light around Shin intensified, coalescing into a radiant figure—ethereal, otherworldly. Its presence was suffocating yet oddly comforting, as though the weight of judgment itself had descended into the chamber.

The radiant figure began to speak, its voice carrying across the room. “My son, Charles, I have sent this young man to save our world from the great forces that will come in the future. Tell him that I have already given him my blessing.”

Charles and Fiona knelt in reverence, showing respect to the figure. As the figure placed its hand on Charles' head, a blinding light flashed, engulfing both him and Fiona.

It then spoke directly to Charles’ mind: “Take care of this boy. He will be my vessel in the future.”

As the light vanished, Charles was drenched in sweat, shaken by the words. His voice trembled as he asked, “P-Priest, what happened?”

Fiona, looking equally stunned, asked, “What did the goddess command?”

Charles hesitated before answering, his tone serious. “It’s true. He’s the hero from another world.” Fiona’s eyes widened in realization.

Shit, I was too harsh on him, she thought.

“I see... did the goddess give us any specific commands?”

Charles looked at Shin, unconscious on the bed. “It said we should protect him.”

They both looked down at Shin’s body, devoid of consciousness, and then at each other. “Help me carry him to the bed,” Charles said, as they gently lifted Shin.

Charles gave a slight chuckle as they moved. “He’s surprisingly light for someone his age.”

After navigating the many floors, they finally reached a room where they carefully laid Shin on a bed.

“You should wash him off—just use some wet towels,” Charles suggested, a teasing glint in his eyes.

Fiona blushed. “W-Why?”

Charles smirked. “Look at the dirt on his body. It’s definitely from your reckless use of magic.”

Fiona’s blush deepened, and she stammered, “F-Fine.”

“Or are you already thinking lewd thoughts?” Charles teased.

“St-stop,” Fiona said, pushing him out of the room and closing the door behind him.

“By the way, there are some clothes that might fit him. I’ll call them.” Charles left with a serious expression, heading downstairs.

Inside the room, Fiona hesitated for a moment, but then began undressing Shin, carefully removing his clothes. She walked to the restroom, grabbed a towel, and dampened it with water. As she began cleaning his body, she couldn’t help but notice how lean and skinny he was.

He’s very skinny, she thought.

She focused on cleaning him without lingering on certain parts of his body, though she couldn’t deny the energy his body seemed to radiate, especially given the rough circumstances. After she finished, she retrieved a fresh set of clothes that fit Shin perfectly.

"Finally, I’m done... Fiona thought, exhaustion creeping in. Wait, I shouldn’t fall asleep. The goddess told us to protect him."

But despite her best efforts to stay awake, Fiona slowly dozed off beside Shin, her head resting near his body.

Two hours later, Shin stirred, his body slowly waking from a deep slumber. He groggily looked around, confused. “What happened?” His voice was soft and hoarse.

As his eyes adjusted, he realized he was in a simple room, with a bed, a single table, and a lone chair. His gaze then shifted to Fiona, who was sleeping peacefully beside him.

“Wow, I didn’t realize she was that pretty...” Shin thought, his eyes lingering on her features. "She looks like a pure elf... Back on Earth, I never really found elves attractive. Is this the difference in beauty between a pure elf and a half-elf?"

Shin couldn't help but glance at Fiona’s beauty. What if she wakes up and sees me staring at her? She might think I'm a creep again...

After a while, Fiona finally stirred. The first thing she saw was Shin's face, inches away from hers. Their eyes met, and both quickly averted their gazes. Fiona scrambled to her feet and left the room, with Shin following close behind.

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“U-uh, what are we going to do?” Shin stammered.

“U-uh... follow me downstairs,” Fiona replied nervously.

“O-okay,” Shin nodded quickly, trailing her down the hall.

Where’s that priest from earlier? Shin wondered.

“So, what now?” he asked.

“We'll wait for Priest Charles to arrive,” Fiona answered.

Moments later, Charles walked in, accompanied by six other important figures of the kingdom.

“That’s him, our goddess' hero,” Charles said, pointing toward Shin.

Hero? This girl... Fiona, what did you get me into? Shin thought.

“Ah, you’re a hero?” Shin asked Fiona in confusion.

Fiona’s telepathic magic reached into Shin’s mind. You're the hero, dummy. Then, she cast a mute spell on him, silencing his words. Don’t freak out, okay?

Shin nodded, his eyes wide. Fiona released the seal, allowing him to speak again.

“Hello, hero. My name is Reyden Xyrus. I’m one of the generals in this kingdom,” said a middle-aged man with clear facial hair. He wore a blue steel armor adorned with the logo of a wolf crossed by an "X" on his chest.

“Nice to meet you too, General Reyden,” Shin said, bowing respectfully.

"Did Fiona already tell him about him"? Priest Charles thought. I’ll leave it to her, then.

Fiona silently commanded Shin in his mind. Continue greeting them, hero.

“Pleasure to meet you, hero. My name is Georgios Sympat. I’m Charles’ younger brother and also one of the generals in the kingdom,” said another man, kneeling. He wore a blue steel armor with the logo of a lone wolf and an "X" symbol on the back of the wolf.

A tall, muscular man stepped forward, wearing a compression shirt. “Hey, what’s up, hero? I’m Bajar de Monico. I’m General Reyden’s right-hand man, as well as General Charles’—why? Because I’m the strongest.” He grinned. “Oh, and I’m also the head instructor at the Kingdom Academy. Nice to meet you.”

“Wow,” Shin muttered repeatedly, bowing deeply to Bajar, almost as if accepting him as his master.

A girl dressed in a typical archer’s outfit, her hood concealing most of her face, spoke up. “H-hi... my name is Cellia Magster. Nice to meet you.”

"She’s just my type!" Shin thought to himself.

Shin extended his hand for a handshake. “Nice to meet you, Lady Cellia. No need to call me a hero,” he grinned.

A woman in a cloak, holding a staff, approached. “Hello, young man. My name is Belldia Magster. I’m the academy’s archmage, and one of the few to reach this rank in magic,” she said with full confidence.

"Wow, look at those... jugglers." Shin lewdly thought, his gaze lingering on her chest for a moment.

“Nice to meet you too, Madam,” he grinned, trying to hide his thoughts. Maybe this life will be better after all...

A man stepped forward, wearing the same armor as the generals. “Hello, my name is Reydel, son of Reyden. I’m one of the vice generals in the kingdom,” he said in a deep voice.

“Nice to meet you too, Reydel,” Shin said, offering a handshake. Reydel slapped it away.

“If you want to earn my respect, you’ll have to earn it. Are you really the hero? Look at you. You’re below average height, you’re skinny, and you look pathetic.”

Shin stood frozen, taking in the harsh words without saying anything. "Great, even here, I’m getting humiliated..."

"What the hell?" Shin’s anger simmered. "I didn’t ask to be a hero. I thought I died, only to be sent to this damn world. And now I’m getting humiliated by some guy who thinks he’s better than me?"

In that moment, Shin snapped. "Listen, Reydel, I’ll surpass you..."

With that, he stormed off toward the church’s upper floor, locking himself in the room where he had previously slept.

Shin's tears fell steadily, his emotions uncontrollable. "Why am I even here? I just want to go back to Earth. I miss Ria... my grandma..." he muttered, his voice breaking as the sobs wracked his body. "Why do I have to be so pathetic now? I can't even see them anymore. And I don't even know who my parents are..." he thought, the anguish evident in every tear that rolled down his face.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the atmosphere was tense.

"I think you all should leave now," Charles said firmly. The group nodded, preparing to depart.

"I apologize for what my son, Reydel, said," Reyden offered.

"It's fine," Charles replied with a calm tone. "We all have those moments."

Everyone left except for Bajar and Fiona.

"Fiona, check on Shin upstairs," Charles instructed. Fiona nodded and began heading to the room.

As she left, Charles turned to Bajar. "Why are you still here?"

"I want to train that kid—whatever his name is," Bajar said, arms crossed.

"But isn’t that against academy rules? Teaching a student secretly is favoritism," Charles countered.

"Who cares?" Bajar replied with a confident grin. "The current king wouldn’t be mad. It’s the goddess’s wish, after all."

"Hm, you have a point," Charles admitted.

"I told you," Bajar smirked. "Besides, the kid probably already likes me. I made a great first impression, right?"

Charles chuckled lightly and nodded, reluctantly agreeing.

Upstairs, Fiona stopped in front of Shin's door and knocked gently. "Hey, Shin, open up," she called softly. Silence greeted her. Instead of leaving, she sat down outside the door.

"I understand how you feel, Shin. I've been there before," she said gently.

Inside, Shin finally spoke, his voice shaky. "No, you don’t. All my life, I’ve tried to be something, but people always drag me down. Back on Earth, I was bullied every single day. And now, even here..."

Fiona sighed and leaned her back against the door. "I knew someone like you once. He was my older brother, Hanster. Everyone doubted him, but in the end, he proved them all wrong. Now he’s one of the Eight Heavenly Warriors of this world. Why don’t you do the same? Flip the script, Shin."

"It’s easy for you to say," Shin shot back. "How about me? I have nothing. No talent. No potential. I’ve tried everything, and I always fail. And I don’t even want to be here. I want to go back to Earth."

"You know we can’t do that," Fiona replied softly. "The goddess chose you. But think about it—this world is limitless. Maybe you’ll become something greater than you ever imagined."

"Shut up and go away," Shin said, his voice flat and exhausted.

Fiona sighed and stood up. "Fine. I’ll leave you for now. But think about what I said."

She left quietly, her footsteps fading into the distance. Shin remained locked in his room for the rest of the day, only opening the door to take the meals Charles left for him.