Chapter 1

Taiwanese Edition Translated from the Land of Light

Illustration: Min Ye

Scanning: Min Ye

Input: Renxing Zizhao Pao

Editing: Chinv

"Yiye... Why do people form families?"

On a late autumn day, my grandfather asked me this question. It was right after my grandmother's seventh-day memorial. My grandfather and I were in the yard, staring blankly at the sky. I didn't understand the meaning of the question and couldn't answer, so my grandfather, with a look of realization, said,

"To avoid dying alone. When I was taking care of your grandmother, I felt this deeply. Our son and daughter-in-law passed away long ago, but we still have you, so our lives are complete. Even if we are gone, our bloodline will continue. For living beings, there is nothing more proud than this."

"Grandfather..."

"That's why I want to make this clear now. Yiye, form a family. No matter what happens, protect your family. You've always been a sensible child... no, you have a habit of separating people and things and viewing them individually."

"..."

"However, family cannot be separated. Never let go of the hand you once held tightly. No matter what happens, defend it with your life. This way, at the last moment, you will feel that your life was not in vain, just like your grandmother... and me."

"…It sounds like a last will and testament."

I said this with a joking tone, shrugging my shoulders, but my grandfather nodded seriously.

"I'm getting old, and you will eventually be left alone. Consider this my last words to my grandson."

At that time, I had no idea how to respond.

It wasn't until a few days ago, when I went to inform my grandfather and grandmother about my acceptance to university, that I found myself alone in the house, muttering to myself,

"I understand, Grandfather. I won't forget your last words."

Form a family and protect it no matter what happens.

With this promise in my heart, I began my new life alone—so it should be.

◇◇◇

"Oh, brave hero! Thank you for responding to my summons!"

A middle-aged man of average build appeared before me, speaking with a commanding tone.

He was probably in his forties to fifties, wearing a red cloak as thick as a coat and a golden crown, looking every bit the part of a king.

The young woman standing beside him seemed gentle and was likely the queen. She wore a dress, had platinum blonde hair, and was very beautiful, probably around thirty years old.

I checked the surroundings. The ceiling was incredibly high, marble pillars stood in rows, and the floor was covered with a red carpet.

On both sides, soldiers stood at attention, and I could see the figure of what seemed to be a prime minister. The scene before me was like the opening of an RPG game, a castle.

A king, a castle, and the words "Oh, brave hero..."

...Hmm, stay calm. Panicking won't help.

First... yes, start by gathering information.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you angry about being summoned?"

I observed him closely, and the king suddenly became flustered.

"No, I just haven't figured out the situation yet... Can you explain a bit?"

"Truly calm, I envy you..."

"Your Majesty...?"

"No, no! Nothing!"

The prime minister cleared his throat, and the king jumped up. Seeing the interaction between the king and the prime minister, the queen smiled slightly, and the soldiers showed a wry smile. From their reactions, I could tell that the "seemingly kind king" was indeed a kind king. Though he lacked the authority of a king, he was deeply loved by his subjects.

In any case, to avoid putting pressure on him, I tried to stay calm and asked,

"And the hero you mentioned—could it be that the Demon King has attacked?"

"Very clever indeed. Yes, that's exactly it."

"..."

No way... Am I dreaming? No, just saying that. I can tell the difference between dreams and reality. I don't feel the lightness of a dream, and all my senses, except for taste, are functioning normally, proving this is the real world.

This is... the real world... I emphasize again, no way...?

"Hey! Hero, are you okay? Why are you holding your head?"

"I'm fine, don't worry. I just feel a bit dizzy."

My head was getting more painful, but I had to endure it for now.

"I'm fine now. Please continue explaining the situation."

"Really? Then I'll continue."

The king then began a "traditional RPG game initial world explanation" that was so long-winded that if it were a game, I would have wanted to press the [skip] button. I'll summarize the key points.

First, the setting of this world.

This world seems to consist of the "Super Continent Randia" and many islands of various sizes. Besides humans, there are many races such as beastmen, elves, dwarves, and half-dragons living here. The world is divided into several countries of different forms, some of which are peaceful coexistences of multiple races, some favor a single race, and others prohibit the entry of other races. These countries are vying for world dominance. However, since the appearance of the Demon King's territory, the countries have started to cooperate on the surface.

Next, about the Demon King's territory and the Demon King.

About ten years ago, a space known as the "Demon World" appeared at the northern border of the Super Continent Randia, spewing out numerous monsters, causing chaos in the northern countries. The countries formed a joint army and attacked the Demon World.

However, the joint army was completely annihilated. The Demon World seems to contain low-intelligence (or zero-intelligence) "monsters" and intelligent, powerful "demons." The joint army was destroyed by the demons. Although not officially confirmed, rumors suggest that a "Demon King" who commands all demons exists.

After that battle, the world's countries, having lost their main armies, were unable to resist the monsters emerging from the Demon World. Northern countries fell one after another, and the Demon World, which was originally a small territory, gradually occupied a third of the continent. The area now occupied by the Demon World is called the "Demon King's Territory." The invasion has temporarily stalled because the expansion of the front has dispersed the power of the monsters and demons, allowing the countries to barely maintain their lines. However, the human side has no strategy to turn the tide, and the front-line countries are in a stalemate.

Next, about this country.

This is the Kingdom of "Erfelden," a medium-sized country in the southeastern part of the continent, governed by a monarchy. Originally, it was a country established by multiple races, with humans as the rulers but tolerant of other races without discrimination. All races enjoy citizenship, and all professions except "King" are open to other races. In fact, the prime minister who earlier advised the king is a half-elf, the child of an elf and a human.

Since it is not adjacent to the Demon King's Territory, the damage from monsters is limited, but the country's power is not strong, and the treasury is empty. In recent years, it has faced the threat of food shortages, and with the expansion of the Demon King's Territory, refugees have flooded in, exacerbating the food shortage problem.

Moreover, diplomatic issues are also ongoing.

Besides the Demon King's Territory, the "Great Chaos Empire" has the largest territory in this world, but the relationship between the Kingdom of Erfelden and the Great Chaos Empire is not good. The empire has the longest border with the Demon King's Territory and was the leader of the first invasion. After the defeat in the Demon King's Territory, the empire seems to have requested "war support" from other countries. In other words, it is requesting that countries farther from the Demon King's Territory provide supplies to countries closer to it. Although it is a request, when it comes from the strongest human country, it is essentially mandatory. The kingdom has also received this request from the empire, but given the current situation, it is difficult to provide additional financial support.

Finally, about the "Hero Summoning" that brought me to this world.

Among the empire's requests, there was a condition that if financial support could not be provided, the country could perform the ancient hero summoning ritual and submit the summoned hero to the empire. The empire clearly knew that the kingdom could not provide the necessary funds, and this might have been their true intention. They might have planned to use the hero as a fighting force, or to dissect the hero for research, or even to invade the kingdom under the pretext of non-compliance... Due to the lack of information about the empire's intentions, many speculations have arisen, causing the kingdom to be suspicious and wary.

Faced with the current situation, the kingdom decided to hold the hero summoning ritual first. Whether to hand over the hero to the empire is still unknown, but if a hero is successfully summoned, it can be used as a bargaining chip. Moreover, the ritual must be held to show the empire that the kingdom is willing to cooperate.

...By now, everyone should understand that the kingdom never expected the hero to actually be summoned.

"Hey!"

"Yikes! I'm sorry!"

I couldn't help but shout, and the king jumped in fright.

"Sorry, I lost my composure."

Even if he is just a king, I must maintain proper etiquette.

But... Was I really summoned to this world unexpectedly, without any expectations?

To calm myself, I took a deep breath and asked the king,

"...What are your plans?"

"Plans?"

"Do you really intend to hand me over to the empire?"

"This... What should we do? It's a real headache."

The king was seriously pondering this, which was unexpected.

I thought he would use the "The empire is too scary! For our country, please go to the empire!" line and try to persuade me with tears, given his timid appearance.

"What's there to worry about? Isn't the empire very scary?"

"Very scary indeed! That's why it's a headache!"

"Excuse me, allow me to explain a bit more."

The one who intervened was the half-elf prime minister.

"Currently, the power gap between our country and the empire is significant, and we cannot defy the empire's policies. In this situation, you are a lucky ace we have obtained. If we hand over this ace, we lose our bargaining chip with the empire. Even if we get through this crisis, what will we do when the next problem arises? We might have to obediently hand over the chip then."

"..."

The prime minister's point is clear. The best example is the *Oshu Fujiwara clan, who, after yielding to the pressure of Minamoto no Yoritomo and forcing Minamoto no Yoshitsune to commit suicide, were ultimately defeated and destroyed. (Editor's note: When Minamoto no Yoritomo pursued Minamoto no Yoshitsune, the fourth-generation leader of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, Fujiwara no Tadahira, could not resist the pressure and forced Minamoto no Yoshitsune to commit suicide, but was still attacked and destroyed by Minamoto no Yoritomo, leading to the extinction of the Oshu Fujiwara clan.)

"But what about the hero?"

"The hero is precisely the 'one who leads the change of the era.'"

Hmm... Isn't the hero supposed to defeat the Demon King?

"Isn't that too vague?"

"Unfortunately, the literature is quite limited."

"…Shouldn't you have thought twice before holding the ritual?"

"I'm very sorry."

This kind of formal apology from a government official is unnecessary... In any case, it's really troublesome. I want to do something, but the information available is so limited. What I need most now is time.

"King, I have a suggestion."

"What suggestion? Please go ahead."

"Can we discuss future plans in detail? Let's not stand here talking. Find a place to sit and talk. Just the three of us: me, the king, and the prime minister."

"Hmm… Max, what do you think?"

"That's fine."

When the king asked, the prime minister named Max bowed. With their agreement, I added some conditions.

"Also, try to gather as much information about this country as possible, especially financial reports, agricultural, forestry, and fisheries, economic industries, and land and transportation. We might be able to squeeze out the support funds the empire requires. I also need information about the hero… but we can discuss that later."

"No problem, I'll have it prepared immediately."

The staff dispersed, and I was taken to the king's office.

I sat on a soft sofa and held meeting after meeting with the king and Prime Minister Max. We discussed everything.

The country's industries, economy, tax system, agricultural policies, military, diplomacy… We discussed various issues. The meetings lasted for two full days, partly because I asked questions based on the information gathered during the meetings, and partly because the two showed unusual interest in my suggestions. The king, in particular, was exceptionally focused on my advice, as if he had transformed during the meetings.

—Two days later, the king left the meeting room with a radiant expression. This became a topic of conversation among the guards at the meeting room door.

They said it was the expression of a man who had made a decisive decision.

"Everyone, please listen carefully."

The day after the three-person meeting ended.

The king gathered important figures in the castle's audience hall and announced something loudly.

"I, Albert, the thirteenth king of Erfelden, hereby abdicate and pass the throne to the summoned hero, Soma Ichika! I also announce that my daughter, Rishia Erfelden, will marry Prince Soma!"

The audience hall fell silent, and everyone was speechless.

Among those present, the queen was probably the only one who remained calm.

For me, this was an explosive declaration that came like a bolt from the blue.

—On April 32, 1546, Soma Ichika ascended to the throne.