A beautiful curtain fluttered as a gentle breeze drifted through the open window. Mona squinted her neatly refined eyes as the warm sunlight glinted through her pupils; her pink lips softly parted as a sigh escaped her mouth.
Her sigh showed a mix of both gloominess and uneasiness. The cause of her gloominess was, of course, her current situation. It had not been that long since she had been suddenly transported to this unfamiliar world against her will. Feelings of fear and aversion both filled her mind.
She once again looked outside the open window of the royal palace; what reflected in her eyes were various structures of unfamiliar buildings; the buildings of the 'Alberta Kingdom' were the most advanced on this continent. However, to Mona, who was from America and was living in New York, this place was no different from the ancient era, long before the modern time she was used to.
The structure of each building was simple; the design of each was also bland and had no indication that it was built by someone who was from the modern era. There were many small stalls selling goods and other various items.
The clothing of the common people was also bland and rugged. She really didn't want to spend the rest of her life here... even now, she was still hoping for this to be a dream she would eventually wake up from.
How did she end up like this? She recalled the events leading up to her summoning.
Three days after Haruto's disappearance. It was a regular school day, and the rays of sunlight were raining down on the school field. The school grounds were bustling with children all in their youth; they all varied from the ages of 16 to 17 and 18. Wearing a blue top and black pants on the breast pocket of their school uniform, there was the written words 'Ashford High School', the second most popular high school in this city. The branches of trees swayed noisily as small petals of leaves slowly fell while moving in a spiral motion as though doing an elegant dance.
A beautiful girl with short, glossy black hair was staring absent-mindedly at the clear blue sky. To the students who would sometimes glance at her as they walked by, it was difficult to guess what she was thinking about.
"Hey, Mona, were you listening to me just now?"
The soft voice of a girl sounded.
"E-Eh? Oh, you were talking about a new dress you saw the other day while you were at the mall, right?"
Mona replied in a high-pitched voice, seeing how flustered she was, it was obvious she wasn't paying attention, as the girl sighed.
"I know you have been rather depressed since your crush had stopped coming to school; you really need to get a grip."
The girl said in a dissatisfied tone. Hearing her words, Mona's cheeks became beet red.
"Wha... he's not my crush, you know, it's true that I admired him. But it's not like that."
"Oh...? Is that so?"
The girl stared back at Mona with a dubious look, she have seen the gaze Mona would sometimes send Haruto whenever he was within her range of view no matter how many times Mona denied it, it was clear it was gazed of a maiden in love, however, she couldn't fathom her best friend's obsession with the boy name 'Haruto' there wasn't anything particular remarkable about him, aside from the time when he once participated in the schools swimming event and showed impressive reflexes and skilled there wasn't anything of interest, even his grades were completely average.
The girl sighed as she played with her long, glossy black hair and gazed at her best friend with an exasperated expression.
"I understand that you're infatuated with him and you're worried about him since he hasn't come to school in these past few days, but... I think your depression is hindering your focus in school, don't you agree? Yesterday, you got a lot of questions wrong that you would usually answer easily."
The girl said in a serious tone.
"Ahh... Angi, I keep telling you that was an honest mistake."
Mona explained somewhat embarrassedly.
"And why did you make that 'Honest mistake' then?"
Angi inquired cocking her head, her long, glossy black hair flowed smoothly to the right.
"Ngh."
Mona held her tongue, unable to come up with a reasonable excuse.
Ring~
The sound of a clear bell suddenly rang, signalling the start of class. Mona and Angi both rush towards the classroom with the sign that says 'Class 2 A' imprinted on the wooden door. The door opened with a soft creaking sound, and a medium-sized classroom with approximately 30 students filled their eyes.
As soon as Mona and Angi stepped inside, they were met with many gazes, a majority of them were towards Mona, who was one of the top three most beautiful girls in this school. Mona casually ignored all the gazes she received and sat on a chair next to the open window.
"Alright, class, turn to page 97."
A middle-aged man stepped into the classroom and took out a textbook, and suddenly said in a firm tone. The students all promptly took out the same textbook and turned to the page they were told.
Mona took out a book, and suddenly her eyes met with an empty chair that was placed in front of her. For an instant, her eyes flash a bit sadly before returning to normal. The class went on like normal, and as time flew by, it was now lunchtime.
"Hey, Mona, did you know there was a new menu available at the cafeteria? We should definitely try it."
A blond-haired girl went straight towards her and suggested in a happy tone. Angi, who had just finished packing up her bag, came running over with a smile.
"Hey! Count me in. Why didn't you invite me?"
"Angi, I know you would invite yourself, so why did I need to go through the trouble of inviting you exactly?"
The blond-haired girl responded somewhat sarcastically. Hearing that, Angi grinned widely.
"Sigh, sure, let's go together, it would be nice to eat something other than meat for a change."
Mona said with a wry smile before slowly getting up; her short dishevelled black skirt fluttered as she got up. With that settled, they all left the classroom, when...
"Oh, I just remembered I forgot something inside my bag. You guys go and save us some seats. I'll be there in a sec."
Mona said, turning around and heading back towards the classroom. She went back to her desk and opened her bag; there was a beautiful purse of fine quality. She grabs the purse and turns to leave when suddenly.
Her eyes widened when she saw the classroom's walls and chairs distorting as though they were changing shape. Traces of fear and uneasiness could be seen in her eyes as she watched the phenomenon taking place. "Please, save us, great hero," a soft, feminine voice sounded inside her mind.
"Wha...?"
Suddenly, a magic formation appeared beneath her feet as her vision was obstructed by a bright light. Mona's figure was completely gone from the classroom.
***
When she finally decided to open her eyes, what she saw was a dark room with a high ceiling and a stone pillar. And... on top of a wooden table, there were two daggers of high quality, the daggers of 'Flowing wind', one of Alberta's national treasures, given to them by the goddess of wind.
Mona looked at the two pairs of daggers curiously. It felt as though she was being called by the daggers. Mysteriously, her feet had already started walking towards it. She slowly reached out her hands and touched the daggers; they both shone faintly before they returned to normal.
Creak~
Mona turned her head towards a loud creaking sound behind her. The one who had appeared before her was a middle-aged man with a long beard, and a middle-aged woman whose face still had a youthful appearance.
A boy and a girl who seem to be in their mid and late teens, and several men wearing knightly attire, all bowed, showing great reverence towards Mona. Her expression looked startled.
She was then given the explanation on the situation about heroes, demons and the goddess that had summoned her to this world.
Hearing the words that sounded like something you would hear from any fantasy story turned her entire reality upside down, knowing that she would never be able to return home made her delicate legs give out as she fell to her knees, refusing to accept reality.
Mona was now standing by a window in her assigned room while viewing the scenery outside.
"Sigh, I wonder if I will really have to stay here my entire life."
She muttered to herself when, suddenly, for a moment, her eyes became more distant.
Knock!! Knock!!
Someone knocks on her door.