Side Story: The Hero's Perspective

"So this is [Cave of Desires] huh…"

Wataru Nishimi. Written as "Nishimi Wataru" in Japanese, he was the hero summoned to the String territory of the Raverio Empire three years ago.

For those three years since then until just recently, he had believed he was summoned to defeat the Demon King, and Count Brie String had been training him with that same goal in mind.

However, Wataru's existence was exposed to the nation. And before he could accomplish any significant feat, no less.

If he had made a major achievement first, there might have been some excuse possible, but… of all things, Count String had conducted the hero summoning without the nation's permission.

A hero is equivalent to a strategic weapon, and is unconditionally recognized as S-Rank by the Adventurer Guild.

For concealing this and attempting to possess a hero privately, Count Brie String was convicted.

In Japanese terms, it would be like privately developing a missile and arming yourself with it—far beyond just violating weapons laws.

Moreover, since he had been planning to unilaterally invade a neighboring country, charges of national treason were unavoidable.

… Well, Wataru also agreed that Count String was clearly in the wrong.

In fact, the count had desired power as if to say "I alone am fit to be emperor." For example, his self-introduction to Wataru had been something problematic like: "Pleased to meet you, hero. I am the future emperor, Brie String. For now, I am still just a count."

How exactly did a count family head plan to become emperor? He wasn't even of imperial lineage, so he'd have had no choice but to seize it through a coup d'etat.

In the end, the count was convicted by the actual emperor, and Wataru was taken into the protection of Haku Raverio, supposedly an ancestor of the emperor.

Haku, rumored to be a high elf due to her extremely long-lived species and her beauty, had long since handed over the throne to her descendants and claimed to live a retired life in a detached palace. That said, her body, which maintained a beauty unchanged since the founding of the Raverio Empire, was itself a mass of authority.

Moreover, she was also an active A-Rank adventurer known as the [White-Winged Goddess]—truly an extraordinary being.

By being taken under Haku's protection, Wataru became an officially recognized hero of the Raverio Empire.

After that, Wataru resigned from the String Chivalric Order where he had been training and officially joined the Raverio Empire's forces. His formal position was still under consideration, so for now he was treated as one of Haku's imperial knights.

So why had this hero come to [Cave of Desires]?

It was because of an item that a merchant had brought to the imperial capital: playing cards.

Those playing cards used high-quality paper distinctly different from common paper in this world, and everything was printed cleanly.

The moment Wataru saw those playing cards, he couldn't help but remember his previous world that he had been trying to forget—Japan. Moreover, on the box of those playing cards was, of all things… a bar code. Something that couldn't exist in this world, something nostalgic, so very nostalgic.

For Japanese people it was ordinary, but for inhabitants of this world it would only look like a pattern—it definitely indicated a connection to Japan.

From there, it all seemed as if it had been arranged for him.

When he requested leave from Haku and explained his reason, it turned out that the place Haku visited incognito as her [favorite] was likely the source of the playing cards. Haku told him that herself.

Haku apparently had no reason to stop him. She easily granted permission and even arranged a carriage for him.

And so, after about half a month of swaying in the carriage, Wataru finally arrived at this [Cave of Desires].

"… This is the place, right?"

What he found was a shabby Adventurer Guild branch office and an inn. That was all.

(I heard later that there was also a smithy a bit further away, but it wasn't visible from there.)

Wataru immediately headed for the inn… but partway there, he reconsidered that he should greet the guild first. He headed to the guild, gave a simple greeting, and—ended up being thoroughly detained, having tea served to him.

(… Being S-Rank sure is tough. It was nothing like this back when I was C-Rank.)

Wataru grumbled to himself.

Then he headed to the inn once more.

"W-welcome!"

Right as he entered, a girl in a dress was waiting for him.

Her silky golden hair swayed along with her bow. Her eyes seemed to be looking somewhere far away, and then—

"W-welcome to [Dancing Doll's Pavilion] todaaaay, I'm the owner, Rokuko!"

She was extremely nervous. And she even flubbed her words.

… Despite himself, he felt at ease. A smile unconsciously appeared on Wataru's face.

However, for some reason, Wataru couldn't take his eyes off Rokuko.

"Guest? I-is there something you need?"

"Eh, ah, sorry. I'm Wataru Nishimi. Um, I heard from Haku-sama that the suite here is recommended. And that the food is really delicious."

"Ehh?! Y-yesh! Please wait a moment! Ah, there's a chair over there!"

Saying that, Rokuko dashed inside for a moment. She seemed unaccustomed to polite speech, and her way of speaking was already quite disordered, but Wataru decided not to mind.

When he entered the inn… faintly, he felt like it smelled of Japan.

(As I thought… there's something here.)

He thought back over these three years. Many things had happened… Were his former comrades from the String Chivalric Order doing well? As he tried to remember, he stopped partway since trauma threatened to resurface along with it.

Just then, Rokuko returned as well… For some reason, he still found himself concerned about Rokuko.

"This way."

Led by Rokuko's half-baked polite speech, he followed.

… Before his eyes, golden hair and a cute behind swayed back and forth.

Even knowing he wasn't being seduced, somehow—whether it was the allure or something else, he couldn't take his eyes off her behind. Strange, this had never happened before. While feeling somehow nostalgic, his heart pounded in his chest.

(I want to stroke it—wait, what am I thinking?! She's a child!)

"Guest?"

"Ah, no, i-it's nothing!"

"Um, this is the suite. Ah, here's the key."

"… Thank you."

Before he knew it, he had been guided all the way to the suite. Receiving the key from the owner, he looked around the room.

The windowpanes, wallpaper, furniture… these were still fine. The design seemed vaguely familiar, but they could still pass as things that existed in this world.

But what was with the massage chair placed in the center of the room? Moreover, it apparently operated when you put money in the payment box—obviously strange.

"… It's not plugged into an outlet or anything, is it?"

"Ah, guest. When would you like your meal? At this time it would be breakfast—oh, you haven't bought a meal ticket yet… Oh, but since it's the suite, maybe it's okay to order here?"

She was clearly still unfamiliar with customer service, fumbling about. But to Wataru, that actually seemed endearing, and he didn't mind at all.

"Hmm, then recommend me something please. I heard the bread here is delicious too."

"A recommendation, huh. Well, the [melon bread] is the best recommenda—no it's not, our inn is famous for its delicious white bread."

Melon bread. Just now, Rokuko clearly made a slip of the tongue, and Wataru heard it perfectly.

"… Rokuko-chan, was it? Just who are you?"

"I-I'm the owner of this inn, you know?"

Though Rokuko averted her eyes, Wataru had already formed a rough idea.

Haku's favorite. The fact that Haku recommended this inn. And the style of the inn itself. Combining all these factors, mixing them together, Wataru spoke:

"… Would you be my partner?"

"Eh, no way."

Instant refusal.