Chapter Zero (0). Prologue. ¹Edited.

Once upon a time, there were three summoned heroes brought from a world named Earth. The King was overjoyed to have succeeded in summoning not only one but three heroes who would for sure ensure the safety of his kingdom. 

But one day, the third and youngest hero fell from his title as he was accused of treason. The King was angered when he heard from his vassals on what that hero has done and mercilessly sent the young boy to prison and scheduled him to be publicly executed tomorrow. 

When the people heard about this, none of them showed any pity. The other two heroes remained as usual with their constant smiles — seemingly unwavering despite that their young fellow was sent to the trial. However, just before the execution,  the young boy vanished from his cell — never to reappear again as his figure was lost...

Until there came a peculiar person who ended this world's  hope.

___________________

“Hurry and prepare for your death, Ransom!” 

With a loud yell, a blonde boy held a strange, golden endowed sword in his hand. His feet were separated by a meter and each step he took showed force. He pulled his sword towards his elbow as he rushed to the masked guy in front.

“Hyaaaa!” 

The wind was sliced and the whipping sound echoed loudly in one's ears, with this stance posturing, the sword plunged forward, heading towards the masked guy's chest. But the masked guy ignored the dangers and just stood still.

As if he knew that the guy won't budge, the boy changed the trajectory of his sword and the tip flashed with light as it ached to the left. 

The flat surface came nearer the guy's body and made another turn where the handle forcefully reached towards the guy's chin while the pointed tip went forward towards his stomach. 

“Its quite surprising, but each hero has their own improvements.”

 The guy spoke as he touched the sword with his palm and a deafening noise of metal colliding with metal appeared. 

“But It's still not enough. It's still far from enough!"

The boy's eyes widened as if he couldn't believe what just happened. Blood spilled from his mouth as he shakily glanced at his abdomen, a sharp dagger he had never seen before was plunged deep. Horrified but still, he was unable to secrete any sound as his life force depleted.

“Next time, be more swifter and attack me as silent as possible. Your attacks using your swords are okay but I prefer if you've have changed your weapon with a dual sword instead. Also, don't wear heavy guarded clothes, it has slowed your movement down. But I suppose, this won't be any much of a help since you're dead.”

The masked guy stated with a dissatisfied  sigh leaving his lips. As the years went by, the heroes he battled grew weaker and weaker, it was no longer able to supplement to his growth. With another sigh, the masked guy then pulled out his bloodied dagger. Thereafter, he pushed the lifeless body off from his shoulder, falling into the ground with a thud and the blood squirting from his abdomen rushed out like a fountain.

 He wiped the blood from his fingertips with a napkin and took of his mask, revealing a ivory haired youth with glistening grey eyes and a lighter shade of pupils. After wiping his hand clean he wiped the excess blood on his plain white mask.

[Congratulations, Ransom-San! You have killed the Hundredth Hero and this world will no longer allow hero summoning access!]

Ransom looked up and stared at the message for a very long time.

 He remembered seeing this panel in the past, but that was spanned over exactly a hundred years ago, and he could only vaguely remember the details prior to it.

 Moreover, he has not heard of it speaking like this before.

“Is that so? Nothing else?” Ransom asked as he raised an eyebrow, not knowing what to expect.

[Of course not, Ransom-San. As promised, we will send you back to Earth with this happy cooperation!]

“Okay…Wait, what!?” Ransom lost his cool as he took a jump to escape the magic circle appearing below his feet.

 But despite flying in the air, the magic circle followed him and it's light engulfed him completely.

“!” Ransom exclaimed in unhappiness. He could not go back yet! He promised to be present on his date with his wife!

He could struggle a bit but all his struggle was meaningless as his body was embraced by dazzling light. 

His figure vanished; leaving flying dusts on where he had once stood and flown. The leaves from the trees waved from the breeze that shuddered them to shake, a few small animals were frightened and rushed towards their escape.

The corpse of the young hero remained in the ground, his blood dying the ground beneath him red. When a few soldiers strolled to search the reason for the disturbance arrived, they were welcomed with such scene.

An older guard repeatedly shook his head, sighing for the end of the hundredth hero who's life was taken away. Not long after when the news of the hero's death arrived to the rulers, they've later discovered that the summoning circle began to malfunction, even with them trying to repair it was of no use.

 ...

Inside a certain location, within a large mansion. 

A raven haired woman with odd red eyes, sat on the cushioned chair as she dazedly watched on how the table filled with food before her remained untouched and turned cold. 

She sat there for a day already, waiting patiently for her awaited guest to come; her husband, Ransom. 

The soup already turned muddy from her endless stirring.

 But not even the silhouette of the man was at sight. 

"Where could you be, oh my dear Reo..."

She pondered about where he could be, she already sent out a few men to seek his whereabouts but there was no news at all.

The only clue she had received from her servants was that her husband killed the last hero, and when she sent a new batch of people to survey the surrounding he was last in, they discovered that he seemed to have disappeared from his spot.

"Are you sure he has vanished, and not just a loophole in your faulty search!?" She screamed out aloud, pointing at her kneeling servants whom returned from their investigation.

"Useless!" She angrily told them. "My dear cannot teleport, so it's impossible he just disappeared. I have already warned you all to not leave your eyes off him, now he cannot be found and all of this are all your fault!"

A servant could not take it anymore and retorted, "But madame, you instructed us to look from a far and refrain from gazing at him, he cannot teleport as you say, so he might have died or eleoped with—"

"Ahhh! Shut up! My dear is not dead nor will he leave me, he shan't!" The words of the servant was dirt on her ears, the raven haired woman unhappily swiped her hand on the air as she held her head in anger. Someone must've  kidnapped him... oh... how dare they, how dare they, how dare they, he is mine, he is mine alone, how dare they steal him away and make him stray and distance from me...

Her astounding crimson eyes shed tears as she wiped it away with her blood stained fingers.

The blood leaving traces on her cheeks gave great contrast to her pale white skin, when she smudged the blood near her lips, her frown abruptly perked up and formed a smile-yet-not-smile.

“Peppermint,”

She called out a name with her lovely voice. 

In response to her calling, a familiar system panel appeared in front of her view and was shuddering with fear.

[Mistress...]

“Where has my dear Reo-kun, gone to? Do you know where he is?”

[I...Yes]

“that's wonderful, all those useless rats of mine kept telling me the bad news. Anyways, can you give him back to me?"

The woman cocked her head and her hair followed along, scattering on her cheeks.

 When her being moved, the scene behind her was revealed; bodies piled up and a mountain of blood overflowed to the ground. 

The red carpet seemed to merge with the gore, leaving pale bodies at sight.

[But mistress...I...I'm not allowed—!]

The system quivered and spat each words in difficulty. 

The raven haired woman tensed up and looked at it with displeasure. 

[I...]

“Forget it. Send me to him, instead.”

[Ah, understood, Mistress!]

The raven haired woman smiled and stroked the knife placed beside the bowl on the table and muttered secretively. “Look at how much nonsense they told me, my dear. They said you were dead and finding you would lead to a dead end. So, I decided to shut them all up.”

“I can't wait to see you again, Reo-kun~”