“Ryotaro! It’s alright! Even if you don’t have a blessing, we’ll all work together! So a blessing isn’t really important!”

Oh? Who was that? Returning to his senses, Ryotaro looked to his right and saw Hayami clutching his hand between her own hands. Behind her, he could see the other girls in the class looking at him with pity. Some went as far as to even start tearing up for him.

Ryotaro could only give a kindly smile in response to Hayami’s concern. Although he wasn’t given a Blessing of the Gods, Ryotaro wasn’t devastated. He merely felt a little out of the loop since he was the only one who did not receive one. Moreover, he did not know what abilities the Blessings granted yet.

“Hayami are you alright?”

Ryotaro noticed that Hayami had blanked out and continued staring at him.

“Ah! I’m alright!” Hayami quickly turned away when Ryotaro called out to her.

“That’s good.”

Ryotaro couldn’t help but notice that there was a tinge of redness on her ears. Perhaps she was feeling ill?

Regardless, he simply shrugged off the idea. He assumed that being suddenly pulled into a new environment wasn’t good for one’s health.

Hmm? From the corner of his vision, Ryotaro noticed that Makoto was looking in Ryotaro’s direction with a strange look on his face.

Ryotaro simply dismissed it as another of Makoto’s weird quirks, he had seen it one too many times after all. It was the same expression as everytime Hayami shared her lunch with Ryotaro.

With everybody having gone through the ceremony, the King made his way in front of the class and cleared his throat to grab their attention.

“I, King Trustham of the Kingdom of Rosham once again request all of you Heroes to lend us your aid to fight against the Demon King!” Lowering his head while bowing deeply, the king once again pleaded for the assistance from the newly summoned heroes.

When he did, the class was taken aback. Since the beginning, this king had sincerely lowered his head to ask for their help! How could they possibly say refuse to help a person in need?

Ryotaro watched expressionlessly as most of the students quickly asked King Trustham to raise his head and promised to help him.

At this moment, Ryotaro raised a question to King Trustham.

“What about our normal lives in our world?”

His question clawed at the worries buried inside the student's hearts. Each of them had parents who doted on them, a warm cosy place to call home, and a normal life to live. With Ryotaro lighting a spark, their worries bubbled forth.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“He’s right, what about our parents?”

“Won’t they be worried if we’re missing?”

“Send us back now!”

In the face of the group’s panicked cries, the King Trustham gave a reassuring smile.

“Relax heroes, once the Demon King, you’ll be sent back to your world as if nothing had happened. I give you my word for it.”

Hearing King Trustham’s words, a wave of relief swept over the crowd. If things returned to normal after they defeated the Demon King in this fantasy world, there was nothing to worry about. Furthermore, the person who assured that everything would go back to normal was a king.

Kings were the epiphany of honour, living to serve the local populace while being fair, righteous and wise. Moreover, King Trustham gave them his word. For a king to go back on his word, that would be sacrilege!

With the heroes’ hearts set at ease, King Trustham graciously called for servants to escort them to their personal quarters.

As they were led away, the class laughed and chatted about as they compared their current situation to an RPG. Going on a quest to defeat the invading Demon King sounded like a fun adventure that every child wanted to do! They’d start by beating weaker monsters for EXP until they were strong enough to confront the Demon King.

Walking behind the class, Ryotaro narrowed his eyes as he looked in King Trustham's direction and whispered under his breath.

“Liar.”

Based on what King Trustham had said, he either didn’t have the ability to send them back at all or… he already had the ability to send them back, but he didn’t intend to. Why would they need to wait until the Demon King was defeated? If they could summon them here while the Demon King was alive and kicking, surely they could send them back anytime they wished.

With these thoughts in mind, Ryotaro started questioning the moral integrity of King Trustham.

~

“Salbin.”

“Yes, my Lord Trustham?” The King’s right-handed aide responded.

“Did you notice how the one with the Legendary Blessing stared at the crippled?” Rubbing his hands in glee, King Trustham gave a wide smile.

“Invite him to the Royal Bathhouse later.”

Salbin gave a curt bow and quickly left as he set off to complete his master’s command.

King Trustham was alarmed by the amount of influence Ryotaro carried despite not having a Blessing. Most of the class appeared to have a friendly relationship with him. It was likely that most of the class would listen to Ryotaro's opinion. For a 'pawn' to have a higher hierarchy than a king, King Trustham couldn't help but felt threatened by Ryotaro's position in the group.

Fortunately, this 'pawn' had not received a Blessing of God.

In addition, King Trustham was elated that the hero with the Legendary Blessing’s appearance was overall, quite lacking. Moreover, it clear as day that he was envious of the Ryotaro; in terms of appearances and how Ryotaro was the center of attention in the class.

It wouldn’t take much to entice him with the promises of wealth and power. Those who looked unattractive were easily swayed by the pleasures of flesh. All he had to do was simply shower Makoto with gold, precious gems and women...

From King Trustham’s personal experience, he himself frequently indulged in such euphoria himself. Relishing in the plucking of untainted flowers that caught his eye… such as the girl with the Greater Blessing.

But alas, that girl was not for him to befoul.

For he needed a carrot capable of making the Legendary Hero obedient.