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 22

Episode 22

It had been nearly three days since we left the town of Kanaloa.

Along the way, we’d encountered monsters a few times. But under Freyja’s command, the soldiers showed excellent coordination. And we made steady progress without any major trouble.

However, we had already entered uncharted territory not shown on any map. And since we were now forging a path through trackless terrain, the wagon’s pace had noticeably slowed.

Freyja, the seasoned soldiers, and I were used to long journeys. But Kotama was not.

The wagon’s shaking and the unfamiliarity of camping must have taken a toll on her small body.

I was quietly concerned about her condition.

It was then that it happened.

“Freyja-sama!”

The soldier driving the wagon called out to Freyja once again.

“What is it this time?”

Freyja responded. The soldier reported with a slightly stirred tone,

“We spotted a strange, massive tree on the right ahead!”

“A strange tree…?”

Freyja furrowed her brows suspiciously.

“Yutaka-dono, let’s get off and investigate. The others will stay and wait in the wagon.”

She ordered the wagon to stop.

Only Freyja and I, both armed, disembarked and walked in the direction the soldier had indicated.

And there it was—a bizarre-looking tree towering over the others.

It stood taller than the surrounding trees. It stretched straight up toward the sky. But its trunk bore a ghastly scar.

It looked as though a giant had tried to split the tree in half vertically with an enormous axe—the deep gash running down its length was that severe.

“What… is this…?”

Freyja gasped, raising her guard. She was wary that some dangerous monster might be lurking nearby.

I leaned in to observe the wound more closely and noticed that the edges of the gash were faintly scorched black.

“Freyja-dono, look at these burn marks. This was likely caused by a powerful magic spell—lightning, or maybe fire.”

“Lightning or fire…? Then there could be a magic-wielding monster nearby?”

Freyja’s expression grew tense. If we encountered it, we likely wouldn’t get away unharmed.

“Yeah. It’s too dangerous to approach carelessly. We should backtrack and find another route.”

I suggested. Freyja agreed, and we returned to the wagon.

—

We retraced our steps a bit and then took a different path.

After a short while, the driver called out again.

“Freyja-sama!”

“…What now?”

Even Freyja, understandably, responded with a slightly exasperated tone.

But this time, the soldier’s voice was cheerful, even excited.

“We’ve found a river up ahead! A rather large one! I’d like to take a moment to wash up!”

At those words, the atmosphere in the wagon noticeably lightened.

Freyja nodded.

“That’s fine. We’ve been going nonstop for three days. Let’s end early today and rest here.”

The soldiers let out small cheers at the decision. And the party moved toward the river.

As soon as we arrived, the male soldiers jumped off the wagon as if they’d been waiting for this moment.

In no time, they were stripping off their heavy armor. It was down to near-nakedness. And they dashed into the river laughing like children.

Their excitement was almost overwhelming.

Freyja pressed her fingers to her temple and averted her gaze with a resigned expression.

“Hey, you lot! Don’t drink the river water straight!”

She scolded them with minimal warning, as if saying, “What a handful they are…”

“Yutaka-dono, why don’t you go too? A wash will freshen you up.”

Freyja offered.

“I’ll go last. I’ll check on Kotama first.”

I replied, heading to the cargo wagon where Kotama was riding.

“Kotama, you okay?”

I called out, and she peeked her head out from between the luggage.

She looked a little tired, but otherwise seemed fine.

Freyja also approached and spoke gently to her.

“Kotama-dono, we just found a river. Would you like to bathe with me? I think it’ll make you feel refreshed.”

Kotama’s eyes wandered uncertainly as she replied,

“Uh, um…”

She probably didn’t dislike bathing itself. But she was still tense from being surrounded by unfamiliar people and an unfamiliar environment.

“Kotama, bathing alone could be dangerous if a monster attacked. But if you’re with Freyja, it’ll be safe. Why don’t you go with her?”

I added. Kotama gave a small nod.

“…Y-Yes, I understand. Freyja-sama, please take care of me.”

“Of course, leave it to me.”

Freyja nodded confidently.

—

A while later, the male soldiers finished bathing and returned from the river. They were looking satisfied.

Then Freyja and Kotama headed to a slightly more secluded area along the riverbank to bathe.

I kept a discreet watch just in case any soldiers tried anything improper… but it was an unnecessary concern.

The soldiers were chatting cheerfully among themselves, or enjoying a board game similar to chess that had been loaded on the wagon.

None of them were paying the slightest attention to the women.

Apparently, there was a solid bond of trust between Freyja and her subordinates.

I felt a little guilty for doubting them, even for a moment.

Eventually, Freyja and Kotama returned from the river.

Kotama had changed back into her usual maid outfit. She seemed slightly concerned about her wet hair. But her expression looked brighter than before—probably thanks to the refreshing bath.

Freyja, on the other hand, had removed her usual heavy armor and was now in a light outfit: a thin, form-fitting shirt and pants.

Because of this, what had been hidden under her bulky armor was now clearly visible—her unexpectedly ample chest. Which didn’t match her baby-faced appearance.

However, neither Freyja herself nor the male soldiers paid it any mind.

To them, it was completely ordinary.

Only I found myself unsure where to look. I was awkwardly turning my eyes skyward for no reason.

“Yutaka-dono, what’s wrong?”

Freyja tilted her head curiously.

That lack of awareness just made it harder for me to keep my composure.

“N-No, it’s nothing. I’ll go wash up too.”

I replied quickly and hurried toward the river.

Honestly, in both my previous life and this one, I’d never had much interaction with women. So I lacked any kind of immunity to situations like this.

If I had known this would happen, I should have taken my boss’s or Nergo’s invitations to visit nightspots more seriously—

As I headed toward the river, I let out a small sigh. I was regretting just a little my lack of worldly experience.