“Sir, this way, quick!” one of the guard captains alerted Alex who was still very confused and trying to grasp the situation. Just a moment ago, he was celebrating the anniversary of his arrival to this world in the banquet hall together with his vassals. As he was trying to catch a fresh air in the balcony, he witnessed this hellish scene.“Guard, what happened here? Are we having a fire drill or something? But boy, it sure is a realistic one,” asked Alex nonchalantly, still trying to refuse the fact that his kingdom was under attack.“As you can see, Sir! Out of nowhere, the demon horde suddenly flooded the east gate! Our reports stated that a magical portal was spotted!” replied the guards in a panic state. “To make matters worse, our surveillance guard witnessed the soldiers of Maleo Kingdom marching towards our direction! Judging from their stance, I’m afraid they are hostile!”Before Alex was about to respond, a young man with golden hair and a slightly hunched man joined them i

“There, now be a good boy and behave!” scolded Helene lightly after she successfully pulled Alex far enough from the hall. “While waiting for the king’s mood to be better, why don’t you have a stroll around? But please, come back before dark. We have a feast coming up. Hopefully you could reconsider your decision by that time.”Alex looked around. Everybody left already as soon as they left the hall. Seemed like everybody was preoccupied with their own agenda.“Yeah, I think I will do that,” agreed Alex, his steps taking him outside the palace.Just after walking through the castle gate, he was welcomed by the bustling atmosphere of the capital. Tough-looking guys lining up in front of the guild, drunkards yelled at each other even though it was still too early to be drunk, old ladies bargained the greens as if their lives depended on it, all was so refreshing. It was hard for Alex to accept the fact that this lively scenery was destroyed in one night by his nemesis.Across the space

Even before the sun rose, Alex had been standing alone on the middle of the village. He looked around only to find nobody came yet.“Damn, if they knew what I know, surely they wouldn’t be lenient like this,” Alex grumbled.While waiting for the villagers, Alex looked around and saw the remnants of the fallen demons. On his first journey, he was too late in learning that he could use them to power up his equipment. That was one of various factors which made him struggling along the way and suffer significant casualties. But this time it would be different. Using that as a lesson, he was determined to give himself a head start.The roosters started to crow as the villagers started to show up. They were still at a loss of what to do, judging from their empty expressions.“Morning! Though you guys are a bit late, I will overlook that for now! First thing first, feed yourselves! Nothing can be done on empty stomach!” ordered Alex.When the villagers finished cooking and started eating, Al

It was exactly a week since the training regime started. Alex evaluated the situation and decided the time had come for another safety measures.“Folks, you surprised even me with your stunning growth! At this rate, you won’t need anyone’s protection anymore!” acknowledged Alex. “I guess you lot are ready for the next in our plan!”“Before, apart from meals and occasional rests, your days were filled with nothing but scheduled training. From now on, everyone will train only for half a day!” declared Alex, followed by the hoorays of the people who thought their exhausting days were behind them.“Another half of the day will be utilized to reinforce the village and surrounding. I’m talking about making defensive ditches around, pitfalls, and other defense mechanisms!” continued Alex, quickly extinguished the villagers’ joys. The hoorays turned to boos real fast.“Now, now, don’t be like that! This will be useful in the long term, consider this as your future investment,” said Alex, atte

“Cheers!” yelled the villagers as their wooden mugs clashed. Laughters were heard all around. The vibrant vibes were beautified by a full moon, too. Truly a night worth celebrating. Nobody would have thought that this cheerful village was once about to be ravaged by otherworldly beings before.It was quite a feast they’re having. For this special occasion, simple yet appetizing dishes were served, complemented by homemade beers and wines. Everybody was enjoying this festival which was held to celebrate their victory over the demon horde.“Sir Hero, we apologize for this plain hospitality,” said the village chief to Alex. “Though it may not be much, but we do hope that you at least found our sincerity through our offerings.”“Old man, are you kidding me? This is the best meal I’ve eaten in a while!” praised Alex after gulping an entire bowl of onion soup. “The last time I was about to eat lavishly like this, those damned demons had to come and interrupted my dinner!”Helene who sat bes