Published: September 10, 2025
Apologies for the many typos this time due to lack of proofreading time. Please understand.
“Sorry for the noise.”
The knight was dragged away by Blume-san and disappeared, while the princess and the priestess (Loleiya) straightened their posture.
Blume-san mentioned there were three of them, but there were maid-like women standing by the walls, and a fully armored knight with a wrestler-like physique was standing guard by the door.
No fool would approach the princess in such a situation.
“Honorable hero, do you have any questions before the lecture? I will answer anything within my knowledge.”
The princess made that suggestion.
After moistening my throat with the blue-colored tea the maid served—though it tasted like black tea—I asked the most important question first.
“Can I return to my original world?”
“Yes, if you accomplish your mission, by the work of God Parion, you will be sent back to where you came from.”
That was a relief.
Loleiya-san, who answered, added, “There are also heroes who choose to remain here.”
So not everyone wants to return to their original world like me.
“One more thing, what is the mission I must accomplish?”
“Demon King subjugation.”
It reminded me of the home video games I played as a child.
I think there was a final quest or dragon-themed fantasy with that kind of theme.
“Wouldn’t it be faster to send an army?”
“If the Demon King appeared in the Saga Empire, that would be fine, but we cannot dispatch a large army to other countries. For neighboring countries it’s possible, but for distant lands supply lines become untenable.”
“Shouldn’t the nations unite if it’s a world crisis?”
“By the time they unite, many countries will have been destroyed. The expectation for the honorable hero is to defeat the Demon King before that happens.”
It seemed the world being divided into many countries is just like Earth.
“Also, you must take on the fight with a small elite force—dragons will come.”
“—Dragons?”
I wondered if they meant Western dragons or Eastern dragons.
“Yes, if a major battle erupts between the Demon King’s army and the military, it will attract the curious dragons. The Demon King might be destroyed by the dragons, but the resulting damage will be far worse than the Demon King’s destruction.”
Is it like using incendiary bombs to eliminate weeds?
For now, I’ll remember that dragons are a more troublesome threat than the Demon King.
“Aren’t dragons targets for extermination?”
“No, they are harmless unless we harm them or attract their interest.”
An untouchable kind of thing, huh.
While the title Dragon Slayer is appealing, it’s probably best to keep that admiration sealed away.
“Honorable hero, any other questions?”
The princess asked.
—Right.
“Not a question, but a request. Please stop calling me ‘honorable hero.’ Call me Hayato. And if possible, no honorifics either.”
“...Understood. It’s not a problem if Hayato-sama does not use honorific language, but we cannot stop using honorifics ourselves. It wouldn’t set a proper example for the common folk.”
The princess asked me to use honorific language in public and before the emperor.
“I’m not good with formal stuff—”
“Then show results. Once people respect you even without honorifics, we will speak to you in the casual tone you desire.”
I was shut down by a straightforward, reasonable argument.
I might have trouble with this princess.
◇
“The honorable hero has been granted various powers by God Parion besides the unique skill.”
The princess’s lecture began.
Besides the three divine powers I chose—unique skills—there were also powers like Infinite Storage (inventory), Language Understanding (World Talker), Appraisal (Analyze), Self-Check (Self-Status), and Skill Concealment (Hide Skill).
“Why do I need Self-Check (Self-Status) if I have Appraisal?”
“The Self-Check (Self-Status) skill is similar to the lower-tier appraisal skill called person appraisal, but it is a special skill exclusive to the honorable hero.”