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

Episode 53 – Hansel and Gretel (7)

“He, Hansel!?”

Gretel called out Hansel’s name, her voice trembling. Her eyes were filled with unease. And then, I distinctly felt it. The power pressing down on me had slightly loosened. With this, I focused all my attention on moving the scythe. Unfurling my fingers, This is the perfect chance!

“Why, why are you here? Ah, no, are you, are you hungry!? Huh? Just wait a bit. I’ll, I’ll…….”

“Stop it, Gretel.”

Hansel’s resolute words made Gretel stagger back as if struck.

“What do you mean? Stop it? Stop what? And, you have to listen to me. Huh? I’m your witch, aren’t I? You have to listen to me.”

“No, you’re not a witch.”

Hmm, this is quite the intriguing conversation. Although I was concentrating on moving the scythe, my eyes and ears naturally followed Hansel and Gretel. Adel seemed to feel the same, her face expressing a wish she had some popcorn for a good viewing session.

Hansel was covered head to toe in candy goo, but unlike before, his mind seemed clear. His eyes were full of life, sparkling. He was like a completely different person. Not the Hansel who was running wild over food.

“What are you talking about?”

“You killed her.”

Right. Gretel did kill the witch in the original story. But is that something to be concerned about? Ugh, this isn’t the time. I have to get out of this telekinesis quickly!

“Wh, what are you saying, Hansel, you’re having memory problems. I, I can cure you. Okay? Just wait a moment, if you eat the food I made…”

“My sister, Gretel. My memories are crystal clear now. Stop this disgusting charade. Not only did you murder the witch, but you’ve done something unforgivable to me too. You’ve crossed a line there’s no coming back from.”

Gretel’s shoulders twitched at Hansel’s words. The side of her face that he could see was slowly shifting from bewilderment to fury.

“What are you saying? I… I’m the witch! I’m the witch, I tell you! Look! I’m using magic right now! You’re just confused! It’s the gingerbread house messing with your memory!”

“There’s nothing wrong with the gingerbread house.”

Hansel glared at Gretel with loathing. Her body shuddered at his harsh gaze. The murderous intent emanating from him was no ordinary anger. It was the raw, intense energy of someone who truly hated and wanted to kill.

“Gretel, you murdered the witch who took us in. She was kind and beautiful. She sheltered us, abandoned because of our gluttony, and taught us how to control our excessive appetites. I thought we were slowly becoming a family, living together. But that happiness, those precious days… you, you shattered it all!!!”

Gretel recoiled at Hansel’s shout. Gretel’s rage was overwhelmed by Hansel’s explosive emotions.

“Hi, hic! D-Don’t, don’t shout!”

“The witch pitied us! She embraced us with genuine love! So how could you kill her? And after shoving her into the oven to burn her alive, how could you then feed her to me?!”

Wow, so the witch was actually kind, taking care of gluttonous Hansel and Gretel, but Gretel murdered the defenseless witch in the oven and then, on top of that, fed her to Hansel?

He covered his face with trembling hands.

“N-No, that’s not it. I’m the witch! Hansel, you, you’ve been tricked! It’s always just been us two here! Our love…!”

“Don’t give me that crap! I don’t love you, you disgusting little monster!”

Hansel stared at Gretel with eyes burning with hatred, as if he’d devour her whole. He ground his teeth and said,

“I told you, my memories are clear! I know you put a mind-control spell on the witch’s flesh! And then you used it to manipulate my memories. You’re the witch? Shit, I’m gonna puke. You’re no witch and no longer my sister. You’re a monster who raped me and fattened me up.”

Oh, god. What have I just heard? Raped? Wait, Hansel and Gretel are siblings. Gretel, pretending to be the witch, did… Oh, dear God.

I never imagined it’d be this kind of setting. Pretty hair-raising.

“No, no, no!!!!”

Gretel screamed at Hansel’s shocking statement. Then, like an earthquake, the entire gingerbread house shook. Along with it, the weakened telekinetic powers strengthened, making it even harder to move. Ugh, I feel like I’m gonna become a squashed jerky!

“I’m the witch! I’m the witch, the one you loved, and your sister! It’s this damn gingerbread house that’s messed with your head!”

“Shut up! You’re the one who’s lost it, you monster b*tch! The candy house is meant to curb our excessive appetites and purify negative energy! You just didn’t eat because you want to keep your fat ass, yet you dare to spew such disgusting words!”

Hansel grabbed a chocolate-made skewer that was nearby.

“I’ll avenge the Witch! You disgusting monster b*tch! Die!!!”

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no.”

Just before the skewer was about to smash into Gretel’s head,

“I am your Witch.”

A fierce gust of wind erupted from Gretel’s body, blowing everyone away. A dull ache spread throughout my whole body. And a feeling of lightness. Light?

The Witch’s telekinesis is gone! Nice, Hansel! Although I got slammed against a wall by the gust and my back is stinging, it’s nothing much.

“Hehehe! Freedom, freedom! Shiyu, now let’s get rid of that damn incestuous crazy witch!”

“Ugh, please don’t say it that directly.”

But something’s not right. A violent vortex was swirling around Gretel. The wind was so strong it was hard to even get close.

That moment.

A pop, something burst, and the vortex vanished. And revealed Gretel’s form. Her hair was sticking straight up like some Super Saiyan, and rough, ugly veins were wriggling like snakes all over her body. I’d expected her to awaken into some terrifying form, but she hadn’t really changed much, which made me wonder.

Then I realized.

She was crying. And her eyes were fixed on Hansel.

“Haa, haa.”

A chilling sensation went through my head. Hansel, flung away by the gust, was gasping for air. His body had a foreign object mixed into it, and a very large one at that. Dark chocolate was melting into Hansel’s blood from his body heat.

The blood was coming from his abdomen.

The chocolate-made skewer was sticking out, having pierced through Hansel’s abdomen.

“Ah, ahh. No, no!!! Hansel, Hansel, Hansel! My Hansel!!”

Gretel, on the verge of a rampage, snapped back to her senses and rushed to him, but Hansel, gritting his teeth, swung a hand slick with chocolate and blood with all his might, striking her cheek.

* * * SLAP-!* * *

Tears streamed down Gretel’s face, hit by Hansel’s blow. She seemed utterly stunned, unable to move. Hansel’s handprint was starkly imprinted on her cheek.

“Sh-shit. Don’t, don’t show me that filthy face. You, you disgusting monster…”

Hansel couldn’t say any more.

He hung his head, completely still. The wound piercing his abdomen. The blood draining away in an instant. It was a familiar sight. It overlapped with a scene he’d witnessed just moments ago.

The cold blade slicing through Rapunzel’s tender flesh.

*Thump-thump.*

His heart raced. His skin crawled, and his mouth went bone dry.

Rapunzel’s death. Her final moments wouldn’t leave his mind.

His breathing grew ragged, his grip on the scythe handle tightening to an unbearable degree.

“Agh, agh, agh! aaaGH!!!!!”

A deafening, explosive roar. Gretel wailed, letting out a tormented shriek as she clutched Hansel’s chilling corpse.

“No, no, no!!! Oh, Hansel. My Hansel! My Hansel!!! Aagh, agh, agh!”

She held Hansel with one arm, while tearing at her own hair with the other, ripping out clumps until her scalp was visible. Gretel, in disbelief, sobbed great, heaving tears as she touched Hansel’s face.

“This can’t be. How could my Hansel… Oh, Hansel. Before the warmth leaves you, at least let us share our love…”

Gretel was about to stick her thick tongue into Hansel’s mouth when—

*Thunk.*

The scythe blade pierced her shoulder. Gretel turned her head, her gaze cold. I stared right back at her and said,

“You disgusting rapist. Can’t you keep your filthy hands off him?”

“Yeah… it’s all because of you. It’s all because you came here that things turned out this way! You goddamn pieces of trash! Hansel died because of you! Hansel was supposed to live, happily ever after with me!!! You fucking garbage!!!!”

Gretel’s body suddenly began to swell. The skin on her back rippled and twitched, as if something alive was trapped inside, before multiple arms burst out. Then, the skin of her belly split open horizontally with a sickening *crack*, and sharp teeth popped out, top and bottom, as a long, thick tongue emerged from within.

“H-hiik! It’s, it’s a real monster!!!”

Appalled by Gretel’s grotesque and hideous transformation, Adele recoiled, scrambling into a corner.

But I didn’t run.

“Because of us? No, this is because of you. *You* killed Hansel! You weren’t satisfied with just inflicting unforgettable pain, you had to murder him! You’re the one who ruined his happy ending!”