Karina let out a sigh as soon as the dryad was left behind.
It was not exaggerated, but it was clear enough for Satoru to shift his gaze toward her.
"I got really nervous," she admitted, bringing a hand to her chest. "When that dryad looked at you like that, I thought you had done something wrong."
Satoru felt the impulse to ask why she had reached that conclusion, but he held back. Karina did not give him time to say anything either.
"Have you met a dryad before?" she asked. "Or is there some reason why she acted like that?"
Satoru remained silent for a few seconds.
Amihige continued walking ahead, but his head tilted slightly. It was obvious that he was also interested in what Satoru might say.
Satoru noticed.
"I met a dryad in an abandoned tower," he finally answered. "She was withered from lack of water and mana. However, I was not the one who directly helped her, but one of my subordinates. Even so, I interacted with her once."
Satoru thought of the dryad from Zen's tower, but he found no clear connection to the one they had just left behind. The only additional possibility was Yusa and Mia, the elves he had met in Seiryuu, though he saw no reason to assume the two sides were connected.
"I have also made deals with an elf," he added. "But I do not believe that is relevant."
Karina looked at him with even more surprise.
"You've met more people than I expected."
Raka spoke then, with the calm of someone arranging an old possibility.
"Elves tend to be taciturn, but they remember favors very well. Some form bonds with spirits and dryads, so the possibility should not be dismissed entirely."
Amihige nodded.
The gesture was slight, as if he were trying to be discreet, but his size made it obvious. Karina, Satoru, and Raka all noticed the movement at the same time.
Feeling their attention on him, Amihige kept his face forward and quickened his pace slightly.
"We must continue on our way."
Karina blinked, then lowered her gaze to hide a smile.
The atmosphere had clearly changed. The dryad's words had been enough to make Amihige feel more certain about the help he was bringing with him, and with that, the road toward the village began to leave behind the tension from the beginning.
The path widened as they advanced.
The roots of the great tree formed elevated roads and sunken areas where water flowed through shallow channels. Yamaki had more life than Karina had originally imagined. There were dwellings carved into enormous roots, wooden platforms connected with thick ropes, and stairways of different sizes. Some were made for the strides of the forest giants. Others, smaller, followed the edge of the channels and led to low houses where figures that did not belong to the same race moved about.
This time, Karina could distinguish them better.
She saw small giants, though calling them that felt strange to her. Even the youngest far surpassed an adult human in size, and the adults walked with broad, calm bodies, large enough that Satoru seemed like a child beside them. She also saw gnomes carrying jars, tools, and baskets of herbs. Farther away, canine-looking creatures moved near a low structure, speaking among themselves in quick voices.
It was not a human village, but that did not make it primitive.
Karina kept looking as they moved forward.
She had left Muno searching for the giants, but until that moment, she had not fully understood what that meant. They were not merely enormous warriors hidden in a forest. Yamaki was a world within the world, and she was walking through it.
Amihige did not stop until they reached a wide structure located near the spring. Part of the interior opened between two enormous roots, and several cloths hung to cover the entrance. From outside, low voices, restless footsteps, and restrained sobs could already be heard.
Karina tensed when she sensed the atmosphere.
Inside that room were families waiting in fear, and the silence was so dense that even Amihige changed as he approached.
His back tensed again.
Not from anger.
From guilt.
Because of an accident, children from different families had been poisoned by a Hydra's venom, and Amihige had been the warrior chosen to collect the material that would allow their alchemist to prepare the antidote.
But when he returned with the severed head, they told him that the venom glands, the very reason he had hunted the beast in the first place, had been destroyed by his attack. Guilt had driven him outside the barrier again, with the rage of someone unable to accept having failed at something so important.
Now he was here again, before the relatives he had failed.
A forest giant standing by the entrance lifted his head when he saw him arrive.
"Amihige!"
The name drew the attention of those nearby.
Several faces turned toward him. At first there was a faint hope, as if his return so soon might mean he had found another solution. Then they noticed that he had come with others.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the place.
Amihige entered without hesitation.
"I brought a mage who can help."
A large woman, perhaps the mother of one of the children, looked toward where he was pointing with red eyes and spoke in a broken voice.
"A human mage?"
The elderly gnome leaning beside one of the beds turned as well. He had thick eyebrows, hands stained with medicinal powders, and a small crystal lens hanging from his neck. This old gnome was the most skilled alchemist in the village, and he was there to help the children however he could. But his presence there also meant that everyone present should already have been aware of Amihige's failure.
That was why no one celebrated his return.
That was why they were all still gathered around the children, not knowing what to do with the little time they had left.
Amihige did not back down before their doubt.
"He can treat hydra venom."
The gnome pressed his lips together.
"Are you certain?"
"I am certain. The dryad confirmed it."
That changed the expression of several people present.
Although many of them still felt intimidated by humans, the dryad was one of the people close to the leader of the forest giants. Because of that, they set aside their doubts and clung to that faint hope.
Satoru advanced.
Inside, several children lay on large beds. They were small giants, though some were already the size of an adult human. Their faces were pale, covered in sweat, and dark spots spread across their skin near the neck, arms, and chest. Some breathed with difficulty. Others barely moved. The air was thick with the smell of herbs, hot water, and fear.
The gnome placed himself in front of Satoru.
"They will not last much longer. If you are going to do something, do it now."
Satoru nodded.
He asked nothing more.
He approached the first child and raised a hand.
"[Detect Poison]."
Satoru already had an idea of how strong a hydra was. In his opinion, it was nothing impressive, but to be certain, he first decided to verify what information he could obtain.
Finally, with a clear comparison, he chose a spell from his catalogue.
"[Neutralize Poison]."
The magic descended over the small giant's body.
There was no great radiance. No chant or ceremony. The effect was simple and absolute. The dark spots vanished from the skin, the breathing stabilized, and the trembling ceased. The child did not wake; his body was still exhausted from the damage he had suffered. But the poison was no longer there.
The gnome opened his eyes wide.
He immediately approached, touched the child's forehead, and then placed a hand on his chest. His pupils shone with a faint light as he observed something Karina could not see.
"The poisoned state is gone."
A woman let out a choked sound.
Satoru was already in front of the second bed.
"[Neutralize Poison]."
The poison disappeared there as well.
Then the third.
"[Neutralize Poison]."
Then the fourth.
"[Neutralize Poison]."
There was no pause between one and the next. Satoru moved through the room with the same calm as always, using the spell each time he found an affected child. The gnome followed him as best he could, checking each one with disbelief that slowly changed into relief.
"No poison…" he murmured beside the next one. "This one too."
Another mother fell to her knees beside her child and carefully embraced him. An enormous father covered his face with one hand, trying to hold back tears he could no longer stop. In a corner, a young giant let out a broken laugh that turned into a sob.
Amihige remained near the entrance.
Now, seeing the children breathe without poison in their bodies, part of the guilt in his chest eased.
Satoru finished with the last one.
"[Neutralize Poison]."
The gnome checked the child's condition.
It took a few seconds longer than before. Perhaps because his hands were trembling. Perhaps because he needed to be certain he was not seeing a mistake.
At last, he closed his eyes.
"All of them are free of poison."
The silence lasted only an instant.
Then the room broke into tears.
Karina felt her throat tighten.
She had seen Satoru kill before, destroy enormous threats, and move through the barony as though nothing could stop him. But seeing him walk among those children and remove the poison from each one, without seeking praise or saying more than necessary, produced a different sensation in her.
She knew it was not kindness in the sense she understood. But neither was it the coldness that characterized him. It was something difficult to name: a terrible force used to save rather than destroy.
Then the families approached.
First it was a mother who took Satoru between her hands, thanking him with a broken voice. An enormous father knelt before him, and even on his knees, he was still so large that his shadow covered part of the floor. Soon after, several young giants lifted him as if they wanted to thank him in some way their words could not express.
Satoru did not resist.
But his body went rigid.
Karina noticed.
His face did not change much, but it was obvious he was not used to such direct displays of affection. He accepted the gratitude perhaps because rejecting it would be discourteous, but he did not know what to do with so many hands on him, so many voices, and so many eyes looking at him with goodwill.
For some reason, that image made Karina want to smile.
Not out of mockery.
She simply thought that, for someone so powerful, Satoru seemed strangely defenseless before a group of grateful parents.
Amihige approached once they finally set him back on the ground.
For the first time since they had found him, he bowed his head.
"I owe you more than I can repay right now."
Satoru observed him for a few seconds.
"Then repay it when possible."
Amihige went still.
Then he let out a deep laugh.
"Haha… you really do not decorate your words."
"There was no reason to."
"So it seems."
Amihige's laugh became a little clearer. He lifted his head and looked at him with a different kind of attention.
"I like that."
Satoru did not answer. But before Amihige could say anything more, an enormous presence made itself felt from the entrance.
The murmurs lowered.
An elder giant appeared there.
He did not have Amihige's immediate violence, but his presence alone was enough for everyone to step aside. He was large even among his own people, with dark hair crossed by streaks of gray and a heavy, calm gaze that was difficult to hold. He carried no weapon in his hand, but there was no need. His authority could be seen in the way the others lowered their voices when they saw him.
The dryad was sitting on one of his shoulders, looking lazy and bored, but when Satoru's gaze passed over her, she avoided his eyes in a poorly disguised attempt.
Satoru had a bad feeling when he saw this.
The elder giant looked first at the children and then at the gnome.
"Their condition?"
The gnome lowered his head.
"The poison is gone, Lord Ishizuchi. They are weak, but their lives are no longer in danger."
Relief was clear on the giant's face.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a slow breath before turning his gaze toward Satoru.
"You have saved our children."
His voice was deep, but not harsh.
Amihige inclined his head slightly toward him.
"Lord Ishizuchi."
The elder giant nodded before continuing.
"I am the lord of the spring and chief of the forest giants of Yamaki. For what you have done, you have my gratitude, traveler."
Ishizuchi held his gaze a little longer than normal. His expression still conveyed gratitude, though his eyes carried a different weight.
"Satoru," he said at last. "When you have finished here, I would like to speak with you in private."
For some reason, Satoru did not feel that it was mere courtesy.
***
Ishizuchi led Satoru to a secluded area of Yamaki.
It was not a meeting room or a ceremonial place, but a broad clearing surrounded by thick roots and split stones. The ground was marked by impacts, cracks, and deep footprints. To one side, resting against a flat rock, lay an enormous warhammer, with a dark head and a thick handle, as large as a giant.
Satoru observed the weapon for an instant.
Then he looked at Ishizuchi.
"What do you want to speak about?"
The dryad had disappeared at some point, and Amihige and Karina had also been left behind.
The giant remained silent for several seconds. The murmuring of the room and the sound of grateful families were gone. Only the wind passing between the roots remained, along with the low sound of water flowing somewhere nearby.
"Before continuing, I want to make it clear that what I am about to do now will not be as the chief of Yamaki."
Satoru did not look away.
"As leader, I owe you gratitude. You saved our children and Amihige's will. That is a debt we cannot ignore."
He took a slow breath.
"But I did not bring you here as chief."
The silence that followed was short, though enough.
Ishizuchi lowered his gaze slightly, as if arranging words he had not used in a long time.
"The dryad told me you are Mito's killer."
Satoru did not react.
The name meant nothing to him.
"I do not know that name," he replied.
He had killed many people since his arrival in this world, and most of them had died without their names ever mattering to him. An unknown name was not enough for him to form an image.
Ishizuchi observed him carefully.
Then he closed his eyes for a moment.
"I am not surprised. She used different names depending on the time and place. To some she was Mito, but others will know her by another name."
He opened his eyes.
"To many humans, her most famous name was Yamato."
That name, Satoru recognized. But not as someone he had known personally.
Yamato Shiga.
The founder of the Shiga Kingdom. The famous ancient hero. But precisely because of that, the connection did not fit. According to what he knew, that person had died long ago, so he had initially dismissed that possibility.
However, the idea did not disappear entirely. In this world, heroes, gods, and magic existed. It was not impossible to extend one's lifespan with spells or potions. Besides, someone so ancient might truly be known by a giant like Ishizuchi.
But that still was not enough. First of all, the person Ishizuchi spoke of was a woman, though it was not unreasonable to imagine that Yamato had hidden her gender or even changed it at some point.
But there was still no one he knew who resembled what the legends of Yamato described.
He needed something concrete.
Unless…
A figure appeared in Satoru's mind. Then he brought a hand to his abdomen.
Ishizuchi continued speaking, unaware of Satoru's line of thought.
"She was a woman of great intellect. She had a strange ease in understanding others and approaching them. She was kinder than anyone, but not naïve, aware of when she could forgive resentment and when she could not, always willing to give everyone a second chance."
Satoru listened in silence.
That did not match the woman he had known.
The woman in the forest had been cold, cruel, and direct. She had not truly spoken to him, had not tried to measure his murderous intent, expressed no reasons, and offered no explanations. She had attacked him as an enemy who had to be eliminated, and throughout the entire battle, every word she spoke had been made to wound or distract him.
"Moreover," the giant continued, "she was strong. Stronger than anyone. She was not only a master with the sword, but also a highly skilled mage."
"…"
That did not sound like the same person in attitude, but Satoru could not deny the possibility either. No matter how he thought about it, his mind kept drifting toward one possibility.
His voice came out slower when he replied.
"Did she use nature magic?"
Ishizuchi lifted his gaze.
Sadness crossed his face before he could hide it. It was not surprise; it was the confirmation of something that, until that moment, he had still hoped was false.
"Yes."
Satoru watched him more carefully.
"Did you know her?"
The air changed.
It was only a nuance, an intent that did not become an open threat, but even so, it was enough for the clearing to feel heavier. Satoru did not raise his voice or move a hand, but the mere brush of his will altered the pressure around them.
Ishizuchi felt the chill.
For a moment, he did not answer.
Then he lowered his gaze.
"She was my friend."
The answer was simple.
Ishizuchi did not embellish the sentence, but his voice changed as he said it. It did not become weak or trembling. Only heavier.
Satoru did not answer immediately.
Mito.
So that was her name.
Ishizuchi walked toward the hammer and lifted it with both hands.
Satoru felt the change at once.
Battle intent.
A clear, heavy, ordered pressure. Even so, the difference in strength between them was too great for it to represent a real threat to him, but the giant was not trying to hide what he was about to do.
Even so, Satoru decided to ask.
"What are you seeking?"
Ishizuchi rested the hammer on his shoulder, not taking his eyes off him.
"Mito was a great friend. As chief of this land, I will not put my people at risk for a personal grudge. But as an individual…"
His fingers tightened around the handle.
"I cannot let you leave without raising my weapon at least once."
Satoru looked at him.
"Would you accept this battle?" Ishizuchi asked.
There was pride in his voice, but also something like a restrained plea, as if he knew he was asking for something Satoru could deny without consequence.
How foolish, Satoru thought.
If Ishizuchi had known that woman, then he should know what it meant for her to have been defeated. Mito had been strong. Much stronger than Satoru had believed possible for someone from this world. Even so, the giant took up his weapon to face him.
He did not do it out of ignorance or arrogance. There was something simpler: a will that did not need to believe in victory in order to move forward.
It had been some time since Satoru had seen someone like that.
The sensation it produced in him was strange, but not unpleasant.
Satoru answered without looking away.
"Very well."
Ishizuchi said nothing more.
He ran.
The distance between them vanished beneath enormous steps. The earth trembled with every advance, and the hammer rose above his head before falling in a downward blow.
At that same instant, mana ran through Satoru's body.
[Herculean Strength].
[Physical Stats Enhanced by 500%].
Satoru raised his left arm.
BOOOOM!
The head of the hammer fell upon him like a boulder torn from a mountain. Satoru received the impact with his entire forearm; the shadow of the hammer covered him completely. The metal struck his body, his knees bent under the pressure, and the ground beneath his feet exploded into cracks spreading to the sides.
The earth sank.
The rock beneath his boots broke.
For an instant, the hammer continued pressing downward. The blow had weight, technique, and direction, but it was not enough.
Ishizuchi opened his eyes wide.
Satoru was still there, his arm buried beneath the head of the hammer, knees bent, feet driven into the broken earth.
A thin crack appeared along the edge of the weapon.
The sound was small compared to the previous impact, but Ishizuchi heard it.
As expected of someone capable of killing Mito, this man was a monster.
Satoru lifted his gaze.
Then he closed his right hand.
CRACK!
His fist struck the underside of the hammerhead head-on. The vibration ran through the entire weapon, climbed the handle, and reached Ishizuchi's hands. The giant felt the impact climb through his arms to his shoulders, and the hammer's body recoiled violently while another crack opened near the damaged edge.
Ishizuchi stepped back twice to regain his balance.
Satoru slowly straightened his body.
He looked at the arm with which he had stopped the attack, and a slight vibration still ran through his muscles. It had not been a trivial impact, but neither was it something that forced him to use offensive magic or move away.
Why had he received the attack? Even without magic, if he had not disabled his high-level immunity, the blow would simply have bounced off.
How foolish, Satoru could not help repeating. But this time, it was directed at him.
Satoru looked at the giant.
Ishizuchi had not allowed himself to be dragged along by his emotions like Amihige earlier. He knew what he was doing. He knew he could not win, and even so, he had not lowered his weapon.
Satoru brought a hand toward the clasp of his cloak.
Ishizuchi frowned slightly.
Satoru removed the cloak and let it fall to one side.
"If you expect me to regret it, then you are wasting your time."
Then he loosened the black garment covering his torso. He did not tear it away harshly; he simply opened it little by little until the fabric hung from his waist. The light of the clearing fell over his chest, shoulders, and abdomen, revealing without concealment the traces of old wounds, deep scars, and more recent marks that crossed his body like hardened memory.
Ishizuchi looked at him in silence.
There were deep cuts on his torso, signs of a sword following lines too precise to be accidental, marks near his neck, shoulders, ribs, and abdomen. Wounds that, in an ordinary human body, would have crippled or killed immediately.
Why was Satoru doing this? Even he himself did not know how to explain it…
"But I can say this."
His voice did not change, though his tone became slightly firmer.
"She was a worthy opponent."
Perhaps… this is what warriors call acknowledgment.
The silence that followed was not comfortable, only heavy.
Ishizuchi held the hammer with both hands.
Before him, the man who had killed his friend stood unshaken, even with his body marked by wounds no ordinary human would have survived, showing not the slightest regret, but without disrespecting the memory of the woman they had both known in different ways.
Now that he saw them, Satoru's body told part of the story on its own. The marks did not speak only of a difficult battle. They spoke of hatred, of a desire to kill that was not content with ending the enemy's life, but sought to wound, break, and ensure that nothing remained capable of answering.
Ishizuchi felt sadness upon seeing it. Not for Satoru, but for her. For the woman he remembered as someone brilliant, that woman who could form a bridge even with the most distant races. The one who carried the pain of others. The heroine who saved thousands, who could turn anyone into an ally with her words.
What had to happen for her to act like that?
If Satoru had been a repulsive monster, if he had shown pride in her death or contempt for her name, everything would have been simpler. Ishizuchi could have hated him without reservation, raised the hammer without thinking of anything else, and let his rage decide for him.
But it was not like that.
The man before him did not seem furious or offended. He did not speak of Mito with contempt, did not use her death to mock him, and did not try to justify what had happened. He was simply there, silently showing an answer that did not need embellishment.
Mito, what should I do?
Ishizuchi closed his eyes for an instant.
He did not even have the right to die as he wished.
If he were alone, he would have advanced until the end. If he did not have a village depending on him, he would have turned that grudge into a battle with no return. But he was not only a warrior. He was the chief of Yamaki, and a war born from his pain would only drag his people toward destruction.
If he had been stronger, perhaps he could have avenged her. If he had been at her level, at least he could have raised the hammer without feeling that everything was little more than a useless gesture. But it was not so. He was not strong enough to punish the killer of his friend, and could only rely on his consideration.
That thought weighed more heavily than the hammer.
Before Satoru, he was no different from an ant before a dragon. If a weak human had come before him asking for a duel, Ishizuchi would have ignored him.
Satoru, however, accepted.
He did not treat him as a nuisance or crush him immediately. He was giving him a real chance to fight, even though both of them knew the outcome would not change.
It was humiliating.
And somehow, it made him feel grateful.
As a warrior, Ishizuchi did not know how to arrange what he felt. Pain, gratitude, respect, and resentment mixed in an uncomfortable, almost unbearable way. The man before him had saved his children and killed his friend. He could not forgive him, but neither could he hate him the way he wanted to.
Perhaps that was what hurt the most.
He opened his eyes.
The hammer rose again.
This time, a faint light ran along the weapon from handle to cracked head. It was not a flashy glow, but an edge of mana extending over the metal, wrapping the broken edges and covering the hammer's weight with a sharper pressure.
[Magic Edge].
It was an ability reserved for warriors capable of turning their martial mastery into a visible extension of their will.
Ishizuchi lowered his center of gravity.
Satoru flexed his left hand once, then planted his feet on the broken earth.
The giant advanced.
And Satoru took a step toward him.
******
Author's Note:
As always, thank you for reading and continuing to follow the story.
I don't have too much to say about this chapter, except for one small detail: I actually forgot that the giants had their own language. Since in the manga everyone interacted with them normally, that detail slipped my mind while writing.
For now, I decided to keep the flow as it is, since changing it at this point would only make the scene more complicated than necessary.
The next chapter will be focused on Liza, so I hope you look forward to it.
Thank you again for your support, and see you in the next episode.