The robed priest pushed open the heavy doors and led the group down a long corridor straight into a spacious audience hall.
Seated on the elevated throne in the center of the hall was a little old man with stubby limbs and a bulging belly. Presumably, he was this land's king. Arrogance was written all over his face.
He doesn't look like a good person.
"Oh? Are these the Four Holy Heroes of ancient legend?" The bloated king sat sideways on his throne, resting his cheek on one hand as he imperiously surveyed the four people and one dog brought into the audience hall.
Suddenly, his eyes widened. He glared at Bruce beside Chuan Wenwu and demanded, "Why has a stray dog been allowed in here?! Guards, throw it out!"
Sure enough, a soldier of the people and a king from a feudal society were fundamentally incompatible.
Chuan Wenwu's expression darkened. He waved a hand and called out firmly, "Wait! He isn't a stray dog. He's my partner and my traveling companion!"
Even if the man was this land's king, surely he would show some restraint toward someone bearing this so-called "Hero" title.
Sure enough, after Chuan Wenwu spoke, the guards who had been about to obey the king's order and drive Bruce out all stopped and looked toward the king, awaiting his instructions.
"And you are?" The king glanced at the round shield on Chuan Wenwu's arm and asked with a sour expression.
"Chuan Wenwu. I'm Huaxian, from the Huaxia Federal Republic, and one of the Heroes you forcibly summoned here-the Shield Hero." Chuan Wenwu introduced himself calmly, then pointed at Bruce. "And this is my partner, Bruce. He's also my traveling companion."
After hearing his introduction, the king gave a mocking chuckle. "Oh, so you're our esteemed Shield Hero. I certainly never expected a mighty Hero to choose a dog as his traveling companion. My sincerest apologies-guards, return to your posts. This dog is our esteemed Hero's companion. There's no need to drive it out."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Fuck. I suddenly really want to punch this bastard king right in his smug face.
Chuan Wenwu also looked at the king with displeasure, but they were surrounded by the man's guards. With the odds stacked against him, he could only remain silent.
His hand hung at his waist, intermittently brushing Bruce's head to soothe him.
The king brushed aside the incident and ignored Chuan Wenwu as well, continuing on his own:
"I am the king of this nation, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII. Heroes, raise your heads!"
After what had just happened-or even without that earlier incident-no one present had their head lowered in the first place. They were all studying the king curiously.
The king continued:
"First, I must explain the circumstances to you-this nation, and indeed this entire world, is heading toward destruction."
Oh, dear, the country's heading toward destruction. How terrifying.
Chuan Wenwu pursed his lips and folded his arms without offering any comment.
Then the king launched into a lengthy speech, the gist of which was:
A prophet had foretold the imminent end of the world. An apocalyptic threat known as the "calamity wave" would sweep across it. Unless they found a way to repel the disasters brought by the waves, the world would not escape its doom.
The year foretold for the disaster was this very year. After so much time passed without anything happening, no one had taken the prophecy to heart. But this year, an artifact that had existed since ancient times, known as the [Dragon Hourglass], began showing signs of activity.
The Dragon Hourglass could predict when the waves would appear and issue advance warnings, but the people of this nation had paid it no mind.
Then, not long ago, the sand in the Dragon Hourglass ran out, and the first calamity wave descended. A massive dimensional rift appeared in this nation, Melromarc, and countless vicious monsters poured out of it.
Although the National Knights and adventurers had joined forces and barely managed to repel the monster army, the nation still suffered tremendous casualties, and the next wave would only be more terrifying.
Frightened, the people remembered the Heroes who, according to the prophecy, could defeat the calamity waves. They immediately performed the ancient ritual and summoned the four Heroes here... That was the broad outline of events.
What could he say?
It really was the classic Heroes-save-the-world routine.
Chuan Wenwu sighed. Somehow, a weighty responsibility had landed on his shoulders out of nowhere. Other people who crossed into another world got to roam freely, while his journey meant responsibility, protection, and salvation?
That wasn't so bad, either.
Though saving the world through individual heroics didn't feel particularly real to him-after all, where in the real world could anyone find the power to fucking overcome the entire world single-handedly?
Throughout Huaxia's history, every disaster had been overcome through countless ordinary people working together. The education he had received since childhood had emphasized unity, too... Still, a grand achievement like turning the tide against impossible odds sounded awfully tempting to a young man with dreams.
Even if he didn't do it for this nation, the ordinary people who suffered in the disasters were innocent. If being a Hero truly meant having the power to save people, he might as well give it a try... That was what Chuan Wenwu thought.
"I get it. So you're saying you want us, the people you summoned here, to help you for free?"
"That's pretty presumptuous."
"...Yeah, it's downright selfish. If the world's going to be destroyed, let it. This has nothing to do with us in the first place."
The other three Heroes began chattering noisily. Every sentence expressed their unwillingness to help this nation, yet their words carried unmistakable delight.
Chuan Wenwu didn't know what to make of them-whether to call them experienced or simply unflappable.
He was more concerned with how to get home. After considering it for a moment, he joined the others in asking:
"Let me ask this: can those of us summoned to this world return to our original worlds? And if we can, will we be able to take the things we acquire here back with us?"
Once Chuan Wenwu asked that question, the other three rushed to voice their own thoughts.
"Exactly! You haven't shown any sincerity at all. How am I supposed to get back if I want to leave?"
"Don't tell me you can just summon us whenever you want, then send us back when you don't need us anymore. I'm not working for free!"
"If you want my help, it's simple. At least offer a reward I'm happy with, all right? If I save the world but can't take anything home afterward, I'll be getting a terrible deal."
The king apparently hadn't expected this batch of Heroes to have so many questions. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow, then pressed both hands downward to signal for quiet. "Your concerns touch upon a crucial point, Heroes. I am deeply ashamed, but I must be honest with you. Although we summoned you here, and as I said, we urgently need your assistance, we possess only the ritual for summoning Heroes. We have absolutely no means of sending you back ourselves..."
He paused, then continued, "According to ancient texts, summoned Heroes may choose to return to their original worlds only after defeating the world-destroying calamity waves. In other words, once you have saved the world, you will be our heroes. At that point, you may choose to remain in this world, or return to your original worlds bearing countless gifts of gratitude from the world!"
Hearing the king's answer, the three Heroes grew tremendously excited.
"That's fantastic! We can choose to leave whenever we want, and take things back with us!" The Hero wielding a spear clenched his fist.
"Oh! In that case, working hard to earn rewards in this world is definitely worthwhile!" said the Hero wielding a sword.
"Exactly, exactly!" the Hero wielding a bow agreed.
Chuan Wenwu asked hesitantly, "But all of that depends on defeating those calamity waves. Are you really that confident?"
The Spear Hero answered him with a grin. "Ha ha, that's a weird question! We're the chosen Heroes, the champions destined to save the world. Dealing with one little disaster should be a piece of cake, shouldn't it?"
The Sword Hero said, "Exactly! We're Heroes!"
The Bow Hero said, "You look so strong, but you're actually this cowardly. So this is what Huaxians are like!"
Hey, hey, you little runt with the bow! You'd better fucking explain what you mean by "this is what Huaxians are like"! And what do you mean, "cowardly"? I'm being careful! Vigilant!
The corner of Chuan Wenwu's eye twitched, and he began trying to figure out where the other Hero came from.
From the sound of it, he's speaking Japanese... Is he from Fusang? No, no. With that attitude, he's probably from Dongying in another world, right?
Dongying had already become history in 2030. Chuan Wenwu had been born in 2032, and his earliest memories dated to after 2035. Although history books and his elders' accounts had taught him much about the national hatred between his homeland and Dongying, he knew almost nothing about actual people from Dongying.
After all, the people from Fusang he could meet these days were humble and polite, nothing like the three people he had just encountered, who were so... aggressive?
(A quick note here: because the legendary Heroes' weapons possessed a translation ability, their wielders could understand one another, including languages from another world.)
Before you continue