Chapter 1: Chancellor I
Nodis Alfred von Arcana.
That was his— the Arcana King’s formal name.
A king is the largest cog in the machinery of a nation, the very face of the realm. To put it more bluntly, he was merely a function known as the “Arcana King,” nothing more, nothing less.
Thus, those who referred to him simply as “Nodis” were limited to family and close friends. Among those few was the heroic Chancellor Madison, who supported the Arcana Kingdom.
Though no one spoke of it openly, the loyal subjects gathered around the Arcana King were, at this moment, on the verge of splitting into two distinct factions.
Of course, this was a matter occurring beneath the surface. For now, it had not escalated to a crisis that could lead to the kingdom’s collapse or division. However, there was no denying that distrust and dissatisfaction towards the Arcana King were gradually rising.
The factions whispered about among the nobility were the Royal Faction and the faction led by the Chancellor, who was supposed to be the king’s loyal minister and friend.
Yet, for the time being, the Chancellor remained devoted to supporting the king, causing many nobles to adopt a wait-and-see attitude. Still, if the current situation continued, some upper-class nobles began to worry that the worst possible outcome for the kingdom might soon occur.
Once, in a drunken stupor before his family, the Chancellor had let slip his thoughts on the Arcana King’s qualities as a ruler.
What he described about King Nodis was neither particularly good nor bad. However, with a hint of bias, he estimated that among the past kings, Nodis ranked somewhere in the middle to upper tier. After saying this, the Chancellor snorted, as if to hide his embarrassment, and added, albeit briefly:
“A normal king—that’s not a bad thing at all. In fact, it aligns quite well with the current state of the kingdom.”
It was difficult to discern the Chancellor’s true feelings from his words. But to put it simply, it could be explained as follows:
Many of the so-called wise kings were innovators who created or adopted systems and tools that had never been seen or heard of before, leading numerous attempts to success.
In essence, a wise king was one who was fearless and possessed foresight.
On the other hand, foolish kings were those who, despite lacking the ability, acted as if they were wise. It was clear as day what would happen if a shortsighted and thoughtless person attempted to introduce new systems or tools. Each time a foolish king embarked on a new endeavor, the citizens suffered, the kingdom’s history was destroyed, and the land became uninhabitable—this was a reality from the past.
The current Arcana King was neither of these types; he was a king who did not act until problems arose. The kingdom was relatively prosperous, and the citizens lived without major issues. His belief was that it was better for the kingdom if he refrained from meddling unnecessarily, and that he could resolve issues as they arose. This perspective was one that Chancellor Madison could agree with entirely.
In fact, it was precisely because of this that a person like King Nodis, who remained steady amidst calm, was more suitable for governing a peaceful nation than a wise king who stirred up turmoil—essentially, Madison, being a rather strict man, held a certain level of respect for his friend, King Nodis.
However, the Chancellor found himself tilting his head in confusion regarding one matter.
He was overly indulgent towards his daughter—Princess Puffy. Yes, the current Arcana King was infatuated with her.
If, by any chance, Princess Puffy were to ask for a jewel of national treasure caliber, he would not hesitate to procure it for her.
Fortunately, Princess Puffy, not only beautiful but also possessing the discernment to refrain from such demands since childhood, had grown into a wise girl with kindness that knew no bounds. Thus, her father’s indulgence never manifested in unreasonable requests.
Because of this, Chancellor Madison refrained from chastising the king for his doting, merely shaking his head in exasperation. Yet—
This time, the situation was a complete shock to him. He never imagined that such a crack would form in the kingdom from this direction.
To begin with, Chancellor Madison was opposed to summoning heroes from another world. He believed that the affairs of this world should be handled by its own people.
Thus, he sought out supporters. The Chancellor approached influential figures among the military nobility, guilds, and major clans, all of whom wielded significant power. To his surprise, there were quite a few who opposed the summoning of heroes and believed that the Newly Constructed Ultimate Labyrinth should be conquered solely by their own strength.
The challenge of conquering the Newly Constructed Ultimate Labyrinth, deemed insurmountable within the Arcana Kingdom, was one that Chancellor Madison had been discussing with these military nobles. They had begun to reach an agreement to tackle the issue together, and he felt a sense of relief as they finally grasped a foothold for success.
This was the context in which events unfolded. The Chancellor’s relief was short-lived. Just as he had left the Royal Capital to finalize discussions, the supporters seized the opportunity to forcibly conduct the summoning ritual in his absence. Their efforts had gone to waste.
And thus began the long and arduous trials of Ichiro Yamada.
Though he was still a mere boy, the qualities possessed by the summoned heroes were unparalleled. Therefore, to discern the nature of their hearts, Chancellor Madison felt it necessary to personally observe the two boys.
Of course, such surveillance was not typically the responsibility of someone in his position. He could have easily assigned it to his subordinates.
However, he believed that it was his duty to monitor—no, to assess and watch over them, as he had unwittingly summoned them into this world and embroiled them in chaos without having ever harmed even a single animal.
One boy was placed under the Chancellor’s care, while the other was taken in by a certain duke’s family, which had been striving to support the royal family.
The boy the Chancellor intended to assess was remarkably spirited. Even during the summoning, he pleaded to return home for the sake of his family.
The Chancellor did not see him as a foolish child lacking awareness of the situation. Instead, he sensed patience, courage, and quick wit emanating from him. And he was not mistaken.
Soon, the boy’s training commenced. The gruesome nature of the training drew screams from the maids who peeked in out of curiosity.
The boy, relentlessly beaten and battered, quickly transformed into a mere sack of flesh. Seizing the moment, several female healers cautiously approached him. After they administered their healing magic, the boy, despite his suffering, stood up and raised his voice as if to inspire himself.
The Chancellor felt as though he might cover his eyes. What held his hand back was the sense of responsibility to witness this boy’s journey.
The knights conducting the training gasped for breath. The healers worked diligently to restore their mana in rotation. The boy’s training extended to fifteen hours each day.
The Chancellor still recalled those days vividly. He had witnessed the boy endure what could only be described as hellish training day after day. By the end of the week, he realized how arrogant he had been to think he could assess the boy, and he felt ashamed of himself.
The boy stood up time and again without uttering a word of complaint. Watching him brought tears to the Chancellor’s eyes. He saw in the boy what he had lost—his own ignorance, his laziness, his shame.
That day, he secretly resolved to bring a care package to the boy—Ryuguin.