The king stood up from his velvety-gold throne and rose not only with his posture but also with his voice, loud enough to be heard across the castle on the hills of the capital city of Rosalia. He pointed his muscular hand at me and said:
"Hanazaki Kyoujiro! I, Fabian Remulus Wolfrus, the sole ruler of the kingdom of Arame, with the power bestowed on me by my father and his father before him. Before all those witnesses, I recognise you as the hero of our lands and appoint you as the beacon of hope for humanity in the fight against the Demon Lord! Make our Goddess proud, young man!"
The castle erupted with cheers. The appearance of the otherworldly hero overjoyed both nobles and commoner servants of the crown. Princess Anastasia looked at Kyoujiro with awe and adoration – like she had just watched her kingdom's salvation drop from the sky.
The king's words boomed across the hall, cheers erupting like thunder. Kyoujiro raised his gaze slowly, taking it all in. His face showed only one emotion – "What the actual f***"
Confused? Because I am.
Hi. It's me - Hanazaki Kyoujiro. What's up?
Yeah. The guy who, for some reason, got transported into a fantasy world to be… a hero?
Let's quickly break down what happened over the last 5 minutes.
I was coming back from a date with a girl I met on a dating app. I was super hyped because we got to have some ramen at her place, if you catch my drift, when suddenly a big red magical circle appeared around me as I was walking down the street and then…
Poof
People in armour, elves, old farts in spiky wizard hats and I even see a cat girl in the corner. What the actual hell is going on?
Did I just get isekai'ed?
I did everything to make sure that it would never happen. I always look both ways when crossing the street. I have no regrets about my life. Lost my virginity when I was 15. Had a bunch of friends and even a few girlfriends. I had a great relationship with my parents. I even completely ignored that girl when she was about to be hit by a truck that one time.
Everything I did was so that I would never be transported to some weirdo anime isekai fantasy place. And now they want me to risk my life to kill some Demon Lord?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I don't even want to narrate my story anymore.
Urgh... Mr. Narrator. Take over.
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Emm…. Thank you? Okay, so... where was I? Ah, yes!
After being transported to the new fantasy world full of magic and otherworldly adventure, our new hero was appointed by the king as the chosen one. The beacon of divine light to fight evil. But there was still one person who didn't fully understand his situation, and that was the hero himself.
"Excuse me?" Kyoujiro said timidly, trying to grab the attention of the rejoiced crowd and the king, "Could someone at least tell me why I am here? Can't you find some other guy? I heard Mizumi from class 3B is training kung-fu or something. Maybe he would be a better candidate for a hero? Or better yet, one of your people?"
Silence. Hero's words vibrated through the air like a palm putting a finger on the lips of every breathing being in this majestic hall. Even the king looked surprised at the words.
Everyone looked at their ruler, trying to find an appropriate reaction to such a crude and blasé statement from their summoned visitor.
"HA! You've got some guts, kiddo" the king exclaimed loudly, followed by relieved breaths of the onlookers. "I guess that's what your kind would call 'cultural differences', isn't it. I guess some explanations are in order"
"Let me, father"
Princess Anastasia spoke for the first time since Kyoujiro arrived at the castle. Her blond, almost snow-white hair swirled around her slim figure as she stepped forward with grace and elegance deserving of the crown. Her ocean-blue dress – a perfect match to her eyes - swayed like cherry petals in the spring, as her heels clicked softly against the marble floor, closer and closer to the hero.
The corner of her lip curved gently as her eyes met Kyoujiro's for a second before she shyly looked away, colouring her pale cheek with a faint blush.
Doki
Kyoujiro's heart skipped two whole beats as he witnessed the beauty of the crown princess. Mesmerized by her figure. Smitten by her eyes. Defeated by her tiny, cute mannerisms. Completely moved by the way she regained her courage to look into his eyes again with a new wave of confidence.
"Hanazaki-san. You must be very confused. Please, let me tell you the story of our world. It all began in ancient times, where the great war of celestials…"
Pause
We don't need this lore now.
Skip
"…and then, from the ashes of the fallen god stood the…"
Skip.
Skip.
There's nothing important here that we will need later.
Skip
"…which is why elves can't have babies with orcs…"
Definitely don't want to know that.
Skip
"…from the prophecy of the abyss, which proclaimed that only the hero…"
>>X3 speed.
Geez Louise. What a yapper
"…and that's where you come in. The Goddess Minerva has passed down the oracle that once the hero is summoned to our lands, the Demon Lord will fall, and our world will know peace once more. Is the situation clearer now?"
"Yes, Ma'am! Everything is so much clearer now. Thank you!" said Kyoujiro shamelessly, with not a single productive thought crossing his mind.
During the explanation, which must have lasted 30 minutes, he stared blankly at the princess's face, imagining himself holding her hand and taking a walk through the park near his school, or feeding her strawberry cream crepes from that new café that opened near the station, or acting as her private tour guide, showing her around Shibuya, when a sudden realisation crossed his mind.
"Hold on…. How am I supposed to go back home?"
The princess smiled gently, seeing the apparent confusion on Kyoujiro's face. She turned her head towards her father.
"May I?" Anastasia asked hopefully.
The king exchanged meaningful looks with one of his right-hand men before approvingly nodding at his daughter.
Anastasia walked over to a glass table on her right and picked up a long object covered in silk sheets. Whatever it was, it must have been heavy because her petite frame slightly buckled under its weight.
Her eyes screamed determination and dedication as she reached Kyoujiro and revealed what she was holding.
It was a sword. Its handle was silver, wrapped with a leather strap that seemed both luxurious and comfortable at the same time. Right where the handle met the blade, Kyoujiro saw engraved royal insignia – an eagle with a crown. Strong and majestic like the king.
Blade wasn't made out of steel. It seemed almost as if it were made from blue-stained glass. It was see-through, yet something told Kyoujiro that this was no ordinary weapon.
Kyoujiro instinctively reached for the weapon, as if he heard its eternal calling. Like it was always meant to be wielded by him, and the moment his hand connected with the handle, the whole room exploded in sudden brightness.
Pure strings of lights surrounded the hero like ribbons of an Olympic gymnast. It was red. Actually, no – it was blue. And purple? After looking around, Kyoujiro realised his body was emitting waves of light in every possible colour under the sun.
To call this sight fantastical or mythical would feel like blasphemy.
It was….
Divine.
"What is going on?" Kyoujiro finally asked
"My boy. This is the power of the Goddess," the king answered with a soft, fatherly smile "This is the proof that you are the chosen one. Only the hero is allowed to touch the blade. Anyone else would perish from existence if they tried to wield an artefact with this much divine magic"
Kyoujiro marvelled in the gentle light of the sword, which began to dim out. He looked between the king and the princess.
"It's.... It's incredible. I can sense pure divine power surging through my veins. I feel unstoppable. Like the hand of the goddess is guiding me, but…. How does that answer my question? You know? The one about coming back home?"
"Ah, yes! Sorry!" Anastasia clasped her hands, embarrassed by her lack of explanation "This sword is the key to you being able to go home. In reality, our magic only allows us to summon a hero using a similar spell to the one we use to summon a familiar, except that we add divine holy magic. So we can make you appear here, but…. If we tried to reverse it, you might end up in a completely different dimension"
"What?! But wait… You said the sword is the key?"
"Yes! If you use that sword to slay the Demon King, his demonic magic and the sword's divine magic would momentarily merge into one – abyss magic. It would momentarily give you the abilities of a god, so you could traverse the dimensions and find your own. But remember this. You have to be the one to kill him with this blade"
"So, if someone else kills the Demon Lord, I would be stuck here forever?"
Anastasia chuckles softly.
"Yes, but don't worry. Only two beings can kill the Demon Lord. He and the hero. And since I don't think he's taking his life any time soon, I think you will be fine"
Why do I feel like someone just raised a dangerous flag?
Kyoujiro raised the blade to admire it. He felt its glory and power. It must be true. The hero is an extraordinary being, capable of competing with the dark lord as equals.
That meant Hanazaki Kyoujiro, a regular teenager from a high school in Tokyo, became the mightiest human in existence. Overwhelming power that could make a god shiver in its boots.
The king, whose presence both commanded respect and filled you with a sense of belonging, sat down on his throne and raised his hand.
"Kyoujiro. The hero's path is not an easy one, but full of adventure. You will meet new friends, find love, drown in wealth, fight strong opponents and find glory unimaginable to a regular human. Do you think you take on your shoulders the fate of each of my loyal subjects?"
The hero took a long, deep breath, bracing himself for the decision. His eyes, full of determination, stared right back at the ruler of Arame as he made his proclamation.
"Yes! I accept this duty!"
"Very well! In that case, I only have one thing to add. If you defeat the Demon Lord and you decide to stay, you can have my daughter as your bride. So you can either go home or marry a princess, one or the other - just something to think about along the journey. But either way, you have to be the one to kill him. You kill him. You. Him. Kill. Only"
The king clears his throat
"Hanazaki Kyoujiro. Good luck on your adventure! Be well-"
*SLAM*
The main entrance to the royal hall slams open with a loud slam, indicated by bolded text, and whatever you call those stars on either side of the slam.
"Who dares to interrupt as I'm sending our hero away on his journey?!" the king asks, enraged.
Through the door enters an exhausted soldier. Barely standing on his feet, as he must have been running as fast as humanly possible. He was scarcely able to catch a breath as he spoke.
"Your highness. My apologies, but this had to be said now. Our spies from the eastern border have confirmed. Last night, the dark king had an accident in the shower and split his head open so….
The Demon Lord Is Already Dead™ "
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Sorry, what now?