Chapter One: The Reprise of the Spear Hero
All of that was a long time ago.
My name is Motoyasu Kitamura! I have a feeling I might seem a bit different now, but I don’t care! I’m the Spear Hero, meant to save the world, and I’ve sworn to protect Filo-tan and all the filolials! Alas . . .
“Gahhh!”
I was faced with an inordinately strong enemy and I was defeated! I wanted to at least look my enemy in the eye, but I couldn’t even manage to do that. My vision grew blurry, and everything started to fade to black. Alas! It was the second time I’d died, but dying never gets any easier.
Now that I thought about it, getting stabbed by a pig was how I ended up in this world. Back then . . . Ah, yes, I remember. There were two girls that I liked, but I could never make up my mind which one I wanted to be with. One of the girls began bullying the other viciously, perhaps because she didn’t like my indecisive attitude. I stepped in to help the other girl, who then decided she wanted me all for her own.
In the end, I ended up with two selfish girls coming at me with knives, both trying to force a fake double-suicide on me! Which one had stabbed me first, again? I couldn’t remember. Wait. Did I say girls? I misspoke. Those were pigs, I say! I couldn’t even remember what those pigs looked like anymore! When I tried to recall their voices, all I heard were squeals.
But more importantly than all of that—Filo-tan! Such a glorious angel! I had shown up in the game world that I knew and loved, and I naïvely set out to create my own harem, intent on keeping my relationships with the pigs uncomplicated at the time. It was Filo-tan who was gracious enough to try to beat some sense into me. I would be walking along with my pigs in tow and she’d suddenly come running like a bat out of hell and kick me off into outer space. And it was all because she cared about me, I say!
And then there was Witch —the crimson swine. She was the former princess of the country that had summoned me to this world. She deceived Father and then took advantage of my cluelessness to make me treat him like an enemy. Eventually, Father raised Filo-tan, which then led to our fateful encounter!
A lot happened after that. Unaware that I had been deceived, I went chasing after the pigs that had abandoned me once I could no longer afford to spoil them. I did my best to try to win them back again. But then I finally realized what a clown I’d been and fell into hopeless despair. And when I did, it was Filo-tan that tried to make me feel better! “Cheer up,” she said! I’ll never forget the way she looked at me that time, I say!
In the end, my gaming knowledge and my experience with getting along with pigs didn’t help me much. But my encounter with Filo-tan genuinely made me a new man! After that, I decided to fight to save the world for the sake of Filo-tan and all the majestic filolials. Being able to devote myself to that cause, until the very end, is all I could have asked for, regardless of how things turned out!
That’s what I wanted to say, but I had to admit it probably wasn’t completely true. I wished I could see Filo-tan’s smile again. I wished I could still be with Filo-tan. I wished I could do more to help Father. I didn’t want to die! At the very least, I wanted it to be after I married Filo-tan!
And then everything went black.
“Oh wow.”
When I came to, I looked up to see men in robes in front of me, looking back at me in awe, and apparently speechless.
“What’s all this?”
“Huh?”
Whose voice was that? It sounded like Ren. Was I dreaming? I looked around to see Father, Ren, and Itsuki standing there. They didn’t seem to know what was going on. Below us was one of the magic circles they used in this world. It was a rather large one too. I’d seen these brick walls before. And this altar. I’d seen it all before. Everything looked exactly the same as it had when I was first summoned to this world. The whole situation was just like it had been then too.
“Where are we?”
Ren turned to the castle mages and spoke. Ah, this must have been a fond memory of that day —the day I first arrived in that new world.
“Oh heroes! Please save our world!”
“What?!”
Father, Ren, and Itsuki all responded in unison. Ah, yes, that’s right. I’d responded the same way, right along with them. The flashback seemed so real. But what was this spear in my hand?
Minute Hand of the Dragon 0/300 LR
<abilities unlocked> equip bonus: ability “Time Reversal”
equip effect: diverging worlds
I figured I would try opening my weapon book to check. What was this “Time Reversal” listed as an equip bonus, anyway? Even I had finally gotten it through my head that my knowledge of games wasn’t going to help, so . . . Wait. Had I gotten it through my head? I couldn’t remember. Hmm . . . I could remember up until the point that Filo-tan cheered me up, but I was having a hard time remembering anything after that. The rest was all a haze.
My fragmented memory was a bit disconcerting. But there was something I could never forget , and that was this boundless love I felt for Filo-tan and all filolials! I didn’t know if I was dreaming or if by some stroke of good fortune I’d gained a skill that had sent me back in time, but there was only one thing for me to do. I would fight for the sake of the world!
“I wonder how much you’re willing to consider our wishes here,” Ren said.
“Depending on how the conversation goes, keep in mind that we might end up enemies of your world,” Itsuki continued.
I’m pretty sure those had both been my lines the last time we were summoned. Father’s expression looked like he felt he was somehow losing to the others.
“Yes, well, we would very much like you to speak with the king. He will discuss future compensation with you in the throne room.”
The castle mage, who was in charge, opened the door and motioned for us to follow.
“Whatever.”
“Fine.”
“Come on. Let’s go,” I said as I extended a hand toward Father.
“Oh, umm, okay.”