An Unexpected Tough Foe? Auntie's Majesty!

Evening was just starting to settle in.

We made camp somewhere in the woods along the river. Having water nearby at least took the drinking problem off our hands.

Thud.

This should be enough, right?

I looked around after gathering firewood. Still. Quiet.

Something feels off. What is it? Like something important is missing…

It was the feeling of something that should always be there simply… not being there. Hard to pin down in a single sentence. The uncomfortable sensation of knowing something was gone without having the first clue what.

Just my imagination?

I tilted my head, then headed back to camp. I set the firewood down and looked over the women.

"Hoho♥ Delicious pork stew♥"

Aki, prepping dinner. And behind her, Aunt Sharia bustling about, laying down alarm barriers.

"There, there. Take it easy, you."

Lumina, stroking Rin's head and letting her rest easy by the wagon. She came over to me and stretched, arms thrown wide.

"Hyaaah, how long's it been since I last stayed in a big forest? Heheh."

"Big forest, my ass… You like it that much?"

"Obviously. We beastkin love nature even more than the elves do."

"Any particular reason?"

"Nah. Just 'cause. Just 'cause."

No particular reason. Instinct, then. Well, honestly, there weren't many races as thoroughly socialized into human-style society as the elves. Compared to them, beastkin hadn't lost their essential nature.

"Everyone, dinner's ready!"

Time passed and Aki called us over. I made us some seats, cutting a few of the thicker logs from the firewood I'd gathered and fashioning them into makeshift chairs on the spot.

Auntie sat down and smiled with satisfaction.

"Not bad, nephew. Who taught you this?"

"Haha, I just kind of worked it with my hands and it came out like this."

Truth was I'd seen it on GotTube. Bushcraft — people building and living out in the middle of nowhere, making chairs out of nothing but wood.

First time making one myself, though. Glad it turned out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠well!

I was still feeling relieved when we all gathered to eat. Aki's pork stew was phenomenal.

The tomato sauce ratio really brings out the flavor, doesn't it?

A mama who can cook really is the best. I ate like a man possessed, then tossed another log onto the campfire. That's when I took in the scene around me.

The women chatting and eating together. Each of them had different thoughts, different expressions. But weren't they all women who'd followed me here out of a single shared desire — to be with me?

It felt good. It wasn't a huge group, and this was only the beginning. Maybe it was the unique atmosphere of being on an adventure, but it felt warm and homey. I liked the vibe itself.

This is nice…

Lumina, munching away and grinning like a little troublemaker. Aki, taking small bites while smiling and playing along. And Auntie, feeding me stew while barely eating any herself.

Isn't just being in a harem the greatest moment there is?

A smile crept onto my face.

We finished eating in that warm, lively atmosphere and started making our beds.

"Oh my, next to Lashu is my spot, you know? Sharia."

"Uehara Aki, was it? Could you at least tell when to insert yourself and when not to?"

The women arguing over who got to sleep next to me. I shook my head.

"It's better if we sleep separately. If we get ambushed, we'd all go down at once. And everyone rest. I'll take the night watch."

The women hesitated at my words, then shook their heads. I was a little surprised to see them all refuse in unison. They'd been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fighting just a second ago!

"Even so, one person standing the whole watch is too much."

Aunt Sharia voiced her objection. Lumina chimed in right behind her.

"Yeah, yeah! Better to split it into a few hours each, right?"

And finally Aki.

"When I was at the territory, I often saw the guards standing watch in shifts. It's not fair for only the Hero to take the night watch!"

I was genuinely moved. Truly.

Damn, in some countries women treat skipping military service as a given and put it on the same level as pregnancy. These ladies are on a whole different level!

How could I not be impressed? I smiled warmly.

"Then I'll take first watch."

"I'll go next."

Auntie raised her hand and spoke coldly. Her eyes, though, were locked onto me.

She was planning something, wasn't she? No way, right?

Lumina whistled.

"Then tomorrow me and the shrine maiden'll take it. You good with that, shrine maiden?"

"Ohoho, don't you worry. I've got stamina of my own! Since that's all settled, shall we have ourselves a little chat? Ohoho♥"

Nothing better than talking. Good way to get closer, too. We sat in a circle around the campfire.

I'd just sat down and was thinking about what to talk about when I suddenly gasped.

"Ah…!"

The women looked at me. The reason I'd gasped: I thought I knew what that sense of unease was. I hurriedly scanned our surroundings. Auntie grabbed my shoulder.

"What's wrong, nephew?"

"Doesn't anyone else think this is weird?"

"Weird?"

"…This area is famous for having a lot of birds and insects."

Lumina dug at her ear.

"Well yeah. Mountains and forests all over the damn place. Who doesn't know that? So what?"

Then Aki seemed to catch on too, and her eyes went wide.

"Ah, now that you mention it…!"

"Right? Why haven't we heard a single bird or insect since earlier? It's so quiet it's like they all went extinct."

That was it. Say you went out on a safari grassland. You'd normally hear beasts running around, roaring, calling out. But if you didn't hear any of that? If you didn't see a single animal?

The women finally accepted the situation and tilted their heads. It really was a bizarre phenomenon. And then—

I'd focused in thinking something had actually happened, and — seriously? Hot springs?

Well, by now the springs would've been open for a while. She was already enjoying them. I was jealous.

Then Auntie stood up.

"Hold on. This atmosphere… I know this. Something about it is familiar."

"What…?"

GRRAAAAAAAAAUGH!

A roar tore through the woods nearby. A sound that felt like it could rip the sky in half. We shot to our feet on reflex and snapped our heads toward it.

A chaotic thunder of footsteps came pounding after. With the river at our backs, we stared out beyond the trees.

A mass of silhouettes was pouring toward us. A lot of them.

"Shit. Everyone, battle stations!"

I drew my sword and stepped forward. Auntie let out a sigh.

"I already put a barrier up around this area."

"What kind of barrier?"

Auntie didn't answer with words.

BOOM! BA-BOOM! KRRAKOOM!

She smiled, and it was a dangerously attractive smile.

"Flame traps felt iffy, so I set the barrier with explosion traps instead."

"Nice one!"

"But this atmosphere. It's similar. Same as when we were investigating the Black Troops."

"Then, don't tell me…?"

I looked forward again. Goblins came swarming in a mob, wrapped in black smoke — whether they were addicted to Kahloom or just drowning in it.

I tried talking to them first.

"Hey, you little shits! Tch, you not gonna drop your eyes? You don't see me? Stop! I said stop!"

Amazingly, they didn't listen. Had their reason already gone out the window?

Auntie, on the other hand, was looking at me like I'd grown a second head.

"…What are you doing?"

"Ah, no. I was trying to show them the Hero's majesty, but it's not working."

"Hehe. You're still such a kid♥"

Damn it, now she was going to keep seeing me as her immature little nephew! Those goddamn goblins. I was going to kill every last one of them.

We plunged into the fight.

I carved through goblins and pushed straight ahead. Light flashed off to the side.

"Ghk!"

I snatched a goblin that had lunged for my throat by the scruff and slammed it into the ground, then swept my blade through its neck.

The problem with these things was that they left behind neither points nor materials when they died. In other words, no matter how many you killed, there was nothing in it for you.

Sons of bitches.

I was about to move on when—

Shnk!

The headless body drew a dagger like a ghost and drove it into my thigh.

"Kh… you bastard!"

I gouged my sword through where its heart should have been and flung the thing aside. Only then did it shudder like it was finally dying, crumble into ash, and vanish.

Goddamn it. I'm going to need the whetstone.

So this was what they meant when they said Black Troops don't die easily?

All from a single dose of Kahloom?

Unbelievable.

I scraped the whetstone along my blade with a dry rasp and swung again. The Black Troops went down a lot cleaner than before.

Nearby, Lumina shouted.

"The hell are these things?! I snap their necks and they still don't die!"

"Pop the skull if you can, and wreck the heart while you're at it!"

"Aww, what a pain in the ass!"

I tossed her the advice and dove forward. Truth be told, the goblins themselves weren't much. They weren't threatening. The occasional combo play was surprising, but that was about it.

Shit. If these had been something stronger, this would've been a nightmare, wouldn't it?

I didn't even want to imagine it. The goblins were just about finished when—

"Phew, we get 'em all?"

Lumina wiped the sweat from her brow and looked around. That was the exact moment another pack of goblins came charging from the far side.

Auntie pinned Lumina with a look.

"You. Never say that again."

"…My bad."

There were more of them than the ones we'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just put down. I stepped forward.

This was the moment to fire off Dawn Guardian's new ability.

Every last bit of my energy, into the blade…!

A high, keening hum. Light poured off the sword.

Gripped in both hands, Dawn Guardian began to blaze with a brilliant radiance. Halos of light coiled around the blade like wind. I swung it straight ahead with everything I had.

"Yeomyeong, Calibeeeeeeeer!"

The light wreathing Dawn Guardian swelled in an instant and tore into the goblin horde. It swept them away in a single stroke and vanished.

Huh. So the whetstone works even like this? Or is Dawn Guardian just that strong?

In a word: it was sick as hell.

Aki covered her mouth with both hands.

"Oh my, Hero Lashu. That was incredible!"

I was swelling with pride, about to drop a line, when a nearby dead tree came crashing down.

A wet crack, then a heavy smash. Someone stepped over the fallen trunk and into view.

A helmet shaped like a lizard's head. A long tail. Black armor fitted close like a knight's. Red light burning from inside the visor. Reverse-jointed legs.

That's a C-rank monster. The Abandoned King's Knight?

AKK, for short. In the game, it was a mid-boss.

And this one was under Kahloom's influence too. Of all the things — and it wasn't even a named mob!

I slid my sword back into its sheath. I lowered my stance and locked onto it, breathing in short, intermittent bursts — then exploded forward.

I detonated my lightning aura. Closed the distance in a single breath. As I drew on the thing, I shouted.

"Lightning Severing Breath, Form One — Thunderflash Slash!"

Thanks to the boot effect, I carved through it even faster than before, leaving a vicious impact in my wake as I blew past. The Abandoned King's Knight's head came clean off and rolled beside me.

I followed up immediately, driving Nameless Thrust through its heart. I thought it was over.

Then the thing moved. Like a lie. It shoved me back and swung its greatsword.

How was it not dead? No — even if it didn't die, that should have wrecked its soul.

"You've gotta be kidding me. It won't die?!"

I raised Dawn Guardian and blocked, teeth clenched. Every time the Abandoned King's Knight scattered a slash, black smoke lingered in the air for a beat and then faded.

Steel rang on steel. I was crossing blades with it — and I was losing ground, inch by inch.

I'd burned through all my energy on that sword-aura earlier. That was why. Goddamn it. I'd thought that was the last ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of them. Next time I needed to learn how to meter that thing.

"Kh, shit…!"

I grabbed its flank and drove a front kick into it. The Abandoned King's Knight spun away, then whipped its greatsword around in a vicious arc.

The speed blew past supersonic. The trajectory was razor-sharp.

Wait. On this line I can't block it. I can't even dodge—!

The greatsword split the air and came for my throat.

A piercing chime. A spiderweb of cracks. Then a shattering crash.

The Abandoned King's Knight that had been crushing me a heartbeat ago crystallized into something like a jewel — and blew apart into glittering fragments.

It happened in an instant.

I turned to Auntie, stunned. She was just staring coldly at the thing that had been the Abandoned King's Knight. Nothing more.

Auntie, you're the damn beeeeeest!