Chapter 1 - Another World

 

A morning unlike any other.

“...Ughhh... Hmh...?”

An abrupt, drunken-like groan to signify his awakening, a black-haired youth, Jae Kang, opened his eyes to an unfamiliar location. His mind spun like never before as his hands naturally drifted to press on his temples, he gradually managed to focus a foggy gaze on the velvety fabric felt gently beneath his torpid body, as if weighed down by something immaterial.

Where the hell...

Leaving no aspect of the situation unquestioned, he had not yet fully come to, but was conscious enough to realise that something wasn’t right. Patting the ground he was yet unable to view clearly, he wiped the rheum from his eyes with the back of his hand to find himself atop a soft, beautifully woven and embroidered red carpet.

...What?

With but this single word encapsulating his entire state of mind, Jae examined his surroundings.

The boy was, rather naturally, terribly confused, as well as perturbed. It was nothing to be ashamed about considering the situation, but his mind could only come up with an endless slew of questions as to the current situation.

Wasn’t it class...?

His latest memory was a recollection of a minor incident that occurred on the way to class, causing him to arrive slightly late. It was the final lesson of the day, on a Friday no less, so the brief tardiness wasn’t taken at all seriously by the teacher.

But now, he was somewhere unknown.

Not long after he arrived to class, he recalled a sudden flash of light that blinded not only him but everyone else in the room. After that, all he knew was that he thought he heard an unfamiliar voice somewhere in the midst of his lost consciousness.

Unfortunately, his head only throbs in pain when he tries to remember what the voice said. Even now, when his stupor had somewhat faded due to the sheer strangeness of the situation knocking him into alertness, that sharp pain―like a needle being wiggled around inside his brain, was torturous.

Glancing around, Jae noticed simultaneous groans coming from the surroundings.

They were his classmates.

Of course, they were just as, if not more puzzled than Jae himself, and they seemed to be just waking up now as well. Maybe together, could they figure out the situation?

 

---

 

It took about 5 minutes for everyone to wake up, but even then the atmosphere had not improved much as students shared their thoughts.

There were many opinions of what happened, but the most prominent theory by far was something along the lines of a mass-kidnapping event.

Well, of course. It was certainly a scary notion, but what else could the reality possibly be?

Coming to a consensus that the most important thing was to figure out exactly what was going on for now, they attentively studied the place in which they found themselves:

A large hall, gathered on a fancy red carpet as previously mentioned; the room was large, definitely, but not overly grand and about two-thirds the size of their school gymnasium. It had a similar feel to that of a mediaeval-themed waiting room, or at least something like that, due to the exceptionally long mahogany-like benches lining the edges of the room, and was intensely embellished such that it almost appeared overkill, with silken curtains covering the marble white stone brick walls, gold-rimmed paintings and extravagant furniture off to the side.

At one end of the room stood a set of tall and wide double doors―the only obvious exit from the nonsensical place; perhaps that was what made it appear all the more ominous.

What was perhaps most strange of all, however, was something else.

Above the students, on the much-too-tall ceiling, a peculiar chalk formation could be seen. Arranged around it were numerous blue and purple crystals, not quite like sapphires or amethysts, embedded into the ceiling so as to form a pattern of the occult.

Emitting a faint and dim light that could only be seen due to the room’s subduing darkness, an absurd idea popped into Jae’s head as he stared at the arcane contraption.

Looks kinda like... A magic circle, or something.

It was an impression that could only come from a person who plays video games and reads manga, but the moment he thought about it, Jae simply could not erase such a correlation from his mind.

Of course, there was no definitive proof that it either was or wasn’t a magic circle. It simply looked similar to ones he had previously seen in various forms of entertainment, but that alone was enough for him to consider the absurd possibility.

After all, if it was a magic circle, then wouldn’t it make sense why they were in a strange place all of a sudden?

Another world?

Needless to say, it was nonsensical as a theory, however, although baseless, it was not one he could dismiss just like that.

Supposing that it was true for just a moment, wouldn’t that mean something as crazy as magic was real?

Real magic; not only that but a real other-world transfer.

Ordinarily, Jae would be more than thrilled at the thought of another world transfer, but oddly enough, he wasn’t. It felt strange. Really, he wanted to be excited―he already convinced himself that they were now in a fantasy world, after all...

Ah, seriously...

However, no matter what pumped-up words he used to try and convince himself, he could not let go of that sense of foreboding.

...Well, whatever. If this is that kind of place, I want to enjoy it. Anyway, if it’s anything like the kinds of worlds I’ve seen before, then it’s probably fine.

With such a foolish thought to try and forget about the negativity, he wanted to just ignore it for now. In the end, there was no evidence to say that something bad would happen, so it was probably just needless anxiety talking.

Tuning his attention back to reality, Jae noticed that some of his classmates were arguing; certain people seemed to want to take control of the situation; others opposed it, saying they should work together equally.

It was impossible to determine for certain what the correct choice was in this ridiculous situation, but for some reason, they were being quite obstinate about it.

“Everyone, silence!” The class teacher called out, causing many students to shut their mouths out of pure Pavlovian instinct, and others to sigh.

“It is clear that our current situation is one of dire urgency, and we need to escape wherever we are with haste! Stop wasting precious resources by arguing pointlessly and focus on what is important. Firstly, we’ll go through the door quietly and see if we can find a way ou--”

Interrupting the teacher before he could finish his sentence, a certain student called out.

“Oi, oi, oi! What’d ya think ya doin’, teach?”

Turning his gaze with a look of particular wariness, Jae watched as Ryan Kashiko; an infamous delinquent, truant and known ‘advocate of violence’ among the student population began his typical resistance.

Surprisingly enough, and in contrast to his tone and actions, the dirt-blond Ryan was a genuinely smart individual, even if you excluded his studies, and he knew well how to work his way around the system, so cases were rare where he ever actually got into some serious trouble.

As did many others, Jae knew this quality of Ryan and thus understood that he probably had at least somewhat of a good reason to be acting so obnoxious in this clueless situation where they had no idea what was going on or where they were.

Of course, there was also the chance that Ryan simply didn’t like the fact that the teacher was taking control, but all Jae could do was desperately hope that that wasn’t the case.

“Ryan...” The teacher started with a sigh, as if he had foreseen this, and his eyes narrowed, “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

Baffled, he questioned Ryan, who slowly walked up to him with his hands in his pockets―a suspicious, dirty smirk creeping up on his face.

“Me...? Ohh, nothin’ for you to worry 'bout. Why, ya scared or somethin’?”

The teacher’s brows creased as he deeply frowned at Ryan’s continuous advance; his temper waning, “Do you even understand the current circumstances we are in right now!? Cease this nonsense immediately! We’re getting out of here as soon as--”

“Why?”

Ryan posed a question.

“...Excuse me?”

“Why’d we need to leave, exactly?”

He asked again, but the teacher was just as dumbfounded. Ryan stopped just a couple of inches in front of his face, his smirk everlasting, causing the teacher to lose his sense of rationality even further, perhaps out of pressure at feeling the responsibilities of a teacher in this frightful situation.

“‘Why’, you ask? I-- No, none of us have any time for this. Ryan, that's enough of this. Be quiet and--“

Slam-!

“Gh...!?”

“““.........!!!”””

Before anyone could see it coming, Ryan jabbed forth with his fist, impacting the teacher square in the face and causing an instant uproar amongst the class as the middle-aged man fell backwards. Rather easily, he was down to the floor with a heavy thud within seconds.

Shocked gasps, paled faces, and stunned silence; even those who held some kind of a minor grudge against the teacher were appalled by Ryan’s actions, but no one was in the state of mind to step in.

Jae was included in this collective astonishment. Everyone, now, carefully observed the conflict between the two as their teacher, who was rising back to his feet, opened his mouth to yell.

“Do-- Do you know what you’ve just done...!? Ryan! When we get back, you’ll--!”

Slam-!

“Hmf...!?”

Ryan opened his mouth to the once-again speechless teacher, who once again lay on the ground after being punched a second time.

“Huh? Dumbass. You prolly think they’re gonna expel me or somethin', right? So, who’s gonna expel me, exactly, in this situation, eh? It’s you who doesn’t realise the situation, Grandpa.”

“...Wh-what do you mean?”

Surprisingly, someone bravely called out and asked. What was even more astounding, however, was that Ryan replied somewhat ‘normally’.

“What? Are you mentally ill? Why does it even matter what this guy says anymore? Are we in a situation in which he holds more power than us? No, shithead, we’re not. What authority does he possess now?”

“But, when we get back--!”

“Hah.”

Ryan snorted in a derisive manner. With substantial condescension contained in his voice, he spoke with his hands in his pockets as if he had already figured the situation out completely.

“Have you idiots even looked outside?” He gestured to the shut curtains that covered the windows, ”Isn’t that common sense? To figure out where you are in a scenario like this. God, you really do have some brain damage, don't you?”

He continued with a dry laugh.

“Also, haha, let’s be honest here; I don’t actually wanna go back to that shithole of a school. Do you? This is a place where we don’t have to conform to the bullshit rules we're used to. Maybe if you like to cosplay a sheep, but... Isn’t being free here much better? We have more power and no restraints for it. Granted we escape from this place, we can do whatever we want, right?”

Nobody noticed it, but as soon as he said that last line, Ryan gulped. Clearly, he was only suppressing the anxiety within him; perhaps, the reason behind his feeling so strongly about freedom had something to do with it.

There were conflicted murmurs among the rest of the class.

Of course, it would be nice if they didn’t have to worry about going back anymore. It would be nice if they could stop concerning themselves with work and with school, but if they couldn’t go back, then what about their family and friends?

What about their future?

The rumours that Ryan’s household wasn’t a particularly amicable one was already a well-known rumour, and as such a situation was common among kids who took to bullying others, it wasn’t exactly a surprise; it was thus no wonder that he would feel a sense of relief from escaping such a hell, but what about everyone else?

Although some of them were like Ryan and disliked being at home or even hated their family, that was only an extreme and almost nonexistent minority among the class.

In the end, whether they were aware of it or not, the class was too mentally drained and overwhelmed by the current, intensely abnormal situation to think calmly or with any semblance of rationality. Eventually, they felt no choice but to at least heed Ryan’s words.

They went over to the curtains, moved them out of the way and gazed outside the clear, crystalline windows they couldn’t see before.

“““.........”””

Not an utterance could be heard.

Outside, the class could see a city spread out below them, though it was strange―there were no buildings that looked like what they were used to, and everything instead looked almost mediaeval-themed.

There were one or two thoughts that they had been transported back to the middle-ages, but there were many other details that didn’t quite match, so it was a quickly diminishing thought.

One example would be the countless lampposts dotted around the city streets. In real mediaeval cities and towns, such a thing wouldn’t exist; the oil used for lighting would be too invaluable for mere nighttime street lamps.

Some students had similar ideas to Jae in that it might’ve been another, perhaps magical world, but most were naturally nervous or frightened, having no clue at all where they could be. The female students were especially concerned, for various hygienic reasons.

There were a few people who then took swift action. Some had gone to help the wounded teacher, such as the class representative, Chris Rowe.

With an arm under the teacher’s shoulders to assist in his evidently compromised walking, Chris tried to reprimand Ryan.

“Ryan! No matter if we can go back or not, such violence is unnecessary and sickening! What's wrong with you!?”

“......”

Ryan, having cast a single, uninterested glance at Chris, simply ignored him with a shrug. This naturally caused Chris's piercing glare to sharpen even further as if the intention was to kill him.

“You…!”

Pat.

Someone placed their hand on Chris’s shoulder to calm him down.

“Chris, don’t get too heated up about it. You know he’s like that. Anyway, in this situation, anyone would find it hard to maintain order. Being calm is the most important thing in times like these, alright? Just try to keep your cool.”

The girl put on a gentle smile as she patted Chris on the shoulder.

“...Thank you, Ashley, but I can't just let this slide. Ryan's gone too far this time.”

Ashley Moore, noticing there was nothing more she could do to soothe Chris, only sighed and walked over to another group of apprehensive girls huddled together with the intention of easing their worries.

Chris, glaring at Ryan's uncaring back, turned his gaze to the floor and bit his lip.

Then, everyone froze.

Creaaaak~!

All of a sudden, the single pair of double doors at the end of the room began to open with a resounding creak, causing everyone to jolt, stop whatever they were doing, and watch with mouse-like suspense.

In the following moments, they bore witness as countless suited knights, covered head-to-toe in reflective white-metal armour and bearing identical crests on their torso piece, flooded into the room. The knights rapidly bordered the room, encasing the class in a now-impenetrable wall.

Subsequently, three distinct people made their appearance.

Each of different physique, air, and status, they all wore unique outfits. Nonetheless, it was evident from a single glance that they were the most important figures in the room.

On the left, a scarlet-haired woman that seemed to be the knights’ captain figure as indicated by the specialised insignia that stood out proudly on the silver-lined and caped armour she donned, observed the students with folded arms and an intrigued sharpness in her eyes.

On the right, a robed old man holding a metre-long wooden staff capped with a blue gem also observed the class with a subtle grin.

Finally, yet most certainly not least, the person in the middle―an objectively beautiful girl; flowing golden hair and seemingly about the same age as the students. She was dressed in a magnificent, white-gold dress and covered all over in exquisite jewellery, from even a tiara to multiple necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

With great elegance, she took one step forward, and with a graceful curtsy―

“Greetings. My name is Eleanor Astavau de Seronia.”

―Began to introduce herself.

In nerve-wracking silence, the students peeled their ears and listened in anticipation. Many gulped at the sight of the fantasy princess of their dreams as her enchanting smile and bright blue eyes like the glistening sea seemed to bewitch them, causing even some of the girls in the class to flush in their faces.

“It is most pleasurable to be able to meet you all. Our great country, Seronia, has summoned you as Heroes... And we implore dearly for your assistance.”

With every silvery word that flowed out of her mouth, it was evident that the class was getting more and more charmed by the second. Despite this, however, it didn’t take long for someone to interrupt the speech.

“Hoh? So, you kidnap us before beggin’ for our help, huh? How courteous indeed...”

Needless to say, it was Ryan.

With a kind of entertained grin on his face, nobody was able to spot the cold sweat running down his neck as he quietly looked around at the numerous, luxurious ornaments in the room and on Eleanor herself. It was a no-brainer that these people, or more precisely the girl in front of him, were the top brass of an entire country; seeing that such high-class figures were asking for help, he planned to take full advantage of it.

Ryan quickly spoke again before anyone could react to his previous sentence.

“If we’re gonna be doin’ work for you and your country, then what’d we get for it in return? You can’t up ‘n tell me it’s for free, now, right?”

Many of the knights’ facial expressions seemed to twitch at his impudent attitude, but, fortunately, they managed to reign such sinister desires in and didn’t do anything rash.

Instead, Eleanor replied to Ryan without batting an eye, almost as if she had expected this type of response already.

“Of course, we would not dare make you work for nothing."

"It is tradition that Summoned Heroes such as yourselves will be compensated on a meritocracy-based system, and because there appear to be a lot of you this time, it presents itself to be the fairest option. On the name of our great country, Seronia, and my title as Second Princess, you have my guarantee that you will be treated appropriately for your actions.”

Murmurs broke out among the class at the keyword ‘princess’, but Ryan’s grin grew alongside her confession.

While he thought about the deeper meaning behind her pledge, Eleanor continued.

“For the time being, we have arranged suitable accommodation that I am certain you will find to your liking. You must all be exhausted from arriving in an unfamiliar location without warning, so I will save you all the necessary explanations until tomorrow.”

Ryan, satisfied with the confirmation that he can be rewarded on his own merits―and by the princess of a country herself, no less―nodded. Everyone else, whose interest was gradually gaining, listened as Eleanor mentioned one last thing.

“Furthermore, an evening meal shall be prepared in about three hours, so feel free to explore the palace grounds until then. The palace bell will ring when it's time; the accommodation is―”

Jae listened silently to Eleanor’s words along with everyone else. He had been thinking of many different things since he woke up until now and with the appearance of Princess Eleanor, he had confirmed it―this was precisely the standard development of a common ‘isekai’ light novel.

This advancement, although incredibly cliché, had soothed some of Jae’s concerns.

Well, I can say for sure that it’s one of the better scenarios out of the ones I've seen...

So far, it didn't look like those types of settings where the people summoned to another world just get executed randomly for being useless or whatever; to Jae, that was a godsend. Of course, he still wasn’t certain of anything just yet, so he still thought to maintain a minimum level of caution.

First things first, he had to make sure this was really it, and Jae knew just the right thing to figure that out for certain.

Jae scratched his head as blood rushed to redden his cheeks in embarrassment at what he was about to do.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he prayed.

After feeling his mouth squirm about in resistance, he ultimately forced a mutter so hushed it was practically mute... and recited the words he had always wanted to try.

“...Status, open.”