"Wha—what do you want from us?!"
The panicked voice of one of the male heroes broke the silence.
"Where... where are we?! More importantly, who the hell are you people?!" another shouted, clearly on the verge of hyperventilating.
The five of us stood in an opulent hall, the floor polished like glass and the air heavy with a sense of unfamiliar magic. A line of armored knights stood rigid near the throne, hands gripping their weapons tightly.
Then, one of them stepped forward.
Arrogant. Prideful. Dangerous.
"Silence, you ungrateful brats!" he barked. "You stand in the presence of His Majesty, the 56th King of Florealis! Show some respect!"
With his words, he unleashed a wave of killing intent—raw and suffocating. The other heroes visibly flinched. Even the atmosphere seemed to grow heavier.
But not for me.
So this is how they welcome summoned heroes?
With a mere thought, I released a fraction of my own killing intent—sharp as blades, colder than death. The arrogant knight's eyes widened. His breath hitched. He didn't collapse, but he might as well have. He couldn't move a muscle.
What's wrong? Feeling a bit of pressure? I smirked internally.
The king noticed something was wrong, though he couldn't sense the magic himself, he saw the knight's frozen expression and acted quickly.
"W-well now, let's all calm down!" King Alexander said with a forced chuckle. "Heroes, I deeply apologize for my knight's rudeness. Let me start again."
He stepped forward, placing a hand on his chest.
"I am Alexander Emissence von Flore, the 56th King of Florealis. You five have been summoned from another world to help us defeat the Demon Queen who threatens all life on this continent. Please, brave heroes—lend us your strength."
"Wait," the first female hero spoke up, her voice still shaky but curious. "If you had the power to summon us here... does that mean we can go back once we defeat the Demon Queen?"
The king's face darkened. His voice dropped to a somber tone.
"I'm afraid... no such method exists."
"Once summoned, the soul is bound to this world. I'm sorry. However, as the one responsible for this, I will provide everything you need to live comfortably—food, shelter, clothing, gold... anything."
The heroes glanced uneasily at one another.
No way back, huh?
But I wasn't worried about that. I was fixated on something else.
Demon... Queen? I raised an eyebrow.
So it's a Queen who rules the demon race now... how interesting. I wonder when I'll get to meet her.
"Hold on," said the second female hero. "Did you say 'Demon Queen'? Not a king?"
"Correct," the king replied. "Though the title does not traditionally change with gender, she has chosen to be called the Demon Queen. Her power far surpasses that of any known warrior on the human continent—even our finest champions are no match for her."
I couldn't help but grin.
The strongest, huh? Finally, someone worth meeting in this world. Maybe I won't be so bored after all.
I raised my hand and casually asked, "King, what happens if one of us... chooses not to participate in this Demon Queen subjugation?"
The air shifted instantly.
The temperature seemed to drop as the knights around us grew hostile, glares fixed directly on me.
"You bastard! Show respect to His Majesty!" one knight barked, drawing his sword. "Do you want to die, hero or not?!"
I yawned and tilted my head lazily.
"Well~, he's your king, not mine," I said with a mocking grin.
"You damn brat... DIE!"
The knight lunged. His blade gleamed under the chandelier's light.
I was already moving, preparing to counter—but before I could strike, a thunderous voice shook the room.
"ENOUGH!"
King Alexander's voice boomed through the hall, laced with fury. The knight froze mid-charge.
"Do you dare raise your sword... in front of your king?!"
Cold sweat dripped from the knight's face as he immediately fell to one knee.
"B-but he—"
"Shut up," the king said sharply. He turned to me with a solemn expression.
"He's right. I am not his king. Hero Alucard, I apologize on behalf of my knights."
I shrugged. "No hard feelings. Just asking a simple question."
"As for your earlier question," he continued, "If you truly do not wish to fight, I will not force you. But... are you certain?"
I looked him dead in the eye.
"Yes. I want to travel this world. Freely. Without being bound to anyone's cause. I want to survive and thrive by my own strength. That's all."
Of course, I was lying. I wanted to meet this Demon Queen. I wanted to test her power. But that wasn't information I needed to share.
The king sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Fine. But understand—if you're going to live freely, I expect you not to bring chaos to my lands."
"Then let's bind it with a blood oath," I said nonchalantly.
He blinked. "You... know of blood oaths?"
"Of course. They're quite common in the demon realm."
With that, we both drew a drop of blood and chanted the incantation.
"By blood and will, we vow: I, Alucard, shall not bring harm or chaos to the Human Kingdom. I, King Alexander, shall not interfere in the free actions of Alucard. Violation shall mean death."
The pact glowed briefly in the air and then vanished.
Now then... I'm free.
I smiled.
"Finally. Time to enjoy this world."
The king, seemingly relieved that things had calmed, turned to the others.
"Now that everything's settled... heroes, shall we introduce ourselves properly?"
I chuckled to myself as the others began to speak.
A new world, a powerful queen, a binding oath...
This is going to be fun.