“To Almasegisia!?”
“Yeah, it’s seen as just a simple errand, but now that we’ve been granted permission, it’s definitely a place I want to visit.”
“Well, if we can go, then of course that’s what’ll happen…”
It’s a treasure trove of information, or rather, it’s filled with so much information that countless sub-events, most of which are incomprehensible, end up occurring.
Back then, it was difficult to select the useful information necessary for攻略 (strategy or solving the game), but now, all information is important, and it’s a place where there’s no harm in visiting.
“I hate to say it, but Prince Gerumi is dead, right?”
“Yeah… Even so, he was one of the named characters who survived until the final battle. With his death, I think the Demon King’s army is active again, and with that, some powerful individuals are probably starting to move…”
“Dikitiss. Epikuresi. Iperetis, maybe…”
What comes to mind are the commanders of the army, fellow strong warriors, and the Demon King’s close subordinates.
Each one of them was incredibly strong, and without a perfect setup, even Prince Gerumi would have easily been defeated.
“Maybe even beyond that.”
“Beyond that… Could it be the Four Heavenly Kings?”
Please, not even as a joke.
I’ve already checked with Rick and the others; we’ve already defeated Primilla , Pilkaya, Rigma, and Ripianem .
Since the Demon King is still alive, they won’t stay dead forever, but even then, it would take thousands of years for them to be revived, using the Demon King’s power.
… Wait, that was if the entire Demon King’s army was being revived, right?
If only one of the Four Heavenly Kings is revived, it would still likely take a century for that.
“Rick and the others have definitely defeated the Four Heavenly Kings. It might be Ido and the others now, but in any case, the Demon King’s army should be completely wiped out.”
“Is that really everything? I don’t think they wiped out all of the Demon King’s army, Four Heavenly Kings aside.”
“Ugh… That’s true. Iperetis, for example, if he focused on fleeing, would be troublesome. He might have survived…”
“The Four Heavenly Kings aside, we don’t know who else from the Demon King’s army is still alive. We should stay cautious.”
That’s true.
Only the Four Heavenly Kings are mandatory to defeat for the progression of the game, but the rest of the Demon King’s army could have been ignored to advance the game.
If Rick and the others truly wanted to defeat the Demon King, they might have avoided unnecessary battles to preserve their strength.
“Hah… The timing of when we defeat enemies, which enemies remain, and which allies are left… All of that changes the path, so it’s hard to tell which route we’re on now.”
“That’s something we should probably give up on… At least we need to prevent the worst-case scenario. And we should consider fighting the Demon King in their strongest form.”
The Demon King can change their strength and combat style depending on conditions.
In their strongest form, they would die after taking just two hits from most attacks.
It’s probably a sign of the developers’ remaining conscience that they don’t die from just one hit…
Or maybe it’s just an excuse to avoid making it a “crappy game” where any attack leads to instant death.
“In any case, information is crucial…”
“Yeah, and it’s a place where people gather. We might even find some reincarnated individuals willing to cooperate.”
That’s true, as Zino mentioned.
Unfortunately, there are no reincarnated individuals in our country.
With Kazama’s absence, the reincarnated individuals, who were initially passive, lost their coordination, and now they’re not even leveling up.
Looking back, it might have been better when Kazama was around…
I’ve seen reincarnated people being called by the castle, so it seems they’ve been assigned some tasks, but it seems unlikely we can get their cooperation.
“Now that Prince Gerumi ’s interference is gone, it might be the perfect time to head over there.”
“Yeah, once we’re ready, we should go right away.”
The plan was set. All that was left was preparation, but then a third voice entered.
“Can we go with you?”
“Rick…”
It was the Hero party.
I wasn’t sure how much of the conversation Zino and I had they’d overheard.
We were planning to search for reincarnated individuals and gather information for the game.
To bring the game’s main characters along seems, honestly, something I’d prefer to avoid.
“Why not?”
However, surprisingly, Zino agreed.
“They’re original characters, and also the protagonists, right?”
I whispered this to Zino, and he seemed to have a reason for his stance.
“Well, being human heroes, they should be the ones most capable of gathering allies from other races.”
That’s true. While Rick is one of the protagonists, it seems like the developers focused on him as a central character in the official story, which allows him to recruit allies from various races.
I remember Ruf from back then.
At that time, the timing didn’t align, but if we had met, he would’ve joined Rick’s party.
What if it had been just me?
It probably wouldn’t have worked. Unless I showed at least some basic level of strength, I’d never be able to recruit Ruf.
“…The original characters will recruit allies, and we, the reincarnated, will recruit our own.”
“That’s the plan. The more allies, the better. Especially considering the conditions needed to defeat the Demon King.”
That’s true… With just a small group of elite warriors, we would never be able to defeat the Demon King.
I need to gather as many allies as possible.
“Alright… Rick, let’s go together.”
“I appreciate it. If you, the reincarnated, are willing to cooperate, the journey should be much safer.”
That’s… actually, we’re the ones who might end up relying on them.
To be honest, I’m not at the level where I can live up to the expectations of a Hero.
Zino and I are still low-level.
Anyway, Zino, the Hero party, and I are heading to Almasegisia.
◇
“Is that everything?”
“…That’s incredible. This is the first time I’ve seen it firsthand, but is this the power of a Hero?”
It’s no wonder Zino is amazed.
The protagonist of the original story. Even though he was resurrected and weakened, his level and stats are far superior to ours.
Even just in terms of how he fights, the gap in strength is clearly displayed, and we can’t even come close.
“It seems that there aren’t any particularly dangerous monsters around here, so leave it to us.”
“Ah, thank you…”
I see. So, they’re not dangerous monsters…
They looked like high-level monsters of the orc species, though…
And even then, they were a group led by a lord and further strengthened.
“Kunimatsu … Even though Rick and the others were in a much stronger state, they still lost to the Demon King, right?”
“That’s what I’ve heard…”
“In other words, we’ll need at least that level of strength.”
“…If we don’t level up with the intent to die, we’ll never be able to defeat the Demon King.”
“It’s not just that. If the Mad God Kurui-gami were to manifest in Rick’s body, we’d be fighting against the crazed version of Rick.”
“So we wouldn’t even be able to struggle against the Demon King…”
How narrow and fragile is the path we’re walking on…?
It’s almost tempting to just give up and live peacefully in this world.
But whether it’s the Demon King or the Mad God, we can’t live in peace when there are beings who could destroy the world at any moment…
“I wonder how the Goddess plans to make us defeat the Demon King…”
“Probably through the Goddess’s blessing…”
With an appraisal? Please don’t joke.
Or is it that I just haven’t learned how to properly wield this power?
The power given to reincarnated individuals. Could it be that by mastering these powers, we could gain strength comparable to the original protagonists?
“Sigh… If Rick and the others have already taken down everything except for the Demon King, then there might have still been a way.”
“Well, that would be the best outcome. But considering Gerumi , there must be some remnants left. Rick and the others’ defeat might actually be due to that.”
“In that case, we need to deal with the remaining Demon race members…”
I still wish I had the ability to locate all the Demon race members scattered across the world.
Hopefully, I’ll meet a reincarnated person with such abilities in Almasegisia…
