POV: Tendou Kazuma
The next day.
Night at the castle felt unnervingly quiet. Only the sound of patrol soldiers' boots echoed faintly through the corridors. From the small window in my room, a pale moon spilled across the marble floor, chilling the air even more. We drew the curtains tight, lit a small candle, and sat in a circle on the floor, our voices hushed to a near-whisper.
I had tried to gather the whole class for tonight's discussion. I wanted everyone to know something was off about the way the kingdom treated us. But… out of so many, only Fujimoto Aki, Minazuki Haru, Kirishima Yuu, Okabe Riku, Takemura Shin, and Hoshizaki Mei showed up.
The rest? They refused. Some said they were too tired, some pretended not to care, and a few were blunt: "Not our problem, Kazuma. Our job is just to train."
I didn't force them. Just nodded, letting them return to their rooms. Inside, though, disappointment sat heavy in my chest. That night, I learned something important: not everyone wants to face bitter reality.
The following days felt like hell. Not a hell of fire—no, this was a hell that corroded your pride.
The kingdom arranged training based on our skills. Sounds fancy, right? Like a tailored program to bring out each person's potential. In reality? For those of us branded "weak," training was half-hearted at best. More like entertainment than actual lessons.
Kazuki (Skill: Blessed Luck)From day one, he was branded useless. "Luck? So you're just a walking dice, huh?" a soldier sneered. During knife-throwing drills, Kazuki gave it his all… only for the blade to bounce back and stick into his own foot. The knights burst out laughing, some clutching their stomachs. "See?! Told you, this kid's nothing but bad luck!"Kazuki just forced a smile, but I knew—behind it, both his foot and his pride bled.
Kaname (Skill: Realistic Record)At first, the mages looked curious. "Oh, it records anything? Interesting. Write down the thunder spell in your book!"Kaname opened her book seriously… but instead of a spell, the page filled with: "Spicy Goblin Mushroom Soup Recipe – Ingredients: Goblin mushrooms."The entire hall erupted in laughter. "Hahaha! A kitchen witch! Hey girl, cook for us instead!"Kaname lowered her head, cheeks flushed crimson. Her hand trembled on the pen, gripping it like it was the only thing holding her together.
Iroha (Skill: Primal Flame Emotion)She had it worst, in my eyes. Her magic was strong—but unstable. Instead of helping her control it, the instructors provoked her. "What's this? A candle flame? You think that can burn an orc?!"That day, Iroha's face went red, tears brimming—then BOOM. A wild inferno roared across the training grounds. Knights scattered, rolling on the ground to put out their smoldering uniforms.The next day, her instructor suddenly called in "sick." Truth was, he'd run away in fear. From then on, Iroha was left alone during training, treated like a walking disaster.
Me (Skill: Light Bless + Physical Reinforce)At least my training was… decent. Sparring against mid-level knights, learning how to channel light magic into muscle, enhancing strikes, blocking blows. I wasn't openly mocked.But even so, discrimination was plain as day. The strong were praised, treated like royalty. The "weak"… ridiculed, abandoned.
Every time I saw it, anger burned in me. I wanted to shout, to fight back—but if I exploded, I'd just share their fate.
It wasn't just me, Kaname, Iroha, and Kazuki. Those six who came to the secret meeting were the same—they carried scars of ridicule.
Hoshizaki Mei (Soundwave Manipulation)She could make air vibrate with her voice. To me, it was cool. To the soldiers? "What, just loud noise? Everyone can shout!" they laughed. When her soundwave knocked a shield off balance, they clapped sarcastically. "Good for scaring chickens, girl."
Takemura Shin (Stone Skin)Training meant becoming a punching bag. "Hit him! He's immune!" Shin stood firm, body hard as stone. Physically fine… but mentally? The jeers stabbed deeper than fists. "What are you, a wall? Heroes attack, not stand around!"
Fujimoto Aki (Thread Control)Threads of magic danced from his hands, flexible and precise. But instructors scoffed. "Spider webs? You wanna be the kingdom's tailor?" Even when Aki snared a wooden dummy tight, they smashed it with one strike. "See? Worthless." Aki's eyes went blank, like his strings were snapping inside too.
Kirishima Yuu (Beast Whisperer)He smiled when a bird perched on his hand, whispering until it chirped happily. The knights snorted. "What is this, a farm? Shepherd boy?" Once, they threw a stray dog at him. Instead of fighting, Yuu calmed it, petting it until it sat obedient. The knights? "USELESS! Kill enemies, don't talk to them!"
Okabe Riku (Echo Vision)Like sonar, he sensed objects in darkness. He dodged a spear with precision—but instead of praise: "So you're just a bat? Perfect, we'll use you as our night alarm!" Riku forced a grin, but his fists were clenched white.
Minazuki Haru (Bloom Heal)Flowers sprouted as he healed wounds, a beautiful sight. But healers mocked. "Too slow. Decorative nonsense." They kicked away the blossoms like trash. Haru trembled but whispered, "I'll try harder tomorrow…"
I witnessed it all. My classmates, treated like trash.
I gritted my teeth. The strong were exalted. The "weak" discarded.And I knew—if we didn't cling to each other, we'd all break.
Six months passed.
We should have been growing stronger, rising as the kingdom's pride. Instead? Out of twenty students, only seven showed real progress. The rest—like us "rejects"—became objects of ridicule. Some sank into despair.
One boy who once dreamed of being an athlete now never left his bed. "What's the point? We're just the kingdom's toys," he muttered, shutting his door to the world.
Watching that crushed me. We were summoned as heroes. But instead of glory, the kingdom was grinding us down.
Then came the madness. The kingdom's next decree:"The next stage—real dungeon exploration. You will gain true experience as adventurers."
Our class fell apart. Some refused to leave their rooms. Some wept openly in the halls.
That night, only eleven of us gathered again—me, Kazuki, Kaname, Iroha, and the others who still dared to resist.
Kazuki slammed the table, fury twisting his face. "I overheard soldiers. They said… one 'useless hero' was thrown into a dungeon."
My blood boiled. So it's true… Kaito was cast aside.
Kaname looked at me, worried. "Then… what do we do?"
I clenched my fists, looking each of them in the eye. "We'll find him. If the kingdom calls us trash, so be it. We'll carve our own path to strength."
The next day, the official announcement echoed in the grand hall:"Today, as declared, you will enter the dungeon and gain real combat experience!"
Most of the class hung their heads, retreating into their rooms, locking doors, sobbing quietly. Only we eleven stood in line. Not bravery—just desperation.
Led by the head knight, we marched to the city gates. Whispers followed us.
"Did you hear? Good thing they tossed that last useless hero away. With trash like that, no wonder…"
Heat surged in my chest. I almost lashed out, but the captain barked, "Silence! Your tongue stinks worse than a swamp orc's!"
Still, the damage was done. The truth was carved deeper into me. Kaito… they really threw you away.
We reached the city. Stone buildings towered high, markets bustled, carriages rattled by. But there was no time to admire. The knight pointed to a large brown-red building.
"That's the Adventurer's Guild. From now, you'll learn from them."
Then he left us.
The guild doors swung open. A storm of noise hit us. Adventurers shouting, pinning requests to boards, lugging bloodied weapons. The stink of sweat, booze, and iron filled the air.
Iroha clutched my sleeve. "This place… it's wild."
I nodded, about to reassure her when—
Twang.
A guitar chord rang out. Then another. A melody spread, soft yet powerful. The chaos of the guild slowly quieted, as if enchanted.
"I can… show you how to… love yourself…"
English.
My breath caught. The adventurers looked puzzled—but I, Kazuki, Iroha, Kaname… we knew. We understood.
Everyone turned to the guitarist. Messy black hair. A convenience store T-shirt, logo in red and green. White sneakers from another world.
I froze. "…He's… not from here."
And in that moment—all my questions about Kaito, the kingdom, our future—collapsed into one storm inside me.
The guitarist smiled faintly, still strumming. On his chest, a name tag gleamed:
RIAN.