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 43

Episode 43

It had been several dozen days since I took custody of Rururii from the elven village.

Right after that, we left the village behind.

On the way back, Forleen kept holding my hand again and again. She looked like she couldn’t bear to part. She was repeating over and over, “I’ll miss you…” in a sorrowful tone.

Then, as we finally neared the borders of our territory, she could no longer hold back her emotions—tears began streaming from her large eyes.

“Rururii-sama… please stay well. Yutaka-sama… we’ll meet again, won’t we…?”

Her trembling voice reached me. And I could only respond with a wry smile while gently patting her shoulder.

“Yeah, of course. Once I get some free time, I’ll make sure to come visit you… okay?”

Still looking a little uneasy, Forleen nodded and walked away. She was glancing back at us over and over again.

—

Now then, the real issue was Rururii.

She seemed to like the maid outfit so much. And considering I was providing her food, shelter, and clothing, I thought it made sense for her to work at the mansion as one of Kotama’s colleagues.

I asked Kotama to train her. I gave Rururii a few simple tasks—starting with basic cleaning and serving duties.

But… none of it went well. Not at all.

When asked to clean, she’d end up snoozing peacefully while leaning on the broom.

If I asked her to serve tea, she’d just sniff the tea leaves in a dreamy daze and never actually pour hot water.

In the worst case, I found her lounging on a tree branch in the garden as if it were a hammock. She spent the entire day like that.

I didn’t exactly expect her to be a diligent maid like Kotama… but this was beyond even my lowest expectations. In a bad way.

Eventually, Rururii began sneaking out of the mansion like she was running away. She frequently visited the town of Kanaloa.

To cover for her, I introduced her to Freyja and the others as an “apprentice healer entrusted to me by Forleen.”

At first, the soldiers were confused by her childlike appearance. But once they witnessed her whimsical yet undeniably powerful healing magic, their attitudes quickly changed.

Now, she’s treated like a mascot—loved by the soldiers, receiving sweets, basking in the sun with children, and living freely and happily.

Even so, she seemed unable to forget the taste of Kotama’s cooking.

Every now and then, she’d suddenly show up back at the mansion and sit quietly in a chair in the dining room.

Whenever that happened, Kotama would sigh in exasperation—but with a smile, she’d still prepare a special meal just for Rururii.

Well, in the end, having such a valuable healer stationed near the front lines was a huge help. So I suppose I couldn’t complain too much.

—

And then, today.

Ever since the incident with the Sacred Tree, I had missed one of our regular report meetings due to fatigue. And ever since then, those meetings had become irregular.

So today, I visited Kanaloa alone to catch up.

Reconstruction efforts were steadily progressing.

The streets once littered with rubble now had people bustling through them again. They were gradually regaining their energy.

As I walked alongside Freyja, we chatted about recent developments.

“Rururii-dono has been an incredible help. The recovery time for injured soldiers has improved dramatically. I’m truly grateful to you for bringing her, Yutaka-dono,”

Freyja said with sincere eyes.

“Not at all. It’s us who should thank you and the others for always taking on the most dangerous frontline missions,”

I replied humbly.

She softened her expression at my words.

“That said… there is one issue. She’s moody. She disappears without notice from time to time. Just the other day, a soldier was injured during training. And we searched everywhere—only to find her sound asleep inside the hollow of a big tree on the outskirts of town.”

“Haha…”

I could just picture it. All I could do was chuckle wryly.

Truly, she does everything at her own pace.

“So, how’s the overall situation?”

Refocusing, I asked the main question. And Freyja’s face became serious again.

“Thanks to Rururii-dono, we’re making rapid progress toward reclaiming Fronti, which lies beyond Vegetoria—something we thought would take months. At this rate, we should have it back completely in just a few weeks.”

“That means… we’re almost done reclaiming all the towns that were taken by the monsters?”

“Indeed. Since Lin-dono and the Thunder Beast Tribe began supporting us, things have gone very smoothly. Especially recently, Ron-dono has been outstanding—volunteering for scout missions and even helping coordinate the squads. He seems more fired up than ever. It’s been a huge help.”

Ron, huh…

After the Sacred Tree incident, everything got hectic. And I only had one session to train him.

But even without me, he kept up his efforts. He was trying to grow with his own strength.

That determination made me proud—and guilty for not making more time for him.

As I was thinking about all that…

“Yutaka-sama—!”

A voice broke through the noise of town—a slightly desperate voice from an elderly man I knew well.

Looking toward the sound, I saw Sebas. He was riding a horse toward me.

He skillfully navigated through the crowd, reins in hand. His face was strained with urgency.

Freyja and I stopped in our tracks as Sebas dismounted.

Sweat glistened on his forehead.

“Sebas, what’s wrong? Why the rush? I thought you were helping Kotama tend the garden today.”

As he caught his breath, Sebas straightened his posture and spoke with formal gravity.

“Well… Yutaka-sama, you have an unexpected visitor.”

“Visitor?”

The first image that popped into my mind was the pink-haired woman who had tearfully walked away before—Forleen.

Could she have come back? It wouldn’t be surprising if she wanted to see me again.

“What’s the visitor’s name?”

“…It is Ulrika-sama.”

The moment he said that, my eyes went wide.

Ulrika.

The most powerful mage who fought beside me on the journey to defeat the Demon King.

Why on earth would she show up now?

Half of me was glad to see her. But the other half was filled with unease—this probably wasn’t a casual visit.

No way would Ulrika’s arrival be anything peaceful.

I felt certain of it, for some reason.

“Freyja, sorry, but we’ll have to postpone the meeting. I need to head back to the mansion—now.”

“Understood. Please take care, Yutaka-dono.”

With a quick word to Freyja, I rushed back home.

＊ ＊ ＊

Back at the mansion, Sebas told me Ulrika was waiting in the guest room. So I headed straight there.

As I approached, I spotted a small figure sneaking around outside the thick guest room doors.

A fluffy tail and perked-up cat ears—Kotama.

She had her ear pressed against the door. She was trying to eavesdrop.

“What are you doing, Kotama?”

I asked quietly.

She jolted in surprise.

“Y-Yutaka-sama!? Please don’t sneak up on me like that!”

Turning around, she clutched her chest and protested in a small voice.

Coming back to her senses, she looked worried and turned back to the door.

In a hushed voice, she said,

“Um, well… Ulrika-sama’s mood seems really, really bad…”

From Kotama’s hesitant tone, I could already tell things weren’t going well inside.

I nodded slightly and knocked on the door a few times.

“Ulrika? It’s Yutaka. I’m coming in.”

There was no need to wait for a reply.

With that judgment, I slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door.

The sight that greeted me: a young girl sprawled like a queen across the center of a luxurious sofa.

But the air around her was far from pleasant.

Her legs were elegantly crossed. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest.

Puffed-out cheeks and tightly pressed lips showed just how furious she was.