Chapter 5

Oh no... This is very bad...

I let my guard down because of the scent of the tea. I ended up falling back into my old habits from Earth... from Japan. The relaxation effect of the tea is really something, I can attest to that...

"Tokyo... I have one piece of advice for you."

The expressionless old man spoke. I idly thought, "This must be what it feels like to have a stern look," but my feet were shaking at a magnitude 7. They were trembling.

"Y-Yes, sir."

"Since you're still not used to this world and were caught off guard at first, I'll overlook minor things."

At that, the old man took a deep breath, and I started shaking at a magnitude 8.

"But, if you misidentify a race, or make discriminatory or derogatory remarks about a race, absolutely do not do it. Unless you want to die."

I stood up and bowed deeply to the dog-eared beauty, performing a dogeza.

"Please forgive my rudeness, I did not mean to belittle you or your race. Please forgive my ignorance."

Only after that did the dog knight start to calm down. He had been trembling and panting just a moment ago.

"Well, Al, shall we call it even? Alright?"

"H-Hai, I will follow your judgment, sir."

The dog knight is named Al. Al... I got it.

"Su, do you understand?"

"H-Hai, I understand, sir."

The maid is named Su. Su, huh. I wonder if she likes fishing.

"Phew, I had to promise to be lenient at first. But, there won't be a next time, Tokyo. You must value your life..."

...What? Was it really a life-threatening situation just now? It must be a major taboo to talk about races.

"Yes, I am grateful for your special consideration, sir."

I bowed to the old man as well.

I don't know which one is the kill switch... I need to learn the common sense of this world quickly, or my life will be on the line. "Cause of death: Insensitivity" is not something I want to see.

Su bowed and left the room. Her teary eyes seemed to have calmed down.

"Alright, let's talk about the hero. It's a simple matter, you see."

The old man, who had been sipping his tea, continued with a thin smile.

"I'm not asking you to defeat the Demon King or stand at the forefront of a war. Just be the leader of the flag."

Leader of the flag?

"First of all, the Demon King is something we've never heard of. No, there are monsters and demons, but the Demon King as you know it doesn't exist, nor has it ever existed in history. The demons live scattered and do as they please, without forming a country or having a king. It seems like they find it troublesome."

"I-I see. They do as they please, huh?"

"Yes. They don't dominate or control monsters; they are an excellent race of magic users, these demons. Even though they do as they please, they are not lawless. Some become adventurers, scholars, cooks, or innkeepers. They live freely as citizens of the country."

I see, so there's no conflict...

But, do they not want to have their own country?

"That's why racial discrimination is not allowed."

After taking another sip of tea, the old man's expression turned serious.

"When a race discriminates, the dragons and demons become their enemies. The discriminating race will be almost entirely wiped out, with only a few left."

...Huh? So, in other words...

"Executioner... no, judge... is that it?"

"Yes, you could say that. It's fine to say it; it's the way of this world."

I see, so there used to be discrimination in the past. Is this a system to prevent it?

"So, your... the hero's job..."

Right, what is it? This world's system seems to be well-established. With dragons and demons monitoring, it doesn't seem like there would be a job for a hero.

"The summoning of a hero hasn't happened in a long time. According to records, it's been a thousand years since the last one."

Ah, I have a really bad feeling about this.

"Well, it seems that in the past, heroes were summoned to defeat those who held discriminatory ideologies. I have no intention of doing anything that drastic, and I like this world without racial discrimination. I don't want to destroy it."

Thank goodness... I'm really glad I wasn't summoned 1000 years ago. Thank you, unknown hero.

"What I, the Margrave of Grun, Raztonia, want to do..."

H-Hey, a margrave? You're a high-ranking noble with an important border territory, Mr. Raztonia...

"Is to usurp the throne."

At that moment, I was certain that I was going to die.