Chapter 2: First Steps
It was early in the morning in the Kingdom of Estusia, a great and dominant human power in the continent of Arcenaga. Its wide fertile lands and medieval structures ripped its image straight from a fantasy book.
Tall spires and buildings litter across the landscape concentrating into a walled city protected by knights and mages alike, from attacks and sieges.
As the sun is rising in the horizon, light shines through a window of a castle. Slowly illuminating a room filled with books and study materials on a desk in the corner of the room. The light stirring up the occupant of the room, waking him up.
“W-What time is it…” Hasegawa groggily mumbles as he wakes up from his bed, scratching his green haired head.
“Why didn’t you wake me up mo-” He stops as his eyes finally open fully and he sees the room. Obviously, it was far from normal with crystals and books pertaining to alchemy and bladesmith. It was around a month since they have been summoned.
“Oh yeah… I’m no longer in Japan.” He sighs dejectedly. He approaches the cabinet and grabs one of the available clothing attires given to him by the ruler of this land. A white shirt, brown pants, leather shoes and leather gloves. He picks up a book titled “Investment and Return: The Secret to Crystal Mining” and reads it.
A lot of time passes before a maid knocks on his door.
“Hero Hasegawa, breakfast has been available thirty minutes ago, your fellow heroes must’ve finished by now.”
“I’ll be right there.” he replies on the other side of the door
He leaves the room making sure it’s locked and walks towards the direction of the dining hall, hearing the happy banter and good vibes radiating from behind the two large wooden doors.
‘Another day huh…’
Hasegawa takes a deep breath and he opens the doors seeing his classmates and teacher all getting along together, mingling with the other world citizens.
All heads look at him as the dining hall banter slowly quieted into nothingness. Hasegawa tries to ignore the varying looks they’re giving him, but ultimately, he fails, seeing the look of pity and sympathy, while simultaneously receiving jeering looks from a minority of classmates.
“Where you going peasant?” one of the nobles laughed at him.
“Getting some food.” Hasegawa said as he picked up a full plate of food, walking slowly back to the doors. His teacher Ms. Nakajima wasn’t there right now as she was having a meeting with King Rouland about the treatment her students. Akari and Ryuu already left for the training grounds.
“Hey don’t you walk away from me!” The noble from earlier shouted, picking up a fork and flinging it at Hasegawa, but it doesn’t reach its intended target as a fist punches it out of the air.
“What took you so long?” Hasegawa asked?
“Sorry about that, I just got back.” Takezawa Akimasa replied, the former school delinquent now Boxer-type fighter class, and one of the handful of people Hasegawa Kazuki can trust in this world right now.
“So, are you going back to your room Hasegawa?”
“Yeah, I kinda have a goal set in mind.”
“Hasegawa. You shouldn’t allow yourself to be taunted like that by those bastards.”
“They are nobles Takezawa, I can’t lay a hand on them and neither can you. Don’t do anything stupid” Hasegawa said to his friend.
“I know, I know.”
“Hey… if you can’t find me in this place one day what will you do?”
“Well, from what I’ve known ‘bout you fer the last month. I probably wouldn’t be worried. I mean we’ve been practice fighting around once a day” Takezawa continued
“If you’re gone then it’s probably by your choice anyways and I won’t stop you.”
‘Even though he looks like a dumb brute, he’s actually pretty perceptive huh?’ Hasegawa thought to himself.
“Well don’t forget about our training spar later, you were the one who asked me to teach you the basics.” Takezawa explained.
“Yeah yeah. In the back of the training grounds before dinner, right?”
“That’s it.”
With that Takezawa and Hasegawa reached the latter’s room and parted ways.
“See yah later.”
“Sure.”
The door closes behind Hasegawa. Once again, he is in his room alone, sitting down he looks at his registration crystal, a quartz looking device that registers the user’s information in itself. Allowing it to essentially act as an ID.
He sighs as he sits down looking at the registered class. Peasant. After having many appraisal schedules, even the kingdom’s top appraisers couldn’t determine if he had special abilities.
His aura, or mana that radiates from his body is tiny in comparison to his classmates and even teacher.
In this world one’s function and role in society is not chosen by the individual but instead, it is appointed upon them by ability appraisers from a young age. Essentially segregating the people.
Yes, people can choose for what job to apply to, but employers would almost always hire those most suited for work.
Eventually creating a culture based on ability prowess. Segregating jobs called classes eventually emerged, with those on the weaker side being relegated to field work.
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Hasegawa was by far the least gifted person in all of the students, gifted only with the skill of language translation, allowing him to communicate with other languages as a result of the summoning.
Hasegawa picks up another book. “The story of Humrar” it tells of the legendary hero, Humrar the Wolf, and how with his great military genius was able to repel the invaders from his homeland.
Homeland
Home
‘I have to leave this place. I have no special class. There’s nothing here for me but pain. I need to get back home. My parents and sister must be worried where I went.’
‘I have studied enough about this world, apparently there is another human kingdom at least 40 kilometers from here. The trade city of Grapafeuse, the Library of Umis is located there.’
‘It is said to contain a thousand books, at least something must be there right?’
He looks into the mirror, he already decided what to do.
He clenches his fist.
If he can’t help the others on their adventures, then this would be the start of his.
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“King Rouland, May I request something.” Hasegawa asked the king, currently they were in front of the king’s throne room at the center of the castle, instead of their last face to face in the summoning room.
“Yes, Hero Hasegawa.” The king asked him. Although the king replied in a straight forward tone, he surely didn’t expect such a sudden audience with one of the heroes.
“Your majesty, may I be given permission to leave the Kingdom of Estusia.”
“Wha-What?! Hero Hasegawa, why would you make a request like that?” The king sputtered in his seat.
“King Rouland, just call me Hasegawa. Drop the hero part, you already know of my situation. I can’t do anything here being classified with a class like peasant, if I travel to Grapafeuse then I might be able to find a way home without fighting demons.”
“…”
“King Rouland, you don’t need to support me or anything. I just need to leave this kingdom. Don’t think I don’t notice the looks of disappointment that I get from the high-ranking officials here.” Hasegawa pleaded.
“… Have you told anyone about this, this choice of yours?”
“No.”
“Why is that so?” The king asked.
“I’m ashamed sir, it would seem that I am running away from the fight?”
“They will eventually know that you left right?” The king told him.
“I know, but don’t tell them where I’m headed. You can just tell them that I left after I pass the border. If you tell them now it might interfere with their training.” he reasoned.
“I see your logic Hasegawa. Alright… I’ll make my attendants secretly issue you a royal traveler’s pass instead, that way you’ll have no limitations where you can go. On one condition.”
“What is it?” Hasegawa asked, intrigues on what could possibly be the condition.
“I’ll ask you to send a letter to the castle at least once a month. It also will keep your teacher Ms. Nakajima off my back about letting you leave the kingdom, at least for a while.”
‘Sheesh, so even the king of this country is afraid of her.’ He thinks to himself.
“Thank you, sir…”
“May our goddess Nuarin bless you on your journey.” The king stands up from his throne, and pats Hasegawa on the back.
“It’s going to be a long and hard one.” King Rouland tells him.
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“So, this is it I guess.” Hasegawa said to himself.
He is standing right outside of the main gate, having passed the kingdom’s border walls. Officially he is no longer under the jurisdiction and protection of the Kingdom of Estusia. As of now he is formally on his own.
Now wearing a green coat over his white shirt, with a bag slung over his shoulder and a dagger on his belt for protection. He would have to find the nearest merchant guild to find a carriage that would take him to Grapafeuse.
His hand tightly holding his registration crystal, its importance in this world is paramount, as it cannot be copied and forged. It containing the unique mana designation of its owner, even Hasegawa could use one with his tiny mana capacity. A reliable tool for a traveler.
‘This is where everything would start.’
“Let’s do this!” Hasegawa shouted as he embarks on his own journey.
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“He did what?!” Ms. Nakajima shouted.
The entire training field was in an uproar after the messenger the king has dispatched had told them of what had happened. That Hasegawa had left the kingdom for unknown circumstances.
“Hasegawa-kun ran away!”
“I knew he just didn’t have it in him!”
“Why did he leave?”
The students clamored and discussed why did one of their classmates left. Effectively postponing the training session. Captain Grant didn’t seem at all surprised, having assumed that the lack of having a proper class must’ve destroyed the boy.
“We have got to get him back!” Akari-san shouted, having been dressed in simple and light leather armor for now, holding a staff. During the past month the students, with the exception of Hasegawa have been training their ability to unleash their full potential, in the vaguest of sense
The knights and mages having been assigned to tutor the heroes to increase their combat effectiveness. Under their tutelage the students’ abilities have grown exponentially with their physical and mana capacity being increased.
With each student given one specialization teacher, to help them into developing what class will they take.
“I support Akemi-chan! It’s too dangerous for a peasant-class like Hasegawa to venture out.” Ryuu Arata joins in the clamor, being clad in leather armor, but with extra weight attached to train him for heavy armor. Being chosen for paladin-class and under the special teacher of Captain Grant Cobalt himself.
“The king has ordered us to not pursue him, and he probably would’ve disappeared by now. Nobody knows where he is.” The messenger contested.
“No way.”
“So, he’s really gone.”
In the background amongst the crowd of people, Takezawa was thinking to himself.
‘So that’s what he meant by that, He even forgot about the spar.’ Takezawa sighs to himself and walks in front of everybody, as he makes a bold gesture.
“The fuck! are you worried ‘bout huh?!” He shouted at everyone present, whilst doing the classic slouch and hands in the pocket pose that is a trademark of every delinquent.
“Takezawa-kun language!” Ms. Nakajima scolded him.
“Takezawa-kun what do you mean?” a girl with pigtails and pink dyed hair questioned Takezawa, Maki Yoshino. An accurate archer.
“You guys don’t have to be worried ‘bout him. Hasegawa may look average but that guy can take one hell of a beating.” Takezawa explained.
“And how do you know about that?” Akari asked him.
“Simple class rep. I was the one dishing out the beating. We hold sparring sessions in secret so he CAN defend himself, I have almost never met another guy like him.”
“So, you guys can rest easy, he won’t die like a pussy.” He confidently told everybody.
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“Are you saying that the king let that useless bastard go?” In a secluded meeting room, a shady nobleman by the name of Viscount Caullas Silvercharge asked the other member of the room as he sat on his desk.
“It would seem so. Nice room by the way, enchanted with high-level anti-eavesdropping charms.” An unnamed man answered, leaning on the wall next to the doorway.
“I wouldn’t call him useless Caullas. He did seem that he was able to notice the balcony in the summoning room through the spell.” The man continued.
“And? Why did you come here?” Caullas asked the man.
“It’s time for you to repay that favor ‘Viscount’ I want you to kill him.”
“Why would you request that my friend?” Viscount Caullas replied as he straightened his suit’s collar and cuffs.
“It’s just a matter of this kingdom’s security. I mean what if he awakens his abilities later on and uses it against the kingdom.” The man walks up towards the viscount.
“I want the truth not the excuse.” Caullas demanded.
“I can’t exactly disclose the information to you Caullas. It is a personal affair, and right now I just need you to hunt and dispose of the boy. The king is losing power and favor over the groups of interest, anyways so it is not a problem.”
“Very well, I’ll send my elite guards to track him.”
“Are they secure?”
“Don’t worry, they only and only respond to me. I made sure of that.” Viscount Caullas said as he picked up his pen and started to write on some paper, with the writing slowly disappearing into nothingness on the sheet.
“They’ll be able to read this later, Lyx.” Viscount Caullas spat out the man’s name.
“Very well.” The man named Lyx exited the room and left without a trace.
Viscount Caullas the places the seemingly blank paper in a special envelope on his desk, as he chants the spell.
“Secretum Momentanea.” The envelope starts to rise and collapses into itself until there was nothing left. The viscount seemingly calm without any remorse for what would happen.
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