"Oh? It seems they're far more efficient than I anticipated."
Seeing the Trailblaze team conquer the Great Elroe Labyrinth at lightning speed and raise the spider through several levels in succession, Wakaba Hiiro looked astonished.
"I originally thought that little spider would remain in the labyrinth for several years. What's the deal with that angel? Her power is already approaching Sariel's, isn't it?"
"You mean Jibril? She's a Flügel, a race specialized in combat. She's far stronger than an ordinary Angeloid. Even shattering an entire planet wouldn't be particularly difficult for Jibril."
Setsuna watched the situation below while calmly drinking his tea.
He felt something subtly strange. At this moment, his perspective on the world was remarkably similar to Wakaba Hiiro's. Both of them were gods looking down upon all living beings from high above.
However, he was merely giving the Trailblaze team an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and see how far they could conquer the world using their own strength.
Although D, the evil god who represented the highest level of combat power in the spider's world, had already been dealt with, this world still concealed deeper secrets beneath its superficial setting of "swords and magic" and "the Demon Lord and the Hero."
Wakaba Hiiro, meanwhile, was doing it purely for entertainment, enjoying the grand adventure of the otherworlders and her spider substitute.
"Coffee. I just brewed it. Please enjoy."
Himeko brought the two of them coffee and pastries.
She had not gone down to join the adventure, instead deciding to remain above with Setsuna and observe the juniors' performance.
"Oh, thank you."
Wakaba Hiiro accepted the cup and took a small sip. Her expression changed dramatically.
Pffft!—
She spat it all over the head of Pom-Pom, who happened to be passing by.
"This tastes absolutely awful!"
"Hey!!! Cause any more trouble and I'll throw you off the Express, pom!!!"
Pom-Pom was not afraid of her in the slightest and leaped up to pummel Wakaba Hiiro.
Without changing expression, Setsuna snapped his fingers and summoned Erina, the imperial chef accompanying them.
"Make me two drinks."
"Certainly."
"...Tch."
It took Wakaba Hiiro considerable effort to calm Pom-Pom down. She looked below and waved her hand, calling up a series of screens.
"Come to think of it, you arrived far too early."
"Only a few days have passed, yet she's already become a mythical-class monster capable of destroying a nation. The other reincarnators are still babies."
Whoosh—
The circumstances of every reincarnator were projected before them in full detail.
Most had been reincarnated as humans, while some had become Elves or other species. Like the spider, many of them had only recently been born.
Even those who were slightly older merely had a small head start.
There was even a dragon egg among them. She was also one of the reincarnators, but it would probably take several years for her to hatch.
Humans required even more time. Growing from swaddled infants into adolescents capable of acting independently was a lengthy process.
Although the spider had been weak when she was first born, she had still been able to move freely.
Combined with her unwavering optimism and refusal to surrender, even without the Trailblaze team cheating on her behalf by pouring experience into her, her growth rate in the original story alone had been enough to leave the human reincarnators far behind.
"That's a good thing. We're helping you accelerate the game's progress."
Setsuna smiled.
"But have you considered how miserable this will make the other reincarnators?!..."
...
The royal capital of the Analeit Kingdom.
Inside the lavishly decorated royal palace, a blue-haired child was toddling across the floor step by step amid the astonished cries of his parents and servants.
He appeared to be only a few months old, and his height did not even reach the adults' knees.
His steps were somewhat unsteady, but compared to other children his age, he could already be considered an extraordinary prodigy.
Step, step, step—
After making several circuits, the child stumbled and fell.
The servants hurried forward to help him, but the little boy neither cried nor fussed. He shook his head and climbed back up by himself.
"Father, Mother, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt. I can walk."
"Wow—"
Everyone exclaimed in admiration.
While other children his age could barely crawl and could do nothing but roll around on the floor, he had already learned to run and jump.
He had also begun speaking far earlier than other children. He never cried or threw tantrums like an ordinary child.
Despite receiving very little instruction, he could already call everyone by name with ease. His speech was also highly logical, entirely unlike that of a child his age.
A genius! This was what a true genius looked like!!!
His father, the king of the Analeit Kingdom, stepped forward and gently stroked his head.
"Shun, you're already doing very well."
"Mm."
The child called Shun first nodded, then shook his head. His voice sounded extremely young.
"I... I want to keep training for a while."
"Of course."
His royal father and mother were both delighted, while the surrounding servants showered him with praise.
They watched the little boy stagger around the palace as he ran and jumped.
"This child... Once he grows up, he's certain to become someone extraordinary, isn't he?"
Everyone began whispering among themselves.
"..."
"Hmph."
Whoosh—
A system interface appeared before Shun.
[Name: Schlain Zagan Analeit (LV1)]
[Race: Human]
[HP: 16/16 MP: 12/12 SP: 15/15]
[Average Offensive Ability: 5]
[Average Defensive Ability: 3]
[Average Speed Ability: 2]
[Unique Skill: Divine Protection]
[Skills: Dash LV1, Strength LV1, ...]
He was also one of the reincarnators from Earth.
In his previous life, he had been an utterly ordinary male high school student who loved games. His academic ability, appearance, physique, and gaming skills had all been average.
He was the sort of background character who would never attract attention while walking down the street.
After reincarnating into this world, he became the fourth prince of the Analeit Kingdom, born to one of the king's consorts, making him a member of the royal family.
Although his status was not especially high, Schlain was filled with confidence about the future thanks to his identity as a reincarnator and the exclusive cheat skill granted to him by the system, Divine Protection.
He opened its description.
Divine Protection: (Effect: Makes it easier to obtain the desired outcome in various circumstances.)
He was still very young, so the blessing's effects were currently limited. Judging by its literal meaning, it seemed similar to the effect of being a "favored child of destiny."
A protagonist's setup!!
An ordinary high school student reincarnated into another world of swords and magic, complete with a system and cheat ability...
What was this? Wasn't this the standard story of a Hero battling the Demon Lord?!
As someone who had lived in Japan in his previous life, he had consumed plenty of stories with similar premises. Without question, it was finally his turn to reincarnate into another world and show off.
Even though he was currently weaker than cannon fodder, as long as he trained diligently and later received the favor or blessing of a goddess, he would inevitably grow into one of the world's greatest Heroes.
Moreover, he retained the knowledge and experience of his previous life, which would be more than enough to shock the natives of this feudal era.
"Excellent. Perfect."
Schlain's heart surged with excitement.
To acquire higher-level skills as soon as possible and accelerate his physical development, he had begun consciously training from the moment he could walk.
Once he grew a little older, he would be able to further display the wisdom of a reincarnator and modern human.
At that point, his wonderful otherworldly life would begin. Perhaps he could even open an enormous harem like the Heroes in games and enjoy the company of countless beauties.
With such wonderful hopes for the future, Schlain trained even harder.
As he recalled memories from his previous life, he also listened carefully to the adults' conversations to understand the circumstances of this world.
He wondered whether he would have the opportunity to find his other classmates someday.
Before long...
"Ugh, this body is still too small. My stamina isn't very good."
Just as he prepared to rest...
Suddenly...
Rumble!!!— The earth shook violently. The palace swayed from side to side as bottles, jars, and ornaments crashed noisily to the floor. Unable to maintain his balance, Schlain nearly fell flat on his back with all four limbs in the air.
Immediately afterward, a chaotic uproar erupted outside.
"What's happening?!"
The guards hurriedly went on alert.
Bang!—
Boom!!!
Explosions thundered one after another from the outskirts of the royal capital as alarms rang out everywhere.
A sentry stumbled into the palace in a panic.
"An invasion!! We're under invasion!!!"
"A nation calling itself the Starsea Empire is invading us!!! The garrison corps has already been annihilated!!"
"And... the Demon Lord is here too!!!"
"What?!"
The king of the Analeit Kingdom was stunned. He had never even heard the name of this unfamiliar nation before.
The captain of the guard seized the sentry by the collar and demanded details while urgently mobilizing the royal guards and assembling the troops.
"???"
Of course, Schlain was even more shocked.
"A foreign invasion? The Demon Lord?! Huh? Did they somehow discover my identity?!"
"I'm still learning how to walk! Why is the Demon Lord already camping my spawn point?!"