The continent, which is the Demon Lord’s Army’s base.
From the perspective of the world called Isal, this continent, known as the Demon Realm, had suffered significant damage from the rebellion by the descendants of the Hero a while ago, but its recovery was progressing smoothly.
The fact that the main battlefields did not include major cities or transportation routes was a significant factor, along with the swift suppression of the rebellion, contributing to the accelerated recovery.
However, this doesn’t mean there were no problems.
An environment that demanded more labor than usual imposed limitations on the available resources, necessitating the establishment of priorities.
This was unavoidable.
With reconstruction taking precedence, it was impossible to engage in activities unrelated to it.
Both labor and budget have their limits.
Indeed, at this particular time, the situation could be described as unavoidable. However, when these events were later revealed, an incident occurred at the edge of the continent that could not be dismissed with the simple word “unavoidable.”
“Haa, to make an old man like me work, the Princess is always making unreasonable demands. It’s troublesome. Don’t they teach them to respect their elders at all?”
A barren Dungeon.
Long ago, in the very moment the earth was divided, it served as the first bridge and was then shattered.
All functions had ceased, its value as ruins was almost gone, and in this space, no different from a cave that no one paid attention to, a voice that should not have resonated echoed.
Before the voice echoed, a silhouette emerged from something that briefly illuminated, and the man who called himself an “old man” looked around. Clad in a grey robe, he realized from the quality of the ambient magic that his intentions had succeeded.
“At least, it seems the preparation was worthwhile. If what the messenger said is true, this should be the Demon Realm.”
The man, with his suspicious stubble visible from beneath his robe, rubbed his chin, making a rasping sound.
“No, it really is dark here. I can’t see anything without dark vision magic!”
He then complained about the dark, unseeable Dungeon.
It was a Dungeon abandoned thousands, not just years, ago.
The monsters to be defeated and the treasures to be found had long since run out.
A barren Dungeon, visited only by wild animals seeking shelter, could not possibly be maintained in good condition, and the man was weary of the dusty space.
“However, I personally prefer the magic here to the quality of the magic over there. That side is too bright and unsettling, while this side seems more suitable for a bookworm like me to relax.”
Despite this, the man seemed quite optimistic, quickly finding good aspects of this space and beginning to nod in agreement with himself.
“Alright then, according to the man I tortured for information? The current Demon Lord is quite astute and seems to be plotting something. Having to extract information from such a sharp mind… Haa, I don’t want to. I’m not that fond of fighting, it’s too troublesome.”
However, when he stopped nodding, his muttering and mumbling about ominous things were not just suspicious but, to an outsider, downright unsettling.
But, since there was no one else in this space besides the man, no one could point this out or have their complaints heard.
If there were anyone…
“Oh?”
A growling sound, like a beast, came from the darkness.
It was the sound of a beast that would not tolerate intruders into its territory.
The growling increased from one to two, then three.
Beasts lurking in the darkness, clad in magic, gathered in number, and possessing sharp fangs.
Their fierce appearance was a mix of a bear and a wolf.
An ordinary person would have been paralyzed by the sound and sight, despairing of a future where their life might be lost.
However, there is one thing to notice here.
Why did the beasts deliberately make a growling sound to announce their presence? Why didn’t they attack from the shadows?
Or, why didn’t the beasts simply leave?
The answer is surprisingly simple.
Because a surprise attack would be meaningless.
Because escape would be meaningless.
“This is a good start. I was planning to acquire familiars here.”
The beasts here instinctively understood that this man was stronger than them.
And the reason the beasts could not escape was their instinctive feeling that it would be futile even if they did.
If escape was futile, they would at least try to strike back with their fangs and claws.
Above all, they couldn’t forgive the man, who announced his discovery as if just noticing.
Their pride in this being their territory, their desire to dispel the inferiority complex of being inferior to a smaller being.
If the leader of the pack turned its growl into a roar, the males of the pack responded to that roar.
The pack charged towards the man, intending to tear him apart with their jaws, but the man did nothing.
“Even better.”
No.
“It saves me trouble when the prey voluntarily jumps into the trap. Old man, I don’t like exercising.”
It was already done.
And the smile that appeared on his lips expressed his genuine joy at saving trouble.
What sprang into was not empty space.
It was numerous magic circles laid out across the ground.
The moment the beasts’ paws touched these magic circles, their limbs became numb and immobile.
Unable to leap into the air, the beasts fell miserably into the man’s trap.
Except for one.
“Oh? It seems there’s an intelligent one among them.”
A black beast leaped onto the backs of its companions, using them as stepping stones, avoiding the magic circles. It instantly understood what had happened. Instead of moving fastest, it leaped high into the air, landed on the backs of its companions, and, baring its fangs wider than the other beasts, tried to bite the man’s neck.
“This might be quite a find.”
However, it was ineffective against the man.
The beasts’ attempts at response were, to him, merely exciting elements like discovering a good student.
A chain extending from the magic circle captured the beast, which posed no threat, binding its body.
If it had been able to extend its head just a little further, it could have bitten its neck, but the magical chains wrapped around the beast’s body tightened the more it struggled, constricting it.
Blood circulation decreased, and consciousness began to fade.
Even by mustering its last bit of strength, its wish was not granted.
“Well then, you shall be the first familiar in this world.”
Its struggling efforts were brutally halted, and the beast, unable to strike back, was hoisted into the air by the chains.
Then, the man took a jewel-like stone from a bag at his waist and placed it on the forehead of the writhing, resisting beast.
The beast’s body shuddered, its strength drained. After lying on the ground for a few seconds, it slowly got up, bowed its head, and submitted to the man.
“Alright, one down. Should I bother with the others too? If I skimp on the trouble here, it will be difficult later. The more labor, the better.”
And then, the beasts, witnessing an unbelievable sight, tried to move their immobile bodies, but their efforts were in vain.
One by one, stones were embedded in their foreheads, and they submitted to the man.
“So, this should be enough for our immediate combat strength, right?”
Within an hour, the beasts lined up neatly before the man.
The man standing before them, signifying that he was their new leader, sat quietly, awaiting instructions.
“Alright everyone, for now, we’ll make this our base. Please keep watch of the surroundings. If any external enemies come, destroy them. If possible, capture them alive. Of course, it’s alright if they’re not unharmed. I can heal a leg or an arm. Oh, and if you do kill them, it can’t be helped, so use them as food. As for me, I’d be fine with being given one large beast. Oh, and I forgot to mention, attacking is out. Please focus solely on defense.”
Receiving the instructions, the beasts ran off, as if following the man’s will.
After the man watched the beasts go and stretched his tired shoulders, he let out a sigh.
“Haa, it’s definitely going to get busy. This is doubtlessly going to be busy. It’s at least good that I’ve secured food for the time being, but this is definitely not a job for one person.”
He then sighed again, remembering the girl who had caused him to be sent to such a place.
Due to the benefits of power struggles, aspects that were not immediately necessary were omitted, and the man sadly set off alone for this land.
“Even if it’s to end the war, this is too much. Why are they pushing such a great responsibility onto me alone? I mean, I said I had time, but I don’t have *that* much time to do something like this.”
As he continuously vented his complaints, the man’s hands did not stop.
His reassignment, which could be seen as a demotion, had been the subject of much talk from other Court Mages, and had hurt the heart of the man, who wasn’t one to dwell on things.
He diligently secured a light source, created a water source, built a residence, summoned Golems for defense, and constructed a surveillance network.
Although he spoke of having much to do, his hands moved without hesitation.
This was proof that he clearly understood what needed to be done.
“Haa, I almost feel like just holeing up here forever. There are no noisy female knights here, right? No nobles pushing high-and-mighty women trying to integrate me into their factions? No maids looking at me like trash? Huh? Will I really be happier if I just hide away here?”
He listed one by one the existences that were not here, and suddenly realized that he, who was far from them, might have arrived in an ideal world.
“Please. You are my only hope.”
With just these words from the girl who sent him off, the man, albeit reluctantly, truly reluctantly, abandoned his desires.
Despite calling it unavoidable, he couldn’t fully become unfeeling and called himself a coward, but he couldn’t dismiss the feelings of the girl who had trusted him.
“…Yes, yes, I understand. I’ll do it. I just have to do it, right?”
The man, aware of his own awkwardness in relationships, felt embarrassed by being asked for help so directly.
Usually, those who approached him had ulterior motives, seeking to acquire his power.
The man, who keenly sensed this, had always managed to brush them off with smooth talk and skillful evasion.
He scratched his head vigorously and muttered “Troublesome” again.
“No, the Princess really has given me a troublesome task. I understand that the war between the Kingdom and those priests of Tris is turning into a quagmire and burdening the people, but… Haa, but you didn’t have to burden me with it.”
What the man was about to do was to create new enemies.
This could lead to a prolonged war, but it would serve as an optimal drastic measure to stop the conflict between humans.
By skillfully guiding these enemies and correcting the direction of the war in the best possible way, the human race would need to unite.
Empowered to achieve this, the man had come to the Demon Realm.
“Ah, I hate it. I used to enjoy it when I was young, but now this title of Sage is just getting in the way. Ah, I wanted to pass it on to a disciple, but I don’t even have any disciples. I wanted to push this title onto those idiots who made those Golems, but I couldn’t even do that.”
He was the third-ranked Sage of the Hanzibal Empire, a great power in the western part of Isal, and a Court Mage.
“Haa, why did my younger self listen to that little girl’s words? Well, it’s natural to get carried away when a royal family recognizes your talent when you’re young.”
He was also the tutor and chief Court Mage for the princess, known as the jewel of the Empire.
Despite holding such a position, the man, who showed no signs of happiness, resumed his unfinished base construction with another sigh.
“Haa, I really dislike this. I hate this job that might involve fighting the Demon Lord.”
As he said repeatedly, although the man voiced his dislike, his actions were precise and efficient. The abandoned Dungeon ruins, skillfully leveled using magic, were steadily gaining the capabilities of a base.
“I wish some convenient Hero would just fall into my hands somewhere.”
He did not know that his wish would eventually come true.
He did not even believe it himself.
As for what words he would utter when reality confronted him, even God did not know.
All that could be said was that the Demon Lord’s Army, despite being accustomed to both attacking and being attacked, and having gained experience, had been careless.
They believed that since they had already been attacked once, repelled the attack, and devastated the enemy, they would not be attacked again.
The impact of this carelessness was something the man himself could not have foreseen.
Another Side End
Quote of the Day:
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*The first volume of this novel is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
An e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.
Volume two was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the material posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, with additional unpublished intermissions included.
Please do look forward to the new releases!
A manga adaptation is being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
We hope you enjoy that as well.
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