The southern ti is unified under a siion.

  The try’s name is Rendel, a nation where humans make up 80% of the popution.

  A feudal system is in pce, with a king at the top and nobles serving as his vassals.

  The king is not a wise ruler.

  But her is he inpetent.

  In peaceful times, he would undoubtedly be praised as a capable monarch, possessing enough talent to build a stable reign.

  *Sigh...*

  Such is the king of this nation, sitting not on his thro in his office, letting out a deep sigh.

  "Your Majesty, I must ask you not to show such a pitiful demeanor. If your vassals were to see you like this... Even after the tial cil, you must always remember that you are seen as the king."

  "Don’t be so harsh, Prime Minister. I’ve dismissed the guards. It’s just you and me now. Surely, I let my guard down a little. Besides, if you had been there, you’d uand how I feel."

  "...I only say that I uand your feelings."

  The king, who usually carries himself with dignity and never falters in his role as a ruler, is a man who, at the young age of forty, sits at the top of this nation. He is skilled at handling minor troubles and avoiding major ones.

  Supported by a prime minister older than himself, he maintains a stable reign.

  A king who scores slightly above passing as a ruler.

  That is the evaluation of the prime minister, who serves as the king’s closest fidant.

  The king listens to others, reflects on his mistakes, and strives to improve. His shortings lie in his ck of decisive judgment in critical moments and his aversion to ge.

  As a ruler, he has his fws, but he is also a hard worker.

  Given the tent of the tial cil that had just cluded, the prime minister, sitting across the desk, thought to himself that the king had at least mao maintaiatus quo and perform the bare minimum of his duties.

  "Dealing with kings of other races who are older than my grandfather is exhausting."

  sidering the individuals the king had to face, the prime minister couldn’t help but agree with this pint.

  "The Elder Spirit King, the Dragon Emperor, and the ailed Queen... It’s no wonder you feel that way."

  The burden of dealing with these figures during the tial cil was heavier than the weight of his royal duties.

  "Indeed. Feions, we humans have maintained our nation through the bloodline of kings. But our terparts are long-lived leaders who have woven history itself. To them, I must seem like a mere infant. The sarcasm they threw my way was likely just a form of casual unication for them."

  The lifespan of humans, even the lo-lived among them, the giants, rarely exceeds a hundred years on average.

  While there are records of high-level individuals living much lohe current king’s level has pteaued since his youth, and his aging has only slowed slightly.

  At forty, he looks like he’s in his te twenties or early thirties.

  "A hero has been born. And you call that casual unication?"

  "It was unication, alright. The tter half turned into a boasting test among the three."

  "And when they casually dragged us into it during the break, was that also unication?"

  "Probably just unication."

  The individuals the king had to face were living legends, possibly nearing a thousand years of age.

  inally long-lived races, they had hoheir bodies, raised their levels, achieved loy, and nned as kings.

  It’s no wohat a forty-year-old king like him was not seen as their equal.

  A fereween three monstrous kings and an ordinary king, ducted remotely using special magical tools.

  The tial cil is typically held either when world-shakis occur or as an annual routine.

  This time, it was ve the initiative of three nations, and the King of Rendel was dragged into it.

  A hero—a title of great signifi this world.

  "The fact that three of God’s beloved children have appeared in this geion is indeed a cause for celebration."

  "Except that none of them appeared in our try."

  The tral ti, the rgest in this world, is where the evil god who once sought to destroy the world is sealed.

  The evil god is the souronsters, the god of monsters.

  The one who sealed it was a hero, a special being beloved by the gods.

  "A person beloved by the gods, who saved the world from the evil god’s grasp and brought peace to this world. When sudividuals are born, it is said to be a time of great upheaval. versely, one could say that our try is merely enjoying the peace they brought."

  The prime minister, with his ly slicked-back hair, is in his te sixties.

  However, he looks to be in his forties, and his cheerful smile brightens the room.

  "You seem quite at ease. Why don’t we switch pces? Try carrying the fate of this nation on your shoulders."

  "I could never repce a king desded from heroes. Perhaps you should pce your hopes in the prinstead?"

  The problem is that the children beloved by the gods were born ihree nations other than Rendel.

  "My son takes after me and is too timid. Perhaps if yranddaughter could give him a push and help him gain some fidehere might be hope."

  "You’ve been paying close attention."

  The news of the heroes has already spread widely across the other tis.

  Sooner or ter, it will reach the southern ti as well.

  In such a situation, if the southern ti is the only ohout a hero, how will it be perceived? The rulers are beginning to feel the strain, their heads and stomachs ag, making even lighthearted jokes difficult.

  "...The Elder in the west was given shining armor, I hear."

  "Yes. Even his most skilled bcksmith said it was impossible to create."

  "Moreover, the number of those armors is enough to equip aire army, and they e with a ste space ected to another dimension."

  "Indeed. Even if they break, as long as they’re not lost, they’ll be restored ht wheuro the ste."

  Enough escapism. It’s too early to pin hopes on the geion; the current rulers must strive.

  The throbbing headaches and ing stomachs.

  Both the king and the prime minister feel their well-trained bodies g out in pain as they recall the cil’s tents.

  "The queen in the north is said to be exceptionally gifted in magic."

  "Yes, I heard she has awakened skills in all eight elements of magid has further honed her abilities to master advanced spells."

  "Moreover, I’ve heard she’s not just skilled in magic but also in martial arts."

  "Indeed. She’s said to possess the skill to overwhelm elite soldiers without using magic."

  Dark clouds loom, and the more they recall, the more they realize the future is far frht. Yet, they have no choice but to face reality.

  Both clutg their heads and stomachs in pain, the king and the prime minister have no choice but to front the situation.

  "The Dragon Emperor in the east was given a special dungeon key."

  "Yes, the dungeon tains various mineral veins, and the eastern nation is now enjoying a signifit ei. I hear they’ve even discovered rare metals."

  "Moreover, the dungeon key be opened and closed at will, never breaks, and tains mohat are perfect for training."

  "Ihere are even materials from rare mohat are hard to e by."

  After fag the facts, all they could see was a future where the southern ti would iably fall behind and be left in the dust by the other nations.

  "......"

  "......"

  In silehey both pulled out potions.

  The king from his drawer.

  The prime minister from his pocket.

  "How many is this for you? Drinking too much isn’t good for your health."

  "Only my fourth. You should worry about your own age, Prime Minister. Drinking too much isn’t good for you either."

  "This is only my fourth as well. This much is still fine."

  As if in sync, they opehe lids and dowhe potions in one go.

  "Prime Minister, why has God given us such a harsh trial?"

  "Well, it’s not for me to uand the will of the gods."

  They quietly pced the empty bottles ba their cases, relieved that their headaches and stomachaches had subsided, but their hearts remained uneasy as they faced reality.

  "What will be the impa the nation?"

  "There won’t be any immediate effects, but these things tend to spread like poisoime. The lo takes, the more the people will grow anxious, aually..."

  "...At worst, I might have to sacrifice myself to buy time for my son’s geion."

  "I’ll do my best to e doesn’t e to that."

  The light of the heroes shines brightly, and the southern ti will be from it.

  However, the shadow of the absence of a hero in this nation will sow seeds of ay among the people.

  "Increase the budget for the academy. We’ll also o discover talents outside the nobility."

  "Increasing support for the academy is fine, but recruiting from outside the nobility will provoke backsh from the aristocrats."

  "The’s tell them to produce a hero."

  "paring them to a child beloved by the gods? That’s unusually bold for you, Your Majesty."

  Imagining that future, the king, as the prime minister said, was uncharacteristically proactive and resolute in his decision.

  The prime minister widened his eyes slightly in agreement but asked for the king’s true iions, given the unusual move.

  "If handled poorly, it could be seen as Your Majesty ag out of desperation and losing your posure."

  "If that happens, so be it. Even I know that doing nothing would be the greater folly."

  The king’s words showed that he uood that ina would be the worst course and that there was no time for hesitation.

  "This decision will determine whether future geions remember me as a fool or a wise king."

  "Historians won’t bother with something this trivial. At most, it’ll be a footnote about some minor flict with the nobles. If you want to be remembered by future geions, you’ll o make a decision that ges history."

  "Don’t say that. For me, this decision is already a big step."

  "True. I agree. At the very least, your predecessor would have hesitated for a week before making a decision that would csh with the nobles."

  The prime minister, who had thought the king was slow to make decisive moves, now slightly revised his evaluation. The king was, after all, a true king.

  Realizing this, the prime minister felt that the nation would be fine.

  "For now, let’s proceed with increasing support for the academy. We’ll decide the rest in a grand cil with the four dukes. Does that sound acceptable?"

  "Yes, do that. Make sure the nobles uand the urgency."

  They discussed and decided on what could be done.

  Though the king had slightly deviated from his usual stance, he quickly returo form.

  The prime minister reized the king’s deaking as typical of him.

  "Uood. Shall I begin immediately?"

  "Yes, unless you have some hat might ease this headache, get to it right away."

  Knowing the usual flow of things, the prime minister was about to take a when he remembered something and cpped his hands.

  "It might be small fort, but do you remember the haunted mansion in the northern district of the noble quarter?"

  "Ah, the one from the earl’s family... A ive legacy from my predecessor’s era. What about it? Have the nobles pined again?"

  "No, this m the adventurer’s guild reported that the extermination and up have been pleted. The evidence, a treasure, has also been submitted. It’s been appraised and firmed to be free of curses. Soldiers and church officials were sent to ihe site, and while some odor remains, it’s deemed fully recimable."

  "I see. That’s good news. One less pint to hear about. Did the ones who solved it receive their proper reward?"

  "Yes, without issue."

  "Good."

  For the rulers, it was merely a report of a minor i being resolved.

  But having one less worry ositive for both the king and the prime minister.

  pared to the sarcasm they endured, it might have been a trivial bit of happiness, but it was still a small fort.

  The prime minister himself sidered it merely a report that one of the recurring pints had been resolved.

  The king uood this as well.

  Even if the headache had only slightly subsided, even if it was just his imagination, it was enough.

  "Now, I must return to my duties."

  "As shall I."

  The king and the prime minister.

  The two leaders of the nation began to take a, seeking the best way to front the looming dark clouds.

  Even if there were hints that a child beloved by the gods might exist in this nation.

  If only the prime minister had paid more attention to the reports from his subordinates.

  Or if he had taken an i in, or questioned, how a single adult k adventurer and three level-less children had succeeded in a quest that had failed multiple times before.

  Perhaps the struggles of these two would have been slightly eased.

  Their perspective was too high for the average person.

  And the ghost i was too much a thing of the past.

  Thus, their joy was fleeting, and their relief momentary.

  The struggles of this king and prime minister will tinue for a while longer.