The Forest Lord’s Surveillance

The Werewolf let out a furious roar, and the Hero, risking her life, fought back.

Suddenly!

The Hero, with a forceful tug of both hands, ripped the spear from the Werewolf’s heart.

Instantly, blood gushed forth.

Yet, within mere seconds, the wound on its heart healed with astonishing speed. The Werewolf reverted to its original form as the Swordsman, collapsing heavily onto the Hero.

The Hero, covered in blood, gasped for breath.

As she gently touched the familiar face of the Swordsman, a sense of calm immediately washed over her.

‘What? Are you thinking the author couldn’t maintain the first-person perspective and switched to third? How could that be?’

‘This is still a first-person narrative, just not their first-person.’

‘I am the Forest Lord, Twilight Naya. One might consider me a demigoddess of this world.’

‘I watch over the entire forest. Regardless of the creature, as long as it inhabits these woods, I can perceive all information within the forest through their eyes and ears.’

‘Currently, I lie at the bottom of the Sacred Lake, nestled in the heart of Twilight Forest, my eyes closed as I feel the forest’s every movement.’

‘For this observation, I am using a raven perched high in a tree. It is the bravest raven in the vicinity of the Hero, for all its companions had been startled away by the Werewolf’s roar.’

‘Only this lone bird remained, standing isolated on its branch, gazing from afar at this scandalous pair.’

‘A strange sadness washes over me… Has the Hero truly found her true love, or what exactly is happening here? To think she would be entangled with a Swordsman like this.’

‘Most importantly, this Swordsman is actually a Werewolf.’

‘I had believed werewolves were eradicated during the incident nine years ago. Apparently, they were not, though I cannot rule out the possibility that this is the sole surviving werewolf in the world.’

‘These creatures, growing stronger with every injury, are truly terrifying. The squadron of Boar-men executioners I painstakingly created was utterly annihilated just like that.’

‘In the past, I might have accepted my losses and invited them to my abode for a chat. But now, one of them is the Hero – that woman who forgot her promise!’

‘I wish to declare: if you break a covenant, do not dare set foot in my domain! And now, after nearly twenty years, for the sake of a Holy Sword, you have reappeared! Are you openly trying to defy my authority in this place?’

‘Just you wait!’

‘The trials are still to come!’

‘I wonder if, after twenty years, your physique, Hero, remains as it was back then.’

“Helter! You’re awake!” The Hero exclaimed, shaking the Swordsman’s body.

The Swordsman groggily pushed himself up, rubbing his head.

He grimaced in discomfort. “My head aches…”

“You scared me half to death! Do you have any idea you almost bit me when you turned into a Werewolf just now?!”

“Werewolf? What are you talking about? Huh? I remember my heart being pierced by a spear earlier…”

“You turned into a Werewolf after your heart was pierced! Don’t you remember?”

“I don’t remember… You’re not joking, are you? Wait, where are my clothes?”

“You ripped them apart when you transformed! Stop blabbering! Get up first! Don’t keep me pinned underneath you! Do you know how embarrassing this position is?!”

The completely naked Swordsman belatedly realized he was in intimate, zero-distance contact with the Hero.

“Ah… My apologies!”

‘Whoa—the moment that Helter stood up, I was absolutely shocked! How could that thing on his body be so huge? And it was swaying!’

‘Ahem, please disregard my nosebleed. Also, I was referring to the Swordsman’s pectoral muscles. Don’t let your mind wander.’

“Where’s my sword?” The Swordsman began searching among the scattered corpses.

“First, deal with your attire!” the Hero exclaimed, standing up.

“What’s the big deal? It’s not like you haven’t seen me completely naked before.”

‘Pfft—I nearly choked on the lake water!’

‘Have these two progressed that far already?! The Hero is truly too imprudent! He’s a filthy Werewolf! To think… Ahem, ahem, ahem. Calm down, continue observing.’

“There are so many Boar-men clothes on the ground, just pick some up to cover yourself!”

‘Good, the Hero still possesses some self-awareness.’

“First, let me find my sword.”

“Clothes first!”

“Let me find my sword first!”

“Clothes!”

“Sword!”

“Clothes, I said! Don’t argue with me!”

The Hero stomped her foot in anger, her usually smooth hair flaring up as if she were a startled cat!

‘Oh, how adorable…’

‘Ahem! I am here for revenge! I cannot harbor even a trace of such positive emotions like sympathy or praise! I must make the Hero understand the price of breaking her promise!’

“Alright, alright…” Swordsman Helter casually picked up a dead boar’s hide tunic and put it on. “Is this better?”

“It’s fine.”

‘Even with clothes on, that thing is still so prominently bulging… Ahem, pectoral muscles! I was talking about his pectoral muscles!’

“Black Lion, my darling, I’ve finally found you.” Helter joyfully snatched up the greatsword from the ground.

“Now… shall we continue onward to find the Holy Sword?” the Hero asked the Swordsman.

“Of course,” he replied. “There’s no time to turn back now. If we retreated to the forest entrance every time something happened, we’d never finish this adventure.”

The Swordsman swung his greatsword, instantly felling a tree. “Incredible,” he muttered. “I feel completely rejuvenated, and all my wounds have healed.”

“I already told you that you just turned into a Werewolf! Why won’t you accept it? You impaled a whole pile of Boar-men with two spears, then grabbed the one with the wig and tore into him! The scene was incredibly bloody!”

“Is that really how it was?” Helter stared at his own body, finding it hard to believe.

“Exactly! No mistake! Could it be that this was your first awakening as a Werewolf?”

“Hmm… It should be… my first time, yes…” Helter nodded.

“No wonder you didn’t know.”

“If that’s truly the case, then what the villagers said about me being a calamity… it makes sense now…” The Swordsman lowered his head in silence, likely recalling some unpleasant memories.

“Don’t think about that! Helter!” the Hero exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. “You were incredibly handsome when you transformed into a Werewolf! Dealing with those Boar-men was an absolute massacre, a one-sided slaughter! They didn’t stand a chance!”

‘Does the Hero have feelings for this Swordsman…? A hint of jealousy. Ahem, what jealousy?! I despise the Hero! She is a scoundrel who betrayed her trust! I will punish her! Torment her! Until she remembers that incident and admits her wrongdoing!’

“But I… I almost killed you…” The Swordsman was still blaming himself.

“It’s fine, aren’t I perfectly alright? If you hadn’t turned into a Werewolf, those Boar-men probably would have taken my life. You actually saved me!”

Upon hearing her words, the light returned to the Swordsman’s eyes.

“But… I’m not human, and this matter…”

“Don’t think about it! This will be our secret, yours and mine. I won’t tell, you won’t tell, and no third party will ever know you’re a Werewolf.”

“Mm.” Helter nodded in agreement.

‘Heh, then I’m truly sorry to disappoint you.’

‘I, who have been observing all along, know every single detail.’

“Who’s there!” Both of them vigilantly scanned their surroundings.

‘Damn it, I accidentally made the raven speak…’

“A raven? Helter! In the tree!” The Hero pointed towards the raven I was controlling.

In an instant, a flash of blade light…

My vision went dark…

‘This is bad. One mistake, and they discovered my presence!’