Chapter 159: The Two Leaders

“Please, I would very much like you to join our Hero party.”

At the boy’s sudden declaration, Ryoma’s eyes widened in surprise.

(So this boy really is the one from the rumors…?)

Aside from enjoying the cuisine of the Federation, Ryoma had separated from Ryu and the others with another goal in mind—to meet the final Heros of the continent. And now, by sheer coincidence, the boy himself had approached him first.

“…What is your name?” Ryoma asked calmly.

“My name is Takeshi Miyamoto,” the boy replied. “I serve as both the swordsman and the leader of the Hero party that came from the Kingdom of Garcia.”

Thus it was—

Miyamoto Takeshi of Japan, and Sakamoto Ryoma of Hinomaru.

On this day, heroes from two different worlds finally met face to face.

Takeshi felt his chest tremble faintly with excitement.

(Hinomaru—the country founded by the first Hero. Judging from the appearance of the nation, it’s obvious that Edo served as the model. The fact that they even recreated famous families—like the Tokugawa shogunate and the Itagaki clan of Tosa—is remarkable enough… but to think that Sakamoto Ryoma himself truly exists here as well. And not just that—he’s feared as the greatest swordsman in history. For coincidence, this all feels a bit too deliberate… but this is a world where magic exists. There’s a strong chance some kind of fate is at work.)

“Hm. So you are the leader of a Hero party,” Ryoma said thoughtfully. “As it happens, I was also hoping to speak with you. But before we discuss anything about Heroes… it seems to me you possess considerable confidence in your swordsmanship. I would like to hear the reason for that. Perhaps you walked the path of the sword in your original world as well?”

“Correct,” Takeshi answered. “But in my era, civilization had advanced quite far. There were no battles where people killed each other with swords. Instead, there was a sport called kendo, and even as a student, I stood at the very top of it. Incidentally, my family—the Miyamoto family—is historically known for producing the greatest swordsman in our country’s history. And… by strange coincidence, I inherited the same name as that ancestor and once again took up the sword.”

“I see. A boy who inherited the name of the strongest ancestor, and then rose once more to the peak of this thing called kendo,” Ryoma murmured with admiration. “Perhaps it was inevitable that you would be summoned to this world. I am glad we met.”

Surprisingly, the Hero seemed level-headed and easy to talk to, which put Ryoma in a very good mood.

However, Takeshi gave a small, self-conscious smile.

“I’m glad to hear you say that. But please… don’t place too much expectation on me yet.”

“Hm? Why is that? You said you were the best in your country, did you not?”

“Kendo uses a sword-shaped stick that cannot actually kill anyone,” Takeshi explained honestly. “So the first time I held a real blade was after arriving in this world. And the first time I killed a person—or a monster—was only recently. In other words… I believe my experience is still far too shallow to call myself a true swordsman in this world.”

“What a humble young man,” Ryoma said with a warm laugh. “Excellent. Very excellent. I can sense the spirit of bushido in your words.”

“…Wait, you have the word bushido here too?!” Takeshi exclaimed in astonishment.

“Indeed. Whether it originated from the first Hero or from some ancient samurai long ago, I cannot say.”

“…For some reason, that moves me deeply.”

“Hahaha. I am quite fond of that word myself.”

As the two men bonded over their shared sentiments, Alice puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.

Clinging tightly to Ryoma’s arm, she declared possessively,

“Sorry, Hero-san, but you can’t have Ryoma-sama. He belongs to me.”

“Ah, that reminds me,” Ryoma said suddenly. “You were trying to recruit me, were you not, Hero-dono?”

“Ah!” Takeshi straightened in shock. “I completely forgot my objective and started chatting! I’m terribly sorry… This makes me unfit as a leader…”

“A leader who is somewhat easygoing is perfectly fine,” Ryoma chuckled. “Our leader is like that as well.”

At that moment, Ryoma pictured a certain dragon-like viscount with an extreme sister complex.

“A leader?” Takeshi asked. “Does that mean you already belong to an adventurer party somewhere?”

“More precisely, it is not a party but a clan,” Ryoma replied. “My companions should have finished creating it by now and are probably enjoying a meal together.”

Technically, the leader was Stingray rather than Ryu—but in reality, the one giving orders would obviously be the latter.

That interpretation was close enough.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through Ryoma’s mind.

“In that case,” he said, “if you can persuade our leader, I shall join your Hero party.”

“R-Really?!” Takeshi’s eyes widened.

“Yes. I swear it.”

Even so, Takeshi understood how difficult such a task would be.

“…But how am I supposed to persuade him?”

“I do not know,” Ryoma replied with a shrug. “You may convince him with words… or demonstrate it with the sword.”

“With the sword? Is your leader a swordsman?”

“He is a mage.”

“…What?”

(Well… Ryu has been complaining that one of the Heroes remaining in the kingdom increased his workload. He probably wouldn’t even listen to the words of other Heroes.)

The flying airship incident involving Saionji had been incredibly troublesome.

It was easy to imagine that it had made Ryu even more irritable than usual.

“Ryu-sensei is also amazing with a sword,” Alice added proudly.

“A magic swordsman, then?”

“Well… it’s more like…”

“Ryu uses magic, swordsmanship, and martial arts,” Ryoma explained. “He’s a sort of all-purpose fighter in battle.”

“That sounds very fitting for a leader,” Takeshi said admiringly. “I should learn from him.”

“I would not recommend imitating him,” Ryoma replied calmly. “You should walk the path that belongs to you alone, Takeshi.”

“…Understood.”

“Well then,” Alice said brightly, “let’s go see Ryu-sensei and the others.”

The three of them began walking back up the street lined with food stalls, heading toward the plaza.

◇◇◇

After hearing about the assassins from the Grandmaster, the two Heroes—Kaito and Amane—had gone to eat at a tavern.

“Man, this is seriously good!” Kaito exclaimed. “The food at the headquarters tavern is the best!”

“Definitely,” Amane agreed lazily. “Fresh ingredients come directly from the dungeon, the menu is huge, and if you’re an adventurer you absolutely have to stop by at least once.”

Then suddenly—

“WOOOOOOOOOO!!! THIS IS SOOOOOOO DELICIOUS!!!”

A thunderous roar from a small girl at the neighboring table echoed through the tavern.

“Hm?”

The two Heroes glanced over.

Sitting there were the three beautiful women they had encountered earlier—and one man.

Both groups had been so absorbed in eating and talking that they hadn’t noticed each other until now.

“You’re the ones from earlier…” Amane said.

“Hm? Heroes, is it not?” Esther said while chewing. “We meet again so soon.”

“Th-The three beautiful ladies?!” Kaito gasped, hearts practically appearing in his eyes. “Is this fate…?!”

But beyond the women he was staring at, he suddenly saw the face of a demon glaring at him.

“Fate…? And what kind of fate would that be?” the man asked coldly. “Depending on your answer, you may have to prepare yourself for death.”

It was Ryu.

“Hiii!”

The moment Kaito trembled in fear, Amane’s fist slammed down onto his head with a loud thunk, instantly producing a massive bump.

“Ow… ow… that hurts…”

“I’m really sorry about this idiot,” Amane apologized to the women. “He keeps causing trouble…”

“It is fine, it is fine,” Esther said kindly. “Young people should have energy.”

But unlike Esther, Ryu continued glaring coldly.

“You’d better be careful,” Ryu warned. “You’re probably being praised excessively simply because you’re Heroes. But that prestige belongs to the first Heroes—the ones who defeated the Demon King a thousand years ago, saved the continent, and founded Hinomaru. You are still chicks who have barely stepped into a dungeon. Remember that. Especially you—the weak-looking male Hero.”

His piercing gaze stabbed directly into Kaito.

“Eep!”

Ryu’s words were perfectly reasonable—but from the perspective of someone who had been unwillingly dragged into becoming a Hero, they were not easy to accept.

“It’s true that this idiot Kaito caused trouble earlier,” Amane said calmly, “and it’s also true that we’re benefiting from the reputation of the first Heroes. But we’re not diving into dangerous dungeons and carrying out national missions because we enjoy it. Do you have anything that gives you the right to say that?”

“No.”

“…That answer was way too fast.”

Amane blinked, completely thrown off by his immediate reply.

“Well… I guess I do know quite a few people,” Ryu added casually. “For example, your Captain Lily. From a certain special unit.”

“?!”

Both Heroes’ eyes widened in shock.

“H-How do you know Captain Lily…?”

“Who knows?” Ryu replied calmly while continuing his meal.

“….”

(This person… he’s not normal.)

From the subtle nuances in his words, Amane could sense something unusual about him.

“Ryu-niisama,” Lena said gently, “today is the day our clan begins. Let’s enjoy the meal, okay?”

“…You’re right. Lena’s correct.”

At last, Ryu’s expression softened.

At that moment, Stingray proudly announced,

“That’s right! Today marks the founding day of our clan—Dragon Road!”

Dragon Road.

The Path of the Dragon’s Conquest.

A name combining the concept of the dragon’s supremacy and its path forward—perfect for a clan where two dragon-like figures, Ryu and Ryoma, resided.

Even the Heroes couldn’t help reacting.

Particularly to the dragon part.

“Dragon… also called ‘ryu,’ right?” Amane murmured. “I’ve heard dragons are special creatures in this world. That’s a wonderful name.”

“That’s cool,” Kaito said. “Who came up with it?”

“I did,” Esther declared proudly, snorting with satisfaction.

“By the way,” Ryu asked, “your party has three people, right? Where’s the last one?”

“That’s the problem—we don’t know,” Amane replied. “He said something like ‘the wind is calling me’…”

“The wind, huh… Did he go toward the food stall street?”

“Yeah. How did you know?”

“Then it’s probably Ryoma. He might bring that other one here with him.”

“Our leader,” Amane corrected.

(What is this guy even talking about…?)

“Hm. So he’s your leader.”

“He’s truly amazing,” Amane said confidently. “If you meet him, you’ll definitely be surprised.”

“That won’t happen.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve already met plenty of people who are far more amazing.”

Just then—

“Hey, Ryu! I’ve brought a guest!”

“Found Lena. I want to eat that too.”

Ryoma and Alice appeared.

And of course, behind them—

stood Takeshi Miyamoto.

“So that’s the rumored Ryu…”

(At first glance he seems like an ordinary man. But judging from the expression on Ryoma-sama’s face whenever he speaks about him… that assumption must be wrong. I must approach this carefully.)