How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 1

It was said that this adventurer wore a kigurumi, a sort of full-body costume, that was 1.7 meters tall. His weapon was a naginata, slung over his back. He had a roly-poly body, but was able to move quickly and was apparently very talented. He formed no party, taking on dangerous beast subjugation quests solo, but occasionally, if there was a party seeking temporary members, he would join them for a dungeon crawl.

Incidentally, his name was registered with the guild as “Little Musashibo.”

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“Uh… So, you’re the adventurer who’s temporarily joining our party?” a male warrior asked doubtfully.

A roly-poly kigurumi was standing in front of the quest board in the guild. It stood before a party of four adventurers (party composition: one male warrior, one male priest, one female thief, and one female mage).

In the kigurumi’s hands was a naginata, on his back a wicker basket, his face was covered with white silk (in fact, it was sewn on), and the acorn eyes and bushy eyebrows that peered out from it were adorable.

Who was that? Was he a snowman? Was he a round-bottomed doll? No, he was Little Musashibo!

“…” (Little Musashibo waved his arms around wildly, meaning, “That’s right.”)

“Oh, could it be that you’re the kigurumi adventurer people have been talking about lately…?” Dece asked. He was a male swordsman with an attractive face that wouldn’t have been out of place in a boy band.

“…” (Little Musashibo nodded.)

“A-Are you now…?” Dece’s expression became a little strained.

Considering Little Musashibo’s silly appearance, that reaction was only to be expected. The rest of his comrades were bewildered, too.

“Oh, come on, I know we’re short a person on the front line, but does that really mean we need to bring in a guy like this?” demanded a beautiful young girl whose defiant eyes left a strong impression. Her voice was full of venom. This girl with a slightly punk sense of fashion was the female thief, Iuno. The adventurers called thieves were, of course, not actual robbers. It was a support role in the party that detected enemies and disabled traps in the dungeon and could handle melee combat, as well.

The kindly-looking male priest, Febral, rebuked her. “W-Well, his outfit may be ridiculous, but everything I’ve heard indicates he’s a reliable adventurer. I don’t think there should be an issue. We aren’t delving into a dungeon today, and the difficulty for this is supposed to be beginner level anyway.”

His role as priest was also just what people called a healer. It didn’t indicate any sort of religious belief.

“Oh, sure, what’s the harmmm? He’s kinda cute, anywayyy!” This light and airy beauty, the female mage Julia, started to playfully lean against Little Musashibo, enjoying his softness. Little Musashibo acted a little annoyed by this.

With a dry laugh at the scene, Dece extended his hand to Little Musashibo. “Anyway, it’ll be a pleasure to work with you today.”

“…” (Little Musashibo shook his hand.)

“…Are you not able to talk?”

“…” (Little Musashibo nodded.)

Dece said nothing for a moment. Then he burst out, “Oh, come on, is this really going to be all right?”

There was no one who could answer Iuno’s doubts.

With Little Musashibo joining them, the party headed for an underground passage in the capital.

Apparently, these tunnels had been originally created to let the royal family escape in the event that an enemy attack reached the capital. Because of that, in order to confound intruders, the passages had been built as a complex maze with three levels.

On this occasion, the adventurers had received a quest calling for “Exploration of the underground passages and investigation of creatures living therein (and if possible, their removal).”

Because this country had been free of war and chaos since the time of the former king, King Albert, the importance of these tunnels had diminished and they were no longer being properly maintained. As a result, giant rats and other such massive creatures had soon made their home in them. With the situation inside the tunnels at this point, it wouldn’t have been out of place to call them a dungeon.

Now, here was the thing about those underground tunnels. Apparently the recently-enthroned king wanted to repurpose them, and had posted this quest with the guild for that reason. Until the underground passages were safe and secure, any number of people were welcome to challenge it. The reward paid would be dependent on the creatures hunted. It was a low risk, low reward quest suited to beginners.

The adventuring party, now with the addition of Little Musashibo, was progressing through those underground tunnels. In the cold, wet air, an irritated Iuno poked Little Musashibo’s head.

“Hey, don’t let this guy stand in front! He’s blocking my line of sight.”

“Having a front-liner stay in the back would be pointless,” Dece snapped. “Deal with it.”

With Dece telling her off, Iuno clicked her tongue in displeasure. That was when it happened.