The Tale of A Man Who Believed That His Reincarnation Had Granted Him A Japanese Sword And The Greatest Battle Sense, Only To Have The God Finally Inform Him "Huh, I Didn't Give You Any Combat Sense… That's Scary…" - Episode 39

“Uh… This is Enri speaking. I never thought that the moment I looked away, I’d be thrown off my horse and roll down the mountain slope like some festival cheese.”

Four hours after leaving Redinbara, I found myself lying on the ground in the middle of a lush green mountain, staring up at the blue sky through the branches. I muttered to myself, reflecting on my mistake.

Wow, the sky is so big and blue. As blue as my confidence in mastering horseback riding in less than two weeks.

Neighhh!

As I was thrown from the horse’s back, I caught a glimpse of Alice’s eyes in midair. That meant both of us knew that I had been sent flying somewhere.

“I sensed a reaction from the barrier and came to check, only to find such an adorable little intruder.”

While I was absentmindedly gazing at the sky, I heard a woman’s voice. Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw a woman stepping out from between the trees and approaching me.

She was short, barely 140 centimeters tall, and had the appearance of a young girl. Her long, pale olive-green hair reached the ground, and she held a wooden staff that extended straight down to the earth. She wore a robe seemingly made of vines and leaves, though glimpses of her bare skin peeked through at times.

“Ah… Excuse me. Is this your private land?”

“It’s not private property, but it is certainly my domain. You, my dear, are trespassing. The punishment? Having your guts pecked out by birds.”

She laughed heartily, showing an innocent, childlike smile. Then, she gestured for me to follow.

She didn’t seem hostile, but I wasn’t sure if I could trust her either. However, I couldn’t just keep lying here enjoying the rough roots and slimy grass beneath me.

So, in the end, I decided to follow her. If what she said about the barrier was true and I had actually entered it, waiting around might mean Alice and Utsuho wouldn’t be able to find me. I convinced myself that going with her was the only option.

Dragging her long hair and wooden staff behind her, she led me through the forest. In just a few minutes, we arrived at a mountain slope. The girl with olive-green hair tapped her staff against the slope and muttered something like an incantation.

“ἄνοιξον—Anixon.”

The words she spoke were in a language I didn’t understand. My heart skipped a beat as I turned to look at her.

A language that my reincarnation gift, the translation ability from the gods, didn’t recognize…?

As soon as she finished speaking, a tunnel-sized hole appeared in the mountainside. At the same time, her staff darkened as if it had been drained of life.

“What’s wrong, intruder? You look as tense as Artemis after getting slapped by Hera.”

A shiver ran down my spine. It felt as if a predator had locked eyes on me.
Instinctively, my left hand gripped the sheath of my katana, positioning myself defensively against her.

She looked like a young girl, but she was definitely not one.

A language my translation skill couldn’t decipher. A casual reference to Greek deities like Hera and Artemis. While it wasn’t impossible for gods with those names to exist in this world, it felt more like she knew exactly who they were.

“…Who are you?”

“Fufufu… Relax, boy. I won’t do anything to you. I’ll explain everything, so just follow me.”

She tossed aside her now-useless staff and stepped into the tunnel.

After a brief moment of consideration, I followed, keeping my hand on my sword, ready to draw at any moment.

The tunnel led into a lush cave filled with greenery.

Light poured in through holes in the ceiling, illuminating the space. In the center, a small pond rippled as water bubbled up from below. Birds chirped, and grass and trees grew just as they did outside.

The temperature felt stable, almost like a greenhouse.

Dragging her long hair behind her, the girl walked to the pond and sat down. She turned to me and spoke.

“Welcome to Circe’s little garden.”

Circe.

Even though I wasn’t well-versed in mythology, I recognized that name. Circe—the witch from Greek mythology.

She even appeared in some mobile games I used to play. Yeah, she was the kykeon lady.

“…Circe. You mean that Circe from Greek mythology, the one with the kykeon?”

“Kykeon lady? How rude, boy. It’s as if the porridge is the main character and I’m just a side dish.”

I stepped closer but didn’t sit down. Until I knew what she wanted, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

“So, why is a legendary witch from my previous world here?”

“In simple terms, I traveled and ended up here, Kondo Enri.”

My real name. My original name.

It had been a long time since someone called me that. Circe grinned, clearly pleased with herself. Then, she began explaining why she was here.

“When the age of gods ended and humans took over, beings like me faded into myths and legends. Our existence became vague, uncertain, and eventually, we were reduced to mere stories.”

“I could have disappeared then. But one memory resurfaced—words from a man I once loved: ‘Circe, I cannot return your love. But one day, you will love someone else.’”

“And so, I left the world I once knew, searching for the end of one love and the beginning of another.”

As she spoke, Circe gently cupped a withered flower near her, whispering in that untranslated language. The flower, once wilted, bloomed anew.

“So, great witch Circe, why did you bring me here?”

“You carry the scent of someone very dear to me. I… I don’t have the right to meet them, but once I remembered, I had to know. I needed to know how my children are doing.”

Children?

Wait.

Scent…?

Oh. Oh no.
I smelled like them.

I rushed toward Circe, locking eyes with her.

“Wait… You’re the triplets’ mother?! Circe is their mother?! You’re Jin’s wife?!”

Circe’s face turned red, and she nodded slowly.

What the hell? The cute, wolf-like triplets are the children of a legendary witch?! But Circe herself looks completely human—no tail or anything.

Then… why are the triplets beastfolk?

“If you’re their mother, then why do they have beast-like traits? Jin looked human too.”

“…When I arrived in this world, Jin took me in with kindness. We had three daughters, and I wanted them to be strong and happy, so I blessed them.”

“But that was my mistake.”

Circe looked at the pond as she explained.

She had cast magic on her daughters to make them strong, believing that a beast-like form was superior. She assumed Jin would agree.

But he didn’t.

Jin opposed her, saying it wasn’t right to impose a way of life on newborn children.

Overcome with guilt, Circe left them, erasing their memories of her and casting a spell so they would forget her existence over time.

She buried her staff beneath the inn to bless the place with fortune, ensuring that Jin and the triplets could live happily without her.

“So, let me get this straight. You changed their race without asking, erased their father’s memories, abandoned them, and then locked yourself in a cave to sulk?!”

Circe groaned, curling up like a salted slug.

…What a mess.

“Please… Tell me how they’re doing.”

Circe knelt, awkwardly attempting a Japanese-style bow.

I exchanged glances with Hashihime. She smiled and nodded.

“We need to head to the dungeon soon, so we’ll keep it short. But we’ll tell you.”

Circe’s face lit up.

And so, we told her.