A/N:
I'm thinking of dropping this now.
Seriously? No comments, no support, nothing? Yeah, I don't ask for everyone to just start rimming my ass, but still—not even a 'TFTC'?
20k words, and a pitiful number of readers... Okay, I'm a newbie with low skills, and yeah, I know this isn't a story with a grand fanbase or anything, but still.
***
Among the vast amount of knowledge and fanfics Damon had read—or rather, the ones that were uploaded to him—he always questioned how a protagonist should approach other characters.
Most of the time, it was just the man directly approaching the characters he knew of and mouthing their deepest secrets right to their faces.
Sometimes they would force them into contracts physically.
Sometimes they would win them over with money, sometimes by solving a crisis that lasted an entire volume.
There were various ways to approach characters and make them work for the MC. But what was the best?
Was it direct communication? Was it blackmail? Or was it threatening them?
And the answer Damon came up with was—
'There is no perfect way.' Everyone has different needs, different approaches, and different mindsets.
We live in a reality where myriads of people reside, each with myriads of minds—all with different needs and likes.
With this in mind, Damon began devising the approach he would use to get close to the main characters.
For Poncho, it was being his friend. He approached Poncho with genuine warmth—the thing the man lacked the most.
He approached him knowing that Poncho had low confidence and needed a friend and companion, securing that connection.
Forming a friendship, talking with the man, and making him believe that Damon was on his side—like the friend Poncho always wished he had.
In light, he took on the role of a supportive friend who cheered when Poncho competed, while in the dark, he was the one who made plans for his defeat.
Making Poncho lose his chance to win, lose the promised reward, and then steal him away from the king once the competition ended—that was the plan Damon came up with to deal with Poncho.
For Hakuya, he actually hadn't planned anything from the start. Nothing grand. He just approached the man out of interest, showed his insight, and later simply behaved as he normally would.
No acts, no pretense. Hakuya was too smart to be reeled in by petty tricks, after all. Damon showed his physical prowess, his magic, his cunning, and his thought process.
With the mind of someone carrying memories from the 21st century, his insights and behavior themselves were refreshing, intriguing, and perhaps even 'superior,' if one might put it that way.
Under Hakuya's observation, Damon showcased his qualities—a mix of intelligence and modern insight, combined with physical prowess, ambition, and acceptance of medieval customs. Damon's natural act itself won over Hakuya.
But what about Aisha Udgard? The second character besides Poncho whom Damon was aiming to conquer?
If one read the novel, they'd know what Aisha truly wanted—the survival of her forest and her people. That was all she wished for.
Aisha Udgard—the strongest in the kingdom. Aside from dragons, she could be placed among the top ten strongest on the continent, even second only to Fuuga Haan, who was in himself a freak of nature.
Known for her strength, her appetite for food, but most of all for her fierce loyalty and love. Placing love and pride above everything else, she could be said to be the most loyal subordinate one could ask for in this world.
Souma's strength and his guard. She was the character Damon was most excited to get his hands on.
For this, instead of approaching her directly or actively making contact, he prepared a situation where the dark elf herself would come to find him.
Using a tree as a prop to reveal his magic, he made it rejuvenate in public—not only for fame but to ensure that the dark elf would hear of his powers.
With the reputation of someone who could heal trees, he wanted to pique her interest and have her come seek him out regarding the problems of the God-Protected Forest.
This was the plan—and honestly, it was going pretty well.
***
"…Are you the one they call the Saint?" the dark elf asked as her aura lowered.
"Where the fuck did she go!? Find her!" Loud voices rang throughout the place as people searched for the silver-haired woman who had escaped their sight.
"Pardon me for my abrupt visit." Not minding the commotion, Aisha looked at Damon. "Myself, Aisha Udgard from the God-Protected Forest," she introduced, looking at the duo of Damon and Hakuya.
"Damon Ravonir, from the Forest of Silver Trees."
"Hakuya Kwonmin." Damon and Hakuya introduced themselves.
"If I may ask, Lady Aisha, for what purpose have you graced us with your visit?" It was Hakuya who asked, his tone calm and relaxed, completely unaffected by the warrior's aura surrounding her.
Aisha didn't reply directly. Instead, she looked at Damon. "I heard about some things… a new Saint appearing in the capital."
"Argh… that again!" Damon grumbled, stepping forward in annoyance. "Look, lady, I am no Saint. Please, if it's another request to grant blessings and all, kindly fuck off!"
His words were crude, his tone annoyed by being constantly addressed as a Saint, while Hakuya chuckled as he watched the exchange.
"What's so funny?" Hearing the chuckle, Damon turned toward Hakuya, who just shook his head, not smiling one bit.
Aisha, bewildered by the exchange, didn't know what to say before clearing her throat and asking, "So… that holy tree over there?"
"It's no holy tree! It's a simple tree as it is—wood and leaves. See, my powers allow me to rejuvenate dying trees, freeing them from disease and lack of nutrients, making them healthy."
"See? That's different. It's no holy tree, and I am no fucking Saint," Damon said honestly, grumbling, leaving Aisha stunned for a moment.
The silence wasn't because of his denial of being a Saint or the tree being holy. It was more because of the revelation of his powers that deeply stunned the girl.
"…You—"
"See, it's just a little trick I can do," Damon explained. "During my days back in the forest, where the trees were dense, they became thin and weak. Young trees didn't grow, the water was muddy, and when wind or heavy storms came through, they stripped the land bare."
"Noticing this, I began to use my magic to nourish the trees and rejuvenate them back to health," Damon continued, wearing an expression of nostalgia, as if recalling his experiences of the past.
'Honestly… this is all bullshit, but who would tell her that?' Damon thought to himself as he kept spouting nonsense, not noticing the change in the dark elf beauty's expression.
And by the time he finished, he noticed her disappearance from his field of vision. Confused, he looked down—only to find the dark elf bowing her head as she pleaded,
"Please visit the God-Protected Forest and help us, Sir Damon!"
'Perfectly As Planned'