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 26

Episode 26

Ron’s shout echoed through the forest. It marked the end of my battle with Lin.

I pulled my longsword from the ground, sheathed it, and held out my hand to Lin. But she was still in a daze.

“Are you okay?”

Lin snapped back to herself as if waking from a dream. She awkwardly replied, “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Thanks,” and took my hand to stand up.

Her hand felt like it was trembling slightly.

Just then, Freyja came rushing over. Her face was a mix of excitement and slight fear.

“Yutaka-dono… just now… I don’t even know how to describe it… Honestly, it was a level of combat that inspired fear…”

Her words made me reflect a little.

Indeed, I might’ve gone a bit overboard this time. I meant to be intimidating, not frightening…

But Freyja quickly continued.

“Still, having someone with that kind of power on our side is incredibly reassuring.”

Her smile gave me a bit of relief.

Meanwhile, Ron had run up to Lin in a panic.

“Sis! Are you okay!? Your arm’s still there, right!? You’re not hurt or anything!?”

His desperation clearly showed how much he cared for his sister.

“I’m fine, Ron. I’m not that soft. I’m okay, so calm down.”

Still somewhat stunned, Lin gently patted her brother on the head to soothe him.

—

Once the excitement began to die down, Lin and I faced each other again for a proper talk.

Up in the surrounding trees, the other beastkin watched from their perches in various positions.

The tension from our earlier battle had faded. It left behind a strangely calm atmosphere.

After taking a deep breath, Lin looked me straight in the eye and said:

“A promise is a promise, Yutaka. We’ll submit to you.”

Her words were firm and honorable.

“I’m Lin. Officially, it’s Nyaorin. But just call me Lin. Nice to meet you.”

She offered a handshake, and I took it.

“This here’s my little brother, Nyaoron. As you can see, he’s still just a kid.”

Ron looked a bit displeased at the introduction. But he didn’t say anything back.

None of the beastkin watching from the trees objected either. To them, their leader’s decision must be absolute.

To think such a major relationship of subordination could be established so suddenly—and so easily—was surprising. But at the same time, it showed just how much they respected and upheld the tradition of “deciding through a duel of leaders.”

Freyja must have been thinking something similar, as she asked Lin with concern:

“Lin-dono… Are you truly okay with this? We do not wish for such a one-sided relationship…”

But Lin responded without hesitation:

“Following the strong—that’s the surest way for us to survive in this harsh nature. Even if that strength belongs to a human, it makes no difference.”

There wasn’t a hint of doubt in her eyes.

Then Lin showed a slightly lonely expression.

“Still… we can’t just leave the land we’ve protected for generations behind so easily…”

I nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I get it. Like I said earlier, we’ll provide Beast-Luring—uh, I mean, Fluff-Fluff herbs regularly. In exchange, just lend us your strength when you can. You don’t have to leave this place.”

Lin looked genuinely surprised.

“…Are you serious? I expected you to demand more.”

“Yeah. That’s enough. All we need are cooperators.”

When I said that, Lin shrugged. She was half-exasperated, half-amused.

“Huh. In old stories, I always heard humans were weird, hard-to-understand creatures… looks like that’s true.”

Ron was standing next to Lin. While Lin and I were chatting, he kept repeatedly glancing off somewhere and looking away.

Following his line of sight… it was probably Kotama.

(Could this be…?)

Stifling a grin, I called out to Ron.

“Ron, something bothering you?”

Ron reacted with a comical “Gyoh!” and frantically shook his head.

“N-no! It’s nothing!”

Seeing his flustered state, Lin sighed and commented:

“Ron, you really are shy. Look, Yutaka—he’s been staring at that girl this whole time.”

She jerked her chin toward the back of the wagon. There, as expected, Kotama was peeking out just slightly.

Surprised to be suddenly the center of attention, Kotama quickly hid inside the wagon.

“No way…”

I looked at Ron skeptically. And it was only to find his face beet red, eyes turned completely away.

He was a textbook case—definitely a crush. I didn’t think people really got love-at-first-sight like that…

—

After that, Lin and I discussed the specifics of our cooperation.

In the end, we agreed that after seven moons—about a week—we would send someone to pick them up.

Lin promised that by then, she would select people from the tribe to be dispatched.

Also, the wooden crate of Beast-Luring Fragrant Herb we brought was left in their care.

The other beastkin had been relaxing up in the trees. But as soon as the lid was opened and the contents revealed, all leapt down like ants swarming honey. In no time, they surrounded the crate.

With herbs in hand, they cheered joyfully and looked like they were ready to dance. Their behavior was a stark contrast to their earlier fierce warrior image—more like innocent children.

And just like that, negotiations with the beastkin ended peacefully.

We returned to the wagon to head back to Kanaloa. We were being seen off by the beastkin.

On the way, Kotama ran up to me. Her small face still showed a bit of tension.

“Yutaka-sama… um, how did it go…?”

She asked nervously. And I smiled as I answered.

“It went well. They’ve agreed to cooperate with us.”

The moment she heard that, her expression lit up brightly.

“Really!? That’s wonderful…!”

Her pure smile radiated such joy that it lifted my own spirits just to see it.