5周年記念 (Part1)
5th Anniversary
Yes, I scrambled to write this today, and here it is, posted at this hour. I hope you all enjoy looking back on these years with me.
5th Anniversary
Side: Yuki
"Excuse me."
"Oh, come on in."
I said, welcoming Taiki in.
"Wait, Taizo-san, Sota-san?"
"We’re already enjoying some tea."
"Here, have some tea. There are sweets, too."
"Ah, thank you."
Though surprised to see the others already there, Taiki took a cushion and sat down. It was the kind of room where everyone knew their way around.
"So, what’s this all about? I didn't expect to see Taizo-san and Sota-san here, too."
"Ah, it’s nothing too major, really."
I said, pouring myself a cup of tea and taking a sip. Mmm, delicious.
"Whew. Well, it’s just that it’s been exactly five years since I arrived in this world."
"Five years? You mean, five years?"
Taiki held up his palm as if to verify my words. Well, not so much his palm as his five fingers.
"Yeah, five years. It was March 29th."
"That’s… quite the timing. Right on the verge of a new life, then."
"You had it rough too, didn't you, Yuki-kun?"
"The company must have been busy with the end of the fiscal year, right?"
"Exactly. Just as Sota-san said, the year-end work had finally wrapped up, and I was on my first long break in a while."
That’s right. It wasn't exactly my first break in ages, but it had been a while. On that very first day, that useless goddess appeared and kidnapped me. I barely had any room to refuse.
"Since then, before I knew it, five years had passed. It’s surprising, really. And since you’re the only ones I can talk to about this, I figured I’d have you all gather here."
"I see. Though, come to think of it, you’ve been in this world the shortest amount of time, haven't you, Yuki-san?"
"Yeah, I’m the newest arrival."
That’s right. Among the Japanese people who came from another world, I am actually the most recent transfer. Before me was the Hero King, Taiki-kun. Before him was Taizo-san. And Sota-san, who arrived first, has been here for several hundred years.
"Hmm. Should I say time flies, or that it’s impressive you’ve come this far in just five years? What do you think, Sota-dono?"
"I think both are fitting. It’s already been five years, yet what you’ve accomplished is something no one else could imitate."
"That’s true. You’ve worked hard, Yuki-kun. Though, perhaps it’s rude to offer such a cliché compliment?"
"No, I’m genuinely happy to hear it. It’s nice to be praised by seniors from back home. Though, if you had the Dungeon Master ability, I’m sure you all could have done the same."
It’s true—I wasn't anything special. I just happened to have a good hand of cards.
"Nah, even if I had the Dungeon Master ability, I don’t think I could have brought things to the current situation."
"I agree. Or rather, in my case, I was in a position to exercise the power of a Dungeon Master, so my abilities weren't that different from yours, Yuki-kun. And yet, given the circumstances I was in..."
"Indeed. I’m the same. I was hostile toward the Dungeon Master, but I should have considered how to utilize that power. In the end, I left it to Hairen. It’s quite pathetic."
"Ah, I’m sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
Crap, did I step on a landmine by being too humble? Should I have added that the situation plays a role, too? I felt like I’d made a slip of the tongue, but the three of them just laughed.
"No, there’s no need for you to apologize, Yuki-san."
"Exactly. We just did what we could. I was merely saying that, looking back, there were other possibilities."
"Yes. And it’s a good thing that the four of us could gather like this."
"Phew. I was worried I’d come across as sarcastic."
"Ah, once you reach this position, you start to worry about your words and how they’re perceived, don't you?"
"That’s true. Thinking about how much harder it was in the upper echelons of the military... it’s enough to give you a stomachache."
"That doesn't change in any world. The higher your position, the more responsibility you have for your words."
As we were chatting like that, a topic suddenly came up.
"Come to think of it, Yuki-san, wouldn't it be interesting to summarize what you’ve done over these five years?"
"Summarize?"
"Yeah, that might be good. It’s a great way to reflect on yourself."
"Indeed. Looking back often reveals things you hadn't noticed. Well, since you’re running a country, you must have the documents archived, but I mean a rough summary."
"Ah, like a personal timeline? A resume, essentially."
"Something like that. Though I came here before I ever had to use a resume."
"I was still a student, too."
"That was tough. Writing with a brush, you know..."
" " "Wait, it existed that far back!?" " "
Surprised by the length of the history of resumes mentioned by Taizo-san, I decided to start summarizing my five-year history here in Aulito.
Year 1, March 29: Recruited (kidnapped) by Luna and summoned to Aulito. Created a simple dungeon on the same day.
(Dates below are approximate, with some minor deviations)
April: Mauve and his group arrive at the dungeon. Elju and Oriel arrive as slaves. Captured on the same day. Collected information on the surrounding area.
May: Elju, having returned to Roschur, is framed by Loire along with Seraria and returns to the dungeon.
June: Repelled the Roschur army that came chasing Elju and Seraria. Earned a massive amount of DP. Held talks with the King of Roschur and signed an alliance. Seraria returns to Roschur. In her place, Mauve and the others return to the dungeon with Labyris and her group. Dungeon village project begins. Saintess Rurua is nearly assassinated and flees to the dungeon.
July: Took Rurua with me to beat up Litea. Accepted refugees from Litea. Used the funds from this to gain an advantage over Roschur. Roschur and Gartz reconcile, and as a gesture of gratitude, Shera comes to the dungeon.
August: Infiltrated Gartz, negotiated trade, conquered the dungeon within Gartz, and established a cooperative relationship with Deryu’s younger brother, Riye.
September: With the consent of Litea, Gartz, and Roschur, the independent nation of Weed is born. Held a wedding ceremony at the same time. Invited representatives from each country to promote trade via the Gate, but Hero Taiki and Princess Bitz caused a scene. Hero Ria arrived as a slave. Demon Lord Liliana also fled to Weed.
October: Annihilated Ranks’ rogue unit. Began the Great Demon Lord Conquest. In the same month, the advance unit defeated the Demon Lord of the Last Kingdom.