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 24

Episode 24

The female beastkin who leapt out from between the trees carried an unmistakable presence. It showed that she was no ordinary person.

Her outfit covered her chest and the area from below her navel to the top of her thighs. It was made of the same dark, monster-leather material as the boy from earlier.

But what stood out most was the helmet-like object on her head. It was crafted from the skull of some kind of monster.

From it, two sharply pointed ears in a brown and black two-tone color poked out.

Her piercing gaze clearly regarded us as enemies.

The beastkin boy who had been up in the tree gasped the moment he saw her. He then cried out,

“Lin-nee! These humans—these people hurt one of our kin…!”

As he spoke, he pointed toward Kotama, who was visibly trembling.

Startled by being pointed at, Kotama flinched and instinctively took a step back.

Seeing this, several soldiers quickly stepped in front of her to shield her from view.

The woman called “Lin-nee” —likely named Lin— kept her sharp eyes fixed on us and spoke in a low tone to the boy.

“Ron, step back for a bit. I’ll be the one to talk with them.”

The boy, Ron, looked displeased. But he didn’t disobey.

He lightly leapt from one branch to another. He was watching us from a short distance away.

—

Lin glared directly at me. She then motioned with her chin toward Kotama.

“You’re humans, right? What’s the deal with that girl? Why is one of our own among a group of humans?”

Her question was forceful. But it also carried a hint of confusion.

“My name is Yutaka. I govern the human lands near here. That girl is Kotama. She works as a maid in my household.”

I answered calmly, stating the facts.

“Maid…?”

Lin furrowed her brows suspiciously. It was as if she didn’t understand the word.

It seemed the concept might not exist in their culture.

“Yes. She helps with cooking, cleaning, and other daily tasks.”

I added an explanation. Lin gave a small nod, saying “hmm.” But she still didn’t look fully convinced.

She then turned her intense gaze from me to Freyja, then to each of the armed soldiers. Before finally returned her eyes to Kotama.

“…I’ll ask her directly. Move aside—I want to speak with her.”

Lin marched toward the soldiers. She was speaking in a firm voice.

The soldiers seemed ready to resist for a moment. But Freyja calmly commanded, “Let her through.”

Reluctantly, they stepped aside.

Lin now stood face-to-face with Kotama.

From where I stood, I couldn’t hear their conversation.

Kotama looked up at Lin with a nervous expression.

Though I felt uneasy, I decided to trust Kotama.

If it was her, I believed she could speak sincerely in her own words.

Some time passed.

Lin occasionally nodded or asked something with a stern look. And eventually, after saying something to Kotama, she walked back toward me.

Her expression had softened slightly from before.

“…After hearing her story, I get that you all aren’t villains. But this is our land. Sorry, but I need you to leave immediately.”

So it wasn’t going to be that easy after all.

Still, we had made some progress—from open hostility to at least a willingness to listen.

“Please wait. We have something to discuss with you.”

When I said this, Lin gave me a suspicious look.

“Discuss? What do you want from us?”

“It’s important. Bring it here.”

I called to a soldier who had been waiting in the back.

He nodded in understanding and ran to the wagon. He returned with a small wooden box in his arms.

The box was packed full of Beast-Luring Fragrant Herb.

When I opened the lid and showed the contents, Lin’s expression changed dramatically.

“Th-This is…! That’s an insane amount of Fluff-Fluff!”

Her eyes widened. And she let out a surprised voice.

Gone was the earlier intimidation—her voice even cracked a little.

(Fluff-Fluff…? So that’s what they call the Beast-Luring Fragrant Herb. The name probably comes from the euphoric effect it has.)

I nodded to myself, feeling encouraged by her reaction.

The fierce gleam in Lin’s eyes was now locked onto the herbs inside the box.

This might actually work.

“How about we make a deal?”

I followed up quickly.

“We can provide you with regular supplies of this Fluff-Fluff—Beast-Luring Fragrant Herb. In return, we ask for your strength… as allies in battle.”

At my proposal, Lin let out a loud, thoughtful “Hmm…” She crossed her arms. And she seemed to ponder the idea.

Her eyes never left the herbs.

It was clearly a tempting offer.

After a short silence, Lin raised her head.

“…I can’t give you an answer right away. It’s not something I can decide alone. I’ll return to the village and talk it over.”

Then, she called out to the boy in the trees:

“Ron! Come down! We’re heading back!”

Ron reluctantly jumped down and stood beside Lin.

“Wait here for a bit.”

Leaving those words behind, Lin and Ron vanished into the depths of the forest.

—

Once the two had completely disappeared, the tension that had filled the air relaxed at last.

“…So the beastkin really do exist.”

Freyja muttered, as if she were still dreaming.

“Yeah. And that boy—he could use lightning-element magic. That woman, too… If they join forces with us, they’ll be a great asset.”

When I said this, Freyja nodded.

“Indeed. If we gain their cooperation, we might be able to turn the tide of the war in our favor.”

Hearing this, the surrounding soldiers began to gather while chatting:

“They were real, huh…”

“Man, that was intense…”

“But hey, that woman was kinda hot…”

While Freyja busied herself dealing with their reactions, I ran over to Kotama.

“Kotama, are you okay?”

When I called out, she still looked slightly tense but nodded.

“It’s thanks to you, Kotama. Because you spoke honestly, we now have a chance to negotiate.”

When I said that, Kotama blinked in surprise. She then quietly shook her head.

“N-No… I just answered what I was asked… That’s all…”

“And that was more than enough. Thank you, Kotama.”

When I thanked her again, Kotama looked down bashfully and gave a small smile.

That tiny smile seemed to mix the relief of tension fading and the joy of having been helpful.