Wizard Volume 1, Chapter 1

Isekai Majutsushi wa Mahou wo Tonaenai Volume 1

Chapter 1: Expectations of Different World, Disappointment of Summoned Hero

「Oohhhhhh, We also succeeded in summoning the fourth hero!」

　The person who screamed this in front of me was a beautiful woman with golden hair that reached her waist, clear blue eyes, and a beautifully embroidered dress that made her look like a medieval princess.

　I'm currently in another world. It's a unexpected story, but it's the only one I can think of, considering the method that brought me here.

　I was immersed in the lab working on a new strategic magic formula when a force-summoning magic circle suddenly unfolded, and I found myself surrounded on all sides by armor-clad people. And just as I was trying to grasp the situation, the woman in front of me, who was the only one in an out-of-place dress, said what she just said.

　Based on several reports from the original world, this is probably a medieval or early modern world with a civilization that relies on magic, and I was summoned by a compulsory summoning magic that can summon a person from another world with abilities above a set specification, which is commonly called a heroic summoning. I guess.

　Judging by the overly ornate and outdated armor worn by what appeared to be soldiers, my guess would not be wrong.

「Is there something wrong, Hero-sama?」

　I thought I'd keep quiet until I had a better grasp of the situation, but the woman in the dress spoke to me, probably wondering why I didn't say anything. Her gorgeously embroidered attire was not that of a lowly worker by any stretch of the imagination. She was probably a princess or a noblewoman.

「Ah, I'm sorry. I know I've been summoned, but where on earth am I?」

「Oh my, so you know about the summoning. It's easier to talk about this then. This is the royal palace of the Kingdom of Henrient, and my name is Sophia Le Henrient, the first princess of the Kingdom of Henrient. I've summoned you here to ask for your help with something. Umm, may I ask your name?」

「That's very polite of you. My name is Yard Werner. May I ask you to tell me a little more about the reason why I was summoned?」

「Because there are also other heroes besides Yard-sama, so the king would like to speak to all of you about that. Please come this way.」

　Are there other people besides me who have been summoned? I hope there are people from the same world as mine, or people from worlds that have better magic technology than mine.

　It seemed that we had an audience with the king first, and she walked ahead of me as my guide. The corridor looked gorgeous with expensive furnishings, but it didn't seem to have a very practical structure.

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　After walking endlessly through long corridors and stairs, we finally arrived at our destination room.

　When the soldiers, who were probably guards, opened the door, there were already many people in the room. There was a man and a woman sitting at the back of the room, probably the king and queen of this country.

　A group of young men stood beside them, and around them stood a group of people in very expensive looking clothes and soldiers acting as guards.

　There are two men in their late twenties and a woman in her late teens near the entrance, and these are probably the heroes who were summoned.

　One of the men was wearing camouflage clothing made of synthetic fiber, which obviously could not be made in this country. The other man was wearing armor that at first glance made him look like a knight or something. The woman is wearing a simple clergyman-like outfit.

　After confirming that I was lined up, the princess went near the king. It seemed I to have an audience with the king out of the blue without any explanation, but I wondered if the etiquette was up to par.

「Heroes, I'm glad you've come to the Kingdom of Henrient. I am Vergilius Le Henrient, King of Henrient. I know that you are confused by this sudden event, but I will explain it to you as many times as I can until you fully understand. But first, could you please tell me your names?」

　As is expected of a king, even when he speaks normally, there is a hint of dignity in his voice. We looked at each other, and the knightly-looking man at the other end pointed to himself. As we faced each other, I realized that he was a handsome man with red hair. In addition, he was taller than me. Apparently, he was going to speak first.

「My name is Alec Gilflea, a member of the Blue Sky Knights of the Nagia Empire. I was told by the Great Spirit that I must defeat the Demon King and save the people, so I have come here.」

　It seems that the handsome man, Alec, comes from a world where gods and spirits still exist. The compulsory summoning type of magic known as heroic summoning is generally developed in a way that suits the culture and formality of the world.

　In worlds where gods exist, it often takes the form of an oracle from a god. In his world, the Great Spirit is probably a substitute for God. There isn't a big difference between spirits and gods.

　If the belief in spirits exists as a culture, and people believe in them to the point of receiving oracles, then his world must not be too different from this world in terms of civilization. The details may be different, but the level of civilization should be roughly the same. Since there is a proportional relationship between magic technology and the standard of living, magic must be less developed in his world.

　As soon as Alec finished saying his name, the clergy-looking woman next to him stepped forward. She was tall enough that she didn't look out of place alongside us. Her face was a little young, and she looked more like a beautiful girl than a beautiful woman. She is probably the youngest of the summoned people.

「Nice to meet you. My name is Fairis, and I am a priest of the Holy Light Church. I have received an oracle and have been led by the summoning team to help the people of this world, even if it is a small effort.」

　Fairis speaks while bowing beautifully. It seems that gods also exist in her world, which means that the world she was in is no different from this one.

　Normally, when the level of science and magic technology exceeds a certain level, the existence of gods and spirits will lose their power of belief and disappear, so it's like shouting that your world is a low-level world where you can receive oracles from gods. I would definitely die of shame. Ignorance is a great thing isn't it?

　After Fairis finished speaking, another man stepped forward. He had short black hair, was about the same height as me, but had a well-trained body. He must have been trained in combat in his original world. And judging from his obviously synthetic clothing, he's the only person in this group, aside from me, who can tell that he's from a modern civilization.

「I am Sagami Ryohei, a member of the 5th Special Operations Department of the Republican Army. There was no sign of an oracle when I was transfered here, but during the operation, a magic circle suddenly appeared, and when I came to my senses, I found myself in this world.」

　As expected that Sagami is belonged to the military. The fact that he was teleported here only by a summoning formation means that he came from a world where there is no belief in conceptual existence and magic is universally known. In other words, in his world, it's a world with a modern or later civilization. This guy and I might be on the same page.

　Still, it's unlucky of him to be sent away during a mission. Surely he's wondering what's going on with his unit, but his attitude doesn't show any signs of anxiety. When I saw that he kept a poker face, I couldn't help but be impressed that as expected from a soldier.

　Now, it was my turn. To be honest, I'm not very good at speaking in front of a crowd like this. Other people may be used to this kind of situation, but as I only see my colleagues in the lab, I don't have a lot of experience being the center of attention. Inwardly nervous, I stepped forward, straightening my back to look normal.

「I'm Yard Werner, a member of the Strategic Class Technique Development Team of the Gino Super Magic Empire's Magic Research Lab. I was caught by the summoning magic when I was in the lab, and was summoned here.」

　I can see that the eyes of the people around me are gathering. Some are looking expectantly at the existence of a hero, while others are clearly looking at something unusual. As was the case with Sagami, there were many people who were paying particular attention to my outfit. It's true that it's unexpected that a magician would come after summoning a hero, but please stop looking at me suspiciously every time. I went back to the back, trying not to pay attention to the people's gazes.

「Umu, I understand how you came to be here. Now, let me tell you the reason why I brought you to this country.」

　After the heroes finished their self-introductions, the king began to speak again after a beat.

「Our country is currently in a state of war with the Demon Empire of Daro, and there have been many fierce battles in the border region. Our country has a small but elite force, and until now, there has not been that much of a difference in strength between us and the Demon Empire. However, the Demon Empire, perhaps impatient with the state of equilibrium that had lasted for so long, broke the rules by unleashing powerful demons on the battlefield. Our elites were defeated one after another, and when the demons were finally defeated, many soldiers lost their lives. If this continues, the front line will inevitably collapse. So, as a desperate measure, I had no choice but to summon you heroes. I would like you to defeat the forces of the Demon Empire.」

　I see, so they brought us in because they didn't have enough strength to maintain the front line. In other words, we are a convenient wall of flesh. This isn't joke. But it's not wise to suddenly take a defiant attitude here, because there are still no allies for me in this world.

「I'd like to ask you a question.」

「Very well, say it.」

「If I were to defeat this Demon Empire, would I be able to return to my world?」

　This is a rather important question. I could draw the repatriation route myself, but that would take a lot of work and several years of work. And if I leave my job that long, I will surely be fired from the institute.

「That is ...... unfortunately not possible. We can only summon the heroes, as we can't return them to their original world.」

　Hearing the king's words, the other heroes were upset.

　In my original world, it was reported that the existence rate of repatriation magic in the world where the heroic summoning took place was about 40%, so I was unfazed, thinking that there was no small chance that I would not be able to return home. Suddenly I was unemployed, and my mind had reached a state of enlightenment. Goodbye, my job.

　That's why I was unperturbed when I asked the question, but the other heroes must have been unexpected. Of all the heroes, Sagami was the most upset. The calm demeanor of the past has been broken and his expression has become grim. If you look closely, you can see that his gaze is not fixed. He didn't show it in his attitude, but I wonder if he was that worried about something he had left behind in his original world.

　Seeing that the heroes were upset, the people around them were whispering about something. Sophia was looking at me anxiously for some reason. I was probably the most unconcerned person in the room, so I guess she wants me to take care of the situation.

　I wasn't sure if I should respond to her expectations, but before I could open my mouth, the king made the first move.

「I apologize to all of you. I will do my best to treat you as well as I can here, so please forgive me. It's a shameful thing to say, but you are now the only people this country can rely on.」

「I also ask you as well, heroes, you are the hope of this country. Please save this country.」

　I hadn't thought of taking the initiative, so I was glad that the king spoke up. After hearing the words of the kings, Alec and Fairis stepped forward with expressions of determination.

「Please leave this to us, Your Majesty the King. I swear by the Great Spirit and my sword, I will definitely save this country from danger.」

「Yes, it is only natural to reach out to those who need help. I myself am too weak to fight, but I can help heal the wounded. Please use our power.」

　The people around us cheered at their words. It was hard for me to say no because the two of them were so far ahead of me. It's fine to help people, but please don't say something like you're including me in this.

　When I looked next to him, I saw that Sagami also had a delicate look on his face, so it seems that I am not the only one with negative thoughts.

　It's only natural for people who are not from this country to think that they don't like to fight. In Sagami's case, though, he may simply still be recovering from the shock of not being able to return home.

「I see! I'm glad to hear of your aspirations. Glory be to the brave men and women who rushed to save our country!」

　The people around the king were shouting for glory as well.

　It's almost as if it's customary for this to happen, but what an unnecessary thing to do. The first thing we needed to do was discuss the details of our treatment and the rewards for completing the mission. No, it's not too late. The first step is the most important.

　I looked at Sagami to get his agreement, but he let out a sigh and made a beautiful salute to the king with a face that seemed to have been blown off. No, that's not it. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I don't feel like I can say no anymore.

　You're going to participate in the war with no idea what you're going to get or how much you're going to be paid. The people here completely ignored my presence as I lamented in my mind what kind of a punishment game this was, and a dry smile appeared on my face as I gave up on everything.

Illustrations --- TOC --- Next Chapter

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