What on earth was making him so happy?
A moment later, a steaming bowl of meat stew was placed on the table.
To the naked eye, it looked like nothing more than a mundane, slapdash hodgepodge of dried meat and roughly chopped mushrooms.
Hesitantly, they lifted their spoons and took a bite of the dish Lee Han had prepared.
"...!"
"!!!"
Both of them widened their eyes in sheer shock.
It was a heavenly taste, unlike anything they had ever experienced in their entire lives!
This was absolutely not a flavor a mere human could produce!
"M-Master Lee Han... what exactly is your true identity...?"
Ariel swallowed hard as she asked.
"Naturally, I am a woodcutter."
Lee Han replied deadpan.
The next day, Lee Han met with the peddler Elin. And he demanded 'Viagra' from her.
The moment he uttered the word, a notification popped up before his eyes.
A notification stating that Elin's affection had risen significantly.
[Elin's affection toward you has risen significantly!]