The first thing I felt was warmth. Then pain. Then the distinct realization that I was horizontal on something very soft and embarrassingly comfortable.
My eyes cracked open.
Wooden ceiling. Faint floral scent. Chirping birds. Yep. Still in the treehouse.
"He's alive," came a voice that sounded far too amused to belong in any respectable place of healing.
I groaned. "Did anyone get the number of the mana truck that ran me over?"
Yoruha chuckled from the doorway, arms crossed. Her now-silver hair was tied back again, and she wore that same smug grin from the banquet. "You passed out. Again."
"How long?"
"Three days."
Another voice chimed in, deeper, smugger, and ten times more annoying.
"Frankly, we thought you were in a coma. I started preparing your funeral speech. It was beautiful. Very dramatic. Lots of crying."
Minamoto strolled in with a bowl of fruit in one hand and a stick of jerky in the other.
"You guys have no chill," I muttered, rubbing my eyes. "Seriously? A coma joke?"
"Hey, I held a vigil. Lit some candles. Sang a song," Minamoto said, mock-serious. "Yoruha cried."
"Did not," she snapped.
"She whispered your name in her sleep."
"That was to tell you to shut up."
I sighed and sat up, letting the blanket fall to my lap. My body still felt like someone had tried to use it as a mana battery.
"So, naming a whole village? Not my brightest idea."
"You don't say," Yoruha replied, arching an eyebrow. "You turned purple. Literally."
"I thought you were evolving into an eggplant," Minamoto added.
"Oh good," I said. "Glad I could provide amusement while I was dying."
"You're our king. It's your royal duty to entertain us," Yoruha said, barely keeping a straight face.
"Remind me to start executing people later."
After more teasing—and several thinly veiled death threats from me—I finally got to eat.
A steaming bowl of rice porridge, fresh fruits, some grilled meat, and a weird leafy tea that tasted like mint and pain.
"You could've at least brought me pancakes," I mumbled.
"This is sacred healing food," Yoruha said.
"Tastes like boiled discipline."
"Fitting, coming from someone who face-planted into the ground after a magical naming spree," Minamoto said between bites.
"You know, for a guy I named out of respect, you sure talk a lot of trash."
He smirked. "That's because I was hoping you'd name me something dumb. Like Sprinkles."
"Tempting," I muttered.
Yoruha sat across from me, sipping her tea with a calm look that absolutely screamed waiting to judge you.
"So," she said, "what's next for the mighty heir of the forest? Planning to sleep for another week, or…?"
I set my bowl down. "Actually, I want to visit the capital of the nearest country."
They both blinked.
Minamoto raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because," I said, stretching my arms, "I haven't seen a single human since I got to this world. Not one. I'm surrounded by pointy ears and glowing eyes."
"Racist," Yoruha said flatly.
"Culturally observant," I corrected. "And besides, I need to understand the world beyond this forest. Politics, power structures, threats. I can't rule anything if I don't know what I'm up against."
"So you admit you're ruling," Minamoto said, smirking.
"Shut up."
Yoruha folded her arms. "You're not going alone."
"I am," I replied.
"You're not," she insisted.
Minamoto nodded. "At least take us with. You nearly died from naming people. If someone stabs you, you'll probably pass out from paper cuts."
"Look at you two," I said with mock surprise. "Concerned. Protective. Is that… a soft spot I see? Do you care about me?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Yoruha muttered, cheeks tinting slightly.
"I just want to see you get punched by a noble," Minamoto said. "It'll be great entertainment."
"Touching. Really. But I'm going alone," I said, finishing my tea with finality. "I need to learn how to move without a babysitter."
They didn't like it, but after more arguing, they relented. Sort of.
---
"You want to WHAT?!"
Elder Nyasha's teacup shattered in her hand.
I took a cautious step back. "Visit the capital. You know, for… educational reasons."
The Elder burst into tears.
Yoruha blinked. "Wait, is she actually crying?"
Minamoto whispered, "She hasn't cried since the Great Squirrel Uprising. This is bad."
"My lord wishes to leave us," the Elder sobbed. "And we can do nothing but watch him go! The forest will be silent without his presence!"
"Okay, that's dramatic," I said.
She ignored me and continued, eyes glistening with emotion.
"Quick! Call the villagers! Prepare the farewell ceremony! Bring the drums!"
"What ceremony?!" I shouted.
"The one befitting a king's departure!"
---
An hour later, I stood at the village gates.
There were banners.
Drummers.
Flower girls.
A choir of small children sang a ballad I was ninety-nine percent sure had been written twenty minutes ago.
Villagers lined the paths, sobbing and waving and throwing petals.
"LONG LIVE KAITO-SAMA!"
"MAY YOUR FOOTSTEPS SHAPE THE WORLD!"
"RETURN TO US AS AN EMPEROR!"
"STOP! I JUST WANT TO SEE HUMANS!" I yelled over the noise.
Someone threw a crown of vines on my head.
Minamoto leaned in. "You look majestic."
"I'm going to scream."
Yoruha grinned. "You deserve this."
"For what?!"
"For giving me a name. And for being a pain."
"I hate all of you," I growled.
Elder Nyasha appeared, holding a staff decorated with feathers and magical charms. She raised it high.
"Let the stars watch over our sovereign! Go forth, and tame the world, O child of Ashryn!"
"I'M GOING TO THE CAPITAL, NOT TO WAR!"
Petals swirled. Drums pounded. Children wept. Villagers bowed so low their foreheads kissed the earth.
And me?
I ran.
Full speed. No looking back. I leapt over the flower arrangements, dodged the emotional farewells, and bolted down the path with the fury of a man chased by sentimentality.
Behind me, Minamoto shouted, "RUN, FOREST KING, RUN!"
Yoruha's laughter echoed through the trees.
And I ran faster.
Because if there was one thing I knew now, it was that power didn't scare me. But emotional villagers absolutely did.
---
The forest air was crisp, the morning sun filtering through the branches like golden threads. Birds chirped, leaves rustled, and I walked along a dirt path singing loudly.
"Nobody knows who I really am~!" I belted, grinning like a madman.
Yes, I was singing Life is Like a Boat. Yes, the theme from Bleach. Yes, in a magical world where nobody would understand the reference.
My only regret was that I didn't have background music.
It had been four days since I left the village, and I was almost at the Capital.
I twirled Moonrend in my hand, letting the blade catch the light, then kicked a rock off the path. I was feeling good.
Too good.
That's when it hit me.
A ripple in mana. Followed by shouting.
I stopped, ears twitching. "…Screams."
"Yin," I muttered. "Give me a read."
"Multiple life signatures. High mana activity. Eight magical beasts. Three carriages. Combat ongoing."
I dashed toward the sound, weaving through trees with reckless speed. Branches whipped past me. My blood ran hot.
As I burst into the clearing, I saw it:
Three carriages in a half-circle. A group of armored knights forming a desperate shield wall. And behind them—
A girl.
Maybe twelve. Dressed in royal blue with silver trim. Blonde curls, faintly glowing eyes, and a thin rapier clutched in both hands.
Yin chimed in. "Mana signature confirms: she is of royal blood. Estimated identity—Third Princess of the capital you're traveling to."
"Wonderful," I muttered. "Can't go anywhere without tripping into royalty."
The knights were overwhelmed. Magical beasts of all kinds surged forward, claws, fangs, elemental bursts. The forest had gone berserk.
I didn't hesitate.
Moonrend came alive in my hands.
I charged.
A flaming leopard lunged at a knight—I intercepted mid-air, slashing it clean in half.
"Skill Plundered: Flame Hide."
A manticore swung its tail—I dodged, stepped behind it, and sliced through the spine.
"Skill Plundered: Poison Quill."
I moved like lightning, blending Fog Walk and Spinal Reflex, dismantling the horde. Sparks flew, beasts fell, and my presence pushed back the tide.
When the last beast hit the dirt, I sheathed Moonrend.
Silence.
The knights were stunned. The princess stared.
I turned casually, brushing blood from my sleeve. "You good, kid?"
She blinked, then stepped forward. "Y-Yes… thank you, sir. I—"
CRACK!
Something slammed into my ribs.
I was airborne before I registered it, crashing into a bunch of trees before slamming into a giant boulder.
"WHAT. THE. HELL."
I coughed.
Boots landed in front of me.
A girl. Black hair, cut short, wind-swept. Cool eyes. Legendary-class sword or higher crackling with runes in her right hand.
She was glowing faintly. A Saint.
"You dare threaten the princess, Demon?"
"…Lady, I just saved her life."
"You expect me to believe that?"
She didn't listen.
She raised her blade.
Oh. Great.
A Saint. Of course. A demon's weakness.
The Saint stepped closer. "Ready yourself, Demon."
I rolled my eyes.
"And I was almost at the Capital too."
And the fight was on.