Haruto came down from the mountain and soon reached a nearby village.
The houses looked old, built from wood and stone, as if they belonged to the age of kingdoms. The streets were simple dirt roads, and the buildings carried the feeling of a medieval world. The village was neither very big nor very small.
At the entrance, Haruto noticed a wooden board standing beside the road. Carved on it was a single word:
Himeno.
"So this village is called Himeno," Haruto murmured to himself.
He looked around carefully, observing the village from end to end. The buildings, though old, had a certain charm. Smoke rose from chimneys, and a few villagers moved about with baskets or tending small gardens. The air smelled faintly of wood smoke and fresh bread.
"Let's see what this place has," he said, stepping forward.
He walked through the streets quietly, scanning every corner. After exploring for a while, he shrugged.
"I see everything… but there's nothing interesting for me," he muttered.
Suddenly—a delicious smell flowed through the air. Haruto stopped walking. His nose twitched, catching the scent immediately. He turned his head and saw a line of food stalls set up along the main street. Steam rose from pans, and sizzling sounds filled the air.
"Oh… I see," he said with a small grin. His stomach growled loudly.
"Okay. Let's eat some food."
Haruto was a foodie, after all. He walked toward a stall and ordered every type of meat they had. Some dishes came with vegetables on the side. Haruto frowned.
"I don't like vegetables at all," he muttered, ignoring them as he dug into the meat. Within minutes, he finished everything. Then he moved to the next stall. And then the next.
Flashback
Haruto and Kusakabe were sitting inside a small restaurant.
"So, Haruto, what do you want to eat?" Kusakabe asked, looking at the menu.
"Any type of meat with cheese," Haruto replied immediately. "Without vegetables."
Kusakabe raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you eat vegetables? You're pretty smart, you know. Eating vegetables is a good thing."
"I know vegetables are good," Haruto said calmly. "I just don't like eating them."
Kusakabe made a weird face. "…Whatever."
End of Flashback
After visiting every food stall in the village, Haruto suddenly realized something.
"…Ah."
He checked the pouch on his belt. Empty.
"I used all the money Raichi gave me," he sighed.
He paused, noticing the villagers passing by, chatting and going about their lives. "I'm surprised I can understand their language… and they can understand mine too," he said softly.
But the real question on his mind was different.
"How did my father know about this world?"
He shook his head. "Whatever."
If he wanted to survive here, he needed money.
"So I guess I should find a job," he muttered.
Haruto started looking around the village for someone who might help him. But nobody seemed like the right person to ask. Then he noticed something. A group of boys were surrounding someone.
Haruto walked a little closer.
The boys were bullying a girl—an elf girl. She looked around the same age as Haruto. Seeing her suddenly reminded him of something.
Flashback
"Hey, Haruto! Do you want to hear a story?" Kusakabe asked eagerly.
"I don't have time to hear your stupid child stories," Haruto replied.
"No, please listen just once," Kusakabe pleaded.
Haruto sighed. "I know it will be cringe… but fine."
Kusakabe smiled excitedly. "So in this story, a boy has many problems. He travels to many places searching for solutions but can't find any. Then one day he meets an elf. The elf tells him the answer to his problems, and after that he lives happily."
Haruto stared at him. "What type of children's story is this?"
"What do you mean? It's a great story! I read it online!"
"I'm sure it was made by AI," Haruto said bluntly.
Kusakabe froze like a stone statue.
"…What does the story even teach us?" Haruto asked.
"Maybe it means if we meet an elf, we can solve our problems?"
"Stupid answer again," Haruto muttered.
Kusakabe immediately started hitting Haruto playfully in anger.
End of Flashback
Haruto looked at the elf girl again. "This makes no sense," he muttered. "But if there's even a 0.1% chance it could be true… I should try."
After all, his father's stories about Tenzu had turned out to be real.
Haruto walked toward the group of boys.
"What's your problem?" one of them asked, stepping forward aggressively.
"Actually," Haruto said quietly, "I want you guys to leave this girl alone."
"Who the hell are you for her?" another boy asked.
"Does that even matter?" Haruto replied calmly.
The boys looked confused.
"Instead of asking that," Haruto continued, "shouldn't you think about what you're doing to her?"
Their faces twisted with anger.
"You fucking bastard!" one shouted.
One of them rushed forward and threw a punch. Haruto dodged easily. The boy attacked again. Haruto grabbed his hand and tightened his grip.
Crack.
The boy screamed. The others attacked together. Haruto stood calmly, moving with precision and skill. Ten minutes later—every boy was lying on the ground. Haruto brushed off his clothes.
After all, he had been a professional combat fighter in his world.
He walked toward the elf girl.
"Uh… Miss, are you okay?" Haruto asked calmly.
"Uh… yeah," she replied.
"Hey, miss, could you please help me?" he asked.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"Actually, I am searching for a person who can tell me where I can find a job," he explained.
The girl stared at him in shock. She had just watched him destroy a whole gang alone. She looked completely panicked.
"I guess Kusakabe's story really was stupid," Haruto thought.
He turned around to leave.
"Wait!" the girl called out.
Haruto stopped.
"My uncle and aunt might help you," she said nervously. "If you want… you can come to my house."
Haruto thought for a moment. "…Okay. If you don't mind."
They started walking together. After some time, Haruto noticed something—she hadn't spoken at all.
"So… Miss, what's your name?" he asked.
"Huh? Just call me Elina," she replied softly.
Elina
After a while, they arrived at her house. Elina opened the door and asked Haruto to sit at the dining table. A few minutes later, her aunt and uncle came.
"Thank you for helping Elina," her aunt said.
"Thanks from my side too," her uncle added.
"You're welcome," Haruto replied. "But actually, I have a request."
"We'll help," the uncle said, "but first tell us where you came from."
Haruto hesitated. He couldn't reveal he was from another world. Because Haruto wasn't sure how the local Tenzu people would react to such a concept.
"I'm from another village," Haruto said. "I'm an adventurer. My father left years ago, and I came here while searching for him."
"What is your father's name?" the aunt asked.
"Haruno Tabata."
Both of them looked shocked.
"Haruno… wait. I think we know someone with that name," the uncle said.
"As I thought… Father really came here," Haruto thought silently.
"Elina, bring the photo album," the uncle said.
Elina brought it. The uncle flipped through the pages and finally showed Haruto a photo.
Haruto frowned. There were two men in the picture. Strangely, the man who looked like his father wasn't the one they pointed at. Instead, they pointed at the other man.
"But… that's not Haruno," the uncle said. Haruto stayed silent, confused.
"I guess we're misunderstanding something," the uncle added.
Then he asked what Haruto needed. Haruto explained he wanted a job. The uncle thought for a moment.
"I can tell you tomorrow. I'll ask around in the morning."
"I should leave then," Haruto said.
"You can stay here tonight," the uncle replied. Haruto accepted.
Later that evening, Haruto sat outside reading a book about Tenzu. Elina walked over.
"What are you reading?" she asked.
"About Tenzu geography," he replied.
"Oh… okay."
Then Haruto noticed something. Elina was holding a wand. She aimed it at a tree. She spoke a few words. A glowing magic circle appeared around the wand. Then—a water ball shot forward and destroyed the tree.
"Rituals… huh," Haruto whispered to himself.
His father had told him about them. Every person in Tenzu had a special energy called ECO. But they couldn't use it directly. Instead, they used rituals. By focusing ECO and speaking certain words, a ritual circle would appear and convert that energy into power.
"So rituals are this world's power system…" he muttered.
But Haruto himself couldn't use it. ECO only existed in Tenzu people's bodies. Still, he knew a lot about rituals from his father's stories.
So he started teaching Elina.
"Focus your ECO like blood flowing through your body," Haruto explained. "Then expand the ritual circle. A bigger circle means more ECO and a stronger attack."
Elina listened carefully. She was talented and learned quickly. For her, one day of training felt like six months of progress.
Flashback
Kusakabe rushed toward Haruto excitedly.
"Haruto! Look! I got an elf princess card!"
"So what's special about it?" Haruto asked.
"Don't you know? Elves have two special things! First, they have huge magic power and are amazing at magic!"
"And the second?"
Kusakabe grinned. "Female elves usually have extremely attractive bodies. They're hot and sexy as hell!"
"Huh… so you got a hot elf card," Haruto muttered.
End of Flashback
Haruto looked at Elina carefully. "Are elves really that attractive…?"
Elina noticed his stare. Her face turned red. Haruto then quietly admitted something to himself.
"Kusakabe… you were actually right," he thought.
That night, everyone ate dinner together. Haruto asked about Elina's parents. Her aunt answered simply.
"We found Elina near a river when she was little. She's the only elf in this village. That's why people bully her. We don't know who her parents are."
Haruto understood her situation. After the day of training, Haruto and Elina had become good friends.
The next morning, Elina's uncle told Haruto something.
"There's a hunter job in the jungle. You might be able to do that."
Haruto thanked everyone. Then he left the house. And began his journey toward the jungle.