Chapter 1 - The Uninvited Guest
The mountain near the elven territory.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
The sound of crispy bites shattered the silence of the dark forest.
The perfect tranquility of the night was disturbed by a sound unusual for such a remote place.
Under the moonlight illuminating the tree canopy, a snow-white wolf was enthusiastically devouring a golden glowing fruit.
The crescent moon on her forehead shimmered softly, as if celebrating the small feast taking place.
"Hahahaha! This is so delicious!" I laughed heartily while biting into this sweet World Tree fruit.
Golden juice dripped from the corner of my mouth, and I didn't care about my unelegant appearance.
Actually, this wasn't the first time I ate without caring about etiquette at all.
After all, no one was watching except my subordinates who were already used to my behavior which was... well, let's say not very dignified.
I've been living in this world as Fenrir for twenty years now.
Twenty years! And the most shocking part?
I, who used to be an ordinary man, have now become a giant wolf... and female too!
Yep, you didn't read that wrong.
I now officially have... eh... how should I put this politely... equipment that's different from my previous life.
Thinking about having a female body makes me feel a bit unreal I who used to be a man am now a woman.
Even now, sometimes I still hope to wake up from this strange dream.
Unlike typical reincarnation novels where they start at 18 years old when reincarnated, I was reincarnated into this world from birth. When I first reincarnated, I was so happy I laughed heartily.
Finally, God had granted my wish to go to an isekai.
However, I stopped laughing when I found out I had become a girl.
That moment of happiness turned into deep shock.
When I first discovered I had become a girl, I found it hard to accept.
It felt like part of my identity had just vanished.
Where was my little guy that I used to be so proud of?
I still remember how proud I used to be of that... asset.
The little guy hadn't even been used yet!
Now he's gone!
It was so frustrating.
This feeling of loss was truly painful.
Now I don't have a third leg to help me stand.
Fortunately, I started from birth if I had reincarnated into an 18-year-old female body, I might have died from anger.
At least the adaptation process was gradual.
Now after two decades have passed, I've adapted, but I'm still not comfortable.
There's a part of me that still feels foreign to this body.
How could I not my body is too beautiful, I even drool like someone who's used up their brain cells reading harem novels.
So I often use my wolf form rather than my humanoid body.
The wolf form feels more... familiar, somehow.
I feel reluctant to show my beautiful face to others.
I feel like only I should be allowed to see it. Maybe this is called excessive protective instinct.
So you could say I'm purer than the pure maidens of the human race.
That's because no one has ever seen my humanoid form (except my father and mother).
Speaking of which, over the years, thanks to the back door—
Ah, I mean thanks to the right connections and a bit of luck,
I managed to become one of the four feared Demon General under the Demon King.
How ironic.
Who would have thought a fruit thief could become a general?
But what's most important now is: this is the last fruit belonging to the elves that I managed to steal!
Munch, munch, munch.
Ah, it tastes like a combination of honey, peach, and... pure happiness?
I don't know how to explain it, but every bite makes my whole body shiver with pleasure.
No wonder the elves get furious every time I steal their fruit.
If I had something this delicious, I'd be angry too if it got stolen.
Actually, my job as a general is to monitor the elves' movements.
Not to attack, just to monitor.
A fairly simple job for the size of a general.
I don't know why Father I mean the Demon King doesn't order me to start a war with the elves.
Even though they're so weak, if it weren't for the World Tree protecting them, they might have gone extinct long ago.
Honestly, I don't want war. Since becoming a general under the Demon King, I've never fought seriously or killed anyone.
You could say I have no combat experience.
Maybe this is why I was assigned to monitor rather than fight.
With no battles, I live comfortably.
A pretty relaxed job for a demon general.
But ever since my subordinates brought this fruit for the first time a few months ago, my life changed.
I became... how should I put it... a professional fruit thief? And apparently, I'm quite talented at it.
"Hehehe, just imagine the faces of the elves when they realize their last fruit is gone!" I muttered while chuckling.
They must be running around in panic right now.
"Maybe they'll hold an emergency meeting: 'How is it possible that Fenrir, who was supposed to only monitor, ended up stealing all our fruit?!'"
I imitated the elves' voices with a high-pitched and dramatic tone, which made me giggle even more.
Good grief, I've never been this happy since being reincarnated.
Maybe being a fruit thief is my true calling?
Tap tap tap
The sound of hurried footsteps made me turn around.
The perfect tranquility of the night was immediately disturbed by an unwanted arrival.
One of my subordinates, a small red demon with crooked horns, ran toward me with a panicked face.
"GENERAL! GENERAL!"
"What now?" I asked while still chewing the fruit.
My voice sounded a bit unclear because my mouth was full.
"If the elves complain again about missing fruit, just tell them I'm not here."
"IT'S NOT THAT! THE HERO! THE HERO IS COMING!"
Cough!
I choked on the fruit I was eating.
The mood that had been relaxed and happy immediately turned into total panic.
What?
The Hero?
Now?
Why is the timing so bad?!
Of all the times available, why now when I was enjoying the last fruit from my theft?
"The Hero?" I repeated hoarsely while hitting my own chest.
"The Hero who's said to be the strongest among the human race?"
"I DON'T KNOW! BUT HE'S HEADING THIS WAY!"
Good grief.
Of all the times available, why now?
I had just been enjoying the last fruit from my theft!
My peaceful life full of fruit stealing seemed about to end.
"Alright, alright," I said while standing up and shaking my body to clean off the fruit residue.
"Where is this Hero now?"
"HE'S CLOSE! MAYBE JUST A FEW MORE MINUTES!"
I could feel the excitement radiating from my subordinate.
His eyes sparkled as if waiting for an interesting show. He didn't seem to realize this wasn't entertainment.
Why is this demon happy?
Does he know he's going to die so his brain is malfunctioning?
"General, are you going to fight the Hero?" he asked enthusiastically.
I immediately stared at him with a horrified expression.
"Are you stupid?! We'll die if we fight the Hero!" How could he not realize the enormous difference in strength?
Fight the Hero?
I might even be defeated in one round.
"But... but General is strong..."
"Strong my ass!" I snapped in frustration.
"The other three generals were beaten so badly that their own parents didn't recognize them and went crying to report to the Demon King! What about me, who's the weakest general among the four!"
I feel like my subordinate has no brain—if you want to die, don't drag me along.
My subordinate fell silent, looking confused by his general's unusual reaction.
Maybe he thought all generals were invincible or something.
"Besides," I continued while starting to walk backward.
My survivalist brain was already working to find the best escape route.
"I'm an intelligence general! My job is to gather information, not fight! The best strategy right now is—"
Swoooosh!
A black-purple sword light suddenly shot toward me at incredible speed.
"I suggest you stay right there."
That arrogant voice came from the same direction as the attack.
Reflexively, I immediately gathered ice energy in my mouth, preparing to launch a counterattack.
Even though I knew this might be futile, at least I had to try.
Grrrooooaaaarrr!
A large ice ball shot from my mouth, colliding with that sword light.
But...
Crash!
My attack was destroyed just like that!
The sword light continued forward and struck my body with incredible force.
Just as I had predicted, his power really couldn't be compared.
"Gyaaahhh!"
My body was thrown far, hitting several trees before finally falling hard.
Dust flew everywhere, making me cough.
"Ow... that really hurts..." I groaned while trying to stand up.
This pain reminded me of the early days of becoming Fenrir, when I still often fell because I wasn't used to having a four-legged body.
The difference was, back then what hurt me was gravity—now it was the Hero.
As the dust began to settle, I could see a figure walking casually toward me.
Unlike typical heroes who wear heavy armor, this man was dressed neatly like a nobleman going to a party.
An elegant black robe with gold embroidery, neat dress pants, and polished leather shoes. His appearance was in stark contrast to my expectations of a hero.
What stood out most was his appearance, which was... well, very handsome.
Jet-black hair with a purple sheen, sharp violet eyes, and a perfectly sculpted face.
He walked with confident steps, as if he had just done something very easy.
"So this is the famous Fenrir?" he said with a dismissive tone.
"Weaker than I imagined."
I stared at him with wide eyes.
Not because of his surprising strength, not because of his captivating appearance, but because...
That face.
That very familiar face.
A face that made me feel like I was seeing a ghost from the past.
"Impossible..." I muttered softly.
That man's face was very similar to my best friend from my previous life.
Too similar to be a coincidence. It felt like the universe was playing games with me.
— The Hero's POV —
The smoke and dust from my sword attack finally thinned out.
I flicked my wrist, dispelling the remnants of magical energy that felt boring.
Over there, that giant white wolf had collapsed.
As expected.
Just this much?
Honestly, this is a bit disappointing.
Those elves begged as if this Demon General Fenrir was a natural disaster.
They even promised the key to their Ancient Library, a reward interesting enough to make me leave my comfortable palace for a few hours.
I thought I would get more entertaining resistance.
Her counterattack earlier?
Weak.
No imagination, no power.
The three previous generals at least made me stretch my muscles a little.
This one... like extinguishing a candle.
I stepped closer, ignoring the debris of destroyed trees.
The reward was almost in hand.
After this, I could return and maybe read some rare scrolls about forgotten magic.
Maybe that could relieve my boredom for a week or two.
As I got closer, I could see her clearly.
Her white fur that should have been majestic was now dirty.
She was groaning, trying to get up.
Pathetic.
Really not worth the reward.
"So this is the famous Fenrir?"
"Weaker than I imagined," I said, the boredom in my tone clearly audible.
The monster's eyes then stared straight at me.
Her expression was strange.
Not hatred, not fear... but pure shock.
As if she... recognized me?
I paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow.
Interesting.
Maybe this wasn't completely boring after all.
A trick? Or a dying delusion from a beast?
Whatever it was, at least this was a little seasoning in this bland hunt.