Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Of course, this had been entirely coincidental. The witcher’s quest this time was to kill a monster called “Sylvan.”

Sylvans and yakshas were extremely rare woodland creatures whose appearances combined the traits of goats and rotund men. These beings usually posed little danger, for they limited their contact with humans to playing harmless tricks and eating crops from their fields.

Sylvans and yakshas resembled men – not just in appearance but also in behavior —- —- Unfortunately, they had adopted more of our vices and weaknesses than strengths. Lazy by nature, they would gladly spend every day in idleness, puffing on pipes, gorging on rich food and downing strong drinks.

Since Sylvans enjoyed partaking the fruits of others’ labors without asking for permission, men did not take to them kindly. At times, fooled by their awkward appearances, men would try to solve the problems by using force. This often ended in tragedy, because despite the Sylvans’ corpulent frames, they were astonishingly strong and agile.

They also emitted a powerful and extremely unpleasant scent which could cause even a witcher, whose line of work accustomed them to foul stenches, to gag and feel faint. Special attention also had to be paid to Yakshas, because they were more fierce and aggressive than the average Sylvan.

Sylvans were sly and extremely calculative. However, if you spared them their lives, it would be a kind act on your part.

This quest of Geralt required him to be not so much of a witcher, but more of an exorcist. A nymph was causing considerable trouble to a surrounding town. Due to this, the residents of that town have gathered some money and have entrusted Geralt to kill the nymph.

Following that, Geralt drove away the nymph, all the way into the Brokilon Forest. There, he happened to run into Cirilla, who was helping her sister flee from a forced marriage.

Although Geralt was a witcher, he was not the kind of person who would just kill and kill any monster. If the monsters could communicate and had human intelligence, he would be willing to let them go, even if he would not be able to get any spoils and half the reward, at most.

This set Geralt apart from the other witchers. This gave him his charm. Friends of various races always surrounded him, because he was a man who was particularly reliable and he made others feel safe.

As he was quite famous, even some monsters respected the legendary witcher Geralt. He had a pretty good reputation that preceded him for the most part of the world. Now, Olivia and Cirilla were currently surrounded by Dryads, and they were about to be made to drink the Water of Brokilon[1]. Upon seeing this, he quickly stepped out and asked the Dryads to give him some face as he knew the Queen of the Dryads, Eithné.

Unfortunately, these Dryads did not understand Geralt’s Common Speech. Hence, as a witcher who depended a lot on his reputation, Geralt could do nothing. He was forced to watch as the two girls were fed the Water of Brokilon.

There was also no way he could use force, because he had a deep understanding of these Dryads. Dryads were also known as women of the forest. They lived in the Brokilon Forest, at the North of Cintra.

Dryads loved forests, plants, and nature. They hated the humans who entered their forests and cut down their trees.

They used humans or elves to breed offsprings. The real Dryads would be born after their mothers made “ceremonial” contact with other races. These children would inherit the characteristics of their mother without any exception. They would have green-toned skin, the color similar to that of plants, and were exclusively female. However, things like their eye color and hair color would come from their father.

In addition, Dryads would also kidnap some young human girls and raise them as Dryads. However, these girls would never be as skillful as real Dryads.

They would often be kidnapped as babies, and forced to drink the Water of Brokilon. The Water of Brokilon was a powerful hallucinogen, which blurred the memory of ordinary people who drank it. Most humans would be transformed into Dryads, and they would not remember their former names. They had abandoned their original identities long ago.

However, there were also extremely rare situations where Dryads allowed human girls to join them as human beings. Generally, they wore clothes patched up out of their natural surroundings, like leaves and twigs, which allowed them to blend in with the forest seamlessly. Dryads could freely control the trees and vines in the forest to facilitate their own movements. They were very agile, and they were known for their amazing archery skills. They could move about very swiftly in the woods without making a single sound, and could easily kill their target from a distance of 200 feet.

The Dryads that surrounded Cirilla and Olivia found that the two girls were still quite young. Hence, they felt that it was best to convert these girls into one of them. So, they fed them the Water of Brokilon.

Through the system identification, Olivia realized something. It seemed that the Water of Brokilon was essentially the “water of life.” Whatever, just drink it. Would there even be any side effects?

As expected, be it Olivia or Cirilla, there were no negative effects after drinking. The former even felt that her agility and physical attributes had improved! The system would never lie to her!

If this was in a novel, this would most probably be the legendary fortunate encounter. As expected, good things would come if she followed the “child of fate” Cirilla. She was only running from this forced marriage, but here she was, beginning her path to cultivation…

Cirilla had not been affected as she had the “Elder Blood.” On the other hand, Olivia had the “System Blood.” The Water of Brokilon was said to be the godliest of all godly liquids. To them, it was a mere tonic!

Originally, Geralt had wanted to shout “no” and stop the two girls from drinking it. However, things had not turned out the way he feared, and he fell into a state of disbelief once again. He felt that all the years he had spent being a witcher was for nothing!

Dryads were simple, straightforward creatures. Once they saw that the two girls had taken in the water, they already considered the girls to be one of them, even though nothing seemed to have happened…

Olivia was able to communicate with these young Dryad sisters, thanks to the system. With her sharp senses, she was also aware that the Dryads in Brokilon were a force that was truly worth recruiting.

Finally, the Queen of the Dryads, Eithné appeared. She was more beautiful than the ordinary Dryad. Her molten silver eyes were especially eye-catching. When she saw Geralt, it was like seeing an old friend. She lowered her bow and said to Geralt, “Geralt, I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

After seeing Eithné, Geralt finally breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly explained the identities of the two human princesses to Eithné. Worriedly, he asked if the girls would face any problems as they had drunk the Water of Brokilon.

“There’s no problem at all. I feel like my body has improved. White Wolf[2], what are you going on about again?” Olivia said quickly, turning into a tsundere princess once again.

Geralt looked as if he had something stuck up his rectum. This made no sense!

Translation note :

[1] Water of Brokilon (布落奇隆之水) is famed for its extraordinary properties. People who drink it lose their memory, and it has been said that Dryads are able to see visions of the future on its smooth surface. It is no wonder, then, that the Dryads always seem prepared for every eventuality…

[2] Geralt is also known as Gwynbleidd, meaning “White Wolf” in Elder Speech. He was given this alias by the Dryads and is also called the Butcher of Blaviken after an unfortunate incident in that town.