Prologue

Thwack!

As if a spoon were cutting through tofu, the shovel blade easily dug into the ground.

Swish!

With a smooth, flowing motion, the dirt and pebbles that had been piled high on the shovel were added to a large mound of earth.

“Dad, we don’t have time for this! We need to get out of here too!”

A boy who looked to be about a middle school student cried out desperately from behind the man who was silently digging the ground.

But the man just kept shoveling in silence without saying a word.

“Dad, you saw the news, right? Monsters that aren’t even affected by bullets have appeared! Ah, please!”

This time, a girl who looked to be about a high school student pleaded. However, the man did not stop his movements.

He thrust the shovel blade, lifted the shovel, and piled up the dirt. Again and again.

“Ah, really. . .! Dad, we’re really going to get in big trouble!”

It was still early for summer, but the weather was quite muggy. However, not a single drop of sweat appeared on the man’s body as he kept shoveling without rest.

In less than 10 minutes, a mound of earth as tall as an adult had already accumulated.

Whoosh!

A tearing sound echoed from the sky.

The man who had been silently digging the ground finally raised his head and looked up at the sky. Two objects were flying, splitting the clouds.

“Wow! F━35s! Those just came into our country not long ago!”

The boy exclaimed, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand as he looked up at the sky. The man who was digging the ground seemed to think for a moment, then lowered his body again and stuck the shovel blade into the ground.

“Ah, Daaad!”

Around the time the girl raised her voice again, a strange sound was heard.

Clang!

The sound of the shovel blade hitting something hard and metallic.

The man threw down the shovel and began to dig the ground with his hands. The siblings, who had been pleading from behind, were now standing next to the pit, looking down.

“What. . . is that?”

The man ignored his son’s question and threw the dirt-covered bundle up from the pit. And he jumped up from the pit, which was over 2 meters deep.

“Dad, what is this? Why is this buried here?”

“Did you bury this, Dad?”

The siblings poured out curious questions, but the man silently untied the bundle. The old rope that had been buried underground for a long time was already so worn out that it broke off at the slightest touch.

“. . .Armor. . .?”

“Is that a sword?”

The man who had been digging the ground silently lifted a long object. A longsword sheathed in a luxurious metal scabbard.

It had been buried underground, but there was not a single trace of rust.

“. . .Actually. . .”

The man, who had been stroking the sword with a strange look in his eyes for a long time, opened his lips.

“The thing is. . . actually. . . Dad. . . was a hero.”