The shocking news left me dumbfounded for a moment, but I quickly posted a comment. The comments section was already as messy as it could get, but I couldn't hold back my curiosity.

└Wild Grylls What's this? They're sending in survivors for me?

└The man himself is here.

└Grylls, you won't be lonely anymore.

└The Holy Kingdom's sending a tracking party just for you lmaooo

└The Holy Kingdom does what no one else could!

└Wild Grylls I can just dismiss this as bullshit, right? Fuck, they're getting my hopes up for nothing.

└Normally you'd be scared, but Grylls is excited lolol

└Makes sense when he's in the Forest of Four Seasons lol

└Who exactly are they sending, though?

└Rumor says they're sending people who oppose the current pope's regime?

└So they're just getting rid of political rivals lol

└Can they even find the admin?

└Not a chance lol. Impossible unless the admin openly gives them their location.

└Didn't an admin once identify someone who threatened to assassinate the emperor?

└That admin only provided the guy's location in real time, not their own address.

└And that admin got their eyes gouged out for stalking lol

└So they can message the moderators?

└Yeah. Those bastards will definitely send a message.

So it was all for show. I figured I had the gist of it. I'd thought this sort of thing only happened on Earth, but with the forum here, things seemed to follow a similar pattern. A public opinion war, as they called it. The forum was practically the only place to gauge public opinion.

'They just keep stepping on land mines.'

Naturally, public opinion of the Holy Kingdom was at rock bottom. There were a few people defending it or running interference, but they were a tiny minority. All I had to do was enjoy the show. The Holy Kingdom said it would declare the forum evil, but I wasn't so sure about that.

'Didn't an emperor in the Central Plains get his head cut off after banning the forum?'

The assassination of the Central Plains emperor was a fairly famous incident. It came up on the forum occasionally, so I knew the story well. The emperor had banned forum use, only to be assassinated one day. The imperial court announced that he had died of illness, while people in the Central Plains suspected an internal power struggle. Most forum users didn't buy it, though, given how ominous the mood among the Central Plains users had been.

'I'm sure they'll manage.'

Whether Eldorado scored another own goal or entered the Forest of Four Seasons was none of my business. The key was how the admin—Don't Abandon the Hero—would act. The admin could not only give them my location in real time, but also impose penalties on me.

'The admin told me not to worry, but looking at how the Holy Kingdom is acting...'

Besides, the admin was presumably from the Holy Kingdom. Being a devout disciple of the goddess Aris suggested as much. But with the country in such a mess, wouldn't any patriotism have worn off? The admin worshipped a deity, not Eldorado.

'I'll have to see how things go.'

Apparently, the little ball I'd sent flying had come crashing down as a massive meteor. Cleaning up the mess would take time. And if the Holy Kingdom kept stepping on land mines, the fire wouldn't go out. Until then, I could simply go about my business at leisure.

Made an oven

Wild Grylls

(Photo of a fairly well-built oven)

Tried making an oven out of bricks and mud. What do you think?

└Heavenly Demon A rather fine-looking oven. Do you intend to bake bread?

└Wild Grylls It's for fish rather than bread. I think it'll save time.

└Heavenly Demon I wonder what oven-baked fish tastes like.

└Wild Grylls Would you like one later?

└Heavenly Demon A piece, if you can spare it.

└Sword Masta Weren't you the one going on about taking food out of a starving man's mouth? lol

└Heavenly Demon I have realized he is not starving.

└Sword Masta What a pathetic excuse lol

└Heavenly Demon I can stoop lower, you know?

└Sword Masta Oh, come on;;

└Instant takedown lol

└Masta, if you think it's unfair, you know what to do, right?

└You just have to turn blue too ^^

└Sword Masta I'd rather die than become a mod;;

└Starlight Lady Did you make that yourself? It's quite impressive!

└Wild Grylls Thank you haha

└Starlight Lady Now that you have an oven, you can cook all sorts of things. Anything in mind?

└Wild Grylls Just fish, really...

└Starlight Lady I could give you some flour. Would you like to try making bread?

└Wild Grylls I'm fine, thank you. No need to go that far.

Bread was a luxury. Unless I was growing my own wheat, it was asking for too much. I could at least warm up smoked food, but that was about it. As I'd said earlier, the entire reason I'd built the oven was to save time.

'Even that will be difficult until the dwarf gives me the metal plate.'

He'd said he'd give it to me at lunchtime along with the barricades. I could train until then. This morning's training would be swordsmanship.

DING!

A notification sounded just as I was about to close the forum. Forum notifications meant someone had commented on my post or sent me a message. If it had been a comment, I would only have checked who posted it, but this was a message. I opened it immediately, wondering if it was from the admin.

Necromancy Is Love

Are you the one who posted Lais Kraone's final records?

It was a registered user I'd never seen before. I raised my eyebrows at the message. Come to think of it, I had privileges similar to the admin's, so there was no reason people would only be able to message the admin. They could message me too.

'The username's a little odd, though...'

The Holy Kingdom was the only party likely to send me a message like that right now. Wondering what kind of bullshit I was about to hear, I replied politely.

If you're asking whether I posted the books about the Undying King, yes.

Necromancy Is Love

Then you must also be the one who gave the books to Kadir.

Kadir?

The Mage King?

Kadir, the Mage King. I'd heard a little about him on the forum. A being who not only knew every form of magic in the world, but understood their underlying principles. A great man who had defeated the Undying King alongside the previous Hero and slain a dragon driven mad. Some said he was something of an eccentric, but I didn't know about that. In any case, he was famous.

'But I gave the books to Allfather? No, before that...'

How did this person know I'd given the books away? A lot of things didn't make sense, and plenty seemed suspicious. Maybe this user was just fishing. There was no need to answer rashly.

I'm not sure what you mean.

Necromancy Is Love

There is no need to play coy.

I have already seen the book in Kadir's hands.

Are you saying Allfather is Kadir?

Necromancy Is Love

Indeed.

And who are you, then?

Necromancy Is Love

The Undying King—no.

Necromancy Is Love seemed to consider for a moment before giving his name.

Necromancy Is Love

I am Kazan Kraone III, the last king of the Vulcan Kingdom.

I heard the Undying King was dead?

Necromancy Is Love

My flesh is gone, but my soul remains.

I am currently sealed inside Kadir's refrigerator.

You're role-playing, right?

What a load of snake oil—no, what utter nonsense. The incredibly powerful Undying King, sealed inside a refrigerator? Why not say he was fermenting like kimchi while he was at it? Apparently, he'd managed to guess that I'd given the books to Allfather. But this user seemed committed to his role-play and continued without missing a beat.

Necromancy Is Love

You are free to believe me or not.

That is not what matters to me.

Then what does?

Necromancy Is Love

I merely wished to express my gratitude.

Intentional or not, you have redressed the injustice done to our kingdom.

It was rare to feel sincerity in a message. Right now, I could feel... none of it. All I thought was that he'd chosen one strange persona. The world was full of weirdos, after all. Besides, the Undying King was supposed to be undead. Could the undead even use the forum? Didn't they lack a sense of self? Nothing in his story added up.

'It doesn't matter if Allfather is Kadir, anyway.'

To me, he was someone in a faraway country. No one would believe me if I told them, either. He might as well claim Heavenly Demon was the actual Heavenly Demon of the Central Plains. I figured I should just play along.

Well, I only posted them to get some information for myself.

Necromancy Is Love

I see.

Is there anything you desire?

Come here and help me.

Necromancy Is Love

Unfortunately, having lost my physical body, I fear that would be difficult.

Knew it. I hadn't expected anything anyway. I snorted and continued my conversation with Necromancy Is Love.

Then please tell me something useful.

I'd like to know how the person who wrote the books survived.

Necromancy Is Love

First, I shall tell you how my sibling died.

You deciphered it?

Necromancy Is Love

I have not forgotten my kingdom in the days when we were poor but happy.

Nor could I forget its language.

Oh. Yes. Of course. What a unique persona. Still, at least he said he knew why the books' owner had died. Of course, since he had absolutely no credibility, I would ask Allfather separately.

Necromancy Is Love

It appears that my sibling, Lais Kraone, died of infection.

Infection?

Necromancy Is Love

The wounded area gradually rotted away. Unable to endure the pain, my sibling ultimately took their own life.

That is what the final passage says.

What injured them?

Necromancy Is Love

It says a troop of apes resembling gorillas attacked.

Gorillas... Could those be the ones over there? I remembered hearing monkey-like calls when I'd gone upriver. Apparently, those were the creatures the scribe had run into.

'That's important information.'

I didn't know how far this person had explored, but it seemed best to avoid that area if possible. I'd suspected there were several of them, not just one.

Thank you for the information.

That helped a little.

Necromancy Is Love

Ask if there is anything you wish to know.

I shall take my leave now.

What are you going to do?

Necromancy Is Love

I intend to see the world.

It feels strange to see it again after so long.

That sure was a fancy way of saying he was going to browse the forum. His commitment to the act had a craziness to it that almost rivaled Heavenly Demon's. I ended the conversation there and immediately messaged another registered user.

Allfather.

May I ask you a question?

Allfather

Go ahead.

A registered user just told me you're Kadir?

The Mage King.

Allfather

Yes, that's correct.

What?

Now I was the one taken aback. I'd never expected him to admit it so readily.

Allfather

Do you believe me?

Um... no?

He had a point. I accepted that immediately.

'I'll just think of him as a weirdo.'

There was no need to overthink any of it.

* * *

Asella, the current Hero and the forum's admin, was in a difficult position. It wasn't that the tracking party was hot on her heels, nor had she run out of money. This was an extension of the enormous controversy that had spilled out of the forum and into the real world.

'Not a single... message.'

She was waiting for a message from Eldorado, the Holy Kingdom. Sending a message required a registered account. Thus, contacting her would all but prevent the sender from using the forum anymore. Fortunately, no such message had arrived yet... but that was a problem too.

'Does the Holy Kingdom... have no intention of resolving this?'

A message arriving would be a problem, and no message arriving was a problem in its own right. The former would betray a guilty conscience; the latter meant they had no will to resolve the issue. Either way, Asella could only be disappointed.

'If a message does arrive...'

Might revealing herself as the Hero give her a chance to clear up the misunderstanding? As soon as the thought occurred to her, she hastily shook her head. As mentioned before, she could be foolish, but she wasn't stupid.

Even if she cleared up the misunderstanding, Eldorado would undoubtedly exploit her position as admin. In particular, they would pressure the person who had released the information—Grylls. At worst, they would order a permanent ban. For Grylls, whose chances of survival varied drastically depending on his access to the forum, that would be fatal.

'This... isn't right.'

The forum was a place open to everyone. Even a nation had no right to regulate it as it pleased. That, at least, was what she believed. Yet the Holy Kingdom's actions were far removed from her convictions. A nation blessed by the gods was using those very blessings to commit atrocities.

'I'd rather...'

Asella closed the forum. She was feeling increasingly depressed.

'I'd rather they did nothing at all.'

Then, at least, she would be a little less disappointed.