I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

chapter 53



Episode 52 – Hansel and Gretel (6)

“Now!”

I grabbed Adele, yanked her to the side, and we tumbled over together. Immediately afterward, I felt the squelching sound and the vibrations of something massive thrashing behind us.

“Hah, hach! I, I almost died! What the hell was that?!”

Adele jumped up, terrified, and then snapped at me.

“You didn’t die, did you? And look over there.”

Adele looked where I was pointing and gasped. Behind where her head had been in danger, there were those sticky candy stairs. And Hansel, the giant who’d dived into them?

“Hehehehe! Ehehehe! Delicious! So delicious!”

Half-submerged in the stairs, he was gobbling down every piece of candy he could see. Hmm, it’s a bit different than I expected. I imagined him struggling to get out, in agony, but he’s actually enjoying it.

“Hoo! You’re a smart one! To think of trapping him in there! Kahahaha!”

Adele, as if she hadn’t just been furious, slapped my shoulder heartily while laughing. Hansel was still munching and tearing at the soft candy stairs, thoroughly enjoying the feast. Eating like that, he’s bound to get diabetes.

It was a relief that he wasn’t trying to get out again, but something felt off.

Hansel’s body was changing. The fat that had been there was slowly disappearing, and his size was gradually shrinking. It was strange, the madness in his eyes seemed to fade, replaced by a new vitality and a bright, sparkling look.

What is going on? Am I seeing things?

“Adele, do you see that?”

“Kyahahaha! I see it so well! That cannibal monster, thrashing around, trapped in the candy swamp!”

“No, not that, but doesn’t it look like Hansel’s lost some weight?”

“Huh? What are you… wait?”

Adel’s pupils widened. He rubbed his eyes roughly, then checked Hansel’s state again, his jaw dropping in shock.

“What! It’s true! That guy’s shrinking!”

It was certain. For whatever reason, Hansel’s size was noticeably decreasing. What is it? Is it an effect from devouring that candy staircase?

“Hmm, I see what you’re worried about. You think that because he’s lighter, he might get out of those stairs? But don’t worry. That guy’s already half-buried and even if he does get out, he’ll be weakened, so we can easily take care of him.”

“That makes sense, I guess.”

Yeah. We don’t need to pay him any attention right now. Hansel is subdued, so next up is the witch, Gretel. If we defeat her and break the magic, Alice and Ariel will wake up from the dream and we can escape this place.

If everyone escapes, it’ll be a happy ending. At least, we can have the happy ending I swore to Rapunzel I’d get in this cruel Hansel and Gretel fairytale.

The problem is, she’s a witch, so who knows what kind of magic she’ll use. It’s different from Rapunzel. Rapunzel loved me, so she hesitated when she attacked and couldn’t inflict a fatal wound on me. But Gretel?

She could easily kill me, just like Ariel massacred the wolves.

So I need to attack from a position of advantage.

We decided to leave Hansel and cautiously begin searching. Though when I say searching, Adel just clung to my back, hiding behind me, so it was basically me doing it alone. With a nervous heart, we searched, worried that Gretel might be awake and waiting for us, but thankfully, there was no sign of her.

When Gretel wasn’t in the last room either, Adel asked with a puzzled tone.

“What? She’s not here either?”

“It seems like she really went outside.”

“Hmm, is that crazy witch looking for another victim? Or maybe she went out to reinforce the barrier.”

Adel muttered to himself. The news that Gretel wasn’t home was good news. Of course, it would have been the best opportunity to subdue her if she had still been asleep, but her being outside is also a good situation.

She doesn’t know we’ve escaped the house. In other words, she’ll come inside defenseless.

I spoke softly to Adel,

“Adel, keep watch at the window. If Gretel comes, signal me.”

“What!? But what if we get caught!”

Adel twisted her body anxiously. Ugh, I felt like my eyes were rotting.

“I need to be the one to subdue Gretel when she comes in off guard, and since you have a small face, the chance of you getting caught while watching is lower. Just hide behind the curtain on the window frame while you’re checking.”

“Ugh, fine.”

Adel made a face like she really didn’t want to do it. What a coward. They could enter her in the All-Time Coward Tournament, and she’d win.

She dragged a chair that was lying nearby and climbed on top of it. With a face that betrayed her unease, she hid behind the curtain, only peeking her eyes out as she kept watch.

Seeing Adel so tense made me tense too. If only Ariel or Ellis were here, even just one of them, it’d be reassuring. I felt their absence keenly.

But even so, I had to move forward. In life, there are moments when you want to give up, but you still have to face them head-on.

“O-oh, she’s coming! That juicy-looking pig witch is coming!”

Adel exclaimed, but her voice was so low I could barely hear her. I nodded and took up a ready position right next to the door.

One hit. The moment Gretel opens the door, I’ll strike her head hard with the flat of the blade and knock her out. That’s all. I can do it. It’s easy. There’s no room for failure. Don’t get nervous. I’ve hunted wolves before, haven’t I?

Ugh, still, hitting someone’s head wasn’t as easy as it sounded. What if I messed up and saw her head cracked open with brain matter spilling out? The Heart Queen, brutally murdered by Ellis, flashed through my mind.

Hoo, hoo.

I pretended to take deep breaths, afraid Gretel would hear my actual breathing. Adel trembled even more, making a fuss. The fact she wasn’t talking meant Gretel was right outside the door.

Screeeak.

The door, made of biscuit, made the same noise as old wood as it slowly opened. And the opened door was almost flush against my body. The door was right in front of my face, the sweet scent of biscuit assaulting my nostrils.

Currently I am hidden behind the door and out of sight. Meaning, Gretel is completely unaware of my presence. And then I saw Gretel’s backside appearing, waddling inside. The moment to act was now here, my heart began to race like crazy, and I felt the blood rushing to my head.

My hand, wet with sweat, gripped the scythe handle tightly.

“Huh?”

Gretel’s gaze shifts sideways. Shit! I was so focused on hiding myself, I completely forgot that Adel, who was supposed to be on lookout, needed to hide too when Gretel came in.

Adel was blatantly obvious, not only bundled up in the curtain on top of the chair, a bizarrely bulging lump, but her feet were poking out too.

“What the…!”

There’s no more time to waste.

The back of Gretel’s head gleams under the light. There!

“Hyaap!”

I let out a yell and swung the flat of the blade towards the back of Gretel’s head. The forward lunge of my legs, the powerful twist of my waist, the sensation of the scythe swinging in my arm – every motion flowed together, I judged it a perfect attack.

The flat of the blade hurtled towards the back of Gretel’s head. I can do this! I can feel it! This strike is gonna knock Gretel out and we’re getting the hell out of here!

The blade was just about to make contact with Gretel’s head.

*Deeng!*

The scythe bounced back. The recoil almost threw me backward. It felt like the scythe hit an invisible wall. And a thought flashed through my mind.

I’m fucked.

Completely and utterly fucked.

It felt like time slowed down as Gretel’s movements seemed sluggish. I had a live view of her face contorting into a nasty grimace as she turned around. Gretel bared her yellowed teeth, spraying spit as she sputtered something incomprehensible.

Then, an unseen, unknown force began to constrict my whole body instantly. *Krahk!* I couldn’t move a muscle! I couldn’t even make a sound! Ugh, it’s like a transparent snake is squeezing me.

Looking sideways, I saw Adel, already in the same predicament, with a resigned expression and tears streaming down her face. She probably thinks she’s destined to be a tasty meal. Dammit, I’m thinking the same thing. Sorry, Ariel, Ellis. This is the end for me.

“You impudent little rats! How the hell did you escape!? My magic is on those iron bars, even with super strength you wouldn’t be able to break free!”

Ugh, I’d like to answer, but my throat is being strangled, I can’t even open my mouth. Unlike before, Gretel’s infuriated face looked every bit the part of a cranky, old witch. Dammit, is there really no way out? Using some kind of telekinesis!

I thought if she did use magic, it would be like Ariel, with water or something, but this is an overpowering strength I can’t even resist. No matter how hard I struggled to break free, it was useless.

“Yeah, I see now! That scythe! It’s imbued with a very special power. That’s why it nullified my magic so easily. A scythe that can cut through magic. I’ve never seen anything like it. Well, I suppose I could just boil you all whole, get rid of the gamey smell, and then use you for slicing meat, perfect for the job.”

How can she say such gruesome things so casually? Wait. Cuts through magic? Then, could it also cut through the telekinesis surrounding me right now?

Right now, Gretel is arrogant and off-guard. If I can momentarily move the scythe I’m holding to cut through the telekinesis, I have a chance.

I poured all my strength into both hands. My fingers became slightly mobile, and if I played it right, I could use the weight of the scythe’s blade to drop it and cut through the telekinesis.

“Gretel.”

That’s when a familiar voice spoke. All our eyes went to the source, and there stood Hansel, looking a bit thinner.


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.