The Witch Yeti (6)

The Great Oni

Volume (1) Chapter (12)

After running for roughly six straight days, Artha and Yeti finally reached a new settlement.

Calling it a "town" was generous—there wasn't even a palisade, just a scatter of shacks.

Yeti's back wound had grown infected and oozed pus, so their first stop was the village docter.

—One week later—

Yeti was recuperating in a tiny house the two of them had rented with the money they'd gotten for selling two of their swords. The fee covered only a fortnight's rent, and there was barely enough left for food.

Because of the surgery she'd undergone—performed with no anesthesia in this low-tech world—Yeti still couldn't work.

Fortunately, Artha hadn't deserted her. He now made a living as a hunter and looked after her.

The cottage was a single room: one bed, two stools that doubled as tables, a hearth, and a privy.

The door creaked; Artha stepped in. He was no longer skeletal—some flesh had returned to his frame, his face was clean, and he looked downright handsome: vivid blue eyes, thick gold-blond hair, and an imposing height.

Yeti, who'd been dozing, sat up and blinked.

"What time is it?" she asked.

Still fussing with his hunting gear, Artha answered, "Late morning—almost noon. I boiled pork-bone soup for breakfast; drink it before it gets cold. I'm heading back out."

"Mm, okay."

She rose and, without embarrassment, changed her clothes. When she stripped to her undergarments Artha politely averted his gaze and slung his gear.

"Did you want to order Somethigs, Yeti?"

She waved him off. "No,—go."

Before he left, Yeti smile and said "Thanks for everythings, artha."

Artha just laught and leave.

Artha left, and Yeti, now on her feet, tidied the place. By noon she'd cooked lunch.

"Not exactly gourmet," she muttered with a crooked grin, "but Artha never complains."

Bored, she wandered the single room and caught her reflection in a cracked mirror: a very pretty girl with a small face, long black hair to her waist, and a petite five-foot frame. She looked fourteen, maybe fifteen, an age she no longer remembered in her original life.

"Hmm. Actually… kinda cute," she remarked, smiling at her own face.

Still bored, she decided, "Next morning I'm going hunting with Artha."

—Evening—

Artha returned. Yeti greeted him: "Tomorrow, take me with you. I'm bored."

"Is that wound really better?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, it's fine."

"Good. Then next trip you tag along."

It had been more than a month since Li Fan—now Yeti—dropped into this world.

With two people hunting, money improved; they'd even bought back two serviceable swords and some new clothes.

—A few days later—

Yeti began to feel nauseous, vomited frequently, so they visited the docter again. The old man, sixty or so, checked her pulse and looked grave; after a silence, he smiled.

"Pregnant—almost a month along. Congratulations, daughter," he told them, assuming they were husband and wife.

Artha's face remained neutral, but Yeti went paper-white.

Back home she said nothing and crawled straight into bed. Artha—who knew exactly what had happened to her in the prison—tried to comfort her.

Later, when Artha stepped outside, Yeti rose, face pale, pulled a kitchen knife, and aimed the tip at her heart.

Her hands trembled, she inhaled, steeled herself—

The door banged open. Artha flashed across the fifteen-foot room in half a second, seized the knife, and wrenched it away.

"What are you doing!"

It was the first time he had ever shouted.

Yeti burst into tears. "I—I don't want this baby. I never asked for it… You know what happened to me."

Artha exhaled, wiped sweat from his brow, pulled her into an embrace, rubbing her back.

"I understand, but killing yourself isn't the way, Yeti. Calm down, please."

She sniffled, silent.

If she died she would simply wake in her original body—Li Fan—and she had no desire to bring a fatherless child into this world. She resolved to try again once Artha wasn't around.

At that moment, for the first time in a month, the translucent blue System screen flared to life in front of her.

> [Emergency Mission Issued]

> Task: Carry the child to term and raise it until the age of 10.

> Reward: A significant, unnamed reward.

> Penalty for failure: Your original body will lose all powers, and the System may never appear again.

> Good luck, Yeti ><

"Motherf—!" she hissed.