Jeff was unsure how long had passed as he opened his eyes, blinking the glare from his eyes away. Recalling what he last saw, he began to look around and saw the room covered in a blue glow that was rapidly fading. All around the room were men in medieval getups forcing everyone on their knees.
“ Fuck me, were we isekaied? I hope they are not trying to take our freedom away.”
Command ONE priority changed from ‘safeguard summoner’ to ‘safeguard summoner and freedom’
Jeff did not have time to read the popped-up message as he was knocked to his knees the girl in front of him was next. Unlike him, she tried to get up afterward and was forced to bend over on all four with her ass sticking up in the air. That is when Jeff noticed they were all naked.
“ You can’t do this to me! Do you know who I am...”
She did not get much further as the midevil era dressed man placed his spear point first in front of her nose.
“ Silence woman. We do not need you newly summoned to talk till all has been explained. If you continue to be a problem...”
The man did not have to continue as a bloody scream came from across the room. Jeff and the woman looked to find one of the players of the school's football team getting cut on the arm before being bound in chains. That brought the fight out of her.
After a few minutes of seeing everyone being brought to their knees, the blue glow finally vanished and a new green one took its place.
All skills have been suppressed. Certain rights have been sealed.
Jeff blinked at that as a loud cough smothered all sound from the room. Showing on a pedestal a rather aged man in a well-tailored suit. The scars on his face told a story of conflict.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“ Welcome summoned champions to the world of Fridel. This is the country of Oceanrim, and the capital city is called Nigal. I shall keep this simple, based on the summoning ritual we used, you all are dead. And before you ask; we do not know how we do not know when we do not know why, where, who, or anything else. All that we know is, YOU DIED!!!”
That last part was like a statement from god and what little Jeff could remember supported that fact. The meteor or whatever on the collision course for the school was clear as day in his head.
“ Now, that is out of the way, I am Duke Randolph Hamelton the 3rd. I have been given the prestigious honor of... what is the otherworldly term... coral the sheep before they get bright ideas. As such it is my glorious honor to tell you exactly how much each and every one of you owes the continental alliance.”
A new financial marker was added.
Summoning debt:
50,000 gold crowns
“ All of you should have just had a popup telling you you all each owe 50,000 gold crowns. Now for an economic lesson for you all. One gold crown is worth one thousand silver crowns, and one silver crown is worth one thousand bronze. A crown is worth a hundred tip of the same material to go further. And the average loaf of bread costs ten copper tips. Which will feed you well enough for a day.”
Jeff started hearing murmurs about how much they owed as the Duke raised his voice.
“ QUIET!!! Now, that is the price WE paid to bring you back to life. Fortunately for you, we are not charging interest.”
Murmurs start to spread again and the Duke looked to his side and nodded. A large screech soon vibrated through Jeff and he fell to his face holding his ears hoping to make it stop. After a few seconds it does on its own and Jeff struggles to go back to sitting on his knees, noticing the girl in front of him still fully bound to the ground.
“ And let this be a lesson on manners. DO NOT INTERRUPT ME! As I was saying. We are not heartless fiends. There are a multitude of ways to pay off this debt. The first is serving twenty years on the front lines. What are the front lines, I will explain more in a bit. The second method is going the public service route. Become an adventurer and pay half your earnings toward your debt. Become a craftsman and pay half your earnings toward your debt. Become a mercenary and well... you get the idea.”
The Duke then waved his hand and a tall woman in tight leathers stepped forward. On her back was a large ax and the only other noticeable feature of her is the collar around her neck.
“ This is Matilda, In her youth, much younger than the lot of you, she was a bandit and made the mistake of attacking a noble in transit. For that crime against me, she was made a slave for life. Except, unlike her, your debt will not be limited to just you. Your children, and their children, and so on will be as well till the debt is paid. The good news is there is a catch-all method to blanket cover the cost of everyone's debts. And that is to end the war with the demons.”