Chapter 48

When I saw Elise eating just fine, I carefully scooped up some soup and put it in my mouth.

“It’s delicious!”

The warmth of the hot soup spread through my stomach, making me feel much better. Now that we were finally eating proper food, I was so moved that I almost cried. Ariel also seemed relieved as she ate the same soup.

It didn’t seem like any magic or tricks were involved. After all, they were eating the food just like us—no, more like vacuum cleaners devouring everything in sight. Wait? If we keep this up, they’ll eat everything!

We forgot to even talk, fiercely battling to shove food into our bellies. In less than 30 minutes, the table full of delicious food was completely wiped clean.

“Woo! I’m stuffed! Thanks to you!”

[Roger. My belly is now fully inflated!]

With shiny mouths, Hansel and Gretel smiled at our thanks.

“Haha, we’re glad you enjoyed it.”

“Hehe, we were so focused on eating that we forgot to talk.”

“Kikikikiki, yeah. But… no dessert? Hmm?”

Elise was already chewing on something while looking for dessert. Gretel’s eyes widened when she noticed what Elise had in her mouth—a piece of the chocolate table.

“You shouldn’t eat that!”

“What? You’ve been telling us not to eat stuff since earlier. What do you want us to do? Hmm?”

“Uh, Elise! This is someone else’s house! And you’re eating their furniture! You can’t do that!”

Elise glanced at me, smirked, and nodded.

“Alright, got it. Phew.”

She spat the remaining chocolate onto her palm and tried to piece it back together. It stuck pretty well since it had melted from her saliva.

“Aaaaaah! Can’t resist!!!”

Suddenly, Hansel flipped his eyes and lunged forward, snatching the saliva-covered chocolate fragment from Elise and shoving it into his mouth.

“Hansel, noooo!!!”

Gretel tried to stop the chocolate from entering Hansel’s mouth, but it was too late. The saliva-drenched chocolate slipped down Hansel’s throat.

“Wow, seriously? You wanted the chocolate I was eating that badly? Well, how about making some more then?”

Elise looked amused as she spoke. Ariel and I were left speechless by the shocking scene.

“Damn it! Hansel!”

Something was off with Hansel after swallowing the saliva-laden chocolate. His pupils were unfocused, trembling uncontrollably, and his bulky body started convulsing violently.

“Hahaha! So good! Best ever! Hahaha! Amazing, Witch Lady!!!”

Out of nowhere, he grabbed the chocolate table, opened his mouth wide, and started munching on it whole. Watching him, I could only think one thing: his mouth is huge. It could probably fit a human head easily.

“Hansel! Get a hold of yourself! Hansel!! Damn it!”

Surprisingly, Gretel instantly lifted his massive body, slipping her arms under his armpits and pulling him backward to restrain him.

“Aaaaah! Let go! Let me eat! Please, Witch Lady! I wanna eat!!”

“Ugh, just hold on! You can’t eat now! This is serious!”

Gretel managed to lift the struggling Hansel with incredible strength. I wondered how strong she must be to do that. She carried him off to another room, leaving us confused.

Meanwhile, Elise tried to carve up the table to make more chocolate for Hansel, but we barely managed to stop her.

Not long after, Gretel returned, drenched in sweat as if she’d just taken a shower. Her face was exhausted as she sat back down and let out a deep sigh.

“Phew…”

Elise grinned at her.

“No more chocolate needed?”

This made Gretel scowl, and I quickly covered Elise’s mouth with my hand.

“Hehe, sorry about her. She’s a bit eccentric. Anyway, what exactly happened here? Mr. Hansel seemed pretty excited all of a sudden.”

Gretel lowered her head silently for a moment before clasping her hands together tightly and beginning her story in a heavy tone.

“Actually, we almost died here—in this house, at the hands of the original owner, the witch.”

Ah, this is following the fable’s plot. I nodded quietly, but Ariel asked curiously.

[So you defeated the witch and survived? How did you do it?]

“…Let’s just say we were lucky. Before I explain further, please wait a moment.”

She got up and went to the kitchen, returning with a tray holding a watermelon-sized teacup instead of the usual tiny ones. Inside was blood-red black tea.

“Tea is essential during storytelling. Please drink while you listen.”

I cautiously tasted the black tea—it was so heavy I could only sip it with my tongue. Oh? This teacup is made of sugar! Super sweet!

Ariel manipulated the tea water into her mouth bit by bit, while Elise lifted the massive cup effortlessly as if she’d never felt weight in her life. Everyone’s so impressive. I feel kinda lame compared to them.

“Now, let me continue. Yes, from the very beginning.”

She lost herself in reminiscence. Gretel’s eyes traveled back to the past.

“We were siblings with big appetites since we were little. Our mother passed away from illness when we were young, so we barely remember her face. Our father struggled alone to take care of us.”

Taking care of these two alone since they were kids? Even if they weren’t as voracious back then, I imagine it was tough.

“One day, our father came home drunk with our stepmother. She was wicked. Whenever Father wasn’t around, she treated us cruelly and complained about our eating habits, blaming our hunger for our poverty. Eventually, she forced us to reduce our food intake.”

“So you ran away?”

I hesitantly asked, but Gretel shook her head heavily.

“No. Despite our complaints, we endured. But one day, she suggested a picnic, and we came to this forest with Father and our stepmother. That’s when we were abandoned.”

[Shock! They abandoned you!?]

Gretel nodded with a bitter smile.

“Yes, unfortunately. Starving, we wandered until we found this House of Candy. As soon as we saw it, we lost our minds and started eating the house. Suddenly, the door burst open, and an elegant woman appeared.”

“Was that elegant woman the witch?”

“Yes.”

Unexpected. I thought it would be a cranky old witch with a hooked nose. There’s no going back to change the story now. I vaguely remember Hansel dropping pebbles that glowed at night to mark their way through the forest.

“That beautiful witch didn’t yell at us but instead invited us inside, kindly offering us food. Oh, she was as kind as she was beautiful, letting us eat and sleep here. But it was all a ruse to make us trust her!”

Gretel furrowed her brow and slammed her hefty fist on the table.

“That beautiful witch fed us endless sweets, addicting us to the point where we couldn’t live without them. I barely managed to stay clear-headed, but Hansel was already completely addicted. She trained us like animals, fattening us up. Surprisingly, this is after losing weight.”

At the mention of losing weight, our eyes widened simultaneously. If he was this big now, what was he like back then?

“The beautiful witch planned to eat us. I figured it out intuitively. Maybe witches consume children’s flesh to extend their lives. I resigned myself to everything that day. I lit the oven, but strangely, something flew out of it. I screamed in surprise.”

Gretel made a soundless scream expression.

“Then the witch rushed over, yelling at me for not doing my job properly and ordering me away. She took over managing the oven herself. That’s when it hit me—all the signs were there. I had to push her into the oven.”

“And you pushed her?”

Gretel wore a satisfied smile.

“Yes. I pushed her in and killed her. I’ll never forget the smell of her roasting flesh. It was… incredible.”

The content is roughly similar. Though she seems to be savoring the memory as she speaks, it must be my imagination.

“Afterward, with nowhere else to go, we continued living in the witch’s house. Hansel struggled with candy addiction afterward, and I helped treat him. He got better, but when guests come over and start eating candy, it’s hard for him to resist.”

Something feels off. What is it? This uneasiness won’t go away. It’s like the world is spinning. Is it just me? No, it’s definitely spinning.

Bang!

Someone slammed their head hard on the table.

“Ari…el?”

Why is my tongue so twisted? Where’s Elise?

Elise, who drank the entire teacup of tea, was already asleep, leaning against the chair.

Crazy. Could this be… Ugh, I’m so dizzy.

My vision darkened instantly. My upper body tilted forward, and a dull pain spread through my head.

“I told you. It’s just a means to make you relax.”