Case 05: The Warrior-Writer in the Other World

Foreword

I AM KATSUIE SHIBATA!

Yeah, that’s the greeting I’ll go with. Many famous YouTubers have their unique greetings, and I want one of my own, too.

Though, I’m basically copying Principal Edajima from Sakigake!! Otokojuku, so you can’t really call it original. In fact, even my pen name, “Katsuie Shibata,” is borrowed from an actual military commander from the Sengoku period. It’s as far as you can go from the name my parents gave me, so when I say “I AM KATSUIE SHIBATA!” I’m being at least eighty percent fake.

But allow me to bring up the sayings “even a worm will turn” and “even a thief has his reasons.” Twenty percent true might not seem like much, but it is some truth nonetheless.

I’m spending a bit too long making excuses about my identity, but I want those unfamiliar with me to understand. First, please imagine Katsuie Shibata the Sengoku commander. That person is me, and that’s what I look like. If you are unfamiliar with the military commander, please look at this book’s cover. The serious commander-looking guy is me. Alternatively, you can Google it. That depiction of the real person you found? That’s me.

Now that you know what I look like, let me tell you about how I began writing using this pen name.

It was about ten years ago. I was enrolling in college and had to go through recreation alongside other freshmen I wasn’t sure I would get along with. Somehow, we ended up playing UNO, a game I hadn’t played in years. I wasn’t good at it, it was really stressful, and I ended up playing until it was just one-versus-one.

That was when a certain word came to mind. A name of a place that doubled as an idiom to describe a decisive battle. Okehazama? No. Sekigahara? No. What was it again? As I wrung my head, I put down a card and said,

“This is a real Shizugatake!”

(It turns out the place in the phrase is actually “Tennozan.”)

Even now I don’t think I was wrong, per se, but my fellow freshmen weren’t familiar with the Battle of Shizugatake, so we just stopped playing UNO and I told them about it. The decisive fight between Katsuie Shibata and Hideyoshi Hashiba. As I relayed the historical details, the somewhat distant freshmen began opening up. We all had a good time, and by the time the day ended, I’d been given the nickname Katsuie Shibata.

My college life began with quite a speedy gallop, and the name “Katsuie Shibata” has stuck with me ever since. I’m certain the nickname would’ve been different if I had the face of a noble from the Heian period, but I respected Katsuie so much that I not only defaulted to Shizugatake instead of Tennozan, but also grew my beard to make myself look more like him. My classmates called me “Katsuie” so naturally that they probably even forgot my real name.

And so, as I continued to live as Katsuie Shibata, I decided to submit a story. At first, I didn’t even think I’d go anywhere as an actual author. It was just something I did to make my days as a student more memorable, and since thinking up a new pen name was a pain, I just applied as Katsuie Shibata.

The hand of fate had other plans, however. My story was graciously picked, and I would be making my debut as an author. But during the same phone call that informed me of this, I was told that they didn’t quite approve of going with “Katsuie Shibata” as a pen name.

So I told them to use my real name instead, but when I visited the publisher, the editor-in-chief took one look at me—as in, my appearance—and said, “‘Katsuie Shibata’ is just fine, I’d say.”

What a resolution.

With his decision, I returned my pen name to “Katsuie Shibata” and now work as a Sengoku commander-author who’d been reincarnated in the modern era.

I use this name as a fan of Katsuie Shibata who wants it to remain in history, and because I want to confuse college students millennia in the future by creating an extra Katsuie Shibata for them to find when they research the name.

Thus, I hope that this book will become an important piece of literature that survives for thousands of years. I’m not certain about myself, but when the others who gathered to write this book become big-league authors who represent Japan itself, the texts written here will become historical documents. And as a part of it, I’ll be here, too. Yes, I am basically a popularity leech.

Anyway, all you’ve read so far is nothing but the tip of the iceberg. This is all I can tell you in a foreword. What’s left is to tell the story, which I hope you will enjoy.

1

There was an army lined up on the plain.

Several thousand soldiers were waiting for the time to come. Their apparel was varied, but no matter how they were dressed, it was clear that none of them were human. Dark green skin, pronounced muscles, wicked faces and sharp fangs... It was an army of demi-human tribes, comprised of creatures commonly known as orcs, goblins, and trolls.

There was a man in front of them.

He was shorter than the brawnier warriors, but his build was barely different from that of the demi-humans. Like them, he also had a dense beard and stern face. What made him stand out the most was the foreign-looking armor he was wearing.

An iron double cuirass lacquered in black, spaulders covered in platelets, faulds hanging from his waist, an extravagant helmet with metal plates at both sides. Suddenly, an orc raised a flag with a crest depicting two wild geese.

Who in this world would know him?

There was once a man who used such armor and that symbol. In his era, he served the hero known as Nobunaga Oda. Through him, he received the nickname of “Charging Shibata” and was known as a valiant commander.

The armored man stood and extended his hand forward into the plain, where the battle would take place.

“CHARGE!”

A single order, and the demi-humans let out beastly roars. Kicking up dust, the army ran onto the plain, changing shape like a living animal. In the center of the horde, the armored man made his expression sterner.

He was the one and only Katsuie Shibata.

2

There was an author called Katsuie Shibata.

Naturally, it was only a pen name given to him based on the commander from the Sengoku Period. He had absolutely no experience with bloody battles, and generally spent his time writing. The only place where a man like him could act like a Sengoku-era commander was the Sengoku Maid Café in Akihabara, and oh, would he enjoy it.

And so it was that on that day he made his way to Akihabara and entered an elevator in a small building.

Before arriving at his destination, he changed his mentality. This elevator was a time machine, and when it opened next, he would be in the Sengoku Period. Of course, it was only a Sengoku-themed maid café, but going through this ritual helped him travel from the mundane to the unusual.

And so, the elevator opened up.

What Katsuie saw made him blink in confusion.

“Did I go to the wrong floor?”

He was looking at a cavern.

It obviously wasn’t the café he wanted to go to, but he just figured that this was a new place using this decor for a theme. As he changed his mentality again, he pressed a button on the elevator’s control panel. However, it did nothing. Katsuie took a step into the cave, wondering what was going on.

As he did, he was showered by an intense light coming from ahead.

He didn’t have time to react. Somehow, the elevator he’d just left vanished, and he was now in what looked like nothing more than a cave.

“Success!”

“We did it!”

Two voices came from beyond the light.

Katsuie strained his eyes and saw two large silhouettes holding torches. They weren’t normal humans. They were dark green, unnaturally muscular, and had menacing faces that mixed features of man and pig, as well as sharp fangs sticking upwards out of their lower jaws.

“Umm... If I may ask...!”

One of the giants called out. He was the shorter of the two and had a blond mohawk for a haircut.

“Are you Master Katsuie Shibata?!”

“Indeed. I am Katsuie.”

The reply made the two giants raise their voices and express joy with high-fives and the like.

“We did it, brother!”

“Yeah! Our tribe can win now!”

Katsuie’s name alone made them cry tears of joy. The scene was just about strange enough to shock him back to his usual way of thinking. A maid café this outlandish just couldn’t exist. Hell, he’d come here to soothe himself with maids, so how did he end up being greeted by a couple of muscleheads?

He turned around, figuring he would wake up from this weird dream any second now. He had no idea where to go, but he walked as though escaping. The muscley brothers called out to him, but he didn’t care. Katsuie just walked through the gloomy cave, hoping that the dream would end soon.

But as he turned a corner, he walked into someone.

“GYAH?!”

It was a completely unappealing scream. He looked and saw the other person, who he had knocked to the cold floor of the cave.

It was a girl. Just like the two gorilla-men behind him, she had dark-green skin, but she was a lot shorter and was wearing a fancy dress. She shook her head in pain, making her chestnut hair flip down over her face. If you ignored her strangely pointy ears, she wasn’t too different from a human girl.

“Princess!”

One of the muscleheads ran past Katsuie and helped the girl get back up.

“Princess, we have good news. Our muscle-summoning was a success.”

The other followed, and then the two both raised her onto one of their shoulders to support her like a palanquin.

“You did?! Is this Katsuie Shibata, then?”

Seated on the men’s meaty shoulders, the girl opened her large eyes wide. You could see joy in the gold of her pupils.

“Master Katsuie, please save my tribe!”

Looking down from her fleshy throne, the girl gave him a lovely smile.

It made Katsuie let out a sound—he actually found it a bit cute.

3

Katsuie and the girl looked at each other in a room set up in the cave.

“So I was summoned to another world?”

The girl—the princess—responded to his mutter with a nod.

“Yes. For a long time now, the inhabitants of this world have used magic that summons people from a different world. That’s how you were brought here.”

The princess reached for a wooden cup on the table. It contained a milky liquid.

“So that’s how it is. I understand.”

Katsuie could accept the situation. He was an author, after all. He’d had his share of delusions of being summoned to another world, so he had little trouble adapting to it when it actually happened.

“Anyway, this is an orc settlement. Do you know orcs? We’re not one of the three major races, so we’re called ‘demi-humans,’ but we do have a rich history.”

She said it without much emphasis, but apparently, demi-humans were low on the societal totem pole here. While humans, elves, and dwarves lived in expansive urban areas, the tribes of the others had to live hiding in caves or dense forests.

“You said you wanted me to save your tribe. What did you mean?”

“Well...”

The princess’ expression became gloomy. Her grip around the wooden cup tightened, and she opened and closed her mouth as though it was hard to talk about.

“Allow me to tell you about it.”

The table spoke up. Well, it was actually an orc who was on all fours to act as a table, but whatever.

“These lands have a history of being ravaged by wars between the humans, elves, and dwarves, as well as demi-humans such as goblins and trolls. They weren’t just any wars, though. They had rules, and the victors would receive land.” He explained all this with a cup still on his back. It didn’t seem like he was comfortable.

“What are these rules?”

The one to answer that was the chair the princess was sitting on—the orc with a mohawk.

“The warring sides had to summon heroes from the sacred texts and fight under their command.”

“Sacred texts?”

The princess picked up a book she had placed at her side.

“This!”

The book’s cover read “Nobunaga’s Ambition: Daimyos.”

“This...is it?”

“Yes. This book was left behind by a grand hero who was summoned a thousand years ago. It’s written in divine letters, though, so we can’t read most of it...”

Katsuie didn’t know the details, but he assumed that the person summoned back then was either a history nerd or a gamer.

“Hmm? Wait a minute. So you summon heroes from that book?”

“Yes,” the three orcs said simultaneously before one of the two brothers continued.

“And you are Master Katsuie Shibata! The brave champion who served under Lord Nobunaga Oda himself!”

This wasn’t good.

This sad group of orcs had Katsuie Shibata the general and Katsuie Shibata the author completely mixed up. Unfortunately, this Katsuie wasn’t the madman who randomly broke bottles.

“Nhh... Princess... Isn’t it great that? We now have Master Katsuie!”

“Look at him in all his glory! He is exactly as he was in the texts!”

The orcish brothers, still on all fours, were moved to tears. The princess then slowly opened the book—a strategy guide for one of the “Nobunaga’s Ambition” games—and looked at the page with Katsuie Shibata over and over. Indeed, the picture of Katsuie Shibata portrayed there looked a lot like the man before her.

“And you summoned me so you could wage war?”

Katsuie chose to get back to the main topic. He could’ve told them that they had the wrong person, but he didn’t want to let down the emotional orcs.

“Yes! Now that we have you, we can also participate in war. Up until now, orcs were bad at summoning magic and we couldn’t earn the right to fight, so...”

The princess looked down as if hurt. The orc acting as her chair let out a heavy sigh.

“Our kind couldn’t earn the right to fight for centuries now, and we only continued to lose our lands until this cramped cave was all we had left.”

The table then raised his head.

“We used to have a lot of brethren, but now the three of us are the last survivors.”

“That’s...pretty dire. So, the others...”

“They quit being orcs and moved to the big city.”

“Ah. So quitting is an option.”

The princess’s sad words made the brothers nod. Katsuie believed that the others had just left the tribe and adapted to civilized society, but it was probably a matter of pride rather than reason.

“Let me ask one thing... Were you brothers the ones who cast the summoning magic?”

“Yes. We captured a lady knight and had her show us how it’s done.”

“We paid her, too.”

Two happy brothers and a proud princess. Katsuie didn’t dig too deep, but it was easy to tell that they had been preparing for this day for a long time.

“With that out of the way... Sir Katsuie, we need your help.”

Katsuie folded his arms and closed his eyes in thought.

It was difficult for him to refuse at this point. To them, Katsuie was hope. He probably couldn’t help them as well as the real Katsuie Shibata could, but as one who used the man’s name, he had a certain amount of respect for the hero.

“Understood. I, Katsuie Shibata, will help you orcs. This new world will be ours to take!”

Those words were enough to make the orcs cheer up. The brothers even got up, spilling the milk on the floor and dropping the princess into the puddle. Not minding that at all, the three laughed in excitement and expectation.

“This reminds me, we forgot to introduce ourselves. I am the shorter and older of the orc brothers, Big Menge.”

“And I am the taller and younger, Little Menge. And this is our princess...”

The milk-covered princess put on an energetic smile.

“And I’m Allizzi. You can call me just ‘Izzi!’”

Orcish laughter resounded throughout the cavern.

4

Sometimes, it was easier to actually do something than worry about it. This was one of those times. With Katsuie as a commander, the orcs instantly attacked a nearby goblin settlement and quickly emerged victorious.

“I didn’t expect an attack from the orcs...”

Those words were said by the goblin chieftain. Orcs actually had lots of potential—even though it all came in the form of the Menge Brothers’ brutality—and even other demi-humans were wary of them. The only reason they lost over and over again was merely because they couldn’t participate in warfare, but now that they had summoned a hero, conquering the surrounding lands was easy.

“I didn’t even do anything,” Katsuie muttered, standing in the middle of the goblin settlement, in front of tied-up goblin warriors.

“What are you saying?! It’s because you were standing behind us that we were able to work so hard!” Little Menge tried consoling him.

“That so?”

As he agreed to look at it that way, he heard a voice coming from deeper in the settlement. It was Big Menge, who’d been looking around the village.

“Master Katsuie! We captured the hero of this land!”

From beyond the trees, he saw the large silhouette of an orc and a warrior clad in red armor.

“Ack...!”

Katsuie wasn’t pleased to see him.

He’d taken up the role of Katsuie Shibata out of kindness and just to see where all this went, but this reminded him that there were other Sengoku-era heroes here. If he’d ran into someone who knew the real Katsuie Shibata, they would instantly know that he was a fake.

“He says he wants to see Master Katsuie!”

Big Menge graciously led the warrior to him. Apparently, heroes were to be treated with respect, even if they were enemies.

“Well, if it isn’t Master Shibata...” The man sighed in amazement. He was in his forties, but Katsuie recognized his unique helmet adornments and red armor—he’d seen them in Nobunaga’s Ambition.

“Are you the Ii family’s...”

“Indeed. I am Naomasa Ii!” The man then bowed his head. The large, horn-like adornments scratched Katsuie’s cheeks.

“I could not thank you when you were alive. Never would I have thought that I would get to do it in a land so distant.”

It seemed that Katsuie was safe.

Naomasa Ii and Katsuie Shibata were from slightly different eras, so the man couldn’t tell that he wasn’t the real Katsuie.

“Master Ii, you made a name for yourself in the battle against Takeda, did you not? I was far from there, so I only heard the details, and from how you look, I see you continued to gather fame even after I passed away.” Katsuie just went with the flow and said something that seemed appropriate. It was very effective, seeing as Naomasa embraced him by the shoulders, clearly overwhelmed. To him, Katsuie was a senior champion of the Sengoku Period. Recognition from such a man not only made him forget his defeat here but made him invite Katsuie for a long talk. It was an impressive display of sportsmanship.

“Goblins! We’re siding with Master Katsuie! We will unite as one and emerge victorious!”

Naomasa didn’t even consider what the goblins thought, but the fact that they’d survived this made them roar in agreement.

“We did it, Master Katsuie! The goblins are with us now!”

Big Menge was clearly excited. His brother was busy freeing the captured goblins, who simply enjoyed the event and began gathering all the settlement’s booze for a feast.

This looked like a gathering of sporty, carefree muscleheads. There was no way it wouldn’t be a good time. They celebrated the first victory and the good start of the alliance between Katsuie and the orcs and Naomasa and the goblins.

“Sir Katsuie! If this continues, it won’t be long until the revival of the orcs!”

Princess Izzi participated, too, of course, and her laughter was very pure.

5

A week had passed since the alliance with goblins.

Katsuie and Naomasa had fun chats about the Sengoku Era, as well as strategic discussions about the coming battles. Behind them, there were Princess Izzi and the Menge Brothers, playing something with the goblins.

“Sir Katsuie! Look, look! I made friends with the goblins!”

She was racing the goblins while sitting on Big Menge, who was on all fours. Her long life in the cave had ended, and she was now able to play out under the wide sky.

“It’s a precious sight indeed, Master Katsuie. However, we cannot drop our guard. According to the scouts we sent out, the trolls are approaching our army.”

“Trolls?”

A moment after Katsuie’s question, Big Menge shouted “Trolls!” out loud and stood up, making Princess Izzi fall on the ground. The goblins helped her up.

“You know them, Big Menge?”

“They are another kind of demi-humans. They’re close to us orcs, but they have a rough temper and are known to be violent and dangerous.”

Katsuie got lost in thought and glared at the map spread out on the stump that the heroes had been looking over.

“Master Naomasa. Where are the trolls supposed to be coming from?”

“They would pass this river here. Though, that’s assuming they would go straight for this settlement.”

“It’s decided, then. We shall wait for them there.”

That was the cue that a battle was coming. All that was left was to march and advance, quickly and efficiently. The union between Katsuie and Naomasa and the orcs and goblins would leave the settlement as soon as possible.

Thus, Naomasa arrived at the river on the map. It was already evening, and upon leaving the forest, they found themselves standing on a riverbed.

“Master Katsuie, is this well?”

“Mhm. The formation is good.”

Following Katsuie’s idea, they put the Menge Brothers at the back and placed the goblins at the front.

“They were advancing here because they believed that goblins would be easy to crush. We will take advantage of their carelessness and handle them with the orcs.”

Naomasa nodded in understanding.

The trees on the other side of the river shook, making countless birds fly away. According to the scouts, the trolls were close, but you didn’t need more than the shaking trees to see that.

Katsuie heard voices. The goblins were yelping, and the things on the other side released scary voices, creating a strange kind of harmony.

“What is that?”

This was Katsuie’s first time seeing trolls. Fearsome creatures appeared from the forest on the other side of the river. They held dangerous weapons such as clubs and spears, but their appearance was extremely roundish. They had blank faces and soft-looking bellies... They looked a bit like hippos, but Katsuie knew of something they resembled even more.

“Moomins...”

As though they heard his words, the trolls on the other side looked at Katsuie’s army and let out an unnerving roar.

“M-Master Katsuie! The trolls are angry!”

“Uhh... Mhm...”

They looked like moomins to him. A horde of raging moomins. They actually looked adorable, so he couldn’t relate to Naomasa’s or the goblins’ fear.

“Oh, well. Watch as I show you my plan.”

Katsuie stood and faced the horde of battle-ready trolls.

“Hey, you weaklings! Can you even move with those fat legs buried in the ground! Bet ya can’t! Hahaha!”

It was just pure incitement. He was provoking the trolls as loudly as he could. It seemed to work, since the moomins started swinging their clubs around.

“Damn you! You’re dead!”

The moomins threatened them with bloodshot eyes. They looked more menacing than you’d expect.

“Don’t you go anywhere! Stay where you are! Ugh! Hey!”

One by one, they charged into the river with their stubby legs. Letting anger take charge, they went to beat Katsuie to a pulp.

Eventually...

“I’ll kill ybhbhbhbh...”

In the middle of the river, one of the trolls started to sink and was picked up by the current. The others didn’t even notice and continued charging, only to meet the same fate. They were quite the berserkers.

“Master Katsuie, this is...!”

“Mhm. The Tedori River battle.”

That was the battle where Katsuie Shibata lost against Kenshin Uesugi. They were retreating and had to pass a river. They’d suffered great casualties regardless of whether they tried to fight or retreat, and it had been a well-known major defeat for the Oda family.

“Seeing it myself makes me understand just how absurd fighting in a river is...”

Katsuie raised his hand and called the Menge Brothers, who gave a response from further downstream.

Suddenly, a large net popped up on the river, and the moomins—or trolls—swept by the stream were all caught up in it.

“We captured the trolls!”

The plan was a success. The trolls didn’t think things through and were swept away by the river to be caught by the net further downstream. All that was left was to drag them out, which wasn’t undoable with all the goblins’ help.

The trolls were still raging, but having had their lives saved made it hard for them to resist too much.

“Master Katsuie! What a great battle that was!”

Naomasa was overjoyed. It was a bit underwhelming, but a victory was a victory.

6

A few months had passed since then.

“Master Katsuie! You are exactly as the pictures portrayed!”

The Menge Brothers praised him excessively. Katsuie had just equipped a set of armor made by the nearby dwarves who’d recently joined his side. They’d also renewed their flag and were now looking like a proper army.

“You think so?”

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Katsuie sat down on a camp stool. He was in an encampment inside a forest, and they were attacking the elves.

The recent achievements of the orcish alliance were striking. They had already conquered all the midsize tribes using the power of the Menge Brothers, the numbers of the goblins, and Naomasa’s strategies. After they got the nearby trolls to join them, they went on to take in the kobolds and dwarves, as well.

In addition to that...

“Master Katsuie!”

Naomasa’s voice rang out from the forest. You could hear armor clattering as a few generals rushed in.

“We’ve successfully invaded the elves!”

Naomasa wasn’t alone. He had Matabei Goto, Muneshige Tachibana, and Soteki Asakura at his side. They were the heroes summoned by the other tribes, and none of them had any strong ties to the Katsuie Shibata of history.

“I would not expect less of you, Master Shibata. You truly are the one who brought the Asakura family to ruin. Though, if I was alive, Oda wouldn’t have come out on top,” said Soteki.

“Ooh, that’s a harsh one, old man Soteki,” Matabei joked, and they all laughed.

Katsuie also cracked a smile. He could stay on the same page as these generals because he was into the Sengoku Period, but he was constantly worried that someone might find out.

“Anyway, Master Katsuie. Most of the local tribes are now yours to command, but...”

Muneshige suddenly made a stern face and looked at Naomasa. He realized something and nodded.

“Master Katsuie, the final enemy is the allied army of the three major races, seated in the area around a city. We are an elite group, but we are still just a gathering of smaller tribes. Our next enemy will be fearsome.” Naomasa said it calmly, with lots of confidence. The idea that he had such skilled generals from different times at his side was enlivening him.

“Let’s do it, Katsuie!”

Matabei made a fist. Muneshige and Soteki surely felt the same way. The line-up of the heroes made Katsuie slightly sentimental. He threw away the worry, fired himself up, and stood up.

“All right! We’re heading for the city containing the allied army. The hero leading the charge there will be one of us, as well!”

The commanders all cheered, and the demi-humans outside joined in.

“M-Master Katsuie!”

Suddenly, there was a voice. Little Menge was breathing raggedly as he returned from his scouting mission, running between the trees.

“It’s important! The allied army is offering a negotiation!”

Little Menge raised the leather scroll he had.

“The enemy hero, Hideyoshi Hashiba, wants to meet Master Katsuie!”

The report made Katsuie’s face turn pale.

7

The advance was reaching its peak.

“Damn it! It had to be Hideyoshi!”

Katsuie rolled on the floor in his room in the cave, clutching his head in misery. This was the place where he had first met the orcs, and now it was a place he rarely visited, but he had privacy here.

“I mean, there’s no way that Hideyoshi doesn’t know the real Katsuie.”

That was the only thing bothering him right now, and it was a big thing indeed. Since it was linked to the other generals’ morale, he couldn’t refuse the talk with Hideyoshi, and tomorrow, he would be facing him and his allied forces.

“Sir Katsuie? What’s wrong?”

Someone called out to him. Still on the floor, he raised his head and saw Princess Izzi looking at him very curiously.

“Oh, nothing... Never mind that, what are you holding?”

There was a strange animal in the princess’s hands. It was unusually thin and looked like a cross between a goat and a snake.

“Oh, I was about to milk this goatworm. Her milk is an important drink for us orcs.”

The noodly goat let out a “Baa.” The idea that this was the source of the milk Katsuie was given when he first came here made him slightly uncomfortable.

“I see. Well, we have an important talk tomorrow.”

“We do! I’ll make sure you drink some milk, too! I hope it gives you energy!”

Upon seeing her innocent smile, Katsuie broke. He let out a sigh and got up.

“By the way, Princess Izzi. If I may ask something strange... What would you think if I wasn’t the real Katsuie Shibata?”

He dragged the admission out of his soul and let it flop on the floor between them. The truth would come out during the talk with Hideyoshi, so he figured that he should reveal it himself.

However, the princess was just confused.

“But... You are Sir Katsuie, Sir Katsuie.”

“Hmm... That’s not what I mean.”

“No. I know what you mean. Summoning heroes is difficult. The eras they come from and the ages they are can vary a lot. But since I don’t know the real Sir Katsuie, you, the one I’m talking to right now, are the only Sir Katsuie I have.”

The princess beamed, and the strange goat she was holding let out a sound.

“You are our hero now, Sir Katsuie. I’m sure you came here because I wished you would.”

Her honest feelings made Katsuie happy. He cracked a smile, put his hands on his hips, and got up.

Heroes were but mental images of people, drawn by those who came after their time. They were akin to illusions, and there was no “real” or “fake” there. As long as this little princess desired it, Katsuie would be Katsuie Shibata the hero.

“Indeed! I was worried about nothing, it seems. I was summoned by you and yours. All there is for me to do is to lead the orcs to victory and glory.”

Katsuie and Princess Izzi walked out of the gloomy cave. Outside, they saw a starry sky and heard loud voices. The demi-human alliance members were partying in the nearby settlement.

Tomorrow would be the day he would settle the score with Hideyoshi.

8

And so, a second Kiyosu Conference was held in this world. The stage was the great plain close to the city. The demi-human alliance and the allied forces of the three major races were facing each other.

“I am going, then.”

Clad in armor, Katsuie took a step forward. Princess Izzi and the Menge Brothers waved their hands as they and all the other demi-humans and heroes saw him off.

This would be a pre-battle talk. When it ended, the armies would start fighting tooth and nail, and the victorious side would lord over this world.

Katsuie looked ahead. A single soldier was drawing closer from the opposing side. Neither of them had any companions, so they would be standing alone in the middle of the plain.

The two men faced each other.

“Are you Master Hideyoshi?”

Katsuie looked at the man in front of him. The radiant helmet covering his head fit his mental image of Hideyoshi Hashiba perfectly. He was a bit short, but his face was actually very handsome and elegant—definitely not deserving of the “bald rat” nickname he’d been given.

“Master Katsuie...?”

His tone was questioning. Of course it was. This Katsuie wasn’t the Katsuie Shibata that this Hideyoshi knew.

Katsuie gave up and closed his eyes.

However, Hideyoshi suddenly took Katsuie’s hand and gave it a shake.

“Are you actually Master Katsuie?!”

“Y-Yes...”

“No no no, you’re Master Katsuie, right?!”

“That’s what I said.”

“That’s not what I mean! You’re Katsuie Shibata, the author!”

Katsuie gasped in surprise. Hideyoshi not only knew he was fake, but also knew who he actually was.

“Ah. Hold on. Right. There’s no way I should be able to know that.” Hideyoshi seemed to understand something, but Katsuie was still thoroughly confused.

“I actually respect your work a lot.” The man took off his helmet and grinned wider. Upon seeing Hideyoshi without his helmet, Katsuie couldn’t hide his surprise. It wasn’t someone he knew—it was because the man had blond hair. There were no Sengoku generals who dyed their hair like that.

That left only one reasonable explanation.

“I’m not actually the Hideyoshi from the Sengoku Period. I’m just a club host who uses the name ‘Hideyoshi Hashiba’ while I’m working.”

“Eh? Seriously?”

“Yeah. I like Sengoku stuff, and read your books because of it. Your pen name made me jealous, so I followed your example. Y’know, just like how the real Hideyoshi used Niwa’s and Shibata’s names for his surname.”

Hideyoshi was acting more laid back than you could ever expect.

“Anyway, I got summoned by mistake, and everyone treated me like a big deal, so I couldn’t back out.”

“Same here.”

“Seriously? We’re in the same situation, then.”

Hideyoshi made a very serious expression. He was probably trying to look like a real general, but yeah, he was definitely more of the “attractive host” type.

“Anyway, I thought I’d be screwed if the real Katsuie came, so I thought I’d just go and tell him myself. But man, I didn’t expect to get the author Katsuie.”

“I know what you mean.”

The two laughed. The truth was more amusing than either of them expected.

“So, Hideyoshi, you gonna retreat?”

“No no no, I can’t. People are expecting a whole lot from me, y’know.”

“Same here. I guess that means that we gotta do it.”

“Yep. I may not look the type, but I’ve always wanted to get in a real battle.”

They ended their talk with a handshake and a nod before turning around and returning to their armies. Both of them were fakes, but both were heroes. Anyone who bore the expectations of a hero had to fulfill their role regardless of what they were on the inside.

“My friends! My warriors! It is an honor to lead you!”

Katsuie’s shout resounded across the plain. He saw his people ahead of him, and upon seeing his confidence, the Menge Brothers, Princess Izzi, and everyone else watching this scene felt their resolve grow.

“I call out to you all!”

He raised his hand, and the demi-human alliance roared.

“This is our decisive battle!”

Katsuie stood in front of his motley army of demi-humans. The opposing army was also cheering, their blood boiling for the upcoming battle from something their own commander was shouting to them.

A bird flew high in the sky between the two armies and let out a piercing cry.

“CHARGE!”

Thus the opening curtain rose on this world’s Battle of Shizugatake.