After several minutes riding through the dilapidated and rugged dirt road at full speed, the wagon carrying Ren and the King’s Claw members was slowing down. “Any problem over there, Jinggau?” Alfred asked, “We need to bring Reinhart to the city soon; he’s starting to get a fever in here.”

  “Yup, there is a problem indeed,” Jinggau replied, “I suggest we get out slowly and lift our hands.”

  When Ren and the King’s Claw got out of the wagon, they saw three tribal men aiming arrows at them, ready to strike them down. These men looked much different than the people he saw in the capital city. They wore loincloths and vests made from tree bark and had their bodies and faces tattooed.

  “Perhaps, these are the ones Alfred said about the tribal people and the former king.”

  “Don’t move,” one of the men said, examining Ren with curiosity, “You don’t look like you are from around here.”

  “I just arrived in this kingdom a few days ago,” Ren replied.

  “What are you guys planning to do here? Another man asked while aiming his arrow at Alfred.

  Alfred was about to answer when a voice emerged from the jungle, “Lower your weapons, they are the Lord’s guests.”

  A man in his forties appeared, riding a horse; he had tattoos and clothing like those of the four men, but had an overwhelming air of authority that made anyone listen when he spoke.

  He stopped in front of Ren, glaring at him up and down, “Are you the one they summoned? The one, accused of killing the king and the other nobles?”

  Ren sighed, “Yes, I am the one. Though I am not the one killing the king, if you ask me.”

  The man nodded, “Alright, you are the one they are looking for. Igat and Radin escort them to the Lord’s residence. He wants to see them. As for the injured guy, leave him here with my guy, Andre. He will treat his injury. The hole looks big. He cannot move fast and needs treatment.”

  Alfred stepped forward, “Sir, may I know your name?”

  “I am Kanang, the Chief of the Yauja tribe. Say good things about me to the Lord, eh.” Then, he turned his back on them and left for the golden bridge. “I need to go now, I received a lot of troubling things happening on the other side of the bridge.”

  “Come on, guys, hop in. We transferred all your items into our wagon.” Said Igat and Radin, waving their hands for Ren and the King’s Claws to hop inside.

  Andre was applying a paste from a leaf container to Reinhart’s shoulder when they started moving.

  He was slightly larger than the Igat and Radin, but he was a little friendlier than the rest of the bunch.

  “Don’t worry about him,” Alfred said, noticing Ren’s concerned eyes watching Reinhart separated from them, “They are bringing him back to their village. They have lots of medicinal leaves for those kinds of injuries.”

  The journey was smoother from that point onwards.

  Unlike the gloomier weather and hilly terrain of the capital city, the weather in the Eastern Territory was warmer and more humid. As they passed through the thick jungle, Ren heard monkeys howling and jumping from tree to tree.

  Alfred and the rest of the team were sleeping soundly despite the monkey’s howling outside. “They must have been exhausted from all the fighting and running yesterday.” He thought.

  Suddenly, the wagon screeched to an immediate stop, sending Ren and the King’s Claws members flying, colliding against one another in the process. Ren heard Igat and Radin shouting at something, then he heard the whoosh of two arrows from each side of the wagon, which landed on them. They collapsed from the wagon instantly.

  “What the heck, man!” Renang yelled as if he had been hit on the head by Bimol. Jinggau and Bujang said nothing, but they knew something was up. Ren immediately signaled for them to stay quiet.

  “I heard the swooshing arrow sound hitting the two Yauja warriors. I think we are under attack,” Ren whispered. He crawled towards the canopy, flipped it a little, and turned towards them, his face frightened.

  “What was it?” Alfred whispered, “How many people outside?”

  Ren made the number six sign, then pointed at the short sword in Bimol’s hand.

  “Ohh shit… here we go again,” Bimol and Remang drew their sword and crawled to the front, facing the attackers, while Jinggau and Bujang aimed their bows and arrows from behind. Meanwhile, Ren and Alfred ducked behind them, covering themselves with shields, short swords, and a dagger in their hands just in case.

  They heard intelligible sounds from afar, talking and laughing, unaware that they were not alone with the wagon. As footsteps were getting closer to the wagon, with a single nod from Bimol, Jinggau and Bujang released their bowstring. Two arrows flew, piercing the wagon’s cover, hitting two men in the process.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Bimol and Remang instantly jumped out of the wagon to engage their attackers. Soon, the metals clanged violently together. Jinggau and Bujang followed suit with their bows and arrows while Ren and Alfred stayed in the wagon.

  “We must do something, Alfred. I don’t think they can withstand the enemy’s attack any longer.” Ren said, “I should go and fight too.”

  Ren immediately grabbed a short sword, drew it, and jumped out of the wagon. The situation outside horrifies him.

  Five men lie with blood squirting from their necks, a man with his intestines sticking out by the river. A man was stuck in a tree while holding his bow and not moving. The King’s Claw, however, did not sustain any damage for the time being. When they were about to wipe out the attackers completely, however, things began to go badly.

  A group of men, probably in the dozens, rushed towards them from the valley with swords and spears in their hands, shouting and yelling aggressively.

  Bimol chuckled nervously beside Ren, “Looks like it's going to be a long day for us. Ready to fight.”

  “Aim... Ready… Fire!”

  Boom!

  Two large explosions rang out among the hordes. Startled, Ren looked back and saw a man riding a horse and wearing woolen armor leading a large group of soldiers towards them.

  Behind them, two large cannons fired continuously towards the horde's position, scattering and decimating a lot of them.

  When he reached them, an armored man stepped down from his horse and introduced himself, “I am Merovia, the Lord of Eastern Territory. It’s nice to finally meet you, young master, and to all of you, too. Tell me, what is your name?”

  “I am Ren, Lord Merovia. Thank you for saving us from the attack.” Then, he turned towards the two dead Yauja warriors near the wagon, “But we lost two warriors escorting us.”

  “It’s alright. Their families will be comforted, knowing that they died while doing their job. That is the biggest honor the Yaujas could get in their lifetime.”

  He looked closely at Ren and each one of the King’s Claw members, “Follow me, my residence is not far from here.”

  He led them back, about thirty minutes from where the attack occurred. Each of them was given a bedroom to rest and food for dinner.

  Ren has been staring at himself in front of the mirror for the past hour. Hoping that his facial features and body would be different than when he was in the old world, he was disappointed to see the same person in front of him. Pale, frail-looking, and easy to push around. Despite being called a hero, he was just an ordinary student trying to pass his exam before coming to this world.

  He looked at the empty plates on the floor. If only he had this kind of meal every day in the old world, he might be muscular and stronger. Probably, more confidence because of his looks.

  Ren stood up, walked towards the end of the bedroom, and started taking counting steps from one end to the other end of the room. One, two, three…. Twenty. He finally took twenty steps to reach the other end. “I could even practice my taekwondo moves here!” he thought.

  He measured the space between the larger-than-king-size bed and the standing mirror, “Cool… More than two feet apart,” he muttered. Then, he ran for ten steps as fast as he could and made a flying kick towards the other end of the room. Landing safely, he twisted his waist to deliver a spinning kick, compressing the air and releasing a strong swoosh.

  “That was unexpected," He thought. That kind of movement usually doesn't have an impact outside its hitting range, but this one felt totally different. He saw the gush of air shooting from his foot when it snapped like a whip during the spinning kick.

  Ren continued practicing his moves, ecstatic over the swooshes of air created by every kick and punch he made, unaware that Merovia had opened the door and was watching him.

  Merovia cleared his throat, “Ehem… Those were good moves,” he said, which startled Ren into falling on the ground after attempting a 360-degree spinning kick.

  “Lord Merovia, what brought you here?” he asked, “They are taekwondo. Used by a race called the Koreans in my own world. They have various beautiful kicks.”

  Scratching his chin, “I can see that. Your snappy movements can make the air shoot. Very impressive indeed.” Merovia smilingly said, “Anyway, I have something to discuss with you.”

  “Oh… Please be seated, Lord Merovia,” Ren replied while showing his hands towards the edge of his bed. “What is it that you wish to talk about?”

  “The late king and I, we were like brothers. I served as a soldier when he was a crown prince, and I saved his life on multiple occasions. That’s how I became the Governor of this territory. As you can see, I am deeply affected by the king's passing. Upon knowing of his death, I swore to avenge him. So, Howard Ren,” Merovia said, his eyes glaring at Ren, ready to pounce and pummel him to bits, “Did you murder the king in cold blood?”

  Intimidated by his death stare, Ren looked away, “I did not kill the king. When I was summoned and brought to him, he gave me very important instructions. To save this kingdom from the raiders and ensure it has plenty of food to eat.

  Just when he was about to exit the hall, an explosion shook the palace, and soldiers stormed in, killing everyone on sight, including the nobles. But as for the king, it was the crown prince who swung his broadsword to his head. I, the lone survivor, was pinned as the mastermind behind his killing. That much I know, Sir.” Ren replied, this time, his eyes defiant against Merovia’s sharp stare.

  Their staring contest lasted for ten seconds before Merovia erupted in laughter. “I believe you, Ren,” rubbing his watery eyes with his shirt, “I too believed that the late king made the right choice to appoint you.”

  “But… How can you believe me? I have no proof of my innocence.”

  “I know a liar when I see one. You see, I have the knack of detecting lies when I hear the vibration in one’s voice. Your voice was of defiance and truth.” Merovia explained, “I know very well what kind of person the crown prince is. He will be looking for you, even in my territory. He will demand your head on a silver platter.”

  Ren could feel his knees weakening. He might have a chance to fight one or two people, but against an entire army, he will be gone in under a minute.

  “What should I do?”

  Merovia smiled, “I need someone to lead my subjugation force over the Southern Territory, against the Yuka tribe.” his smile disappeared completely, “They are responsible for the earlier attack.”

  Ren’s jaw dropped, “But why do you think I am in the position to lead your force? Will they even listen to a student from another world?”

  “Yes,” he replied, “Because that’s what was foretold in our prophecies. The summoned will be the hero who saves the kingdom one day. Consider it your first step. Okay?”

  Ren nodded reluctantly.

  “Good, perhaps one day, I will call you, my king. Wake up early tomorrow. I will introduce you to the team.”