When I Was Reincarnated, All the Heroines Were Stolen by the Fake Hero ~ The Guy Who Dominated With Original Story Knowledge, and Me Who Dominated With Talent. It Seems the World After the Ending Is My One-Man Stage ~ - Episode 21

Episode 21

After leaving the town of Kanaloa and traveling a short distance down the highway, Freyja, seated across from me, began explaining the general route.

A simple map was spread out on her lap. It had a red line drawn in pen indicating the planned path.

“Yutaka-dono, first we’ll follow this main road. However, beyond Kanaloa there are two abandoned towns. But both have already been overrun by a large number of monsters. So approaching them would be dangerous.”

As she said this, Freyja traced a spot on the map with her finger.

“So, before we reach the first abandoned town, we’ll veer off the road and aim west by going around the forest.”

“We’ll be traveling through an unmarked forest path? That sounds difficult for a wagon. Will we be okay?”

I asked, concerned. Freyja nodded.

“Yes, it’s fine. I previously ordered a reconnaissance team to survey the geography around here. Though the path is a bit tricky, they managed to find a route that wagons can just barely pass through. We’ll be using that path.”

“That’s pretty thorough of you. I’m impressed you even scouted out such a route.”

When I said that in admiration, Freyja gave a slightly troubled yet somewhat proud expression.

“Well… all I really did was ask them to find a relatively safe route through the area. For some reason, the ones in charge got really into it and came back with this much detail.”

From her tone, I could sense the loyalty—or to put it more casually, the desire to impress her—that her subordinates had.

They were probably eager to earn her recognition.

I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

—

Once we finished going over the route, I brought up one of the main topics.

“Freyja, I mentioned this briefly before departure, but I’d like to go over the information on the beastkin again.”

“Yes, please do. We’ve gathered what info we could, but your knowledge is valuable.”

Freyja looked at me with a sharp gaze.

“First, beastkin are extremely territorial. Once they settle in a place, they won’t move unless something truly drastic happens. The size of the settlement may change. But the location itself rarely does.”

Freyja nodded seriously and asked:

“Is it possible that their settlement was forced to move due to monster attacks or similar causes?”

“It’s not out of the question…”

I hesitated a bit.

“But they’re proud and deeply attached to their homeland. In the worst-case scenario, they’re the type who would rather die fighting than flee. So I think the chances of relocation are low.”

As I said that, a memory from my journey came to mind—

Deep within monster-infested territory, there was a beastkin settlement still holding strong.

Of course, some settlements had been destroyed…

Freyja folded her arms and appeared deep in thought.

“Then… what if the settlement we’re heading to is already destroyed? Is there any way we could tell in advance?”

A sharp question. We needed to consider the possibility of a wasted trip.

“Beastkin tend to leave clear traces in their territory. If we’re close, we’ll definitely find signs. The most common are claw marks and bite marks left on trees and rocks.”

“Claw and bite marks, huh.”

“Yeah. Especially those with strong magical aptitude—leaders or higher-ups—often leave such markings as a way of staking their claim.”

“I see. So if we don’t find any traces at all, we can assume the settlement no longer exists or has been abandoned for a while.”

Freyja nodded in understanding. And her eyes gleamed slightly.

“Still, beastkin have such interesting traits. Leaving physical markings in their territory, huh…”

It seemed her intellectual curiosity had been sparked.

“Yutaka-dono, between the Beast-Luring Fragrant Herb and all this, you really do know a lot.”

Freyja looked at me with admiration.

“Did you gain most of this knowledge during your journey to defeat the Demon King?”

“Well, yeah. I traveled to many places and had a lot of interaction with beastkin. But the more detailed stuff… that was mostly taught to me by the Hero—Nergo.”

When I said that, Freyja murmured softly:

“The Hero… Nergo-dono, huh…”

Now that I think about it, after arriving in this world, Nergo always looked around with shining eyes.

Like a child visiting a theme park for the first time—

But maybe it was because, to him, this world was a real version of the game he already knew. Everything must have felt both fascinating and nostalgic.

—

As I was lost in thought, a voice suddenly called from the driver’s seat:

“Freyja-sama!”

“What is it!?”

Freyja responded immediately. The soldier handling the reins reported in a tense tone:

“Several Killer Bees spotted ahead!”

Killer Bees—just as the name suggests, giant bee-like monsters.

Their bodies were the size of a grown man’s head. They had powerful mandibles and sharp, poisonous stingers on their rear ends.

They often attack in swarms and are commonly encountered in forests.

The moment I heard that, I instinctively reached for my sword at my waist and Aegis in my backpack—

But Freyja held me back.

“Yutaka-dono, please leave this to us.”

As she said this, she swiftly put on her helmet and raised her voice:

“The enemy is airborne insect-type monsters! All units, form up!”

At her command, the seven soldiers—including those on the cart and the driver—jumped down from the wagons.

I also got off and observed them from a short distance away.

The soldiers paid no attention to the rear supply wagon where Kotama was riding. They calmly retrieved their weapons from the cart.

From the back of the wagon came a small yelp—”Eek!”—followed by a thud. It was likely Kotama bumping into something as she curled up in fear.

…Poor thing, but this wasn’t the time to comfort her.

The soldiers quickly formed ranks as instructed by Freyja.

Three took the front line, raising large metal shields in a seamless wall.

Three others stood in the rear. They were readying bows and nocking arrows.

Freyja stood in the middle behind them. She calmly analyzed the enemy’s movements.

“—Fire!”

With Freyja’s sharp command, three arrows sliced through the air and struck the Killer Bees squarely in their heads.

The buzzing three dropped to the ground with a thud.

But the remaining two noticed us. And enraged by their fallen kin, they charged with a fierce buzzing.

Their glistening stingers reflected the sunlight ominously.

“Front line, defend!”

Freyja’s command came just in time.

The shield-bearing soldiers braced themselves. And with a *clang!*, the bees’ charge was stopped dead by their shields.

In that brief opening, Freyja sprang forward like a dancer and swung her sword.

Her blade sliced through the air and cleanly decapitated one bee whose momentum had faltered.

Another soldier broke formation, drew a dagger, and drove it into the throat of the last Killer Bee.

When he pulled it out, the creature collapsed with a heavy thud.

Freyja wiped her blade clean of bl00d, scanned the area carefully, then spoke calmly:

“…Threat neutralized. All units, return to position.”

At her words, the soldiers let out relieved sighs—”Phew…”, and exchanged a few “Nice work.” comments before slowly putting their weapons away.

As if nothing had happened, they climbed back onto the wagon.

I silently watched the entire operation.

Back when we fought the Demon King’s army, our strength came from leveraging individual talents—our teamwork was more like a series of solo acts chained together.

But what I’d just witnessed here was a thoroughly trained and disciplined unit. They operated with tactical precision.

They may not have the raw power of a Hero’s party, but this kind of strategy was undeniably powerful.

Freyja removed her helmet, wiped the light sweat from her brow, and returned to me.

“Yutaka-dono, thank you for waiting. Let’s resume our journey.”

“Yeah. That was some impressive coordination.”

When I said that, I thought I saw the corner of Freyja’s mouth curl into a small smile.

And just like that, as if nothing had happened, the wagon quietly began to move again.