Kazuki had barely stepped foot back onto solid ground before a crowd of villagers surrounded him.
"Praise be the Sky-Hawk Hero!"
"Our crops grew back overnight!"
"You've tamed the mountain spirits!"
"Please bless my child with your elbow!"
Kazuki blinked as an elderly woman shoved a baby toward his arm.
"Wait, I'm sorry—my what?"
Tala whispered, "Apparently, while we were at the Sky Isles, a massive corrupted spirit beast was exorcised from the mountain. The villagers think you did it."
"I was literally falling off clouds for three days straight."
"And somehow… that still makes you sound more like the chosen one."
Behind him, Smile wobbled into view, dragging a string of radishes he had stolen from someone's cart.
Yukimaru landed on Kazuki's shoulder with his usual majestic aura.
That didn't help.
"The beast must have bowed before your sacred companions," a robed man proclaimed. "And now we offer you this…"
He held up a crude wooden statue of Kazuki, complete with wobbly eyes and a wildly exaggerated hair swoop.
"…in honor of the 'Mist-Walker Sage of the North Peak.'"
Kazuki's face twitched. "I was literally never on the North Peak."
"Your humility only strengthens your legend."
Tala leaned in again. "You could correct them."
Kazuki paused. He looked around. There was a feast already being prepared. Someone was baking flatbread in his likeness.
He looked at Smile, who burped out a glowing beetle. Yukimaru chirped softly, approving of the village's spirit.
"…Yeah. No reason to ruin their fun."
✦
Later That Night – Village Festival, Now Renamed 'Kazuki Day'
Fireworks of condensed mana bloomed in the sky. Children ran around with wooden swords and blue cloaks shouting, "Oops! I saved the mountain!"
Kazuki sat on a log, sipping a cup of something warm and spiced.
Tala passed him a skewer of grilled mushroom boar.
"So, how does it feel to be worshipped for something you didn't do?"
Kazuki chewed thoughtfully. "Surreal. Like waking up and realizing someone else wrote your resume."
"I did hear one old man swear he saw you riding a giant eel into the spirit realm."
"I don't even know where to find a giant eel."
"And yet, the story spreads."
✦
Somewhere Deep in the Forest
A massive shadow stirred beneath the roots of a sleeping hill. Golden eyes blinked open.
"He bears the Mark of Chaos… yet he walks with no malice."
A snarl echoed through the spirit web.
"The world shifts around him… We must watch."
And so, they did.
✦
Back at the Festival
A young boy nervously approached Kazuki with a bundle of papers.
"M-Mister Hero? I drew these for you…"
Kazuki took them. Childlike crayon art of him swinging a sword at a dragon, one of him tripping over a log and accidentally blocking a boulder with his forehead, and—somehow—one of Smile eating the moon.
"They're amazing," Kazuki said sincerely.
"Really!?"
"Especially the moon-eating one. That might actually happen."
Smile glowed in agreement.
The boy beamed. "I wanna be a clumsy hero like you someday!"
Kazuki laughed. "That's the spirit. Just remember to fall forward."
✦
System Notification
[Kazuki Amano – Level Up!]
Level 19 → Level 20
Title Gained: "Accidental Savior (Regional Rank)"
Perk Unlocked: Spirit Sympathy – Friendly spirits are less likely to attack you.
New Stat: ??? –
(Classification: "Fortuitous Entropy")
[Smile – Companion Trait Activated!]
Trait: Wobble of Destiny
Effect: Increases probability of improbable events by 17% when near Kazuki.
✦
Later That Night
Kazuki sat on the rooftop of the inn, legs swinging lazily as he looked at the stars.
Yukimaru perched beside him, preening his feathers.
Tala climbed up with two cups of honey cider.
"They've already started carving your face into the village stone."
"That was fast."
"One guy says if you sneeze near crops, they'll ripen instantly."
Kazuki groaned. "Myth Kazuki is gonna be a nightmare."
"At least they're happy."
"Yeah…" Kazuki swirled the cider. "It's nice, though. After everything with the bird royalty, I could use a normal village week."
Just then, a burst of rainbow lightning exploded in the distant mountains.
Kazuki stared at it. "That's not normal."
"Nope."
The innkeeper burst onto the rooftop.
"Hero! There's a giant magical tree beast climbing out of the gorge and it's headed this way!"
Kazuki finished his drink in one gulp.
"Welp. There goes normal."
Smile bounced once.
Yukimaru spread his wings, already ready.
Tala cracked her knuckles.
"Let's go see what the tree wants."
✦
Meanwhile, In Aurelis' Fortress
Aurelis stood before a flaming altar. A sword floated above it, radiating heat that warped the air.
He reached for it.
The moment his fingers touched the hilt, the ground shook.
"The Emberbound Blade has awakened."
One of his aides gasped. "But… my lord, the cost of wielding it—"
"I will pay any cost… if it means defeating him."
Aurelis' eyes glowed briefly.
"The clown. The wanderer. The unworthy."
His hand clenched.
"Kazuki."