So this is the world I'm supposed to be a hero in," John said with a calm tone.
The woman unconscious on the floor must be the queen, I guess. What was her name again…? Ursla? Errzala? Um…
"Hey Kazumi, check out that maid chick," John whispered.
I turned to look. She had short red hair, crimson eyes, and was desperately ordering the knights around to help their queen.
After a few seconds of staring—felt like minutes, honestly—she suddenly looked in our direction. For a brief moment, our eyes locked. I quickly turned my head away as she stared, then she went back to helping the queen.
A priest then came over to us and asked us to follow him. He led us into a quiet room and introduced himself.
"My name is Alexander Gratianus. I'm a priest here on behalf of the queen," he said.
We all introduced ourselves. He was shocked to see so many heroes and called it a miracle.
"Don't worry, I'm the true hero," John said with a big grin.
I smacked him on the head. "Don't mind him—he's an idiot," I said, awkwardly laughing.
"I see… well, let me explain. You were all summoned to help the queen defeat the Demon King and his army. You've been granted special powers to fight them. From now on, you'll train and get stronger for the coming battle."
"WHAT!? Who are you people to just summon us and start barking orders!?" Shinome snapped, flipping her long brown hair angrily.
Just as the priest was about to reply, the queen entered, exhausted and leaning on Mirell, surrounded by a few maids.
"Your Highness," the priest said, bowing.
The queen moved forward into the room, then a guard stepped in behind her carrying a glowing orb.
"P-please, if you all may… place your hand on the orb so we can see your stats," she said weakly.
"Stats? Is this a game or something?" I muttered under my breath.
"You can't expect us to just go along with this," Shinome said, still irritated. "You summon us without warning and now you want our personal info?"
"Please… I know you've met the Goddess," the queen said. "She told me only one of you is truly a hero. Just let us see."
Stats, huh? This has to be like one of those RPGs or something. While I was still thinking, John confidently stepped forward, grinning, and placed his hand on the orb.
A screen popped up:
---
NAME: Johnaton Bernard
LEVEL: 1
RACE: Human
AGE: 17
TITLE: Hero
MAGIC: Light, Fire, Lightning
SKILLS: Divine Slash, Ember, Holy Ray, Burning Sun, Berserker, Touch of God, Slayer Mark
---
John's grin got even wider.
"Wow…" Minori said, clearly amazed.
"So you're the hero, John," the queen said, kneeling before him. "P-please… help us. The Demon King's army is growing stronger every day. We need a hero's support to protect our kingdom."
John paused for a second… then struck a heroic pose.
"Fear not, m'lady! It is I, John—the destined hero who will protect your kingdom!" he declared proudly.
"This idiot…" I heard Shinome mutter under her breath.
The queen stood up and bowed in gratitude. "Oh, where are my manners? I am Eresilla Vaulhart, queen of this beautiful land—Zerix."
John leaned in, still grinning. "Say, Your Highness… why don't you give me a tour of this wonderful land? I mean… being alone with a hot queen sounds pretty great."
Bro… classic John. Hitting on the damn queen.
"Oi! You may be the hero, but who do you think you are—" the priest barked, but the queen raised her hand to stop him.
"T-thank you for the offer," she said awkwardly, blushing. "But I'm currently low on mana…"
'Tempting offer'?? She's gotta be joking.
"Hey! You forgot about us! Can't we see our stats too?" Shuka asked.
"Uh… sure," the queen replied.
Shuka walked up and placed her hand on the orb.
---
NAME: Shuka Aoki
LEVEL: 1
RACE: Human
AGE: 17
TITLE: ???
MAGIC: Earth
SKILLS: Appraisal, Touch of God, Stone Skin
---
Huh. Not as flashy as John's.
Shuka looked at the screen, then glared at the queen. "That's unfair. Why does John get so much?" she pouted.
Man, she's kinda cute when she's mad.
"It's not me who decides," the queen explained. "Heroes are naturally stronger from the start. But even non-heroes can grow powerful with enough training."
"So… we can catch up to him?" Shuka asked.
"Yes, but it's rare. Only a few non-heroes ever get close to a hero's power. And only a true hero can defeat the Demon King."
Oh, that's fine. I've got creativity on my side. I'll find a way to be strong.
Shuka stepped away, and Minori stepped forward.
---
NAME: Minori Yoshida
LEVEL: 1
RACE: Human
AGE: 16
TITLE: ???
MAGIC: Air, Water
SKILLS: Blessing of the Wind, Cyclone, Touch of God
---
Next was Shinome.
---
NAME: Shinome Fujita
LEVEL: 1
RACE: Human
AGE: 17
TITLE: ???
MAGIC: Water, Ice
SKILLS: Surf, Hailstorm, Touch of God, Conceal, Keen Scent
---
Finally, my turn.
I slowly walked up to the orb, nervous but also kinda excited. I placed my hand on it.
---
NAME: Kazumi Watanabe
LEVEL: 1
RACE: Human
AGE: 17
TITLE: ???
MAGIC: ???
SKILLS: Touch of God, Poison Immunity, Appraisal, Greed
---
"...What?" I whispered.
I lifted my hand off the orb and placed it back again. Same result.
"WHAAAT THE HEEEELLLL!!?"
END