In Just Ten Years?
After our light exchange of words ended, the old man lit another cigarette, as if making it clear he wouldn’t pry any further. I looked away from him.
“Kwoooooar—!!”
The thunderous roars and beastly howls echoing around us made me wonder for a brief moment if I should really be opening the tent right now. Still—
I needed to at least assess the situation. I peered through a small gap in the tent at the outside scenery I hadn’t been able to examine properly while fleeing.
Thud. Thud.
The ground was caked in blood so old I couldn’t even guess how long it had been there. Half-collapsed buildings burned all around us. From that alone, I could tell this place had once been a fairly large city.
What the hell happened in the ten years I was gone? How did things fall apart so badly that even a city like this is in this state…?
Hey, you fucking humans.
Asel?
Good, g-good… Fuck off and get out of my sight!!
…Suddenly?
Even if she had a foul mouth, Asel was a highly skilled elf archer. With Erin, the saintess who had cooperated with me, the hero’s party shouldn’t have lost to any ordinary demon race.
“…..”
How could a major city like this have fallen in just ten years? Not knowing the details only deepened my confusion, and I pressed a hand to my head.
“Hoo… So, what are you going to do now?”
“Y-yes?”
“It’s obvious you don’t even have a proper grasp of the situation. I’m asking what your plans are moving forward.”
“That’s…”
I couldn’t give any answer to the old man’s question as he exhaled acrid cigarette smoke.
How am I supposed to survive?
It hadn’t been long since I returned from the other world to reality, yet this world already felt separated from me by a full decade.
“…..”
Maybe it was a side effect of my return, but every ounce of strength I had built up was gone. If I stepped outside the tent in this frail body…
I’d die. One hundred percent.
“…..”
“Hoooo…”
As I stood there, completely lost in a situation that offered no answers, the old man—who seemed to have been thinking deeply while puffing out thick clouds of smoke and staring down at me—spoke.
“If you really have nowhere to go… how about staying with me?”
“Yes…? Is that really okay?”
“Yeah. It’s my decision, after all.”
“…..”
Why is he being so kind to me?
It was an incredibly sweet offer, but this wasn’t reality. This was the other world.
Come here, Hero-nim~ Over this way~
Uh…
Don’t listen to that wicked demon’s words, Hero-nim!
…She doesn’t seem like a demon though?
Anyway!
Even back when I lived as the hero, this was a place where I had to stay constantly vigilant of the public order. I’d nearly lost my head dozens of times from letting my guard down.
“There’s no problem, but… I’m worried you’re being too good to someone like me who has nothing to offer in return.”
He had already saved my life once. There was no reason for him to take me along, so I at least tried to subtly sound him out.
“Hah, you think I helped you because I wanted money?? If you don’t like it, then get the hell out!”
“No, it’s not that I dislike it… I was just curious why you’d treat me so well. If it’s all right with you, I’d like to go with you…!”
“Hah… Watch your words from now on. Understood?”
“Yes…!”
“Then we’ve got one more mouth to feed, so we need to get some food. Follow me! Those bastards should have left their posts by now.”
“Understood.”
Well, for the time being I’d live here and slowly figure out the situation. I followed the old man as he lifted the tent flap and stepped out. Right as I moved to follow him outside—
Saaaaah…
“..?”
What is this feeling…?
“What are you standing there for? We don’t have time, kid!”
“No… please wait a moment.”
My body might have returned to normal, but I still had the senses I’d honed as a hero. Feeling an eerie chill, I hesitated and listened carefully.
Rumble… rumble…
“Old man, can’t you hear… that sound?”
It was very faint, but when I strained my ears I caught a sonic boom growing louder from far away. Apparently he hadn’t heard it.
“What sound! What the hell are you hearing, you bastard… Huh?”
Annoyed by my listening, the old man reached toward the tent to come back inside. At that exact moment—
“…..”
Before I could even shout a warning, a violent storm swept past my eyes, splashing liquid that blinded me. After wiping away the iron-scented fluid, I saw—
“Grrrrrk…”
A wolf-shaped magic beast half-buried in building debris not far from the tent was slowly rising to its feet.
“Grr… rrrng…”
It staggered—
“…..”
The magic beast that stopped its swaying body in an awkward stance looked different from the others. Had it been struck? Its face was still shadowy, but its head was crushed as if hit by something blunt. It kept staggering, clearly suffering a severe wound.
Splat—
Also, the recent impact didn’t seem to have been aimed at eating the old man. Looking at the mushy flesh on its flank rather than its torn mouth…
Was it sent flying?
It looked like the beast had been hurled here by the aftershock of being struck by something.
“Ah.”
In this already half-destroyed city, what could have sent a giant magic beast flying this far? But now wasn’t the time for such idle thoughts.
“Grrrrrrrng…”
“…..”
Shit…
The magic beast that had been glancing around just moments ago had, at some point, fixed its two eerie red eyes directly on me.
“…..”
What do I do??
Cornered, what could I possibly do? The fantastic magic and mana of this world? I never had any. Munchkin-level strength? It had been taken away. So what I had left was…
“Please… please work…!!”
It was mostly instinct, but it was the one ability I could use alone since coming to this world. I steadied my stance to draw the holy sword.
Vrrrrrr——
It’s working… it’s working…!
Hmph.
Snap——
“Huh?”
In all the years I had used the holy sword, this had never happened before. For some reason I felt a sulky emotion from the holy power that had momentarily taken human form, and the summoning failed.
“…..”
“…..”
At some point the magic beast had closed the distance and now stood right in front of me…
“KWOOOOOAR!!!”
“God dammit…!!”
It charged at me, baring pure white teeth in its distorted face, ready to devour what little was left. Right before I could see the inside of the magic beast’s stomach with my own eyes—
As I threw my body toward the tent, right beside me—
Grrrrrrrng—!!
Whoosh, swish—!
The magic beast irritably tried to shake off the collapsed tent debris covering its face.
“Haa… ha…!!”
Is there anywhere to hide?!
If the beast shook off the tent and charged again, I was certain I wouldn’t be able to dodge. As I frantically looked left and right for a hiding spot—
The sound of flesh being pulverized rang out. The thunderous footsteps of the magic beast suddenly fell deathly silent.
“…..”
“Gulp…”
I had no idea what had just happened behind me. In the icy silence I swallowed hard and slowly turned my head. There—
“…..”
“..!”
Standing atop the corpse of the fallen giant magic beast was a tall figure wearing a hood pulled deep over their head. I could clearly feel their cold gaze fixed on me as I stood frozen.
“…..”
Who the hell is that now?!
For now, I lowered my head and stopped moving so as not to offend the being. As I let out an internal sigh—
Flutter—
“….Huk…?”
With the sound of flapping fabric, the figure had closed the distance in an instant. Someone roughly my height, hood pulled down to their chin…
“You.”
“Y-yes??”
“You. Know me?”
“Yes…?”
“…..”
The hooded figure slowly tilted their head and suddenly asked if I knew them, then gradually pulled back their hood.
“Know?”
From the messy black hair emerged black fox ears. The face of the beastwoman was…
…It was grim.
At a glance, deep scars ran across her face. Sharp eyes with heavy dark circles suggested she hadn’t slept properly in a long time. Within those eyes glowed emerald irises…
Oppa!
“Huh…?”
For a split second, her face overlapped with Luna—the beastgirl thief who used to act spoiled in the party.
No, it can’t be Luna…?
The mature beastwoman before me being Luna was absolutely impossible. The Luna in my memory had been a bright light-brown-furred girl.
“You… you… who are you?”
“…”
But if it wasn’t Luna, I had no idea who she could be. As the woman in front of me pressed more urgently, her eyes demanding an answer faster and faster, I squeezed mine shut.
“By any chance… are you Luna…?”
“….!”
The instant that name left my lips—
Grab—
“Urk—!?”
The beastwoman seized my throat with crushing force. Without a word she—
BAM—!!
Slammed me violently into the ground.