Chapter 45 - 045: The witch’s soap

Three days of staying inside the residence had been enough to make Anaria regret ever agreeing to rest.

She had spent most of the morning moving from the bed to the window, then from the window back to the bed, with nothing interesting happening in between. Her back still ached from sitting too long, her stomach felt uncomfortable, and the pimples appearing on her face were doing nothing to improve her mood.

She picked up the small mirror and examined herself.

"I thought pregnancy was supposed to make me prettier. What happened to me?"

A familiar chime sounded in her mind.

[Host appears bored.]

Anaria lowered the mirror. "Very bored."

[The System has a task that may improve Host’s mood.]

She sat up immediately. "Talk to me."

[Task: Increase the villagers’ positive opinion of Host.]

[Reward: Fox Soothing, Beauty Boost, Baby Products, Hormonal Pills.]

[Penalty: Backlash from all beauty-care products currently being used by Host.]

Anaria’s expression changed "So, you mean the boredom relief task comes with stress and a penalty"

[If you put it that way, host.]

She stared at the ceiling for a moment before sighing. "Just wonderful, well fine. I’ll do it."

The System displayed several possible approaches.

[Soap, perfume, food, herbs] so on.

Anaria glanced at the herbs option and shivered,remembering how the villagers had branded her a witch when she used herbs to help a beastman.

If she picked herbs again, they might just send her straight to heaven for the Lord to judge.

She quickly settled on the first two.

"Soap and perfume."

The villagers already used herbs and water for bathing, so soap shouldn’t be too strange. If she could make something that cleaned both skin and clothes, at least she’d have something useful to offer.

Maybe then they would stop looking at her like she had three heads.

She left the room to search for the boys and eventually found Kenai with Rylan and Kai near the outer courtyard. Several servants were sorting the supplies that had been brought in from the village.

Kai noticed her first. "You’re out again."

Anaria ignored the remark and walked over "I have something I want to make."

Rylan glanced at her. "What is it?"

"Soap."

Kai looked at her for a moment. "For what?"

"For the villagers."

That caught Kenai’s attention.

Anaria explained the idea, including the perfume she wanted to make later. Kenai listened without interrupting, while Rylan and Kai exchanged a brief look.

"You want to show this to the villagers?" Rylan asked.

"Yes."

Kai’s expression tightened. "You know they may not exactly welcome it."

"I know."

"And with your pregnancy, you shouldn’t be putting yourself through unnecessary trouble."

Anaria looked at him. "I’m pregnant, not helpless."

"That’s not what I meant."

"I know." She smiled faintly. "But I’ll be careful."

Rylan sighed, glancing at Kenai. "She’s not going to change her mind, is she?"

Kenai shook his head. "I don’t think"

"Then we’re going with her."

Anaria smiled. "Good. Then stop talking and help me find what I need."

Rylan chuckled under his breath. "Alright"

The next few hours were spent gathering ingredients and preparing everything.

Anaria followed the System’s instructions while the servants handled the heavier work. Rylan and Kai stayed nearby, helping when needed and keeping a closer eye on her because of her pregnancy.

After standing for too long, the ache in her back returned. She shifted her weight, and surprisingly, the discomfort eased "That’s strange," she murmured, glancing down.

Kai looked over. "What?"

"Nothing."

By the time the mixture was ready, small bars of soap sat neatly on the table.

Anaria picked one up "Now we just need people willing to try it."

Rylan snorted. "That might be harder than making it."

Anaria smiled "Then I’ll make them try."

Kenai arranged for the villagers to gather at the market square that afternoon. The crowd grew quickly, curiosity spreading through the villagers as they wondered what the gathering was about.

Kenai stepped forward "Someone important has something to show you. Listen before you decide whether you want it."

Excited murmurs immediately swept through the crowd "Someone important?"

"Who is it?"

The anticipation grew until Kenai stepped aside and Anaria walked forward, the excitement faded into confusion.

Murmurs broke out almost immediately as the villagers stared at her.

"Who is she?"

"Isn’t that the strange woman from before?"

Anaria ignored the whispers and walked toward the table where the soap had been placed. Rylan and Kai followed closely behind her, their eyes scanning the crowd.

The murmuring didn’t stop.

One woman whispered, "Isn’t she the witch healer?"

Another replied, "I thought the leader was supposed to punish her."

Anaria heard them and glanced at Kenai.

He looked back at the villagers, his expression tightening slightly.

Clearly, he had heard them too.

Anaria stepped forward before he could say anything "I’m not here to argue with anyone. I made something that may be useful to you."

She picked up one of the bars "This is soap. You can use it to clean your body and clothes."

A man near the front frowned. "We already use herbs."

"I know."

"Then why do we need this?"

"Because this works differently."

The man looked at the bar in her hand as though it might bite him.

Anaria sighed "It’s not poison."

A few people laughed nervously, but most remained unconvinced.

Another villager pointed at the soap. "How do we know that?"

"We can test it and find out"

Rylan glanced at her.

Anaria continued, "So, now I will show you how to use it"

She asked one of the servants for a dirty piece of cloth and placed it into a basin of water. She rubbed the soap over it, then began scrubbing.

The cloth was tougher than she expected. After a few moments, her lower back started aching again.

Kai noticed before she could say anything "Give it to the servant."

Anaria looked at him "I’m doing it."

"You’ve already shown them how."

She frowned, but handed the cloth over. The servant continued scrubbing while Anaria stepped aside. The dirt gradually came away.

Several villagers moved closer. When the servant rinsed the cloth, it was noticeably cleaner.

Anaria looked around. "There. That’s what it does."

A man folded his arms "So the witch has made scented dirt."

Anaria’s eyes narrowed "Scented dirt?"

The man nodded.

She opened her mouth, then stopped herself when the System chimed.

[Host, please maintain composure.]

Anaria took a slow breath "Damn you people," she muttered under her breath.

Rylan looked away, clearly hiding a smile.