Capital City
Before me stands a large, three-story building with a broad horizontal layout. Its color scheme is primarily white, adorned with elaborate decorations.
Even though it's a cold day, the bustling crowds passing by make it clear that this place is teeming with activity.
Most people are well-dressed, clearly indicating their status as powerful individuals.
Just before entering, I'm stopped by a gatekeeper, but upon showing my letter of introduction, I'm immediately allowed inside.
Truly, a letter written by a noble has unmatched influence.
The effect is nothing short of extraordinary.
Inside the library, it was clear that there were so many books that seeing them all was utterly impossible.
After all, my stay would be less than two days. Still, this was a rare opportunity.
I wanted to gather as much information as possible.
I steeled myself once more.
With Alek's help, I collected only books that seemed likely to contain useful content.
I avoided fairy tales and focused on factual works.
As expected of the kingdom's foremost library. Several books detailed the hero's travels.
Though there were discrepancies, it was clear he didn't stay in one place but moved across the continent. He seemed to have journeyed southward through desert regions, cleared suddenly appearing dungeons, and achieved notable feats in various locations.
I haven't been to the southern region yet, but it seems to have deserts and ruins. I'd like to visit someday if the chance arises.
What worries me is that it happened 400 years ago. And the fact that it left behind words like 'reincarnation' and 'track' in Japanese. Could it really be people from the same Earth?
"Look, Taro. There's an old book here—apparently a record of the kingdom's activities. This should contain detailed accounts, shouldn't it?"
Alek brought out a rather worn book from deep within the archive.
"Alright, let's take a look at this."
"Still, seeing the detailed record of someone I thought was just a legendary figure makes me feel like my childhood image of them is crumbling. It's surprising, really."
"Maybe that's just how it is. Even heroes were just ordinary people, after all."
According to the records, the hero arrived upon the king's request, tasked with slaying a rare monster known as a "War-Experienced Beast." In this world, there exist legendary beasts known as "War-Experienced" or "Beasts the Hero Once Fought," alongside the hero's legend.
It's said that a snow leopard monster resides in this royal capital. It moves at blinding speed and is said to dodge any attack effortlessly.
It's said to be omnivorous and voracious, capable of bringing an entire town to ruin by itself. That's why a call for a hero's intervention was issued.
The hero's method of defeating the snow leopard monster was remarkably simple—moving at the same speed as the beast and slicing it with a sacred sword.
What sheer strength. Or rather, is this really human?
But even more valuable was the hero's diary, torn and beginning mid-entry.
'○Month ×Day
Another battle today. Lately, it's been nothing but fighting. Treating people like convenient weapons for battle—what a disgrace. If it weren't for this sacred sword, I'd have been dead long ago. Honestly, I might as well say I'm being kept alive by this damn heavy blade.
My only enjoyment lately has been having the holy maiden and the female swordsman take turns fighting me after battle. Both are beautiful, so it's always a pleasure. The holy maiden has a big chest, so...
Fortunately, I'm strong. Once I've saved up enough money, I might build a mansion in the best area and live with the three of them...
The content was remarkably candid—purely personal life details. But what stood out most was that it was written in Japanese.
The hero is definitely Japanese.
The diary continued with similar entries, clearly indicating a relentless series of battles.
If I keep following this diary, I should be able to find out information about when the hero arrived in this world, and what happened afterward.
I’ll continue searching for the next parts of this diary.
From the descriptions of the hero, it seems he uses a peculiar, incomprehensible power unlike that of the magic stones. It would be good to figure out what exactly it is.
Also, I’ve recorded the locations the hero is believed to have visited, so they can be accessed later.
I’ll only be able to stay in the capital for about one more day.
Gathering information efficiently. Incidentally, it seems the hero's name is Shibata Genji; he was apparently called Gen around here.
The next day, I continued collecting资料. The new information I uncovered was that there are ruins related to the hero legend scattered across various locations. I couldn’t gather any more details than that. Even after two days, this seems to be the limit...
Though I stayed only briefly, I still managed to make some valuable discoveries. After our two-day stay, we departed from the capital.
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In a certain room within the capital, a man and his subordinate are having a conversation.
"What's that idiot Alek doing back in the capital? What's he doing at the library? Does he even have a brain capable of doing anything useful there?"
"It seems he was researching the Legend of the Hero, together with the adventurer he came with."
"The Legend of the Hero? What good does investigating something like that do?"
"We don't know the motive, but after investigating that much, he seems to have left the capital. What would you like to do?"
"Never mind. It's probably just some noble's hobby. There's nothing he can do right now. Leave him be."
The man neatly put away the documents, as if he were genuinely wondering what the point of his visit had been.
*
*
*
Aleks and I left the capital and headed once more toward Entshi.
Unfortunately, it started snowing. We had planned for this possibility with a generous schedule, so it wasn't a problem, but the snowfall was fierce, and we ended up stuck on an open plain with nothing to shelter from it.
Venturing outside in such a blizzard would be suicide. So we stayed inside the tent. There's even a windbreak made of snow, so it's surprisingly warm inside.
"Since arriving in the capital, it's been unusually quiet. Don't you find it strange, given that this is your hometown? Aren't you happy?"
"There aren't really any memories worth mentioning. My family home isn't even in the capital—it's further inland, in a more remote area."
"So why are you in the Empire? Did you cause trouble back in the Kingdom?"
"Yeah, I did. Just a little bit of trouble, really. But I'm not being chased, so it's not a problem."
"Huh? Seriously? So it was actually pretty bad, huh? What did you do?"
"Just a fight. Something about differing opinions, really."
"Reckless kid."
"There were all sorts of things back then. Thanks to that, I learned a lot."
"You really did learn, huh."
"Oh, a fight, is it? It must be pretty cold out here in this blizzard."
With that, they spent the time bustling and lively, in sharp contrast to the quiet outside.
Dawn came, and the next day.
The blizzard had cleared. A heavy snowfall had piled up, burying the tent completely. But thanks to the snow walls they’d built, the area around them had less snow than elsewhere.
It was just as we stepped outside to finish preparing for departure. Suddenly, it appeared.