The stink of the damp, dark dungeon area where the class had been summoned had finally left them. Everyone, including Logan, immediately desired a change from their current attire.

Logan wanted to take off his sweaty, clingy hoodie, but he was aware that the shirt below was likely wet. He made an effort to ignore everything as he observed the new hallway that the three otherworlders were guiding them through.

The ceiling was four or five meters high, with several exquisite crystal chandeliers illuminating the already-sunlit corridor as if they didn't have to worry about electricity costs. The class had adequate space to stretch out because the building's breadth and height were both of equal size. In order to display the richness of the kingdom, there were benches and tables spaced a few meters apart, each with flowers and scarlet or gold tablecloths or curtains. The class could see through some of the windows on the left a medieval-style panorama of the castle grounds and gardens, while the right side of the corridor was crowded with doors, one about every five meters.

It took them about ten minutes to go from what appeared to be a separate tower, where they had just been, to the main castle via the straight path. Until the voice of the princess summoned the maids to divide the group into two different directions and lead them into separate changing rooms, they proceeded up a flight of stairs in quiet, taking in all the views that came with the brief excursion.

With no ability to stop anything from happening, Logan followed the maid assigned to him, a small woman with light brown hair who grabbed his hand firmly and dragged him along as if hurriedly, forcing him to accompany her to a room. He was offered a towel and asked if he needed assistance bathing, both of which he of course declined.

He entered a plain room with a few shelves and a huge wooden bucket, or perhaps it would be more accurate to describe it as a tub filled with steaming water. He was curious about how people bathed in this world and wanted to question the maid who offered her assistance and was waiting outside the door, but he decided to use what common sense he could gather from the situation and take off his clothes after carefully looking around for anything or anyone who might be watching him. Before fully stepping inside the tub, he gingerly dipped his toes in to check the temperature, which seemed to be just right. A few additional buckets with clean water were located near the tub, so he figured that he would need to wash his hands first before rinsing himself with the water in those buckets.

Logan decided to totally immerse himself into the now-soap-filled container and meticulously wash his hair after five minutes of bathing since he felt less cautious. Logan observed that his long, rich chocolate brown hair had grown to the below his shoulders as he carefully stretched it out and combed through it with his hands, but before he could continue, a tap at the door appeared to be hurrying him.

To remove any remaining soap from his body, he rose, doused himself with the two buckets next to the tub, lightly shook himself so as not to soak the area around the big bucket, and then reached for a towel.

He groaned when he saw the plain clothing on the shelf, which included a shirt and what appeared to be tights in place of underwear.

He knew proper clothes would probably be specially tailored after this and told the maid he was done bathing. The black-haired maid entered the room and took his measurements with a string and informed him to wait for a few minutes while clothing was being prepared.

Soon the maid arrived with three fresh items, she handed him smooth white pants and a plain white shirt, which he promptly put on. He received a white and gold-trimmed tunic to complete the set shortly after putting on the other pieces. He could tell by the fabric's quality that everything was made of silk or a material that was very close to it. They were all quite light and comfortable, but a little too large and garish for his tastes.

Even the laceless shoes miraculously kept on while giving him the impression that he could jump higher than usual. The attire was classy overall and incredibly comfortable even if they were a bit simple.

The only issue left was the beanie he always wore, and despite his attempts to put it on covertly, the maid just reached out and requested it under the pretext that it needed to be washed.

"Hero, if you don't mind, I asked around for some hats to be brought since you were wearing one when you were summoned. Please decide if you want to wear one of the three that I could bring on short notice, or if not, I can try looking for others." The maid brought three different hats: one was a cap with a donut-like form and cloth hanging around it, another was a white hood that covered everything but his face and the last was a simple hat that slanted to one side and had a feather attached to it.

Looking at the three hats and the stoic-faced maid in front of him, Logan had to restrain himself from laughing. He decided on the feathered hat and positioned it in his typical emo way with hair covering part of his face, not wanting to bother the maid anymore and wanting to avoid feeling bad for making her search for additional headwear.

He was forced to rely only on the maid's compliments for his appearance because there were no mirrors in the room. He hoped that the other students in the class had it worse than he did.

He thanked the maid for her help and went into the hallway where the class would soon assemble. Logan was the fourth person to finish, while the other three men were sitting nearby wearing clothing that was similar to his, with the exception of the fact that Logan was the only one wearing headgear. Naturally, he couldn't avoid the looks they gave him, especially when they noticed his distinctive hat among the bunch.

Logan kept a composed demeanor as he walked past them and then sat down on one of the nearby benches, leaning his head back and keeping his eyes closed as he waited for the others. The sounds of more footfall interrupted his attempt to appear to be fast asleep as other males entered the hallway and began conversing. However, none of them chose to sit next to him or disturb him.

Logan sat in his resting position for around 30 minutes, trying to block out the noise, but he couldn't help but become absorbed in a conversation that caught his interest. Some of these whispers were about the guys who accepted the maid's assistance in getting clean and the subsequent events, while others were about his hat because it appeared that he was the only one who bothered to wear one in the end.

Fortunately, the sound of the women coming from the opposite side of the corridor, which was separated by the stairs, caused all of the boys to stop talking. Logan pondered the cause of the strange calm that settled over the guy's side of the hallway.

He opened his eyes and turned to look at the girls, who were wearing a range of various colored outfits, accessories, and makeup. Even Silvia's smaller-than-average body, which was approaching them while wearing a look of shame, but she appeared rather charming.

Logan struggled to appear uninterested, but he couldn't help but glance at Lisa. Being in the center of the group and receiving compliments from girls, she was obviously easy to spot. Wearing a silver gleaming sophisticated gown, she had her light ash brown waist-length hair down with a silver flowery ornament perfectly holding the rest of her hair in place.

The people distributing clothing seemed to have given extra attention to Lisa because she appeared to be wearing far more jewelry than the other students in the class. Logan observed the young girl's beet-red face and glued-to-the-floor eyes as she attempted to respond gratefully to each compliment she was receiving. Logan was relieved that he no longer had to observe the uncomposed figure with which Lisa was brought into this world. When they arrived here, he hasn't aggressively sought to check on her; in fact, she tried to hide within the group once they arrived, and he even noticed when she turned to avoid his gaze.

Logan was also drawn to two other people in the class, one of them was Alma. She was wearing a scarlet gown that demonstrated her sense of style and had her gold hair pulled back in a bun with a tiny fan-shaped ornament to hold it in place.

Ms. Claire, who wore a long majestic brown dress with dazzling black silk fabrics underneath, was the third lady in the female group that drew Logan's attention. Also, she had her hair up in a bun with side-swept bangs in the front secured by a very thin, simple gold tiara and two strands of ebony black hair cascading down from each ear. Of course, Logan, a guy, couldn't overlook the chest area of her attire, which made it easy for him to observe the size of her usually restricted and hidden mature womanly shape. However, he did notice one thing: she was staring at the princess with a perplexed expression. It would later be revealed that they had a disagreement while everyone was bathing, which unfortunately resulted in the teacher having to wait until later to get a personal explanation about the summoning from the princess.

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The two princesses from before didn't appear out of place now that everyone was back together, especially because the other women were all wearing similar clothing. The gems on their crowns now strangely appear to sparkle in an effort to counterbalance this, and the eldest sister Vianell even appeared to act haughtier. Like the other males, Logan sensed that some rivalry had awoken but chose to remain mute and carry on.

As soon as everyone was prepared, they started to descend the spiral staircase until they reached the bottom floor, where they followed a few guards who were posted there. Being last in line meant Logan was constantly having to straighten his hat, particularly the feather that stuck out and annoyed him.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

After passing down a few more hallways, they came to a big chamber whose doors were wide open and where everyone could see that it was completely packed.

Everyone, including Logan, felt anxious as they prepared to be introduced to the king. They were never asked whether this was what they wanted, but they all understood that they couldn't go against the flow at this time because they were unaware of their circumstances or what had brought them here.

What could they do against a kingdom where heavily armored individuals were always present? Even the maid who had previously taken care of Logan displayed some sort of adoration that gave Logan the chills; what was worst was not that they held swords and metal armor but that they looked upon the class with a gaze full of expectation. He even believed the young woman would sacrifice her life if necessary for his sake because she seemed so grateful for the opportunity to assist him.

According to the chats they had earlier, the guys took that kindness and enjoyed the companionship the maids had offered them. As for the women, Logan remembered Alma caressing the rings she was given, and how not only she but the others seemed to love the new wealth that they were given.

All of this simply meant that they were being bought off, that their future would likely be determined by what would happen next, and that half of the students had already experienced the pleasures of this world.

They didn't take long to arrive at the throne room's door, where those present started to applaud as they entered the opulent and enormous hall. The two princesses were the first to enter, followed by the girls, all of them directed by a red carpet that led them to an area where a few stairs ascended and two lavishly built red with gold trim thrones stood out.

A man who appeared to be in his fifties and a woman in her mid-to late-thirties were seated in front of them. The man, or should we call him the king of this country, was obese and bald, but he still had some of the good looks that probably attracted a lot of women when he was younger. He wore stylish red and gold attire that complemented the tones of his throne. His face, height, and choice of spouse were arguably his best qualities. The woman, in contrast, was naturally beautiful, with long gold hair that was perfectly braided, a long gold garment with red trims, and, like her daughters, a gorgeous face that appeared to have been painted to resemble a Greek or Roman deity.

Once the heroes entered, they both stood without bowing; instead, they simply watched until everyone had formed a neat line in front of them.

The princesses assisted each student in forming up, and Logan observed that of the two, the younger girl was more aware of when someone needed help. She also made an effort to allay any anxiety the students may have displayed by telling them the right words while smiling sweetly and innocently.

Being last in line there were a few brief seconds where all the attention was placed on him, he noticed not only the king's gaze on each student but also the queen’s expression that seem to carefully size up everyone based on their attitude. Her gaze wandered toward him for a while when he was fixing his hat for the tenth time, he didn’t mean to but during that moment he couldn’t look away from her eyes. That lasted only until her husband made a deep cough and raised his hand to silence everyone in the room.

“His Royal Majesty, our King Holven Elstin the Third, and her Majesty, Queen Olvidia Madrin, are assembled here on this day of prophecy to present the heroes called by the Temple of the Seven Spirits.” A man shouted from his position a few steps beneath the king.

The room was silent for a while before the king spoke.

“Heroes, I thank you on behalf of all humanity for answering our call and responding to our summon to assist us in the desperate crisis we are all facing now. We required strength, but what we received was so much more. This time, numerous youthful individuals have been sent to us, which gives me optimism.” A few seconds of stillness followed his two or three coughs before he resumed speaking.

“I will swear right here and now to help each and every one of our warriors become strong enough to handle the risks we face because I have high hopes for each of you.” After speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear, the monarch paused for a moment to look at every student in the class individually before continuing.

“Our enemies are the treacherous demons who once held humanity captive, but thanks to the assistance of our first hero, we have reclaimed our freedom. These demons have returned, in large numbers, and are now gradually infesting every piece of land they can get their hands on. They had taken over half of this continent, yet a few months ago, the spirits delivered the news that we would be able to call upon a hero. Thus, I humbly beg you to aid us, save us, and exterminate these demons.” The king stood up with even more zeal and uttered as if roaring a passionate speech that caused everyone to cheerily applaud.

People who were standing behind Logan and his team started to hail the heroes with their own declarations of adoration, faith, and goodwill. Being the center of attention, the class could only turn to face the people around them and see how they all clung to the belief that they would save them.

Being aware that there were armored guards positioned throughout the hall, Brian took a few tentative steps forward before speaking.

"If I may ask, how are we supposed to assist you? We're simply teens; in fact, some of these men don't even take their sports classes seriously. His reprimanding remark looked to be addressed at some of the boys in the class, yet Logan knew Brian's word was definitely directed at him, and he said it with a voice that seemed to hold the complicated feelings everyone experienced from the beginning.

But, the king didn't appear to care and just called one of the knights who were closest to him.

"You there!" He motioned for the man to approach. "Sure, you will set a good example for everyone to see. You will fight the hero bare-handed in order to test the strength only mentioned in legends."

The knight, who didn't appear to comprehend why he was chosen, removed his helmet and the sections of his armor that protected his upper body. Under all of that was a very muscular man with short red hair who was probably in his late 20s. With a solemn attitude, he asked another knight to assist him in holding his equipment as he made his way toward the monarch. He stopped a short distance from the throne's steps and performed a graceful bow.

"Hero, it's up to you to take on this knight." The king calmly invited Brian to come forward, as if he already knew what would happen.

At first, Brian didn't seem to want to accept the challenge, but he was actually curious as to why they were calling him a hero. In actuality, he felt hardly different from when he was on Earth. He felt a strength inside of him that he couldn't quite describe from the minute they were summoned until they entered this area. It resembled a never-ending sugar rush or the rush of adrenaline you get when you face a formidable foe.

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When the monarch gave his next instruction, Brian moved forward and stopped about a meter or so from the knight.

"This demonstration will only be for show, so please refrain from hurting each other. Now, I take that both of you are prepared?" The king, who was clearly excited, cried out to both parties before raising his hand to prepare the signal for the fight to begin.

Everyone in the room, even the students, appeared to lean forward in order to clearly watch what would happen while in silence. Finally, the monarch lowered his arm like a referee, and the two competitors rushed toward one another.

Being the first to approach his opponent suggested that Brian had the advantage in movement. The young boy took three steps to land a punch with an outstretched hand onto the sturdy man's torso. The knight parried the blow at the last second to avoid injury and attempted to counter with a strike of his own, but that was promptly greeted with a counter as Brian used his quickness to react. Brian repeated the previous attack with his right hand extended towards the knight's chest, this time with a whip-like speed that was faster than the first punch, using his left hand to deflect the jab.

The knight could only back off this time and try to reclaim his position; the massive build man didn't appear to be faring well against the teenager's quickness but didn't want to show any weakness. Especially when considering that he was a member of the royal guard who had spent years training, killed many monsters during that time, and even participated in multiple battles. He had anticipated a struggle from the young man, but he had not imagined being pushed back so much in such a short period of time.

Brian, who was growing more and more assured of his agility, managed to keep the knight at bay. He had no idea how, but his body skillfully utilized the limited fighting experience he had to identify weaknesses in the knight. He didn't get worn out as his barrage of mild punches continued. As the fight went on, the power he had felt earlier appeared to grow even stronger; in bliss, his mind searched for more of this pleasure as he added more movements.

Brian stepped back and prepared his leg for a kick after observing the knight attempt to block his subsequent strike. Unaware of how he was able to extend his foot that high, the youngster delivered a roundhouse kick that inspired shouts from some onlookers. As the fight grew more one-sided, several students even joined in the cheers. The unfortunate knight, unable to keep up, simply took a defensive stance in an effort to avoid taking significant harm.

Looking at the duel in front of him, Logan couldn’t believe his eyes. Brian, who didn't appear to know martial arts, effortlessly defeated a tall, strong, and well-trained knight without breaking a sweat. The young man kept performing other tough kicks that he had probably seen in movies, and he didn't appear to want to stop. After taking so much damage that the knight was unable to keep his hands raised, Brian leaped forward.

"Stop! That's enough!" The king, who was observing everything in astonishment, appeared to recall the warning he had given to both parties and lifted his hands while yelling to try and prevent Brian from connecting the blow.

With the king's remarks, Brian, who was hovering, came to his senses and tilted his foot just enough to avoid the knight's face. The tall soldier breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the kick would probably knock him out cold and then tried, with what little effort he could muster, to stay up and bow to the boy and then the monarch before retiring quietly to his position with the knights. And for Brian, triumphantly lifted his hand and turned to face the monarch while nodding.

"Oh see, so this is a hero's strength... Perhaps that will be possible. What will we receive in return, then? You know you can't expect us to do all of this for free, right?" The king appeared to appreciate the young man's ambition as the child glanced up at him with a self-assured grin.

"Of course, we will do our share to give you all the assistance you require; if I may add, not only will this kingdom back you all, but so will everyone other who wants to restore peace to this continent. Our heroes will receive all that you ask for, including land and wealth." The boy, who displayed signs of greed from his statements, was addressed by the king with a calm reply and a smile.

The king once more lifted his hand and coughed a few times before speaking after concluding that enough time had gone. "All right, let me just add one minor detail before you all start walking in the parade we have organized specifically for this event. We'll be throwing a large feast tonight where all of you can select patrons, whether it's the support of a kingdom or a powerful trader, due to the large number of heroes who came. You will all be able to obtain all you require and desire in order to live happily while residing in our world. Enjoy the remainder of your day until this evening, when we shall all gather.”

The king waved to the guards stationed on the left side of the throne room, the knights there opened the entrance, and music started playing without saying a word more or taking the time to hear any comments from the class. Drums, trumpets, and other instruments started to play a tune that the audience was able to follow along with singing.

Similar to earlier, our tour guides, two princesses, led the group outside and started walking toward a garden that was on the other side of two magnificently constructed wooden doors. Before leaving, Logan turned around to survey the festive mood within the castle, but the faces of happiness from everyone made him feel uneasy rather than glad. Since he arrived, he has felt under pressure since he has never had the chance to speak with anyone or ask them questions about the concerns he had. Instead, he has had to follow the crowd and wait for the right opportunity to find someone who will listen to him for the time being.