Mountains 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 an unusual sound for such a remote place.
Under the moonlight illuminating the tree canopy, a snow-white wolf was busy devouring a golden glowing fruit.
The crescent moon on her forehead shimmered softly, as if joining in the little feast taking place.
"Hahahaha! This is so good!" I laughed heartily while biting into this sweet World Tree fruit.
Golden juice flowed from the corner of my mouth, and I didn't care about looking inelegant at all.
Actually, this wasn't the first time I'd eaten without caring about etiquette whatsoever.
Well, nobody's watching except my subordinates who are already used to my... let's say, not-so-dignified behavior.
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 just an ordinary guy, am now a giant wolf... and a female too!
Yep, you didn't read that wrong.
I'm now officially equipped with... uh... how do I put this politely... different equipment from my previous life.
Thinking about having a female body feels kinda unreal to me - I who used to be a man am now a woman.
Even now, sometimes I still hope to wake up from this weird dream.
Unlike typical reincarnation novels where they start at 18 when they reincarnate, I reincarnated into this world from birth. When I first reincarnated, I was so happy I laughed my ass off.
Finally, God granted my wish to go to an isekai.
But I stopped laughing when I found out I'd become a girl.
That moment of happiness turned into deep shock.
When I first realized I'd become a girl, I found it hard to accept.
It felt like part of my identity just vanished.
Where was my little guy that I was so proud of?
I still remember how proud I used to be of that... asset.
That little guy hadn't even been used yet!
Now he's gone!
It made me so frustrated.
This feeling of loss really hurt.
Now I don't have a third leg to help me stand.
Luckily I started from birth - if I'd reincarnated into an 18-year-old female body, I probably would've 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 in this body.
How could I not - my body's way too beautiful, I even drool like someone who's fried their brain cells reading harem novels.
So I often use my wolf form instead of my humanoid body.
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 what you call overprotective instinct.
So you could say I'm more pure than the pure maidens of the human race.
That's because nobody's ever seen my humanoid form (except my dad and mom).
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 generals of the Demon King.
How ironic.
Who would've thought a fruit thief could become a general?
But what's most important right now is: this is the last fruit belonging to the elves that I managed to steal!
Nom nom nom
Ah, it tastes like a mix 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 super pissed every time I steal their fruit.
If I had something this delicious, I'd be mad if it got stolen too.
Actually, my job as a general is to monitor the elves' movements.
Not attack, just monitor.
Pretty simple work for a general.
I don't know why Dad - I mean the Demon King - doesn't order me to start a war with the elves.
They're so weak, if it wasn't for the World Tree protecting them, they probably would've gone extinct ages 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 zero fighting experience.
Maybe that's why I'm assigned to surveillance instead of combat.
With no fighting, I live comfortably.
Pretty chill work for a demon general.
But ever since my subordinates brought me this fruit for the first time a few months ago, my life changed.
I became... how do I put it... a professional fruit thief? And turns out I'm pretty talented at it.
"Hehehe, just imagine the elves' faces when they realize their last fruit is gone!" I muttered while chuckling.
They're probably running around in panic right now.
"Maybe they'll hold an emergency meeting: 'How could Fenrir, who's supposed to just monitor, steal all our fruit instead?!'"
I mimicked the elves' voice with a high, dramatic tone, which made me giggle even more.
God, I've never been this happy since reincarnating.
Maybe being a fruit thief is my true calling?
Tap tap tap
The sound of hurried footsteps made me look up.
The perfect tranquility of the night was immediately disturbed by an unwanted arrival.
One of my subordinates, a small red demon with crooked horns, came running with a panicked face.
"GENERAL! GENERAL!"
"What now?" I asked while still chewing the fruit.
My voice sounded a bit unclear because of my full mouth.
"If the elves complain about missing fruit again, just tell them I'm not here."
"IT'S NOT THAT! HERO! A HERO'S COMING!"
*Cough!*
I choked on the fruit I was eating.
Reflexively, I immediately sniffed the air - yeah, there was definitely a foreign scent.
Strong human smell, cologne, with an aroma that made my hair stand on end.
Shit.
Why didn't my sense of smell detect this earlier?
My mood instantly changed from relaxed and happy to total panic.
What?
A hero?
Now?
Why is the timing so freaking bad?!
Of all the times, why now when I'm enjoying the last fruit from my theft?
"Hero?" I repeated hoarsely while hitting my own chest.
"The hero they say is the strongest of the human race?"
"DON'T KNOW! BUT HE'S HEADING THIS WAY!"
Oh god.
Of all the times, why now?
I was just enjoying the last fruit from my theft!
My peaceful life full of fruit stealing seems about to end.
"Okay, okay," I said while standing up and shaking my body to clean off the fruit remnants.
My 'fight or flight' instinct immediately activated, and the dominant one was... flight. Very flight.
Once again, wolf instincts and human common sense agreed: running was the best option.
"Where's the hero now?"
"ALREADY CLOSE! MAYBE JUST A FEW MORE MINUTES!"
I could feel the excitement radiating from my subordinate.
His eyes were sparkling as if waiting for an interesting show. Seems like he doesn't realize this isn't entertainment.
Wait, why is this demon happy?
Does he know he's gonna die so his brain's malfunctioning?
"General, will you 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 can he not realize the huge power difference?
Fight the hero?
I'd probably get beaten in one round.
"But... but General is strong..."
"Strong my ass!" I snapped in frustration.
"The other three generals all got beaten to a pulp until their parents couldn't recognize them and cried while reporting to the Demon King! What about me, the weakest general among the four!"
I feel like this subordinate of mine has no brain - if you want to die, don't drag me into it.
My subordinate fell silent, looking confused at his general's unusual reaction.
Maybe he thought all generals were invincible or something.
"Besides," I continued while starting to back away.
My survivalist brain was already working to find the best escape route.
"I'm an intelligence general! My job is gathering information, not fighting! The best strategy now is—"
Whoooosh!
A sword light of black-purple color suddenly shot toward me at incredible speed.
"I suggest you stay put."
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 was probably useless, at least I had to try.
Grrrooooaaarr!
A large ice ball shot from my mouth, colliding with that sword light.
But...
Crash!
My attack was completely destroyed!
That sword light kept going and hit my body with incredible force.
Just as I expected, 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 hurt..." I groaned while trying to stand up.
This pain reminded me of my early days as 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's the hero.
As the dust started 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 trousers, and shiny leather shoes. His appearance was in stark contrast to my expectations of a hero.
What stood out most was his appearance, which was... well, extremely handsome.
Jet-black hair with a purple sheen, sharp violet eyes, and a perfectly sculpted face.
He walked with confident steps, as if he'd just done something very easy.
"So this is the famous Fenrir?" he said with a condescending tone.
"Weaker than I imagined."
I stared at him with wide eyes.
Not because of his surprising strength, not because of his charming appearance.
But because...
That face.
That very familiar face.
A face that made me feel like I was seeing a ghost from my past.
"No way..." I mumbled quietly.
That man's face looked exactly like my best friend from my previous life.
Too similar to be a coincidence. It felt like the universe was messing with me.
— POV Hero —
The smoke and dust from my sword attack finally thinned out.
I flicked my wrist, dispelling the remnants of magical energy that felt tediously mundane.
Over there, that giant white wolf had collapsed.
As expected.
Just this much?
Honestly, it's a bit disappointing.
Those elves begged and pleaded as if this General Fenrir was some 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'd get more entertaining resistance.
That counterattack earlier?
Weak.
No imagination, no power.
The three previous generals at least made me stretch my muscles a little.
This one... like snuffing out a candle.
I stepped closer, ignoring the debris of destroyed trees.
The prize was almost in hand.
After this, I could return and maybe read some rare scrolls about forgotten magic.
Maybe that could cure my boredom for a week or two.
As I got closer, I could see it clearly.
Its white fur that should've been majestic was now dirty.
It 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.
Its expression was strange.
Not hatred, not fear... but pure shock.
As if it... recognized me?
I paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow.
Interesting.
Maybe this wasn't completely boring yet.
A trick? Or death delusions from a dying beast?
Whatever it was, at least it was a bit of seasoning in this bland hunt.