How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom (現実主義勇者の王国再建記)

Kazuya.

Why do you think it is that people start

their own families?

So they don't have to die alone.

It occurred to me while I was taking care

of your grandmother.

We lost our son and your mother much too early in life,

but you're still here with us.

And it was because of you that we found

a new sense of fulfillment and purpose.

Because of me?

One of these days, I'll go off and join your grandma.

When that day comes, you'll be without a family.

Build your own.

And once you have them by your side,

no matter what comes your way,

you have to keep them safe, you understand?

Do that, my boy, and I can guarantee

when the end finally arrives,

you will consider your life to have been well spent.

I'm getting on in years, this may be the final wisdom

I leave you.

When he said those words,

I thought they sounded like a dying wish.

Time has passed since then, and Grandpa has joined Grandma.

But I'm still here. All alone.

Hmm...

Whatever shall we do?

Your Majesty.

I don't know what we can do.

Surely, something has to be done.

My king. At this point, I believe our only option

is to summon a hero.

You understand the procedure, correct?

Yes.

All right, then we will now proceed

with the Hero Rite of Summoning.

Huh?

What the--Huh?

Am I the only one surprised the summoning

actually worked?

I guess everything is worth trying at least once.

Wait. Summoning?

Ah! Hero! Welcome!

Thank you for answering our call in these desperate times!

I didn't answer anything.

I was summoned to this place against my will.

Uhh...

Yes. I suppose so.

I can see why from your standpoint

it would seem that way.

By chance, you aren't upset we forced you here

against your will?

Oh, I don't know! Wouldn't you be?

At the very least, could you explain the situation?

Then I'll decide if I should be mad.

An... explanation.

That would be helpful.

Well, uh, the predicament is as follows:

This is the supercontinent of Landia.

Several races, including humans, elves, dwarves,

and dragonewts have made this land their home,

forming a number of countries of various sizes.

However, roughly ten years ago,

on the northernmost end of the continent,

a void to the Demon World dimension appeared

and a horde of monsters poured out.

With their appearance, all hell broke loose across

the northern countries.

Under the banner of the Gran Chaos Empire,

which boasted the largest territory on the continent,

all the nations united to form a punitive force

and mounted an invasion against the Demon World.

Unfortunately, those forces were obliterated.

After the battle, the nations lost their main military assets.

They no longer had the strength to repel the monsters

from the Demon World.

The enemy continued laying waste,

and now occupy a third of the continent.

Presently, this territory is known as

the Demon Lord's Domain.

As their monster forces increase and the battle lines

continue to rapidly expand, the outlook is grim.

The nations of mankind can barely keep them in check,

much less drive them back.

To this day, a deadlock remains firmly in place.

Uh-huh...

I hope I'm not supposed to fight these monsters on my own.

Well, perhaps Marx could explain it better.

Huh?

The issue is... a hero is truly a rare commodity to come by.

Huh?

As of this moment, the Demon Lord's Domain

remains mostly quiet.

However, our forces are stationed at his border,

and have been informed to remain ever vigilant.

The soldiers' morale is high since they've been charged

with protecting the world of men,

but the longer the troops remain there,

the more money's required.

It's becoming problematic.

Also, there is the other matter.

Other matter?

The Elfrieden Kingdom.

They've been asked to contribute to the war effort.

The deadline is approaching, but they have yet to respond.

You're going to turn me over to the empire

in the place of financial aid?

I'm terribly sorry about this!

And hope you can forgive us!

Uh, you see, while the Demon Lord's Domain

doesn't border our own kingdom, it abuts the Gran Chaos Empire,

which happens to be the largest country in all Landia.

Because of their brave efforts,

we see many benefits and few monster attacks.

But it costs.

The empire requires financial assistance from countries

that do not share the border with

the Demon Lord's Domain.

So the issue ultimately comes down to money.

If the empire's willing to fight them,

you have to pay them.

We'd love to-- the only problem is we can't.

Right. Our country has been experiencing a continuous

shortage of food.

The expansion of the Demon Lord's Domain

has sent us refugees who were chased from their homes,

and the cost of feeding them is astronomical.

As things currently stand, we are in

no position to supply any financial assistance.

However, within the empire's request for aid,

there is a clause that states that if we cannot

contribute financially,

we may perform the Hero Rite of Summoning.

The sacred ritual of bringing forth a hero

has been handed down in our kingdom for generations.

We can send you instead of funds.

That's tradition.

It's with the utmost reluctance, we--

You'd be more than willing to sell off your own daughters

if it meant paying your debts, right?

So, after handing the empire a hero,

what will happen to me after?

Well, we're a little murky on the subject.

All right, then what makes a hero in the first place?

Legends says that a hero is the one who

will lead the revolution into a new age.

The what?

No disrespect, but that's more than a little vague.

Eh, the thing is... information is scarce.

So the who and what of a "hero" are shrouded in mystery.

Seems like the empire has an interest in them, though.

I hope they don't want you to hand me over

for dissection or anything else equally as macabre.

Not reassuring.

There isn't a chance in a million that they would do

such a thing!

Yes, a million! Well, a thousand.

Eh I'd put the odds at about a hundred.

Why's the possibility keep going up?

Seems as though I'm stuck here for the moment.

My original life plan was to become a civil servant,

but now here I am, at risk of being dissected

in some fantasy adventure.

Uh...

I could run, but without any knowledge of the castle,

that's easier said than done.

Plus, if I screw up and get captured,

this whole situation will only get worse.

Which basically means the next thing I say

pretty much determines my fate.

If I may, permit me to ask one more thing?

Uh, I suppose so.

Are requests made by the empire limited to this one,

or are you expecting some more?

Well, of course they would need...

Actually, the way I see matters,

there's no end to these requests in sight as long as

the monsters persist in their attacks.

I'm sure you're right about that.

So. I have another question.

Going back to the rite of hero summoning.

As long as you perform the full ritual,

would you be able to summon however many people

that you would need?

Oh, so, you see, that's complicated.

Uh... According to our records,

we did summon a hero prior to you.

Nearly 500 years ago.

That took place only the once, and at our nation's founding.

There were of course several failed attempts over the years.

Assuming that's true, this is significant.

I'm pretty much the one card this country has to play.

Does that sound about right?

Um... Yes, I would say so.

In that case, doesn't giving me up

to the empire right now seem a little vacuous?

I-- eh, come again?

As you know, dear, "vacuous" means

something that's done without any thought.