The Final Battle of Takeda Maeda Japan was nearly united under his banner, but one great battle remained. Enemies came from all directions. His soldiers fell one by one.

  Maeda stood alone, surrounded by foes. His body was covered in wounds, and his armor was cracked. He planted a bloodstained flag into the ground, bearing the words "Fūrinkazan."

  "If I must die today... then let me die standing!"

  He fought until his last breath. But his body gave out. His vision blurred. The world turned dark.

  As his body fell, the earth beneath him trembled strangely. A sound like an ancient chant echoed faintly.

  A portal of light engulfed his body, and his soul was pulled into another world, "I'll give you time" A girl's voice sounded in my ears.

  When Maeda awoke, he was lying deep within a forest near a lake.

  "You're finally awake mister" said the voice of a girl near his ear.

  I turned toward the voice and saw a beautiful young woman with long, flowing hair—dark blue fading to soft pink at the tips. Her eyes were clear and radiant like the surface of a morning lake. Her skin shimmered slightly with fine scales along her neck and arms, and behind her, a large betta fish-like tail glowed in hues of blue and pink.

  "W-who are you?" I stood up and took a step back, instinctively reaching for my sword—

  Only then did I realize it was gone. My armor, my belongings—everything had vanished.

  All that remained was a set of tattered clothes hanging on my body.

  “I-I’m sorry, but you just recovered. Please lie down again. T-this is the Peniculc Forest. I was on my way home after swimming in the lake to refresh myself when I saw you lying unconscious. Your body was covered in wounds, so I healed you with my magic,” she spoke at length, her face blushing.

  I sighed and took a few steps toward her.

  “I-I didn’t do anything to you, please forgive me,” she said, panicking.

  I bowed my body. “Forgive my rudeness, and thank you for the healing you did for me,” I said, still bowing in her direction.

  “P-please raise your head. Y-you still need to rest,” she spoke to me with a stutter.

  “Thank you for your offer, but I must return to the battlefield. I need to end it once and for all,” I said and started to walk away. But then my legs gave out. I collapsed. “Aghh—”

  “S-sir, please rest a little longer, your body is still weak.”

  “N-no... I can still... walk on my own two feet,” I replied while trying to walk, step by step.

  Then, I felt a warm hug from behind—a hug I had longed for. A hug that brought comfort.

  “If you’re going to leave... take me with you. I have nowhere else to go. I lied about going home... I was just wandering through this forest. My village was destroyed. Humans invaded us that day. My friends... my family... they’re gone. Some were killed, others enslaved. I managed to escape, but I realize now... I can’t keep running forever. Take me with you. I want to become strong,” her voice rang in my ears—a young girl trying to become strong too quickly because of the fate she was given.

  I turned to face her and said,

  “Alright, little girl. Come with me. I don’t really know this place either. Maybe you can help me. My name is Takeda Maeda,” I said as I gently patted her head.

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  “Thank you, Master Maeda. My name is Mirelle. Please take care of me. A-and please don’t treat me too much like a child... it’s embarrassing,” she said to me.

  Then, we walked together in search of a way out of the Peniculc Forest.

  “By the way, Master Maeda, where are you from? You mentioned a battlefield earlier,” Mirelle asked me.

  “I’m from Nagano, a city in Japan,” I answered.

  “Japan? Nagano? I don’t know of any place like that in this world,” she replied, confused.

  “Well, I’ve never heard of a forest named Peniculc or beings like you in my world either,” I answered, equally confused.

  "Maybe it’s just my lack of knowledge about this world, but... how did I get here? I should be dead," I said while looking around.

  Then I spotted a village in the distance.

  "Hey, there’s a small village over there. Let’s go, Mirelle."

  "Yes, Master Maeda," she replied.

  Once we arrived, I asked the locals about the name of this village.

  "E-excuse me, sir. What’s the name of this place?"

  "This is Meirose Village, located in the southern part of this world."

  "Do you happen to know a place called Japan?"

  "I don’t believe there’s any place by that name in this world."

  "Alright, thank you for the information, sir." I then walked back to Mirelle.

  "How did it go, Master?" Mirelle asked me.

  "This village is called Meirose, but people here say there’s no such place as Japan," I replied, then looked down at a puddle beneath me and saw my reflection.

  "Huh? Eeehh? I look younger? What’s going on?" I muttered in confusion.

  "What do you mean, Master? That’s how your face looked when I found you," Mirelle responded.

  "Does that mean I’ve been reincarnated into this world? So this is another world?" I wondered to myself.

  "Alright then, let’s save this world too!" I shouted, raising my right hand high.

  "Huh? Save it from what, Master?" Mirelle asked me with a puzzled expression.

  "First, let’s find a way to make some money. Then, we’ll buy food. And lastly, we need to find a place to stay. Maybe one room at an inn will be enough. You don’t mind sharing a room with me, do you?" I asked her.

  "E-Eh? O-one room with Master...? I-I don’t mind..." she replied in a soft voice, blushing.

  "Alright then, let’s begin our adventure!" I said to her with enthusiasm.

  We walked around the village looking for work, asking here and there.

  "Well, I’m currently looking for someone to escort me in delivering these medicines to the next village. Would you be willing to help me? Of course, there will be fair compensation—1 gold coin for the round trip," an old man offered us a job.

  "I'm still not very familiar with the financial system here. Could you explain it to me, sir?" I asked, just to confirm the reward.

  "In this world, 1 gold coin is worth 100 silver coins, and 100 silver coins equal 10,000 copper coins. I believe that would be enough to cover your living expenses for over a month at a low-class inn," the old man replied.

  "Alright, I’ll accept your offer, sir," I answered.

  "Very well, hop on my carriage now. My name is Cursdorf," the old man said.

  "My name is Takeda Maeda, and this is my student, Mirelle," I introduced us, then boarded the carriage.

  As we got in...

  "Hey, Master Maeda, what kind of creature is pulling the cart?" Mirelle asked me.

  "Excuse me, Mr. Cursdorf, what kind of animal is this?" I asked him.

  "Animal? Hahaha, this is no mere animal. This is a beast—and mine is a rare species. This is a Herschdorf, a beast that resembles a bison and has been passed down from my ancestors, you can just call it Hersch" he replied.

  "Seems like it's quite helpful to you," I said to Mr. Cursdorf, noticing Mirelle’s very curious eyes.

  On the way, Mr. Cursdorf’s Hersch suddenly reacted—it stopped and looked around.

  "What’s going on with Hersch, Mr. Cursdorf?" I asked.

  "This is strange... He usually reacts to monsters nearby, but this time it’s different. He wants to save something," Mr. Cursdorf replied.

  "Go, Hersch. Show us where you want to go," he commanded. The beast then dashed forward, pulling us behind him toward a waterfall.

  When we arrived at the waterfall, we saw a young Herschdorf being attacked by Goblins.

  Cursdorf’s Hersch stomped its front legs powerfully into the ground, causing tremors.

  Mirelle and I jumped down from the carriage, and suddenly she shouted,

  "STOP IT, YOU DAMN GOBLINS!"

  I was shocked to hear her scream like that—Mirelle, who had always been timid and stiff, was now yelling bravely.

  "Looks like you’ve taken your first step, little betta fish lady," I said to her.

  "Don’t treat me like a child!" she replied with a bright red gave.

  “So that creature is called a goblin, huh? Mirelle, do you want to save that little Herschdorf? Then watch how I fight,” I said to her before rushing toward the goblins.

  “Heheh! Stupid human! Hand over the old man, the Herschdorf, and that fish girl! We’re hungry!” the goblin shouted at me.

  “Hahaha... not bad. But I’ve stepped over more corpses than the number of teeth you have. Listen closely... I am Takeda Maeda, descendant of generals. I’ve already died once—and I’m not afraid to die again.”

  “Shut up, lowly human! Graaahhh!!” the goblins yelled as they charged at me.

  As one goblin lunged at me from the air, I dodged swiftly.

  “Move like the wind...” I whispered, then struck its heart precisely with my fingers.

  “...Still like the forest.”

  “Behind the tree, Master Maeda!” Mirelle shouted.

  I grabbed a dagger from the goblin’s corpse and threw it toward the goblin hiding behind the tree.

  “Strike like fire...”

  One goblin, terrified, tried to flee.

  “W-What are you?! A monster?!”

  It slipped and fainted on the spot.

  “And stand firm like a mountain,” I said, ending the battle.

  “How was that, Mirelle? You’re not hurt, are you?” I asked as I walked back toward her.

  “You’re amazing, Master Maeda. I’m totally fine!” she replied enthusiastically.

  “I’m glad. Because in battle, it’s not about how many you can kill... but about how few you let hurt the ones you wish to protect,” I said to her.

  “Understood, Master Maeda. But we have to save the little Herschdorf!” Mirelle responded and ran toward the injured beast.

  “Wait, Mirelle! That beast might—”

  Before I could finish my sentence, Mr. Cursdorf patted me on the shoulder and said,

  “Herschdorfs won’t harm those they recognize as their masters.”

  I turned back to look—Mirelle was already healing the little Herschdorf with her magic.

  "Well, I guess they’ll get along just fine," I replied to Mr. Cursdorf.