There was a major reason why I couldn't claim to be the hero who saved the world or introduce myself as Reza Mahesa. Using the name "Reza" might be fine, but "Mahesa"—which had become a recognized family name—was a different story. In fact, it was strictly reserved for direct descendants of the hero.

Well, considering that I spent seven years undergoing rigorous training and battling the Demon Lord alongside my party, it wasn’t surprising that I formed close relationships—especially with the two female members of our group: Seila, the cleric and saintess, and Elara, the genius elven mage. Seila, who was two years older than me, had always been caring and steadfast, while Elara, despite being nearly eighty, was still considered young by elven standards. Meanwhile, Garrick, the beastkin warrior, and Donovan, the paladin, were veterans who already had families of their own.

In fact, one of the biggest reasons I was mentally burned out was the realization that there was a very real possibility that Seila had borne my child. She never married after the war, and she only had one child—if my suspicions were correct, there was a high chance that I was the father.

That alone would have been shocking enough, but what made things even more complicated was what happened next.

The Mahesa family name had grown into something far greater than I could have imagined. Affiliated with the Light Church and backed by Elara's groundbreaking advancements in magical technology, the Mahesa bloodline had become one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Arcadia. In a way, they were like the Rothschilds of this world—an influential force with a legacy spanning two thousand years.

And that terrified me.

I had no idea how they would react if they discovered my existence. Two thousand years was an unfathomably long time. I didn’t know my own descendants. I had no personal connection to them. Were they kind? Ruthless? How would they perceive me? Would they even believe I was truly their ancestor?

Right now, I wasn’t the legendary hero I once was. My magic was so depleted that I was practically an ordinary human. If the Mahesa family saw me as a threat to their legacy, they could easily eliminate me without a second thought.

Of course, the Mahesa family could turn out to be the kindest and most welcoming family in the world… but for now, it was safest to stay hidden.

At least until I regained my strength.

“Hm, a game that moves on a magic screen like a video… which means a video game. Yes, as I thought… 'video game' is a good name for this thing I'm making.”

Seraphza, a demonkin like her mother, had dark purple hair, horns, and bat-like wings, all distinct features of her race. Like most people in Arcadia, she had an unreal beauty that would easily turn heads on Earth. Especially her eyes—they were intricate, gemstone-like irises, shimmering with colors that seemed too complex for human vision. Each race in Arcadia had uniquely stunning eyes, and Seraphza’s were no exception.

She seemed pleased when I acknowledged the video game running on the magic screen. From her words, I gathered that she had programmed it herself using Manacrypt, a magical computing technology that was essentially Arcadia’s version of a computer.

“Hehe, I really am a genius... So, what do you think? Are you interested in trying it? I need opinions from other people—especially someone like you, who doesn’t have much magic power.”

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She crossed her arms and gave me a curious look.

“Your name… Hmm, what was it again? I forgot. I just remember that you live in the old storage room in the backyard?”

I sighed but smiled. “Well, I guess I can try it for a moment. But I still need to finish cleaning your room.”

“It’s fine! Just play for a bit. I’ll tell Mom, and I’ll even let you clean my room without any complaints!” Seraphza grinned, then leaned in to explain the controls.

The mechanics were simple—directional arrows for movement and two buttons for actions, one for shooting and the other for special abilities. It reminded me of an old-school arcade game back on Earth, a basic but addictive design.

“Fine, I’ll give it a shot,” I said, taking my seat in front of the Manacrypt. “By the way, my name’s Reza. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh… Of course, you are,” she scoffed. “Typical humans. The moment they have a black-haired child, they immediately name them after the hero. You can call me Seraphza.”

I chuckled internally. So that's how they see it? Black hair must have been rare in Arcadia, to the point where any human with it got automatically named after me. Given my black hair, dark eyes, and tan skin, I probably looked completely unremarkable by Earth standards, especially as someone from Southeast Asia. But here? Apparently, my appearance was rare enough to warrant a hero’s name.

Seraphza’s gaze shifted to the screen as I started playing.

“Oh… You’re actually pretty good… Wait… Ugh—Wait!! How are you this good?! This is your first time playing!”

Her widened eyes and growing frustration made me smirk.

Well, what could I say? I was a gamer, after all.

Well, to be honest, I’m neither a pro nor a particularly skilled gamer. In fact, you could say I’m just a mediocre casual gamer. I play a lot of games, but I’ve never tried to be the best at any of them. I even shamelessly look up shortcuts, walkthroughs, or use cheat engines in single-player games when I get stuck.

That said, this was Seraphza’s first-ever game, and since there were no other video games in this world, she had no references or examples to draw inspiration from. As a result, the game she created was simple, and even though the enemies supposedly got stronger with each stage, the difficulty barely changed due to Seraphza’s lack of experience in game design.

So, naturally, I breezed through every stage with ease, leaving Seraphza stunned in defeat.

“Ugh… I worked on this for months, and you just beat it in one sitting? I’ve never even done that myself… How the hell are you this good?” Seraphza slumped onto the floor, looking utterly devastated.

“Hm, well… the game itself is very simple, and I also have a lot of combat experience, so the movement feels a bit too slow for me,” I explained, giving her a reasonable answer. “Maybe it would be good to increase the difficulty a bit? Adding more enemy variety could also make it more interesting.”

To be fair, I wasn’t an amazing gamer or anything, but after years of real combat, the pace of this game felt incredibly slow in comparison.

“…I see. Well, maybe you’re right.”

Seraphza slowly got up, grabbed a notebook, and started jotting down my feedback, seemingly taking it well.

“I didn’t make the game too difficult because I figured there wouldn’t be anyone better than me at playing it,” she admitted, sighing. “Turns out there are people better than me… Just like in real life…”

After stepping away from the Manacrypt, I watched as she returned to her chair, tinkering with the game’s settings while still sulking about how easily I had cleared it.

“So… I guess I’m actually bad at playing my own game…” she muttered to herself, still brooding.

“Well, in the end, it’s still a solid game. I actually enjoyed playing it,” I said, trying to encourage her. “If you polish it a little more, it could turn into a real masterpiece.”

“…Really?” Seraphza looked up at me, her confidence partially restored.

“Yeah. It feels fresh, like a rough gem that just needs a bit more refining.”

I paused for a moment before asking, “But I’m curious… Why did you even try making a video game in the first place?”