(3rd POV)
Weeks passed, and Nero finally reached the area between the 5th and 6th area. After clearing the 5th area and obtaining another legendary artifact, the Magic Staff, the Hero's party managed to locate the path to the 6th area, where the final Boss is sealed.
In the game, the player needs to cross over or pass through the northern mountains, which lie between the 5th and 6th area. To do so, the Hero must find a hidden tunnel built by one of the previous Hero's descendants, the Shinobi.
In the game, the Hero's party encounters ninjas while searching for the tunnel, and among them is the tenth and last Heroine.
"Halt! State your identity and purpose, or leave."
Nero and Eilania were surrounded by five people dressed in eastern samurai clothing, gripping their katanas as if ready to attack. They could also sense additional figures hidden in the trees—the ninjas. The leader of the group was a young woman wearing a black and white samurai kimono with red lines, pointing her katana at the pair. Nero smiled and raised both hands to show he meant no harm.
"Hello, my name is Nero, and this is my partner, Eilania. We are the Hero's party, and we are looking for the path to the Dark Land."
The Heroine's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but then narrowed. She already knew the time for the final battle was near, as her father, the village chief, had informed her. That's why she joined the patrol squad—to confirm the arrival of the true Hero. She then asked Nero to prove he was indeed the Last Hero.
Nero sighed in annoyance and quickly removed his right glove, revealing the Hero's mark on his hand. The Heroine's eyes widened again, and she swiftly ordered her subordinates to stand down. Her demeanor changed completely as she smiled at them.
"We have been waiting for you, Sir Hero," she said, bowing her head. Her subordinates followed suit.
_________
(Nero)
The Heroine escorted us to her village, hidden in the mountains. While we walked together, she introduced herself as Sakura, the elder daughter of the chief. She also started explaining her village's history and background, but I wasn't paying attention. I already knew all that information.
And also because I'm lazy.
Anyway, if you want the short version of her village's story, here it is:
Back when the past Heroes sealed the End Dragon, one surviving Hero—who wielded a katana—decided to stay in the mountains to block the miasma monsters coming from the north. The north had been corrupted by the End Dragon's energy, causing miasma monsters to appear and attempt to invade the lower regions of the world map. For the past 9,999 years, that Hero's descendants created a village in the mountains to keep the monsters from crossing. Despite the Shinobi continuing to defend the border, they've been struggling recently due to the rising number of monsters—a sign that the seal is about to break. Their mission now is to keep defending the border until the prophesied Hero arrives.
When we reached the village, Sakura led us to her house to meet her father, the village chief. The old man welcomed us warmly and explained the situation within the village and the miasma monsters. After a long conversation, the chief invited me and Eilan to stay at his place for the night to rest. Of course, I accepted, on the condition that my bed must be in the same room as Eilan. The chief's eyes widened in understanding.
But what I'm really excited for tonight isn't just sleeping in the same room as Eilania—it's the hot spring.
In the game, there's a fan-service scene where the Hero relaxes in the hot spring, and the Heroines try to join him, creating a funny, ecchi moment like in some animes. There are multiple pictures of the Hero blushing, trying to cover his face, as the Heroines enter, wrapped in towels. Of course, the developers didn't show much since it's a fantasy game, but there are about 800 different versions of the hot spring scenes, depending on the Heroine's route.
But what excites me the most isn't just being the first player to experience the hot spring scene with beautiful Eilania. It's making Eilan join me and sit next to me!
Yes, you heard me! I won't be like those pathetic, shy, cringe protagonists who blush and scream when they see their favorite woman looking more revealing in front of them.
NO! Instead, I'll just smile at her and stretch out my hand, inviting her to sit next to me.
Like a chad.
*laughing like a perv while imagining it*
So I leaned back at the edge of the hot spring and stretched my arms out as I waited for her.
...
And kept waiting...
...
Still waiting patiently...
...
My mind began to panic, thinking that some "Unknown Force" might have changed this beautiful event that I want.
*click*
Finally! I heard the sliding door to the bath open, and I turned my head to look at the person coming in.
...
...
But there was no one? The door was still closed.
"Wow, this feels amazing."
Just then, I heard Eilan's voice on the other side of the wooden wall. She was in the other bath with Sakura.
"Yep, this hot spring was built 100 years ago. It's the pride of my village."
"I see. But I was hoping to take a bath with Nero," Eilan said in a disappointed tone.
"W-well, you see... In our hot spring tradition, men and women must bathe separately, so they get blessed by good luck. We can't let you break that rule," Sakura explained.
'What kind of BullS**t tradition is that?! There was no such a rule mentioned in the game!' I cursed in my mind, feeling thoroughly annoyed and disappointed.
_________
(3rd POV)
While the two girls were chatting about various topics, Nero sat in the hot spring, biting his hand in frustration as he listened to their conversation.
It turned out that Eilania had planned to join Nero in the hot spring, but Sakura had blocked that opportunity because she wanted to speak with Eilania alone. So, she had forcefully dragged her to the women's section. Sakura was now asking Eilania numerous questions about her life before joining the Hero's party—what life was like outside, her journey, and the adventures she had experienced. Sakura was particularly curious because, like Eilania, she too felt trapped in her village, bound by her duty to protect the border and unable to leave and explore the world.
When she learned that Eilania had lived in a tower for hundreds of years, Sakura felt sorry for her. But she was most interested in hearing about Eilania's travels around the world after she escaped the tower.
"Wow. You've really seen a lot of places," Sakura said, amazed.
"Yeah, and it's all thanks to Nero. He was the one who freed me from the tower," Eilania said softly, looking down with a small smile.
Sakura felt a pang of jealousy as she noticed Eilania blush when she mentioned Nero. When she asked about the ring on Eilania's finger, she initially thought they were married, but Eilania explained that they were only lovers and hadn't taken that step yet.
"You really like him, huh?"
"Yes, I do. To me, Nero is more than just a love partner and companion; he's my savior. If I hadn't met him, or if he had been a different Hero, I might never have left the tower," Eilania said, her smile widening as she spoke. She continued to tell Sakura more about Nero—how she felt about him, how grateful she was to him, and how she had vowed to stay by his side and help him save the world.
"Do you only like him, Miss Eilania?" Sakura asked, curiously.
"Yes, and not just that. I also admire and respect him," Eilania replied with a cheerful voice.
Despite her answer, Sakura had the sense that Eilania's feelings for Nero were more about admiration and reverence than romance.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the hot spring, Nero silently listened to their conversation. His head was lowered, his expression hidden in the shadows. For some reason, he wasn't smiling. Quietly, he stood up and left the hot spring without saying a word.
...
After Eilania finished her bath, she returned to her room, now wearing a blue yukata. When she entered, she noticed two futon beds laid out next to each other. The room was dark because the magic lamp was off.
"Huh!"
Suddenly, she felt someone behind her, wrapping an arms around her waist. She didn't sense any threat and quickly guessed it was Nero.
Nero hugged her from behind, his face buried in her shoulder, without saying a word.
"…Nero?"
As soon as she said his name, Nero pulled her down onto the futons with him, holding her tightly. Eilania's face flushed at Nero's sudden action, especially as his head was now rested between her chest, causing her to blush even more. However, Nero remained silent, continuing to hug her quietly.
After a few minutes, Eilania's heart calmed down as she realized what was happening. Nero was acting like a child who needed comfort. Gently, she stroked his hair and smiled, not bothered by the situation.
'He must be tired,' she thought. But she was wrong.
In reality, Nero wasn't tired. Nor was he in "heat" or any of those things (unfortunately).
__________
(Nero POV)
The reason I was acting this way was because I felt really guilty about how I'd treated Eilan.
After reincarnating into this world and realizing it was based on the game Forever Land, I never treated the people here as real, despite knowing deep down that this was a real world and not just a game. Maybe it was because I could still see my game system settings and items, or maybe it was because the other Heroines behaved so much like their game counterparts, but I started treating this world as a game again.
I guess my mind still views some people here as NPCs, but that's not the real issue. The real problem is my feelings for Eilania.
To me, Eilan was always my favorite character in the game. Even after meeting her in real life, I treated her like a beloved game character and a person, but my feelings for her were more like a fan's love or a player's love—not romantic love.
After hearing her true feelings during her conversation with Sakura, I began to feel regret and angry at myself, remembering all the time we've spent together. We became companions, friends, and eventually lovers, but I finally realized that my feelings for her during our journey were… kind of like when I played the game from a third-person perspective, controlling my avatar.
I felt like I was interacting with Eilania behind a screen's monitor
This realization bothered me deeply, so I tried to recall all of our interactions during our journey. I started to review her character and personality as those of a real person, not a game character.
'It's all because of the Liking Rate.'
I had played Forever Land so much in the past that my mind still treated this world like a game.
I tightened my embrace around Eilan, feeling her warm body, her scent, her skin, her breath, and her heartbeat.
She is real—a real person with a physical body and emotions, not a game character!
Just then, I felt a hand on my head, stroking my hair.
"It's okay, Nero," she said softly.
Ugh, I feel like I might cry for some stupid reason. I don't know if I can hold myself back with all this warmth.
I glanced at the Liking Rate for the last time.
[Liking Rate: 95%]
'Tch. So annoying.'
I decided to turn off the notification completely. I didn't need to see it anymore.
[Switch Off!]
After that, I fell asleep, still hugging Eilania.
…
[96%]
________
(3rd POV)
The next morning, Nero and Eilania headed to speak with the village chief again, this time accompanied by Sakura, who walked behind them with a nervous expression. The reason for her nervousness stemmed from the previous night, when she unknowingly triggered Eilania's yandere side during their conversation in the hot spring.
Last night in the onsen:
"Haha, I totally understand your feelings. If it were me, I'd fall in love with him too. After all, he's handsome and—"
Sakura had been joking at the time, but the moment she praise the Hero, she felt a cold, dark aura emanating from Eilania, who was smiling, but not in a pleasant way.
From that point on, Sakura stopped talking about Nero around her.
Back to the present:
The village chief agreed to help the Hero and explained the history of the secret tunnel. He revealed that the Shinobi's founder, one of the past Heroes, had created and later sealed the tunnel leading to the north.
For over 9,999 years, the Founder continued to guard the tunnel, preventing the miasma monsters from passing through—even after his death. His body became an undead being due to a curse he placed on himself, transforming him into an immortal samurai.
"'Only the true Hero can defeat me.' That was his final statement before passing away and becoming undead," the chief explained.
After hearing the chief's explanation (which Nero already knew, thanks to his knowledge of the game), Nero and Eilania prepared to leave the village. Sakura was assigned to accompany them as their guide. Her father, the chief, gave her the mission of escorting the Hero's party to where the founder awaited.
The three of them departed the village and headed toward the mountains, with Sakura leading the way. After some time, they reached the entrance of the tunnel hidden under the mountain. They entered the tunnel and soon arrived at a vast cave with a wide field. In the middle of the field, a figure knelt on the ground, clad in samurai armor and wearing an oni mask.
[Boss: The Undead Hero, Shiroi Kaze]
Opposite the tunnel entrance lay another tunnel that would lead to the Dark Land.
Without saying much, Nero quickly leaped into the field, ready to challenge the boss. Eilania stood behind, next to Sakura, who had dumbfounded expression.
"W-wait! Don't you need to prepare first?" Sakura shouted, alarmed by Nero's reckless approach, but he ignored her, continuing to walk toward the boss with his sword unsheathed.
"Aren't you going to help him?" Sakura asked, turning to Eilania, who stood calmly with her arms crossed.
"No need. Nero can handle it alone," she said confidently, a wide smile on her face.
Despite Eilania's confidence, Sakura remained worried. The undead hero, Shiroi Kaze, was incredibly powerful. None of Sakura's clan had been able to defeat him, not even her.
In the past, the most skilled warriors of the Shinobi clan had faced the undead hero in training, including Sakura herself. She had personally experienced the boss's overwhelming strength. Even when the best Shinobi warriors formed teams, they were met with defeat every time.
As Sakura began to observe Nero's duel, she was stunned by what she saw.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Nero was evading and parrying the boss's attacks effortlessly, as if it were nothing. Meanwhile, the undead hero was taking damage from Nero's swift counterattacks.
Although Sakura couldn't see the details clearly due to the speed of their movements, she could tell that Nero was dominating the fight.
In just five minutes, the battle was over. The boss fell to the ground, defeated.
Sakura stood frozen in place, her jaw dropped in shock. Eilania, however, ran to Nero with excitement to congratulate him on his victory.
__________
(Nero POV)
After sheathing my sword, I exhaled deeply. Defeating the boss had been much harder than I expected. After all, this is the real world, not a game. You can't help but feel exhausted after a tough fight.
"Nero!"
I smiled as I watched Eilania run toward me, her face beaming with excitement.
After defeating the Undead Hero, I completed the heroine's quest and received the rewards. One of them was the last legendary artifact—the Bow.
We then made our way toward the other tunnel, the one that led to the north.
"Well, I guess this is where we part ways," I said, looking back at Sakura, who wore a troubled expression.
Although I had turned off the Liking Rate notification, I could tell she wanted to join us.
"Can I—"
Before she could finish, I cut her off.
"Miss Sakura, now that the Shinobi ancestor is gone, more monsters might come through here. So…" I placed my hand on her shoulder and smiled.
"Please, make sure you and your people guard the entrance until Eilania and I succeed in taking down the End Dragon," I said, my face serious.
Hearing my request, her eyes widened in surprise, and then she quickly shook her head, giving me a determined look.
"Don't worry. I will make sure no threats pass the border. You have my word, Sir Hero!" she said, clasping her hands together in a gesture of respect.
I smiled and nodded at her.
"Well then, we'll be leaving now."
I waved goodbye to her, and Eilania did the same, though with a much colder expression.
And with that, Eilania and I departed through the tunnel to the north, heading toward the Dark Land, where the Final Boss awaited.
*******