At sixteen, Tenes Lumel receives his divine Job assignment from the Oracle: Hermit, a title that marks him as abandoned by God. As the unwanted illegitimate child of the noble Lumel family, he has spent his life confined in the family home, kept only in case he might prove useful. The Oracle’s verdict gives his family all the excuse they need. Tenes is exiled, his half-sister takes over as heir, and a war of succession erupts across the empire to determine the next Holy Emperor.

Outwardly, Tenes accepts a modest position as a handyman at a rural adventurer’s guild, where he spends his days doing paperwork and menial labor before clocking out on time. His coworkers see him as unassuming, forgettable, and thoroughly ordinary. This is exactly how he wants to be seen. In truth, Tenes has no intention of accepting his fate or abandoning his family to the chaos of the succession war. From a secret hideout, he operates as the hidden mastermind behind a clandestine organization dedicated to dismantling the twisted rules that govern the world.

To achieve his goals, Tenes gathers a team of extraordinary women, each possessing unique and formidable abilities. A battle-hardened automaton maid serves as his sword. An infamous beastkin criminal with sharp claws and fiery eyes, a master thief bound in chains, becomes his operative. A legendary Dark Elf, who has spent a century despising humanity for its betrayals, joins his cause after he helps break a curse afflicting her. Together, this unlikely group works from the shadows, pulling strings and manipulating events to protect Tenes’s family and upend the succession war.

The story follows Tenes as he uses the unconventional skills of the Hermit job along with his natural resourcefulness to counter the machinations of rival noble houses. A notable early arc involves the collection of sacred jewels tied to the ten noble dynasties, with the succession war forcing heirs to compete for the right to claim the throne. Rather than eliminate his rivals, Tenes’s sister attempts to forge a non-aggression pact, a fragile peace that leaves her vulnerable to the other seven houses. Tenes must operate carefully to shield her from behind the scenes, even as the Oracle’s decree declares that only one worthy heir can emerge. The ultimate target, hinted at throughout his schemes, may be nothing less than the gods themselves who established this brutal system.