第１０６掘：ある勇者の物語 (Part1)
### Dig 106: The Tale of a Certain Hero
**Side: Hero of Ranks, Taiki Nakazato**
This world is a piece of trash.
Is it really so wrong to be someone who was bullied for being an "otaku," mocked for being bad at studying, and useless at sports?!
Just watch. The knowledge I gained from games is useful, too!
The things I found fun weren't a waste of time!
Light novels, manga—they’re all vital knowledge!
If I could just go to another world, I’d be able to…
And then, one day, I was summoned to another world.
It was the ultimate cliché.
As promised, I was granted the power of a hero.
My level was one, sadly enough.
Even so, using the knowledge I cultivated in Japan, I leveled up rapidly and ended up saving Ranks, which had been on the verge of collapse.
When I was first summoned, Ranks was in the middle of a rebellion… no, honestly, the rebels were the ones with justice on their side.
Reckless expeditions and wars.
Impossible tax levies.
A tiny territory.
Well, as royalty, they had their pride and the vanity of having led the country until now.
Since it would have ended in a massacre, I used my level to persuade the rebels.
I used "domestic policy cheats"—well, there were some steady, grounded cheats in there, too.
Using those, I managed to stabilize the country.
However, that brought about new problems.
Perhaps they didn't like me standing out as the hero, but the King and the Princess who summoned me started interfering.
Good grief, you can't just crush your own citizens to preserve your pride.
You guys are just the stereotypical arrogant royals, aren't you?!
If you keep doing that, you’ll get the stereotypical "goodbye" eventually!
But within the royal palace, I had too few allies.
*Gahhhhhhh!*
I used to be a shut-in, but that was just because I hated bullies; I can hold a conversation just fine.
Because of that, however, I became quite sensitive to the atmosphere.
I might be self-conscious, but that’s about the right level of caution.
"If this keeps up, I’ll definitely be assassinated and have a statue built in my honor..."
What do I do? Seriously, what do I do?
Sure, with my personal abilities, I could handle things if I were alone.
But if I ran away, they’d label me a villain or declare me dead, and then they’d continue to impose tyranny on the people.
Setting aside the idiot royals who summoned me, I can't just leave the middle-aged men and women in the towns and villages to suffer like that.
Look, I’m not simple enough to become some stereotypical, justice-obsessed handsome guy or a brainless idiot who gets high on cheat powers.
People like that are just narrow-minded fools who don't know the world.
Born in modern Japan, you’d have to be incredibly sheltered to end up with a personality like that.
Sure, I’m "cheating" in another world.
But if you stand out, you attract unnecessary trouble.
I was summoned as a hero, so it can't be helped, but I’m not cold-hearted enough to let everyone I saved be trampled by these idiot royals.
So, I came up with a plan.
It causes friction if I’m *only* a hero.
If I marry the Princess, I’ll be able to voice my opinions as a member of the royal family.
That way, I won't be treated as an "outsider," and I can speak up to a certain extent as a royal.
Well, I’ll have to keep up the act of being a submissive puppet, of course.
For now, that’s the only way to keep things together.
And so, I played the fool, dove into dungeons to conquer them, and slowly saved up personal funds.
I guided their stupid policies to minimize damage to the citizens without hurting their pride.
I started a merchant company to use my "business cheats," and had them gather information.
I’ve been living desperately.
Damn it, being a shut-in was better!
But I’m not so rotten or fallen that I’d abandon the people who took care of me!
Man, she’s a beautiful princess, but she’s trash on the inside.
We’re technically a married couple, but we’ve never slept in the same bed.
She’s already involved with a knight from the royal palace.
They’re definitely "doing it."
Good for them. It makes things easier for me.
"Fufu, that hero is so easy to use. He answers so easily if I just ask him a little. Once I have a child with you, I’ll just stick that hero in the military and make you the King."
"Heh, I feel bad for the hero. Well, it’s not right for an outsider to be at the top."
"Yes, my father approves as well. Let’s make the hero work as much as possible."
When I heard that conversation, I wanted to kill them, but I held back for the sake of the people.
Idiots, total idiots.
That was obviously just an act!
A bunch of fools obsessed with pride!
"Hero" is just another word for "handyman," isn't it?
Saving the world and being rewarded with a single fiefdom—what a joke.
I want to find a way to get out of here as soon as possible.
But the opportunity didn't come easily.
They used me, the hero, to pick fights with neighboring countries on their own.
Hey, the country isn't even stable yet! If you reach out to others, you’ll just run dry!
Don't you know about the Zeon invasion strategy? If the front lines are stretched too thin, you lose!
After that, through my desperate maneuvering, three countries were nominally brought under our territory, but with minimal damage.
The royals weren't executed either.
...I used most of my cheat-acquired wealth as compensation to get them to sheath their swords.
By the way, the kings of those three "subjugated" countries heard how I was treated and promised to cooperate if I ever raised the flag of rebellion.
In a way, I should thank the idiots of Ranks for picking those fights.
Thanks to that, I have a path to ensure the safety of the people.
Now, it’s just a matter of timing.
If I raise the flag of rebellion on my own, I’ll just be called a lunatic, and my justification will be weak.
I mean, the tyranny is obvious, but still.
If other countries intervene, there’s nothing I can do.
That’s why I need a place where I can declare: "This battle is for justice, so no interference allowed!"
But a summit where all the foreign nations gather is almost impossible in this world.
Gartz, one of the four great powers that could make it happen, has been pushed to the limit because of the idiot policies so far.
Using the hero's name without permission, no less!
Geez, Ranks really loves putting a noose around my neck!
However, whether there’s a god or not, I was lucky.
I found out there’s a plan to control the dungeon, build a town inside, and use gates to connect the countries.
This is a "distribution cheat."
Who thought of this?
As I listened, I learned that the three great powers declared a policy to recognize that dungeon as an independent nation to prevent one country from gathering all the military—no, all the wealth.
Roshur must have been hurt by missing out on that.
But thanks to that, the idiot Princess brought me to the Independence Festival to try and steal back the trade.
So, I told them:
"This is bad. The Demon Lord and his Four Heavenly Kings are here."
Speaking of which, the idiot Princess naturally...
"In other words, the Demon Lord tried to squeeze my country and steal our military power. Of course, they are also trying to contain Taiki-sama, the hero, with this."
"Yes, that is the only salvation. No, this must be the power of the hero. If we defeat the Demon Lord here, everyone will wake up."
*Yes!* With that, I’ve obtained permission to draw my sword in public.
Nobody these days believes the opinion that demons and monsters are evil.
Besides, the pamphlet literally said, "Monsters are here for security."