Side: Taiki Nakasato (Rankus Hero)
The world is total crap.
They bullied me, mocked me, and called me an otaku... Is it really such a sin that I couldn't study or play sports?!
Just wait and see—the knowledge I got from games can be useful! The things I found fun weren't a waste of time! Light novels and manga are important sources of knowledge, too!
If I could just go to another world, even I could...
—And then, one day, I was summoned to another world. A classic isekai scenario.
As expected, I was given the power of a hero too. My level was a pathetic Level 1, unfortunately. Still, I used the knowledge I cultivated in Japan to grind my level up like crazy and ended up saving the near-extinct Kingdom of Rankus.
When I was summoned, Rankus was in rebellion... no, honestly, the rebels had more justice on their side.
Impossible expeditions and war.
Impossible taxation.
A tiny national territory.
From the royal perspective, they probably cared more about pride than anything else. But if this kept up, it would just turn into a massacre, so I used my level advantage to convince the rebels for now. I used my internal-administration cheat... well, even a humble cheat is still a cheat... Using that, I somehow stabilized the country.
But that created new problems.
Maybe they hated that I stood out as the Hero, but the King and the Princess who summoned me started meddling.
Good grief, crushing the citizens just to maintain your pride is a lost cause. You guys are the textbook definition of "Arrogant Royalty"! If you keep that up, the tropes say it's "Goodbye" for you! But I had far too few allies in the royal palace.
Daaaaaaahhhhh—!
I was a shut-in, but I just hated bullies; I can talk to people normally. Thanks to my past, I became hyper-sensitive to the "atmosphere" in the room. It might be self-consciousness, but in a place like this, that's just enough.
"At this rate, I'll definitely be assassinated... and then they'll build a bronze statue of me..."
What do I do?
Seriously, what do I do?
Sure, with my individual ability, I could manage on my own. But if I run away, they'll just claim I'm dead or turn me into a villain to justify further tyranny over the people.
The idiot royals who brought me here aside, I can't let the old men and women in the towns and villages suffer like that.
Listen, I'm not simple enough to be your typical righteous handsome hero or some idiot exclaiming "yahoo!" over cheat abilities. Only narrow-minded fools ignorant of the world act like that. Born in modern Japan, you'd be incredibly naive to have that kind of personality.
Sure, otherworld cheats are exciting. But standing out attracts unnecessary trouble. Being summoned as a hero can't be helped, but I'm not so heartless as to abandon the people I helped to be trampled by idiot royalty.
So, I thought of something.
I stand out because I'm the only hero. So if I marry the princess and become royalty, I can have my opinions heard as a member of the royal family, not as an otherworlder. I'd have to play the obedient puppet, though. For now, I have no choice but to keep this up.
So, I've been playing the fool, diving into dungeons to conquer them while secretly hoarding my own funds. I've been guiding their stupid policies so they don't get offended while minimizing the damage to the citizens. I even used my personal funds to start a merchant guild for "Business Cheats" and had them gather information for me.
I've been living desperately... Damn it, being a shut-in was better! But I haven't rotted or fallen so far that I'd abandon the people who took care of me!
Seriously though, the Princess is beautiful, but her inside is trash. We're technically a married couple, but we haven't slept together once! She's sleeping with a palace knight! They're already at it!
It's a relief, really. Makes things a lot easier for me.
'Fufu, that Hero is so easy to use. He answers any request instantly. Once I have a child with you, we'll just station that Hero in the military and make you King.'
'Heh, I feel bad for the Hero-dono. Well, it's not right for an outsider to stand at the top.'
'Yes, Father has approved it, too. Let's make the Hero work as much as possible.'
When I heard that conversation, I thought about killing them, but I held back for the sake of the common folk.
Idiots!! Idiots!! That was obviously an act!! You prideful morons!!
"Hero" is just another word for "Handyman" everywhere, isn't it? Saving the world and being rewarded with a single lordship... what a joke of a prize. I want to get this sorted and get out of here as soon as possible!
But the opportunity didn't come easily. They took advantage of me being a Hero and started picking fights with neighboring countries on their own. Hey, the national territory isn't even stable yet; reaching out elsewhere will just drain us! Haven't you heard of the Zeon invasion strategy? It's no good if the front lines expand too much!
Since then, through my desperate behind-the-scenes work, three countries officially became part of our territory, but with minimal damage. The royals weren't executed either... I used almost all of my cheat fortune as collateral to get them to lower their weapons.
Incidentally, the kings of the three fallen—no, subordinated—countries heard how I was being treated and promised to help if I ever raised the flag of rebellion. In a sense, I should thank the idiots of Rankus for picking fights. Thanks to them, I have a prospect for securing the safety of the common people.
All that's left is the timing...
If I rebel alone, I'll just be called crazy, and my justification would be weak. I mean, the tyranny is obvious, but it'd be a mess if other countries got involved. That's why I need a place where I can declare, "This fight is justice, so stay out of it!"
However, a "summit" where various nations gather at once is almost unheard of in this world... Gartz has connections among the four major powers that could make it happen, but Rankus has pushed them way too far with their moronic policies. And they used my name as a Hero to do it! Damn it, Rankus really loves choking me, doesn't it!?
—But though I don't know if a god exists, I was lucky.
I learned that there was a plan to successfully control a dungeon, create a town inside it, and connect the countries with gates... That's "Logistics Cheating" Who thought of this?
While listening to the talk, the three major powers declared they would recognize that dungeon as an independent state to prevent military—no, financial—power from concentrating in one nation. Roshure must have been hurting to let that slip. But thanks to that, the idiot Princess brought me along to the Independence Festival to try and snatch back the trade rights.
So I told them:
"This is bad... The Demon King and his Four Heavenly Kings are here."
The stupid princess naturally said:
"It means the Demon King tried to squeeze my country to strip away our military power. Naturally, they intend to use that to seal you away, Taiki-sama, the Hero."
"Yes, that's the only saving grace. No, this is exactly the power of a hero. If you defeat the demon king here, everyone will wake up."
Nice. With this, I've officially obtained permission to draw my sword.
Nowadays, nobody listens to the opinion that demons or monsters are inherently evil. Besides, the pamphlet even said monsters are the security guards. Well, I'm hiding the fact that I can read, and the Princess probably knows that and is telling me to cut them down anyway. She probably thinks I'll subdue everyone, including the royalty here.
IDIOT!!
Look, the way this place is built... no matter how I look at it, another Japanese person like me is involved.
They have "Cheats" far superior to mine. Yet, there's no talk of a Japanese person being out in the open. I don't hear any Japanese names. But the hidden boss here is Japanese. That's why I used my Appraisal skill to find a Doppelganger monster.
Thinking this would be safe, I slashed at the girl.
"You monsters!! You can't fool my eyes! Prepare yourself!!"
"Eh?"
The girl looked stunned.
Not yet? Is it not coming...?
Honestly, I don't want to cut a little kid this small. Even if it is a fake...!
CLANG!!
Nice! I almost wanted to do a fist pump. A serious fist pump!
The one who appeared in front of me was a black-haired guy around the same age as me.
A Japanese person!! Definitely a Japanese person!!
Calm down, stay calm. The opponent is angry. Naturally—I just swung a sword at a little kid. I have to figure out how to get away from the trash Princess and talk to this guy.
"...You better prepare yourself... you bastard."
Eeeek!? He's completely pissed off!!
I'd love to say, "I was acting!!"
"You're shielding a monster. That proves you've got something to hide. I'll cut you down too!!"
"Hero-sama, do your best!!"
You shut up, trash Princess!!
Ah, I know—I'll take the fight somewhere else while clashing swords!
Thinking that, I went on the attack.
But...
THUD!
"Guh...!?"
No way... we both have cheats, so I thought we could go back and forth a bit?! I was blown away in a single hit. If I hold back, I'll die?!
"You...!"
If I don't push back with everything I've got, I'm going to die here!
CLINK!!
The sword stopped in mid-air before it hit the man.
Is that a Magic Barrier?! No way, this is a Hero weapon with "Cheat" buffs on top of it, you know?!
However, the opponent is watching my reaction for a moment. This is my chance...
I whispered to the man.
"Sorry. I apologize for earlier. I want to talk."
"...Huh?"
"It'll be bad if the Princess behind me hears. Could you let me blow you away?"
"Why should I be the one getting blown away?"
"No, if I get blown away, the trash Princess will definitely follow. I want to blow you away and then chase after you. I'll tell her it's dangerous and to wait."
"...You've had it rough, huh."
"...Yeah. You're Japanese too, right? I'm a Hero and I can't move freely either. Please, just let me talk."
And then we put some distance between each other.
"You've got some skill. If we go wild here, the surroundings will get damaged. I'll blow you all the way to the forest over there!!"
Saying that, I closed the distance in an instant and sent the man flying.
"Nice acting."
"...Want to trade places as the Hero?"
"I decline."
With that, the man went flying toward the forest.
"Princess, he's a formidable foe. I'll go alone. Please wait here. In the meantime, please calm the citizens."
"Yes, I understand. Good luck, Hero-sama!!"
...Usually, a heroine would follow. Well, she's a trash Princess, and it would be a problem if she followed anyway.
Now then, where should I start?
With that thought, I ran off toward the forest.
* * *
Side: Ratz
"Wh-wh-wh-wh-wha...!?"
This is bad! This is really bad!!
Onii-san was blown away?!
The wives watching the situation were in total chaos. It was fine that Onii-san jumped out to stop the idiot Hero. But he was blown away!
"W-We have to go help him, fast!!" Seraria was panicking.
"Y-Yes!! Quickly!!" Rurua finally grasped the situation and stood up.
"Everyone, calm down. That's Yuki-san's Doppelganger. He's fine!"
Everyone remembered at Riel's words.
That's right, Onii-san usually doesn't show his face in public.
But...
"Ah—my apologies. That one is the real Master."
The empty shell of Onii-san's Doppelganger, which was still here, spoke up.
"""THE REAL ONE!?"""
"Whew."
"Sheila-sama!?"
Sheila fainted. I was also in total chaos.
"I'LL... KILL HIM!!"
Seraria grabbed her sword and ran out.
"I-I'm going too!"
"Me too!"
"Me too!"
Tori, Riel, and Milly also ran out.
For me, the image of Onii-san being blown away was replaying in my head over and over.
"Onii-san, please be safe!! I'm going to kill that shitty Hero!!"
That was the only thing in my head.
