第６１６堀：ハイデン建国記簡易版 魔王の章 (Part1)
### Chapter 616: The Founding of Hyden, Abridged – The Demon King Arc
**Side: Taiki**
Listening to Sota-san’s story, it feels like a classic hero’s tale that could easily be turned into a light novel. A Japanese university student arrives in another world and, thanks to the high-level education of Earth/Japan, makes a name for himself.
In Sota-san’s era, the "isekai" genre existed, but it hadn't permeated the culture as deeply as it does now. Role-playing games hadn't even reached the *Dragon Quest* era; *Wizardry* and *Ultima* were only just beginning to gain popularity, and the word "Hero" (Yusha) wasn't even a common term yet. That’s why Kagura, who summoned Yuki-san, called him a "Hero" (Eiyu) instead of a "Yusha"—because Sota-san himself didn't even know the word "Yusha."
*"Well, that’s how it went. I joined the fight against the Demon King’s army as a private mercenary group. Fortunately, the tactics I devised based on my knowledge worked. We’d defeat enemy detachments, recover the spoils, and collect bounties, which allowed us to keep expanding the mercenary group. In the process, I even made connections with people like the Prince of Findal."*
"So, you ended up being treated like a trump card in the war against the Demon King?"
*"Something like that. Well, the details of that don’t matter right now. This story is about the Demon King, after all. At first, it was just said that the Demon King’s army had come from the east, but..."*
That’s right. This conversation is meant to accurately grasp what happened 500 years ago, not to listen to the hero’s journey of the people known as the "First Generation." If I tried to listen to all of that, it would probably turn into a ten-volume light novel series. I’ll just have to ask him to write it down for me later.
***
**Side: Sota Kamishiro, Strategist for the Anti-Demon King Mercenary Corps**
*"Hmm. You’ve become quite impressive, haven't you?"*
"Impressive, huh? People around me are just flattering me. On Earth, I’m just a completely ordinary person."
*"Even so, you’ve managed to survive in this world. You can be proud of that. ...There’s a chance you might die tomorrow. That much is fine, isn't it?"*
"Don't say such ominous things. If I die, who’s going to worship your divine body?"
The one talking to me is Mizu, also known as Mizutatsu-no-Mikoto, whom my Kamishiro Shrine used to enshrine as a subsidiary deity. When I left to meet up with Fable and the others, I brought only the divine object from the shrine, and it seems it became a vessel for her to manifest. I don’t know the specifics, but apparently, because there is more magic in the air here than on Earth, Mizu is able to manifest.
She can’t stay manifested for long, though. She’s the only "friend" I have who I can talk to about Japan, so I summon her like this to chat often. Of course, she’s useful in battle, too. She taught me how to increase the effectiveness of my magic by layering incantations over it, and she’s helped me in many ways. She’s already more of a comrade-in-arms than a deity to me.
"Oh? Sota, Mizu was out?"
"Ah, Hairen."
*"Hm? Ah, the Goddess’s offspring. Did something happen?"*
"Not really, I just couldn't see Sota, so I came looking for you."
With that, Hairen sits down next to me. Mizu recognizes that Hairen is a child of the Goddess. Apparently, she can just tell. I can’t. To me, she just looks like a fluffy red-haired girl no matter how you slice it—though she does have a knack for magic. As I’m harboring such rude thoughts, Hairen speaks up.
"Before I knew it, tomorrow’s the attack on the Demon King’s castle. I just can’t seem to sleep."
"Well, I get the feeling."
Yes, just as Hairen said, tomorrow we are scheduled to launch the final assault on the Demon King and his army, whom we’ve cornered in their castle. That’s why Mizu said it might be the last time. Tomorrow is the enemy’s headquarters, and we’ve been assigned the role of the trump card against the Demon King’s army. We’re primarily tasked with handling the enemy’s most troublesome monsters. In other words, we’re being asked to take on the most annoying opponents.
"But, you know, I don't think we'll lose. After all, we have Sota the Sage with us."
"That’s right. Since Sota the Sage planned it, there won't be any problems. You’re just feeling keyed up."
"Ah, Enoru."
Hairen says something strange, and Enoru, who agreed with her, appears and sits down beside us as well.
*"Haha. That Sota is a 'Sage'—the world really is coming to an end."*
"My bad."
"The two of them say that, but your understanding of the magic called 'science' is amazing."
"That’s true. I could only use a little bit of magic before, but now I can call myself a proper mage. Thanks to that, I’m a magic swordsman now."
Thanks to Mizu’s advice, I became able to use magic, and by layering scientific knowledge—treating incantations as a way to amplify focus and imagery—the power and range of my magic improved dramatically. However, the concept of "scientific" doesn't seem to be something the people of this world can grasp. Moreover, magic is passed down like a family secret; there’s no concept of researching magic to contribute to the nation or to make life easier for commoners. So, the very fact that I was teaching them knowledge was quite a shock to them.
It’s stifling, isn't it? A closed-off society.
"Come to think of it, where’s Fable?"
"Fable is hanging out with that princess from Rosanta."
"He was talking about rebuilding Rosanta after this battle. He’s getting ahead of himself."
Rosanta is the country next to the Nossa Plains where I was summoned, and in the beginning, it was the front line against the Demon King’s army. But, despite their valiant efforts, Rosanta was destroyed. Back then, our mercenary group was just starting out, and other countries were still taking the threat of the Demon King’s army too lightly. There was nothing our small band of mercenaries could do about it. Well, thanks to that, we were able to make a name for ourselves.
The person we protected at that time was the Princess of Rosanta. Fable rescued her in a cool way. As for why the princess is getting along with a mercenary like Fable—normally, a princess of a destroyed country has political value, so kings or powerful figures from other countries would take her in. But this situation was different.
Because of the unprecedented attack by the Demon King’s army, several eastern countries had been destroyed, and there were mountains of refugees, including royalty and nobles like the Rosanta princess. Naturally, the refugees followed their royals. The countries taking them in were overwhelmed. Rosanta was the last country to fall at the time, and the other nations were already at their limit. There was no prospect of taking it back then. If they took in the princess and her refugees, their own countries might collapse.
So, the princess and her people, with nowhere to go, were at their wits' end. They were in danger of dying from hunger or cold before the Demon King’s army could even touch them. We, who had made a name for ourselves by rescuing the princess, helped them in every way we could.
As a result, with the remnants of the Rosanta army as our core, we pushed the Demon King’s army back—not just a retreat, but all the way to this final battle. In other words, Rosanta was on the verge of destruction, but they succeeded in reclaiming their land almost entirely on their own. Well, the Prince of Findal next door did lend a hand with a few things.
So, there’s nothing standing in the way of the Rosanta princess and Fable, the leader of the mercenary group that saved her. Well, in a sense, that’s exactly why our mercenary group is being forced to take on the most troublesome opponents in this crucial battle. We’ll probably have to face the Demon King himself, too. It’ll also add prestige for when Fable marries the princess.
"...Hey. What will Sota do after we defeat the Demon King?"
As I was staring at the night sky, Hairen suddenly asked that. It’s been a little over two years since I came here. Even if there were a way to return to Earth now, I’ve been agonizing over whether I would actually go back. Honestly, I’m just treated as a missing person, and I feel like the handicap of trying to start over as a working adult over there is too high.
...I’m afraid to think about it. For now, I’ll just put it off.