落とし穴６３堀：彼らの知る真の勇者と約束された日 (Part3)
After all, her husband is that Hero from Japan.
"……Well, it’s not exactly a certainty."
"Don't bother with empty comfort. It’s obvious, isn't it? Our world has been kidnapping students who were living peaceful lives in Japan and throwing them onto battlefields at every opportunity. Just because they’re 'easy to use.' We even have living proof in Taiki."
"I-I’m so sorry. Taiki-sama……"
'Vicious' isn't a strong enough word for it; it’s an act lower than that of a rabid beast.
……So this is the real reason Yuki wanted to tighten regulations on summoning magic.
We’ll have to destroy every single one of those secret royal incantations.
Ah, so that’s why he’s been avoiding direct confrontation and focusing on diplomacy. If he were to carelessly pressure other nations with military force, some fools—like those in Taiki’s former kingdom or Rumel—would just call upon their trump card: a Hero.
If that happened…… at worst, it would lead to Japanese people killing one another……
Ugh, it’s sickening. Truly pathetic.
"Well, never mind that. It’s the fault of the idiots who can’t understand the current situation."
"Exactly. I mean, if someone tells you, 'You’re a Hero,' and you just blindly believe them, I think you deserve to die, don't you?"
Airi and I had been wallowing in self-loathing, but the two of them continued their conversation as if that didn't matter in the slightest.
" "Excuse me?" "
Ignoring our blank stares, they pressed on.
"What matters is this 'Hero.' And that’s what leads to this request for a day off."
"That’s right!! Airi, just leave those idiots without a brain to themselves. It’s the fault of those who get tricked. And this—this is the cause of spreading the 'special' status of a Hero!!"
*Bam!!*
What they held up in their hands was……
" "Game software?" "
I think. There were many different kinds, and since I recognized the shape of the ones I’d seen before, I assumed this one—which had the same shape but looked unfamiliar—must also be game software.
"Exactly!! This is the progenitor of role-playing games on Japanese computers, the very definition of the genre, and its popularity hasn't faded—it’s still rising!!"
"Yes!! Children, no, even adults are still obsessed with it today!!"
" "Its name is Dragon Qu—st!!" "
……What is this?
Well, I have heard the title before.
My husband had talked about it excitedly several times, but I wasn't very interested, so I just let it go in one ear and out the other.
"This is the true bible of Heroes!! The holy scripture!!"
"No, you don't need to rephrase that. It means the same thing. And why is a game the holy scripture of a true Hero……?"
"Seraria, you see, this game is what elevated the word 'Hero' to something special. As you said, a Hero is a term for someone who surpasses a mere 'hero.' A Hero is someone who, even when the world is drowning in despair, pulls it back up, gives courage and hope to those around them, demonstrates the way one should live, destroys evil, and shows the path of righteousness. They accomplish what no one else could. It is a title that signifies someone truly without peer. That way of life was in this RPG."
……Huh.
"That’s right. Just like Yuki-san said, Airi. This game is amazing!!"
"Y-yes. I understand very well that Taiki-sama loves it deeply."
Airi, too, was being swept away by Taiki’s intensity.
Honestly, why are they both saying such things?
"Hey. So, I understand the story about how that game spread the special meaning of 'Hero'……"
I don't believe it, though.
Why would words from a game become a synonym for something so grand?
"So, why does that lead to this talk about wanting a day off?"
"Oh? Didn't I mention it?"
"I haven't heard a thing."
"It’s coming out!!"
"What’s coming out?"
"The new entry in this Dragon Qu—st series, of course!!"
"……Ah."
I see.
That’s what it is.
I finally understood.
I, Seraria, understood at that moment.
"The release date for that new game is today, isn't it?"
"Is that so?"
" "That’s right!!" "
My husband once mentioned that he had been playing games since he was a small child.
In other words, for these two, games were the stories that shaped them.
They didn't just have stories told to them by their mothers; they moved with their own hands, adventured through worlds, and saved the game worlds as Heroes.
I suppose that must have had a tremendous impact on them as children.
After all, even I was deeply influenced by mere stories.
There’s no stopping this.
"I understand. It doesn't seem dangerous, so I have no reason to stop you."
"Indeed."
" "Yay—!!" "
They were overjoyed to have their day off approved.
But……
"However, let us play that game with you. If you and Taiki speak so highly of it, it must be fun, right?"
"Of course! You should try being a Hero too, Seraria."
"In a game world? Not like the dark fantasy ones?"
"That has its own fun, but the original Hero’s tale is quite passionate."
"Oh, I look forward to it."
Beside me, Airi was having a similar conversation with Taiki.
"A-am I to be a Hero? Is that, um, alright?"
"Yeah, it’s fine. That’s what that game is all about."
Well then, it looks like today will be all about games.
……A 'true Hero,' huh?
I hope the 'candidates' my husband mentioned don't include people who play this game.
If that were the case, there would be mountains of them in Japan.
After all, isn't it something everyone in Japan knows?
Dragon Qu—st.
Anyway, the explanation regarding summoning magic will have to wait for next time.
After all, I have to become a Hero first.
***
And so, this time, I talked about the existence of "Heroes" in Japan.
Well, if you search for "Hero" on Wikipedia, "Dragon Quest" actually appears in the explanation.
In other words, we were influenced by Yuji Horii’s "Oh, Hero!!"
We enjoyed the game of "role-playing," acting out a part.
Yuji Horii is truly amazing!!
As the protagonist and their companions, we traveled across the entire world, solved problems, and defeated the Demon King.
And, quite literally, saved the world.
This is considered higher than being praised as a "hero" by a single nation, or a "Great Hero" by several nations.
For us, a "Hero" is someone praised by the world itself.
Hero >>>>> Great Hero > Hero. That is the perception for Japanese Dragon Quest players.
Thinking about this, I feel like I’ve realized something interesting.
The original Dragon Quest trilogy, known as the Loto trilogy—apparently, Yuji Horii intended for Dragon Quest to end there. Perhaps that’s why I found a connection here.
In the first game, it’s a story between the kingdom of Radatome and the Dragonlord; while called a Hero, the achievement is closer to that of a "hero."
In the second, you save the world from the threats of Hargon and Sidoh, centered around the three kingdoms founded by the Hero of the first game. I consider this a "Great Hero."
In the third, these individuals from the first and second games are not just "heroes," but have built the achievements to be called "Heroes"—literally "Legendary Heroes." The scope of this Hero’s adventure resulted in saving not just one world, but two.
I believe this is what pushed "Hero" into a different meaning in Japan, distinct from "hero" or "Great Hero."
*Note added:*
In the comments, someone pointed out that there were Heroes before the protagonist of the third game.
- Virgil Lemures-san: "If I may nitpick, in 3, the protagonist’s father and the one who died in the island prison were also called Heroes. If we limit it to 3, it’s treated more like 'Hero + International Civil Servant.' In other words, they couldn't change jobs because they were special, exceptional, and unique!"
Yeah, I really think so too. The Heroes before the protagonist of 3 feel like "Heroes" and "International Civil Servants." Like Inspector Zenigata from ICPO.
In other games, they often use easy-to-understand terms like "Warrior of Light," "7 Heroes (enemies)," or "Warrior of Mana." In foreign countries, the protagonist is called a "Hero," so it’s likely the same thing.
That’s exactly why I think the term "Hero" (Yusha) was so novel. And that’s why it became special in Japan.
Well, that’s just my own wild speculation.
Anyway, I have to be a Hero again tomorrow, so there will be no post tomorrow!!
You can actually control Torneko!!
There are no openings in my defense now that I’ve conquered the "More Mysterious Dungeon"!!
See ya!!