"Okay!" I wipe the sweat from my brow and marvel at the freshly tilled patch of dirt. "Headmaster Anora wanted me to plant these weird seeds, so let's get this done first."

I pour out a handful of reddish seeds and toss them across the plot. The seeds come to life and dig themselves into the soil. Next, I sprinkle the growth enhance serum and use my staff to conjure a small rain cloud. Water rains down and suddenly, sprouts begin to emerge from the wet patch.

"Rio, look! It's working! My growth serum actually works!"

"Nraaa… hiss!" 

Rio starts hissing at something. He only does this when he senses I'm in danger, but what could—

"Eh?" A slimy tentacle wraps around each of my legs, crawling up to my thighs. "Oh, no… Headmaster?!"

I try to use my staff, but another tentacle sprouts from the ground and immobilizes my arm. The patch of dirt has now become a minefield of squiggling tentacles. 

What was Headmaster Anora thinking giving these to me? I have to think of something...

"Enu… faltra cuma ha— mmmph?!" A tentacle lodges into my mouth. It tastes bitter and has veiny ridges that tickle my throat. 

The tentacles around my legs leave behind a sticky substance. It's warm and oddly relaxing. A wet sensation brushes against my crotch and pushes against the opening. 

"Mmm! Nhmmh!" Is this plant going to do what I think it's doing?

I'm losing strength in my legs, and it's rubbing me so gently down there. I can't use the staff nor incant spells… I might just have to let this happen…

Below me, my familiar is vainly biting at a tentacle until one of them grabs him and lifts him away. "NYAAA!"

More tentacles join in the assault, pulling my robes down, tearing away my underwear. They start groping me, their sticky appendages fondling my breasts and teasing both nipples.

Ah… it feels so good, I don't want it to stop…

"Gulp… mmh…gulp…gulp…!" The tentacles begin to throb, pumping thick liquid all over my body. No matter how much I swallow, it continues to expel the substance everywhere until I'm finally let go and drop onto a puddle of it.

"Ugh...cough— cough!"

The tentacles retreat into the ground and only the tip of their heads remain visible on the soil. I feel strange after ingesting whatever that was.

More importantly…

"Rio?!"

My little familiar floats listlessly in the air and meows. He sniffs at the substance, makes a face, and then decides to head back into the house.

"Haahh… next time I see the Headmaster, I'm giving her a piece of my mind…"

After cleaning myself up and collecting the substance, I come away with four full jars of the white substance. It has an earthy smell and tastes bitter, but after some experiments I discovered that it has incredible healing properties. It's probably why I'm feeling a lot more rejuvenated.

"Come to think of it, Headmaster Anora left me a whole lot of seeds. Some of them aren't labeled, and others have names I don't recognize." I open the container the Academy had given to me. The seeds that grew into tentacles were from this box, too.

I pick up a pouch labeled, 'Use only in emergency!'

Emergency? What sort of emergency?! Does she expect me to just plant them all and find out like the tentacle seeds? 

Consulting the Headmaster is probably the best. I mix the same ingredients to make contact with the Witch's Academy. Headmaster Anora's face pops up with a long pipe in her mouth. "Oh, Ellori. How goes it?"

"I planted one of your seeds and almost had a heart attack!"

Headmaster laughs. "Make sure to write your experience down. Did you do the rest?"

"NO! Why would I?!" I pull out the many pouches from the container. "Can you at least tell me what each of these are before I do?"

"Hmmm." She leans in so close her eye takes up the entire fog image. "Oh!"

"You remember?"

"I forgot."

"You forgot?!"

"More specifically, I think I mislabeled them. And forgot to label the others."

"What kind of headmaster are you???"

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Ah! Sorry, Headmaster. Looks like I have a visitor, but don't think I'm done with you yet."

I open the door to one of the Durai village guards. There's a horse behind him and his face is full of sweat; he must have come in a hurry.

"Miss Ellori, there's been a kidnapping in the village and we'd like your help." He says in a panic.

"What happened?"

"We've always had trouble with the goblins of the Weeping Expanse. Mostly they steal crops and livestock, but in recent months they've started kidnapping women."

"Another woman was kidnapped this time?"

"Yes," His face turns a little red. "The women usually return unharmed, it's just that, uh… the goblins have a very different kind of appetite."

Eager to help, I urge him to go on. "How do you mean?"

"They prey on the women to…ahem, sate their carnal desires."

"..." I draw a blank. "... you mean…"

"Afraid so. Some of the women have even been reported to go missing for days at a time— on their own volition."

"Ehh? How am I supposed to take care of them?"

"Please, Miss Ellori. You're the only one we can count on. The King of Parthun won't send his soldiers, and the goblins tear us village guards apart to shreds on sight."

I sigh, "Okay, I'll think of something. But I can't do anything about the girls that voluntarily go to the goblins."

"Thank you, thank you so much! We know some of the goblin villages make their homes along rivers. Those are your best places to look." The guard thanks me again and leaves on horseback.

"If I'm not careful, those goblins will end up feasting on me…"

It doesn't take long to get ready. I store a few potions and bombs into my satchel, cast a protective ward on myself, and I'm ready to go. I stuff the seedling pouch labeled for emergency, too. It might have defensive capabilities that I can use against the goblins.

The important thing is not to hurt the goblins too much. Protecting the balance between nature and human civilization is part of the Witch's Academy's code .As long as they don't get violent, I shouldn't have to resort to violence either.

Which leaves me to the question of how I am going to save the women?