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THE HERO LOAFS AROUND

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

Arcelia was in a massive bind.

While escorting Rob, the Demon-King-Slaying Hero, she had gone ahead and chased after Berta Andele, the World-Crossing Witch, without even consulting the local field investigators stationed in that world. As a result, the witch had slipped right through her fingers, leaving a trail of collateral damage in her wake.

If it were just that, she could probably get by with writing an apology report.

But could she really just ignore the glimpse she'd caught of Rob's worldview during that confrontation with Berta?

Arcelia combed through the manual on her device from cover to cover, but naturally, there wasn't a single protocol for a case like this.

She felt an overwhelming urge to faceplant onto the table with a heavy thud, but she held herself back since she was currently on duty.

—Ding!

Along with an electronic chime, a notification popped up on her device—it was the upcoming schedule sent by Cubas to all the passenger cabins.

Arcelia read through it with her usual earnestness until a particular passage caught her eye.

「Ten days from now by train time, in the 412th world, on the continent of Clam, at the Tower of Sinclair in the Kingdom of Entoire. A Hero King whose name is etched into the very history of the Alliance...」

Arcelia immediately pulled up the reference files on her device and became completely absorbed in them.

Rob kept glancing at her profile reflected in the carriage window, trying to gauge exactly what she was thinking.

What would happen if Arcelia—or the Alliance—found out that his Infinite Firearms had degraded into Phantom Firearms?

Would they still protect him as a regular civilian, just like Arcelia had promised at the start? Or would they give him the cold shoulder the moment they realized the guy they'd pinned their hopes on as a powerhouse was actually dead weight?

Having witnessed the sheer cruelty of aristocratic society, Rob couldn't just blindly assume they'd keep him safe. That was exactly why he'd tried to secretly get his hands on a gun and some ammo just in case. It was only natural to keep your cards close to your chest when dealing with someone who might be an enemy for all you knew.

Judging by Arcelia's earlier remark about how his background check didn't flag him as a totally despicable scoundrel, it was safe to assume they already knew a fair bit about what went down in the Kingdom of Hanover.

If he came right out and said he wanted a gun under those circumstances, it would spark questions about why someone with Infinite Firearms would even need a regular weapon. That tiny thread could lead them straight to the fact that his extraordinary ability had degraded.

And yet, even though Rob was overthinking things in that way, maybe he was just being paranoid.

Rob decided to casually test the waters.

「Is there any way for me to get a gun around here?」

「As things stand, I doubt you'd get permission since you don't have official Alliance identification.」

「What about extraordinary abilities? Are those okay?」

「Technically, you're required to register those too, but as long as it's strictly for self-defense, it shouldn't be an issue. But don't worry, you won't need to resort to that anyway because I'm here to protect you.」

Arcelia gave him that straightforward answer without a shred of suspicion before immediately burying her face right back into her device.

Rob felt the tension leave him all at once.

Sure, he'd completely given up and fled the fantasy world he'd reincarnated into, but that didn't mean he was about to instantly trust some massive organization like the Interworld Alliance.

Still, as an individual, maybe Arcelia was someone he could actually trust.

She was earnest, clumsy, and surprisingly—no, incredibly—reckless. Then she'd try to fix it by going strictly by the book, which usually blew up in her face.

If she was playing some kind of double game with a personality like that, she'd have to be a master actress, and Rob figured he couldn't even be mad at getting tricked by someone that good.

Backed by the rather dangerous, meatheaded thought that if she did betray him, he'd just use up every last round of ammo going completely berserk, he decided to just stop worrying entirely.

With that settled, Rob quietly slipped out of the cabin.

Normally, this would be time for his interview, but Arcelia was completely lost in her research.

Yep, best not to disturb her.

Up in the lounge, he found a graceful, four-armed widow.

She was the mother of the kids who had handed him a bouquet during his welcome party. Having inherited a massive fortune from her late husband, she was traveling on this Interworld Train, which her husband had originally planned to ride.

Her kids seemed to be around too, and they came running straight over to Rob.

「Hey, hey! What kind of story are you gonna tell us today?」

「What happened to the mermaid after that?」

「You really don't have to humor them if you don't want to, you know?」

「I don't mind kids.」

Saying that with a completely soft, grinning face made it glaringly obvious he was downplaying it, but it wasn't like he was just blowing them off either.

「Let's see... Ah, right. The mermaids who got kicked out of the ocean didn't just turn into sea foam and vanish. Instead, they used magic to grow legs, grabbed guns, and fought so fiercely that even the bravest warriors shook in their boots. Man, they were terrifying.」

It probably wasn't the most age-appropriate bedtime story, but the kids, having grown up in an entirely different culture, listened with pure delight.

As the night wore on, the children eventually drifted off to sleep completely.

After tucking her kids into bed back in their cabin, the widow returned to keep Rob company.

They just drank and chatted about this and that.

Naturally, Rob had a few ulterior motives, but the more he drank, the more wasted he got, and the night ended perfectly peacefully.

Once Rob had completely passed out, Arcelia—having been stood up for the interview—came to fetch him.

「I'm so sorry for the trouble he caused.」

When Arcelia apologized, the widow simply shook her head.

「It has been quite a while since my husband passed, but it still gets so lonely once the children go to sleep. Just having someone to talk to like this helps take my mind off things.」

With a gentle smile, the widow headed back to her own cabin.

As Rob practically dragged his weight all over her small frame, Arcelia muttered under her breath.

「...Would it kill you to stop dragging the proud name of a Hero through the mud yourself?」

She didn't think he'd actually respond, but after a moment, Rob mumbled back.

「...Good food, good drinks. I've just never really been coddled by a pretty lady without any strings attached before.」

The Kingdom of Hanover was a magical world completely dominated by monarchy and aristocracy.

Whether they were nobles or commoners, everyone always had an angle. That was just how things worked there, but it was hard to feel happy about being showered with praise when you could see right through them to their real goals—like scoring the Hero's genes, fortune, or political power.

Living in a world where that was a daily occurrence, Rob had eventually lost the ability to genuinely appreciate even the rare few compliments that actually came from the heart.

「...And you really think she doesn't have an angle?」

「Nah, she doesn't. It's not like someone in her position needs to cling to a broke, powerless fugitive. Even if she does have one, it's something tiny—like asking me to entertain her bored kids.」

Arcelia let out a quiet sigh, and once they were back in the cabin, she dumped Rob onto his bed.

For the next several days, Rob kept skipping his interviews to get treated to drinks in the second-floor lounge, drinking himself into a stupor until Arcelia dragged him back and tossed him into bed. Then he'd wake up right before dinner, only to go right back to getting wasted on free alcohol up in the lounge again.

Rob was just completely exhausted from being on high alert all the time.

He'd spent fifteen long years under constant, grueling pressure, so surely he'd earned a break. For the two years following the Demon King's defeat, he'd spent his days roaming the continent, cleaning up the remnants of the demon army while living exactly like this. Trying to put up a proper front now just felt like way too much effort.

***

「We will shortly be arriving at the 412th world, on the continent of Clam, in the Kingdom of Entoire at the Tower of Sinclair.」

At the conductor's crisp voice, Rob practically crawled out of bed, made his way down the ladder, and peered out the window.

What met his eyes was a massive stone wall. It was dim and gloomy outside, making it feel like they were traveling through a tunnel.

「The station in this world is located on the ground floor of a structure known as the Tower of Sinclair, which allows the existence of the Interworld Train to remain confidential.」

「Inside a tower, huh? Doesn't really feel like a train ride anymore at that point, but I guess it's a bit late to care about that.」

Muttering his thoughts in response to Arcelia's matter-of-fact explanation, Rob stared blankly at the stone walls with bleary, half-asleep eyes.

The Interworld Train descended along the inner walls of the tower, finally pulling up to the first-floor platform.

Beating Rob to the punch, Arcelia stood up with a swift, decisive movement.

「From a safety standpoint, it would be best if you didn't disembark, but I do understand that staying cooped up can feel suffocating. It would also be a problem if you wandered off on your own, so I will be acting as your guide today. Please follow me closely and don't stray.」

Holding a packet of printed reference sheets she had apparently thrown together in a rush, she made her declaration with absolute determination.

「O-Oh, sure.」

Faced with an oddly fired-up Arcelia, Rob—fully aware of his recent lazy lifestyle and how much of a handful he'd been—felt a twinge of guilt and nodded, thoroughly overwhelmed by her energy.

After getting off the Interworld Train and crossing the platform, they reached an inspection checkpoint.

Since the existence of the Interworld Train was a closely guarded secret kept only among royalty, nobility, and select merchants in this world, there was quite a bit of red tape to clear.

The requirements were extensive, ranging from restrictions on personal items to non-disclosure agreements regarding the train's existence and legally binding compliance contracts.

Once they finally cleared all the paperwork and Rob stepped out into the royal capital of the Kingdom of Entoire, he froze right in his tracks.

Spreading out before him was a scenery that could only be described as a pristine, idealized medieval fantasy world.

Humans, elves, dwarves, and all sorts of different races mingled together with bright smiles, and as far as the eye could see, there wasn't a single slave in sight.

If he had just handled things a little better, maybe the Kingdom of Hanover could have looked like this too.

That precise thought was what kept Rob rooted to the spot.

「—This nation was founded over two hundred years ago by a summoned Hero. What's more, Kaito Sumeragi was not only its first king, but he was also a field investigator for the Alliance.」

Right from the moment of his summoning, he possessed an All-Element Magic Aptitude, mastery over every form of martial arts, and even the Divine Artifact Creation ability, which belongs to the absolute strongest class of extraordinary gifts.

He achieved harmony with neighboring demi-human races, defeated the Demon King, expanded the once-tiny Kingdom of Entoire, blocked the empire's invasion from the west, and eventually laid claim to half the continent.

「He introduced several scientific technologies from his original world, but he placed great importance on allowing this world's native culture to flourish naturally, masterfully laying down the foundation for its growth. The Alliance respected his vision, limiting their support to medical techniques and food production technology while maintaining an excellent relationship with King Kaito. There were even times when the Alliance borrowed King Kaito's strength to slay Demon Kings in other worlds. It's said that the bond of friendship between the Alliance and King Kaito lasted until the very day he passed away.」

Arcelia lectured eloquently, a proud look on her face.

Meanwhile, however, Rob was busy craning his neck and looking all over the place, drawn entirely toward a savory, mouth-watering aroma that triggered a deep, soul-stirring sense of nostalgia.

「...As a result, the doors of education were opened wide to the common people, and the institution of slavery was completely abolished, except for criminal penal labor. While magical civilizations typically evolve under the rule of tyrannical royalty and aristocrats, leaving behind numerous systemic injustices, this country...」

Noticing that Rob didn't seem to be listening at all, Arcelia felt a prick of irritation at things not going according to plan. However, the savory scent caught her attention too, prompting her to take a quick peek at the reference sheets in her hand.

「...This aroma belongs to yaki-onigiri. King Kaito discovered native plants in this world, named them rice and soybeans, and through selective bree°—」

Without even waiting for Arcelia to finish her sentence, Rob began drifting aimlessly toward the source of the smell.

「A-All right, fine! I will show you around properly, so please just stop wandering off into random places!」

Forced by these unexpected circumstances to completely ditch her perfectly crafted itinerary, Arcelia had no choice but to guide Rob toward a nearby restaurant district.

*****

The MC is just tired and just want to chill.

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