Shinwa Densetsu no Eiyuu no Isekaitan - Volume 1 - Chapter SS1

Lævateinn’s Blessing

Hiro stepped out of his tent and into the morning chill. It was his third morning in the mountains. Scree covered the ground, a carpet of rocks of all sizes from tiny pebbles to great chunks. He set out up the trail, breathing white fog into the frigid air.

A yawn escaped him as he walked. He had slept poorly every night since entering the mountains. The cause last night had been the same as the night before and the night before that.

He glanced back at the tent from which he had just emerged. It stood far larger than those around it—not surprising, seeing as it belonged to the sixth princess.

One of the sentries called out to him as he passed. “Sleep well?” The man spat. “Bah, what am I saying? ’Course you didn’t.”

“You can say that again,” Hiro replied, wondering if he was imagining the edge to the man’s voice. “I hardly slept a wink.”

“You little—” Anger flashed in the sentry’s eyes. He seemed to be inches away from seizing Hiro by the lapels. “No, don’t let him get to you. Calm thoughts. Calm thoughts.”

Alarmed, Hiro decided to make a break for it. A cry came after him—“Oy! I’m not done with you!”—but he didn’t look back, plunging straight into the forest. He kept running for quite some time before he slowed to a stop.

“I doubt he’ll follow me this far,” he said to himself.

At that moment, his ears picked up the faint gurgling of water. Perhaps there was a spring nearby, or a waterfall? His curiosity piqued, he set out to find the source.

The trees thinned as he progressed. The morning sunlight filtering through the branches above grew stronger as the canopy became sparser, dispelling the night’s clinging vestiges. Eventually, Hiro emerged from the foliage to find himself standing before a small spring.

“Whoa...” he breathed.

Birdsong trickled down from the branches overhead. The trees rustled as they swayed in the breeze. Wildflowers framed the spring in an array of vibrant colors as he approached.

“This must be my lucky day. I could do with a wash.”

If only he’d brought a bucket, but no such luck. He made a mental note to tell the rest of the camp once he got back. The road ahead would be that much easier with a chance to stock up on fresh water.

He plunged his hands into the spring and leaned his face close to the surface. The icy water seemed to sap the warmth from his fingers. He winced at the cold but did his best to ignore the pain. As he scooped up a handful, the center of the spring suddenly erupted with a tremendous splash.

“Huh?”

Hiro watched, dumbfounded, as something shattered the surface—a mermaid, he thought for a second, before he recognized the figure as the sixth princess.

“Ahh, that was wonderful!” Liz sighed contentedly.

Hiro had felt the water for himself, and it was far too cold for her to be so nonchalant about it. That was odd, though not half as odd as the fact that she was stark naked.

“What do you think you’re playing at?” he exclaimed.

Liz saw him and beamed. “Oh, Hiro! I didn’t realize you were up!”

Where were her clothes? Wasn’t she cold? Shouldn’t she be more embarrassed about being seen in the nude? Hiro didn’t know where to start.

“Can I ask something?” he ventured.

“Ask away!”

“Aren’t you cold?”

The question of her nakedness could wait, he decided.

Liz grinned. “Not a problem. You can thank Lævateinn’s blessing for that.”

She heaved herself from the pool and sat down on the grass beside him. Hiro found himself screwing his eyes closed. He’d already seen everything there was to see, but even so, he didn’t want to stare.

“What’s wrong? Still sleepy?” Liz’s chilly palm touched his cheek. Her fingers gently traced his eyelids.

Hiro’s heart felt ready to explode in his chest. He couldn’t trust himself not to lose control if he opened his eyes. Summoning every last ounce of restraint in his body, he shook his head.

“Are you sure? Then why do you have your eyes closed?”

Liz’s warm breath tickled his ear, but he couldn’t possibly give her an answer. Realizing that he was bound for disaster, he did the only thing he could think of to cool himself—or at least, one particular part of himself—down: he snapped his eyes open and, taking care not to look at Liz, flung himself into the icy pool.

“Hiro?! Are you crazy?!”

Liz cried out in astonishment as he floated feebly back to the surface, his teeth chattering.