"I don't know who the hell you are... but you better start explaining yourself before I decide you're a problem."
Haruto's voice carried a quiet weight, his gaze already dissecting the man in front of him as his appraisal ran at full capacity. Data flowed through his vision like a silent storm, analyzing every twitch, every fluctuation of Astrons, every irregularity that didn't belong.
The prince paused.
For the first time in a long while, genuine surprise crossed Kuronai's face.
He wasn't recognized.
Not even a flicker of familiarity.
That alone told him everything he needed to know. The man standing before him wasn't just some rogue Majin or wandering anomaly. He was an outsider to this forest's hierarchy. Someone who existed completely beyond its social structure.
And that... made him dangerous.
Kuronai's fingers tightened slightly around the hilt of his katana as a subtle tension crept into his chest. It wasn't fear. Not quite. But it was something unfamiliar... something that made his instincts whisper caution instead of confidence.
Still, the grin remained.
It always did.
Slowly, he unsheathed his blade, the faint metallic whisper cutting through the cold air like a warning that hadn't fully decided if it wanted to become a threat.
"I am curious..." he began, tilting his head slightly, eyes glinting with interest rather than hostility. "What exactly do you mean when you consider me a 'problem'?"
The provocation was clean. Intentional. A bait cast with precision.
But Haruto didn't bite.
Not even a little.
"I don't have time for pointless fights," he replied flatly, as if swatting away something insignificant. "Like you just saw, we were in the middle of something. So if you can just turn around and get lost, I'd appreciate it."
That answer... was worse than anger.
It was dismissal.
Kuronai let out a small chuckle, amused despite himself. "Let me ask you something then, why—"
The question never finished.
A massive presence tore through the forest.
Branches snapped, snow scattered, and the ground trembled slightly as a colossal wolf burst into the clearing with overwhelming momentum. Its sheer size alone forced the goblins to instinctively tense, some stepping back as the air itself seemed to grow heavier.
The beast landed behind Kuronai like a summoned omen.
Haruto's eyes sharpened immediately.
He recognized it.
Not by name, not fully... but by presence. By that distinct Astron signature that didn't belong to ordinary creatures.
Verona's tamed beast.
Fenrir...
Something clicked.
Something was off.
Before either of them could react further, a familiar voice cut through the tension.
"What are you two doing?!"
Both heads turned upward at the same time.
There she was.
Venora sat atop the massive wolf, slightly hunched forward, one hand gripping her staff while the other pressed against her chest as she struggled to steady her breathing. Her usually composed expression was cracked just enough to show that she had rushed here without holding back.
"You okay?"
The question came out in perfect unison.
Haruto and Kuronai blinked.
Then slowly turned their heads toward each other.
For a brief second, the absurdity of that synchronization hung in the air like an awkward joke neither of them intended to tell.
Venora raised a hand immediately, cutting off whatever was about to follow. "Give me a second... let me breathe..."
Fenrir lowered itself calmly, allowing her to step down. Snow crunched softly beneath her boots as she straightened her posture, leaning lightly on her staff while regaining her composure.
Haruto looked at her for a moment.
Then, without any hesitation whatsoever, he said,
"Damn... you're pretty old, huh?"
Silence.
The kind that freezes time for just a split second.
Venora's eye twitched.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY?!"
The explosion came instantly.
Haruto visibly flinched, turning his head away like someone who just realized they kicked a hornet's nest with steel boots. "N-nothing... forget it..."
She exhaled sharply, muttering something under her breath before dragging the situation back under control. Then her gaze shifted toward Kuronai.
"Why do you have your sword out?" she asked, voice still carrying a faint edge. "Can't you wait five seconds before trying to start a fight?"
Kuronai didn't react immediately. Instead, he calmly sheathed his blade halfway before answering, his eyes flicking toward the group behind Haruto.
"Your friend here is protecting an enemy."
Venora followed his gaze.
And then she saw her.
The crimson exoskeleton. The posture. The presence.
Her eyes widened just slightly.
"Wait... is that—"
"It's supposedly the princess of the crimson battalion," Haruto cut in casually, as if he was introducing a mildly inconvenient guest instead of a walking political disaster. "Found her nearby with some kids. She was in trouble, so I helped. We were discussing things before this guy decided to make a dramatic entrance."
Venora didn't respond immediately.
Instead, her eyes moved across the group.
And that's when she noticed it.
They had changed.
Every single one of them.
The goblins she had seen before were gone. What stood here now were evolved beings. Stronger. Sharper. Their presence alone carried weight that hadn't existed before.
And among them...
Luna.
Even through all the changes, she was unmistakable.
Their eyes met.
A silent exchange passed between them, faster than words.
Luna gave the smallest nod.
That was enough.
Venora turned back to Kuronai almost instantly. "Just give it a moment," she said firmly. "You can't just walk in and swing your sword at everything that looks suspicious. This isn't the ogre clan."
Kuronai let out a quiet sigh.
"Fine..."
There was no resistance in his tone this time. Only curiosity... and something else he hadn't quite figured out yet.
He stepped forward slowly, his posture shifting into something far more composed. Then, with a slight bow, he addressed Haruto directly.
"I apologize for earlier. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
The sincerity wasn't fake.
That alone made it strange.
Haruto blinked.
Then blinked again.
His brain visibly struggled to process what just happened. An apology? From a guy who looked like he just stepped out of a royal painting?
"D-don't worry about it..." he muttered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Just... don't do it again."
He turned away slightly, clearly not used to this kind of interaction.
And that's when—
Tap.
Something pressed gently against his back.
A wooden staff.
Haruto froze.
Very slowly, he turned his head.
Venora stood behind him, smiling.
Not a normal smile.
That smile.
The kind that promised questions. Many of them. None optional.
"Can we join this meeting too?" she asked sweetly, tilting her head just enough to make it worse. "I have a lot to ask you..."
A chill ran down his spine.
"W-well... sure..."
"Great!"
Her expression brightened instantly, like a switch had been flipped.
Haruto looked ahead, dead inside for a brief moment.
Yeah.
This world?
Not dangerous because of monsters.
It's the women.
---
Luna moved the moment Haruto gave the slightest nod. She disappeared into the cave and returned not long after, carrying two carefully carved wooden seats. The craftsmanship was simple, but sturdy, the surface smoothed just enough to show the care put into it. She placed them before Kuronai and Venora with quiet respect before retreating, folding herself back into the circle among her people as if nothing remarkable had happened.
Around them, the camp breathed with a strange mix of tension and curiosity. Beyond the gathering, a few goblin and ogre children chased each other through patches of snow, their laughter soft but persistent, like fragile bells daring to ring in a war-torn world. Even the wind seemed to hesitate, brushing past the clearing as though unwilling to interrupt what was unfolding.
As the newcomers were brought up to speed, Haruto explained everything in a straightforward manner. The naming. The evolution. The plan to build a village from nothing but survival and stubborn will. The words fell one after another, calm and unembellished, yet each one landed heavier than the last.
Venora blinked. Then blinked again.
"Wa-wait—You named everyone? Like... everyone?" she asked, her voice rising just enough to betray her composure.
Haruto tilted his head slightly, thinking it over as if counting in his mind. Then he turned toward Luna, who sat calmly among the others. "Did I miss anyone, Luna?"
"Nope," she replied with a small, satisfied smile.
Venora pressed her fingers to her temple. "That... was rhetorical..."
Kuronai, for once, didn't even bother hiding his surprise. His gaze swept across the gathered group, lingering on each evolved figure. "Naming low-ranking monsters isn't unheard of," he said slowly, choosing his words with care. "But the quantity... that is what makes this... absurd."
Haruto scratched the back of his head, clearly unbothered. "Is it really that bad? I just thought it'd be inconvenient. Calling people 'hey you' all the time gets annoying."
"Inconvenient...?"
The voice came from behind, calm yet edged with something deeper.
The ant princess.
As every gaze shifted toward her, the air tightened again, though not as sharply as before. She straightened slightly, her bound hands resting on her lap, and continued.
"Do you understand what you've done?" she asked, her tone measured, analytical rather than accusatory. "When a monster or Majin grants a name, they transfer a portion of their Astrons to the recipient. The amount depends on their spiritual superiority... but regardless of the difference, it is always dangerous."
Her eyes settled on Haruto, unwavering.
"If you exhaust your Astrons completely, your body cannot sustain itself. And when your energy fails... the world takes your soul instead. It is not death. It is erasure. Painful... beyond anything natural."
The clearing fell silent.
Even the children's laughter in the distance seemed to dim, swallowed by the weight of her words.
Hana stiffened above, her fingers curling slightly against the branch she sat on. The memory hit her instantly. That moment. That collapse. The stillness that followed.
Haruto coughed lightly, trying to ease the suffocating tension. "I-is that so..."
"Yes," the princess replied quietly. "Only one individual in this forest is known to have suffered such a fate."
Her gaze shifted, almost instinctively.
Toward Kuronai.
The prince didn't react outwardly, but something in the stillness of his posture spoke volumes. A shadow flickered behind his calm expression, gone as quickly as it came.
Haruto caught it.
He didn't ask.
Instead, he exhaled slowly and closed his eyes, letting the pieces settle in his mind. Then, as if something clicked, he spoke again.
"Wait... then is it possible to... pass out instead of dying? Like, if you had some kind of backup?"
Venora's eyes narrowed instantly. "That's a very specific question," she said flatly. "Did you really overdo it?"
Haruto gave an awkward chuckle, which answered everything.
She sighed, long and unimpressed. "Unbelievable..."
Then, folding her arms, she continued, "It is possible. In rare cases. If you had a secondary reserve... something like a storage medium or a subspace."
Her eyes sharpened, locking onto him.
"And I'm guessing... you had stuff in your subspace?"
Haruto nodded. "Yeah. I think so."
Kuronai leaned forward slightly, interest piqued.
Venora continued, her tone shifting into that of a teacher unraveling a puzzle. "A subspace is typically a manually accessed technique. Most require a key, such as a scroll or artifact. When you lose consciousness, you shouldn't be able to access it at all."
She paused.
Then her gaze deepened, almost predatory in its curiosity.
"Unless..."
Haruto felt it. That look. The kind that meant she was about to dig deeper than he'd prefer.
"Tell me," she said softly, "how much do you actually understand about your own skills?"
The word hung unspoken but understood.
Skills.
Around them, several of the evolved goblins stiffened. Even Kuronai's interest sharpened, while the princess watched with quiet intensity.
Haruto, however, simply shrugged. "Not much. I can store things. That's about it."
The lie slipped out smoothly. Too smoothly.
Venora blinked.
For just a second.
Then a faint smile curved her lips.
So he could lie.
Interesting.
She let out a small breath, easing back slightly. "Skills like that... are worth nurturing," she said, her tone lighter now, though her eyes still studied him closely.
Reaching into her robes, she pulled out a scroll and extended it toward him.
"Here."
Haruto took it, turning it over in his hands. The moment his fingers brushed against its surface, his eyes flickered faintly, instinctively beginning to analyze its structure.
"What is this?"
"It's still a prototype," Venora replied. "A tool I created recently. It contains a magic circle capable of interacting directly with your spirit. With your consent, it can analyze your internal structure and give you insight into your abilities. It won't bypass your natural defenses, so don't expect miracles. But it should be... useful."
Haruto's expression brightened, genuine this time.
Then, almost immediately, it shifted into something more cautious.
"What do you want in return?"
Venora blinked. "Return?"
"Yeah," he said casually. "This isn't free, right?"
She stared at him for a moment... then let out a quiet sigh, half amused, half exasperated.
"Well... It's not a demand," she said. "But there is something we'd like to ask. That's actually why we came here."
Haruto tilted his head. "A request?"
Venora glanced at Kuronai.
The prince understood immediately.
He stood, stepping forward with composed confidence, the snow crunching softly beneath his feet. Extending his hand toward Haruto, he spoke clearly.
"I would like to invite you... to join our alliance."
The words settled over the gathering like a ripple through still water.
Kuronai's gaze remained steady. "You are strong. That much is obvious. But strength alone is no longer enough. The balance of this forest is shifting."
The princess tensed slightly at his words.
"I am not only referring to the Crimson Battalion," he continued, his eyes briefly flicking toward her before returning to Haruto. "With Lord Charybdis gone, the vacuum of power has drawn attention. Demon Lords are beginning to take interest. And beyond them... the Elven Empire of the East."
His tone grew heavier.
"A force with a long and complicated history with this forest."
Silence followed.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath again.
"We are under the protection of the Forest Council," Kuronai finished. "If you join us, that protection extends to you... and your people."
Haruto didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned.
Toward his people.
Toward the circle that had formed not by command, but by trust.
"What do you think?"
No one spoke.
Some looked uncertain. Others thoughtful. A few... wary.
Goblins had never been welcomed by the Council. That truth lingered unspoken, heavy in every mind present.
Haruto exhaled, already preparing to refuse—
"We'll think about it."
Hana's voice cut through cleanly.
All eyes turned to her.
She remained seated on the branch, one leg swinging lazily, though her gaze was anything but casual.
"I don't see a reason to reject it outright," she continued, her tone calm but firm. "But we're not done here. The princess still has information to share. Depending on what we learn... it might change everything."
Her eyes flicked toward the bound girl below.
"Whether we stand alone... or not."
Kuronai considered her words, then nodded. "Fair enough."
He sat back down beside Venora, visibly satisfied.
Haruto glanced up at Hana for a moment, a silent question passing between them. She gave the slightest shrug in return, as if to say, trust me.
He did.
Turning back, he gestured toward the princess.
"Sorry about that interruption," he said. "Go on."
The princess rose slowly, her bound hands shifting slightly as she steadied herself. The weight of every gaze returned to her, but this time, it wasn't just hostility.
There was curiosity.
Expectation.
And something else.
A fragile chance.
She drew in a breath.
"You see..."
...