The Man After 500 Years
Her face flushed crimson in an instant.
“...!”
She turned her head away in clear embarrassment, lightly rubbing her cheek with the sleeve of her armor as her gaze fell to the ground.
“That’s…”
She trailed off, her foot scraping lightly at the dirt.
“We have magic for it.”
“What…?”
“Childbirth is performed through ancient rituals.”
My mind went completely blank.
Magic? Rituals?
It felt like someone had slammed a hammer into my skull. Before I could recover, she continued.
“Those rituals are personally overseen by Her Majesty the Queen.”
“...”
The queen manages childbirth?
While I stood there speechless, her entire demeanor shifted. She lifted her head sharply, and this time her blue eyes locked onto mine—not with embarrassment, but with clear suspicion.
Her voice dropped.
“Why are you asking that?”
“...”
“You. There’s something off about you.”
She chose her next words carefully before declaring with absolute certainty.
“The absence of men is simply how things are in Elcia.”
One step. Clank.
She approached without releasing her grip on the sword. I instinctively backed away.
“Magic and rituals? That’s the part that sounds insane.”
She countered immediately.
“No. What’s insane is you.”
She narrowed her eyes, fell silent for a moment, then asked.
“What exactly are you doing here?”
“I don’t know…”
“I came to my senses and I was just… here.”
Her eyes narrowed even further.
“Where I’m from, men and women have to make love before they can have children.”
I hesitated, then pushed on.
“So of course I’d find it strange.”
A short silence fell between us.
I let out a long breath and scanned our surroundings again.
“Honestly, this whole situation is completely fucked up to me too.”
“The idea of getting pregnant without any physical contact…”
Suddenly she took two steps back.
Clank.
Her armor rang with a short metallic clash. She gripped the hilt of her sword with white-knuckled force.
“Love…?”
“That exists only between a mother and her child.”
Her pupils trembled.
“Physical… contact?”
“That is a bestial act.”
She retreated another step.
“What…?”
Her brows drew tight.
“No such method exists in Elcia. The birth of life occurs only through chosen rituals. That is the order of our world.”
Now her gaze was filled with open rejection and heavy wariness. Her voice turned hard as steel.
“You are not sane.”
“Or this is enemy magic.”
Shing—
She drew her blade. The metallic ring echoed through the forest.
“Furthermore, this is a restricted zone. Are you a spy? Are you trying to spread deviant ideologies?”
The moment she leveled the sword directly at me, my heart plummeted.
One step. Clank.
She dropped into a combat stance. I quickly raised both hands.
Ah… I’m still butt-naked.
When my raised hands froze in mid-air, I saw her gaze naturally begin to drift downward.
Fuck.
I snatched one hand down and hastily covered my groin.
“Leave. Right now.”
After a brief silence, her eyes turned ice-cold.
“If you refuse, I will subdue you by force.”
I raised both hands again.
Ah, fuck. Seriously!
I dropped one hand again in a panic to cover myself.
What the hell kind of pose was this? One hand surrendering, the other protecting my dick. This was fucking pathetic.
“Wait, hold on. Don’t jump down my throat like that.”
I steadied my breathing.
“I’m confused as hell too…”
She kept the sword trained on me, guard still fully up.
“I woke up in a place I’ve never seen before. The first person I met was you.”
I paused.
“And on top of that, another world…”
A bitter chuckle slipped out.
“Isn’t believing it immediately the weirder reaction?”
A short silence settled over the forest. The tip of her sword wavered ever so slightly.
She was still keeping her distance, still watching me, but something had changed. I could hear her breathing through the gaps in her armor.
“Another world…”
She murmured the words under her breath.
After a moment of thought, she slowly lowered her blade. She hadn’t dropped her guard completely—one hand still hovered near the small shield at her waist.
“The concept of another world has been debated among the scholars of Lunaris before.”
The ancient trees swayed in the breeze. She glanced around once more before fixing her eyes on me again. This time, conviction had joined the wariness in her gaze.
“If what you say is true, this is not a matter for an individual to decide. This is a national issue.”
My heart gave another heavy thud. She straightened her posture.
Clack.
Metal rang as she pulled a small metal ring from her belt.
“Hold out your hand.”
I stared at her, eyes wide.
“Hey. I’m naked, remember?”
One hand still shielding my groin, I awkwardly lifted only the other.
“At least give me something to cover up with. Come on.”
This situation was ridiculous.
Her eyes flicked downward again. I pressed my hand tighter against myself.
“I said stop looking.”
She exhaled a tiny sigh.
“Do not try anything foolish.”
She unclasped the teal cloak from her shoulders, stepped closer, and tossed the fine fabric with its silver adornments at me.
“Put it on.”
Her eyes chilled over once more.
“And do not even think about running.”
I snatched the cloak and wrapped it around myself as fast as I could. The material was surprisingly soft and warm, carrying a faint trace of her body scent that brushed against my nose.
Huh. Wait a second. I’m really noticing her smell at a time like this…
Come to think of it, she’s insanely beautiful.
“Ahem. Ahem…”
An awkward cough escaped me.
“Anyway, I’m really not a spy. I have zero plans to spread weird ideologies.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits.
“Hold out your hand.”
“What is that thing?”
Instead of answering, the tip of her sword rose slightly.
“Okay, okay. Just put the sword away.”
I reluctantly extended my hand.
"Bind."
⟨ Restraint ⟩
A flash of light burst from the bracelet.
Clack.
Both wrists snapped together, locked by an invisible force.
“Ah, fuck! That scared the shit out of me.”
My wrists wouldn’t budge no matter how I struggled.
“What the hell is this?!”
She kept her distance and sheathed her sword.
“It is a temporary restraint until verification is complete. I must report you to Her Majesty.”
Those blue eyes fixed on me again.
“However, you cannot see her right away. Confirmation is required first—whether you are telling the truth or whether you are a threat.”
A sigh slipped out of me.
“Ha…”
She opened the leather bag slung over her shoulder and pulled out a small box.
Click.
The lid opened, revealing a metal bracelet set with a blue gem.
“This is a truth detection device.”
“What…?”
“If there is any lie or deception, the mana will react.”
When she lifted the bracelet, the gem gave off a soft glow. I glanced at it.
“Do we really have to do this?”
She held it up without a word.
“If you are speaking the truth, nothing will happen.”
Her blue eyes narrowed again.
“But if it is a lie, we will know immediately. Should I judge you as dangerous, I will eliminate you on the spot.”
Eliminate?!
Her gaze was freezing.
“That is my duty as a knight.”
I lifted my bound hands.
“What could possibly be dangerous about a normal guy like me?”
“That very normality could be the danger.”
“Huh?”
“According to Lunaris’s records, the existence of men has only ever brought destruction and chaos.”
She picked up a small twig from the ground and rolled it slowly between her fingers.
“War. Competition. Needless division.”
Snap.
She broke the twig and looked at me again.
“But you… nothing has been proven yet. You are still only a being from legend.”
“Fine. Once this confirms everything, what happens next?”
She answered calmly.
“Once verification is complete, I will escort you to Her Majesty. She will decide everything.”
As I let out a small breath, she added curtly.
“Hand.”
I had no choice but to extend it.
Click.
Cold metal wrapped around my wrist. She gripped the gem portion and turned it slowly.
Whirr—
A faint vibration spread through the quiet forest along with a blue light.
No reaction.
RESULT:TRUTH CONFIRMED
“No reaction.”
Her eyes trembled slightly. She removed the bracelet, checked it once more, then carefully returned it to the box.
Click.
The lid shut. When she looked at me again, her eyes had softened just a little.
“It seems you were not lying.”
Some of her wariness had melted away.
“However, you are an extremely unusual existence. We will need to investigate what kind of influence you might have on the Lunaris Kingdom.”
An investigation… The idea didn’t sit well with me.
“And you will become an object of study. New knowledge is always welcome.”
I frowned.
“An object of study? You mean like a test subject?”
Clack.
Metal rang sharply through the trees again. Her blue eyes turned icy once more.
“Test subject?”
She gave a short, derisive laugh.
“Lunaris is not that kind of place.”
She took another step closer, hand resting on her sword hilt again.
“Why are you grabbing your sword again?”
Here we go. I’m getting nervous. Really nervous.
“We pursue knowledge. We seek to understand new beings.”
Her gaze traveled over me.
“If you are telling the truth, this is an important discovery.”
“A discovery, huh…”
Her eyes hardened again.
“But if I determine you are a threat, there will be no other choice.”
My chest tightened uncomfortably.
Without another word, she turned and began walking.
“For now, just follow me.”
Her armor rustled the dry leaves with every step. I followed behind her and asked.
“Where are we going?”
She glanced back. I lifted my bound hands.
“You mentioned the queen. Where exactly are you taking me?”
“Celes Palace.”
“What…?”
“It is where Her Majesty resides.”
Her armor caught the sunlight and glowed softly.
“Elaris. The capital of the Lunaris Kingdom.”
The capital.
This time I really felt the situation had grown far bigger than I could handle.
She pointed out the path through the forest, checked on me once more, then turned away.
Her pace gradually quickened. Soon the only sound left in the forest was the soft scrape of armor against foliage.
Her armored boots snapped dry twigs with every step. After scanning the area again, she pointed toward the narrow trail winding between the trees.
“This way. We must pass through Silwen Forest.”
She looked me up and down.
“Do not make any suspicious movements during the journey.”
Then she turned forward again.
“You’re the one wearing scary armor and carrying a sword.”
I shrugged.
“I wasn’t planning on doing anything weird anyway.”
She paused and looked back. Sunlight sparkled across her armor, and the faintest trace of a smile touched her lips.
“Good.”
“I am a knight of the Lunaris Kingdom. I belong to Her Majesty the Queen’s knight order.”
After that simple introduction, I tilted my head back and stared at the sky.
This wasn’t Earth.
A world without men.
And now I was being dragged off to see the queen.
This is actually insane.