I yawned. It was already getting pretty late, the sun was slowly setting behind the high-rises, its warm light gradually replaced by the cold artificial illumination coming off the street gradually lit up the outside. Despite that, the room I was sitting in was still filled with eager shouts and rhythmic sounds of training swords hitting one another with vigour and determination.
I glanced from one side of the room to the other, watching the other eight people that were here with me, all sparring in twos, lively swinging their practice swords despite their heavy breaths. Their skins were shining in the dim light from all the sweat, yet they all looked either determined or happy as they continued their one-on-one spars.
I couldn't help but smile at myself as I watched them. I would lie if I was to say I did not take pride in my students. Remembering when they all started, barely able to hold a stance, now all capable of chaining strikes and keeping each other on their toes at all times despite knowing one another so well too. I knew just how much progress they've made and how happy it made them, and that fact was the source of my own joy and pride as their mentor.
I checked the watch. It was just a few minutes away from nine in the evening, the planned ending of the lesson. However, I knew everyone gave their all today and that they were all exhausted. As so, I clapped my hands twice. Nearly immediately, all the fights stopped and everyone turned their attention to me. Once again, I allowed myself a soft smile.
-You all did great today. You've all progressed a lot since last month. If you keep at it, in a month or two you may even have a good shot at some HEMA tournaments.
I stopped speaking for a short moment, happy to see the big smiles my students gave me upon this well-deserved praise, especially the ever-proud Kira. I knew some of them were not interested in competitive sparring, like Sethana, Shin or Lidia, which I honestly considered a shame given their talents. I wasn’t planning on forcing anyone. It’s ultimately their own choice.
-There's not much for me to say to you today, I'll go over everyone individually on what you can still improve on during the next class. For now, put the gear back and go change, that’s it for today’s class.
With those words, the students all stood at attention and tapped their chests with their fists in a form of a salute. It was their way of thanking me for the lesson. Although I'm not exactly sure who and why started this tradition, although I can almost bet my money on Lucas, it caught on and became almost natural for them pretty quickly. I like this little gesture of theirs, though. It shows unity and cooperation between them and that they do make a good team together.
I looked up from watching the students put the swords and protective gear away as I heard footsteps heading my direction. One of my students, the tallest, most muscular and the oldest one, was approaching me with a grin on his face. His face was the only one that wasn’t shining with sweat, even though I knew he was putting his all into training as well.
-What is it, Lucas?
-You free tomorrow?
-What have you thought of this time?
I let out a heavy sigh as I turned my attention back to the other students. Lucas took a seat next to me as he loosened his long, brown hair and started tying it up into a ponytail again.
-Got a new game, highly reviewed.
-Co-op?
-Yep. We haven't had many opportunities to play together lately.
-True, and you do love kicking my ass in games.
-Can't do it here so I have to do it somewhere.
He laughed. I let out a smirk too. While all of my students held a special place in my heart, Lucas was the only one I would call an actual friend. He was with me from the beginning and helped me a lot along the way. He never asked for any form of compensation either, although I wasn’t charging him for taking part in my classes either. He was also the most determined to best me one day and had a pretty good shot at it too. Fights with him were always demanding and he seemed to be able to read most of my feints before I even started setting them up. I never lost to him, although some of our fights would have ended in draws if we were fighting to the first hit. And so, he enjoyed every little victory he had over me in other fields, especially in video games.
-Sure, why not. I should find some ti-
I was interrupted by a sudden sound of a bell. I immediately rose up to my feet, sensing danger. I looked around, clutching my practice sword and cursing at myself that I didn’t have my regular one closer at hand. This sound really stirred me up. I knew there were no bells in the area. The sound was also way too loud and clear, almost as if it was coming directly from within my head. I could also tell it wasn’t just me hearing it either. Not only Lucas was also looking around confused, but my other students also returned from the changing room. I tried to move closer to the entrance to the building. Perhaps it was just something outside and we were all worrying for nothing. The moment I turned, however, I suddenly felt oddly light. It’s almost as if my body lost all its weight and the air all of its resistance. I felt like I’m stuck in a void, unable to move at all. At that point, the room started filling in with smoke and a very faint light. It was gradually becoming stronger, shining a sinister shade of purple on the walls of the building. It was impossible to tell where the light originated from but I knew one thing: I knew that shade. It was the exact same hue of purple I saw in my dream tonight.
Then, suddenly, a second bell rang. With it, everyone around suddenly got illuminated by an almost blinding bright light with small purple orbs flying through the space around us. At this point the fear of the unexplainable situation hit my students and scared screams erupted all around me. Some of them seemed to try to fight against the weird force holding us in place. Others simply stood there, trying to think of a solution or an explanation. Some other people simply broke down and started crying and pleading for help and for this to end but, due to the light, I couldn’t tell who’s who or where. I tried to stay calm and approach what was happening rationally but nothing sensible was coming to my head. That's when I was suddenly pulled back. I turned to face Lucas, barely able to see his face despite it being just a few centimetres away from mine. He was not shocked like the rest of us but was looking at me with a determined expression. He nodded at me, which helped me calm down a little too. I already knew what I had to do. I had to protect my students. But just how on Earth was I supposed to do that if I didn’t even know what was happening here myself?
But then, the third bell rang, and the light suddenly intensified even more, blinding me completely. For a while, all I could see was this accursed shade of purple, even with my eyes closed. My head hurt and my ears were filled with an irritating high pitch noise. I could still faintly hear my students, muffled, as if they were far away or if something was covering my ears. I felt like I'm floating, completely weightless and still without any control over my own body. Even trying to move my hands or head around proved to be in vain. When I tried to open my eyes, I couldn’t see anything. However, I did feel pressure against my wrist, at the same spot Lucas was holding onto me just before the third bell. This calmed me down a little. The fact I could still feel it meant we likely didn’t die, as I was originally afraid. We were all here, wherever “here” was. As such, my role as a guardian of my students continued on.
After calming myself a bit more and trying to figure out our position in all this, I think I can get a pretty good idea of what was going on. Lucas shared enough of his favourite mangas with me for me not to be familiar with reincarnation tropes. And this smelled like one. Still, this just felt all too weird, especially in conjunction with that weird dream I had. But if this was a correct assumption, we'll be finding ourselves in an unfamiliar place, with no telling if we'll be alone or not or what will be expected from us. I never asked for this but I doubt my students did either. But since I'm coming along, I'll have to support my students to the best of my abilities to ensure their safety. They might need me now more than ever and I had to rise up to the task.After a moment, I started feeling cold. As more of my senses started coming back, I realised I was laying face-down on a hard, cold floor. I had no idea what happened or how I was knocked unconscious, however my head was killing me, my vision was blurry and my ears were still ringing. For a few seconds, I was completely disoriented. I couldn’t tell at all what was going on around me. Only after some time has passed I began to recognise blurred smudges as people surrounding us, various pitches as words that didn't want to form a cohesive whole, different tones jumping between anger, confusion and rational tact.
I propped myself up on my elbow, cursing under my nose that I couldn't even control my own body properly. In the corner of my vision I saw the other students, all laying on the ground, not moving. In my current state, I couldn't tell if they were unconscious or dead but I chose to believe the former. After all, I was still alive, why wouldn’t they be?
Someone suddenly grabbed my arms and pulled me up. My legs immediately gave in, however whoever picked me up, was holding me steady, as if anticipating I won’t be able to support myself yet. At that time, some other person appeared in front of me. I still couldn't see clearly or pick up whatever they were saying, however from how much they gesticulated, they either had something very important to say or were extremely furious about something.
I tried to focus on what was happening in front of me but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. Instead, I started overexerting myself and started passing out again. That's when I suddenly felt strong pain in my side. The sudden rush of adrenaline caused me to immediately come to all of my senses and the instinct to fight back kicked in. I was still firmly restricted, however. Someone was holding my arms back and pressing against my neck to force me to look down. It seemed like there were at least two people apprehending me, however I couldn’t see either of them. I really wanted to kick them where it hurts most but without knowing their exact position and angle, at which they were facing me, my attempt would most likely prove futile.
I glared up as much as I could, gritting my teeth, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever was responsible for this whole ordeal. I was ready to give them a piece of my mind and a lecture about hospitality. However, the sight before me completely took me aback. Any words I had prepared died out in the back of my throat, unable to come forward.
In front of me was a girl who looked no more than sixteen. She was way shorter than me, with long, curly blonde hair. She wore a white robe with blue accents that looked very much like some religious attire, although it also seemed a bit too revealing for that purpose. Luckily, it didn’t expose anything it shouldn’t but looking at it still felt wrong on so many levels. Atop her head sat a silver tiara with diamonds and sapphires, likely a symbol of her status. Behind her I noticed a crowd of people showing a wide range of emotions, from surprise, through disappointment, to concern and sheer curiosity. Many of them wore expensive-looking robes. Some people in the back wore various types of armour, likely knights of some sort. In front of the crowd, several men stood out, whispering something to one another. They all wore different crowns atop their heads, which distinguished them from the other noble-looking lot around them. There were some other nobles with tiaras and similar headpieces among the crowd too, though none were coming even close in the grandeur to them.
-What do you think you're doing? Unhand him right now!
The girl was clearly pissed but, luckily, it didn't seem like she was directing her anger towards me. At least for now. To my surprise, from behind me came a voice which sounded like it belonged to a dignified young lady, probably just a bit older than the girl in front of me was.
-But, milady, he has shown disrespect to y-
-Unhand. Him. Right. Now!
The woman behind me let out a defeated sigh and a moment later, the pressure on my arms and neck disappeared. I straightened up, stretching my arms and neck a little to get rid of the pain and stiffness that accumulated within them. While most of the adrenaline has disappeared already, it seemed it woke me up enough to allow my body at least to support my own weight. I wanted to look back at the people who apprehended me but before I could, the kid in front of me coughed and started speaking, drawing my attention to her. She put her hands to the side in a welcoming gesture, however her face still showed the fact she’s annoyed at, I would assume, her subordinates.
-I apologise on behalf of everyone, oh great Hero. We were just surprised for you to come to your senses before the ritual was fully completed and didn't know how to react properly. I hope we did not cause you any disrespect.
-No, you very much did by pulling all of us here so suddenly in the first place. Shouldn’t you at least ask us for our consent first or something?
The girl looked up at me, her kind expression changing to a much darker one, as if she suddenly became extremely angry at what I just said. But when I just crossed my arms, withstanding the pressure she put me under, she gave in and tried her best to collect herself, or at least look the part.
-Of course, I understand. However, it was not our will but the will of the Gods that you were chosen. We only seek assistance with the calamity hanging over our realm.
-Figured as much.
The girl looked at me with a surprised expression. She clearly disliked me already thanks to my previous response but also seemed interested in me to some degree. I was clearly not someone she expected to receive. Maybe she wanted someone who would just happily agree to whatever she came up with or who would fall for her enough not to stop and think logically for a minute. Sadly, keeping calm under pressure and approaching problems logically was my forte, as long as what was happening wasn’t a result of magic and wasn’t causing completely abnormal scenarios, like the whole teleportation ordeal earlier. Also, I hated having a decision forced onto me, and this was something I very much did not agree to. As such, I wasn’t planning on making it any easier for her than I could. She brought me here against my will, she has to now live with the consequences of her own actions.
-I will explain everything once the other Heroes wake up. It shouldn't take too long. If you could please wait until they all come to...
She was doing her best to sound polite, although it was clear she was angry and very much didn’t want to bother talking with me anymore. Whatever their problem was, it was enough of an issue that even such a prideful person as her would force a smile and play along to minimise tensions. This could potentially be useful. Either way, I had to wait for my students to all come back to their senses as well, so we can all make a decision together. I was not planning on forcing anything onto them, they had the right to choose their own paths.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
-Fine. I don't think I have much say in this matter anyway, right?
-Correct. So please, just hold yourself until we can explain everything. Once you know the whole story, I hope you can see us in a better light.
I had my doubts that this would ever happen, but I decided to bite my tongue this time. She was right in one thing, there was no need for pointless hostilities and I was already pushing my luck with them. While I could make things difficult for them, and very much planned to do so, making enemies could only put more risk on my students in the future. I should try and avoid that as much as possible.
As I was taking a look around, I noticed that a lot of the noble bunch tried their best to not only avoid my gaze, but also the girl's. I didn't know if they were reserved to her from the beginning or if our exchange ruined some of her reputation with them. The thought that I managed to spark at least some tensions between all those people seemed oddly comforting for me, though. I might be making my own life more difficult but those kidnappers sure deserve some hell themselves and I wouldn’t mind giving them just that, in ample moderation.
While I was observing the people around, I also took a moment to admire the building we were in. It was a grand, cathedral-like structure. The white walls almost seemed to emit light on their own, rather than reflect what was coming off the few huge, silver and crystal chandeliers. The huge, glass-stained windows flooded the floor of the cathedral in a mish-mash of colours. This entire surreal scene left some sort of an exalted feeling in me but I didn't really have much time to properly stop and admire it either.
After the girl walked some way away and engaged in a quiet discussion with a few of the apparent kings, I turned around, hoping to find whoever was holding me down a moment ago. All I saw, however, was just an empty way down to a massive, and firmly closed, wooden door, likely the entrance to this building. Somewhat surprisingly, there wasn't a living soul standing between it and me.
I turned my head when I heard some movement next to me. It turned out to be Lucas, finally coming to his senses. He seemed much more composed than I was, as if he was just waking up from a nap. I walked up to him and helped him up.
-Edward? Wha- Where are we?
-God knows. Some different world, I guess.
-Come on, stop joking...
Lucas sighed as he sat down and scratched his neck but that was when he noticed the people gathered at the back of the building. He froze and stared at them for a moment before glancing around the cathedral, finally resting his eyes on me.
-You aren't joking now, are you, Ed?
All I could do was to give him a sorry smile. I honestly wished it was all a joke but at this point I was fairly confident that whatever was happening to us was, indeed, real.
-They said they'll explain more once everyone is up.
-How did the first contact go?
-Not too great. That young girl seems to be their envoy, a head of religion maybe? Either way, she seems to hate me for not being thankful for being summoned and forced on some likely suicidal mission.
-You're being too hard on her, aren't you? But I get where you're coming from too. I wouldn't mind an isekai adventure myself, nothing is really tying me to our world, but others may think differently.
We both looked toward the students. Some of them started to slowly wake up, although their activity was limited to small movements and groans for now. It seems there's still some time before they're all up and sober. I turned back to Lucas, however I darted my eyes to the side so that I could see whatever was going on in the crowd, just to be more aware of my surroundings.
-Yeah. And knowing those tropes, there's likely no way back either. I just hope that, if we can't go back, they'll at least allow those, who don't want to risk their necks, to lead a somewhat normal life.
-Wishful thinking. We’re all likely some super-gifted people they cannot afford to lose, or something like that. But we'll see.
-This is all so surreal.
I let out a sigh and, seeing that most of my students were getting up now, I walked over to them, checking on them and making sure they're all holding up just fine and aren't panicking too much. Some, like Lidia or Lana, were understandably nervous, some didn't seem to grasp what had happened to them just yet. The two youngest, Sethana and Stach, seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack but with some encouragement and a pat on their back they seemed to calm down a little.
A few minutes later, when everyone finally woke up and was sitting on the ground in a circle, relatively calm, the girl from earlier seemed to notice us and started walking in our direction once again. She made sure none of the detest she felt towards me was showing on her face, however her eyes made sure to avoid me as much as possible. She kept giving me a distrusting glance every now and again as if checking up if I’m not doing anything weird or suspicious.
I leaned back a bit, closer to my students, using this last chance I had to talk to them without being overheard.
-Don't worry, Lucas and I will handle it. I'll make sure no definite decision is made before we can all discuss it calmly and in private. Just bear with this for a while, okay?
The students all nodded in agreement, although they still looked confused and scared but also a little intrigued at the same time. I stood up and turned around, standing between them and the girl. Lucas took his spot next to me, hands in his pockets, towering over the approaching girl. I crossed my arms, not hiding my displeasure at this situation but still trying to not look completely detested either.
-I see all of you are awake now, dear Heroes. Let me welcome you on behalf of the Holy Alliance. My name is Alleya and I'm the Head Priestess within the Seventh Pantheon, the religion resolving around the seven Gods of this realm. You all have been chosen, each individually by a God, to come and aid us in-
-Wait a second, please.
I stopped her mid-sentence. I considered waiting with my questions until the end but the way she over-gesticulated everything, as if it was all some sort of a scene play, was really getting on my nerves. Besides, this discrepancy was just too big to casually overlook it. Being stopped mid-act, the girl glared at me as if she wanted to skin me alive but still managed to keep a relatively calm and welcoming tone of voice.
-What is it, oh Hero?
-You mentioned seven gods, each choosing a champion, right? Then why are there nine of us here?
-That is something we would love to know ourselves too, actually.
She sighed, giving in surprisingly easily, and continued on without giving me another moment to butt in again.
-As far as we know, only seven people should have been summoned. It might be possible there was some interference or that some of the Gods have chosen more than one champion. Or anything else, really. We promise to investigate this, however once we move to check your magic levels, I'm sure we'll receive at least some answers.
-So there's magic in this world. Is it a common thing or a Hero-only thing?
-Every living being possesses mana within them with monsters and various intelligent races possessing considerably more of it than more regular animals.
-Monsters, huh? And... Intelligent races? Plural? So there are other races here besides just us, humans?
-Demons, elves, dwarves, all having their own subspecies too, yes. Can we get back on track, though?
I pondered a little on what I've heard just now. So far it seems like we've entered a more or less typical high-fantasy setting of the blade and sorcery subgenre. Although, I'm not sure if I was more surprised to learn all this or from the fact she so willingly answered my questions. I guess she figured complying will be the best course of action to win over our cooperation and teaching us the world they summoned us to should only be beneficial for both parties and aid their side of the potential negotiations by presenting this realm as both interesting to us and in dire need of our aid. Clever, if so.
-Of course. What do you need our help with?
-Yes, according to an ancient prophecy, a great evil being is supposed to be born soon: a Demon King.
-Cliché.
-This being is said to be powerful enough to devastate cities by itself, and that is why we need Heroes from outside of this world to defeat it, together with its demon horde.
-Super cliché. Couldn't it be anything more original?
-Come on, Ed, there are multiple ways you can make the same trope unique and interesting! You’d know it if you’ve read more of the manga I recommended to you.
I glanced over at Lucas, who let out a hearty laugh. The girl, who was about to explode on me, looked over at him as well, surprised at his reaction and likely not understanding half of what he meant. This seemed to cause her to forget the anger she felt just a moment ago, so I guess he helped us both with this remark.
-I guess, but they could at least be original and give him some unique name or something.
-Most true.
-Zaroxt.
We both turned to face the girl, who was now looking at her feet. She was clutching her fists and her voice trembled a little. After a second of pause, she repeated herself:
-His name is Zaroxt. But could you two, please, take this seriously? Our whole realm really is in danger, it’s not some stupid story in a book we’re talking about here but our very lives, and yours too!
-Geez, sorry, we're all so stressed out by the whole ordeal you’ve put us in and I'm looking for a way to not explode on you all too.
I put a hand on Lucas's shoulder as he said that. His words came out a lot more aggressive than he likely intended and, while I wasn’t against picking on this girl, I didn’t want to start a full-on fight. At least not now. I was also surprised at how the girl acted, much more like her age now. This time it wasn’t her ego or position speaking but it felt like she really meant it. I guess we did push it just a little too far this time. Still, a point had to be made and Lucas provided me with a good segway for it.
-I understand your point of view but I think you do not take into consideration our position here either. You kidnapped us, brought us to an unfamiliar place, came out with those wild claims about some heroes and gods and then you asked us to do something that just sounds absurd at best and like a death wish at worst. And now you expect us to happily accept this and not question it, as if logic or common sense were abstract concepts in this world of yours.
I stopped myself, realising I started to raise my voice the more I spoke and now it was Lucas placing his hand on my shoulder to stop me from going overboard. I let out a heavy sigh and continued more calmly, although loud enough that my voice could be easily heard across the whole cathedral:
-I understand you people are in some sort of a calamity scenario and are desperate. But kidnapping people and just hoping they'll be on board with that is just plain stupid. Now, let's drop this glorified scene, it's clear you're doing it all either for attention or to persuade the people here to view you in a better light. I want to talk specifics, otherwise you're just wasting your time. Every hour we spend arguing here is an hour less we could potentially spend on preparing for this Demon King if only you gave us cold facts and presented the situation as it is instead of trying to flatter us into pitying you.
As I said that, the cathedral went completely silent. Some of the nobles and even kings exchanged confused glances. It was clear they didn’t expect me to be this blunt or, perhaps, for my words to make this much sense. It’s almost as if there was some procedure that needed to be followed with this ritual and now that I went ahead and broke it they didn’t know how to react. Plus, I was clearly putting in question methods and perhaps even the authority of their envoy, who seemed to be a much more important person here than I originally gave her credit for. The priestess in question backed away a few steps, visibly shaking in anger and likely from embarrassment. She did not say a word, instead raising her hand and snapping her fingers, as if to summon someone. A few seconds later, an old looking soldier wearing some sort of a dark metal plate armour and a red cape emerged from the crowd and walked up straight to me. He seemed relaxed and confident on the surface, however I could clearly see the way he was sizing me up. He considered me a potential threat. In a way, this felt like a compliment.
-I'm Tserkit, a commander of the Holy City of Sevondrea. I believe I can answer all of the questions about the current state and the situation in the realm but... given the atmosphere, I suggest we talk somewhere more private.
I glanced over his shoulder. The nobles were whispering to one another, the whole group seemingly somewhat concerned about the current state of affairs and the future of the negotiations between the Holy Alliance and us, the summoned ones, the so-called Heroes. The priestess was busy talking to one of the groups of kings, trying to persuade them to something, but it was impossible for me to hear what exactly they were talking about. The way she vividly gesticulated made her look somewhat comical from a distance and I barely managed to hold in a chuckle.
I looked back at the commander and nodded. He turned and headed towards a side entrance. I motioned to my students to follow me.
-I know you're all confused as to all that is happening. Just bear with this a little longer. Once we learn a bit more, we can discuss what to do next.
The more energetic and enthusiastic students were eager to nod and follow me. Kira, Ikaze and Shin seemed particularly excited about the prospect of adventuring in a new world like this. Others were slightly more reluctant. I completely understood why. They were scared and confused by the situation and I clearly wasn’t making it much easier for us. It wouldn’t surprise me if some of those kids started to doubt if I’m as capable of an adult as they viewed me as.
Lucas kept up with me as we left through the side door and now walked down a long open corridor adjacent to a garden. It had a small fountain in the middle and some flowery hedges, nothing grand compared to the cathedral itself but, somehow, it served as a much more pleasant and relaxing sight.
-Don't you think we went a little overboard there, Ed?
-I thought that we both were holding back quite a bit back there.
-Still, they seem to really be in distress…
-We'll learn more soon. We will discuss it once we do.