“To our heroes!”

““To our heroes!””

The emperor, Altas Dominus, began the feast with a toast and the hall erupted in cheers. The banquet hall had many tables where many nobles ate and socialized. The servants were busy serving the dishes. The guards were patrolling but they were also in a good mood because of the summoning.

The empress, Anatasia Dominus, smiled as she raised her glass. She had beautiful black hair with red streaks. Her eyes felt like they held teasing mischief. Her figure had curves in the right places. She was a magnificent beauty. Stories say that she was to be wed to the elder brother of the current emperor. That that man was cruel and treated people like objects.

Altas, fought against him, resolving himself to even put down his own brother. The previous emperor, their father, favored Altas. It was the other nobles who wished to use the elder brother as a puppet that supported him. It was a well known story of bravery, justice, and valor. Emperor Altas quickly gained popularity within the masses.

At the center of the hall was a large table. The emperor and the empress sat with the summoned heroes. The heroes were accompanied by their respective priestesses. There were two empty seats. The prince and the princess would be arriving shortly from the kingdom.

An efficient transport system came to fruition because of otherworlders. They developed the concept of teleportation circles. To use these, approvals were required. These were by high ranking officials from both the destination and the origin. This is to prevent anyone from abusing the system and sending entire armies to key locations. These circles are strictly guarded and monitored. But they were a fast method of travel.

“Thank you very much for your hospitality. It is an honor to be invited by your imperial highness,” one of the priestesses expressed their thanks. They only needed to provide information to the summoned heroes. They were roped into the banquet at the insistence of the emperor.

“Think nothing of it!” The Emperor laughed heartily. “We have been blessed. To think we would summon three heroes. It took me by surprise.”

Before, the summoning was an issue. It needed an extreme amount of mana. It wasn’t as easy as pouring it in the summoning circle too. If it was not done with precision, the summoner would be drained of mana and life force. The chances of death are high.

There were times when greed ran rampant. Old rulers would exhaust and sacrifice their mages for a chance to summon as many heroes as they can. Those led to ruin. Heroes are considered as military might. If a single nation were to try summoning a lot of them, others will become wary.

There are those that try to perform the rituals in secret. The rituals are meant to summon the heroes, not to be abused. Those people exploit the summoned otherworlders. Rayis was one example. The nations formed an agreement to regulate the summoning rituals.

They settled on an agreement. The kingdom and the empire may only prepare a ritual to summon two heroes at a time. This included the necessary magic power and a regulated magic circle.

Quality was not an issue. Otherworlders tend to have a hidden potential within them. Their initial statuses can be weak. But heroes hold the possibility of overcoming their limits. This was made clear because of Rayis and his organization.

A successful summon in itself is a cause for celebration. Summoning three heroes is a blessing.

The sound of a horn caught everyone’s attention.

“Announcing the arrival of Princess Fianna Dominus!”

Everyone stood from their seats. The summoned heroes followed suit. Fianna marched towards the main table. Along the way, she greeted some of the guests that she came across.

“Father, Mother, I have returned,” she bowed her head. At this gesture, they took their seats and so did the other guests.

“Welcome back, dear,” her mother smiled and looked around. “Where is your dear brother?”

“Ah, he went straight to his room. It seemed that he still frustrated, after all.”

“Oh? Did something happen?” her father raised his brow. He knew of the prince’s attitude. He would march in and flaunt his achievement, regardless of the triviality. This included returning from the kingdom as some sort of ambassador.

“He had his ass handed to him by one of the kingdom’s heroes,” Fianna said without missing a beat. She was blunt with her words and her tone carried amusement. The empress frowned a bit with her choice of words.

This might incite misunderstandings so she quickly followed up. “He was trying to coerce the hero’s lover to be his and flaunted his power. It was a sanctioned duel with witnesses so there are no issues.”

“Oh my. I will comfort him later,” Empress Anastasia sighed. “You’re quite harsh on your brother, Fianna.”

“You spoil him too much, mother,” she shook her head. “His abilities are the real deal but he needs to fix his attitude.”

“I know, I know. I’ll… try not to do it too much.”

Fianna shrugged. She couldn’t do anything even if her mother would spoil her brother more after this. She turned to the new faces and nodded.

“Forgive me. I am Fianna Dominus,” she introduced herself to the heroes.

Emperor Altas laughed. He had not seen his daughter this excited before. There were three summoned heroes in front of her but she only talked about the incident at the kingdom. There had been problems with his son, and his wife has indeed been spoiling him.

“A real princess…” Megumi, usually called Megu, leaked out a sigh. It might be strange to be entranced by a princess when they already met the emperor and the empress. But maybe because being a princess is something that a young girl would dream to be.

“Nice to meet ya! I’m Takehiko. You can call me Take,” he pumped his fist a bit and continued. “I’m going to be the strongest hero ever!”

“Oi, what are you saying out of the blue?!” Sato nudged his side with his elbow. He then bowed his head towards the princess. “I’m sorry. Take can be a bit, uh, impulsive. I’m Satoshi. You can call me Sato.”

“I am certain that you heroes will grow strong,” Fianna smiled a bit in response.

“My daughter has always adored heroes. She herself is a hero candidate so her abilities are top notch.”

“Ah! Father!” Speaking of duels…

“Yes, dear?”

“I also got to spar with Kiryuu.”

“Who?”

“Ah, one of the kingdom’s heroes.”

“So they have summoned their heroes as well.”

“Ah, yes, but the kingdom summoned only one hero. Kiryuu is a Wanderer.”

“A Wanderer, huh?” Emperor Altas stroked his chin. A wanderer is an otherworlder that is not summoned by the ritual. “To think that a wanderer would be chosen as a hero.”

He saw something spark within his daughter and pressed on with the matter. It was also a good way to gather information. It was a surprise that the kingdom only summoned one hero this time. It might complicate things when they were able to summon three. But given that they had a Wanderer chosen, it might not completely be an issue.

The talk between father and daughter continued. The priestesses supplemented the summoned heroes. It helped them understand things better. The three heroes got engrossed in listening. They were still young normal students. This was a refreshing experience.

As the story went on, each of them felt excitement growing in their chests. They were heroes too. They want to reach the same heights as this person. Princess Fianna talked about him so fervently. Even the murmurs among the nobles dwindled. They were all listening in, gathering information about the hero Kiryuu. Even the empress became curious.

When Fianna described ‘the descent’, some people whispered among themselves. They wondered if it was exaggerated. Never had there been an incident where a hero would come down from the sky. But it seemed true. It happened in front of a large crowd. Rumors of this will spread. It might already have all over the kingdom. A lot of the nobles made a mental note to gather as much information on this hero as soon as possible.

What was even more surprising, especially to the emperor, was that Fianna lost to this hero. She even outright claimed she could not afford to hold back. She made use of chantless and instant casting. She was already experienced in actual combat, both against demonic beasts and humanoids. But she still couldn’t grasp Kiryuu’s ability then.

The heroes from other worlds were usually blank slates but filled to the brim with potential. That way, they can be nurtured from an early point and go beyond the limits of normal people. They are meant to be observed and guided. A newly arrived hero bested one the empires strongest hero candidates. It caused some unrest.

The emperor smiled. His daughter trained her entire life, inspired by the heroes and their legends. She persevered and placed herself in dangerous situations to achieve strength.

Her title as a hero candidate was not for show. It was backed up with merits and achievements. But in exchange, she was not able to live out the life of a young girl.

Seeing her this passionate was rare. As a father, it warms his heart to see that spring has come for his daughter… or so he thought.

“Father, I will resume my dungeon exploration in a few days,” Fianna declared.

“You’ve just returned. Why not take some time off?”

“One or two days but I can’t idle for too long. I need to get stronger for the next time we meet.”

As agreed during these times, there will be an opportunity for all the heroes to meet up. Those that can go with them are their party members or people assigned by the heads of the state.

It was normal for the princess to be in that meeting as well. Before that time, the summoned heroes will train. They would be devoted to training and becoming stronger.

For now, they enjoyed the feast.

“The princess sure was passionate,” Take said as the three of them were being led to their rooms.

“Heroes have always been admired by the people. Being able to meet a strong hero is an honor for most people,” the priestess assigned to him, Fel, nodded.

“I’m definitely going to be a strong hero. Then Princess Fianna will fall for me,” he told himself with utmost ambition.”

Beside him, Sato sighed loudly. “This isn’t a competition. We’re supposed to work with the other heroes, remember? We don’t even have a clue about how this world works.”

“We will handle that,” Vaine assured her. She was the priestess assigned to him. “We will make sure that you will be able to adapt to this world.”

“Mmm... It would be an honor to watch the growth of such promising heroes,” Mona chimed in. She was the priestess assigned to Megu.

“Yeah, but I’m the main character, right?” Take insisted. In their previous world, he always went about his own pace. He ended up dragging the other two around. They learned to try and match with his pace most of the time.

“Stop that. This isn’t one of the stories on your reading list. This is real,” Sato groaned. They were just normal people being dragged into this. He was already tired of the problematic situations that Take got them into.

“Come on, you two,” Megu grabbed both of their arms and pulled them together. “We’re all heroes, right? Besides, if it’s the three of us, we can handle anything!”

The two always clash because of their opposing attitudes. If she were asked, in the most dire of situations, which she would side with. She would still aim to pick the both of them. They both had their flawed and polished sides. What was flawed for Take, was the opposite for Sato. They only thing they shared was their feelings for Megu. She knew that but she didn’t want to lose any one of them.

“Yeah, I guess,” Sato would rather be a hero than be treated as a sidekick. That has happened a lot in the past. People were calling him Take’s sidekick. It irked him greatly but he knows that he lacked the ability to be as confident and assertive as Take.

“It’s a friendly competition, right?” Take said. He says that but he was someone that was adamant on his main character status. He always decided what they should be doing when they hung out. Even now, he was deciding that he will be the greatest hero of this generation.

“Whatever,” Sato felt that it wasn’t the case. He thought it would be great if the kingdom’s hero could whoop his ass as well. Take was a decent person but sometimes he places his own values above others too much. For once, he would like to feel like what it was to lead. That was his goal.

“Let’s all do our best,” Megu smiled. She was happy that the three of them were still together. There was never a dull moment when they hung out, even though the two would often quarrel. But that added spice to their everyday life in their previous world. Despite how it looked, she knew that the two get along well.

Saki finally mustered up the courage to leave her room. She had recovered well enough. Though, the servants knew of her circumstances so they were able to sympathize with her.

It was Marianne that she had opened up to by chance. As she was the one assigned when Saki came to her senses. This information was relayed to the queen. Marianne was then assigned as her exclusive servant for the meantime.

There were many nobles that voiced opposition about Saki as the hero. A lot of them brought up the issue of her mental instability.

But there was nothing they could do as the goddesses have already chosen their champions. Even if they were to offer hero candidates related to their houses, it would be denied.

Queen Aislin could tell that they are thinking of their own benefit. She also believed that Saki is capable of getting back to her feet given the right care.

Saki was invited for tea in the garden. It was the first time since the summoning that they would be able to talk. She was nervous. Queen Aislin smiled at her gently. Saki turned to Marianne who placed a hand on her shoulder. She felt at ease.

“I heard of your circumstances. I am truly sorry for what you had gone through,” the queen said. The truth was not what people thought. They thought she broke down from not accepting the reality of being in another world. The truth was an overwhelming emotion. Hope.

“We will do everything we can to help but we also need your power as a hero,” she continued. “We have a library filled with all sorts of books. You can also contact the guild for information about your sister.”

It has been years. At worse, Saki expected her sister to have already perished. She might not have been summoned in this world in the first place. But that is fine. All she wanted was some closure, if possible.

Saki bowed her head towards the queen and trembled. She had experienced being made fun of. They called her crazy. Even her own family ignored her.

It was the first time she had someone to support her other than her kind and loving sister. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Kiryuu felt something soft and pleasant press against his face. He could barely breath and woke up. Shino had fallen asleep while giving him a lap pillow. He tried moving his arms but two lovely women were clinging onto him from the side. His legs were also bound and constricted by a certain lamia-succubus demon lord.

‘Well, this is a fine way of dying,’ he thought. not that he would die from this in the first place. He could still breath, even if only by a little. Rather, his senses were flooded by Shino’s scent which more than kept him awake. He was supposed to tell them who and what he was but they all got a bit too comfortable.

He thought of sleeping but…

Squish. Squish.

He could feel soft and pleasant sensations pressing against his arms.

‘This is bad,’ he thought.

But it got worse, in a sense.

A certain someone was rubbing their cheek on his thigh. She was inching upward too. Dangerous!

Kiryuu tilted his neck so he can take a peek at Dessa. She was still asleep but…

She stirred when she felt something hard poking her cheek. She stifled a yawn and opened her eyes. Realizing her position, she turned towards Kiryuu. He was helpless as he looked at her. She grinned and pressed her bountiful chest against his crotch.

His spine arched as his body jerked a bit. Vena was still asleep but she seemed to have sensed something amiss. Her brow furrowed and she tightened her grip on his arm.

“…?”

She pressed her chest against his arm more but…

“…!”

Vena’s grip was so strong that his arm was starting to bend where it wasn’t supposed to.

His struggling disturbed Hilde’s sleeping. She didn't wake up but she held his arm in her chest and nuzzled her cheek on his shoulder. And also…

“…”

Hilde was holding his wrist between her thighs. Any attempts to escape was met with capture once more. She kept his arm and wrist in place no matter how much he struggled. How skillful.

Still, he made an effort to point a finger towards Dessa, who was distracted with trying to pull off his clothes. He shot a small ball of compressed energy and hit her in the temple.

She would usually be able to shrug this off but she was already weak. She hadn’t recovered yet. The impact knocked her out and she smacked her head down on his crotch.

“Mngh!” His gasps of pain were muffled as he was smothered by Shino’s chest.

After a while, they woke up and realized the state he was in. Shino woke up first. She saw that he was on the brink of losing consciousness. He was able to recover but Dessa’s antics caused another problem.

“Please accept our offering, oh great hero,” the elf priestess brought out a small plate. On top of it was something wrapped in fragrant leaves. Steam was visible and came out from it. When she received the oracle about her daughter, this parcel appeared. It came with a flash of bright light. She received a whisper that it was for the growth of the hero.

Alvise Liv Avery, one of the seven chosen heroes, graciously accepted the plate and bowed her head. She slowly unwrapped the leaves. A slab of meat was revealed, wonderfully cooked and brimming with teasing delight. Some of the juices oozed from the side of the meat. It made her mouth water.

She cut a piece off and took it into her mouth. Its rich flavor permeated her senses. The meat melted in her mouth. She gulped in hesitation, wanting to savor it more. As soon as she did, she felt overflowing strength flow through her body. Her skin started to glow faintly. The onlookers gasped in awe. They could sense her growing power.

She took another serving. It seemed even more delicious than before. Her body felt light, almost as if she could fly right now if she wanted. Even the others could sense the mana overflowing from her. More than that, they were slightly envious. It was clear that Alvise was enjoying the meat.

Before she realized it, she had already consumed the offered meat. She felt strange. She wanted more but she felt full. She was satisfied and felt brimming with power but her curiosity peaked. They were omnivores but she had never tasted such a fine dish. She clenched her fist and raised it up in the air. The crowd cheered and the feast continued.

For some reason, their appetites were swelling that day.

“I’m sowry… ‘M sho sorwy…” Her words were garbled between pained cries. A naked and battered woman had her knees and head on the ground. The second queen, Tyr Etl-Lavi, had bruises and cuts all over her body. Her clothes were torn to shreds and she was pummeled without mercy.

It was all done by the person that was supposed to have been killed. Rather, the person that they had planned to dispose. The first queen, Rune Velia, formerly known as Rune Velia-Lavi. She no longer acknowledged the name of the Beast King.

It was moments ago when the Beast King, Artashir Lavi, and the second queen were talking. They were discussing about the disposal. They were both looking forward to the future of the Principality. Artashir refused to be called a Prince. He declared himself the Beast King that would drive their people to greatness.

Their celebration was cut short as the doors opened and Rune calmly walked in. Before anyone could snap out of it, disappeared from sight. The guards were all slaughtered, sliced apart by her claws.

Artashir’s limbs were torn off. He was still alive but barely. But he could tell that something was keeping him alive. He shouted at Rune but she broke his jaw. Tyr tried to escape.

Rune’s speed was unimaginable. She caught up to Tyr in a blink of an eye and slammed her face on the ground. She started pummeling her with her fists. It took an excruciatingly long while before she stopped. Artashir watched helplessly, unable to do anything but watch Tyr suffer.

Rune sat on the throne and crossed her legs. Tyr whimpered and started to crawl on the ground. Artashir rocked his body back and forth, trying to use his stumps to get closer to Tyr. He wanted to call out but Rune started cracking her fingers.

Tyr stopped crawling towards Artashir. In front of Rune, she curled into a ball. Her head pressed onto the ground, she started to apologize again and again.

“I will forgive you,” Rune said.

Tyr shuddered and slowly looked up, hoping that her words were true. Rune had always been known as a kind and motherly queen. A pacifist. That was why they didn't think she was capable of this. It came as a complete shock.

Rune smiled at her. It was the smile she was well known for. A smile that calms the heart and soothes the soul. But it made her words even more frightening. “But only after you have suffered as much as I.”