Chapter 313: The Witch, Dr. Kureha
"AHHH! Help!"
Chopper scrambled backward in panic.
His hooves slipped across the floor as he desperately tried to put as much distance as possible between himself and Axel. He only stopped when his back slammed against the wall, where he immediately curled into himself.
His eyes were filled with terror.
"What... what are you?!"
It was not strange for Chopper to ask that.
He had already reached a conclusion of his own.
The body he had just examined did not resemble that of a living human.
It looked as though countless damaged parts had been forcibly assembled into the shape of one, held together by some incomprehensible force.
From everything Chopper had learned in medical books, combined with the strange and often contradictory lessons Dr. Kureha had drilled into him, such a body should not be alive.
Which left only one explanation his frightened mind could accept.
A ghost.
Chopper was particularly terrified of supernatural things.
Axel remained seated and answered calmly.
"I'm human."
"Liar!"
Chopper pointed at him with a trembling hoof.
"You don't even have a heartbeat! How can you possibly be alive?!"
"I do have one."
Axel sounded almost bored.
"I just moved my heart somewhere else."
Chopper froze.
"My body looks strange, but I'm still an ordinary person. I need energy, food, and everything else a normal human body requires."
From the other side of the room, Vivi muttered under her breath,
"An ordinary person can move his own heart?"
Axel's hearing easily caught the remark.
He chose not to respond.
Chopper cautiously peeked at him.
Then immediately looked away again.
"R-Really?"
"Of course."
For a moment, Chopper seemed almost convinced.
Then his expression hardened.
He bared his teeth.
"Don't think you can fool me!"
His voice rose.
"You humans are all good at lying! Even after turning into a ghost, you're still lying!"
With that declaration, Chopper bolted toward the door.
He almost made it.
Axel tapped the floor lightly.
His body moved before Chopper could react, appearing directly in front of the exit.
Chopper's eyes widened.
He tried to stop.
His hooves dug into the wooden floor like brakes on a speeding cart, but his momentum carried him forward anyway.
"WAAAH!"
Unable to stop in time, Chopper squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the collision.
It never came.
Instead, his body suddenly felt weightless.
Chopper cautiously opened one eye.
Then both flew wide.
Axel was holding him beneath the arms, suspending him in midair.
"AAAAH!"
Panic took over.
Chopper's body expanded rapidly.
His small frame transformed in an instant into a much larger humanoid form.
Muscle packed across his chest and limbs. Thick fur covered his body, while his antlers remained prominent atop his head.
He now stood well over two meters tall.
Axel had only been holding him casually, so the sudden change in size gave Chopper enough leverage to break free.
He raised one thick arm.
Then swung.
Bang!
His fist landed squarely against Axel's back.
The impact produced a heavy thud.
Karoo immediately shrank back.
"Quack, quack..."
Vivi also flinched.
The attack had happened so quickly that she needed a moment to process it.
Then she remembered who had been hit.
Her concern faded almost immediately.
Axel had not moved.
Not even a step.
Chopper's large fist remained pressed against his back.
Even in his panic, Chopper had deliberately avoided striking somewhere vital.
Axel turned his head slightly.
Unharmed.
Chopper's courage collapsed.
He stepped backward.
But the cabin was small.
There was nowhere for him to run.
Cornered, Chopper lowered his body and let out a frightened growl.
The situation was beginning to remind him too much of being hunted.
Axel stared at him with mild surprise.
He knew Chopper's history well enough to understand why the reindeer was cautious around humans.
Still, he had not expected something as simple as blocking the doorway to trigger such a violent reaction.
Another reminder.
Calculating forces, trajectories, and formulas was easy.
Calculating the human heart was far harder.
People carried memories and fears that could not be seen from the outside.
Predicting those was another matter entirely.
Before the tension could rise further, a loud voice came from outside.
"Chopper, what are you doing?"
Footsteps approached through the snow.
"I leave for a little while and come back to find you transformed like that?"
Chopper instantly reacted to the voice.
His large body shrank.
Within seconds, he had returned to his small, familiar form.
He glanced nervously at Axel.
Then hurried around him and rushed toward the newcomer.
"Dr. Kureha!"
Axel turned.
"Dr. Kureha."
Vivi stared.
So this was the witch.
The woman who entered the cabin wore bright clothing that exposed her midriff and much of her legs.
From behind, the outfit almost looked fashionable.
Then she turned.
Her face was lined with age, her nose somewhat sharp, her features unmistakably those of an elderly woman.
And yet she looked nowhere near one hundred and forty.
Outside, a blizzard was raging.
The temperature was well below freezing, and the wind carried enough moisture to make the cold even harsher.
Yet Kureha had walked through it dressed like this.
No heavy coat.
No thick layers.
No visible protection at all.
Her complexion was healthy, almost rosy, and she showed no sign of discomfort.
That alone was strange enough.
But Vivi remembered what she had heard.
Dr. Kureha was nearly one hundred and forty years old.
Aside from the wrinkles on her face, her posture, movements, and vitality showed almost none of the weakness associated with extreme age.
No wonder people called her a witch.
Kureha looked down at the frightened Chopper.
Then her sharp eyes moved toward Axel.
Her expression immediately became unfriendly.
"Well, well."
She stepped inside.
"Looks like we picked up some uninvited guests while I was gone."
Her gaze swept across the room.
"Walking into a lady's home without permission isn't very polite."
Then she looked directly at Axel.
"And don't call me Dr. Kureha."
A grin spread across her face.
"Call me Doctorine."
Axel sensed her irritation but made no attempt to justify himself.
He simply stated why he had come.
"Doctorine, I'm here because I need medical treatment."
"Medical treatment?"
Kureha gave him a dismissive look.
"Then turn around and leave."
"I don't treat rude patients."
Axel smiled.
"But I know your rules."
Kureha paused.
Axel continued.
"People who come to you for treatment only leave in one of two conditions."
"Either they leave cured..."
His crimson eyes met hers.
"Or they don't leave alive."
"Hehehehehe!"
Kureha's sharp laughter filled the cabin.
The sound alone made her reputation as a witch seem far more believable.
"You certainly did your homework, brat."
Then, without warning, she turned toward Vivi.
"And you."
Vivi blinked.
Kureha grinned.
"Want to know the secret to my youth?"
Vivi froze.
For several seconds, she genuinely had no idea how to answer.
She was still young.
The secret to eternal youth had never been something she had seriously considered.
But refusing immediately also seemed risky.
What if she somehow offended Kureha and ruined Axel's chances of receiving treatment?
Vivi stood there awkwardly, caught between answering yes and pretending she had never heard the question.
....
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