Lord of Avalon : Lost in Another World

The smell of sizzling meat filled the air as Ardi carefully tended the flames, flipping thick cuts of Giant Meat over a stone grill. The wolf-kin warriors sat around the campfire, their golden eyes watching him with curiosity and caution.

Garmund, still holding one of the big meat slabs Ardi had given him earlier, examined it closely and muttered, "You really have an inventory… To think you possess a space-related ability… That's incredibly rare."

Ardi simply chuckled and shook his head. "Well, something like that."

Rather than explain his System or Inventory, Ardi let them believe it was rare space magic. Sometimes it was safer to leave things misunderstood.

Across the fire, Yui, still in fairy form, perched on a wooden log as the flames lit her small figure. She hummed cheerfully while watching Ardi season the meat with simple herbs and salt.

Suddenly, a soft whisper reached her ears.

"Um… Fairy Onee-san?"

Yui turned to see Ferna, a young wolf-kin girl, looking up at her with wide, curious eyes.

Ferna hesitated, then spoke quietly, "I…I've never seen a Hyuma before."

Her wolf-like ears twitched as she glanced at Ardi, who was busy grilling meat. "He doesn't seem as… terrifying as the elders used to say."

Yui raised an eyebrow, placing her tiny hands on her hips. "What exactly did the elders tell you?"

Ferna's fluffy tail swayed as she lowered her gaze in embarrassment. "They said Hyuma were cold, greedy creatures who only cared about power. They treated beast-kin like us as if we were just wild animals…"

Looking back up at Yui with curious amber eyes, Ferna whispered, "But… you're a fairy, right? Fairies don't live with Hyuma. Why are you always with him?"

Yui smirked and fluttered her wings. "Well, Ardi isn't exactly a Hyuma."

Ferna tilted her head. "He's not?"

Yui pretended to think deeply. "Hmmm… Not really."

The young wolf-kin blinked and her tail wagged a little. "Then… what is he?"

Yui giggled, enjoying the mystery. "That's something you'll have to figure out yourself."

Ferna pouted and then whispered, almost in a hush, "…Did he appear here through random teleportation too?"

Yui's playful expression softened. She glanced at Ardi, who was still focused on cooking, and then sighed softly at Ferna. "…No. His situation is different."

Ferna's ears twitched. "Different, how?"

Yui's gaze turned gentle as she looked at Ardi, "…He didn't just appear here by accident. He was brought here—chosen ones."

Ferna's eyes widened. "Chosen? By who?"

Yui shook her head. "That's a long story. But what's important is he's not like the other Hyuma you've heard about. He's different."

Ferna glanced back at Ardi, who was holding up a piece of meat with a satisfied grin. Yui leaned in and whispered to Ferna, "…And between you and me, I don't think he even knows how special he is yet."

Ferna's tail flicked as she absorbed Yui's words. Maybe the elders were wrong. Maybe this Hyuma—this Lord of Minori Village—wasn't like the others. And if that were true… perhaps things could change.

"Alright, it's done!" Ardi's cheerful voice snapped Ferna out of her thoughts.

He sliced a generous portion of freshly grilled meat, placing it on a wooden plate and offering it to Garmund first. Garmund took a bite after sniffing the air; his ears twitched, and his expression shifted subtly.

Ardi grinned knowingly. "Not bad, huh?"

After a moment of silence, Garmund nodded. "…It is good."

Soon, laughter and conversation filled the air as the feast began—a rare sight of two different races sharing a meal under the moonlit sky.

After the meal, Ardi stood up and stretched, rolling his shoulders. The warmth of the campfire mixed with the cool night air. Still, he had one last task before calling it a night.

"I'll be over there for a bit," he said, pointing to an open clearing near the camp.

Garmund, sipping an herbal drink, raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

Ardi smirked, rolling up the sleeves of his kimono. "Gotta burn off some of that meat."

The wolf-kin exchanged puzzled glances as Ardi walked a few steps away. The idea of burning off food confused them. Then, he dropped to the ground and began his routine.

First, he did push-ups—moving steadily, his arms tightening with each controlled motion. Then, he did sit-ups, engaging his core as he lifted himself repeatedly. Finally, he did pull-ups using a sturdy tree branch, his muscles flexing in the moonlight.

The wolf-kin warriors, proud of their natural strength, had never seen such an odd display. To them, strength came from blood and battle—not from working out on purpose.

Ferna, watching with wide eyes, finally approached as Ardi finished his last set.

"U-um… Lord Ardi?" she asked.

Ardi wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled. "Yeah?"

Ferna hesitated before asking, "What were you doing just now?"

Ardi chuckled, noticing the genuine curiosity in her amber eyes. He sat on a nearby log, catching his breath before answering.

"I was training my body. When we eat, we take in energy. But if you don't use that energy properly, it turns into extra weight—and that slows you down."

Ferna's ears twitched. "But why is that bad?"

Before Ardi could reply, a soft giggle echoed in the night.

Yui, hovering above in her fairy form, smirked mischievously. "Ara, ara~ Look at you, Ardi, showing off your muscles to a young, impressionable girl~"

Ardi rolled his eyes. "Yui…"

She floated closer, resting on his shoulder with an amused look. "I didn't know you had a thing for younger girls. Should I be jealous?"

Ferna's face turned bright red, her fluffy ears pressed flat. "T-that's not—! I was just asking because—!"

Ardi sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Ignore her, Ferna. She's just teasing you."

Yui giggled and poked Ardi's cheek. "Can you blame me? You're doing all these sweaty exercises, showing off your muscles, looking all tough and warrior-like."

Ardi glared. "I'm just trying to stay in shape."

Ferna mumbled under her breath, "Hyuma are so weird…"

Ardi crossed his arms, tilting his head. "You think so?"

Ferna nodded hesitantly. "Wolf-kin don't do that. We stay strong by hunting and fighting. Our bodies naturally stay fast and powerful."

Ardi smiled. "That makes sense. But for humans—or Hyuma, as you call us—we have to train constantly if we want to stay strong."

Ferna's tail twitched thoughtfully. "So… you do it so you don't get weak?"

"Something like that," Ardi said. "I train because I want to be ready for anything."

Ferna fell silent, then murmured softly, "That's… kinda cool."

Yui smirked. "Oh? So now you think Ardi's impressive?"

Ferna blushed and quickly turned away, her tail flicking. "D-don't be ridiculous!"

Ardi laughed, shaking his head. "Alright, enough teasing for tonight."

Ardi stood up, stretching his arms as he looked at the sky. The moon hung high, casting a soft silver glow over the camp. The night was peaceful, yet a part of him knew that peace wouldn't last forever.

"Tomorrow, we return to Minori Village," he said quietly. "But for tonight, let's enjoy this moment—a rare time of unity among different races."

He turned to Yui, who had finally stopped teasing him and was watching the stars with a gentle smile.

"Let's get some rest," he said.

Yui nodded. "Yeah… We have a long day ahead."

And with that, they retired for the night. The campfire flickered softly as the stars shone like scattered dreams in the dark sky.