"Blessing of Light!"
"Princess Assault!"
"ORAORAORAORA!"
Amid Pecorine and Kokkoro's technique callouts, Jhin's battle cry was loud, impassioned, and utterly nonsensical — yet neither girl seemed to mind, and since there was no one else around, there was no risk of any strange rumors getting started.
The outskirts of Landosol, being a starter zone, still had plenty of monsters roaming about. Their threat levels weren't especially high, and barring any unexpected developments, a party of novice adventurers could typically handle them without much trouble.
Adding to that, the continent was absurdly vast, and ordinary trade caravans never bothered with unguarded back roads — which meant Jhin and his companions were unlikely to run into other people out in the wild.
Jhin accepted the dagger Kokkoro offered him and got ready to finish off the enormous, steel-blue wolf in front of them — a beast that had proven remarkably hard to put down.
"It's called a Fang Blue Wolf — one of the monsters that commonly prowl the grasslands," Pecorine explained. "They usually travel in packs, but this one is much larger than normal and was acting alone. It was probably driven out after losing a fight for pack leadership."
Jhin listened, then reached out and ran his fingers through the creature's steel-blue fur. During the battle, every strand had been as sharp and rigid as a steel needle — had he not gone straight for the relatively unprotected belly, his hands would have been riddled with puncture wounds by now.
Now, though, the fur was smooth as the finest goose down. It would make excellent material for a rug or a garment.
Not that Jhin was particularly focused on the fur. He reversed his grip on the dagger and drew it cleanly across the Fang Blue Wolf's throat. The monster's distinctive violet blood welled from the wound and soaked into the lush green grass below.
"Pecorine — how does Fang Blue Wolf taste?"
"Mm... not great, honestly. The meat has this really heavy sour smell that doesn't go away no matter how you cook it." Pecorine scrunched up her face at the memory of eagerly preparing wolf meat once, only to be greeted by that sharp, unpleasant flavor. She shook her head repeatedly. "Unless you have a very specific taste in food, no one really enjoys eating it."
"Pass, then. I'll just cut off the undamaged fur and we can move on."
They'd spent at least ten minutes fighting this Fang Blue Wolf — finding a patch of hide that wasn't torn or bloodied was easier said than done. In the end, Jhin gave up on getting a complete pelt. Following a method he'd heard of, he settled for severing the tail and keeping it as a trophy.
What a shame Nymph didn't know bioengineering. If she did, he could bring back some monster meat from this world for her to analyze — imagine if she could cultivate a variant with actually decent flavor. Now that would be something.
Jhin glanced at the grass, now stained a lurid purple from the violet blood, and turned to Kokkoro with a puzzled look. "By the way — doesn't monster blood contaminate the soil?"
"Not at all. Monster blood contains a high concentration of magical energy, which makes it an excellent source of nourishment for the earth and for plants."
"So by that logic, the scenery at the front lines — where people are constantly fighting monsters — must actually be beautiful?"
"Eh? How did you know that, Master?"
Kokkoro's look of genuine surprise left Jhin utterly speechless.
I said that as a joke. You mean it's actually true?
"There are actually several famous scenic spots right on the front lines," she continued. "Plenty of adventurers deliberately head there just to see the beautiful landscapes."
"Why is sightseeing a feature of what's supposed to be a war?"
"Ahaha..." Even Pecorine couldn't answer that one. "Maybe because compared to the brutal wars of a few hundred years ago, the conflict at the front lines has become a lot... milder?"
"I'm genuinely dying to know what combat at the front lines even looks like. Please tell me they're not running a sports carnival out there." Jhin squinted and muttered his complaint — only to watch both Pecorine and Kokkoro awkwardly avert their eyes, unable to meet his gaze. He froze.
Wait. The wars in this other world actually DO have a sports carnival component?!
What kind of kingdom is this — does their princess just wander around sleeping in the Demon King's castle? Or is she one of those stubborn golden-haired types who holds out until someone waves food under her nose?
"Achoo!" Pecorine's nose twitched and she let out a loud sneeze. She rubbed her nose in confusion, muttering quietly, "What was that? Am I catching a cold?"
"I came to this world expecting something serious — a Demon King, monsters, high stakes — and instead you people are holding a sports carnival!"
Jhin beat his chest in exasperation, and his tirade was thorough enough that both Pecorine and Kokkoro bowed their heads in shame. Even they had to admit the current state of the front lines was pretty far removed from anyone's usual image of war.
After all, scenic viewpoints, sports carnivals, and arm-wrestling tournaments had no business appearing on any normal battlefield.
"Hold on — if the war is this peaceful right now, why did the goddess Eris ask me to defeat the Demon King at all? Isn't she worried that without any restraint, the monsters will just run wild?"
"Well... I don't know the specifics myself, but ever since I received the divine oracle at eleven years old, I've been preparing under the guidance of my village elders."
"Wait — eleven years old???" Jhin's eyebrows knotted together. His face was a wall of question marks.
Pecorine realized the issue too. A drop of sweat ran down her forehead. "Unless I'm mistaken — Kokkoro, you're a hundred and ten years old now, right?"
"Yes, that's correct. Is something wrong?" The long-lived little elf guide had no idea what the problem was. Elves simply didn't have a strong sense of time — ninety-nine years was, to an elf, roughly equivalent to what a human might call a year or two.
Pecorine swallowed, a little awkwardly, and slowly walked her two companions through the history. "If I recall correctly — a hundred years ago, a Demon King who was trying to destabilize the front lines was slain by a blue-haired hero. After that, the hero vanished without a trace, abandoning his name and identity. The history books mention that he also had an elven companion at the time."
"...Is that so?" Kokkoro looked genuinely shocked, as though she had never heard any of this before.
"You didn't know?"
"I didn't. After receiving the oracle, I devoted myself entirely to studying and had no attention to spare for anything outside. My elders never mentioned any of this either."
Jhin raised an eyebrow and pointed at himself. "So what you're saying is — I can officially retire from the hero business? No more getting tangled up in whatever love-hate drama exists between the Demon King and the hero?"
"It would seem so..."
Kokkoro's voice became anxious. "But, Master — if you're no longer the hero, then I..."
"Kokkoro." Jhin placed his hand gently on top of her head. "Even if I'm not a hero, you're still my personal guide. No — more than that. You're the first family I have in this world."
"Yes! Master!" Kokkoro's face flushed bright red with emotion. She'd nearly convinced herself that once Jhin stepped down as hero, he would send her back to the Fairy Forest — she hadn't expected him to value her so much.
BOOM!!!
The thunderous explosion snapped Jhin right back to the memory of the "welcome" he'd received when he first arrived in this world. The gentle smile on his face shifted into something far more feral.
Alright, let's see who's out here setting off fireworks in the middle of nowhere.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Samsara Game: Starting with Shirogane Kei
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone