Chapter 12: Into the Tiger’s Den

Our esteemed ancestors once said:

“To defeat a tiger, you must enter its den.”

And they added:

“Even in the tiger’s den, if you stay sharp, you can survive.”

Here’s the question:
What grand saying emerges when these two pearls of wisdom are combined?

Exactly!

“Stay sharp, enter the tiger’s den, and defeat the tiger!”

Our wise ancestors knew it all along!

To solve a problem, eliminate its root.
And any issues that arise in the process? Overcome them with focus and caution!

Of course, in this dire situation, I can’t just eliminate the root of the problem as our ancestors advised.

But if I approach the root indirectly…

There’s a chance I could resolve it.

That’s the method I chose.

With my, the protagonist’s party, and the priestess’s strength, wiping out the elves in the Great Forest is impossible.

Realistically, we’d be lucky to last a few minutes in a fight before being annihilated.

6 vs. 500.

Unless we’re some overpowered race from a novel, overcoming that gap is absurd.

So I proposed:

Since it’s come to this, let’s infiltrate the heart of their territory and deal a critical blow.

If we free all the prisoners those mating-obsessed elves have captured, wouldn’t that give us a shot at escape?

The priestess and Carl voiced their concerns.

“How do we even get to the stud farm?”

“We’ll get shot with arrows or blasted by magic before we reach it!”

But the answer was simple.

“Your name’s Carl, right? Carl Fasible?”

“That’s right. Fasible, meaning ‘possible.’”

“Your name’s meaning doesn’t matter. Anyway, you’re a virgin, right?”

“…What?”

“Just answer. Virgin or not?”

“I-I’m… a virgin…”

Exactly—using the protagonist’s virginity to blackmail the elves.

It sounds crazy, but it’s shockingly effective against those mating-obsessed freaks.

Because they attach a very special meaning to virginity.

Think about it.

A “top-tier” male is already rare—someone you might see once every 50 or 100 years in the Great Forest.

Now add virginity, with its special significance, and hold him hostage. How would the elves react?

They’d tread very carefully.

Just like now.

As soon as Carl and I entered the forest, menacing magic circles surrounded us.

Arrows, fired from who-knows-where, targeted only me and the priestess, and terrifying traps ambushed us.

The one saving grace in this mess was the priestess, living up to her “saintess candidate” title, chanting blessings to block every attack.

But she couldn’t hold out long against this onslaught, so I urgently shouted to the elves.

“I’ve got two pieces of news for you!”

[…?]

“Stop attacking and listen. One’s good news, one’s bad. Which do you want first?”

Curiosity piqued, the elves halted their assault.

No more arrows flew, and the magic circles paused just before activation.

Given this brief reprieve, the elves glared at me coldly and spoke.

[If you were just stalling, you wouldn’t have entered the forest. Fine, what’s this information you’re so eager to share?]

They seemed uninterested, but I saw it clearly—the glint of curiosity in their eyes.

“So, want to hear it? Or ignore it and kill us? Listening first doesn’t hurt, right?”

[True enough… Fine, witch, tell us the good news first. What is it?]

“Well, this ‘top-tier’ male you’re so fond of? He’s a perfect virgin, never touched a woman.”

My clear voice echoed through the silent forest, shattering the quiet as the entire woods erupted in chaos.

[A top-tier virgin? That’s the ultimate prize!]

[First one to claim him wins, right? Should we just pounce? Future me can deal with the consequences…]

[Sister, stop drooling. You had your turn yesterday. Today’s mine!]

Amid the forest’s cacophony of nonsense, the lead elf, seemingly suffering a headache, clutched her forehead and bellowed.

[Everyone, shut up! The witch hasn’t shared the bad news yet! Save your cheers for after!]

“Oh, but you won’t be cheering once you hear the bad news.”

[What’s that supposed to mean?]

What indeed.

I pulled out the sashimi knife, positioned it just above Carl’s groin, and gave a sly smile.

“The bad news is, I’m holding your precious ‘top-tier virgin’ hostage. Pretty bad, huh?”

[You wicked witch…!]

“Wicked? Look who’s talking.”

I felt a twinge of guilt as I said it.

Threatening a man’s most precious part—especially a virgin’s—with a knife?

For someone who used to be a guy, isn’t that a bit too cruel?

But I had no choice.

This was a necessary evil to escape the Great Forest.

Without this, there’d be no chance at all.

I pressed the sashimi knife closer to his groin and issued a command to the flustered elves.

“Back off. If anyone attacks or gets too close, I’ll cut without hesitation.”

[You…!]

“Top-tier, all-natural, and a virgin. If you want to lose him right here, go ahead and attack.”

[You think we’ll let you leave the Great Forest peacefully? If we can’t have him, we’ll destroy him!]

The elves, radiating murderous intent, prepared to attack, but a single sentence stopped them cold.

“Hold on, how about we make a deal?”

[What deal are you proposing now?]

“I’ll personally deliver this top-tier male to your ‘stud farm,’ and in exchange, you don’t attack me or this woman until we leave the Great Forest. Sound good?”

[That’s a strange condition. Wouldn’t it be easier to just hand him over now?]

The lead elf looked puzzled, and I shook my head, scanning the surrounding elves.

“I got dragged into this mess, so I’ve got to get some revenge.”

[I can understand that. But letting a non-elf into the stud farm…]

“You think I’m going there for some ulterior motive? Don’t make me laugh—I have zero interest in your filthy place.”

Of course, I do have another motive, but it’s definitely not what they’re thinking.

They probably assume I’m planning to sneak into the stud farm to pick out a choice male.

Absolutely not.

Even if my body’s changed, I’m still a man at heart.

A guy lusting after another guy? I’m not gay.

Returning their fierce glares, the lead elf dropped her suspicion and asked another question.

[By the way, is that man really a virgin?]

“Don’t believe me? Strange. I’d think elves who’ve tasted virgins would know a ‘top-tier male’ like him is one.”

[…]

Hearing my confident words, the lead elf silently scanned her comrades.

Noticing something off about some of them, she sighed.

[It seems the virgin part is true.]

“So, what’s your next move?”

[…Fine, we’ll guide you to the stud farm. But if anything happens to that male’s equipment on the way…]

“Don’t worry. I said yesterday, didn’t I? As long as you don’t make a fuss, I won’t cut.”

Smiling brightly, I tapped the sashimi knife’s spine against his groin, making Carl flinch from the cold metal and swallow hard.

Gulp.

He turned slightly and whispered to me.

“…You’re not seriously planning to cut if things go wrong, right? If I lose it before graduating virginity, I might turn into a vengeful spirit.”

“Didn’t you say you’d do your best? That means in every way, right?”

“The bar’s too low! My lowest point was having a wild time with those beauties, not becoming a sage by losing my manhood!”

Becoming a sage sounds like a high point, doesn’t it?

Losing your equipment for mastery in a field? That’s a pretty good deal.

Not that I’m saying this because I’d lose it. Absolutely not.

Suppressing the heat rising within, I whispered softly in his ear.

“If you don’t want to lose it, give it your all. You swore, didn’t you? You’d burn your life to help us escape.”

“That didn’t mean burning that part, obviously.”

“Pfft, don’t worry. Worst case, all you lose is that, right?”

“That’s bad enough!”

Sighing heavily, Carl looked down at me and shook his head.

“The village chief was right—there really is an evil witch… Out of all the witches I’ve seen, you’re the most wicked.”

…Come on, I’m doing this to survive.

Why the hurtful words?