I didn't find a single one.

All the other colleagues also submitted designs that were way off the mark. And yet, they were all so smug about it, which was the most ridiculous part.

So, that evening.

I sighed and announced.

"There is... no winner."

Booo!

Immediate jeers followed.

"It's tyranny!"

"Abuse of lordly power!"

"You just didn't want to give out the bonus, did you?!"

"No, you guys should have come up with something decent! Damn it!"

As I raised my voice, the heroes pushed their drawings forward.

"Ash! What's wrong with this lush branch design from us elves?"

"Your elf flag is already a bunch of leaves! You plant lovers! It's redundant!"

"Captain, what's lacking in this painting I poured my soul into?"

"If you only put a huge fist in it, it looks like some kind of brawling gang, you pugilist!"

"Why was my beautiful oil painting rejected?"

"A dragon breathing fire is already the symbol of the Bringar Duchy! How is changing the color going to make any difference?!"

Ignoring the uproar from the heroes, I heaved another heavy sigh.

"Fine, fine. Considering everyone's effort, I'll pick a 'fan favorite'. The prize will go to the winner of the popularity vote. Everyone, cast a vote for the drawing that you think best represents our front."

"See, the lord knows best!"

"If we vote, my piece will obviously win!"

"If everyone has an eye for art, they'll choose mine!"

And so, after the heroes cast their votes for their favorite flag designs.

The winner was...

"...Damien's 'Hamster Podong' wins."

With an overwhelming majority of over 50% of the votes, Damien's drawing won.

With a moved expression, Damien, holding his hamster drawing, came forward and tearfully shared his sentiments.

"Thank you...! I dedicate this honor to Podong!"

"Congratulations! Can we come to visit Podong?"

"Of course! You can see him at the temple."

"Let's all go see him after this!"

Especially the elves were overjoyed, laughing and making a fuss. Perhaps they felt a kinship as nut-loving rodent creatures.

"It's cute."

"It is quite cute."

"It doesn't compare to the grandeur of my flag, but... well, it's acceptable."

Everyone nodded, looking at Damien's flag design.

"...Are you guys serious about this?"

I held my forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Are they really okay with a hamster representing our Monster Front...?!

"My lord! I still think our front's symbol should only be you!"

"Me too! So can't we use this as a mural or something?!"

"Thanks... not helpful at all, though..."

Pushing away the knight duo who kept appealing with their drawing (of my face).

"Get lost! Go play with Podong at the temple, you brats!"

"Hey, it's dinner time, you can't kick us out without feeding us, captain!"

"Fine! Eat and then get out!"

After paying Damien his prize and feeding everyone a hearty dinner, I chased them out of my mansion.

***

"Ah, this is tough..."

Grumbling, I sat down at my desk in my office.

Well, the design contest was half the intention, but more importantly, it was to relax everyone before the big battle.

With harsh days of continuous battles ahead, it's better to give everyone a chance to laugh and rest when possible.

'Even so... I was hoping to at least get a hint for a usable design...'

Gathered everyone for a brainstorming session, and not a single usable idea came out.

'Forget the flag for now, maybe I should open some loot boxes.'

Before the big battle, I planned to open all the boxes I had accumulated.

- Pirate's Random Reward Box: 10

- SR Rank Reward Box: 3

Ten pirate's reward chests acquired at Stage 20, and three SR-grade chests from Stage 21 rewards.

'As expected of those pirate bastards, even their reward chests are a trick.'

The pirate's random reward chests, as the name implies, yield random rewards.From N-grade to SSR-grade, the rewards are randomly determined, and the item table is slightly different from the regular chests.

If lucky, one might obtain rare items not available in ordinary reward chests.

...Of course, this is usually just wishful thinking, and more often than not, it ends with a bunch of N-grade junk.

So, I'm not a fan, but what can I do? I can only open them, hoping against hope.

'First, the three SR-grade chests.'

The reward chests obtained after defeating the Red Spider Legion.

Flash!

I opened it briskly. Anything good in there?!

[Rewards]

- Standard High-Grade Magic Core (SR): 3

"...Hit the average, at least."

Getting SR-grade Magic Cores isn't a loss. They're not as good as finished products, but still.

I casually threw them into my inventory and laid out the main game: the ten pirate chests.

"If there's any conscience, one of these should hit the jackpot, right?!"

Shouting, I opened all ten at once.

"Did I get an SR?!"

Flash!

Light burst out, and finally, what lay before me was...

"..."

A mountain of junk.

Just garbage... Filled with worthless items. I picked them up with a sense of futility.

Cheap rum, holed shoes, broken keys... My God.

"Ah, forget it. What can you expect from those pirate bastards..."

Muttering, I threw them one by one into my inventory like I was sorting through trash, but then I spotted something odd.

Sparkle.

"Huh?"

There was a shabby ring amidst the junk.

I quickly picked it up. Could it be!

[Ring of the Kraken (SSR)]

"Praise the mighty Octopus God-!"

Without realizing, I let out a blasphemous exclamation and raised my arms high.

Well, I'm not sure if the Kraken is an octopus or a squid, but anyway!

That SSR item, the Ring of the Kraken, notorious for not even appearing on the drop table of Ghost Pirate Commander Bernardt Poker, has appeared!

Its effect is very straightforward. It allows you to summon and command the Kraken.

Though it has the drawback of a horrendously long cooldown of 3 stages, what does it matter! It lets me use a boss-level summon for free once every three stages!

[Rewards]

- Ring of the Kraken (SSR)

- Plus 9 other items ;Expand list

Having dealt with all the accumulated chests.

After the box opening, I was soaked in the peculiar, languid feeling of emptiness that follows.

'...Wait a minute.'

Wasn't there another chest left?

I craned my neck and looked around.

Then, I saw a small box quietly placed in one corner of the office desk.

It was a box brought by Alberto when he escaped from the Imperial Capital.

What was it again? A gift from a secret organization 'Jilted Women' established by the Ash of the past.

- I don't know either. It's just called 'a gift from the past'...

"..."

Mulling over Alberto's words, I frowned.

A gift from the past.

Meaning... something the me of the past left with his secret organization to send to the current me.

It was a bit scary, facing this me who isn't me. The Ash of the past. That's why I've been putting off opening it.

But I can't avoid it any longer. I cautiously picked up the box.

"Sigh."

I took a deep breath and opened it.

Click.

Inside the opened box were... a short handwritten letter and an old piece of cloth.

I first picked up the letter. It was brief, but the hastily scribbled first sentence caught my eye.

- Fighting for the world, sucks, doesn't it?

"..."

As soon as I read the sentence, I was certain.

The bastard who wrote this, it's definitely the Ash of the past.- From the beginning, it was just a series of fuck-ups, right? Continuously, endlessly, fucking hard, wasn't it?

"Are you mocking me, you bastard..."

Grinding my teeth in annoyance, I read the next sentence.

- But you made it this far.

"..."

- What can you do? You've come this far. Just suffer a little more until the end.

With a mix of sarcasm, compassion, and... a trace of affection in the writing.

- Hang in there, me.

With that, the letter ended.

"...Stupid bastard."

Disbelieving, I looked at the letter again, then folded it back up and threw it into the box.

I then picked up the other item in the box... an old piece of cloth.

And it was,

[Fragment of the Great Commander's Flag] (5/5)

- One of the five pieces of character ‘Ash’s exclusive equipment [Great Commander's Flag (EX)].

- When all five pieces are gathered, it forms a complete flag.

It was the last puzzle piece arranged by my past self.

"..."

The fifth.

The final piece of the flag, at last in my hands.

I took out the flag pieces I had collected so far from my inventory, one by one, and pieced them together.

Flash-!

A bright white light flashed, and the five pieces of the flag merged into one.

[Great Commander's Flag (EX)]

- The flag of a man who fought as the world's last player through countless unrecorded times.

- The performance of the flag is determined by the achievements you've made during the journey to gather it.

- May you find glory and hope in the battles to come.

- Welcome Back, Commander.

Flutter...magic

The completed flag was a black flag with no emblem.

An unimpressive old flag, with the marks of the five pieces sewn together still visible.

I carefully picked it up.

I put off reading the flag's stats for a moment. Instead, I looked at the old flag for a while.

Just an empty flag, with no pattern or symbol.

***

The next day.

Having gathered the heroes, I declared with my new flag - the empty black flag - beside me.

"We will not use a symbol."

"Huh?"

Everyone looked at me, puzzled. I nodded.

"After defeating the monster and saving the world from destruction, the World Defense Front will disband."

"..."

"Our purpose is not to leave a name in history or gain power."

Purely. Simply.

We united to save the world.

"Regardless of what the other members of the front think, as the leader of the front, I must prioritize the value of saving the world."

I continued in a serious tone.

"If one wishes to protect the world, they are our ally. There's no need to divide ourselves with symbols or flags."

"..."

"So, we don't need a symbol. I will use this non-symbol as the flag of our front."

A faint smile crossed everyone's lips. I frowned.

"...What's with that? Why are you all smirking? I'm serious here."

"No, it's just..."

Evangeline at the front shrugged her shoulders.

"It's like something a hero of justice from an old tale would say, but you say it so naturally and confidently."

I felt a bit embarrassed but retorted roughly.

"Got a problem with that?"

"Not at all. That's why I'm happy to be under your command."

Shaking my head, I picked up the flag beside me.

"Prepare to march!"

Raising the empty flag high, I shouted.

"To the Imperial Capital... To New Terra!"

--TL Notes--

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