Nihon 9

Why had I forgotten? Somehow, I'd come to believe that there was only one hero left. A hero existed 400 years ago, and now I'm here. So there's no reason why another person couldn't have come over too.

From the diary's contents, it seems to be a teenage boy. Even if he possessed the power of a hero, he wouldn't be able to handle construction or city planning.

There must have been someone else 400 years ago who guided the creation of this traditional Japanese-style town.

As I kept thinking, I found myself reaching the top of a gentle hill. Somehow, I must have used the power of the magic stone to move at high speed.

From the hilltop, I looked down upon the town.

"Haha..."

A dry laugh escaped me naturally.

The shape of the town spread out before me was clearly recognizable.

Even so, in my original world, I had been diligent about studying for exams. I remembered the photographs I’d seen in textbooks.

"It's almost identical to the layout of the town I saw in old textbooks. I think Edo's town was arranged in a spiral pattern."

It shouldn't be this perfectly matched.

Probably, some history enthusiast deliberately built this town.

There were many heroes in this country.

Even though this discovery had nothing to do with finding a way back to my original world, I felt strangely unsettled.

Come to think of it, could this be why this world has so many unusually Japanese-sounding names?

Suddenly, Coil's words came back to me. "You just need to find a way to cross worlds yourself."

That's right—I can figure it out myself. At first, it seemed utterly absurd, something I dismissed as a joke, but now I suddenly feel like I might actually be able to do it.

The hero from 400 years ago couldn't return to their original world. But can I investigate other cases of world transfer and identify any patterns?

If I can find commonalities, maybe I can figure out a way to do it myself.

An unwavering confidence surged up, despite having no basis for it.

I need to hurry back and recheck the information about the hero.

Meanwhile, on the ramparts of a certain castle, a young, bold woman quietly asked her subordinates.

"Kisai, what's the status of that man?"

"Lord Tenshu, he's been unwell lately, but overall, as expected, he's been investigating the legend of the hero from 400 years ago."

"Hmm, one must make proper use of anyone who can be of assistance. Now, on to the main matter?"

"Upon summarizing the investigation team's findings, it appears the recent increase in monsters may be temporary. However, it is speculated that the kingdom's forces are provoking the monsters, driving them toward our territory."

"This is quite troublesome. Since the declaration of war against the empire, the number of monsters has been increasing. They probably don't want us to join the conflict....Commander, what is our current military strength?"

"Two hundred thousand regular troops, five thousand stone soldiers, and ten high-level magic users. What would you have us do?"

"Drive the monsters back into the kingdom and clearly signal our intention not to participate in the war, both domestically and abroad."

"If we do that, our troops will be scattered. I would like to request a bit more reinforcement."

"That's impossible!"

An elderly man with white hair, his posture beginning to bend, objected firmly.

"Even maintaining the current, rapidly expanding army is already a strain on our resources—how can we possibly spare more? I understand that beastly activity has been increasing in recent years, but please manage with the forces we currently have."

There must be many worries weighing on you. Already deep wrinkles between your brows are growing even deeper.

"Even so, would you have us accept the deaths of people, even if monsters run rampant? It's too late once they've entered the town."

He speaks forcefully, already imagining the consequences of failure.

Offense and defense are perfectly balanced—neither side yields. But suddenly, the battle comes to an end.

"Whom are you arguing before? I desire no futile disputes."

The voice, though not loud, resonated clearly through the space.

At once, silence returned.

"Hmm, in any case, the plan remains unchanged. If we can welcome a supposedly fairly strong adventurer as an ally, then so be it. If not, they might cause trouble later—better to simply ask them to leave my little garden."

Thus, Nihon's policy was decided. Later, messengers from the government would spread the news throughout the town.

"Oh? You're looking quite cheerful today. Has your worry been lifted?"

"To be honest, I haven't fully resolved anything yet. But I've somehow found a possible path. I'm going to test it out now."

"Oh? Well, well. In that case, would it be alright if I left you to it alone?"

"Sure, go ahead. Is something wrong?"

"I can't just focus on research all the time... I've accumulated a few other tasks. Please don't ask for details."

With that, Kisai quickly left the room. It was flattering to be trusted, but wasn't he being a bit careless?

In any case, I resumed my investigation into the Hero Legend.

The key points of interest were which transmigrators had achieved what feats.

So far, the known transmigrators were the hero who left behind a diary and the one who founded a town.

I'll thoroughly examine all the资料 and sketches I've gathered from visiting various towns, along with the materials about the hero here.

These days went on for several days.

"Taro? You don't seem to be getting much sleep lately— are you okay?"

Rilka asks with concern at the lodging.

"Huh? Ah, I'm fine. I've just been researching a lot, and I'm starting to figure things out."

"Coil's going to disappear without a word, and everyone's just acting on their own. If that's how it is, then I'll do whatever I want, too."

Rilka stomped out of the room, her anger so clearly audible it seemed almost like a sound effect.

Now, each of us had gone off on our own. The Taro team.

Even so, I didn't notice, so caught up in my own excitement.