New Hero Kazuya

Kazuya, an eighteen year old otaku who was on the verge of becoming a NEET by choice, stepped out into the blinding sun and squinted his eyes. Oh, how his otaku brain desired to step into a new world filled with magic like the ones he saw in manga and anime. It sucked that reality had to be a boring and logical world that was filled with nothing but misery and depression.

Today, he had to go deposit money into his account at the bank, money which he gained from helping out a family member at their job during summer break. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be spending his day off from school walking outside and immersing in the world of normies. He made it to the bank and entered. As he waited in line for the teller, he yawned and his hand brushed against the person behind him. “Oh, sorry,” he immediately apologized.

The person behind was hidden under a large cloak. As a result, it was hard to discern their gender or age. Furthermore, Kazuya was a little unnerved by their appearance. The person didn’t say anything in reply and made a gesture that looked like bowing or something resembling it.

It was finally Kazuya’s turn and he walked up. Suddenly, the doors to the bank flew open and a group of masked men armed with automatic firearms rushed in. “This is a robbery!” shouted the group’s leader. He then shot out a few rounds into the ceiling to show that he was being serious. Everyone screamed and got down. “If you don’t want to die, then stay down and shut up! We’ll be collecting every single bill from the bank and from each and every one of you!”

‘Ah great! My day off!’ whined Kazuya depressingly to himself.

The other men promptly split up into two groups. One group jumped over the teller counters to reach the bank’s safe. The other group surrounded the hostages and began collecting valuables regardless of their worth. One of the men approached the cloaked person next to Kazuya. When the man demanded for the person’s valuables, the latter shook their head in refusal. The man’s patience was thinner than a thread and he quickly resorted to violence. He reached out and aggressively grabbed the person by the collar of their cloak.

Kazuya didn’t know what came over him, but he rose up and immediately placed a hand over the robber’s arm and stopped him. It wasn’t like Kazuya to play hero, and he didn’t have that big of a sense of justice, but in this moment he did and for a reason that was unknown even to him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” spat the robber.

“Oh, um, it’s nothing,” Kazuya quickly told him. “Sorry, it was just a reflex, I guess. Though I’m not exactly sure of it myself, heh heh.”

The robber threw down the cloaked person and turned his focus on Kazuya. “Well, since you want to play hero, give me everything you have in exchange!” snarled the robber.

“Actually, I don’t have anything on me at all,” Kazuya replied with an awkward smile.

“Shut up and do as I say! Otherwise, I’ll shoot you dead right here!” threatened the robber.

“I’m being serious, though! I have nothing!”

“What the hell is taking so long?” came the group’s leader, appearing right before Kazuya.

“This little bastard is holding out on us!” complained the robber.

“I’m just telling him that I have nothing to give,” explained Kazuya. “I’m just a third-year high school student who’s a borderline NEET.”

“What’s a NEET doing at a bank?” asked the group’s leader, his voice revealing that he was quickly losing his patience.

“That’s, well, umm…good point,” relented Kazuya.

The sound of sirens outside alerted the robbers. “I just found a way you can contribute to us,” said the group’s leader with a cruel chuckle. He grabbed Kazuya by the collar of his tracksuit and tightly held him with his arm around the latter’s neck.

“The police are here! We ask for the perpetrators responsible to not resist arrest!” came an officer’s voice through a megaphone.

The robber leader gestured for two of his men to open the doors. With Kazuya still in his grips, he nonchalantly walked outside. He pointed his firearm right against Kazuya’s head. “If you tax thieves want this NEET to survive, then I suggest you don’t do anything stupid and let us go.”

“Um, you didn’t really need to say that part about me being a NEET,” Kazuya told the robber leader.

“Shut up! Don’t you understand the situation you’re in?” threatened the robber leader, frustrated by Kazuya’s stupid comment given the situation.

“Release the hostage first! If you do, we will accommodate you all to the best of our abilities!” came the officer.

Suddenly, an unexpected and unplanned occurrence happened, one that took everyone by surprise. The robber leader, whose own action shocked even him, shot the gun with an accidental slip of his finger. The loud explosive bang from the firearm echoed through the block as everyone else became silent.

At that moment, in the few seconds before the bullet made contact with Kazuya’s head, Kazuya felt his entire body being sucked into some kind of portal. Everything around him melted into each other until all that was left was a bright white screen. Then, darkness….

“We did it! We did it!” came the sounds of distant cheering.

Kazuya blinked his eyes open and found himself lying on top of some kind of stone floor. He got up and brushed himself off. He took in his surroundings and finally noticed the many eyes that were focused on him. Everyone had wide smiles on their faces, the kind that expressed wonder and joy at what they were witnessing. Their varying hair colors that ranged from platinum blonde to deep black to emerald green, their clothing that resembled a mixed-bag of styles from pre-modern Europe and colonial-era America, their fashion sense that combined Oriental-like jewelry choices with South Asian cosmetic flair—it was very clear to Kazuya that he was not in Japan anymore. Actually, scratch that—he was not even on Earth anymore.

“Oh, great hero, we have waited for your arrival!” said one of the men nearest to Kazuya. He was an old man dressed in clothing that appeared to be a marriage of religions: a Catholic-like vestment with a Buddhist-like robe (kesa) over his left shoulder. His face was large but his eyes were rather small with many wrinkles underneath. He was bald save for a patch of white hair in the center of his head, and he had a long braided beard.

“H-Hero?” repeated Kazuya, confused by the man’s words. He looked around and quickly realized that the man was speaking to him. “Wait, I’m the hero?” asked Kazuya in disbelief with widened eyes.

“May I witness which god you are the champion of?” asked the priest eagerly.

“God?”

The priest gestured for Kazuya to hold out his hand. Kazuya did so and the back of his hand was in full view for all to see. Suddenly, to Kazuya’s surprise, a mysterious purple light emitted from the back of his hand and a symbol appeared: a lotus flower in full bloom underneath five circles that represented each of the phases of the moon.

The priest looked intently at the symbol, but his furrowed brows expressed pure confusion. “How strange,” he muttered to himself. “It’s not the symbol of Kaul, Megara, Sistiane, nor Ulgor. Nor does it resemble the symbol of any of the lower gods.” He glanced up at Kazuya with squinted eyes as if trying to read his soul. “Nevertheless, you were summoned here as an answer to our prayers,” acknowledged the priest. It was clear that the priest was unhappy with this situation, but he had no choice but to go along with it.

Kazuya was led by the priest and a collection of guards through a wide hallway and a pair of large wooden doors. He entered an area that he recognized immediately as the throne room of a monarch and followed behind the others with careful steps. Just being in the room was enough to make him feel insignificant and intrusive.

He was gestured to stop and saw right in front of him a set of glorious steps that led up to the throne on top. Atop the throne was the king: a man with the well groomed beard of a Chinese emperor, the permed curls of a British king, and the dignified aura of an Egyptian pharaoh. He was dressed in very luxurious clothes made of very fine golden threads and adorned with jewels stitched in carefully crafted designs.

“Hero, I am King Jupiter La Melia of the Kingdom of Melia,” greeted the king with a big and clear voice.

“A pleasure, Your Highness. I am Kazuya,” quickly greeted back Kazuya with a very low bow, repeating what he remembered from his days watching anime.

The priest walked up and spoke to an attendant, who then relayed the message to the king. After hearing the message, the king said, “It appears that though you are a hero, it is not clear which deity you serve,” said the king. “That is a problem.”

“A-A problem?” asked Kazuya.

“When a hero is summoned, they are done so by a god or goddess and serves as that deity’s representative in our world. As such, they are also granted a special blessing that is unique to the individual and represents the god’s power,” explained the king. “However, your symbol is of a deity that we do not have any record of. I do not know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.”

‘Seriously? Then, who in the world summoned me here? I don’t want this to turn into a bad thing!’ worried Kazuya,

“But if you were summoned here as an answer to our prayers, then there must be meaning behind it. Perhaps this is what the gods intended,” concluded the king with a wise nod.

“Um, you’ve been saying prayers all this time. May I ask, what do you actually mean by that?” asked Kazuya.

“Our world is under threat of the Demon Lord,” explained the king. “For over eight hundred years, ever since the defeat of the previous Demon Lord, our world was filled with long-lasting peace and light. However, six months ago, the rise of a new Demon Lord turned our world into one of turmoil and darkness yet again. Many kingdoms and nations had already fallen to the Demon Lord and his generals. Fearing that we would be next, we prayed to the gods for a hero. And today, it appeared that they have answered our prayers.”

‘Sorry, but this is such a standard Isekai trope,’ thought Kazuya to himself. ‘Well, it’s not like a I mind it though.’ With a confident smile, he puffed out his chest and declared, “If I may be bold, Your Highness, you can count on me to defeat the Demon Lord for you and bring back peace and light to the world!”

Those words made the king perk up and he let out a rumbling laugh. “Perfect! Marvelous! Grand! Tonight, we shall have a feast in honor of our new hero!” The entire room joined their king with a cheer that shook the entire castle.

Later that evening, the castle held a magnificent feast. All of the kingdom’s most powerful and influential figures were in attendance. When Kazuya was presented to the crowd by the king, the entire castle was filled with cheers of approval. Kazuya felt like a god in that very moment. He let those cheers fuel his ego and waved happily at the crowd with the reckless abandon of an arrogant celebrity.

Once the feast was in full swing, Kazuya took part in mingling with the other guests and enjoying the strange but delicious foods. He was approached by nobles almost every other minute, each trying to gain his favor by offering their support and the hand of their daughter, or any other unmarried maiden in their family, in marriage. It would be an understatement to say that Kazuya was overwhelmed by their enthusiastic requests; though he enjoyed the attention, just smiling nonchalantly along with their words took a toll on his own stamina more than any part-time job he had ever had!

Finally, he was given a small respite. He was on cloud-9 for being treated as a hero just like how he had always dreamed of. Now, he would be able to live the same life as those of the heroes he often watched on screen from the comfort of his room. ‘I’ll keep this momentum going and become a legend!’ he promised himself.

“Hero Kazuya,” came a very beautiful voice from beside him. The voice was sonorous like a beautiful songbird with the gentleness of a whispering breeze.

Kazuya, who was taking a bite of the meatloaf-like dish that had enticed him with its scent since the beginning of the feast, turned with his mouth full of the meat and a streak of sauce on the corner of his lips. Standing before him was a beautiful maiden, a fairy like the ones he had seen on those ancient Japanese paintings. She had straight chestnut brown hair that fell past her shoulders with the top part in a crown-like braid. Her eyes were pure aquamarines, glittering with grace and strength. And her lightly-tanned skin was immaculate like the smooth yellow sand of an undisturbed beach. Her smile was godly and mesmerized anyone who was caught in its line of sight.

Stunned, Kazuya had forgotten about everything else and stared at the beautiful fairy in front of him with the intensity of a lovesick fool. “Hero Kazuya?” asked the fairy. Her voice snapped Kazuya back to his senses and he quickly swallowed the food in his mouth. The premature swallowing of the half-chewed food almost choked him, but he managed to take a quick drink of wine(?) to wash it all down.

“Y-Yes?” he finally answered.

“This is not the very first time we have met, but it is the first time that we have spoken to each other,” said the fairy.

“We’ve met each other before?” asked Kazuya. He then remembered back to earlier today when he was in the presence of the king. He hadn’t really paid much attention to anyone in the room except for the king, but he somewhat remembered that the king was joined by a woman and two girls. “Oh, you’re the princess!” he finally realized.

“I am the First Princess of the Kingdom of Melia, Apolia La Melia.”

“Princess Apolia,” greeted Kazuya with a gentlemanly bow.

“Please, call me Lia,” she told him insistently. She was embarrassed about her full name.

“Then, Princess Lia,” corrected Kazuya. “Does the princess need something from me?”

“I was just curious about you,” she said, her eyes falling to the floor and her cheeks turning a little pink.

“Then, if I may,” said Kazuya with a bow. In a grand manner, he introduced himself to her. “I am Kazuya, hero summoned from another world! Back in my old world, I had spent my entire life cultivating my talents [working part-time jobs] and gaining experience [playing video games] to prepare myself for this very moment! I possess the knowledge of past heroes [from watching anime] and the wisdom of the gods [from reading light novels and manga]! I assure you, princess, that I shall fulfill my role as the hero and bring back peace to this land [and become a legend]! My skills include being well-versed in all forms of weaponry [in video games], the business acumen to acquire materials and resources [merchandise during sales and events], and the strength of an army [somewhat decent physical stats from working]!”

“My, how wonderful!” believed Lia with a huge smile.

“You can leave it to me!” Kazuya told her.

“Hero Kazuya, what level are you?” Lia asked him with sparkling eyes.

“Level?” asked Kazuya, confused by the question.

“Your level determines how strong you are and what skills you can learn and acquire,” Lia told him. “Did you not have these in your world?”

Kazuya answered with a shake of his head. “Say, how can we check our levels?” he asked.

“You can do so at the Church or any other religious site,” Lia told him. “There, they have a well of mana that measures your level when you dip your hand in it.”

“I-I see….” ‘Well, this was somewhat expected of an isekai world,’ Kazuya acknowledged.

“Anyway, Hero Kazuya—.”

A loud clinking resounded throughout the feast hall. “Ladies and gentlemen, your eyes on me, please,” called the king from atop the balcony overlooking the crowd. Everyone obeyed the king and the entire room fell silent. “For many centuries, our kingdom was granted peace and happiness after the defeat of the previous Demon Lord. Our lands were rich, our seas were bountiful, our people were happy, and our kingdom thrived. But now, our kingdom has come under threat of a new evil. A new Demon Lord has appeared. Our years of peace and happiness are becoming a thing of the past. Terror and fear will supplant them and we will enter a new dark age.”

As the king spoke these words, members of the crowd wore expressions of displeasure and anxiety. It was not an easy topic to digest. The king understood this and took a pause before switching gears. “However, the heavens have smiled upon us! The gods have not abandoned us! To protect our peace and happiness, to defeat the Demon Lord and return this world back into a state of order, a hero has been summoned! Hero Kazuya!” A magical spotlight landed on Kazuya to reveal him to the crowd. The crowd immediately burst into applause and cheers. A knight approached the hero and led him to where the king was.

“Hero Kazuya has been summoned to our world as the legendary hero who will save us from the Demon Lord!” announced the king.

“Which god has summoned him?” shouted a curious noble.

“It must be Kaul, the god of war!” suggested another.

“No way! Sistiane, the goddess of love!” came a third.

“Or Orphelus, the god of prophecy!” put in a fourth.

“What about Ulgor, the god of blacksmiths and weapons!” cried a fifth.

Kazuya was overwhelmed by the nobles’ obsession with finding out his patron deity. If he had learned anything from hearing their excited voices was that they all had high expectations for him. But the fact of the matter was Kazuya didn’t even know which deity was responsible for sponsoring his summon in the first place! No one did!

“That fact will remain classified,” bellowed the king, silencing the nobles. “Regardless of which deity summoned him, there is no shadow of a doubt that Hero Kazuya was summoned here as our hero. Now, back to the matter at hand, in addition to serving as a celebration for his summons, I have organized this feast to also reveal unto you all here today the rest of the party that will partake in this quest!” The king clapped his hands. Three people took to the floor and a spotlight was shown on each of them.

The first person was introduced as Luxias Namerl, a level 64 White Mage. He was a tall and slender young man with short silver hair and clad in an immaculate white robe. His eyes were a warm green. Just one look, and one would be forgiven to think he was an elf given his very beautiful appearance. “It is an honor to make you acquaintance, Hero Kazuya,” greeted Luxias with a polite bow. His voice was just as beautiful as his face.

The second person was introduced as Yves Folet, a level 55 Blue Mage. She stood no taller than your average high school freshman and wore her amber locks in a pair of braids that looped behind her head. Her eyes were a cool sapphire and she wore a monocle over her left eye. Her clothes were standard mage fare: a long black robe with a blue cape and a blue witch’s hat. In her left hand was a wooden scepter with a blue jewel on top. “Hero Kazuya, you can count on me to protect our party,” said Yves with pride and determination.

The third person was introduced as Timothy Ferris, a level 49 Martial Artist. He was a young and hyper wolf beast-kin with long black hair and fiery red eyes. He was dressed in an orange vest and white pants with a purple sash over his waist. In this world, beast-kins were humanoid in appearance save for a few obvious features that they inherited from their beastly heritage: gills, feathers, claws, tails—or, in Timothy’s case, wolf ears and fangs. “Let’s go give the Demon Lord a beating so we can party together!” cheerfully shouted Timothy.

According to the king, these three were hand-chosen by him and a committee of very important people. The three were well-known adventurers in their own right and their respective strengths were second-to-none. Luxias was a high-ranking member of the kingdom’s church; Yves serves on the council of mages in addition to being an active adventurer; Timothy had won many fighting tournaments to solidify his status as the strongest champion in the kingdom’s eastern region. Kazuya could only stare and listen in awe as he heard their achievements.

“Now, we shall hold a little ceremony of our own,” continued the king. He turned to Kazuya and said, “Hero Kazuya, we shall now determine your level!”

“Eh?—Eh?!” The king’s words took Kazuya by surprise like an unexpected slap to the face.

A pair of clergymen appeared with a basin of liquid (mana) held between them. They placed the basin down next to Kazuya. Kazuya glanced over at the clergymen, and then the king, and then the crowd. Everyone was brimming with anticipation. Kazuya gulped and lowered his hand into the basin. The mana glowed brightly like a gemstone before reverting back to its previous state. Kazuya retracted his hand. Suddenly, the mana shot up to form a pillar-like shape. Then, like a chameleon, it began to change color. It swiftly shifted from its clear-like color into red, then blue, then purple, then pink, then orange, then copper, then gold; this cycling of colors continued for a while before it finally began to settle down. The final result was a bright green.

Everyone let out a gasp. Kazuya did not know how to take that reaction—was it good? or bad? Even the king’s face was grim, but it still did not explain what Kazuya wanted to know. “Um, what does it mean?” Kazuya asked the king.

“I have never seen anything like it before,” murmured the king. “It’s not strange for heroes to already be powerful and of a high level in the beginning due to their godly blessings….”

‘Wait, does this mean that I got a high level?!’ exclaimed Kazuya excitedly to himself. ‘Looks like my dream is really coming true!’

“How can he be a hero if he is level 1?!” shouted a noble from the crowd, breaking the silence.

“This can’t be true!” joined in another.

“Did something go wrong?” worried a third.

‘Wait a minute…level 1?!’ Kazuya couldn’t believe the hard truth and it crushed his soul into powder.

“Maybe there was a mistake with the test!” suggested another noble.

“Yeah! The mana! Maybe the mana has gone bad!” agreed a fifth.

The crowd, unable to accept that their hero was level 1, began to conjure up plausible theories to explain this perceived discrepancy. The entire room soon devolved into a frenzy of unreasonable arguments and implausible conspiracies. It was pure chaos!

“This is the truth!” came the king, silencing the crowd. “There was nothing wrong with the mana. The fact that Hero Kazuya is level 1 is truth!”

“I-Impossible!” sputtered a noble in protest.

“In our history, every summoned hero has always been granted a high level. But even those starting levels were not the same between heroes!” reminded the king. “Therefore, though it is rare, it is not at all impossible for a summoned hero to start out as level 1.”

“He must at least possess a great blessing, does he not?” asked another noble.

“What is the nature of his blessing?” pressed another one.

“That information cannot be disclosed at this time,” said the king.

“Rubbish!” challenged an old noble.

“How can we trust him if we do not even know that which we need to know about him?” asked a terrified lady noble.

Kazuya felt his skin prickle under this uncomfortable atmosphere. ‘I need to do something to fix this mood,’ he realized. With a clearing of his throat, he loudly announced for all to hear: “I am the hero summoned to this world to protect you all from the Demon Lord. As your hero, I will do whatever I can to accomplish my mission and bring back peace and happiness to the land! You all are wary of my abilities due to my low level. I understand where your fears are coming from.” Uneasy chatter rippled through the crowd. “However! However, I want you all to bet on me! I ask you to judge me by my success than by my level!”

“That’s madness!” objected a noble.

“You call it mad, but I call it brave!” flipped Kazuya.

The crowd muttered amongst themselves about their worries and anxieties and problems regarding the hero’s words. It all soon died down when the crowd reluctantly decided to trust the hero’s words—not out of actual trust, but rather because they were beyond desperate to quickly defeat the Demon Lord. “We’ll place our trust in you!” shouted a noble.

“Then it has been decided!” came the king, taking over. “Hero Kazuya, your bravery and determination is commendable! Truly the virtues of a great hero!” The crowd exploded into cheers and applause, albeit more restrained than before. “Your journey will begin tomorrow morning!” announced the king.

That night, Kazuya was allowed to sleep in the castle. He stared up at the wonderfully architecture ceiling above him. Today went by in a flash and it still felt very unreal to him. Just this morning, he was at the bank to deposit some money and was caught in the middle of a robbery. After that, he was summoned to another world, get declared a hero, and attended a royal party organized just for him—all in one day! The excitement was still fresh inside of him that he couldn’t sleep at all. ‘No, no, I need to sleep! The journey to defeat the Demon Lord begins tomorrow!’ he told himself.

The weight of those words finally hit him and new thoughts that he hadn’t considered entered his head. ‘Will my level affect my abilities? Are my skills sufficient enough? Do I possess a powerful skill like those isekai protagonists? Can I become a great hero like those protagonists? Can I defeat the Demon Lord?’

He suddenly felt his excitement being replaced with anxiety. It made his fingers tense up and sent a shiver from his head to his toes. ‘No, I can do this! If those isekai protagonists can do it, then so can I!’ he reassured himself. ‘Just do the same things they did and act how they would and I should be fine!’ he mistakenly believed, drilling those words into his mind like a mantra.

Finally relieved of the anxiety, he went to sleep.

The next morning, Kazuya woke up feeling refreshed. Wondering if all that had happened the night before was a dream, he ran his hands over his body and checked his surroundings. He was still in the castle room and his body was very much real. It wasn’t a dream at all!

The door to his room opened and he was greeted by a group of servants. They took him to the washroom, washed his body, and changed him into new clothes. He now donned a silky-blue shirt and a pair of black leather pants. The fabrics were soft and cool and light—it was obvious that they were crafted from only the finest of materials. Around his neck was a black ascot bearing the symbol of the kingdom. On his feet were shiny leather boots the color of fresh caramel.

Once he got dressed, he was led by the servants to the castle entrance. There, he saw Luxias and the rest of his party members waiting for him. The king was also there to wish them farewell on their journey. A person whom Kazuya had not seen before was standing alongside the other party members.

“Hero Kazuya, I pray that you slept well?” asked the king.

“I slept like a log,” Kazuya told him.

“Like a log?” repeated the king, confused by the unfamiliar saying.

“I-It’s nothing,” Kazuya quickly reassured him. “It’s just a saying from where I’m from.”

“I see,” nodded the king.

“What a strange saying,” muttered Timothy to the other party members.

“Now, before you proceed with your quest, I have one more announcement to make,” said the king. He stretched out his hand to the new party member. “If it is alright with you, Hero Kazuya, there is one addition I would like to make to your party.”

The new member stepped forward and introduced themselves. “I am Artemis La Mellia, Second Princess of the Kingdom of Melia.”

“P-P-Princess?!” exclaimed Kazuya.

Artemis stood up to Kazuya’s chin and was a cute girl with a small face and large, ocean green eyes. Her hair was a darker chestnut than her sister’s and rested on her shoulders in wide curls. She had noticeable cheekbones that seemed to drill further into the minds of others just how cute she was. Unlike her sister, her skin was not tan, but it wasn’t pale either. If it can be described in any way, the best comparison would be a bowl of fresh milk.

“I am excited to join your party, Hero Kazuya!” she told him with a big smile.

Kazuya turned to the king and the latter replied back with a sigh. “My daughter insisted on joining you,” he told the hero. “She is a very capable fighter and adept in many types of magic. Although she is a royal and I have reminded her so to convince her otherwise, she is a stubborn one and threatened to lock herself up in her room if I will not allow her to do as she please.”

‘The king is afraid of his daughter turning into a NEET!’ concluded Kazuya. He turned to Artemis, who was still smiling cheerfully. The power of the smile chipped away at Kazuya’s doubt and he found himself slowly giving in to her selfishness. “Well, if it’s fine with you, Your Highness,” relented Kazuya.

“EMI!” came the echoing shout of a man’s voice. A young man about the same age as Kazuya appeared. Next to him was the first princess, Apolia La Melia. Seeing her made Kazuya blush and he felt his body becoming stiff with nervousness.

“Emi, what do you think you’re doing?” demanded the young man. He had short golden-blonde hair and electric-blue eyes that emanated power and fierceness. He also had a strong chin and chiseled features like that of a Grecian statue. His skin was a little darker than Apolia’s, a creamy maple-syrup to her immaculate sandy tan. Underneath his eyes were lightning-shaped markings that began from the bottom of his eyelid and stopped just above his cheeks.

There was no doubt that this young man was a person of importance. Clad in obviously wealthy clothing, one can assume that he had to be a noble of great rank. And the fact that he approached Artemis rather familiarly, he must be someone on equal footing with the lower members of the royal family.

“I’m joining the hero’s party,” Artemis told the young man.

‘So he calls her Emi,’ noted Kazuya.

“Emi, this isn’t time to be playing around,” the young man told her. “You’d be better off staying home with the guards protecting you. What you’re doing is dangerous and will only bring you harm.” He appealed to her with pleading eyes and desperate hand gestures in an attempt to get her to change her mind.

“I can take care of myself just fine,” Artemis stubbornly told him with a pout.

“Emi, you’re this kingdom’s princess,” appealed Apolia.

“You’re one too, Elder Sister,” replied back Artemis. “Elder Sister Apolia is the first princess and heir to the throne. Therefore, it’s more important for you to stay at home.” Apolia reeled back from her sister’s words. But she couldn’t deny the truth behind them. “Besides,” continued Artemis, “I’ll be with the hero!”

The young man turned to Kazuya with a murderous look in his eyes. “Oi, Hero, how about I take you on just to see how strong you are?” he challenged, spitting the words out.

Before Kazuya had a chance to reply, though he didn’t even how to respond back, the king held out his hand in between him and the young man. “Stand down!” the king commanded the young man. The young man quickly obeyed the king and stood down, but not without a displeased expression on his face. The king turned back to the hero’s party. “We must not waste any more time. I wish you well on your journey,” he told them with a nod of his head.

The party thanked the king. But before they could start on their journey, the king gestured to a servant and they approached Kazuya with an object wrapped in fancy cloth. They presented the object to the hero. Kazuya took the object and unwrapped the cloth. He now held a glistening golden sheathed sword in his hands. He unsheathed it and witnessed the brilliant double-edged blade glimmering in the sunlight. The weapon was as heavy as a bag of flour, but it wasn’t that hard for Kazuya to wield. On the flat of the blade on both sides near the hilt was the symbol of the kingdom: a lotus flower with five petals with each petal housing a smaller image; beginning from the left, they were a tooth, a stinger, a web, a spiral, and a butterfly. Kazuya thanked the king with a deep bow of appreciation. He then joined the others and they were about to start their journey when one more interruption stopped them.

“Hey, Hero!” called out the young man. Kazuya turned to him and was met with a furious gaze. “You better protect Emi, you got it? I won’t forgive you if you do anything to hurt her! Just know that I’ll kill you if you do, you got that?! Well?!”

“Got it!” quickly replied Kazuya in a high-pitch voice. The young man’s threats and the intention he placed behind each and every word scared Kazuya worse than the very first test of courage he ever experienced back in high school! And Kazuya had the gut feeling that the young man was the type to see his own words through—meaning, his threats were more than just mere words.

Kazuya glanced over at his party and smiled. “I won’t let any harm come to my party,” he announced heroically. Without any further interruptions, Kazuya and his party began their journey. The very last thing he saw when he took one last glance behind him was the beautiful smile of Apolia wishing him good luck.