Vol. 1 Chapter 2

“Wow, she’s so cute…”

“Hey? I’m right here, you know?”

“Oh, sorry.”

Suddenly, a woman who looked like a princess and had said something incomprehensible about heroes stepped forward.

The man from the couple, who had been on the same train until just now, was captivated by the beautiful woman in her dress.

Seeing this, the woman seemed jealous, scolded the man, and the man hurriedly apologized.

Still not fully grasping the situation, I watched the whole sequence of events unfold in a daze.

“I’m sure you’re feeling confused about being brought here so suddenly. Let me explain everything.”

Despite looking nothing like a Japanese person, the woman who seemed like a princess spoke Japanese, and finally, the current situation was explained.

First, her name was Sistina.

She seemed to be the princess of the Muska Kingdom.

The reason we, who had been on the last train just a moment ago, were suddenly brought to this place was all because of a summoning magic she had performed.

“Currently, this country is threatened by the invasion of demons. We hope that you, as heroes, will save us from the demons.”

And the reason for the summoning was to save the country from the evil guys called demons.

In this world, rituals to summon people from other worlds are often performed, and people from other worlds are generally referred to as “heroes”.

The reason they’re called “heroes” is because people summoned from other worlds generally have special powers.

It seems that many heroes have appeared through the summoning magic in the past and saved the world from threats.

This time, too, heroic deeds to save the world are expected from us.

“Heroes? What’s that? Sounds like some kind of game.”

The man from the couple expressed such a feeling after listening to Sistina’s explanation.

“I don’t get it… I want to be returned to where I was.”

The woman said with a tired expression.

I silently watched the situation unfold, but I mostly agreed with the woman.

It’s too selfish to suddenly be summoned and expected to save the world.

From what I heard, it seems that we are expected to fight against the “demons,” who are threats to the world, as heroes.

Why should we risk our lives fighting for people we don’t even know?

I just wanted to be returned to peaceful Japan as soon as possible, not become a “hero.”

“Of course, I apologize for suddenly summoning you. In this world, we intend to provide heroes with a comfortable life as much as possible. And since the power of heroes is mighty, it seems unlikely that you will lose your life or struggle against the demons unless something significant happens. We will support you with all our might. So please, save this world.”

Despite being a princess, Sistina bowed her head to us.

Following her lead, the many people around us prostrated themselves.

“Hmm, what should we do?”

“If they guarantee us a comfortable life…”

Having a high-ranking person bow to them and being begged by so many people seemed to cheer up the couple a bit.

They were promised a comfortable life and the promise of immense power as heroes.

They seemed to be leaning towards cooperating with Sistina as heroes.

However, my opinion was different.

For some reason, what Sistina was saying felt suspicious to me.

Something inside me told me that blindly following her could be dangerous.

So I decided to open my mouth again, wanting to say that I didn’t want to become a “hero” and just wanted to be returned to Japan as soon as possible.

“I…”

“Shut up. Just be quiet for a moment.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, mister. Or were you even here?”

“…”

That was it.

Socially weak people don’t even have the freedom to voice their opinions.

I was glared at by the two and silenced, unable to do anything but close my mouth.

Somehow, I had a bad feeling about this.

“Alright, understood.”

“Sistina-san. If it’s okay with us, we’ll cooperate with you. As long as you guarantee us a comfortable life.”

Eventually, it seemed that the two had decided on their future course of action.

As expected, they seemed to have chosen to cooperate with Sistina.

Perhaps they felt the high status of being heroes in this world, or perhaps they wanted to use the “power” that is said to come with being a hero.

I didn’t understand their criteria for judgment, but now I too had been forced to become a “hero.”

“Thank you very much. We are grateful for the mercy of the heroes. Thanks to you, the world will be saved, and your names will be passed down as heroes for generations to come.”

Sistina once again expressed her gratitude and bowed her head, and the others knelt before us.

“Heheh.”

“Amazing… like royalty…”

And the couple, surrounded by many people, were completely full of themselves.

“Now then, heroes. Could I first confirm your statuses?”

“Status?”

“Huh? What?”

Sistina explained with a gentle smile to the puzzled couple.

“Status represents the strength of the heroes. I will examine it. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine, right? Aren’t all heroes strong?”

“Yes, the previous heroes were owners of splendid statuses far surpassing the people of this world.”

“I see. Well then, it’s fine, go ahead and check the status.”