Magic Circle #2

The surface they fell on was soft, almost like a carpet, and it was spotless and well-kept. Akiro pushed himself up to his elbows to allow him to look around their new surroundings. All twenty-four of the class were surrounded by tall men and women hidden in deep-violet robes, any features apart from their body shape were hidden, and with the staffs in their hands--- it did not take a genius to figure out that they were magicians.

Behind the magicians were tall, battle-ready, broad-shouldered knights, all wearing heavy plate armor. Akiro looked at their right hands and they were tightly holding the blade of their swords.

Putting two and two together, the wary heavily-ready knights, the magicians forming a circle, and the lavishly decorated room-- they were in a throne room. Sure enough, when he turned around to see behind him, Akiro looked up at the red-carpeted steps to see a monarch and his wife.

In the center of the room was a magnificent throne, decorated with shining gold and jewels, but the crown the King wore far out-classed his chair. His face was stern but plain, however, something about how the man appraised Akiro and his classmates unnerved him-- it was akin to being viewed as an object or tool. Maybe it was the nervousness of an unfamiliar environment, but his gut instinct has not failed him yet.

"I don't like this..."

Standing on his right hand was an elegant queen, her face was professional but sharp, and her matching crown was almost identical to the King's, albeit smaller. By now, all twenty-three of his peers have scrambled to their feet, all silently awaiting the monarch's opening words. Not even Masashi, the most rebellious of them dared to speak.

As they expected, the king stood and opened his mouth. “I am the monarch of the human kingdom, I am king Vonn Earlshide IV; This kingdom-- nay, the whole world is under threat of the Demon Race." He paused, his voice carrying authority and a grave kind of seriousness intertwined in it.

The class immediately began to whisper amongst themselves, and not in a discreet fashion. Ayama slowly slithered his way to Akiro's side, elbowing him as cautiously as possible. “H-hey... are you processing this?"
"W-What is that...aura?!" Akiro must've imagined it, but the king's gaze fell on him for a brief moment, and he froze in place like a tree stump. "I'm still thinking that we're in some sort of prank show."
Ayama chewed his tongue, “I have a bad feeling about this, what do you think?"
"My gut is telling me that too," Akiro sucked in a deep breath of air, attempting to calm his nervous heart. He turned to his best friend, worry evident on his face, "Whatever happens, you'll have my back right?"

Although Akiro couldn't explain it entirely, this situation might turn out-- it was not going to be pretty. He could only hope that he had someone to rely on, in this new world.

Ayama raised an eyebrow, but he chuckled. lightly tapping Akiro's shoulder with a closed fist, "Of course, I'll have your back. Will you cover mine?" he grinned, despite being nervous himself, calming Akiro enough to somewhat smile back.
"Absolutely." He nodded back with a firm and resolute answer.

With a single motion of his hand, King Earl silenced the student's bubbling questions and confusion. "I understand that this is an arduous situation for you all. Fret not, as I will address every one of your questions." He explained, pausing for a moment for the high-school students to discuss briefly amongst themselves. "As of this moment-- you are now under the protection of my kingdom, you have my word."

The king allowed another pause, his eloquence perfectly leading the conversation, "With that, In light of a millennia-old prophecy, you have been summoned as the chosen Heroes of the age--"

The monarch continued with his concise explanation, as he had promised. Most of them were entrapped in his comforting speech, with only Akiro and Ayama free from it.

"What do you think?" Akiro whispered, stepping a little closer to Ayama, "He knows his way with words, and he isn't telling us everything he knows."
Ayama tried his best to keep a poker face, "He reminds me of my old man-- cold, calculative bastard." he hissed under his breath, a plethora of burdensome memories surfacing for a moment.
"I see, so he's untrustworthy then?"
"It's not outside the realm of reason, at least."

The king reached out with his left hand, and three men dressed in religious robes steadily carried a scroll with care. "Behold, this is the prophecy-- 'Millenia from now, A company of the mightiest of all races shall stand against the greatest of all Demons. The battle will carry sacrifice and loss, but they that stand without falling--- will claim the world." He read, "This was written 990 years ago, and in 10 years, this prophecy will come true--"

"--Sounds like bullshit!"

The entire class gasped, wide-eyed and panicking, fearfully facing the man who protested against the king. Akiro and Ayama gasped, turning to the voice, which turned out to be no other than Hamasuki Masashi.

The soldier, standing beside him spared not a second to draw his longsword and raise it against the rebelling High-schooler. “Insolence!”

The muscular delinquent grinned at the loyal soldier mockingly, "What? Are you going to cut down, The mightiest-to-be of all races? Are you planning on dooming your world?"

The soldier flinched, but he remained steady nonetheless at the mocker who rudely interrupted the king. Nonetheless, the king himself waved the soldier down, "Stand down, for I shall allow the boy to speak his piece." King Earl huffed, turning to Masashi, "What say you, boy."

A vein in Masashi's temple bulged, but he was prepared, his mouth grinning from ear to ear, "What's in it for me?! Why shoulder I risk my ass for your world!? Seems like a dumb idea to me."

His opinion may be rudely presented, but it was not entirely uncalled for. Why should they, senior high-school students, even think about laying down their destinies for a world that is not their own?

The king pondered, humming gently before he smiled at the boy's confidence, "I see... I understand. Underneath everything, nothing else is much more important to oneself than their own life." he guffawed, his laugh echoing in the throne room. When he settled, King Earl looked at Masashi with interest, "Then, what do you desire, Young Hero?"

Masashi gave another grin, crossing his arms. The king and he were on the same wavelength, it seems. "I want--"
"--A way back home!"

Masashi frowned as he was interrupted, by the class vice-president, no less. Everyone switched their attention from him to her instead.

"A-Ah-- Apologies for my rude interjection, your majesty!" She bowed, and while facing down, she presented her statement, "Are we guaranteed a way back home? If so, most of us would be inclined to assist you in this cause!"

The attention was back on the king, who seemed impressed by the young maiden, but it took a moment for the king to reply. "...Naturally, of course. You are guaranteed that right."

Akiro tilted his head to Ayama, “ Something’s off. Be on guard.”

Ayama nodded and whispered back, “Roger that.”

Relief washed over the nervous fidgeting, some were interested in the proposition, and others were quite curious about it all. Itsuki raised her hand shyly. “Uhm your majesty, how do we fight the demons?”
The king stretched both his hands, his palm facing up, and a ball of flames erupted from the center of his palms, "Naturally, Heroes such as yourselves would be given that ability." The king sat down, the fires dissipating into smoke. "According to legend, Otherworldly Heroes are granted special privileges and the ability to control magic is just to name a few."

The revelation of being able to do that was astounding, with happy smiles and shocked faces being passed around, with even Masashi being interested. "I understand your growing aspirations, however, this is no longer my field of expertise. That is our Head Priest's."

One of the Priests dressed in white and gold from earlier, slowly stood in front of the king, just a few steps below the throne. “Hello," He greeted, his voice gentle and soft, "Young ones, my name is Priest Sebastian III, but do please call me Sebastian,” he smiled genially.

Another man dressed in similar robes, albeit less flashily, pass a crystal-blue orb atop a soft cushion. Sebastian received it with care, holding it out for the children to see. "According to legend, it is something only you can see. Thankfully, this is an artifact, called: The seer's orb. It will allow us non-heroes, to see your statuses." He explained, garnering much attention from the buzzing atmosphere. "Kindly form an orderly line, so that we may discern your classes."

Despite the burst in energy, a few meeker individuals were still trying to understand. Eri stuttered as she tried to get his attention, “Uhm, Sir Priest! What is this ‘status–’" She jolted as she waved her hands madly at the air, “W-w-what is this screen I see? A-Am I going crazy?”

To the others, she would appear to be delusional, but with Sebastian's explanation, it was true that only she could see her status window. The adorable reaction made the old man smile softly at them. Amused, the Priest sighed, “Well, little one, that is your status. You are not going crazy.” He proudly declared, "When it is your turn, we will be able to see it too."

That small interaction proved that the priest was indeed true, many began to parrot 'status' and soon, cheers arose from many. Akiro and Ayama were not among them.

[ Name: Ayama Nobu / Age: 18 / Job: Hero / Sub Job: Craftsman ]

[ ATK: 87 / STR: 72 / DEX: 63 / SPD: 43 / DEF: 84 / INT: 52 / MANA: 94 ]

Apart from the clear reality of this world not being their own, Akiro and Ayama slowly filed in line, positioning themselves towards the back as much as possible.

[ Name: Akiro Hiroto / Age: 18 / Job: Assassin / Sub Job: Gunman ]

[ ATK: 97 / STR: 56 / DEX: 93 / SPD: 89 / DEF: 15 / INT: 86 / MANA: 100 ]

[ Skill: Disguise / A ]

Usually, when an originally powerless individual is given a sudden boost in their abilities, they would pompously display it; but, with the unnerving premonition, Akiro was not so sure. Regardless of what he thought, their turns were quickly approaching. "We need to hide... That king is bad news!"

If this world was anything like the fantasy games he had wasted his time on, then maybe this could work. If 'skills' and 'systems' were even applicable here, it would mean that this plan at least had a chance.

He turned around, whispering to Ayama in a panic, "I-I have a plan, but I need you to say yes." He hissed, much to the latter's confusion.
The blonde's eyebrows shot up in confusion, "W-Wha--" he paused, his eyes looking at something Akiro couldn't see.
"I knew it! It works here!"

[Akiro Hiroto invites you to his party]

[Do you accept?]

[ Yes / No]