Coming up upon a clearing, I managed to leave the forest and see the first few buildings of what could only be Onnohart. According to the Celestial I gave my name to, Haruo, Onnohart is a village west of the Capital of the Human Territory. It's known for its farmland cultivation and fishing.
Juri, who I had now assumed the identity of, had come out to the forest to hunt wild animals and had the misfortune of running into the Killer Bear.
" Poor guy. "
" He still managed to kill it. "
Right.
Stepping into the village, I noticed that its size was more similar to that of a small town back in Japan, and now I could fully see into it with my own eyes. People were going about their lives, however, once my presence had been acknowledged, I gained more than a few eyes.
" Juri!! "
A girl shouted as she pushed past people and ran toward me, her arms stretching out and enveloping me in a tight embrace. The scent that graced my nose had been extremely agreeable—more than I expected could be possible in a fantasy setting like this.
" Ah— "
Haruo filled in the gaps for me immediately,
" Elizabeth! It's good to see you too! "
Nervous laughter crept out as I tried to pry myself from her clutch.
" We all thought you were dead! "
" And from the looks of it—you were close to it, huh? "
An older mature and feminine voice came from behind the Elizabeth girl. Her face too jogged memories thanks to Haruo. This was the woman who had taken Juri in when he was younger. And the mother of Elizabeth.
" It's good to see you, Ms. Maria! "
The woman hugging me had bright red hair messily put into a bun that rested toward her nape. Her outfit was medieval, a simple dress with an apron over the front. Once she stopped shutting them so tight and I could finally see her eyes, I noticed they were a gentle green.
In contrast, her mother's hair was a much duller red with hints of gray in between some locks. Her eyes were the same shade of green, however, you could see the age on her face. Her hair was let down, touching the midpoint of her back.
" What happened out there, Juri? I'm still worried about you! "
Looking down, I patted her shoulders, trying again to separate myself from the tight grip.
" I—I just ran into a Killer Bear. I got lucky and managed to kill it. "
Suddenly, people stopped to look at me with mild horror.
" A Killer Bear...? "
" So close to the village... "
" We need to call for the Paladins— "
I had been lost. I, or well, Juri had killed the bear. So what was the problem now? I thought about asking, however, Haruo spoke up.
" Listen. Killer Bears are known as monster-beasts. Creatures are born from negative energy. Killer Bears act in a pack-like matriarchy. If one is around—there are others. "
Why didn't he tell me that earlier I could've run into another one of those crazy scary bears.
" Calm down everyone. We all know we don't have the protection fees necessary for a monster-beast crew. "
" Protection fees? "
After hearing Ms. Marie speak about some sort of fee, I innocently inquired.
" Yes...Sadly the Paladins of the Capital Asteria do not work for free...If we want a full monster-beast extermination team...we'll have to pay 10 gold. "
10 gold? I thought to myself about how much it could be and immediately, Haruo filled me in.
" 10 gold for the Human Territory is equivalent to over 50,000 yen. "
50,000 yen?! That's more than a full year's worth of work untaxed!
" That's insane! "
Completely flabbergasted, I blurted out.
" That's why we'll have to instead hire Adventurers to do it for us. It's not as pricey but...there's no guarantee they survive... "
Adventurers were now confirmed to be a thing.
" Juri. "
Looking at the woman I had given up detaching myself from, I tilted my head in confusion to her calling my name suddenly.
" You aren't thinking about helping, are you? I told you—I won't let you become an Adventurer! "
What?! Why would I ever want to be an Adventurer? I'd have to fight scary things like those bears if I did.
Though, thinking about it...That was probably the goal Juri had. But...I had no obligation to follow through.
" You're right. It's dangerous. I'll give up on becoming an Adventurer... "
The people around me stopped. Some even turned their heads from worrying about the monster-beast pack to looking at me.
" What are you saying, Juri? Weren't you deadset on taking the exam? "
Ms. Marie asked me as she looked rather worried.
" You're not feeling sick, are you? "
Why did everyone seem so shocked? Even Elizabeth backed away from me, seemingly unsure of her own emotions. On one hand, it looked as though she was happy I agreed with her. But on the other, it was as if she was looking at a stranger.
Elizabeth reached forward, placing her palm against my forehead, possibly in an attempt to gauge my temperature.
But I was fine.
" It's nothing like that—I just understand the danger now. "
Removing Elizabeth's hand, I walked past her, looking back a bit and waving.
" I-I need to get some rest, alright? "
Hurrying off, I used the information Haruo fed me to get back to Juri's home and take a load off. Once I made it inside, I was quick to remove the satchels on my waist and the tattered jacket over my body. There were baths of sorts behind the home I resided in and so I immediately began preparing for one.
" Are you sure it's a good idea to run away from Juri's goal? "
" I couldn't be an Adventurer even if I wanted to! I'm just a normal guy from peaceful modern Japan—no way! "
" Did you forget you're no longer in the body of Haruo Akahoshi? You're Juri Zo now living in Theatera. "
" And that means what exactly? Juri died to that Killer Bear, remember? "
I soaked myself in the bath outside, the warmth of it coming from the fire that resided under it. Surprisingly the bath was similar to a Goemon-buro, otherwise known as a drum bath by Westerners.
" You have something Juri didn't. The knowledge from an immortal Celestial. I can teach you how to get stronger. "
" That's great and all...but... "
" No more buts. Wasn't it a fantasy of yours to be an Adventurer? You and Juri have that in common. If I'm giving you the opportunity, why won't you take it? "
Because it was scary. Seeing that bear's corpse, moving around in the puddle of blood, was all so much scarier than I thought it could ever be.
" I'm afraid...I don't want to die... "
There was silence...I felt like a coward saying that...
" Then you'll never see your friends. "
Huh? My friends? Sitting up more in the tub, I gripped the sides, my enthusiasm pushing past the fear I felt.
" What about my friends?! "
" Didn't I tell you if you wanted to see your friends, you'd have to survive? "
I gritted my teeth.
" If you don't get stronger—if you don't become an Adventurer...I'll never tell you how you can see your friends again. "
I knew it. Haruo was going to force this on me. And that made me realize something. Haruo was a Celestial—a being close to a god. One that easily told me he'd erase my very existence again if I didn't uphold a deal.
Haruo wasn't my friend. He was the contractor that gave me a chance to change my fate of erasure...And the only gateway I had to my friends.
" Damn it... "
" Don't worry. I'll teach you how to get stronger. But I won't lead you to your friends unless you promise me. "
" Promise what? "
" That you'll become the strongest Adventurer in just ten years. "
" I'm stuck...If I want to see my friends, I'll have to put my soul on the line...again... "
I could feel Haruo's excitement inside me. He was less like a God to me now.
" You're the devil... "
" No. I'm just me. "
My face fell into the water in an attempt to somewhat refresh myself. I brought it up and shook the water from my hair, sighing.
" I promise, Haruo. I promise to become the strongest adventurer before ten years pass. I have no other choice. "
" And I too promise, Juri. I will lead you to your friends if you become the strongest. "
The first promise of this new life had been made.
After an hour or so passed, I got out of the bath, drying off inside the house, and dressing comfortably. Haruo had told me to lock the door and get familiar with the place because he'd be using it to train me.
" How are you going to train me if you're inside my soul? "
" As a Celestial, I have a large repertoire of abilities. I'm going to teach you how to use 'Soul Power' using magic to create a physical copy of yourself. "
" You can just do that? "
" I wouldn't say I could if I couldn't. "
Haruo's tone was curt. I searched around the house, making sure there weren't any ways to spy on me while I had been inside. I closed the window curtains, bolted the door, and made sure the center area of the living room had been clear of any furnishings.
" Here goes, Juri. Keep your eyes open no matter what. "
" Huh? What do you mean— "
As I finished speaking, a blinding light flashed in front of me. To prevent myself from getting yelled at by Haruo, I kept my eyes open despite the sudden flash.
Appearing in front of me were strands of light wrapping around an undefined mass of clouded energy. It was like witnessing some sort of spell being weaved in front of me. The warped bits of light shaped themselves into that of a humanoid form, copying my own.
Before long, standing in front of me was a carbon copy of my new body.
" Freaky... "
" This clone of you will act as a pseudo-host for me. This way I can train you physically. "
Jumping from my eye had been a light, slipping into the clone of me. The eye on the clone formed like before, a star of light in his left eye.
" I left half of my existence within your soul so that I could remain in this realm. However, my consciousness has been transferred. "
" Right. Well, what now? "
" Go grab your sword. I'm going to drill the basics of sword combat into you. "
" You know how to fight with a sword? Why would a Celestial need something like that? "
" We Celestials spend nigh infinite amounts of time doing nothing more than collecting knowledge and expanding our understanding of the Realms. Swordplay is nothing more than a game to me now. "
I had no idea they lived infinitely. Though to be regarded as Gods, they must live for quite a long time based on that alone.
Retrieving the sword I had practically haphazardly thrown down thinking I wouldn't need it, I drew it. I didn't want to harm Haruo, however, I knew there was no way I would get away without unsheathing it.
" The best practice for a complete amateur like you would be first getting familiar with what Juri already knew about the sword. "
" What do you mean...? "
" Juri wanted to be an Adventurer. I'll mimic the movements Juri practiced and you will copy me. The body you now reside in will remember these movements and copy them nearly perfectly. But you must get used to consciously enacting these techniques. "
" Well if you say so. Let's get started then! "
As scared to death as I had been of becoming an Adventurer due to my weakness, I couldn't contain the slight bits of excitement I felt at the prospect of actually becoming stronger in a fantasy world.
If Haruo could genuinely teach me how to become stronger, I would take pleasure in learning at least.
Haruo began to move, his hands mimicking my holding of the sword's hilt. He tilted and raised the blade, pointing it out forward slightly in a fully standing stance. His feet came close and he approached.
I copied every movement he made. It felt natural to do so. Just like he said, the body already knew these movements. I took note of every step he and I took, wanting to perfect it in my mind.
" The sword is not just about doing stances and sword strokes. It's about executing each movement with full intent. Understanding comes before action. "
Haruo spoke as he came closer, suddenly shifting his weight and pressing his invisible blade forward in a thrust. I did the same, feeling the shift of weight happening and my center of mass changing. My stance became more grounded, simulating a more crouching position.
Feeling my muscles contract and pull, not immediately being fatigued from the movements was new to me.
Back on Earth, I was scrawny, not too good at physical activities, and easily winded. But here? I could move effectively without even the slightest shortness of breath.
It was fun.
* RUSTLE *
Both Haruo and I stopped our movements and immediately looked out the window. There was a small crack in the curtains.
Without any hesitation, Haruo walked to the curtains and threw them open. There stood Elizabeth, holding a basket of bread in her hands and looking rather stunned. She had sweat coming down her face.
In one fell swoop, Haruo opened the window and grabbed Elizabeth's wrist, snatching her and pulling her into the house, throwing her down to the ground. Just how strong was he?
" AH! "
She shrieked as she fell, dropping her basket and spilling the bread.
" She saw us, Juri. What do you think we should do? "
Holding the sword in my hands, I gulped.
What now...?
CHAPTER 12 END