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 9

Episode 9

After the two soldiers hurriedly left, Sebas and I got off the wagon and walked toward Freyja, who had been left alone.

She was staring in the direction the soldiers had gone. And in a small but clearly audible voice, she muttered:

“If they just wanted to get used to moving, they didn’t have to do it in the middle of the road like that…”

Her muttering sounded genuinely puzzled.

Apparently, she had taken the soldiers’ excuse at face value.

“Freyja-sama,” 

Sebas gently called out.

Freyja turned to face us. Her red eyes first caught sight of Sebas.

“Ah, Sebas-dono. Is something the matter?”

Her tone was calm. But I felt a touch of familiarity in it.

Then, noticing me standing beside Sebas, she tilted her head slightly and looked to Sebas.

Before Sebas could introduce me, I stepped forward and introduced myself.

“I’m Yutaka. I’ve been appointed as the new lord of the Vixel Domain. Pleased to meet you, Freyja-dono.”

I said this and gave a slight bow.

When Freyja heard my name, her eyes widened slightly.

“Yutaka… Could it be…?”

Sebas nodded as if to confirm her suspicion.

“Yes. Yutaka-sama is a member of the Hero’s party that recently defeated the Demon King.”

Hearing Sebas’ words, Freyja’s face lit up—more so than even the soldiers of Kanaloa had earlier.

“Oh! You’re that Yutaka from the Hero’s party! I’ve heard many stories of your brave deeds. What an honor to meet you here.”

Her unexpectedly enthusiastic reaction made me feel a little embarrassed.

“Especially the tale of how you struck down a flying Dragon with your shield…”

Freyja continued, sounding somewhat amused—different from her usual flat tone.

(That must be from that time. But the story’s clearly been exaggerated…)

I smiled wryly to myself.

“Well, let’s talk more about that later. Freyja-sama, Yutaka-sama, rather than chatting here, shall we move to a more suitable place?”

Sebas seemed to sense my discomfort. He then made the suggestion.

Freyja nodded.

“Indeed. There’s a private room in that tavern over there. Follow me.”

With that, she started walking briskly. Sebas and I followed behind her.

＊ ＊ ＊

The tavern Freyja led us into was bustling with soldiers despite it being midday.

Wooden tables and chairs were scattered around. And many soldiers were chatting over mugs of drink.

The moment Freyja stepped into the noisy space, every soldier’s gaze turned to her.

“Hey, it’s Freyja-sama!”

“Still as beautiful as ever, Freyja-sama!”

“How about a drink with us, Freyja-sama?”

Voices rose from every corner. The tavern’s atmosphere suddenly became even more heated.

One obviously drunk soldier staggered over and tried to put a hand on Freyja’s shoulder.

“Freyja-sama, how about a dri—”

But just before he could touch her, other soldiers nearby moved in unison. They restrained him.

“You fool! Don’t lay a hand on Freyja-sama!”

“How dare you be so disrespectful!”

In no time, the drunk was dragged off to a corner.

Sebas and I watched the whole thing. We were part astonished and part impressed.

(So this is what Sebas meant by “smitten”…)

Despite all this attention and the drunk’s behavior, Freyja herself seemed unfazed.

To the noisy soldiers, she simply said in her usual calm tone:

“Don’t drink too much. You’ll be useless when it counts.”

Her reaction made it unclear whether she truly didn’t notice the overt admiration from the men, or if she was deliberately ignoring it.

Either way, I thought to myself—she’s quite a mysterious woman.

Freyja called out to the burly man who seemed to be the tavern owner and quickly arranged for a private room on the second floor, like she’d done it many times before.

—

“This way.”

The room we were shown to was plain. It was furnished with just a table and a few chairs.

It looked like a good place to have a quiet talk.

Sebas, Freyja, and I each sat down on a chair.

After a brief pause, Freyja spoke again.

“Now then, to reintroduce myself—I’m Freyja Lundblad. You may call me Freyja.”

Her name made me pause.

“Lundblad?”

In this world, having a family name typically meant nobility.

Noticing my confusion, Sebas explained from beside me.

“Freyja-sama is the daughter of the noble Lundblad family, whose main residence is in the royal capital. She originally came here as a volunteer soldier sent from the capital.”

I see—so she’s a noblewoman.

I had heard most of the reinforcements from the capital had withdrawn. But apparently some, like Freyja, had stayed behind and continued fighting.

That thought gave me a quiet sense of warmth inside.

“So then, Yutaka-dono, Sebas-dono, did you come here today with some specific business in mind?”

Freyja moved the conversation forward.

I nodded and replied:

“Yeah. First, I wanted to greet you in person, since you’re the one commanding this frontline. And then, I’d like to hear more details about the current situation.”

Hearing that, Freyja’s expression darkened slightly.

A trace of fatigue appeared on her beautiful face.

“The current situation… Honestly, for the past year, we’ve barely been getting by thanks to everyone’s hard work.”

Her voice no longer carried the cheerfulness from earlier; it had a heavy tone.

“Our food supplies are nearly depleted. We’re also running out of medicine, bandages, gauze—basic medical supplies. And there are hardly any proper doctors left here.”

She spoke plainly but seriously.

“It wouldn’t be strange if someone started talking about retreating. But strangely enough, no one has. Everyone has stayed and followed me.”

She tilted her head slightly. It was as if she truly didn’t understand why the soldiers continued to follow her.

(Judging by this, she probably has no awareness of how attractive she is, or how the male soldiers feel about her… In a way, it’s kind of terrifying how oblivious she is.)

I thought that to myself but didn’t say it aloud.

At the same time, I now understood that the Vixel Domain was in a far more dire situation than I had imagined.

“I see… I understand. I’ll try to come up with as many solutions as I can from my end.”

When I said that, Freyja looked slightly relieved.

But almost immediately, she seemed to recall something.

“Actually, for the past year, I’ve been continuously requesting aid from my family in the capital… but all my father sends me are marriage proposals.”

Her tone was clearly laced with frustration.

“At this point, I’ve even considered marrying a noble somewhere in exchange for support…”

She muttered, gazing off into the distance.

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but speak up.

“Freyja, I don’t want you to concern yourself with political marriages like that. Just focus on defending this territory.”

Those words came straight from the heart.

Someone like her shouldn’t be forced into something she doesn’t want.

Sebas nodded strongly beside me.

“Indeed, Freyja-sama. You’ve already given so much to this land. From now on, Yutaka-sama will be here to support you.”

“…I’m ashamed. Yutaka-dono, Sebas-dono… thank you for your words.”

Freyja said quietly, her head slightly bowed.