Shadow Garden

In modern-day Japan, a boy named Minoru Kageno aspires to be a mastermind, exerting power from the shadows. During his clandestine training, an unforeseen accident occurs when he gets hit by a truck, leading to his untimely demise. To his surprise, he finds himself reborn in a fantastical realm as Cid Kagenou. Here, he decides to maintain a facade of mediocrity, intentionally avoiding the limelight while secretly nurturing his dream of orchestrating power from behind the scenes.

As Cid goes about his life in this new world, he encounters an elven girl suffering from a mysterious ailment. Putting his acquired knowledge to use, Cid successfully cures her. Seizing the opportunity, he weaves a tale for the elf, now named Alpha, claiming that this world is under the control of the nefarious Cult of Diablos. Cid, under the guise of Shadow, the leader of the clandestine organization Shadow Garden, assures Alpha that they possess the means to defeat the cult and restore peace to the land.

With newfound purpose, Alpha becomes an enthusiastic member of Shadow Garden, taking on the role of a recruiter and aiding Cid in expanding their influence. Unbeknownst to her, Cid's fabricated power struggle is not mere fiction; it is a harsh reality that he, as Shadow, is now actively engaged in. Under the alias, he navigates the complex web of political intrigue and magical conflicts, fighting against the very forces he had initially only pretended existed.

As Shadow, Cid finds himself increasingly entangled in the conflicts of the fantasy world, with the lines between his fabricated story and the actual struggles blurring. The once-aspiring mastermind now faces the challenge of living up to the role he created and leading Shadow Garden in the fight against the genuine threats posed by the Cult of Diablos.