What do you think?
Rate this book
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Light Novel #8
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Volume 8
My retainers are my strength. With a massive number of monsters appearing in a "Demon Wave," the group of small to medium-sized countries known as the Union of Eastern Nations faces a crisis. During a conference with Empress Maria of the Gran Chaos Empire, Souma is asked to dispatch reinforcements to the union. The place Souma sends those troops to is the Kingdom of Lastania. Which is where a former foe, the crown prince Souma once drove from the Principality of Amidonia, Julius, is putting up a hard fight as a visiting general...?! And so, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Julius, Souma uses his retainers' strength in an operation to save Lastania!
The revolutionary administrative fantasy series, volume eight!
The revolutionary administrative fantasy series, volume eight!
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2018
163 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 25, 2021
The last volume was disappointing, but by the eighth volume, the statecraft was back and the kingdom got to flex its renewed military strength after being rebuilt by Souma.
This development was exciting, but the narrative started to get slogged down by the relationship building by various other couples in this volume. Still, it ended on a promising note with Souma taking his army to another front in the war against the demons.
This development was exciting, but the narrative started to get slogged down by the relationship building by various other couples in this volume. Still, it ended on a promising note with Souma taking his army to another front in the war against the demons.
November 17, 2025
Souma and his army needs to come to the rescue of a small kingdom. What follows is a long battle interspersed with planning and character development mostly focussed on an old enemy (now reluctant friend).
I really liked this part. Some good battles, personal interaction and even a few titbits on the nature of demons. There is a bit of changing the point of view, especially in the beginning. Luckily not to the point where it ruins my fun.
Really looking forward to the next part. Curious what new talent Souma will recruit.
I really liked this part. Some good battles, personal interaction and even a few titbits on the nature of demons. There is a bit of changing the point of view, especially in the beginning. Luckily not to the point where it ruins my fun.
Really looking forward to the next part. Curious what new talent Souma will recruit.
April 3, 2020
Last two volumes of Realist been just kind of ok. I just can't rate these as high as some of the other volumes that put it all together (and some even with insane twists that are unmatched). 7 sees Souma solving a problem that, while important (especially when examined in the current climate of infectious disease) doesn't get quite the setup of some of the other issues he's tackled. It's not an immediate response to a visible in book problem, unlike the food crisis or the refugee crisis. It could be a really good volume if we get to see the fruits of that labor payoff somehow though (quarantining a disease in one territory; the fruits of the medical research). It was kind of nice to see Genia's invention help them too, the hovercraft. And the mostly useless after the midword sections at least had Souma revealing
Onto 8, this one involves the Eastern Nations calling on Fredonia, Souma's kingdom, for help, even a former enemy grovelling for his support. Roroa got some decent play at the end of the last volume with her father's Memorial event, and now she gets just slightly more play in parts of this one as Julius' sister going with Souma to judge for herself if her brother has changed / is worth supporting.
There's more shipping going on, though couples only being forged once a third party intervenes (). Whether that's good or not, I don't know, but I won't pass up more shipping. Meanwhile, Leporina and Kuu remain in a very Master x Servant cynical quip filled relationship, not too much full progress there (honestly, Leporina been getting more play than his other target for romance, but surely she's going to have to wait to confess until Kuu ends up with his blacksmithing snowbear pal who is "first girl" in his story). Hakuya and Jeanne also get a teasing scene when the heads of their respective empires video conference each other, but no movement yet (there's a few "outs" suggested, including one where Marie retires to marry Souma, and Hakuya and Jeanne could take over the Empire).
Souma remains mostly hands off, barring headpats and.... Scandalous locking arms while at a party. The girls were a bit more aggressive in volume 7, but stopped at kissing. Still, the plot is setting up him having children with all of them. I'm curious if they'll all get their special episodes with Souma like Liscia did, or we'll see a timeskip and babies will just be there. Meanwhile, Excel is only getting punished for her teasing aggressiveness. While I haven't liked her actions in the past (uh... drugging much?), she helps out a lot here, and it's not like Souma hasn't dragged another girl into the harem this late in the game. What's wrong with her joining, lol.
We get to visit a new country, known as Lastania, but we get to see even less of its national character than we did the Turgis Republic because they're too busy being at war. And the nation they're at war with is... Pretty much non-existent, it's just (mostly) unthinking, hungry monsters pouring over from the demon realm. The Afterward mentions that Souma doesn't see this campaign as a war, but extermination, something further supported by Tomoe's findings on the intelligence of the monsters.
Tomoe's "uselessness" on these trips she's being dragged along on is addressed this episode, with her wishing she had the strength to do more for Souma. We at least get hints about what she can do in the future, and she finds a cryptic clue about the monsters from the demon realm as well (they do the typical "this revelation wouldn't be understood for a while yet" that allows the author to pull it out of the hat later; hopefully it'll be sooner than later considering we're dealing with monsters from the demon realm up North territory). I feel like the deal she made with Kuu should have been made last episode, but it works fine here (and it's an excuse to return to his territory... Just like they set up with the Nothing Dragon Knight Territory).
Nothung Dragon Knight territory also gets mentioned a few times in this one as they're an ally to Lastania, so we'll seemingly be revisiting that area at some point for a "playdate" between dragons (maybe when Souma and Naden Delal birth a dragon egg, since that has to be raised there). "Returning to previously visited areas on invitation" seems to be an ongoing theme lately with the story, makes you wonder what they'll set up to make the trips worthwhile or if they're padding.
Another forced theme in this story is the whole "the youngins are taking over" Golden age that King Souma helped kickstart. I believe every nation is now controlled by someone under 27. And still another theme that volume 7 forced was the "you won't be here forever" flag, and "make the most of the time you have" in regards to long lived races. Dunno if they're going to do much with that beyond it being some emotional manipulation for the reader to cry over before returning to the antics of Aeisha's chest bumping up against Souma's side when in an armlock and Naden + co's "hilarious" jealousy when Excel teases them. It's all about "making women happy / not letting women cry", advice that guides Souma in his reaction to Julius this volume, and that advice holds up... Except when it's Excel, who has to be embarrassed into giving up her pursuits. Good job!
Onto 8, this one involves the Eastern Nations calling on Fredonia, Souma's kingdom, for help, even a former enemy grovelling for his support. Roroa got some decent play at the end of the last volume with her father's Memorial event, and now she gets just slightly more play in parts of this one as Julius' sister going with Souma to judge for herself if her brother has changed / is worth supporting.
There's more shipping going on, though couples only being forged once a third party intervenes (). Whether that's good or not, I don't know, but I won't pass up more shipping. Meanwhile, Leporina and Kuu remain in a very Master x Servant cynical quip filled relationship, not too much full progress there (honestly, Leporina been getting more play than his other target for romance, but surely she's going to have to wait to confess until Kuu ends up with his blacksmithing snowbear pal who is "first girl" in his story). Hakuya and Jeanne also get a teasing scene when the heads of their respective empires video conference each other, but no movement yet (there's a few "outs" suggested, including one where Marie retires to marry Souma, and Hakuya and Jeanne could take over the Empire).
Souma remains mostly hands off, barring headpats and.... Scandalous locking arms while at a party. The girls were a bit more aggressive in volume 7, but stopped at kissing. Still, the plot is setting up him having children with all of them. I'm curious if they'll all get their special episodes with Souma like Liscia did, or we'll see a timeskip and babies will just be there. Meanwhile, Excel is only getting punished for her teasing aggressiveness. While I haven't liked her actions in the past (uh... drugging much?), she helps out a lot here, and it's not like Souma hasn't dragged another girl into the harem this late in the game. What's wrong with her joining, lol.
We get to visit a new country, known as Lastania, but we get to see even less of its national character than we did the Turgis Republic because they're too busy being at war. And the nation they're at war with is... Pretty much non-existent, it's just (mostly) unthinking, hungry monsters pouring over from the demon realm. The Afterward mentions that Souma doesn't see this campaign as a war, but extermination, something further supported by Tomoe's findings on the intelligence of the monsters.
Tomoe's "uselessness" on these trips she's being dragged along on is addressed this episode, with her wishing she had the strength to do more for Souma. We at least get hints about what she can do in the future, and she finds a cryptic clue about the monsters from the demon realm as well (they do the typical "this revelation wouldn't be understood for a while yet" that allows the author to pull it out of the hat later; hopefully it'll be sooner than later considering we're dealing with monsters from the demon realm up North territory). I feel like the deal she made with Kuu should have been made last episode, but it works fine here (and it's an excuse to return to his territory... Just like they set up with the Nothing Dragon Knight Territory).
Nothung Dragon Knight territory also gets mentioned a few times in this one as they're an ally to Lastania, so we'll seemingly be revisiting that area at some point for a "playdate" between dragons (maybe when Souma and Naden Delal birth a dragon egg, since that has to be raised there). "Returning to previously visited areas on invitation" seems to be an ongoing theme lately with the story, makes you wonder what they'll set up to make the trips worthwhile or if they're padding.
Another forced theme in this story is the whole "the youngins are taking over" Golden age that King Souma helped kickstart. I believe every nation is now controlled by someone under 27. And still another theme that volume 7 forced was the "you won't be here forever" flag, and "make the most of the time you have" in regards to long lived races. Dunno if they're going to do much with that beyond it being some emotional manipulation for the reader to cry over before returning to the antics of Aeisha's chest bumping up against Souma's side when in an armlock and Naden + co's "hilarious" jealousy when Excel teases them. It's all about "making women happy / not letting women cry", advice that guides Souma in his reaction to Julius this volume, and that advice holds up... Except when it's Excel, who has to be embarrassed into giving up her pursuits. Good job!
December 13, 2019
It's ok.
The plot is ticking over and rumbles on.
Still easy to read when you just want to relax.
The plot is ticking over and rumbles on.
Still easy to read when you just want to relax.
March 8, 2022
I am glad that this volume 8 has a lot more action that the previous 3-4-5-6-7 volumes. It is comparable to the action filled volume 2. The author prioritizes the main character's harem, retinue, the secondary character's development, than the imminent war with the demon lord.
The previous volume 7 health alliance and exploration with the Republic of Turgis was lukewarm and flat. There really was no reason to go to Turgis other than recruiting the blacksmith's that will develop the needles and other things.
This is the first time they encounter the monsters from the Demon Lord territory.
One has an idea the volume is going to have a lot more action by the amount of chapters the volume has, if it has more than 8-10 then it's filled with action, if it has 4-5 and a lot of side stories, then it is boring and can be skipped.
The Dratroopers, should have stayed as paratroopers (parachute troopers). If they are elite soldiers then SEALs, red-green-black berets, SAS (Sea-Air and Land, Special Air Service, etc.) could have been used as reference names of real military special units.
There is no point to "teach" the lizard men to cook monster meat, if at the same time they use the fires made to exterminate all of the lizard men that were "taught" to cook the monster meat.
Author being a man, places too much importance towards love, finding a mate, breeding and having everybody in this light novel to become a couple and settle down to have kids. I fear this is to fill this series with unnecessary dialogues and secondary characters.
If the author or publisher would delete 60% of the needless dialogues, stubborn talk, and unnecessary explanations, in this and other volumes, those murdered trees could have been spared (from the making of this light novel).
Author has no sense of humor, it's sad that he tries to be funny and fails so much.
The previous volume 7 health alliance and exploration with the Republic of Turgis was lukewarm and flat. There really was no reason to go to Turgis other than recruiting the blacksmith's that will develop the needles and other things.
This is the first time they encounter the monsters from the Demon Lord territory.
One has an idea the volume is going to have a lot more action by the amount of chapters the volume has, if it has more than 8-10 then it's filled with action, if it has 4-5 and a lot of side stories, then it is boring and can be skipped.
The Dratroopers, should have stayed as paratroopers (parachute troopers). If they are elite soldiers then SEALs, red-green-black berets, SAS (Sea-Air and Land, Special Air Service, etc.) could have been used as reference names of real military special units.
There is no point to "teach" the lizard men to cook monster meat, if at the same time they use the fires made to exterminate all of the lizard men that were "taught" to cook the monster meat.
Author being a man, places too much importance towards love, finding a mate, breeding and having everybody in this light novel to become a couple and settle down to have kids. I fear this is to fill this series with unnecessary dialogues and secondary characters.
If the author or publisher would delete 60% of the needless dialogues, stubborn talk, and unnecessary explanations, in this and other volumes, those murdered trees could have been spared (from the making of this light novel).
Author has no sense of humor, it's sad that he tries to be funny and fails so much.
April 24, 2023
The missing brother who was foreshadowed in previous books finally takes the stage in this one - along with a new princess who triggers a change of heart and character in him.
This is mainly about Julius' redemption arc and showcases the military commanding capabilities of a few minor characters centered around sending reinforcements to Lastania.
Most of the characters are from the familiar cast and there are side stories about the wives / Souma's harem as usual. The pace is a bit slow in this one and there aren't many deep politics, but the main battles in this book shows off how advanced Freidonia has become in terms of military technology when they swoop in to save the day in the small country of Lastania. There are a quite few funny 'main character's country being OP and the others not believing it' moments.
Rated 4 because of the 'fun' element but lack of really meaningful or impressive developments beyond the main reconciliation arc.
This is mainly about Julius' redemption arc and showcases the military commanding capabilities of a few minor characters centered around sending reinforcements to Lastania.
Most of the characters are from the familiar cast and there are side stories about the wives / Souma's harem as usual. The pace is a bit slow in this one and there aren't many deep politics, but the main battles in this book shows off how advanced Freidonia has become in terms of military technology when they swoop in to save the day in the small country of Lastania. There are a quite few funny 'main character's country being OP and the others not believing it' moments.
Rated 4 because of the 'fun' element but lack of really meaningful or impressive developments beyond the main reconciliation arc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2023
Another good entry in the series, this time we see some old acquaintainces that need help! I would have liked to see more sweet moments between Julius and Tia, but the scenes with Jirukoma and Lauren were hilarious. While it was not a super interesting war with intricate strategy, Souma still got to show off his new units in a cool way. Some of the illustrations were great, while others were... very awkward to look at (the lizardman one made it very obvious the illustrator is not used to draw monsters), but I'm not going to lower the score on that.
May 21, 2021
This volume of the series wasn't the best. The story dragged a little more than I would have liked, I did enjoy that there are several questions which are raised about the world at large. In comparision to the previous volume and the storyline of the Naden, this volume was no nearly as exciting. That being said, I would still recommend picking this up.
October 30, 2021
Entertaining Read
Souma brings the might of the Kingdom military North to protect a small nation from invasion by mindless monsters. He finds an old enemy, Prince Julius, protecting the people, especially Princess Tia. Innovative strategy ensures. I like the action, humor, strategy, and romance. I look forward to the next book.
Souma brings the might of the Kingdom military North to protect a small nation from invasion by mindless monsters. He finds an old enemy, Prince Julius, protecting the people, especially Princess Tia. Innovative strategy ensures. I like the action, humor, strategy, and romance. I look forward to the next book.
June 2, 2023
Donne pas mal avec un peu de combat, des retrouvailles avec Julius et Jirokuma. Cependant, j'attends d'en savoir un peu plus sur les lézards. Je trouve que dans ce tome, Roroa est bien mise en avant. J'attends de voir la suite, avec le duc de Chima et de voir la relation qu'il va avoir entre Tomoe et le 5e fils du Duc.
February 25, 2024
Souma is out to assist the Kingdom of Lastania in order to stop part of the Demon wave and has discovered many a thing that is happening with the Demons coming down to attack them.
The issues it raises will have changes on the rest of the continent.
Souma's army does the job without really revealing any of their secrets. This is important moving forward as well.
The issues it raises will have changes on the rest of the continent.
Souma's army does the job without really revealing any of their secrets. This is important moving forward as well.
September 25, 2021
7/10. Sinceramente estoy sorprendido por el autor. Todo el volumen excepto el epílogo fue si mucho bueno, pero mayormente decente. Aun así, el epílogo, como siempre, me dejó con una intriga pequeña pero constante, como una piedrita en el zapato.
October 30, 2023
Here we have a return of an old enemy. I liked the changes seen in him and the dynamics of the new, and old, characters. I can't say I liked it all (Roroa was pretty useless and I don't like how loud she is) but in the end I had a good time.
July 6, 2024
Think this will be the last book I read in this series. The MC is a boring and manipulative stick in the mud. Also all the female characters are treated like they're made of glass. Their portrayals are not realistic whatsoever.
January 29, 2020
Keep getting better
June 22, 2023
I read it till here last time so i hope the story gets better from here on out. I absolutely love the story till now.
February 17, 2024
Good book
Good book I love thus book thank you for thus book . . . . . . . . . .
Good book I love thus book thank you for thus book . . . . . . . . . .
March 14, 2024
Fantastic book
June 14, 2024
I always thought there was a void in roroa's character. This volume solves it. Am I seeing potential new fl here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2019
Realist Hero is amongst my top favourite isekai series, and vol 8 is a amazing return in form to start off a new major arc in the story.
The previous arc really felt weaker compared to the first arcs, so I was worried the author might have been losing a bit of steam but this volume assuaged my fears.
In this volume, a new threat emerges from the north-eastern side of the country, which is a region yet explored in the book. It's surprisingly a mix of Western and Japanese influences, with some native America notes thrown in to make for quite a kaleidoscope of characters.
This arc also starts with the re-introduction of a major antagonist from a previous arc, but has turned over a new leaf after unseen events in the book. I really like tropes like this and the author has written the relationship dynamic here very well.
The downside would be a slight lack of development of the newly introduced cast from the north-eastern region as the author has had his hands full with giving the established cast enough screen time in this book as well as fitting in the action packed battles in this book. With that said, I'm also very surprised at how many characters that are given the fair share of the limelight in this volume, esp considering the enormous cast list the series has build over the course of the past 7 volumes.
Vol 8 also ends off with a pretty intriguing cliffhanger of the focus characters in the next book, and it is truly sad to know that JNC has caught up with the Japanese releases with this volume. It will be a long wait for the next one!
The previous arc really felt weaker compared to the first arcs, so I was worried the author might have been losing a bit of steam but this volume assuaged my fears.
In this volume, a new threat emerges from the north-eastern side of the country, which is a region yet explored in the book. It's surprisingly a mix of Western and Japanese influences, with some native America notes thrown in to make for quite a kaleidoscope of characters.
This arc also starts with the re-introduction of a major antagonist from a previous arc, but has turned over a new leaf after unseen events in the book. I really like tropes like this and the author has written the relationship dynamic here very well.
The downside would be a slight lack of development of the newly introduced cast from the north-eastern region as the author has had his hands full with giving the established cast enough screen time in this book as well as fitting in the action packed battles in this book. With that said, I'm also very surprised at how many characters that are given the fair share of the limelight in this volume, esp considering the enormous cast list the series has build over the course of the past 7 volumes.
Vol 8 also ends off with a pretty intriguing cliffhanger of the focus characters in the next book, and it is truly sad to know that JNC has caught up with the Japanese releases with this volume. It will be a long wait for the next one!
February 21, 2022
This book was much better edited than the previous one in this series so I had a much more enjoyable time reading it. I like the story and there were numerous laugh-out-loud parts as usual.
2nd reading: The typos hadn't been fixed yet. I guess I should report them? Nah.
2nd reading: The typos hadn't been fixed yet. I guess I should report them? Nah.
June 23, 2024
It continues the series. I am not sure what to say about it since if you have read #1-7 you are going to read 7, and if you haven't, you won't. I enjoyed it and look forward to #9, whenever it is released.
March 12, 2019
Cute!
Well, this had several bits of adorableness. I liked how Julius turned out. I really want Souma to be there when it happens.
Thank you!
Well, this had several bits of adorableness. I liked how Julius turned out. I really want Souma to be there when it happens.
Thank you!
March 23, 2019
Ready for Book Nine already!!
So far the series has been great. Can't wait to see where the future takes the series!! Hope to see the. Next book soon!!
So far the series has been great. Can't wait to see where the future takes the series!! Hope to see the. Next book soon!!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews