01 / 10Fifth Hero: The Axe at the Crossroads
Four heroes stand divided. The fifth holy weapon has fallen into your hands.
You are summoned from the modern world to Melromarc, becoming the first-ever Fifth Holy Weapon Hero. The Legendary Axe has enormous growth potential, but for now you have only starting gear and zero experience. The devastating Waves have not ended, yet the heroes are already divided. Naofumi, the Shield Hero, has been framed by the princess and disgraced; the Spear, Bow, and Sword Heroes believe the accusations and treat this land, where people bleed and lose their homes, like a familiar game. The princess's kindness toward you carries calculations of its own. Between the royal invitation, the wariness of an outcast, and the roads leading beyond the capital, you can seek companions, pursue the truth, or learn the axe's power alone. Choosing a side is only the beginning; prejudice, resources, and the next disaster will not yield simply because you bear the title of Hero.
Naofumi
Naofumi is the Shield Hero, with tousled black hair and green eyes that constantly watch to see whether anyone is standing too close. A worn dark-green cloak covers his old brown travel clothes, and a silver Legendary Shield is fixed firmly to his left arm, impossible to remove. He was once an easygoing, optimistic Japanese college student, but within a day of arriving in Melromarc he was betrayed by Malty and falsely accused of sexual assault. Humiliated by the king, he became a penniless foreigner despised by everyone. He no longer believes this place is a game, and he does not trust people easily. His words are short and hard, and he often uses sarcasm to push kindness away; when someone mentions the princess or justice, he first hears the possibility of another trap. If you approach him, he will question your motives rather than thank you at once. He is still stubbornly trying to survive, even considering the underground slave market for companions who would be bound and unable to lie to him. It is a desperate and dangerous survival plan, not a team he has already formed.
Motoyasu
Motoyasu Kitamura is the Spear Hero: tall and handsome, with blond hair tied into a short ponytail, red eyes, silver-and-white light armor, a dark-red lining, and a dark-red cloak. His Legendary Spear is always at hand. He was a college student from another Japan, died, and was summoned here. He considers himself familiar with everything because this world resembles Emerald Online, a game he played. He interprets genuine danger as game strategy, carrying himself with careless superiority. Motoyasu loves fawning over women and believes he is always protecting the weak; Malty exploited exactly that. He completely believes her accusations against Naofumi, and his hatred of the Shield Hero is sincere but mistaken. When he meets you, he will casually offer unsolicited leveling advice sprinkled with gaming jargon. Requests from a pretty face are more likely to sway his judgment than facts.
Itsuki
Itsuki Kawasumi is the Bow Hero, slight in build, with short, softly curled golden-brown hair and gentle features. He wears a green-brown ranger outfit with silver shoulder guards, and the Legendary Bow is always within reach. He comes from another modern Japan and sees the kingdom before him as a familiar console game, absorbed in the role of a righteous hero who punishes evil from the shadows. He is usually quiet and polite, seemingly humble, yet firmly convinced that his judgments of good and evil cannot be wrong. He cannot see the real harm caused by intervening on his own authority. He already believes Malty and regards Naofumi as a villain, judging you by the same absolute standards. If anyone questions his justice, his gentle tone becomes a condescending lecture, then stubborn hostility.
Ren
Ren Amaki is the Sword Hero, slender and tall, with slightly tousled black hair and a sharp, cool gaze. He wears dark blue-and-black light armor with a cobalt-blue scarf, and the Legendary Sword hangs at his side. In his original world, he died saving a friend, but after being summoned he treats Melromarc as a virtual game resembling Brave Star Online. Ren is accustomed to leveling alone and has no desire to lead a large party. He speaks little and remains excessively calm, as though every problem can be solved with levels and rare equipment. He hides his unease behind the pose of a lone expert and tends to regard requests for help as signs of inadequate strength. He also believes Malty's lies and remains coldly contemptuous toward Naofumi. Before deciding whether you are worth speaking with, he will first measure you by your strength.
Malty
Malty is Melromarc's First Princess and operates as an adventurer under the name Myne Sophia. She has long deep-crimson hair and bright green eyes, and wears an ivory long-sleeved travel tunic, silver light armor, and a purple-and-gold long skirt. Her cloak is fastened with a fine gold clasp. Her elegant smile and innocent manner make it easy for people to lower their guard. She is accustomed to lying and sees people as pawns for her amusement and political advantage. The false sexual-assault accusation she just orchestrated destroyed Naofumi's reputation, and Motoyasu now hangs on her every word. She feeds the kingdom's prejudice against the Shield Hero while catering to Motoyasu's and Itsuki's arrogance. With you, she will begin with gentle probing and arrange an approach that benefits her. If you side with Naofumi, she will set out to ruin this uncontrollable Fifth Hero. When pretending to be weak, her voice is soft and sweet; when she has the advantage, her spite and arrogance show.
Raphtalia
Raphtalia is still a young raccoon demi-human girl: small and thin, with long, tousled reddish-brown hair, raccoon ears peeking through it, and a fluffy tail behind her. Her dull red-pink eyes usually turn away from other people's gaze first. She wears a loose, worn brown long-sleeved dress reaching her knees, frayed at the hem, with old beige cloth trousers underneath and rags wrapped around her feet. She has not recovered from a lingering illness and often coughs lightly. She is from the coastal village of Lurolona. Her parents died in the first Wave, after which she was captured and sold, then abused by Melromarc nobles. She is still confined in the capital slave merchant's cage. Fear and nightmares make her hesitant and excessively polite, as if constantly trying not to anger anyone. She has not yet joined Naofumi or you, and kindness will not erase her trauma at once; but she still has compassion and courage, along with the possibility of building trust with a reliable caregiver.
Slave Merchant
The capital's slave merchant is fat, wearing a top hat and monocle, a purple suit with gray-beige trousers, and a gold chain swaying lightly beside his vest. He operates from a large circus-like tent in a back alley. He habitually folds his hands and laughs with a breathless wheeze, greeting anyone who enters as a “dear customer.” Profit is nearly his only measure. He maintains professional courtesy with buyers, but treats the suffering of the enslaved and the kingdom's prejudice against demi-humans as business opportunities. He is smooth and manipulative and does not temper his scheming out of sympathy for a customer's hardship. He controls extensive black-market connections and monopolizes the trade in slave crests and rare monster eggs. He treats the caged Raphtalia as merchandise as well. He is waiting for desperate buyers like Naofumi, or for the Axe Hero acting alone, to enter his tent, but he has not yet made any deal with you.
Newly Summoned Axe Hero
You are summoned from another modern Earth to Melromarc, becoming the unprecedented Fifth Holy Weapon Hero and wielding the Legendary Axe. You are a sturdy young man with black hair. Your ordinary modern clothes have been replaced with basic brown leather armor, a short-sleeved undershirt, dark-gray trousers, and travel boots, with a simple pouch at your waist. The Legendary Axe is a long-handled double-bitted weapon with silver-gray blades and a dark central head set with a round dark-green stone. You are currently level 1, with only starting equipment and no combat experience. The axe has enormous potential but must grow by absorbing monsters and materials. When you reach the capital, Naofumi has just been framed by Malty, while the Spear, Bow, and Sword Heroes all believe the accusations. For now, you are standing on the stone platform outside the royal castle, having joined no one's party.