I was spit out of the pink portal and immediately collapsed into a heap. The pain was worse than ever, dominating my thoughts and eating away at my sanity. It was pain beyond anything I could conceive fire could cause; every single nerve in my back pounded my brain with messages of pain.
Shouts rang out around me and cold hands picked me up off the floor. Strangely, despite my body going into shock, I stayed conscious. Perhaps it was that rose-gold color floating around me?
I drifted between pain and insanity for an unknown time before things gradually started to improve. First, a cooling sensation ran through my veins, quenching the burning in my back. Then, feeling returned to my legs with a burst of pins and needles, which jolted me out of my insensate state into awareness.
“Oh Bacon that feels strange,” I groaned, pushing a sheet off me and sitting up.
A whole crowd of people stared at me in silence.
“Uh…” I said dumbly, heavily unnerved by the situation. They wore ceremonial clothing consisting of golds, whites, and pink, with an old man at the front holding a staff crowned with a symbol that was also embroidered on all of their clothing. It looked like the letter alpha rotated ninety degrees clockwise.
“Hey! Are you okay?” A girl in a grey hoodie asked, looking distinctly different from the rest of the crowd. On second look, there was an east-Asian boy and an Indian boy who also wore normal clothing.
“I’m doing fine, I think?” I answered hesitantly. “What’s going on?” Murmurs spread through the crowd.
With the silence broken, the old man lightly tapped his staff to gather attention, the sound echoing around the massive room that looked like the inside of a cathedral.
“The Holy Goddess has presented us with a trial to determine if we are worthy of salvation, and we have passed the tribulation. I humbly appreciate your efforts keeping the young hero alive, but now I must ask you to give us some space.”
The crowd dispersed reluctantly, exiting through side doors while trying to catch glimpses of me. When the space cleared out, only the old priest and the three people in casual clothes remained. I shifted uneasily on top of what I realized was an operating table, starting to realize what was going on. My memories were hazy, but I was piecing things together.
“We’re summoned heroes!” the girl blurted out. “Like an isekai!”
“To defeat the demon king,” the Indian boy grimaced. The other Asian boy kept silent.
“Well, blow me up with gunpowder,” I cursed. I never volunteered to risk my life fighting a world-ending threat! I wanted to live forever, and fighting a demon king was kind the opposite of that goal.
“Do not worry, young hero,” the old man said while stroking his pure white goatee. “The Holy Goddess has blessed you with gifts to help your endeavor. Perhaps you might have forgotten, but you had a role in selecting your gift, isn’t that right?”
The reminder helped, replacing my dread with budding excitement.
“Status,” I whispered, but nothing happened, leaving me confused. “But that always works…” I complained.
“Oh oh oh! I tried the same thing! Apparently all we have is a skill list, and to get to it you have to pray to the goddess to show it to you,” the girl helpfully provided.
“Thanks… what’s your names by the way? I’m Julius,” I questioned.
The priest was Bardelli, the girl was called Lily, the Indian boy was Vijay, and the stoic one was a Japanese boy called Gyeong. The presence of a Japanese highschooler (technically recent graduate, like the rest of us) didn’t bode well for my growing fear that this was a Japanese isekai world. Thankfully, the natives spoke English, not Japanese.
“Young hero, I must ask if you know why you came to us in such a state of peril. Truly, just a second longer and we would’ve been unable to save you,” Bardelli asked.
I took a moment to think about how I wanted to answer. In the end, I gave a mild version of the truth. “I was handling dangerous materials when I was summoned, and it caused an accident.” That seemed to quell Bardelli’s curiosity, but I noticed Lily looking at me with a gleam in her eye.
Thankfully, they soon gave me space to view my skill list. While it felt weird since I’d always been an atheist, I prayed, Oh Holy Goddess, please show me my skills?
Skills
Immortality Lv. 20
Pain Tolerance Lv. 1
The list wasn’t very long, but it was very sweet. Immortality, my family’s dream, finally achieved. With this, all the lifespans my parents and their ancestors spent in pursuit of immortality were vindicated.
Bardelli must have seen the glow on my face, and so he smiled. “The blessing of the Holy Goddess is truly wondrous.”
“Amen,” I agreed.
The kindly old man helped me get onto my feet. Despite the fact that my feet were bare on the cool stone, they didn’t get dirty. It was as if there wasn’t a single speck of dust in the whole cathedral.
“Follow me. I’ll get you some clothes, and then we can go meet the Emperor,” Bardelli said, hobbling off towards a side door.
“Emperor?” Vijay muttered warily, but still followed along with the rest of us.
It seemed like a good idea to learn more about the situation before I met with the leader of a country, so I pestered Bardelli.
“What country are we in?”
“The Holy Empire Castelo.”
“Are we the first heroes ever summoned?”
“No. Heroes are summed every hundred years, to save the world from the demon king.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Does that mean the demon king never dies?”
“The demon king can be killed, but it always comes back in a different form. Or, perhaps a new demon king is created by the Devil every hundred years. It is a most terrible cycle.”
“Do the heroes ever lose?” I finally asked, and Bardelli was not as quick to answer as last time.
“Yes. Yes, they do.” He picked up the pace, clearly signaling an end to the conversation. I frowned, but wasn’t satisfied yet. Instead, I turned to my fellow heroes.
“Hey. How are you guys feeling?” I started.
“I’m pumped,” Lily cheered. She brushed her brown locks behind her ear and grinned. “With our hero skills, we’ll definitely save the day.”
Vijay wasn’t so enthusiastic. “While my skill is certainly extremely powerful, I don’t know why I have to fight for this foreign country and risk my life.”
Gyeong simply grunted. I wasn’t sure whether he had trouble understanding us or if he was just stoic.
Right now, my biggest concern was paradoxically also my greatest source of happiness. My skill, [Immortality Lv. 20], was troublesome. While it was everything I wanted, it also wasn’t a skill that would matter in the short term, where, you know, a demon king was going to try and kill us all. I needed to know as much as I could about the other heroes’ skills to see how screwed I was.
“I feel similarly, Vijay,” I agreed, trying to get some affability from the boy. “I’m reluctant to get up close to monsters that can rip me apart. Anyone else feel that way?”
“I guess I can see that, but it’s not a problem! I’ll take care of any monsters with my archery!” Lily boldly claimed.
“I won’t let any monsters get close to me,” Vijay growled.
“Come close, I push far,” Gyeong added.
Their responses left me flabbergasted. All three of them seemed to have a way to keep enemies at bay, and with such confidence that made me suddenly realize my [Immortality Lv. 20] skill might not be all that I thought it was.
“Fool's gold,” I cursed.
“What in the world is that curse?” Vijay stuttered in indignation. “Fool's gold? Really?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I waved him off. “Just a family thing.”
We finally arrived at a dressing room. It was filled with luxurious drapes, carpets, and all sorts of jeweled fabrics hanging around. A flurry of maids separated us and dragged us to private corners.
“Hm, I think green would look fabulous on you,” she decided, spinning me around without my consent and wrapping a measuring tape around different parts of my body. She was done and out of the room in a flash, leaving me disoriented.
“I didn’t even say anything,” I complained.
Bardelli patted me on the shoulder comfortingly. “Do not worry, the maids are simply like that. They will make wonderful clothes for you, I promise.”
My brain stuttered as I processed that. “Wait, make? How long does it take to make clothes?”
“Oh, it will take a bit of time. Around ten minutes, I’d guess,” he answered, blowing my mind with his answer.
“So this is the power of skills,” I realized to Bardelli’s amusement.
Unfortunately for the priest, I now had ten minutes of time to grill him. Most important question first.
“Hey, Bardelli? Do heroes have any other advantages besides the blessed skill they are given?”
“You don’t need to worry, hero Julius. Your blessed skill should be quite strong. We will also provide ample training for a spread of other skills.”
It didn’t really answer my question, but I could read between the lines: no, heroes did not get any other advantage. In fact, I’d be worse off than most people because I didn’t get to spend the last eighteen years of my life grinding skill levels.
Before I could get another question in, Bardelli raised his cane and wobbled away from me. “My apologies, but I must check in with the others.”
I frowned at his retreating back. He was giving me the impression that he was intentionally avoiding my questions. There was nothing I could do about it, however, so I waited until the maid came back. The newly-made clothing could best be described as pompous Victorian clothing, with a palette of green and a rich pink. I thought it looked gaudy, but the maid seemed sure the Emperor would love it.
The maid insisted on helping me into the clothes and shoes, before shuffling me out of the dressing room where an important-looking man with a shiny bald head waited. He didn’t speak so I also stayed silent, until the other three heroes joined.
Gyeong was dressed in a white and gold suit that looked fine as hell. Vijay had a black vest over red shirt and pants, like a charismatic antagonist in a film. Lily, meanwhile, was in a deep blue gown with her hair in a braid.
“Why do y’all look so cool! This is unfair!” I wailed. Seriously, dark green and pink was not the right color combo.
“Silence!” The bald man barked. “I will soon be taking you to His Majesty, Emperor Isaac the Third. You will kneel immediately upon entry, rise when told to, and only speak when spoken to. You will agree to everything he says and that is all you will say.”
“Woah, woah, woah, hold on there little guy. Just because you say that all commandingly doesn’t mean I need to do it,” Vijay sneered.
The man glared furiously at Vijay. Suddenly, two knights in full metal armor stepped out of the darkness and towered over Vijay, whose expression slowly took on a hint of fear.
“While you may be heroes, you are still undeveloped. As such, you will pay His Majesty, Emperor Isaac the Third his proper respects! Understood?” the bald man yelled.
Vijay reluctantly nodded, scowling. It was obvious he hated having to bow down, so Lily took to his side and started whispering. Whatever she said, it seemed to calm him down. I was still worked up, however. I just didn’t wear my heart on my sleeve like Vijay did.
I didn’t have a super powerful skill like Vijay, so I couldn’t afford to carelessly confront the established government. If I wanted any chance at independence, I needed to play things smartly.
We arrived at a grand set of doors twice as tall as I was, made out of some high quality reddish wood. The bald man patiently waited, looking at a mechanical watch on his wrist until with a final click it was time. He pushed open the door and strode in, while brilliant golden light blinded my eyes.
“Announcing the heroes of the sixth century! Lily Hayley, Gyeong Sugimoto, Julius Flamel, and Vijay Sher!”
Thunderous applause filled the throne room as I adjusted to the lighting. It was more of a large hall than a room, taking up a massive space with nobles seated along the side walls. The floors were tiled with a crystal that looked like marble but more magical, and serpents made out of glowing golden dust slithered across the ceiling as lighting.
Down at the end of a pink carpet was an epic metallic throne made out of a gold had a shifting rainbow tint. On the throne was the emperor, a surprisingly fit man with black hair and a hint of Hispanic features. He wore a royal robe of pure pink, and exuded a strong aura that instantly commanded my respect.
The bald man, presumably a herald, kneeled and I obediently did the same with the other heroes. The emperor’s presence pressed down on my head like it was physical, making my heart palpitate.
“Rise.”
The sound of his voice pierced me like a needle, yanking me up like a puppet on strings.
“Our glorious empire is under threat by the demon king! His legions of monsters will these holy lands christened by the Legendary Hero. Fear not, however, for the Holy Goddess favors us as her children, and has sent these brave heroes to combat this evil!”
The nobles roared in approval, some taking off their hats and throwing them into the air. It was decidedly more rowdy than expected, right up until the emperor opened his mouth again.
“The Holy Goddess, in her infinite wisdom, has bequeathed evidence of her grace in each hero. Come forth, Lily, and tell us what makes you a hero.”
Lisa practically burst with excitement and stepped forward, drawing the gazes of the emperor and nobles. “If someone can get me a bow, I’ll show you,” she smiled mischievously.
“Well, what are we waiting for! O’Neil, give her your bow,” the emperor ordered affably, and knight appeared next to Lisa with a bow in hand, shocking her.
“Wow, you’re fast,” she commented, taking the bow and a single arrow. The knight just smirked at her before stepping to the side.
“Ok, here I go,” she whispered a little too loudly, before notching the arrow.
“[Spirit Archery]!”
Lily pulled the arrow back just slightly before letting loose. The arrow lightly flew and plunked into the pink carpet in the middle of the room. Suddenly, four spectral tigers sprouted from the arrow. They were glowing a ghostly blue with wispy back halves connecting to the arrow, like petals blooming out from a flower.
The tigers pawed at the air menacingly before retreating back into the arrow. Lily looked on in wonder, the reality of her powers finally setting in.
The emperor smirked at the sight. “What do you think, O’Neil? Was that shot worthy of your bow?”
The knight nodded. “Yes, my liege. As expected of a hero, it was amazing, especially since executed it without having any mana yet.”
Meanwhile, sweat was pouring down my back. What am I supposed to show! I don’t have anything!
Uncaring of my plight, the emperor turned his gaze to the three of us remaining. “Now, who’s next? Give us a show, why don’t you?”