Chapter 03: An Absurd Request like Expected
“No way. Are you serious…”
After Reiji caught Mizuki, she was filled in about the current situation. At first she was rather confused too, but not being alone here surely worked in favour. With the encouragement of her two friends, she accepted it before long. Still, one had to praise her for having nerves of steel as she didn’t ran away from reality.
“You sure are quick on the uptake.”
Mizuki adopted a clear-cut attitude. She had long, black hair and a gentle look with an appearance that made her look like some frail, secluded young lady. Furthermore, she possessed a gentle, yet surprisingly strong and unperturbed heart. Reiji smiled at her.
“O- Okay.”
A totally inappropriate steamy mood filled the room and Suimei asked Mizuki as if to splash water on it.
“Eh? Sure.”
“Y- Yeah, some important people of the different world show up. Otherwise…”
Reiji asked about that after a short pause.
“In some other novel, the destination, in other words this place, happened to be the castle of the Devil King.”
Yes, in most novels, the summoned MC would only face off against the Devil King at the end of the story after many twists and turns. However. When this was an unexpected plot like Mizuki had mentioned, then this would be the focal point of the climax, the last battle.
Then Reiji asked Mizuki with a calm tone.
“Yeah. Then another strong foe appeared and later the MC was dragged into a civil war…”
“Listen, you two.”
“I know already. Mizuki, someone is coming and a lot of them at that.”
She cowered anxiously. And Suimei took a stance like Reiji as well.
“I just hope it will be these important people that summoned us.”
“…”
Suimei glanced to the side, where Reiji stood all tensed up, ready to leap forward at any moment, and Mizuki backed off as to not be a hindrance to him.
Then he quietly checked his belongings. He got here without any preparations, so he carried nothing but mundane things on him. It were—
If something happened, he had to act. They all had lived in Japan, so Suimei was most likely the only one with combat experience, as he belonged to the underworld. He would like to keep the fact that he was a magician hidden, but not in the exchange for his friends’ lives. In the worst case, he could just erase their memories, if even he felt sorry about it.
A short pause that felt like an eternity and cramped their stomachs ensued. Before long, the door was opened with a noise of something heavy being dragged along.
“Firmus—”
While Reiji was distracted, Suimei readied a defence magic. It couldn’t be ruled out that they would attack right away. And there was no harm in being prepared.
The soldiers warily approached them in an orderly formation.
And then—
“Mh—?”
“White Flame, oughtn’t there be one summoned Hero?”
“But I see three people here…”
“Oho…”
A possible explanation for that was that a language spell was cast on him during the summoning. How convenient.
Then Suimei leaned close to them and asked Mizuki.
“Yeah. There are stories, where the friends of the summoned hero get dragged along, but…”
“…?”
“Uhm, in said plot, the friend of the summoned hero, in our case either Suimei-kun or me, will make a contract with an evil god and turn against the hero.”
“I’m not sure either…”
He could only imagine a tragic fate, where the summoning killed thousands of people and even if you survived it, a dangerous evil avatar that uses up all of your life’s luck, awaited you and forced you to pay a compensation.
“Turns against the hero… Why suddenly fight me?”
“Eh…?”
“…O- Of course I’ll never hate you, Reiji-kun. I- If anything, I l- l- lo- love…”
“A- And you, Suimei?”
“G- Good…”
While the three had such an exchange, the girl with the long, blue hair called out to them.
“Ah, yes.”
“Forgive me for bringing you here so suddenly. I am the second child of Almadias Root Astel, the King of Astel Kingdom: Titania Root Astel. And this is the person that made efforts to summon you here…”
“My name is Felmenia Stingray, a court mage. Nice to make your acquaintance.”
After their introductions, Reiji stepped forward now and started to name himself politely.
Reiji introduced them like that, whereupon the guards made a ruckus and the princess Titania, as well as the mage Felmenia made an impressed expression. Reiji’s dignified behaviour and well-mannered greeting must have been impressed them.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Mizuki Anou…”
“I’m…Suimei Yakagi.”
Then Titania let her gaze wander over these three and closed her eyes like thinking about something.
“And that is?”
…At the very moment Princess Titania uttered this, Suimei, Reiji and Mizuki had all the same reaction in their hearts: That figures!
Only Suimei additionally placed his hand on his chin and looked up at the ceiling.