Published: March 21, 2026
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And then the day one month after the promise came.
Morrigan uses the same calendar as Earth — apparently the concept of a calendar was taught to the residents here by the first hero summoned to this world. The past heroes taught them more than that; thanks to them the food culture here had advanced considerably.
I should go to the castle town sometime. There might even be curry. Ah— I want my mother’s curry.
I want to go home.
“Alright, everyone assembled? Then let’s go, to the labyrinth.”
Like a typical another world setup, each of us received five life potions and five magic power potions from the Royal Castle. The life potions, if sprinkled on a wound, will instantly heal minor injuries. Commander saran even demonstrated by slashing his own arm with a sword right in front of us. The hero squad went pale just from that.
Are these people really okay? We’re about to go out and start cutting up demonic beasts.
We set out with the mood of a school trip, but surprisingly the labyrinth was just beyond the forest. Is it really safe to have it so close to the Royal Castle? If the demonic beasts spilled out, it would be over in an instant.
“Oh, there’s a powerful barrier around the Royal Castle, so even if monsters did overflow, you’d be safe.”
As if reading my thoughts, commander saran looked at us and said with a very cheerful smile. Psychic Saran, huh.
The trees suddenly opened up and a huge entrance that looked like the labyrinth appeared, along with a crowd of people. We squinted against the sudden light. The townspeople swarmed toward us as we emerged from the forest. The heroes flinched in front of the crowd that rushed up to them.
It was like the war in an evening supermarket among housewives. Surprised by that, everyone involuntarily stopped walking. The knights order tried to hold them back, but there were so many people it wouldn’t be shocking if they broke through at any moment.
“Don’t stop. You are heroes. Stand proud in front of the people.”
Commander saran shouted, not in his usual fluffy voice but in a sharp, taut tone. It was a small voice, yet somehow sounded heavy. I straightened my spine without realizing it. Some kind of skill, maybe?
“Saran commander—!!!”
“Zeal—!!!”
“Hero—!!!”
A chorus of high-pitched cheers rang out. Commander saran and Vice Captain Zeal were insanely popular. We got cheers too. The clumsy hero at the front was already flashing a smile and working the crowd. Well, he’s got a good face and good manners, after all.
I slipped into stealth and walked at the very back.
Scanning around, I noticed a hooded person giving us a sharp stare. Judging by height, probably a woman. She glared at us like we were her family’s sworn enemies.
We’d never left the Royal Castle before — today was the first time outside — so I didn’t know why she held a grudge against us. But the killing intent radiating from her made me uncomfortable; I wanted her to stop looking at us that way.
I quietly slipped out of the line and approached the hooded person. Commander saran glanced my way, so it was fine. Or, thinking about the lecture I’d get afterward, maybe not fine?
“Hey, why are you glaring at us like that?”
I tried to sound as pleasant as possible.
The hooded person turned with a very surprised expression.
“...”
“Ah, I’m not planning to hand you over to the knights or anything. I’m just a curious onlooker wondering why you’re sending out so much killing intent.”
When I asked again why, she answered reluctantly.
“...Do you know what kind of sacrifice was made to summon them?”
Her voice was like a clear bell — a cute girl’s voice. She was probably about our age.
“...No, sorry, I don’t know.”
“I see. Then let’s meet again when you find that answer.”
She said that and vanished into the crowd. I stood there, thinking.
Sacrifices for summoning... In revenge-type stories, it’s often that the families of the summoned were killed, or discriminated races in this world were slaughtered. I didn’t want to think about the former. The latter would also make spending my life here a harsh prospect.