It was quite a walk from the ritual site to wherever the audition with the king was supposed to take place. Not in the sense of distance, though, but restlessness. Drawn out silence, as things were.

As of now, the heroes had to have realized their presence was not the celebrated affair they expected. From the winding stairs to the long, stretching hallways, there was little chatter among the marching ensemble.

Even after stepping into the lush, spacious courtyard filled with wonderful, relaxing scents, the summoned ones seemed on edge. Most of them were, anyhow; two outliers were simply vibrating with excitement even when the tension was so thick in the air one could almost taste it. Optimistic? Or simple?

Not that Caleb would know, they were savoring the taste of a quaint little foodstuff called ‘a bubblegum-flavored lollipop’.

The entity had skimmed everyone’s surface thoughts to compile a behavioral guideline. Not an invasion of privacy, of course, since they’ve only touched upon the collective connection between these humanoids.

Well, maybe a little.

Putting that aside, Caleb had found out these heroes were from a place called ‘Earth’. Pulled into this realm called ‘Otrea’ while they were living their completely ordinary lives.

With such an uninspiring name, no wonder their world housed little magic. Whoever created their multiverse left the thing evolving on its own, no doubt.

During the walk, the entity had been sifting through the energy network to read into this system thing. Nothing much in the complexity category, but there were so many obscure synergies and hidden values!? And a great deal of them made absolutely no sense! Why in the world was Friendship Meter linked to [Ability Boost]? Whose idea was it to include such inane synergies!?

They sighed internally; it was easy to see why the former owner felt little attachment to the rights of this multiverse.

While they were idly skimming through the data entries, an odd craving had come over Caleb. It could be ignored, of course; considering they chose to have a fleshy body, though, not meeting its needs felt awfully irresponsible. And the desire was easily met anyhow. It wasn’t bad at all, really, but the entity had no idea why they were drawn to this lollipop thing.

Food for thought.

Occasionally, some of the would-be heroes glanced back at Caleb; there were two lines of armed guards separating them from the group. Perfectly justified, for sure. Whatever aid this Basraeca kingdom needed, it’d be foolish to blindly trust anyone with the tagline of [Hero]. As for why they were looking at Caleb? Nothing certain, for there were many plausible reasons. Though none Caleb cared for.

Coming to a stop at a crossroad, the brigade broke off and headed in different directions, leaving only a few dozen guards, some important looking mages and priests following behind Heinricht. At the edge of their vision, Caleb caught a mage ducking his head quickly out of view. It was the one who called out their name.

They made a note to investigate that one; for now, it seemed the audition was happening.

Heading through the intricately carved double doors, the group could instantly feel a shift in the atmosphere. Despite just as ornate as the grand hallways they had gone through, this part of the palace wasn’t decorated just for the sake of… well, embellishment. There was a theme here. Less stony regality and more warmth. Inviting.

From the back of the entourage, Caleb noticed this had made the group of heroes visibly relaxed. The entity was mildly surprised; were visual details this minor that effective? Or could it be the result of some far-reaching Skills and magic? There was no doubting the existence of those things; and even the old Caleb’s soul expressed content underneath the cold hate.

Walking for a few more minutes, they came to an open hallway with two neat rows of guards flanking the sides. Having been informed of the arrival, one of the attendants announced their presence to the people waiting inside while Caleb crunched on the rest of the candied treat.

“Presenting Duke Markus Heinricht; Grand Councilor Avnir Jorgensen and his assistants; Marquess Kaeso Julius; High Priestess Thalice Sose and the Order of Light’s Vigil!”

Leaving the military company outside, they stepped through the huge pocket doors and into a spacious, high-ceiling room. There were trophies of adventures adorning the walls, well-worn weapons in open display pedestals at one side and a fireplace at the other.

A large painting hung on a far wall where the trophies were, showing a scene of combat. Tapestries of rich fur and silk separated the place into three sections: the small parlor near the fireplace; the open gallery; and the conference table taking up the majority of space in the room.

Clearly, this room was used often enough to allow many personal touches.

Their gazes were drawn to a man standing before them. Midnight black hair styled in a short militant cut and fierce brown eyes, he was dressed in stately, luxurious clothing with a short cape of some animal’s pelt over his wide shoulders; the prominent man exuded an air of utmost confidence.

This one was certainly the ruler of this place.

A smartly dressed man, likely the king’s steward, standing next to him poised to talk when he was waved off.

“Basraeca greets you, honored heroes!” a bright, amiable smile bloomed on his face. “We are this nation’s ruler, Drahomir Vojtik Basca.”

Having browsed through many human males in the database, Caleb would have put the man at the hallmark of mid-forties, if not for so many Skills capable of impacting physical appearances. The entity hadn’t peeked into anyone’s specific information just yet. A rude thing to do without a good reason.

It’s a personal sentiment.

“Despite the minor incident, we are glad that all of you had arrived safely,” King Basca looked them in the eye one by one, pausing a bit longer at Caleb. “In this trying time, we hope that you pardon any mishaps in our hospitality.”

“While it is true that we had summoned you here; we won’t force the matter of our nation onto your hands,” the king nodded to the side. “However, we hope you hear what we have to say.”

Streaming in the meeting room, a line of servants brought in more chairs; none of them looked different from the fur-coated wooden seat just behind Drahomir. A large selection of refreshments was brought in and a small rumbling sound emerged from one of the summoned heroes – a young brunette with brown eyes who looked almost feverish; her face was tomato red.

Oh, wait, that was embarrassment, wasn’t it?

There was silence until Basca let out a hearty laugh as he motioned for everyone to sit. “Help yourselves to these simple treats, honored guests; we hope they are to your liking!”

*****

After reporting to the king, many had left the room with only those of high standing in attendance.

Caleb received many stares throughout the talk, mostly from the marquess; the entity wondered what had attracted their scrutiny. For their part though, Caleb kept his gaze on those speaking like a proper listener while savoring the provided snacks. It would be rude to ignore them when the host had prepared so much.

Having a wide array of samples to stimulate their tastebuds was quite entertaining. However, without any reference, they weren’t sure if they should be impressed or not. Little old Caleb was of no help, as well. Either the beckoner never paid much attention to food or his sense of taste was damaged, to begin with. Souls didn’t register taste unless they had significant impacts, and the entity was only seeing fragments of a whole.

The thing’s data was also purged already, so there was nothing to look at.

Unless they decided to dig through the multiverse’s memory… No, not worth the effort.

Despite being more interested in the minutiae of their new sense of taste, however, Caleb had not missed any details regarding the conversation taking place in the room. The topic: demonic invasion.

Poisoning nature with their mere presence, any sighting of their kind must be investigated without delay and exterminated with extreme prejudice. “Abominations”, the priestess called them. Since time immemorial, the residents of this world had been in conflict with demons. As far as historical records went, they had beaten the demons; repelled the invading forces; rebuilt their nations to repeat the cycle once more. Some wars had cost them more than others, but Otrea had always prevailed thanks to one thing: an ancient pact.

Sharing the bounties of nature on Otrea were the elven groves of mystical woods; the dwarven metropolises inside grand mountains; the mighty clans of nomadic beast folks; and the human nations of vast fertile plains. Relations between the races were not always in harmony, but no matter their differences, all shall unite to cleanse the plague of demons when the time comes.

Beside Sose, the king’s steward – Toval, aided her in maneuvering the massive enchanted leather hanging on the wall. Sections could change color, zoom in and out, and even show a series of motion pictures.

Just as fit as the king, though his proportions were more conservative in comparison, Toval somehow had an even shorter cut of hair than Drahomir. His eyes were also brown in color, but his hair was in the range between sandy blond and platinum. Too short to tell, and the entity didn’t care to look up a chart for it.

“These are the demons you would battle against,” the steward made a gesture and the map shifted, showing images of various creatures of all shapes and sizes. Caleb heard someone gasp.

What’s so special about these things? Apparently, horns and eyes growing in unconventional locations were considered abnormal. The canine looking creature with six eyes on its head and eyes on its four legs was sticking its tongue out seemed adorable, though, in an odd way. They wondered if those things were tamable within legal parameters. Some pets would be nice.

… Although that depended on how much they’d drooled.

“Wait-wait a minute! We have to fight those?” a mousy youth with disheveled blond hair asked, horrified; he was wearing a set of off-white, patterned pajamas.

Maybe it was due to nervousness, fear, or out of respect for a graceful host, the summoned heroes had been listening intently without interruptions. This revelation had finally broken the placidity.

“Yes, if you decide to lend us aid, honored heroes.” Toval made a deep incline with his head.

Exchanging uneasy gazes, one of them – the tallest, most athletic one in the group – raised his hand after a long pause. “If Otrea had managed to win every time, why call us now? What changed?”

“A terrible tragedy had occurred. There had only been four major gates all over the world, where demonic forces can break into Otrea,” Sose tapped on the parchment; sighing.

“Seventy-eight days ago, two more had appeared. And one of them right at the center of Sagitta Citadel, Liliad’s capital.” Once again, the map returned, but with more details. Liliad Sovereignty shared a border with the Dominion of Basraeca to the north-east.

“The sudden outbreak of demonic forces had devastated Sagitta’s defenses. Liliad’s army barely managed to contain them, but at a great cost… many nobles and members of the royal family had perished in the siege.”

High Priestess Sose turned to the king and they shared a silent moment; he nodded and took over.

“Our officers had noted in their reports that the demons were different this time; stronger, faster, more ferocious. The situation is dire,” King Basca gripped a fist. “And that is why we seek your aid, honored heroes.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me!” Running a hand through her shoulder-length black hair, one of the summoned let out an exasperated huff. “No! I’m out. I’m not risking my neck for this!”

“Oy- don’t say that! We can at least try, right?” one of the enthusiastic weirdoes immediately protested.

“Can it you chuunibyou monkey!” she rounded on him, snarling.

“What did you just say, huh!?”

“If you like this ‘game’ so much,” the girl rolled her eyes. “do us a favor and throw yourself off a cliff! Resurrection must be available somewhere in this shithole!”

“You little bitch…” he almost shot out of his chair but a hand grabbed at his.

“Hey-hey! We need to stay calm-” the other eager weirdo tried to stop his heated fellows.

Caleb idly considered paralyzing the rowdy group, but they needn’t make a move since someone else already has. Immediately, silence befell the meeting room; the arguing heroes snapping their mouths shut and stilled.

“Toval, stop that,” the steward ducked his head; looking ashamed.

The brunette on the opposite seat to Caleb covered her mouth as the two slumped over; they were shaking like a leaf. Yanking his hand back in shock, the black hair weirdo gaped as he stared at the shaved weirdo collapsed at his feet. Holding their breaths, with the exception of Caleb and the ill-behaved lot, the summoned ones spun their heads to look at King Basca. While on a conceptual level, they knew they were in the presence of the most powerful person in the kingdom, but they had not fully understood what it meant.

Now, they might take this more seriously.

“What we ask of you is dangerous, this is true,” the king gave his steward a withering glare although the impulsive guy wasn’t able to see it; still keeping his head down. “But there is one thing we can promise you, honored heroes.”

“Your efforts will be handsomely rewarded.”

“What… what if we-what if I don’t want to?”

“We won’t force you,” Drahomir fixed his gaze on the brunette; his eyes weren’t unkind. “However, those who bear the title of [Hero] possess great potential. Don’t you wish to see how far can you grow, honored heroes?”

“If I may, Your Majesty?” Sose continued with the king’s permission. “You need not be in the frontline battling the demons, honored heroes. There are other strategic applications to your abilities. Otrea is our home, we won’t stop fighting for her sake.”

“But I beg of you,” hands clasped on her bosom, the priestess bowed. “Lend us your aid.”

The heroes, those still conscious other than Caleb, shared anxious glances. With that small slip up from Toval, even those lacking in foresight would understand to think seriously before answering.

Suddenly, Caleb’s vessel perked up as a wave of pleasant energies passed through it. The entity noticed everyone also had visible shifts in their demeanor; the summoned heroes most of all.

“Now, now, important life decisions should be made with a calm mind,” speaking up for the first time after giving his report to the king, Grand Councilor Jorgensen gave everyone a cordial smile. “Would it not be proper to allow the heroes to think this over, Your Majesty?”

“You are right, Avnir,” King Basca exhaled. “We shall adjourn the conference for now. We would reconvene at a later time to reach a final conclusion.”

“Don’t take too long, honored heroes. The sooner we begin our preparations, the better.”

“How about three days, Your Majesty?”

“Yes,” the king nodded. “Yes, that sounds proper.” Maybe he wasn’t trying to be intimidating, but the summoned heroes flinched a little when Drahomir gave them an intense gaze. “We will receive your answer in three days, honored heroes.”

*****

And with those closing words, they were all dismissed while the king and his officials discussed their business.

Each of the heroes was settled in a luxurious and spacious guest room, if only a bit bare. Since the entity had no need to rest or unwind or engage in any personal routine like other humans, Caleb decided to review the information they gathered so far. First, about the heroes.

Joaquin Oliverio Lugo y Alicea, a Brazilian youth and the most physically fit of the lot with short, curly brown hair and deep blue eyes possessed a special ability called [Consecration]. Apparently, it was a very potent source of healing.

Il Sun Myung, the black-haired Korean who looked like he can barely finish half a marathon had [Synchronize]. It had never been recorded before, but Caleb was certain it relied on having some sort of connection to others to realize its potential.

Kanjiro Ryuji had [Force Manipulation]. The bald Japanese rube had been brought into his room, still out of it.

Thomas Brisbane, the skittish American was hyperventilating a bit after they got out of the meeting. He had [Fortune]; which many called wildly unpredictable. Caleb almost rolled their eyes at the obvious note.

Stephanie Lanson, the brown-haired, tomato-faced Canadian girl was in possession of [True Strike], an ability many coveted for its straight forward usage.

And lastly, Tachibana Nakao, the other unconscious person and also Japanese, possessed [Faceless]. Which likely had stealth related features.

Every one of them had shown their [Status] before, so it didn’t count as peeking. As for themselves, Caleb had selected [Electromagnetism] to display on their [Status]; it probably fooled no one, but they had it nonetheless.

From their memories, Caleb saw a lot more people among their populace and couldn’t understand why these… young adults were chosen. Statistically, the group would have at least one or two persons from the country called China? Or from India.

It was odd.

Still, they decided not to dwell on it. Not their problem, after all.

On to the circumstances of Otrea: more powerful demons; they even discovered how to open more gates to attack the physical realm. Though, to be fair, both were physical realms. The database even listed them as [Physical Realm IV] and [Physical Realm V]; so, the entity decided to call them Otrea and Demo to clarify. Mostly for themselves.

With the time frame of seventy-eight days, the dimension gates had appeared two and a half months ago. Although, things might not be that simple; Sose had mentioned those were the ones they knew. Thus, there might be more. If Caleb took that into consideration and pushed the estimated timeframe back a bit… About three months back, something had happened.

Thinking about it, if they adjusted the time dilation, that was when Caleb had met with the owner…

Oh.