The northern forest stretched ahead, shadows growing long in the fading light. Akira adjusted his grip on the wooden pole, keeping one eye on Kristyne as she flitted beside him, wings twitching with barely contained excitement.

  “Stay close,” he said firmly. “It’s dangerous out here. We need three wild boars before the sun sets.”

  Kristyne chirped softly, circling once before settling near his shoulder.

  Akira expanded his senses. Sense Presence threaded through the forest, mana signatures lighting up faintly in his awareness. He layered Appraisal over it, gauging size, strength, and durability with practiced ease.

  A rustle made him freeze.

  He focused instantly.

  '…Not a wild boar.'

  The creature was smaller, wiry—Appraisal identified it as a giant raccoon-like scavenger. Akira exhaled quietly. “Not everything that moves is dinner.”

  They pressed on. As the sun dipped lower, the first real boar finally revealed itself—thick hide, powerful legs, its aura pulsing red beneath Appraisal.

  “Got one,” he whispered.

  Kristyne chirped excitedly.

  Then the forest shifted.

  No wind—yet shadows moved. Mana flickered just beyond his perception. Unease crawled along his spine as he crouched behind a fallen branch.

  'H… guess now’s as good a time as any.'

  He activated the Magic Eye.

  Agony exploded behind his eye socket. Pressure slammed into his skull as the world warped into jagged light and searing color. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to endure.

  Slowly, painfully, clarity emerged.

  Auras flooded his vision—reds, blues, golds—curling around every living thing. Strength. Instinct. Attack vectors. All of it laid bare.

  Kristyne nudged his leg.

  He looked down—and froze.

  Her aura burned red and gold, far stronger than anything else nearby.

  “…Wow,” he breathed. “You might be the strongest thing in this forest.”

  He layered Sense Presence and Appraisal atop the Magic Eye. Weak points glowed. Muscle tension telegraphed movement before it happened.

  ‘…Okay. I’ve got this.’

  Silver surged from his pocket, flowing up his arm and reinforcing the pole into a perfectly balanced spear.

  “That’s better.”

  The first boar fell to a precise strike.

  Then the second.

  Then the third—its aura snuffed out as Akira exhaled and lowered the spear.

  Kristyne blinked up at him, calm and unfazed.

  “…Not bad for a G-rank,” he muttered.

  He packed the boars into his Item Box, placing Kristyne inside first. The silver separated cleanly from the spear, returning to his pocket.

  By the time he reached town, unease lingered—but nothing followed him.

  The Adventurers’ Guild buzzed with noise and parchment.

  The receptionist raised a brow as Akira opened his bag just enough to show the boars. “A full set. Impressive.”

  He hesitated. “The forest… felt off.”

  Her eyes sharpened. ‘Interesting.’

  Payment was exchanged. Warnings given.

  Akira left with coin—and questions.

  The Silver Leaf Inn was warm and quiet, a welcome contrast to the noise of the street outside.

  Lanternlight cast a soft amber glow across the wooden floors and walls, and the scent of cooked meat and herbs lingered faintly in the air. It wasn’t luxurious, but it felt lived-in—safe.

  Akira stepped up to the counter, keeping the bag close at his side.

  “Room,” he said. “Two beds. Two dinners.”

  The innkeeper blinked, her quill pausing mid-stroke. “Two?”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Yes.”

  She glanced at him, then at the bag, curiosity flickering across her face. Akira didn’t elaborate, and after a moment she nodded, scribbling something into the ledger.

  “Room five. Upstairs. Dinner will be brought up shortly.”

  He paid, took the key, and headed up the creaking stairs without another word.

  The room was modest but clean. Two neatly made beds sat on opposite sides, a small table between them, and a single window looking out over the town’s rooftops. The late afternoon light filtered in softly.

  Akira closed the door behind him and set the bag down carefully on the floor.

  The faint rustling inside made him pause.

  He stood there for a moment longer than necessary, staring at the bag.

  “…Be honest,” he said quietly. “You’re the girl I keep seeing, aren’t you?”

  Silence.

  Then the air shifted.

  The bag bulged unnaturally, and Kristyne’s small dragon form rippled, stretching upward. Scales smoothed into skin, wings dissolved, and in the span of a breath, a human girl stood where the dragon had been.

  Akira’s reaction was immediate.

  He turned around so fast his shoulder nearly clipped the wall, yanking his white T-shirt over his head and holding it straight out in front of him like a shield.

  “Put this on,” he said quickly. “Please.”

  A pause.

  Then fabric rustled as Kristyne took the shirt and pulled it over herself. It hung loose on her frame, but it covered enough.

  Only then did Akira let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

  He turned back around slowly, blue sleeveless undershirt visible, eyes deliberately fixed on her face and nowhere else.

  “Okay,” he said. “Now we talk.”

  She nodded.

  “You’re the girl I kept seeing,” he said. “In the forest. Near town.”

  “Yes.”

  “And you’re Kristyne,” he continued. “The one I tamed.”

  “Yes.”

  He dragged a hand down his face. “Alright. That explains a lot. And also somehow explains nothing.”

  Kristyne hesitated. “You’re… angry?”

  “No,” Akira said. “Confused. There’s a difference.”

  She relaxed slightly.

  “I tamed you thinking you were just a creature with wings,” he said. “Then you start turning into a person I keep randomly seeing, and suddenly I’m questioning my sanity.”

  “That’s fair,” she admitted softly.

  “So explain it,” he said. “Please.”

  Kristyne took a breath. “The pact you formed with me isn’t wrong.”

  “Good.”

  “But it is different.”

  “Different how?”

  “Dragons don’t form shallow bonds,” she said. “And neither do races that possess both beast and humanoid forms.”

  Akira frowned. “Meaning?”

  “When someone like us is tamed,” she said carefully, fingers brushing the ring on her left hand, “the pact does not become ownership.”

  Unease crept into his chest. “Then what does it become?”

  Her voice was quiet but steady.

  “A marriage pact.”

  The words hit him like an anvil.

  “…A what.”

  She looked genuinely startled. “I thought you knew.”

  “I thought I was taming a winged lizard,” Akira said flatly.

  Silence fell between them.

  “…You didn’t know?” she asked.

  “No.”

  Her brow furrowed. “…That’s strange.”

  “How?”

  “It’s common knowledge,” she said. “Children learn it early. Never attempt taming on a humanoid-capable race unless marriage is intended.”

  Akira opened his mouth. Closed it.

  “…I never went to school.”

  That changed her expression entirely.

  “You didn’t?”

  “Nope,” he said, rubbing his face. “Dropped into a forest. Gods, monsters, almost dying. Very poor education system.”

  She froze.

  “…Gods?”

  “Plural.”

  A tense pause followed.

  “That… isn’t normal,” she said slowly.

  “Yeah,” Akira muttered. “I’ve noticed.”

  He sighed. “I was gonna wait to show you this but I’ll just show you.”

  He held out his hand, and a translucent display flared to life between them.

  Kristyne stepped closer, eyes widening as she read.

  Akira Nanase — Other Worlder.

  “…Other Worlder?”

  “I’m not from this world.”

  Her gaze dropped to the numbers.

  And stopped.

  Her breath caught.

  ‘650,000,000 magic power’ she thought ‘The limit for magic power is 200,000’

  “That magic power… that isn’t possible.”

  “Can’t really use it,” he said. “My body can’t handle it.”

  She stared at the blessings listed beneath.

  “…You’ve been blessed by gods.”

  “Apparently.”

  Slowly, she lifted her eyes to him.

  “You really aren’t from here.”

  “Nope.”

  She hesitated, then spoke. “I have a blessing as well. Blessing of the Dragon God. My title is Dragon God’s Chosen.”

  Akira blinked. “That sounds important.”

  “It is.”

  He glanced at the ring on her finger again. “Hey, why are you the only one wearing a ring?”

  Kristyne’s fingers stilled.

  “Because the pact isn’t finished.”

  “…Finished how?”

  “A marriage pact has two stages,” she said. “Initiation… and acceptance. The ring appears on the one being bound first.”

  “And the second?”

  “The tamer must consciously accept the bond.”

  Silence stretched.

  Akira leaned back, staring at his empty hands.

  He then reached out, gently resting his hand on her head.

  Kristyne stiffened—then relaxed almost immediately.

  “…You calm down like a cat,” he murmured.

  Then he paused.

  “…Does the shirt survive transformation?”

  “…No.”

  “Then hold still.”

  His skills activated, magic weaving into the fabric.

  “Transform.”

  She did.

  And transformed back.

  The shirt reappeared, perfectly intact.

  Kristyne stared at it.

  “…That isn’t normal, Akira.”

  He smiled faintly.

  “Neither am I.”