Something Sweet Like Jelly
I pondered where to lay the witch down when the largest room caught my eye. Yeah. The owner should use this place. The owner? I must be drunk too. After laying the witch in the largest room and coming out, my head was throbbing. I sprawled out on the living room floor and stared at the ceiling. Ah… I still need to wake the doctor, but I’m sleepy. It’ll be cold out there… What if he catches a cold? I should hurry and… wake… him… up…
“Hey!!”
I bolted upright to find it was already morning. I’d fallen asleep instead of waking the old man. The witch was still sprawled out asleep. In a panic I ran outside and saw the doctor coming in, supported by the butler.
“Achoo…!” He shivered under a blanket. I’m sorry. I accidentally fell asleep…
“A-are you okay?”
“Seems like I’ve caught a chill…”
“I’m so sorry… It was because I was moving the witch…”
“I’m fine. Is the Lady Witch alright?”
“Yes. She’s sleeping like a log.”
“Sleeping like a log! To the noble Lady Witch. As long as the Lady Witch is safe, that’s all that matters.”
What the hell? Can a person change overnight? Anyone watching would think he’d served her his whole life.
Has he gone senile or something… I muttered to myself in a daze. There was no other explanation. The old man had come down with a nasty cold and couldn’t go to the market. With no choice left, I decided to head to the market with just the witch and me.
“Is the old man dying?”
“No. He’s just a little sick.”
“Why did he get sick all of a sudden?”
“There was a lot of wind yesterday. He was sleeping outside and…”
“Tsk. You’re as stupid as he is? You should have thought to sleep inside like me. Humans really are pathetic!”
I looked at the witch in silence. Better not say anything. You almost got your mouth shut too… No matter how much truth I told her, she wouldn’t believe it. I could only shake my head.
“Ouch! Why did you hit me?”
When I shook my head she ran over and smacked me.
“Just because I’m in a bad mood.”
Ungrateful bitch. If she weren’t a witch I would have slapped her cheek raw.
“Mmm~ Look at how clear the weather is~!”
The witch spun in place while staring at the sky. Against the bright blue, her black fedora, black dress, and black shoes looked a little overwhelming. But. As expected. She was beautiful.
“Auntie.”
“Yes~!”
“Is there a place around here that sells pudding?”
“Pudding? You mean the sweet, squishy kind?”
“Yes, yes. Is there anywhere?”
“Ah! I heard Maria’s daughter runs a fancy dessert shop…! Honey! Where was the shop Maria’s daughter runs?”
Her husband came out scratching his head.
“Where was Maria’s daughter’s shop again?”
“You know, the daughter the lord was so clingy with.”
“Ah! That Sylvia? Go to the end of the market, turn at the big street, and it should be there.”
“Ah. Thank you!”
I got directions to the pudding shop from a random store I walked into. We headed to Sylvia’s pudding shop. I opened the door and stepped inside.
“Hello~”
The store was filled with the scent of all kinds of fruit. Pineapple, kiwi, melon, grapes. The witch’s nose was already twitching. Sniff sniff. A small bell on the door chimed, and a petite woman in an apron hurried out. She had a refreshing, bright aura. This must be Sylvia.
“Welcome!”
“Um… do you sell fruit jelly here by any chance?”
“Jelly? No! We don’t make jelly…”
Unfortunately it was a pudding-only shop. Since what the witch was looking for might be pudding, we decided to start with that.
“Pick whatever you want to eat.”
Without hesitation the witch grabbed a yellow pudding and swallowed it in one bite. Seeing how happily she ate it, this had to be the one.
“How is it? Is it what you’re looking for?”
“I don’t know. I think I need to eat more.”
“Uh… eat slowly.”
Cherry pudding next to it. Green kiwi pudding after that. Next to that…? More…? Stop… please stop…
“You still don’t know?”
“Yeah. I think I need to eat more to tell.”
“This place is expensive. We can’t eat that much.”
“Ugh. I said I need to eat more to know.”
“Fine…”
I counted the money I had. Six hundred jeon left after selling the wild ginseng. Two hundred jeon emergency fund. Eight hundred jeon was my entire fortune. Before I knew it the witch had devoured every pudding on the display. Yet she was still licking her lips. Pudding must really be delicious.
“Do you know now??” I walked up and asked her.
“Hmm… I think I need to eat a few more. Are there any left?”
Just how many does she need to stuff down before she knows? We have no money. I swallowed my anger and spoke with a gentle face.
“Ah… really? Wait a second. I’ll ask.”
I approached Sylvia at the counter.
“Excuse me… how much is it total?”
“Um… puddings are a bit pricey. It comes to six hundred jeon!”
“Six hundred jeon?”
“Yes. They’re fifteen jeon each, so fifty would be seven hundred fifty, but I gave you a hundred-and-fifty-jeon discount!”
“Ah. So that’s the discounted price…”
I turned to look at the witch. Fucking bitch, seriously. I can’t buy any more.
“Yeah. Then please ring me up.”
“But that person earlier was looking for more pudding…!”
“We don’t have much money left…”
“Then I’ll give you these as a service. They’re too damaged to sell, but the taste is the same!”
“R-really?”
“Yes! I’m giving them because you’re handsome!”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Isn’t she with you?”
“She was… with me. Not anymore, though.”
“Ah… yes! Please come often! I’ll give you lots of service! You can just drop by to hang out!”
Sylvia kindly packed ten more puddings for us. She was kind. And cute too. I could see why Lucas had fallen for her.
The moment we left the shop the witch inhaled the free puddings. For some reason she kept one clutched tightly in her hand.
“Witch. How about it? Was the one you just ate it?”
“No. It’s different from that.”
“Really…? Think carefully. It’s really not?”
“No. It tasted different from the very first bite.”
This crazy bitch. She knew from the start but still ate fifty? She thinks money sprouts from the ground. Ugh.
“Haa… Really? Then we have no choice but to look for fruit jelly.”
“It was a bit chewier than that. And softer.”
It really did seem like she was looking for fruit jelly. But was there anywhere in this village that made it? The bakery only sold bread, and the pudding shop had been our best bet yet they didn’t make any. Where were we supposed to find it…? On top of that we only had two hundred jeon left. Considering how much the witch ate, it was nowhere near enough. First I needed to visit the wholesaler. I headed there with the witch.
As we walked down the main street, every eye turned to her. Well, it would be strange if a woman who looked this glamorous didn’t stand out. I’d buy the fruit jelly and leave the village immediately.
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry, Allen… The lord’s men barged in without listening to reason.”
“No… but still. How can I trust you with my goods after this?”
“I’m truly sorry. These days I’m dying from the trouble those subordinates cause. They snatch things saying it’s for the village… My grievances are no small thing. I even hid the wild ginseng, but they searched everywhere and took it just now…”
“They just left?”
“Yeah… I’m sorry, Allen. I’ll just give you five hundred jeon, so take this and calm down…”
“No. It’s okay. I can’t hold it in this time. This isn’t just one or two days.”
“What are you going to do…? Don’t rush in and get beaten…”
I ignored the old man’s words, kicked the wholesaler’s door open, and stormed out. Those fucking bastards. This is what happens when I stay quiet. They think I’m an easy target.
“Where are you going?”
The witch followed behind me.
“To catch the bad guys.”
“Bad guys? Did you get the money?”
“No. Those dogs took my stuff.”
“What? They dared to take my stuff?!”
The witch was furious. No. Please don’t show your claws. The witch ran ahead of me. After a short sprint, Lucas’s subordinates came into view. They were the lord’s personal guard. Lucas was the legitimate heir by birth. No matter that he was my older half-brother, he didn’t have real power. Naturally, once Lucas became lord, many looked at him with displeasure. Among them were these guards who had supported him and built his current power base. They probably planned to turn Lucas into a puppet and enjoy the riches themselves. What trash.
The guards wore black robes with a cross emblem on the back. About a dozen of them were gathered, laughing and chatting as they strolled down the street.
“They’re right there.”
I pointed at them. The witch confirmed their location.
“Wait, witch. I’ll handle this. Stay back.”
“You will?”
“Yes. Don’t step in. And you haven’t forgotten the promise you made with me, right?”
The witch didn’t answer, just stared blankly. I turned and walked toward the guards.
“Hey! You idiots!”
I shouted loudly. The dozen guards who had been laughing and talking all turned to look at me at once.
“What? Who the hell are you!”
“It’s me, you idiots.”
“Hah. Allen? You must be crazy.”
“Allen? No matter how much weight you throw around, you’re speaking casually to me—the rightful heir of the lord?”
“Rightful heir from when? Now you’re just a worthless outsider.”
“I heard you took the wild ginseng from the wholesaler. Shouldn’t you pay before you leave?”
“Pay? That money will be used meaningfully for village development funds, so just accept it.”
“Village development funds? What kind of bullshit is that?”
“Heh heh. If you’re upset, go complain to the lord.”
“Bullshit. Looks like I need to fix your rotten attitudes.”
“Hahaha. Guys, he says he’ll fix our attitudes. This person must not understand the current situation. We should punish him for insulting the lord. Grab him and take him away!”
In an instant the dozen guards surrounded me. I had expected this. There was no way they’d hand over the money quietly. Fine. Come at me. I’ll show you what I’m made of.