Chapter 7: The Witch’s Deception

When I awoke again, I found myself seemingly lying in a bed.

Opening my eyes, I was met with bright sunlight streaming in from outside, its glare making it difficult to keep them open.

“Is it morning already?”

My head felt incredibly heavy, and my eyes were painfully sore and numb.

With considerable effort, I pushed my upper body upright, only to find that this single action left me drenched in sweat.

As my eyes gradually adjusted to the surrounding brightness, I began to observe my surroundings.

It was a wooden cabin, cramped and cluttered.

The roof was woven from thick thatch, its dry, slender leaves visible through the window. Their ends formed the eaves, shimmering faintly in the sunlight.

To the left of the window, an ancient wooden door stood firmly shut. An intricate and strange iron pattern was embedded into its surface, its meaning indiscernible.

Beside the doorframe, a string of dried herbs and bones hung on the wall, emitting faint clattering sounds with the slightest breeze, which was rather unsettling.

Suddenly, I recalled the wooden cabin from last night—the one with an evil beauty.

‘Am I currently in…’

As this thought crossed my mind, I suddenly caught a peculiar scent of herbs and spices.

It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but neither was it offensive.

Then, heavy footsteps approached from afar, and the wooden door creaked open.

“Oh my, you’re finally awake.”

An elderly face, adorned with a benevolent smile, appeared from beyond the doorway.

The face was as large as a plate, with deeply sunken eyes and skin covered in the wrinkles of age and liver spots.

In essence, it was the very ordinary visage of an old woman.

I stared at the unfamiliar face, momentarily stunned, but still spoke politely:

“Ah, excuse me, but who might you be?”

“Me? Oh dear, forgotten so soon?”

The old woman leaned on a wooden staff, her body stooped, as she approached me with a strange smile.

“Didn’t I scare you unconscious last night?”

At that moment, a terrifying face suddenly flashed in my mind, causing a shiver to run through my body.

“No, no, no, no…”

I shook my head vigorously, trying to dislodge that image.

“That definitely wasn’t you, madam. That face was far too terrifying! It was simply, simply…”

“Simply cobbled together from a pile of toads, wasn’t it?”

The old woman’s tone was calm, instilling a sense of reassurance in me.

“Ah, yes.”

I nodded, cautiously observing the old woman’s face, thinking to myself, ‘This looks nothing like it.’

“That was me, indeed.”

The old woman slightly raised an eyebrow, her voice emphasizing each word.

“Every night, I transform into that appearance—the one capable of easily frightening you into unconsciousness.”

“Ah?”

My eyes slowly widened.

It was truly difficult to imagine what kind of terrifying power could turn such a benevolent old woman into that monstrous form.

However, my experiences from another world quickly led me to instinctively utter a word.

“Magic?”

“Magic?”

The old woman snorted as if she had heard a joke, then bared her mostly toothless mouth.

“It’s a curse—the Curse of Peering into Transcendent Power.”

Just as I was about to press for more details, I heard her continue:

“Don’t ask any further. I won’t tell you, unless you also wish to become a monster like me.”

Ignoring my unspoken questions, she turned and walked behind the door, taking down several herbs hanging there. She then ground them into a fine powder on a table before pouring them into an earthy-yellow pot and slowly stirring.

Before long, she returned to me with a bowl of freshly brewed medicinal liquid and offered it.

“Drink it.”

Staring at the strangely colored concoction, I couldn’t help but swallow hard, my voice trembling.

“This… what is this stuff?”

“It’s the potion to turn you into a woman.”

Her eyes widened dramatically, as if they might pop out.

“Hehe, isn’t this exactly what you wanted? Come on, come on, drink it.”

‘Is this really it…’

My expression became incredibly complex as I gazed at the potion before me.

Indeed, I had mentally prepared myself for this, and I knew that there was no turning back now.

However, saying and doing were two different matters. Facing something that would fundamentally alter my entire life, I still recoiled.

Seemingly sensing my apprehension, the old woman’s former benevolence vanished, replaced by a teasing demeanor.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… I truly don’t understand. Why give up being a perfectly good man to become a woman?”

“Men have it so good. With a little strength, they can make women swoon. Add some money, and they can wake up casually against a woman’s soft rear. How comfortable is that?”

“Being a woman is tough. Not only are they delicate and weak, but they also encounter trouble at unexpected times. If they’re beautiful, malicious individuals will make them realize the cruelty of this world.”

“Women are commodities; they are the most sold things in this world. But it’s men who are valuable and hold power.”

“So, why not be a man? Why become a woman?”

“Forget it.”

Unbeknownst to me, the old woman’s face had drawn very close. I saw the tree-ring-like wrinkles on her face and her deep, lake-blue eyes.

I seemed to hesitate for a long time, yet perhaps not at all.

I simply whispered:

“I have no choice…”

Taking the bowl, I lifted it and swallowed its contents in one gulp.

Gulp, gulp…

It was viscous, bitter, and utterly disgusting.

But I had no choice.

“Here.”

I handed back the bowl, having drunk every last drop.

The old woman looked at the empty bowl, then at me, appearing rather surprised.

“Never mind… get up.”

Seeing that she didn’t seem to intend to take the bowl away, I placed it on the nearby table and got out of bed.

For some reason, I felt as though my strength had recovered somewhat, and the soreness and numbness in my body had lessened.

Looking at my still ‘intact’ body, I asked with a touch of regret:

“When will this medicine take effect?”

“It already has.”

“Ah?”

I touched my body, finding that, apart from one particular area, it was all quite firm. I couldn’t help but ask in confusion:

“I don’t feel any changes? My butt isn’t bigger, and my hair hasn’t grown.”

“Hehe… Of course not. Becoming a woman isn’t that easy.”

The old woman glanced at me fleetingly, then turned to walk out the door, a playful smile on her lips.

“That medicine wasn’t meant to turn you into a woman at all; it was merely to restore a bit of your strength.”

I stood there dumbfounded for a while before finally understanding the situation, and anger immediately surged within me:

“You… you old hag, you tricked me!?”

“Tricked you?”

Under the eaves outside the door, the old woman suddenly turned around, wearing a ‘perfectly natural’ expression.

“Isn’t it normal to play a trick on you? Who told you to be so gullible, to believe the words of a ‘witch’?”

“A witch?”

My eyes instantly widened to their extreme.

“Yes, and don’t call me an old hag. I have my own name.”

The old woman finally revealed a hint of seriousness, a touch of pride.

“Call me Witch Lulu.”