We escaped the commotion, and are currently in my inn room. Marcy is sitting in a chair, I am sitting on the bed with Helen latched to my arm leaning her head on my shoulder. She is stuck with me since we left the Guild. Something soft is touching my arm, but I must keep my cool. There are a dozen rats playing behind us. Now that I got my shit together, I am completely embarrassed. I have completely freaked out earlier today. It is like I want to dig a hole and bury myself in.

Marcy picks up something in her radar, and open the bomb bay doors.

"You two want me to come back tomorrow? I'm okay with it, you know?" Marcy's smiles are full of mischief.

"Marcy! It is still too early for that!" Helen gets fidgety and bashful. Time to change the subject.

"How did you girls figure out who I was?"

"There were too many hints once we pieced everything together. The final drop was earlier today when we were outside of town. You brought my two familiars north with you, right? The rats."

"Yes. They are outside with some friends."

There is a stone formation shaped like a chalice in the woods south of this town. It is a landmark that can be seen from some distance away, one of those narrow stone formations you don't know how are still standing. We built a kind of village there with some primitive huts.

"I can share their senses and talk to them over a distance. Earlier when we were outside training, they reached out to me. Quite a band of 'friends' you gathered, Grendel."

"Did you see them? My monster friends?"

"Yes. That snake lady seems very attached to you, right?"

Helen's yandere index went up by 20%. I just turn my head to the side, unable to face her stare. I feel like I'm being pickled here.

"Oh ho ho! Is our hero two-timing already? With a naga nonetheless? Or is it a lamia?"

In my defense, she is only interested in murdering me. But telling them that will surely backfire because the firing squad is at full throttle. It is one of those situations where you are doomed either way if you speak or stay silent. But I need to defend myself.

"She is a Crested Naga I befriended in the wilderness. There is nothing going on between us. She is my friend, only that."

Helen faces me really close. I feel like she is reading my mind. But having her face this close is awesome.

"Hum..." This inquisitive gaze of hers can sniff any lie. After some excruciating moments, she gives her verdict. "You pass."

"You two will meet her sooner or later." I am picturing in my mind the scene. Shraaizar will see the girls, and then thank me for bringing them, just to pounce for the kill.

An awkward silence falls on the room. I stay there fidgeting for a while and Marcy decides to break the ice.

"But weren't you a big monster? How did you transform into a human?"

"His curse must've been lifted! I told you he was a person inside!!!" Helen tries to persuade Marcy. Her theory is not far off though.

I shake my head. "I unlocked a skill that allows me to take human form for a few days at a time. This form is just temporary, my body at least is still the body of a monster... But it is not just that..."

What I really want to say is the hardest thing to say. Because I have zero evidence to prove my claim. I may be young in this world, but I have more than a decade of experience living on Earth.

"What is it then?"

"I think I should tell you two even if you find it hard to believe... I am from another world in that world I was a human just like you."

"What?" "No way!" They express their disbelief at the same time.

"The world I came from is called Earth. It is a world of humans only, without magic or monsters. Apparently, I died there and for some reason, I was reincarnated here. As Grendel the troll."

This whole world transfer stuff seems to be too much for Helen to digest. Marcy once again breaks the silence.

"Why are you a level 25 villager? In my two years working at the Guild I've never seen such a high-level villager. Everyone changes job during their coming-of-age ritual... but I guess you never had one, right?"

"My status says I am just 1 season old!! Honestly the day I met you in that camp was the very day I was 'born' in this world. But I can't change jobs. The Adventurer's Guild won't allow it because of this whole rank 'i' issue and any other place that allow job changes would appraise me. You can figure out what would happen."

But the villager job levels up really easy. It gives one skill point and very few stats. Not really worth the Exp, but I can level both my racial level and my job level at once. It is like my Exp gets fully added to both without splitting. Now I understand why that floating head told me the [Dual Job] was interesting. Having that skill would be like doubling the Exp earned.

Marcy gets the conversation where she wanted and gets to the juicy spiky elephant in the room. "Regarding your registration Mr. Beowulf, can you explain why the receptionist that registered you issued an 'i' rank?"

I pause for a moment, take a deep breath, summon my courage and let it out of my chest.

"I can... You will probably hate me, Marcy, but what is done is done. Wait a moment." I lift myself from the bed, grab one of the bags I keep at a corner of the room and take some stuff from inside. "First and foremost thank you, girls,, for the 'care package' you sent me in the forest. Those tools were very handy."

"So you found those packs we left behind."

I take out a small leather collar, a leather tube the size of an index finger and hand those to Helen. She accepts the items with a sad look

"The two children at your camp already told me you got their message... But how did this children die in the forest?"

"Poisoning. It probably inhaled Death Willow Syrup Fumes."

Before taking out the next item, I face Marcy. "You know he had to pay for his wrongdoings..." I take out some fancy composite bow and hand it to her.

Marcy picks up the bow with mixed feelings. "Master is..."

"Yeah. He paid for what he did to Helen." It is an uncomfortable feeling. If I knew more about Marcy like I do now, maybe I'd have spared him. What is done is done.

"How?" Marcy liked the guy, but in the end, I think she got over her first crush. She wouldn't have fled here with Helen otherwise. I hope she won't hate me.

"Wyvern venom, just like he did to me..." I tap my shoulder. Helen grimaces. I return to the bed and sit by her side. "I'm sorry, Marcy. But what he did was unforgivable."

Marcy holds the bow and closes her eyes. "Can I keep this?"

"I brought it for you. I don't know how to shoot a bow."

My mind and thoughts are clearer now than when I was parading Mirfield as Hero. Did I have to kill those people? Probably. Was there another path? Probably yes, too. Do I regret? I can't. Those guys tortured the most important person in this world.

All these exchanges and exposition have worn us out. It is clear in the faces of the girls that they are tired. Time to lighten up the mood.

"I got letters for you two from the people of Mirfield."

Before coming here from the Capital, I passed by Mirfield and asked the people there to write these two girls some letters. They happily obliged. I also kinda cleared up their status there. I hand over their letters. They are rolled parchment scrolls with wax seals. They have paper, but it is too expensive.

They begin reading and I discreetly slip out of the room to order food from the inn's kitchen for us three. They should get some time alone now. I spend the next hour drinking in the lobby when one of Helen's rat comes to tug my clothes. I think it is time to go back. I call the inn's maid and tell her to bring the food to my room.

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After eating and some small talk I notice Helen looking at the spear resting next to the dresser.

"Was it too bad alone in the wild, Grendel?"

"It was not a tenth as bad as what you went through in that town. I am sorry I pushed you out of that bush... I thought you should be among your own kin. It was wrong of me to decide things for you."

The food arrives and we eat while they ask me how are things in Mirfield.  After we are finished, Marcy stands up and wave us goodbye.

 "I am going home now, you two enjoy the night here."

Helen is red like a tomato. "Oh. If you are going, take Helen with you." She makes a really sad face. Misunderstanding in 3, 2... "It is not that I don't desire to spend the night with Helen, but..."

"Ca-can't I stay here? I want to be with you a little more."

"Just give up Beowulf. Take good care of Helen, right?"

"If you want to stay, fine. I'd like to spend more time with you too."

In this world, they are already adults. I guess there is no problem, even though I can't do anything.

"Right! I'm out to shop the supplies for tomorrow's expedition before the shops close for the day."

 Marcy leaves, and we find ourselves in that awkward moment.

"I'll sleep on the floor."

"No ... You're sleeping with me in bed. Just sleep! It's fine like this... right?"

Helen used 'Puppy Eyes'. It is super effective.

Another thing that does not exist in this world is nightwear. I think the nobility may have pajamas or negligees, but the commoners just sleep naked. And that is not an option for us today. I want to get intimate with Helen, but I can't. The words of the redhead orc prince are still echoing in my head. If I have sex with Helen and she gets pregnant, she might die. It is a scary thought that does wonders to push aside any intention of doing it. Even if this human body is able to create perfectly human offspring, it is still a big problem because I can't stay human forever. One day out of every five I must spend in troll form, and I can't hope to keep paying the point cost forever.

Being a monster father is out of the question. For that reason, We are sleeping with our clothes on.

Having Helen by my side on the same bed and under the same blanket is too much stimulation and of course, I was unable to sleep. It is dark now, and just some moonbeams are entering the room through cracks in the window veneers, barely illuminating the room. I am staring at the ceiling. I made a nest-like thing with some hemp sacks, and the rat squad is all piled up below the table. By my side, Helen is sleeping with a smile, her breath tickling my neck. In human form, I don't have the same night vision as Grendel, so I can't see much in the room. Outside there is almost no sound.

I'm doing my best not to move. I don't want to disturb her. Looking for stuff to do, I fiddle with the status window. It can be 'seen' even if it was pitch dark. There is a party window I can access from the status. It is like flipping a page in an e-reader. There it is. Three HP bars. Three names. Marcy, Helen, Beowulf. There is a little icon next to Marcy's. A status icon: Sleep. The other two bars are clean. And it means...

"Helen, are you awake?" I whisper.

"Yes." She mutters with her eyes closed. "I am just listening to your heartbeats."

"Is it that loud?"

"I can feel it." She rests her hand on my chest. "A strong, earnest heart..."

I turn around to face her. It is dark, but it is still possible to see her features in the faint moonlight. I wrap my hand around her neck, feeling her soft hair. We move closer, seeking each other's lips. Some trial and error denounce our lack of experience. Nervous, I don't know how to move and end up bumping my forehead against hers. Laying on my side pins one of my arms.

"You are trembling. What is wrong?"

"I can't believe I am here with you. It is like I am dreaming. We went through so much. I searched for you for months. But I finally found you."

"My desire to be with you again was the only thing that kept me from going crazy in that jail. I love Grendel. I love Beowulf. I am not going anywhere."

My feelings overflow into tears. I pull her even closer to me. "I love you, Helen. My beautiful Helen." We kiss again.

"We hurt you with that prank. I'm sorry. But we had to see if it really were you. What do you want me to do to make up?" She goes from an apologetic tone to a whisper with a mischievous and shy offer.

What I want is obvious. I want to touch her, feel her, become acquainted with every inch of her skin. Synch my heartbeat with hers. "Be mine." These thoughts escape and become words spoken between my teeth.

"Yes!" She answers with a big smile. Have I just proposed? "Whether you're a man or a monster, I'll be yours."

I resist the urge to push her down and roll back to face the ceiling. It is spinning. I feel hot. I take deep long breaths.

"There are things I have to tell you. I did a lot of bad things. You may end up changing your mind about me. You may even hate me."

She turns on her stomach, raises her head and leans on her elbows, facing me.

"I doubt it. You are gentle, Grendel. You were gentle in your troll skin back at those woods. You saved my town from the orcs even angry at what they did to me. You killed people, but those were people I'd like to kill too. I wanted to kill the Guild Master. The Baron. The soldiers. I almost wilted every single plant around town with my magic. But I didn't. Because there were still decent people in that town. Because I thought Grendel would not want me to destroy my hometown. But I'd have killed those people if I had the power to."

I stroke her cheek with the back of my right hand. She rests her head on my hand, brushing herself against the hand like a cat.

"Alvus and Mercy told me of their visits in jail. If I had a way of knowing about you earlier... But I did terrible things. I broke a taboo. The Guild sent this adventurer group after me, the Shining Blades. We fought. I lost control. Rage took over. I became a real monster. I ate them."

"Marcy told me all about Trolls. They are known to berserk when pushed over the limit. Those people, they came to kill you, right? They hurt you. You fought back. Maybe you even got very close to dying. And you lost control because of that. I won't hate you for what you had to do to survive. Because we would not be here, together otherwise."

"Maybe you are right. I saw them coming and ambushed them. If we faced off head to head or if they had ambushed me, I'd not be here talking to you."

"You were in berserker state, right? Did you want to eat those people?"

"No way! I am grossed out just by remembering that I did it."

"Do people have to fight in the world you came from? you said there are no monsters there."

"It is a very peaceful world. There are wars between countries from time to time, but most people live in peace. I'd like to show you that world. But I don't think there is a way of going there."

"If you had an Illusionist job, you could show me the pictures of your memories."

"Illusion magic? Is there such a thing?"

"Yes. It is an advanced job. 4th tier I think."

"Would I be able to use magic?"

"I don't know. You are a level 25 villager, right? You should have just a little MP from your job, maybe I can train you later. Do monsters have MP? To use spells and skills?"

"No. We just get tired if we use too much magic or skill. Sometimes hungry too."

"And you also get MP from your stats. You might become a mage."

All this talk helped me forget my anxiety. It feels so natural to be this close to Helen. I don't want to let her go.

"But there is more bad stuff I did that I have to tell you. Do you want to hear how I fooled your king?"