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Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero's Friend: Running the Kingdom Behind the Scenes Novel #2
Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero's Friend: Running the Kingdom Behind the Scenes (Light Novel) Vol. 2
REWRITING THE TALES OF DESTINY
They may have separate missions, but Lord Werner--a Japanese office worker reincarnated into the world of a classic RPG--and his friend, the legendary hero Mazel, are both working to save the realm in their own ways. While Mazel walks the path of radiance, slaying the Demon Lord's minions one by one, Werner uses his real-world knowledge to help manage the kingdom's internal affairs. Managing refugees, fixing the water supply--it's a lot of work for a supposed background character!
They may have separate missions, but Lord Werner--a Japanese office worker reincarnated into the world of a classic RPG--and his friend, the legendary hero Mazel, are both working to save the realm in their own ways. While Mazel walks the path of radiance, slaying the Demon Lord's minions one by one, Werner uses his real-world knowledge to help manage the kingdom's internal affairs. Managing refugees, fixing the water supply--it's a lot of work for a supposed background character!
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 13, 2024
28 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 19, 2025
I'm really enjoying this series and no small part is probably due to the absence of certain light novel tropes - specifically the ones that turn the thing into a harem. The MC here is pretty much the opposite.
While many of these gamelit and isekai stories involving a salaryman protagonist serve as escapist wish-fulfillment, our MC here carries on with the same attitude he had as an office worker. He focuses on getting things done, paying attention to logistics, and spreading the accolades to his coworkers. It's a refreshing change of pace.
On a side note, there's a term used to describe to what degree a story dives into minutia commonly referred to as crunchiness. This is usually used for gamelit or Litrpg stories to describe how many stat screens are shown and how many long elaborations on mechanics exist. While some might argue that it gets in the way of the story, some people love their crunchy gamelit that has stat screens all over the place. For science fiction, it's usually described as hard sci-fi versus soft sci-fi to describe whether the science is discussed in technical detail or simply hand-waved away.
I would say this series is very crunchy from a historical facts perspective, which may not be to everyone's taste. If you aren't in the mood for them, it could come across as annoying infodumping or just as the author finding an excuse to flex his history degree.
Personally, I enjoy it and I guess I have enjoyed similar in other stories now that I think about it. Specifically, I consider it part of the worldbuilding, but I also like how attention is drawn to how the game world the MC lives in differs from the game he remembers playing. He considers the idea that he hasn't really awakened inside a game, but that the game was inspired by the reality he now finds himself in. It's an interesting angle that may or may not lead to a story development down the road. I've read a few webnovels and comics that had a similar premise, like there was a parallel world in need of help, and a diety managed to create a game on Earth to use as a skills test for hero recruitment.
Regardless, I enjoy the MC's perspective, and it's great to see a 'typical' salaryman protagonist who isn't dense and spineless as so many others are but is instead full of agency and applying his skillset to a new problem: survival.
While many of these gamelit and isekai stories involving a salaryman protagonist serve as escapist wish-fulfillment, our MC here carries on with the same attitude he had as an office worker. He focuses on getting things done, paying attention to logistics, and spreading the accolades to his coworkers. It's a refreshing change of pace.
On a side note, there's a term used to describe to what degree a story dives into minutia commonly referred to as crunchiness. This is usually used for gamelit or Litrpg stories to describe how many stat screens are shown and how many long elaborations on mechanics exist. While some might argue that it gets in the way of the story, some people love their crunchy gamelit that has stat screens all over the place. For science fiction, it's usually described as hard sci-fi versus soft sci-fi to describe whether the science is discussed in technical detail or simply hand-waved away.
I would say this series is very crunchy from a historical facts perspective, which may not be to everyone's taste. If you aren't in the mood for them, it could come across as annoying infodumping or just as the author finding an excuse to flex his history degree.
Personally, I enjoy it and I guess I have enjoyed similar in other stories now that I think about it. Specifically, I consider it part of the worldbuilding, but I also like how attention is drawn to how the game world the MC lives in differs from the game he remembers playing. He considers the idea that he hasn't really awakened inside a game, but that the game was inspired by the reality he now finds himself in. It's an interesting angle that may or may not lead to a story development down the road. I've read a few webnovels and comics that had a similar premise, like there was a parallel world in need of help, and a diety managed to create a game on Earth to use as a skills test for hero recruitment.
Regardless, I enjoy the MC's perspective, and it's great to see a 'typical' salaryman protagonist who isn't dense and spineless as so many others are but is instead full of agency and applying his skillset to a new problem: survival.
August 29, 2024
Stronger narrative continuity and enduring character development successfully pushes REINCARNATED INTO A GAME AS THE HERO'S FRIEND v2 to be better than the previous installment. Viscount Zehrfeld is still crammed between administrative muck, his military duties, and assorted game-driven cues to ensure Mazel, the hero, does his thing. Fortunately, more and more people are starting to pay attention when the viscount speaks.
HERO'S FRIEND v2 is a stronger, easier-to-read volume. Readers will encounter fewer slow-turning plot devices, more (identifiably) actively nefarious secondary characters, as well as more deliberate engagement between the point-of-view character (Werner) and his environment. In terms of delivery, readers are thankfully spared much (but not all) of the author's excruciating preference for rhetorical asides that diverge substantially from the actual narrative. The previous volume was so overloaded with useless worldbuilding and background information that one could skip a half-dozen pages and miss nothing. Wonderfully, HERO'S FRIEND v2 is different. Mostly.
As for what, exactly, is different in the current volume, one finds a more compelling story: unrest in a neighboring land sends five thousand refugees flocking toward the capital of the Kingdom of Wein. Knock-on effects arise in due order: heightened demon and beast presence; resource scarcity; division of military support/forces; political bickering and bargaining. Each new problem perpetuates another, and the young viscount struggles to keep his head above the fray.
The novel's strength rests in how it wields Werner's intermittent virtuosity as a multipurpose tool to each new problem. A multipurpose tool, one notes, that is never perfect, but often just good enough to get by. Werner must focus on keeping the refugees safe, but is keenly aware of the threat of beasts in the wilds. Werner must focus on strengthening the capital from an inevitable game-event attack, but is keenly aware of the nobility's strong desire to retake a lost military stronghold a few days' ride away. Werner must focus on maintaining a low profile among the numerous factions in the capital city, but refuses to overlook a good idea whenever it arises (e.g., engineering better aqueducts; instituting more effective battlefield tactics).
HERO'S FRIEND v2 is far more engaging because of the perpetual motion of Werner's accidental genius. The guy doesn't want to stick out, interrupt, or be a nuisance, but he's prone to over-work and never let's a decent idea slip by. As such, the story allows important secondary characters to take up Werner's ideas and move them along. In some cases, the story shoots his ideas down, and forces the guy to come up with something else entirely. One comical example sees the young man proposing a taxation method to help pay for the refugee's absorption of food and resources. The kingdom's high authorities agree, but not in the way the young viscount thinks.
The book pleasantly splits its time between pushing the presumptive hero-story and sticking with Werner's individual experiences. The story of Mazel and his destiny continues to unfold (e.g., gaining new allies, receiving new gear), but the author smartly and effectively pivots the perspective and events of the actual novel away from the hero stuff and closer toward everything happening behind the scenes: the maps behind the infiltration; the tactics drawn up prior to the battle; the alliances that permit the calls to arms. HERO'S FRIEND v2 reinforces the notion that this novel series is about the paperwork, not the bloodshed.
Nonetheless, bad habits are hard to break. Do readers truly need four whole pages on the inner workings of the postal service? Do readers need another four pages dedicated to articulating the measurements associated with feeding mobile populations? Or several more pages with wan comparisons to Roman-period supply lines? Do readers need four or five pages dedicated to nobles' home architecture and individual room use?
No. Obviously not. The book's worldbuilding, although less aggrandizing here than elsewhere, remains a patch of brambles. On their face, these interruptions appear helpful (e.g., discussing how to feed large populations during a refugee evacuation plan), but the reality is that they routinely disrupt the actual story. Starting a new chapter section with a half-dozen pages of worldbuilding tends to pull one out of the adventure (and put one to sleep).
The expanded cast of secondary characters is also worth mentioning. The battle to retake a fallen keep requires substantial military power, and the joint effort to escort the refugees likewise requires substantial arms and armor. The number of names and titles thrown about are confusing, and readers would definitely benefit from a hierarchical list or tree of some sort. Even so, a few new faces spice up the story. Duke Seyfert, an 80-something "old war dog" takes a liking to Werner and enjoys the young man's odd, single-minded dedication to each task. Count Engelbert, a 40-something martial noble with a discerning eye isn't so convinced, but he's willing to give the kid a shot.
Hermine Fürst returns and has a bigger role, which is great for multiple reasons. Aside from being the only female character of note in the whole novel, the young woman is clearly capable of holding her own. Whether she's clever enough to sniff out her problematic older brother is another question entirely.
Interestingly, REINCARNATED INTO A GAME AS THE HERO'S FRIEND v2 leans more heavily into the narrative-counternarrative dilemma the main character spied in only small snippets in the introductory volume. That is to say, Werner's observation of diversions from established game-story.
The viscount is increasingly cognizant that he's influencing the story (or, intriguingly, that the story itself is cognizant of his influence): "Was that my fault? Or was this just the game course correcting itself?" (page 151); "I was starting to notice more and more discrepancies from the original plot. I got the feeling that holding onto preconceived ideas about the future posed is own risks" (page 261). Werner believes he must be "wary" of the game's "finer points" moving forward, due to these progressively common narrative aberrations.
HERO'S FRIEND v2 is a good book; it's a better book. Werner's battlefield adventures are perhaps the more compelling facets of the story, but the action is often suitably balanced with back-room council meetings and stuffy banquets. Readers should enjoy the main character's detailed descriptions of massive, fanged sheep and deer with bladed antlers, because there's going to be plenty of paperwork to follow. Readers should enjoy Werner's private investigation skills (e.g., Who is burning down abandoned buildings? Who is paying off slimy town guards? Why do some beasts beget treasure and others none?), because chances are high a new and shiny distraction will follow only a few pages later.
HERO'S FRIEND v2 is a stronger, easier-to-read volume. Readers will encounter fewer slow-turning plot devices, more (identifiably) actively nefarious secondary characters, as well as more deliberate engagement between the point-of-view character (Werner) and his environment. In terms of delivery, readers are thankfully spared much (but not all) of the author's excruciating preference for rhetorical asides that diverge substantially from the actual narrative. The previous volume was so overloaded with useless worldbuilding and background information that one could skip a half-dozen pages and miss nothing. Wonderfully, HERO'S FRIEND v2 is different. Mostly.
As for what, exactly, is different in the current volume, one finds a more compelling story: unrest in a neighboring land sends five thousand refugees flocking toward the capital of the Kingdom of Wein. Knock-on effects arise in due order: heightened demon and beast presence; resource scarcity; division of military support/forces; political bickering and bargaining. Each new problem perpetuates another, and the young viscount struggles to keep his head above the fray.
The novel's strength rests in how it wields Werner's intermittent virtuosity as a multipurpose tool to each new problem. A multipurpose tool, one notes, that is never perfect, but often just good enough to get by. Werner must focus on keeping the refugees safe, but is keenly aware of the threat of beasts in the wilds. Werner must focus on strengthening the capital from an inevitable game-event attack, but is keenly aware of the nobility's strong desire to retake a lost military stronghold a few days' ride away. Werner must focus on maintaining a low profile among the numerous factions in the capital city, but refuses to overlook a good idea whenever it arises (e.g., engineering better aqueducts; instituting more effective battlefield tactics).
HERO'S FRIEND v2 is far more engaging because of the perpetual motion of Werner's accidental genius. The guy doesn't want to stick out, interrupt, or be a nuisance, but he's prone to over-work and never let's a decent idea slip by. As such, the story allows important secondary characters to take up Werner's ideas and move them along. In some cases, the story shoots his ideas down, and forces the guy to come up with something else entirely. One comical example sees the young man proposing a taxation method to help pay for the refugee's absorption of food and resources. The kingdom's high authorities agree, but not in the way the young viscount thinks.
The book pleasantly splits its time between pushing the presumptive hero-story and sticking with Werner's individual experiences. The story of Mazel and his destiny continues to unfold (e.g., gaining new allies, receiving new gear), but the author smartly and effectively pivots the perspective and events of the actual novel away from the hero stuff and closer toward everything happening behind the scenes: the maps behind the infiltration; the tactics drawn up prior to the battle; the alliances that permit the calls to arms. HERO'S FRIEND v2 reinforces the notion that this novel series is about the paperwork, not the bloodshed.
Nonetheless, bad habits are hard to break. Do readers truly need four whole pages on the inner workings of the postal service? Do readers need another four pages dedicated to articulating the measurements associated with feeding mobile populations? Or several more pages with wan comparisons to Roman-period supply lines? Do readers need four or five pages dedicated to nobles' home architecture and individual room use?
No. Obviously not. The book's worldbuilding, although less aggrandizing here than elsewhere, remains a patch of brambles. On their face, these interruptions appear helpful (e.g., discussing how to feed large populations during a refugee evacuation plan), but the reality is that they routinely disrupt the actual story. Starting a new chapter section with a half-dozen pages of worldbuilding tends to pull one out of the adventure (and put one to sleep).
The expanded cast of secondary characters is also worth mentioning. The battle to retake a fallen keep requires substantial military power, and the joint effort to escort the refugees likewise requires substantial arms and armor. The number of names and titles thrown about are confusing, and readers would definitely benefit from a hierarchical list or tree of some sort. Even so, a few new faces spice up the story. Duke Seyfert, an 80-something "old war dog" takes a liking to Werner and enjoys the young man's odd, single-minded dedication to each task. Count Engelbert, a 40-something martial noble with a discerning eye isn't so convinced, but he's willing to give the kid a shot.
Hermine Fürst returns and has a bigger role, which is great for multiple reasons. Aside from being the only female character of note in the whole novel, the young woman is clearly capable of holding her own. Whether she's clever enough to sniff out her problematic older brother is another question entirely.
Interestingly, REINCARNATED INTO A GAME AS THE HERO'S FRIEND v2 leans more heavily into the narrative-counternarrative dilemma the main character spied in only small snippets in the introductory volume. That is to say, Werner's observation of diversions from established game-story.
The viscount is increasingly cognizant that he's influencing the story (or, intriguingly, that the story itself is cognizant of his influence): "Was that my fault? Or was this just the game course correcting itself?" (page 151); "I was starting to notice more and more discrepancies from the original plot. I got the feeling that holding onto preconceived ideas about the future posed is own risks" (page 261). Werner believes he must be "wary" of the game's "finer points" moving forward, due to these progressively common narrative aberrations.
HERO'S FRIEND v2 is a good book; it's a better book. Werner's battlefield adventures are perhaps the more compelling facets of the story, but the action is often suitably balanced with back-room council meetings and stuffy banquets. Readers should enjoy the main character's detailed descriptions of massive, fanged sheep and deer with bladed antlers, because there's going to be plenty of paperwork to follow. Readers should enjoy Werner's private investigation skills (e.g., Who is burning down abandoned buildings? Who is paying off slimy town guards? Why do some beasts beget treasure and others none?), because chances are high a new and shiny distraction will follow only a few pages later.
April 25, 2025
Stay away if you dont like logistics and come on in if you do! I found the novel series because I started the manga, fell in love, and was starved for more. It can get a bit dry in areas where the author over explains things like titles and their roles, but that is, quite literally, the whole deal of the book. It's in the title: "Running the Kingdom Behind the Scenes".
Overall, it's a fun read for world building and out main character is practical and down to earth.
Overall, it's a fun read for world building and out main character is practical and down to earth.
September 21, 2024
A bit too much stuffing, but the story remains intersting and fun.
October 17, 2024
An amazing sequel with a unique spin on the normal rpg story
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews