Chapter 354: What's Your Name?
The sudden intruder was a young girl with chestnut-black hair tied into a single ponytail. Though not the stunning beauty that would take one's breath away, she had a fresh and lively charm about her.
Roy's gaze lingered on the girl—not because of her appearance, but because of what she was wearing.
She was draped in a heavy cloak, much like the magical robes from modern fantasy. Through its gaps, Roy noticed something astonishing: the girl was dressed in what amounted to a bikini—a pair of denim shorts below and a scant wrap around her chest. This attire was utterly out of place in this otherworldly setting, resembling more the swimwear one might see at a modern Earth beach.
"Master, we're too~ late!"
Upon seeing the corpses and severed limbs strewn across the ground, the girl gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
"What do you mean, too late?!"
A male voice came from behind her. The man stumbled into view, panting heavily—clearly not in the best shape, given how winded he was from the run.
Frugel's heart turned cold.
He had been traveling with his disciple to the capital of the Lionheart Kingdom, Lugunica. While chatting in a tavern, he'd overheard rumors about nobles planning to capture a half-elf in the slums, prompting him to rush here to help.
Frugel had a secret: he wasn't from this world. Originally a newly hired office worker from Japan, he had stepped out for a meal one day only to encounter what seemed like a spatial rift. In the blink of an eye, he found himself in another world.
"Frugel" wasn't his real name. Before his corporate life, he had been an otaku like many Japanese students, devouring anime and isekai novels. After overcoming the initial shock of his sudden transmigration, curiosity took over, and he even began to fancy himself the protagonist of some grand adventure.
Luck had been on his side. He had arrived in this world deep within a forest—home to the elves. Though they weren't particularly welcoming, they provided him with basic necessities and knowledge about this strange new world.
From there, Frugel began wandering the continent, treating it like an extended sightseeing trip. Along the way, he met many people, learned various skills, and even rescued the ponytailed girl now standing before him, taking her on as his disciple. His solitary journey had since become a duo.
As an otherworlder, Frugel harbored no prejudice against mixed-blood beings. The elves' early assistance had left him with a favorable impression of them, so when he heard about a half-elf in mortal danger in Lugunica's capital, he and his disciple had rushed here without hesitation.
But judging by his disciple's exclamation and the earlier screams... had they truly arrived too late? Had tragedy already befallen the half-elf?
Trembling with fear, Frugel peeked out from behind his disciple. When he saw the gruesome and bloody scene ahead, he immediately covered his mouth, vomiting up his breakfast.
"Ugh—wah—"
Frugel bent over, retching. He wasn't unfamiliar with death—in this otherworld resembling medieval Europe, corpses weren't uncommon. But he had never witnessed such a horrifically mangled sight before.
His timing for transmigrating here had been fortunate. Over the past few decades, there had been no large-scale wars, so Frugel had never experienced the suffering of the masses or the bloody carnage of battlefields.
Shattered bodies, flesh torn by jagged teeth, a severed head with snapped spine lying in the mud—its facial features already rotted yet still conveying terror through the mangled mess. Entrails, stomachs, and other organs were strewn across the dirt, while the air carried a nauseating metallic stench.
This was practically a slaughterhouse!
"Master, are you alright?"
The ponytailed girl, Shaula, hurried to Frugel's side, patting his back with concern.
"I-I'm fine... just wasted my breakfast. Aren't you scared? Doesn't this make you sick?"
Frugel couldn't help asking, feeling ashamed that as a master, he was less composed than his disciple.
But what could he do? As a modern person, he'd never encountered anything like this!
"Ah, it's not too bad. A bit queasy, but not as terrifying as I imagined."
Shaula replied cheerfully and carefreely, giving Frugel's back another hearty pat that nearly made him vomit again.
"You're really thick-skinned..."
Frugel muttered, finally feeling somewhat better as he straightened up warily to scan the surroundings.
Who knew if the perpetrator behind this horror was still nearby?
When Frugel raised his head, his vision was completely filled by a single figure.
A slender, silver-haired beauty with pointed elven ears. Her delicate features were elegant without being coquettish, and her large amethyst eyes—bright and clear—were set perfectly in her flawless jade-like face. In that moment, Frugel felt his heartbeat slow by two beats, his vision narrowing until nothing else existed but her. The girl's figure had completely captured his heart.
.....
Frugel knew he was smitten. That sour-sweet sensation called love left him weak all over.
He stepped forward, about to say something, when his body instinctively shivered—as if some indescribable, terrifying presence had fixed its gaze upon him.
Shifting his eyes, he noticed the figure standing beside the half-elf who had stolen his heart. The moment his gaze landed on this person, Frugel was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of unworthiness. His mind cleared instantly, and his infatuation with the silver-haired half-elf quickly receded, hidden away in a corner of his heart.
Roy studied the master-disciple pair before him.
The newcomer had an ordinary face, much like the girl with the ponytail, and he too wore a cloak that seemed tailored for a mage. However, though his looks were unremarkable, his attire was rather flamboyant—how to describe it? It was akin to the vibe of those male hosts soliciting customers in Kabukichō, Tokyo.
'Love at first sight?'
Roy was all too familiar with the look the man was giving Satella. He wondered if he had disrupted some destined encounter.
Beneath that cloak, the newcomer was dressed in modern clothing—a brown wool sweater and dark brown trousers, complete with a belt, something definitely not found in this otherworld.
"Your name?"
Roy suddenly spoke up.
Flugel froze in place, staring at Roy in disbelief—because Roy had addressed him in English!