Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter Twelve: Thief Wolfen, Part One
The sky was already dim when Ren entered the forest, and night soon descended beneath the trees.
The thick canopy blocked what little light remained, making the path far harder to see than it had been during the day.
A Little Boar appearing now would have been troublesome, yet none approached even after several minutes. Ren wondered why.
He did not realize that his nerves were stretched tighter than ever. His sharpened vigilance and desperate resolve radiated enough menace to frighten the Little Boars away.
“Tsurugi Rock is…”
He was still moving in the right direction.
The formation was barely visible through the leaves. Its faint outline reassured him, but the rapidly darkening sky made him impatient.
(It’ll be all right. I only need to reach Tsurugi Rock and search for the herb.)
Even accounting for the return journey, he could be home before the night ended. He had to believe that.
Ren desperately tried to master himself, but his anxiety would not ease.
“Pathetic…”
He mocked himself.
He was Ren Ashton–the future mastermind behind the story. What kind of sight was this?
“You’re supposed to be the mastermind. Don’t panic over something like this.”
Even if the shadow of the Thief Wolfen hung over the forest.
No matter how sternly he lectured himself, the tension remained. Each step felt heavier than the last, and he began to wonder whether he would ever reach Tsurugi Rock.
After he had walked for some time, however, the dense trees gradually thinned and the path opened ahead.
Thinking he might be close, Ren dragged his weary feet onward for another ten minutes.
“Finally…”
He emerged from the forest into a broad clearing.
A small lake lay before him. At its center rose Tsurugi Rock, an enormous stone formation shaped like an upside-down icicle.
Night had fully fallen, but the clear sky and countless stars made the clearing surprisingly easy to see.
“Now… how do I reach it?”
The lake was not unfathomably deep, but it easily exceeded Ren’s height. Even an adult would have been better served by a boat.
“Oh.”
Ren had the Wooden Magic Sword.
He swung it, and thick roots rose from the earth to form a path across the water.
After crossing the improvised bridge, he looked up at Tsurugi Rock’s nearly vertical face. Another swing of the Wooden Magic Sword sent vines creeping over the stone.
“This really is convenient.”
Despite everything, a little excitement stirred in him.
Ren had never climbed a tree in his previous life, yet now he scaled the rock face with surprising ease. Physical Ability Boost (Minor) made his body far more capable than it appeared.
Fortunately, the height and the risk of falling did not frighten him.
“I’m glad I have the Wooden Magic Sword…”
Tsurugi Rock stood as high as a building of more than ten stories. Climbing it barehanded was unthinkable.
Even with the vines, his hands were tiring and his grip weakening. Without the Wooden Magic Sword, he would never have made it.
Ren paused where the rock offered a small ledge, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked upward.
“That is…”
Near the summit, leaves swayed in the night wind beneath the starlight.
His tense expression softened.
“They weren’t all wiped out after all, Grandma Rigg.”
The leaves had the unmistakable shape of a five-pointed star.
Renewed energy filled him. Ren seized the vines and climbed faster, taking longer, more confident steps up the stone.
His breath grew short, but he did not stop.
Several minutes later, he reached the summit.
“There it is! Londo Grass!”
The plants still grew in clusters across the flat rock. Ren did not know exactly how much Roy required, but the surviving patch was far from small.
At the same time, he noticed something ominous.
Bones lay scattered a short distance from the herbs.
When Ren approached, he recognized them as the remains of Little Boars.
“…”
Sweat gathered in the fist he had unconsciously clenched.
Little Boars could not climb Tsurugi Rock. He had never heard of any flying monsters inhabiting the area either.
As he considered the evidence, the name of one monster entered his mind.
(I need to hurry.)
The worst possibility had become difficult to dismiss.
Ren quickly gathered as much Londo Grass as he could and descended using the vines.
Once he reached the roots over the lake, he surveyed the clearing, suppressed his breathing, and began crossing in silence.
His breath had become ragged without him noticing. He forced it under control and wiped the sweat from his forehead when he reached the far shore.
(I need to get through the forest quickly.)
He took one careful step, moving fast while trying not to make a sound.
“Brwo!”
“Brroo…!”
“Grah!”
Three Little Boars burst from the darkness. They looked terrified, yet all three charged him at once.
“Not now…!”
Confused by their fear and irritated by their loud cries, Ren swung the Wooden Magic Sword.
There was no question of a difficult battle.
He killed all three within moments and started to leave without even examining their bodies.
Then the night wind abruptly died.
A massive shadow fell across the grass behind him.
(It’s there. Right behind me.)
Ren understood in an instant.
“I see… You were running from it.”
He took a slow step forward.
Four tails moved within the shadow. Its head rose toward the sky.
“Damn it!”
Ren sprinted away, driven by a single purpose.
He had to leave the clearing.
He had to return to the village where he was born.
“Awooooooooo!”
The howl stabbed through his ears.
It was exactly the same as it had been in the game–the Thief Wolfen’s cry as it threatened its prey.
“Hah… hah…!”
Ren drove his body harder than he ever had before. His leg muscles felt ready to tear, but he refused to look back.
Less than a minute later, a violent wind flattened trees on either side of him, and a whirlwind tore past.
“What–!?”
Ren avoided it by the narrowest margin and fell to the ground from the force of his dodge.
As he struggled upright, the whirlwind stopped near a tree ahead. Ren narrowed his eyes.
“I’m sorry. I won’t go near your nest again.”
The monster remained silent.
“There are Little Boars everywhere. Why not eat those instead?”
He knew speaking was useless, but it helped steady his mind.
Ren summoned the Wooden Magic Sword and tightened his grip.
The Thief Wolfen’s six crimson eyes rolled toward him. It took a silent step, arched its back, and bared its fangs.
“Move.”
Ren glared at the monster that refused to leave his path.
He did not have time for this.
The possibility that the herbs might not reach Roy frightened him more than the powerful enemy before him.
“Grrr…”
The Thief Wolfen answered only with a low, breathy threat.
Irregular currents of air began to coil around Ren.
(Wind magic.)
The Thief Wolfen could shape the air into invisible limbs. Their presence could be detected only when they touched the skin.
A breeze brushed Ren’s cheek.
It felt like the edge of a knife.
“Damn–!”
He twisted aside and retreated. Pain cut across his cheek. When he touched it, his fingers came away wet with bright blood.
He had neither seen nor sensed the attack in time.
The Thief Wolfen’s wind magic forced him to accept the truth at once.
(This isn’t a monster I should be fighting.)
Avoiding battle would have been ideal, but he already knew that escape was nearly impossible.
He would have to confront it.
Then he noticed the way the monster protected one foreleg.
(Is it injured?)
Roy had not simply been overwhelmed.
That wound was why his father had escaped.
During the unexpected encounter, Roy had injured the Thief Wolfen’s leg and fled all the way to the forest entrance.
It was probably also why the monster had not attacked the village afterward. Wary of Roy Ashton, it had remained hidden around Tsurugi Rock.
(Father fulfilled his duty as a knight.)
If Ren could escape the forest, the Thief Wolfen would almost certainly refuse to pursue him into the village–at least until its injury healed.
All he had to do was carry the Londo Grass home. Once the baron’s reinforcements arrived, they could destroy the monster with certainty.
(Then I only need to survive this moment.)
The evidence of his father’s struggle kindled fresh courage in Ren’s heart.