Chapter 264 - Combatant Race: Japanese
「Growth rates?」
Philia answers, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth.
"I believe they wanted to test the potential of Earthlings before proceeding in earnest. If they were a race that grew strong just by gaining a little experience, it would be more than just a war."
"Ah... I see."
"That is how much your combat power was a marvel, Hero-dono, by the standards of our world."
"Even so, I was pretty weak when I was first summoned. It's not like I had potential; it feels more like I just leveled up like crazy as a result of being worked to the bone."
"I suppose so. From what I can see, I don't believe you had any talent for swordsmanship or magic, Hero-dono. Rather than you as an individual, Earthlings as a whole are a fragile race."
"That's a bit harsh."
"However—"
Philia cut herself off there, creating a pause before she spoke.
"—regarding their ability to endure pain, it is remarkable."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Particularly, the people of this country are strange."
Philia says, her eyes looking somewhat pitying.
"I think it is madness that working nearly ten hours every day is considered normal. It seems to me that holidays only occur a few times a month."
"Eh, really?"
I'm working like that right now, and Oyaji works like that too.
Isn't this just a standard working environment for a Japanese man?
"...In that other world, the laborers would be rioting."
"Aren't the people from the other world just too lazy?"
"I feel my intuition is likely correct regarding this matter. While my consciousness is clear, I have been learning about the culture of this country, and you Japanese are treated like worker ants by foreign nations, are you not?"
"Ah—... there seems to be a movement to change that, but it's not really changing much."
"And not just mere ants, but soldier ants."
"That's a bit ominous, hey."
Philia's eyes are dead serious.
"Recently, I have begun looking into Japanese history... and how should I put it, I can only see it as a country where Berserkers are harvested from the fields."
"I don't think there's a more peace-addled country than this one, though."
"You have been warring only against superior nations, have you not?"
"Hmm... I suppose that's true."
"Furthermore, your major defeats have only occurred a few times."
"Well, looking at the long term, our win rate might be on the higher side."
"If captured, they commit ritual suicide to prevent the leakage of information. Or, they shoot the captives as well. If they fall into a disadvantage, they do not surrender but instead launch suicide attacks. They eat the corpses of fallen allies to survive starvation. Infantrymen who refused to accept defeat are found in the jungle decades after the war ended. From a state where most of the national territory was burned and seventy percent of buildings were destroyed, they recovered to the second-largest economy on the planet within a few decades. They do not get stomachaches even when eating raw fish. See, what else could this be but Berserkers?"
The last one feels like mere prejudice...
It's not like there weren't people in the other world who ate raw herring, for all I know.
No, more importantly.
"Now that you mention it, are Japanese people actually a pretty dangerous race?"
"A race that approached most of its history with this combat style will likely continue to look like a dangerous species to neighboring countries, even if they have been quiet for only about seventy years."
"Don't touch on such sensitive topics."
Clearing her throat, Philia continues.
"In short, what I wanted to say is this. While the physical abilities and magical power of Earthlings—no, of the Japanese—are nothing special, their temperament is extremely suited for soldiers."
"...Might be."
There is an international joke about that.
Something about how the best army consists of an American general, a German staff officer, and a Japanese soldier, right?
"The man leveling Earthlings here will surely misread the situation. He will conclude that humans of Earth possess no great potential. And he will undoubtedly report that to his home country."
"So, you're saying an army from the other world will invade someday?"
"Yes. And I believe they will fail."
Philia states it decisively.
"The people of this country are the weakest, yet they are the strongest. If they were to go to war with that other world, they might struggle at first, but eventually, they will adapt to the harsh battlefield, and the survivors will one after another transform into powerful warriors like you, Hero-dono."
"Aren't you overestimating us?"
"No."
Philia shakes her head and declares.
"I finally understand the reason why you were summoned, Hero-dono. Why, when they desired a hero to save the world, an utterly ordinary boy appeared. ...The answer is simple: it is because the 'utterly ordinary men' of this country are abnormal. The docility and pain tolerance of you Japanese have already reached the level of biological weapons."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Half of it is awe. After all, there are one hundred and twenty million of such citizens."
Their initial stats and growth rates aren't great, but they are enemies that come at you with one hundred and twenty million lives, and no matter how many times they hit a Game Over or what kind of pain they endure, they keep coming.
I see, if this were a game, they are the kind of enemy I would absolutely never want to face.
"But, does this mean a massive war is going to happen if things continue like this?"
Is there no way to prevent it?