Near a certain desolate fishing village of the countryside, a girl rushed across the forest. Her breathing was ragged, and her clothes were in tatters. She frequently turned to look behind her, her legs racing atop the slippery, wet ground, until she tripped over her feet and fell with a crash.
“Ugh...” the girl groaned, caked in mud and dirt.
As she expected, the sound of many footsteps soon caught up to her. Several men donning pristine suits of armor stood before her, their plainly expensive gear signaling that they weren’t bandits or hoodlums.
“Tsk, she’s covered in mud,” one of the men grumbled. “I thought I’d have some fun with her, but this blows.”
“You’re not gonna do her, man?” another asked. “I don’t mind if things get a little dirty.”
The men laughed as they continued their vulgar conversation. The girl tried to use this opportunity to jump to her feet and flee, but a bald man came from behind, pressing her down from above.
“Ow...” the girl grunted, twisting her face with pain.
The bald man heartlessly trussed her arms and legs with some rope and shoved a bit into her mouth.
“C’mon, boys,” the man said wearily. “Stop yapping and tie her up. She almost tried to run.”
“Whoops, my bad,” another man replied. “But the chase is half the fun. Y’know, like fox hunting. The fat cats love stuff like that.”
“Yeah, I get you,” another agreed. “A young woman with no chance of escape pathetically trying her luck anyway, running around in confusion? What a thrill.”
One of the men flashed a lecherous grin as he reached out to touch the restrained girl. She screamed in panic, but the bald man quickly stopped his friend.
“Not here,” the bald man warned, scolding his impatient, lustful comrade. “You don’t wanna deal with the sailors when they return, do you? Don’t forget that you guys screwed up because of them last time.”
He carried the girl and headed for the carriage that was stationed nearby. The girl flailed her legs in a desperate attempt to resist, but her captor was completely unfazed.
“If you’re gonna blame anyone, blame your parents for not paying what they owed,” he spat. He placed the girl in the rear seat and sighed. “Jeez... If your family had just paid their taxes, we wouldn’t have needed to act like lowly bandits. Can’t deny that some of them enjoy it, though.”
The bald man aired his complaints before he started to carriage. As the vehicle rumbled along, the bit in the girl’s mouth became loose. With tears in her eyes, she could only beg for help.
“Fol...” she murmured.
Was that the name of a friend? But of course, this friend wasn’t around to hear her desperate call.
✶✶✶
I dreamed of a very, very long tale. It all started with a commoner boy entering the Magical Academy. The Academy had its roots in noble society, and the boy was relentlessly mocked and underestimated for his birth. Still, slowly but surely, he gained power and shocked those around him; it was a common underdog success story. The main character gradually gained friends whom he could trust and was surrounded by lots of charming heroines while he accomplished many impressive feats.
One day, the Demon Lord was suddenly freed from his ancient seal. He used monsters as his pawns to invade and destroy humanity, and the humans fought back with their armies and magical soldiers. Ultimately, the world even had to rely on the students of the Magic Academy, including the main character and his eccentric friends.
Following various twists and turns, the main character and his allies managed to push the horde of monsters back, and ultimately defeated the Demon Lord who had commanded them. After that, humanity was blessed with peace, and everyone lived happily ever after. This would end the first arc of the story.
The hero continued on to have more adventures, until finally defeating the God of Darkness, the root of all evil. Only then did the world finally attain true peace.
There were five long arcs in total including the final arc. The commoner main character saved the world. He married the princess, one of the heroines, and drew the story to a close by becoming king. It was a heartwarming tale filled with smiles and tears...from a commoner’s point of view.
✶✶✶
“That was the dream I had last night,” I said to my butler, Carlos.
The morning sunbeam trickled through the window and shone onto my cup of black coffee. The elderly Carlos stood diagonally in front of me as I remained seated and enjoyed my drink. He took out his pocket watch and took a glance before slumping his shoulders ever so slightly.
“You spent half an hour discussing this dream, my lord,” Carlos said. “It really must’ve left a lasting impression on you. A rags-to-riches story—or commoner-to-royalty, rather—is one that has mass appeal. Perhaps you should consider writing a book.”
“Carlos, I wouldn’t speak at length if it were any normal dream,” I replied. “The issue is that in this story, I—Lofus Ray Lightless, heir to the house of a marquess—made an appearance.”
“Oh? Are you saying that you were a character in this rags-to-riches tale? May I ask what role you played?”
“Don’t make it sound like some sort of play. But anyway, in this so-called tale, I appeared in the first arc where the main character is at the academy. I mocked him relentlessly for his commoner ways, and I was among the five that bullied him. Furthermore, I even had little goons that followed me around. It was a very, dare I say, plain role.”
“My, oh my...”
“But that’s only the beginning. In the second arc, it’s revealed that I’m a part of the Elite Four who serve the second Demon Lord. I stand before the main character as ‘Lofus the Shadow Wolf.’ I unleash my dark magic to lay waste on those before me, but I am easily crushed by the main character and die in one strike.”
“Pfft...”
“What’re you laughing at?”