Ren Yamaguchi (2/2)

“What the hell is going on…”

Ren watched the dust trail from the wagon blow in the wind as he stared with a flabbergasted expression, shifting his gaze and turning his head to look around.

It was obvious that he was in a forest, but why? How could he go from the modern city of Japan to a random forest with a guy riding a horse-drawn wagon?

Ren stroked his chin in deep thought as he paced back and forth, his brows narrowing.

“But how? I can understand something like being transported, but who summoned me? It didn’t seem like I died, though—just teleported to this forest. I remember someone saying something to me before I was sent here.”

That’s right. Before he was teleported to the forest, he remembered hearing a voice. He couldn’t remember exactly what it said, though. It was like being in a room, knowing what you’re doing, then crossing a threshold and suddenly forgetting what you came for.

“I can draw a few conclusions: I’m not dead—at least not anymore. That would mean I was summoned here by someone. And that would imply I have some sort of prophetic purpose in this world—or some kind of goal, right? That must mean I have some super-secret abilities I’ve yet to unlock. Which gives me my final answer.”

He took his hand away from his chin, balled it into a fist, and pumped it with a tired smirk.

“I’m a chosen hero, summoned to this world to protect it from some evil threat. With my insanely overpowered abilities, I’ll get stronger, defeat it, and live out my entire life with a beautiful woman. That’s right! That’s what I’ll do to stay true to myself—doing whatever I want without caring what others think.”

He turned his head to the right, where he had seen the wagon go earlier, and decided to walk down the cobblestone road. If you don’t count the times he walked to the store to buy food or games, this was the first time he had walked somewhere without the temptation of an item.

“I’m guessing that guy was a merchant, so if he’s heading somewhere, it’s probably to another village or a capital city. If I follow his trail, I’ll eventually end up there. That’s the logical choice instead of aimlessly wandering around a forest without a map. I shouldn’t even waste my battery like some novice idiot protagonist who thinks there’s reception in a medieval world. Actually…”

He folded his arms with a smile.

“I could make the first move toward becoming a tycoon using my modern knowledge like I imagined. Seeing as this world probably has a magic system, I guess anything divination-based is off-limits. I could create the first version of anything. I could invent a language… The Founder of the Japanese language—it could be used as a secret code for military warfare. I could be the one to discover electricity.”

He heaved a sigh and unfolded his arms.

“There’s no way I could do any of that. I don’t know anything about history, war, or creating a language. I guess I see why Isekai protagonists don’t try that. Most of them are losers and nobodies who couldn’t do anything in their ordinary world, so how could they make a difference in one with things they thought were fake? It feels like the only way to do anything is to so-called ‘court death’ and whatnot.”

He watched his feet move forward, disappointment shadowing his face.

“What will be my first step, though? I’m not just moving to another city with basically the same things and people—I’ve moved to another universe, or world, or even timeline. I don’t know anyone. I don’t know the culture, religions, languages, manners, or attitudes of anyone here.”

『In what felt like an instant, he heard the loud voice of a man.』

“Hey, stop right there!”

“Huh?”

Ren looked up from the ground before looking around in confusion, his eyes widening.

In front of him was a beautiful, radiant yellow light. Standing before it were two men dressed in white buttoned long coats with baby blue cuffs, black belts fastened around their waists, white trousers cuffed at the ankle, black shoes, and an earring on their right ear—a feather with vibrant shades of blue at the tips dangling to the side—carrying halberds. It gave him the impression that they were knights.

“How did I get here? I was just walking on the road… but now I’m outside—wherever this place is. Is my overpowered ability some sort of instant teleportation, or super speed, or something like that? Yeah, that might be about right…”

The two men watched as the boy in strange clothing talked to himself deeply, exchanging side-eyed glances before the older one of the two addressed Ren.

“What is your business here? What’s your purpose for wanting to enter the capital of Sanctivar?”

“Sanctivar?” Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, boy! What is your business with Sanctivar? What—do you not know your whereabouts?” the man snickered, prompting his companion to do the same, as if mocking Ren’s intelligence.

He didn’t know what the hell a “Sanctivar” was. They said it was a capital, but he didn’t even know his current location. It felt weird to admit he didn’t know where he was, but he weighed his options regardless.

Option 1: Say he’s lost.

“Uhm, yeah, I’m lost. You see, I was teleported here from another world, so I don’t have a clue where I am in this one.”

“We will not allow you entry because you seem weird. Now leave before we skewer you!”

Option 2: Fabricate a story that he’s a chosen warrior.

“I’m actually a legendary hero! Walking these lands to recruit people in pursuit of the Demon King! Now, allow me entry before I have the King send you to the dungeons!”

“You dare mock the King, boy! We will have your head for that!”

Option 3: Tell them he’s a traveling merchant going to make a deal.

He nodded to himself, picking the third option. It sounded the least insane and least likely to get him killed. So, with a smile, he looked at the knights—placing a hand on his chest.

“I am a traveling merchant. I’m here to make a trade with someone inside.”

“Ah? Well, who are you coming to see? Who is your client?” one of the knights asked skeptically.

Ren was taken aback by the sudden question. He didn’t think they’d ask, but he guessed that’s how they kept criminals out. With a bit of short-term thinking, he began describing: “W-Well… He was a man with a wagon. He had a very masculine and strong jaw, and his wagon was pulled by a horse. He had a long piece of grass in his mouth—middle-aged, buff, and handsome, by my standards of what a strong man would look like. He wore a vest with no shirt and he—”

“Calm down, calm down! We get it, alright,” one of the knights raised his hand.

“So… am I allowed entry?” Ren asked hopefully.

“Yeah, yeah…”

The second knight stepped forward, lifting his halberd from the ground and gradually pointing the tip toward Ren.

Ren staggered back, shifting his gaze to find any possible escape route. He held up his hands in a pacifying gesture.

“Wait, wait! I swear I’m not lying! I—”

“May the words of the Scripture grant you entry.”

Once he heard those words, his eyes glazed over—light shone from them before fading, leaving a tinge of pain in his head. He placed his hands on his face and shook it before opening his eyes slowly to see an enormous kingdom in front of him—his mouth falling open in awe at its beauty.

“Welcome to Sanctivar, boy.”

《END OF CHAPTER ONE: PART 2》

Note from the Author:
“It’s me again! Now, I know the pacing is pretty bad. I know it more than anyone. I’m not even sure if Ren is consistent with how he was before. Whenever I write, the idea just ‘poofs’ out of my brain as I go. It’s the curse of not being a plotter. I’m planning for this to be around 50 chapters for now—I might make it longer—but I want it to be around 50,000 to 80,000 words, or about 1,000 words per chapter. I swear I’ll add more characters to give Ren some development. I’ve already got the entire next chapter planned in my notes. That’s all from me! Bye-bye!”

Fun fact you didn’t ask for but I’m telling you anyway:
“When I was a young lad, I tried to impress someone by doing the splits. I split my shorts instead and had a huge hole in them. That was in 3rd grade, and I just graduated, so it wasn’t too long ago.”