The sun rose slowly over the forest.
Soft orange light touched the trees, the leaves, and the quiet village.
The battle was over.
The spider was gone.
But something new was starting.
Jin stood near a large stone in the center of the village.
It was flat, wide, and smooth—maybe once a table or altar.
Now, it was used for something more important:
a meeting.
All the lizardmen gathered around it.
Old ones with long tails and wise eyes.
Young ones with bandages and quiet smiles.
Mothers, warriors, children—all came.
In front of the stone stood one tall lizardman.
His body was covered in silver-blue scales.
He wore bones around his neck like jewelry.
He was the chieftain.
He walked toward Jin slowly, his yellow eyes watching carefully.
Then, he placed both of his hands on his chest and bowed deeply.
"Great Stone Lord," the chieftain said.
"You have saved our people. You have saved our children."
Jin said nothing.
The chieftain continued.
"We are warriors, yes. But we are also lizardmen of honor.
We remember those who help us. We do not forget.
So today, in front of our tribe, I give our vow."
He raised his hand and pointed at Jin.
"We give you our loyalty. Our strength. Our worship.
You saved us from death. You rebuilt our walls.
You are not just a golem. You are our guardian. Our protector.
You are… our lord."
All the lizardmen dropped to one knee.
Jin looked at them.
He did not know what to say.
In his past life, no one knelt for him.
At the office, people gave him more work—not thanks.
He was ignored, overused, and always alone.
But now, a whole village was bowing.
For him.
His stone heart beat once, loud and deep.
"Why me?" he thought.
"I never wanted power. I just wanted peace."
But the faces in front of him…
They were honest.
Full of trust.
They needed him.
The chieftain bowed again.
"Stone Lord, will you accept us?"
Jin looked at the sky, then down at his stone hands.
He did not understand fate.
He did not understand this world.
But he understood one thing—
They believed in him.
And for now… that was enough.
"I accept," Jin said, his voice low and deep.
The wind blew gently.
The trees swayed.
The village, once broken by fear, now stood with hope.
Their Stone Lord had answered.
Jin sat on a large rock outside the lizardman village.
The trees swayed gently in the wind. Birds chirped. The forest was calm again.
But Jin's heart was not calm.
He looked down at his large, heavy hands—made of stone.
They had crushed a monster, saved lives, and now…
They were seen as hands of a leader.
"Stone Lord," they called him.
"Protector," they said.
"Master," some even whispered.
Jin sighed deeply.
He was once a tired office worker.
He hated leading teams. He hated talking to people.
He just wanted peace.
To be a stone.
Now, he was a stone—and yet the world still asked him to lead.
It felt strange.
He remembered the chieftain's words from earlier:
"We give you our loyalty. Will you accept us?"
Jin had said yes.
But now, sitting alone, he began to wonder:
"Did I make the right choice?"
He wasn't a king.
He wasn't a god.
He didn't know how to build cities or lead people.
"What if I fail?" he thought.
"What if I can't protect them next time?"
Just then, small footsteps approached.
It was the young lizardman from before—the one who first called him "Stone Lord."
He looked up at Jin with bright, curious eyes.
"Stone Lord," the boy said softly, "are you sad?"
Jin blinked. "...I'm just thinking."
The boy sat beside him.
He had a small scratch on his arm, covered with leaves and paste.
Even injured, he smiled.
"My father says strong leaders always think a lot.
He says that means they care."
Jin looked at the boy. "Do you think I can be a good leader?"
The boy nodded without doubt.
"You saved us. The spider would have eaten us all.
No one else could stop it. But you did.
You are strong. And your heart is strong too."
The words felt warm in Jin's chest.
He didn't know how to answer.
So he just nodded.
The boy stood up and smiled again.
"I will follow you forever, Stone Lord. Even if you're quiet, or tired, or thinking too much.
You're our leader now."
Then he ran off toward the village.
Jin watched him go.
His chest felt heavy… but also full.
Maybe he didn't ask to be a ruler.
But maybe that didn't matter.
Maybe all a good ruler needed… was the will to protect.
And Jin had that.
He stood up slowly, his stone feet pressing into the earth.
"I may not be perfect," he thought, "but I won't let them down."
He turned and walked back toward the village.
A protector.
A leader.
A reluctant ruler… becoming something more.
Night came quietly.
The sky turned dark blue, and the stars slowly appeared above the trees.
A small fire crackled in the center of the village. Its warm light danced on the faces of the lizardmen.
They sat in a circle around it, silent at first, just listening to the wind and the sounds of the forest.
Jin Haru sat with them, silent too.
He looked around.
These people were once strangers. Now, they were his followers.
Some still had bandages on their arms or legs. Others helped cook meat over the fire.
They were calm now, safe—for the first time in a long time.
The fire popped softly. Sparks floated up into the night.
Then, the lizardman chieftain leaned forward.
"Stone Lord," he said, his voice low but full of respect, "may I ask something important?"
Jin nodded slowly. "Yes. What is it?"
The chieftain looked into the flames. "We have no names."
Jin blinked. "No names?"
"We were born in fear. Raised in hiding. We lived with numbers and marks."
He held up his arm and showed a scar that looked like a symbol.
"Names are sacred. Only those we trust deeply can give us one."
Another lizardman spoke up. She was young, with green scales and golden eyes.
"When you saved us, we felt something… something holy. Like a god touching our hearts."
More lizardmen nodded.
"To be named by you," the chieftain said, "would mean you accept us. As people. As your people."
Jin stared into the fire.
He had never thought about names being sacred.
In his old world, names were simple. Just something parents gave their kids.
But here… it was different.
Giving a name meant giving meaning.
Giving worth.
Jin looked at them.
So many pairs of eyes waited. Not demanding—just hoping.
He picked up a stick and poked the fire gently.
"…What kind of names do you want?" he asked.
The young lizardman boy from before, the one who called him "Stone Lord," smiled brightly.
"Anything! If it comes from you, it's special!"
Jin felt warmth in his chest again. A deep warmth—not from fire, but from connection.
He nodded slowly.
"Alright," he said, voice firm. "I will give you names."
There was a pause. A silence.
Then cheers. Soft but full of joy.
The lizardmen clapped, tails thumping the ground, faces glowing with happiness.
They didn't want riches or land.
They didn't ask for power.
They only wanted a name.
To feel like they belonged.
Jin looked around the fire, heart heavy with something new.
Not fear.
Not pressure.
But responsibility… and care.
"I will give you names," he thought, "and I will protect those names."
The fire burned on, strong and steady—like his promise.
The fire was still burning.
The lizardmen were quiet now.
They sat and waited with wide eyes and hopeful hearts.
Jin Haru looked at them carefully.
They had suffered.
They had fought.
Now, they believed in him.
He never asked for this.
He only wanted to stop working.
To be still.
To be like a stone that never moved.
But now he had people looking at him like he was their sun.
"I am not a king," he whispered to himself.
But then… a memory came to his mind.
The day he was reborn in the dungeon.
Alone. Cold. Heavy.
Back then, he thought he had lost everything.
But now…
He stood up slowly, his heavy stone body making a deep sound on the ground.
The firelight made his rocky arms shine like bronze.
"I will give names now," he said.
The lizardmen gasped.
Some placed their hands on their chests in thanks.
Jin pointed to the young boy who called him "Stone Lord."
"You," he said, "are now called Raku."
The boy's golden eyes opened wide.
"Raku…" he repeated in a whisper, like it was magic.
Next, Jin pointed to the female lizardman with green scales.
"You will be Mira."
"Mira…" she said, a small tear falling from her eye.
One by one, Jin gave names.
Simple names.
But filled with care.
"Tor."
"Sena."
"Garn."
"Vela."
"Kiro."
Each time he said a name, something strange happened.
The lizardmen's bodies glowed softly.
Like the name gave them power.
Like the name made them whole.
After twenty names, Jin felt tired.
Not his body—but his soul.
Still, he smiled. Just a little.
The chieftain stepped forward.
"Stone Lord," he said, bowing low.
"Today, you gave us life."
Jin looked at the fire.
It was smaller now.
But still warm.
He wasn't just a golem anymore.
He was something more.
He wasn't just stone.
He had heart.
"I will protect this village," Jin said.
"I will protect all of you."
The lizardmen cheered.
They shouted their names proudly.
For the first time ever, they felt like people.
Jin sat back down.
The stars above twinkled like small lanterns in the sky.
He closed his eyes and whispered,
"I guess I'm not just a stone anymore…"