A Dark Fantasy Spy

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The world within ‘Heroes of the Dark World’ is grim.

War, disease, disaster.

As the foretold end approaches, the gods remain silent, and mankind flounders in desire. Kings crave war, nobles lust for power, and priests are blinded by gold, unable to face reality.

Yet, just as starlight shines in pitch-black darkness, hope exists even in these dark ages.

A hero.

A being who accomplishes feats so daring that even the most brazen criminals wouldn’t dare attempt.

In the game, the player’s role is fixed as a hero.

Choosing a class is impossible, but the game varies based on the player’s tendencies and items. Moreover, the choices in the game scenarios determine the progression and ending, while gathering comrades and the ensuing events and stories have garnered favorable reviews.

The player, summoned from another world.

A candidate priestess of the Pope.

The third successor of the Magic Tower, an alchemist.

A great warrior of the plains, a barbarian.

An elf archer, a warrior of the World Tree and protector of the Great Forest.

Additionally, there exist potential comrades like knights, inquisitors, bounty hunters, and necromancers.

Anyhow, the superhumans riding white horses are about to appear to save the world. There’s no need to embark on a journey to save the world like a protagonist possessed by a novel. Of course, it’s uncertain whether the place the hero will lead us to is heaven or hell. But at least, I believe a future better than a scenario where everyone dies awaits.

However, to survive in this harsh world, I need a minimum level of strength to protect myself. The problem was that I was born with an ordinary body devoid of any special powers, and the Nostrim family was a clan located far from the capital in a rural fiefdom, which meant lacking influence too.

Realizing this was truly daunting.

Yet, truly, truly luckily, I was born as the second son of a count. In a crazy world where people are classified by the nonsensical notion of blue blood flowing through their veins, ironically, that nonsense helped me. It was easier to become an upper-class citizen who could protect my life in these dark times.

In a world where lacking power, connections, and capabilities meant certain death, how could one integrate into the upper class and survive?

Kindly, a famous French author’s novel I read in my past life held the answer.

Red and black.

Military uniforms and priest robes.

Rising through accomplishment or building connections to advance.

Thus, I became independent in the year I turned adulthood. After graduating from the military academy, I accumulated military feats on the front lines and then stepped back to the rear. When the evaluations labeled me a soldier who rose through key positions, I thought I could survive whatever future awaited me.

On the day the heroes were to be summoned to confront the great calamity.

Walking on the red carpet leading to the sacred place, I believed my life was a rose garden.

And when a woman emerged from the summoning circle, engulfed in pure white light—

Everything felt like it was finally going to go well.

Or so I thought.

Episode 1 – The Gray Man

On the walking path near the sacred place where the hero summoning ceremony was held.

All the attendees had entered the sacred place, leaving only a soldier standing guard and a middle-aged man seated on a bench nearby. The middle-aged man leaned back on the armrest, gazing at a folded newspaper, lost in contemplation.

I knew this middle-aged man well.

Colonel Clevenz Hendrick of the Kingdom Army.

A soldier from a noble family in the capital. He has a meticulous nature, unable to overlook even the smallest details. Recently, he had been graying notably and lived with hair dye and stress. His favorite foods are grilled fish and instant coffee from the Magic Tower. He drinks coffee almost every day, despite being warned about high blood pressure during regular health check-ups.

And the most important point.

Clevenz Hendrick is one of the major figures in the Kingdom from ‘Heroes of the Dark World.’

Neutral Named ‘Clevenz Hendrick,’ a brigadier general.

In ‘Heroes of the Dark World,’ ‘neutral’ means that the character’s affinity can swing between ally and enemy based on the player’s choices.

Due to the game’s nature, unless difficulty is set to easy, it is often easier to lose rather than gain affinity, so apart from characters with a favorable disposition, one can assume that all others have potential antagonistic traits. Choosing an option once meant my heart raced as affinity fluctuated like cryptocurrency.

I shouldn’t have trusted that pretentious recommendation.

I couldn’t help but frown.

“Is something troubling you?”

“Ah… No, Sir Colonel.”

Having finished reading his newspaper, Clevenz looked up at me. The Colonel handed me the newspaper, and I cautiously accepted it, tucking it under my arm. It was a tabloid covering gossip from both home and abroad.

“Is it that work has been tough lately? I completely understand your feelings.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“If you have any troubles, feel free to share, Lieutenant Frederick. I am your superior after all.”

That’s right.

This neutral-natured named forty-something man was my immediate boss. I found myself rolling under this gentleman quite unintentionally, which put me in a position to know Clevenz Hendrick well.

A loyal family serving as soldiers for generations.

An elite soldier who has never been passed up for promotion and is slated for a general rank.

Contrary to appearances, he has a surprisingly good nature and maintains good interpersonal relationships, being quite the social butterfly.

Perhaps it’s because he never shows his struggles, having been raised that way, never displaying a flustered demeanor. He enjoys taking care of those around him, often inviting subordinates over to his home for meals.

It wasn’t evident when viewed through a screen, but he was truly a good person.

Such a person would succeed anywhere and is a superior I wouldn’t deny wanting to serve.

Hence, I couldn’t bring myself to utter something like, “I’m worried you might wipe out the hero and their companions.”

“It’s nothing. I am truly fine, Sir Colonel.”

“Then why the long face on a day like today?”

At the sudden question, my mind began to race. If I spat out something strange, I felt there would be no points left with my seniors, so I had to respond swiftly and carefully.

This was the sacred place for summoning heroes. Due to the world descending into chaos, empires and kingdoms alike were on high alert. Consequently, the sacred place was filled to the brim with high-ranking officials from across the continent, all focused on the hero set to be summoned.

The summoning of a hero isn’t something that can be done at any time; it’s a complex procedure requiring various protocols and agreements. This is because summoning a hero randomly could be interpreted as preparations for war against neighboring countries, according to international laws and the cult’s edicts. In the brink of societal collapse, who has the luxury for such measures?

Anyway, the important point was that a hero was to be summoned, and that the entire continent’s attention was concentrated on our kingdom’s sacred place. A few months prior, emissaries from various nations whined about wanting to visit the sacred site, and reinforcements were urgently dispatched to secure the area. Just in case, for the safety of both invited and uninvited guests.

Of course, hero summoning is a carefully conducted affair, so the average person wouldn’t understand what was happening. However, countless villains existing within this foolish, doomed game world would certainly be aware of the hero’s summoning.

So what was the reason for my grim demeanor here in front of the sacred place?

After some swift and careful deliberation, I produced a plausible answer.

“I was concerned there might be a terrorist attack.”

Seemingly satisfied with my response, Colonel Clevenz nodded and smiled.

“It certainly is a dangerous world, isn’t it?”

“Didn’t one incident occur recently due to dark magic?”

“That’s the result of the recent Pope’s ascension. The exclusion of dark magic has intensified. After treating them normally, suddenly bringing a knife to their necks leads to rebellion.”

I wasn’t genuinely worried about a possible terrorist scenario, but I tried to act concerned.

The one good part in this dreadful world is that it wasn’t likely for a ninja to crash the hero summoning ceremony and wreak havoc.

But of course, I knew that since I’ve experienced the game. These folks, however, surely didn’t.

“… And well, there were reports of terrorist-related intel from the Magic Tower and the Empire, but they were unrealistic fantasies, so I passed them off to those in that sector. Don’t worry too much, Frederick.”

Of course, Colonel Clevenz, working in the intelligence department, was well aware nothing would happen.

Having eliminated well over a hundred threats, intercepting communications and demolishing the kingdom’s infiltration networks, and using those networks to deal with numerous enemy intelligence agents, he was indeed a soldier who had cleared the bottleneck hindering promotions and opened up career paths. Those folks would be grateful each day, bowing before the kingdom at least three times.

Anyway, it’s improbable for an elite of the intelligence agency not to predict a terrorist attack. If such a day ever comes, it would most likely be the day the kingdom falls.

Lost in such futile musings, I headed inside the building where the preparations for summoning the hero were underway. Walking on the red carpet leading from the entrance to the hall, a strange sensation washed over me. With the hero’s summoning about to commence, it felt like finally everything was coming to an end. No longer would I have to worry about the impending doom, and I could comfortably stretch out my legs and sleep soundly.

Of course, I knew this wasn’t the end but rather the beginning. Nevertheless, the thought of having five others to fight in my stead made my heart feel lighter.

By the way, what would the hero summoning ceremony feel like?

I had watched high-quality cinematics numerous times, but I still yearned to see it in person.

“It seems it has already started.”

Light spilled through the crack in the door.

There were certainly many people inside, yet the silence enveloping the sacred place was eerie, devoid of even a single breath.

The Colonel took me across the corridor to peer into the room where the summoning ceremony was in progress.

Pure white light.

At a glance, it appeared as though a sacred light flowed through the summoning circle’s circuits, radiating brightness, and I held my breath, watching the scene unfold. Strange, metaphysical shapes and incomprehensible symbols were arranged into the circle, gradually emitting an intense glow. And at the peak moment, as the light illuminated the dark sacred place, the circle’s form collapsed, and a pillar of pure white flame shot to the ceiling.

The heatless, pure white flames spread from the ceiling, startling some into falling and screaming. A few clutched their hearts and collapsed to the floor. Even I, ignorant of mana or divine powers, could feel a swirling, hurricane-like force.

The pillar of flame continued to blaze for a long while before eventually vanishing like smoke.

And then,

From within the dissipating flames emerged a woman. Though not clearly visible, her fiery red hair reminiscent of roaring flames made a striking impression. I turned my head after confirming the hero encircled by cheers and applause.

I watched the successful summoning of the hero and thought this life was a remarkably successful one. Just a bit further, and my pension would be released; by the time I returned to my hometown, the hero would save the world, and I’d live comfortably on my pension.

Suddenly, in the aftermath of my 28 years since falling into this game world, flashes of my life swept through my mind. Overwhelmed with emotion, I bit my lip while applauding, fighting back tears.

For the remaining time, my life was set on a path of blooming flowers.

For a while, I thought like that, clapping along with the crowd.

But then,

“Congratulations, Lieutenant Frederick Nostrim. You’ve been chosen as a comrade of the hero.”

Suddenly, the difficulty of my life soared straight into hell.