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Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero's Friend: Running the Kingdom Behind the Scenes Novel #3
Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero's Friend: Running the Kingdom Behind the Scenes (Light Novel) Vol. 3
UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES
The Hero Mazel has finally set out on his grand adventure to defeat the Demon Lord, leaving his best friend Lord Werner—a Japanese office worker reincarnated into the world of a classic RPG—to hold down the fort. But just when Werner resigns himself to a mountain of paperwork, he’s called into a battle of his own! Can he rally his troops in time to save both the princess and Mazel’s family?
The Hero Mazel has finally set out on his grand adventure to defeat the Demon Lord, leaving his best friend Lord Werner—a Japanese office worker reincarnated into the world of a classic RPG—to hold down the fort. But just when Werner resigns himself to a mountain of paperwork, he’s called into a battle of his own! Can he rally his troops in time to save both the princess and Mazel’s family?
324 pages, Paperback
Published December 24, 2024
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15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 26, 2025
Despite the fact that the book is very good, I can’t with the tangents that the MC keeps stopping the story to tell. I don’t care, I want to know about the demon fighting thankyouverymuch.
But, no harem, so I will keep reading it.
3, on to the next, stars.
But, no harem, so I will keep reading it.
3, on to the next, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2025
A dragon newt with a massive blade extinguishes the lives of hundreds of human soldiers within one-half of one-blink of an eye. A snake priest kidnaps a peasant girl in a far-off village. A horde of hunter wolves, killer turtles, and alligator warriors razes a village and devours every citizen.
REINCARNATED INTO A GAME AS THE HERO'S FRIEND v3 elevates the threat of the Demon Lord by way of his numerous servants and underlings, some of which are sneaky, some of which are ferocious, some of which are truly heinous monsters. This third installment exclusively focuses on Werner's experience on the battlefield: the king issues an emergency, strategic muster when a holy temple in the mountains (where the princess is stationed) comes under attack. For the kingdom, the temple at Finoy is important for both private and political reasons. The temple's fall would mean trouble on multiple accounts.
So, naturally, not too far in the wake of the original Demon Stampede, and still reeling from the influx of refugees from the southern territories, an array of noble houses rouse their swords and shields and trek to the north-eastern mountains to face off against an enormous dragon newt, Demon Commander Beliures.
HERO'S FRIEND v3 makes an earnest attempt at mirroring the chaos and unpredictability of a winnable yet wholly unstable combat scenario. Several high-ranking nobles lead the charge, but organization is clearly lacking. Several ambitious young fighters lend their strength, but most seek glory for themselves or their houses. Werner concedes this battle is another course-corrected game event, but the fact that nobody is willing to coordinate and work together is a big problem.
Fortunately for readers, Werner isn't too focused on putting everyone in their place to come out on top. Initially, he stumbles into the sideways machinations of the Demon Lord's army and splits his attention. In an act that could see him court martialed in short order, the young viscount abandons his post (during the march toward Finoy) and takes a detour toward Arlea Village (home of the hero, Mazel). When Werner realizes that all sorts of nasty monsters and demons are razing towns and destroying everything in their wake, he makes a bold decision to assemble a crack team to save Mazel's family.
It's debatable as to whether Werner's decision is in service of the game's native trajectory. Interestingly, since the hero's family weren't really featured in the game, the fact that they might be killed could be a non-issue. But alas, the author again nudges the protagonist to change things without truly meaning to. HERO'S FRIEND v3 is at its strongest when Werner unknowingly succeeds where the game would have naturally seen him fail. The young man fights off assorted hill crocodiles, sahagins, and lizardmen with scimitars, but what about that snake priest with a strange protectiveness of a black stone of weird magic?
The novel's expanded cast of monsters is fun to track. Trident boars. Six-legged rabbits. Hunter lizards. A massive dragon newt. The novel makes it clear that the tens of thousands of human soldiers outnumber the demons laying siege to Finoy, and yet, when these beasts can snap off the head of any random soldier in half-armor, the situation can quickly sour. These confrontations make for good narrative juxtaposition: martial nobles striding into combat are swiftly laid low, while those eager to pick their spots are soon toiling in cowardice.
Elsewhere, the Fürst family offers support and mistrust in equal measure. Hermine is always as strong as a rock. But alas, her brother, Tyrone, is forever on the verge of getting ahead of himself and sending everything off-kilter. One wonders if Tyrone will end up betraying his family or resolving to doing something so stupid that he puts everyone in danger.
The current volume represents another measurable improvement in style and structure over the previous installment. Narrative asides and breaks in bounteous, strategic background information are more consciously threaded into the story. In the first volume, readers had to slog through dozens of pages of irrelevant discourse at a time; in the second volume, these dispatches were condensed to perhaps four to six pages apiece; but in HERO'S FRIEND v3, one finds these diverging tidbits fewer in quantity and sparser in appearance.
The narrative asides haven't disappeared; they've simply found their proper place and with the appropriate breadth. The author provides considerable detail on the speed/rate of marching, the vagaries of political marriages during periods of conflict, the importance of commander directions for troop movements, the nuances of packing clothing for long journeys, and the subtext of noble linguistics practice. It's a lot, but readers' chances of falling asleep are far fewer now than they were two volumes ago.
HERO'S FRIEND v3 isn't perfect, but it's definitely a better book. The emphasis on martial affairs leaves the book without much balance, but the author's interest in offering a platform for new or newer characters (e.g., Duke Gründing, a principled warrior), new villain tactics (e.g., monsters appearing with identical equipment), and shifts in narrative reputation (Werner: "What explained this discrepancy?", page 102) are well-made.
REINCARNATED INTO A GAME AS THE HERO'S FRIEND v3 elevates the threat of the Demon Lord by way of his numerous servants and underlings, some of which are sneaky, some of which are ferocious, some of which are truly heinous monsters. This third installment exclusively focuses on Werner's experience on the battlefield: the king issues an emergency, strategic muster when a holy temple in the mountains (where the princess is stationed) comes under attack. For the kingdom, the temple at Finoy is important for both private and political reasons. The temple's fall would mean trouble on multiple accounts.
So, naturally, not too far in the wake of the original Demon Stampede, and still reeling from the influx of refugees from the southern territories, an array of noble houses rouse their swords and shields and trek to the north-eastern mountains to face off against an enormous dragon newt, Demon Commander Beliures.
HERO'S FRIEND v3 makes an earnest attempt at mirroring the chaos and unpredictability of a winnable yet wholly unstable combat scenario. Several high-ranking nobles lead the charge, but organization is clearly lacking. Several ambitious young fighters lend their strength, but most seek glory for themselves or their houses. Werner concedes this battle is another course-corrected game event, but the fact that nobody is willing to coordinate and work together is a big problem.
Fortunately for readers, Werner isn't too focused on putting everyone in their place to come out on top. Initially, he stumbles into the sideways machinations of the Demon Lord's army and splits his attention. In an act that could see him court martialed in short order, the young viscount abandons his post (during the march toward Finoy) and takes a detour toward Arlea Village (home of the hero, Mazel). When Werner realizes that all sorts of nasty monsters and demons are razing towns and destroying everything in their wake, he makes a bold decision to assemble a crack team to save Mazel's family.
It's debatable as to whether Werner's decision is in service of the game's native trajectory. Interestingly, since the hero's family weren't really featured in the game, the fact that they might be killed could be a non-issue. But alas, the author again nudges the protagonist to change things without truly meaning to. HERO'S FRIEND v3 is at its strongest when Werner unknowingly succeeds where the game would have naturally seen him fail. The young man fights off assorted hill crocodiles, sahagins, and lizardmen with scimitars, but what about that snake priest with a strange protectiveness of a black stone of weird magic?
The novel's expanded cast of monsters is fun to track. Trident boars. Six-legged rabbits. Hunter lizards. A massive dragon newt. The novel makes it clear that the tens of thousands of human soldiers outnumber the demons laying siege to Finoy, and yet, when these beasts can snap off the head of any random soldier in half-armor, the situation can quickly sour. These confrontations make for good narrative juxtaposition: martial nobles striding into combat are swiftly laid low, while those eager to pick their spots are soon toiling in cowardice.
Elsewhere, the Fürst family offers support and mistrust in equal measure. Hermine is always as strong as a rock. But alas, her brother, Tyrone, is forever on the verge of getting ahead of himself and sending everything off-kilter. One wonders if Tyrone will end up betraying his family or resolving to doing something so stupid that he puts everyone in danger.
The current volume represents another measurable improvement in style and structure over the previous installment. Narrative asides and breaks in bounteous, strategic background information are more consciously threaded into the story. In the first volume, readers had to slog through dozens of pages of irrelevant discourse at a time; in the second volume, these dispatches were condensed to perhaps four to six pages apiece; but in HERO'S FRIEND v3, one finds these diverging tidbits fewer in quantity and sparser in appearance.
The narrative asides haven't disappeared; they've simply found their proper place and with the appropriate breadth. The author provides considerable detail on the speed/rate of marching, the vagaries of political marriages during periods of conflict, the importance of commander directions for troop movements, the nuances of packing clothing for long journeys, and the subtext of noble linguistics practice. It's a lot, but readers' chances of falling asleep are far fewer now than they were two volumes ago.
HERO'S FRIEND v3 isn't perfect, but it's definitely a better book. The emphasis on martial affairs leaves the book without much balance, but the author's interest in offering a platform for new or newer characters (e.g., Duke Gründing, a principled warrior), new villain tactics (e.g., monsters appearing with identical equipment), and shifts in narrative reputation (Werner: "What explained this discrepancy?", page 102) are well-made.
January 21, 2025
This was another fun entry into the series, and it delivers pretty much the same consistency as previous volumes. I'll be curious to see what the expected volume count is because we seem to be going at a good pace so far.
One of the most significant drawbacks to many gamelit stories is that they never finish. The author starts with a strong premise and just hopes to find the end of the story after some flailing about. Eventually, they get stuck and start a new series idea and leave a collection of half-finished stories. I would love it if this series just set the goalposts at Volume 10 and committed to it.
Either way, I'm enjoying things so far. I think the most interesting thing for me in this volume was the idea that the gameworld is course-correcting to hit the major plot points regardless of how the MC has altered the timeline. On one hand, this means the MC's knowledge of the game continues to be helpful. But on the other hand, it might also mean the kingdom's capital is destined to be razed to the ground no matter what countermeasures the MC takes.
It will be interesting to see whether this indeed comes to pass and, if so, what effect the MC was able to have. It will likely be a turning point for the character if he is forced to confront the idea that nothing he does ultimately matters for the story's outcome. It would probably lead to him having to choose between his initial goal of pure survival versus a new goal of trying to protect the people he has gotten to know in this world.
I can't wait for the next volume to see where things go!
One of the most significant drawbacks to many gamelit stories is that they never finish. The author starts with a strong premise and just hopes to find the end of the story after some flailing about. Eventually, they get stuck and start a new series idea and leave a collection of half-finished stories. I would love it if this series just set the goalposts at Volume 10 and committed to it.
Either way, I'm enjoying things so far. I think the most interesting thing for me in this volume was the idea that the gameworld is course-correcting to hit the major plot points regardless of how the MC has altered the timeline. On one hand, this means the MC's knowledge of the game continues to be helpful. But on the other hand, it might also mean the kingdom's capital is destined to be razed to the ground no matter what countermeasures the MC takes.
It will be interesting to see whether this indeed comes to pass and, if so, what effect the MC was able to have. It will likely be a turning point for the character if he is forced to confront the idea that nothing he does ultimately matters for the story's outcome. It would probably lead to him having to choose between his initial goal of pure survival versus a new goal of trying to protect the people he has gotten to know in this world.
I can't wait for the next volume to see where things go!
March 21, 2025
This is such an exceptionally well written series.
The pacing and tactics involved are excellent. The characters are well crafted and presented as more realistic individuals instead of caricatures.
Given that everything takes place in the world of a game, you’d assume there might be some oddities. In fact there are, but these are all things the protagonist wonders about — they are not necessarily answered (at least not at this point) — but these things are acknowledged for the strange occurrences they are.
It is nice to see the author putting thought and detail into some of these minor elements — it is just an example of how well crafted this tale has been thus far.
The pacing and tactics involved are excellent. The characters are well crafted and presented as more realistic individuals instead of caricatures.
Given that everything takes place in the world of a game, you’d assume there might be some oddities. In fact there are, but these are all things the protagonist wonders about — they are not necessarily answered (at least not at this point) — but these things are acknowledged for the strange occurrences they are.
It is nice to see the author putting thought and detail into some of these minor elements — it is just an example of how well crafted this tale has been thus far.
March 30, 2025
I love Werner’s brain, seriously. Also seeing him crossdress is not in my list tbh lmao. Excited to see how it will unfold in the next volume as we have a new potential problem brewing up. Hang in there, Werner.
January 13, 2025
3 star because i find the interaction with the Hero little sister bit boring in my opinion
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews