The silence that followed after the doors shut was suffocating.
No one spoke for a while. The air was thick with unease, the only sounds being the faint flicker of candlelight and the distant footsteps of maids outside the hall.
Ray sat slouched in his chair, tapping his finger against his glass.
'So… what now? Panic? Cry? Scream?'
'No, they'll do that soon enough.'
It started with one voice — loud, confident, and stupidly enthusiastic.
"Hey, what's there to even think about?"
The voice belonged to Kenji, the self-proclaimed leader of the otaku group — tall, wiry, with messy hair and a grin that screamed misplaced confidence.
"We just heard it ourselves," he said, standing up. "If we help them, they'll help us. Isn't that better than sitting around like idiots waiting to die?"
Another one, Toru, adjusted his glasses. "Yeah. Can we even reject them? I mean, think logically for a second."
He looked around, his tone oddly serious.
"If we refuse, what's stopping them from just… tossing us out? We don't know this world. We don't know where we are, how to survive, or even what's outside this palace."
That earned a few uneasy glances.
Kenji smirked. "Or worse — imprison us."
"Or torture us till we agree," Riku, the chubby one, added helpfully. "They could even use some creepy mind-control spell. This is a world of magic, right?"
"Yeah!" Shun, the quietest of the four, suddenly spoke up. "What if they have some kind of slave spell or something? They could just make us fight for them anyway."
That got everyone's attention.
A cold wave spread across the hall as the implications sank in.
Kenji shrugged, pretending to be casual but clearly enjoying the effect of his words.
"At least right now, we still have a choice. Maybe not a good one — but a choice nonetheless."
'…Did I go insane,' Ray thought, staring blankly at the group, 'or are these idiots actually starting to make sense?'
He wasn't the only one thinking it.
The rest of the class had gone quiet, faces pale, expressions tightening as Kenji's words dug in.
It was true.
They'd been brought here against their will.
They had no way back.
And whether they liked it or not, they were now at someone else's mercy.
The illusion of choice was just that — an illusion.
Accept now, or be forced later.
Either way, they'd end up in the same place.
Miss Amy broke the silence, her voice trembling but determined.
"Don't be ridiculous. We don't even know what kind of war this is. You can't just throw yourselves into something like that!"
Kenji turned to her, not backing down.
"With all due respect, Miss Amy, what else can we do? You heard that Isolde woman. There's no way back — not yet anyway."
Toru nodded, his tone calmer. "They said they'll research a way home if we help. That's our best bet."
Riku added, "And if we refuse, they might not bother at all."
Amy's lips tightened. "You're all children! You don't understand how dangerous—"
Kenji cut her off. "And doing nothing is safer? Sitting here, waiting for them to get bored and decide we're useless?"
"Miss Amy," Toru said quietly, "we're not in control anymore. Whether we like it or not, we're already part of this."
Her hands clenched at her sides. She wanted to argue — desperately — but she had no counter.
Everything they said made sense. Painfully, depressingly sense.
Ray watched as her expression cracked, the fight leaving her eyes little by little.
'She's realizing it too,' he thought. 'The moment we were summoned, the word "choice" stopped existing.'
Finally, Miss Amy exhaled, shoulders slumping.
"…Fine," she said softly. "If that's the only option left… then we'll cooperate."
The class let out a mix of sighs — some relieved, some resigned.
Kenji's grin returned instantly. "See? We're thinking smart here."
Toru gave him a side-eye. "Don't act like you came up with some genius plan."
Riku chuckled nervously. "Well, at least we won't die… yet."
Shun stayed silent, his eyes distant, like he was already fantasizing about wielding magic.
With the decision settled, Kenji straightened up, adjusting his torn uniform collar like a hero from a shounen manga.
"I'll go tell the maid," he said with a gleeful smile, striding toward the massive double doors.
The maid waiting outside bowed as he approached.
"We've made our decision," Kenji said proudly. "We'll cooperate."
She nodded politely. "Understood. I shall inform Lady Isolde."
As the door shut behind her, an uneasy quiet filled the hall once more.
Ray leaned back, staring at the ornate ceiling.
'So it's decided,' he thought. 'The first step into the unknown… and we're already being led on a leash.'
He closed his eyes.
'Let's see where this farce goes.'
****
The heavy doors creaked open again.
Every head turned toward the sound.
Isolde entered first, her presence immediately commanding the room. Her flowing silver-blue robes trailed behind her like mist, and that same practiced smile curved her lips — calm, warm, and utterly unreadable. Behind her, Grand Marshal Darius followed in heavy steps, his armor gleaming under the chandeliers.
"You have made an excellent choice," Isolde said, her voice carrying easily through the hall. "Let us work together and help each other. You have my sincerest gratitude."
Her tone was polite, even gentle, but it carried the unmistakable weight of authority.
Most students sat straighter, uncertain whether to feel proud or terrified. Kenji, of course, looked like he'd just been praised by a goddess.
Miss Amy, however, wasn't swayed. She stood up immediately, eyes narrowing.
"Lady Isolde," she said firmly. "There's one thing I still don't understand."
"Oh?" Isolde turned toward her with that same serene smile.
Amy took a deep breath. "You say you want us to fight against the demons. But no one here has ever held a sword, let alone fought in a war. These are ordinary students — kids! How exactly are they supposed to defeat demons that your army hasn't been able to?"