Chapter 1

"Wow! I never thought such a gigantic creature actually existed..."

Before our eyes, the 'Sandworm' moved as if crawling across the desert. In the Great Desert, it was a common sand beast, but what made it unique was its size. A creature over a kilometer long was something that only appeared in fictional works on Earth.

"A sand beast this huge is rare, though."

"But it's not the only one... There are others."

"The Great Desert is vast, after all."

The young woman who answered my question was Larabel, the former princess of the Kingdom of Bart, who now accompanied me for a reason. She was a skilled hunter and even called the 'Guardian Deity of the Kingdom of Bart,' but due to various circumstances, she had left the kingdom.

"There are quite a few 'named' sand beasts and those of their class in other countries and regions, which are difficult to slay."

"This world is tough, isn't it?"

"Complaining won't make the sand beast die, and normal people won't get close to places where such monsters exist. We just have to find a way to live."

The other companion was Miu, a former servant of Larabel, who was also an excellent hunter and a user of ice magic. She was a daughter of a Bart noble family but had also left the kingdom for reasons of her own and now accompanied me.

"Mr. Taro, do you really have a way to defeat this thing? I can't think of anything."

"There is a plan, and the chances of success are high. If it doesn't work, we can always run. It's important to try."

"That's true. There's always the saying 'nothing ventured, nothing gained.'"

"That's a saying in this world too."

"It's said to have been left by the 'Reformer' of old."

"I see."

"Mr. Taro?"

"Then, let's start the operation."

We decided to fight the monster that had already swallowed an oasis town. I used to be a mundane salaryman... I'm not good at sports and I'm over forty, so my body gets tired easily... but since coming to this world, things have changed...

How did it come to this? I'll explain that now.

"Is this man the 'Reformer'? He looks so unremarkable. He seems quite old... Is he really the one?"

"Your Majesty, there is no mistake. He is the 'Reformer' of this time."

"I see... It's been fifty years since the last summoning of a 'Reformer'... This one is a dud."

"... (What a rude young man... Is this because of his youth?)"

It's the busy season at the company. Usually, there's almost no overtime, but during this period, staying until the early morning is not uncommon. After a long day of overtime, I returned home, ate a convenience store bento for dinner, and went to bed early to prepare for the next day. When I woke up, I was mocked by a young man dressed like a king, calling me 'unremarkable.'

I wanted to shout, "Mind your own business!" but this didn't seem to be a place where people gather for cosplay.

It was a place like the audience chamber of a castle I had seen in anime and manga. The king-like figure was surrounded by many knights, soldiers, nobles in luxurious clothing, and wizards in robes, all looking at me with interest. I'm not used to being the center of attention, so my back was tingling.

"Um... What's going on here?"

"In place of the king, I will explain."

From among the king's entourage, a nobleman in his early forties stepped forward to explain the situation to me. His attire was typical of a noble, so I assumed he was one.

"This world is called the 'Great Desert.' It is a land with a lot of deserts."

Eighty percent of the land is covered by deserts, with a small sea occupying about ten percent of the land in the middle of the world, and the remaining ten percent being grasslands, forests, oases, and other areas where humans can live. It was a rather outlandish story, but if I said, "You have a good sense of humor," the conversation wouldn't progress, and I wouldn't get the information I needed. I decided to gather information quietly.

I wasn't a young man who would be easily flustered by a change in circumstances.

"Moreover, the deserts are home to many 'sand beasts,' creatures adapted to the harsh desert environment, which are too dangerous for ordinary humans. Therefore, the people of this world live crowded in the ten percent of habitable land."

I see.

It's hard to expand living areas in deserts that cover eighty percent of the land, with these sand beasts getting in the way. Living on the sea is also difficult, so they have no choice but to live in the remaining ten percent, which is why this world hasn't developed much. I was called a 'Reformer' by the king... I'll just call him the king. It seems I was summoned to this world to contribute to its development as a 'Reformer.' Being summoned to another world while sleeping is quite a cruel thing to do. It's a good thing I have no family, but if I were the breadwinner of a family, they would have been in a panic thinking I had been kidnapped by a god.

Moreover, the king, who saw me as just an ordinary salaryman in my forties, had a clear expression of disappointment, thinking, "This one is a dud." At the very least, he could have said, "I'm sorry for summoning you suddenly. As a ruler, I had to do this for the sake of the world. I will ensure you are not inconvenienced here, and your contributions will be rewarded."

Is it because he's young?

... Unfortunately, I can't expect much from this king.

"The water supply seems insufficient as well."

"Indeed!"

With only ten percent of the land being habitable, and the sea taking up another ten percent, it's easy to imagine a water shortage. Without water, no living creature can survive, so it's difficult to expand human habitable areas.

"Is the 'Reformer' supposed to solve this problem?"

"Exactly. At one point, the god of this world said, 'Poor souls living in the Great Desert. To overcome your difficulties, I will give you a 'Reformer.'"

So, the god is saying that I, who was suddenly summoned, have the power to change this world? But I'm just an ordinary salaryman. I can't imagine I have the power to improve this desert-filled world...

"I've heard that the 'Reformer' has some special power that the people of this world don't have. What is your name, sir?"

"My name is Kato Taro."

Taro is a common name these days... or is it rare for a man in his forties? My deceased parents named me Taro because I was their first son. By the way, I'm an only child, so there's no second son named Jiro.

"That's an unusual name... I seem to recall a similar name among the ancient 'Reformers'... Are you a noble because you have a surname?"

"Yes, a minor noble."

Of course, I'm not a noble, but since this world seems quite harsh, it might be beneficial to claim I am a noble since I have a surname. There's no way he can verify my status by going to Japan.

"You are a noble, even if from a different world... Then, even if you are unremarkable, I cannot discard you."

Suddenly, the king said something outrageous. It seems he thought I was a failure as a 'Reformer' because of my unremarkable appearance and considered discarding me. I'm glad I claimed to be a noble.

By the way, my deceased parents said I was from a samurai family. Not one of the famous Kato families from the Battle of Sekigahara, but a retainer of some daimyo.

"To fail in a summoning that happens once every fifty years... It seems the development of the Great Desert will take a long time... You may leave."

I was suddenly summoned to another world and then dismissed by the king who summoned me. I managed to avoid being discarded in a world I knew nothing about, but what will happen now?