Chapter 2

◆The young man, Croki, summoned by the Demon King

Why is Raiti here?

And why is he being a hero?

And Shirone, his childhood friend, is here too.

I don’t understand what’s going on.

But I’m glad Shirone is alive.

That’s what I thought when I saw the image.

Because Raiti and the others had been missing.

Shirone went to Raiti’s villa with other girls right after the summer break started.

And then they disappeared.

I’m sure a search party was sent out. I remember going to the villa to look for Shirone too.

But I have no memory of what happened after that. What happened to me?

“But it’s good… that Shirone is safe…”

He murmured in a small voice.

Croki and Shirone had been friends since they were young, as their parents were acquaintances.

They grew up and matured together.

When they were little, they used to run around the mountains and fields together.

They also learned swordsmanship together at Shirone’s family’s kendo dojo.

Croki was worried when Shirone went missing.

Shirone and the others were alive and here.

That’s something to be happy about.

In the video, they are fighting.

This video is from a little while ago.

Raiti and the beautiful girls from the school have just finished annihilating a group of monsters, and they are gathered around Raiti, chatting.

Seeing this scene, he almost burst into tears.

The girls around Raiti are some of the most beautiful in the school, and they are talking to Raiti happily.

It’s really enviable.

“Hmm…”

Suddenly, a voice came from the side.

Modest had appeared next to him and was peering at his face.

“Hmm, I see…”

Had he been making a strange face?

Modest nodded as if he had realized something.

“Lord Croki, let’s continue the story. He appeared suddenly six months ago.”

Modest began to explain.

Six months ago?

They had only been missing for a week.

Croki was puzzled.

“Until then, Nargol’s army had repelled the goddess’s forces, but they invaded Nargol’s territory. Of course, I didn’t just watch; I sent my subordinates, the demons and monsters, but they were completely ineffective… Five days ago, even my strongest elite unit, the Dark Knights, was defeated. At this rate, they will be here at the castle tomorrow.”

Modest said regretfully.

“Upon investigation, it turned out that they were summoned from another world to defeat me. So, this Modest thought, if we summon a counterpart to the hero from another world, it would be good.”

He looked at Croki.

“And that’s you, Lord Croki.”

“Wait a minute…”

What is this…?

Croki screamed in his heart at Modest’s words.

“Please, Lord Croki. Save us from the hero.”

Modest bowed to him.

“That’s unreasonable…”

In other words, Modest was asking him to fight Raiti and the others.

That’s a very unreasonable request.

Raiti, whose real name is Raiti, is a well-known figure at the middle-high school he attends.

He is 180 centimeters tall, with a slender build and a handsome face.

His hair, which is light brown and looks golden in the sunlight, is due to his mother’s foreign heritage.

He is also athletic and academically excellent.

Moreover, his family is very wealthy.

He’s like a character from a manga.

That’s why he’s very popular with girls.

However, while he is highly rated among girls, he is poorly rated among boys.

The reason is simple: Raiti’s attitude towards the opposite sex and the same sex is completely different.

He only puts on a good show for girls.

That’s Raiti’s reputation.

Additionally, Raiti has a peculiar ability to be present when cute girls are in danger.

Many girls have been saved by Raiti.

As a result, many girls fall in love with Raiti.

Incidentally, there are no stories of boys being saved by Raiti.

No matter how troubled a boy is, Raiti tells him to deal with it himself.

Raiti is very kind to women but very strict with men.

This is the reason he is disliked by his peers.

Most likely, Raiti doesn’t even care about this.

Many boys who secretly liked a girl have had her taken by Raiti,

which is another reason for his low rating.

However, since the girls fall for Raiti on their own, the boys can’t really complain.

They can only watch in silence.

A male student’s whisper, who had a crush on a girl who became one of Raiti’s followers, tells the whole story.

‘I can’t compete with a handsome guy.’

And one of Raiti’s followers is his childhood friend, Akamine Shirone.

Did Raiti approach Shirone because she’s cute?

Or did Shirone approach Raiti? I don’t know.

I don’t want her to be with him. When I told her that, we got into a fight.

That was before the summer break.

My first love ended in failure.

I am an ordinary person.

Against Raiti, I have no chance. I had to give up.

This demon king is asking me to fight Raiti.

That’s impossible.

Raiti is strong in a fight.

I would end up beaten to a pulp.

Once, the captain of the karate club fought Raiti out of frustration after a girl he liked was taken by Raiti.

The result was that the captain of the karate club had his jaw broken and was out of commission for three months.

Incidentally, Raiti was unharmed.

Whether Raiti’s parents pulled some strings or the captain of the karate club feared retaliation and did nothing, I don’t know.

But it didn’t become public knowledge.

It was an open secret among the students.

Others who practiced martial arts also challenged Raiti.

Some were bigger than Raiti, and some were adults.

But no one could beat him. Of course, I couldn’t either.

Raiti probably doesn’t even remember the people he has defeated in the past.

I didn’t want to experience such a miserable feeling.

Besides, I’m not good at violence.

I’m supposed to be a pacifist.

I was out of it that time.

I can’t fight.

“Wait, Your Majesty!!!”

Someone pushed through the crowd of demons.

There stood a man in pitch-black armor, with a well-defined face, tanned skin, and light blond hair. If it weren’t for the horns on his head, he would look like a delinquent who likes cosplay.

“Ah, Lord Ranfeld!! Are you okay from the injuries inflicted by the hero?”

The man called Ranfeld bowed respectfully.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. However, there is no need to rely on the power of an unknown entity. I made a mistake once, but my Dark Knights are still strong. Please let us handle it.”

Ranfeld pleaded with Modest.

“Besides…”

He glared at Croki.

“I don’t think this person can defeat the hero.”

You’re right.

Croki almost nodded in agreement with his words.

“I will judge your strength myself!!!”

Saying this, Ranfeld drew his sword from his waist and attacked Croki.

“Wait a minute!!!”

Croki twisted his body to dodge the attack. For some reason, his body felt lighter than usual.

“Ha!!!”

Ranfeld followed up with another attack.

Naturally, Croki dodged it again.

He bent his knees, moved his feet, and dodged Ranfeld’s attacks without losing his balance, using minimal movement.

When he dodged an attack for the umpteenth time, he instinctively grabbed the opponent’s hand and threw him.

“Ugh!!!”

A groan came from Ranfeld, who was thrown to the ground.

“I’m sorry!!!”

Croki apologized for throwing him without meaning to.

But it didn’t end there.

“Damn!!!”

Ranfeld got up and pointed his left hand at Croki.

A black flame flickered in the palm of his outstretched left hand.

“Stop, Lord Ranfeld! That magic!!!”

Ignoring Modest’s warning, Ranfeld threw the black flame from his left hand at Croki.

“Take this, my black flame!!!”

The black flame spread out and came at him.

He couldn’t dodge it.

To escape the flame, he would have to run through the crowd of demons surrounding him. It would be difficult to move that far in such close proximity.

The black flame approached.

Without thinking, he extended his hand and caught it.

He was surprised by the scene.

Flame is intangible and should not be able to be caught by hand.

Normally, that would be the case.

But now, he was holding the black flame in both hands.

He tore the flame as if pulling it apart, and it dissipated.

“Impossible, my black flame…”

Ranfeld muttered weakly and bowed his head.

It seemed to be his ultimate technique.

It was a strange sensation.

He looked at his hands to confirm, but there were no burns.

Recalling the sensation, black flames spurted from his palms.

“!?”

Surprised, he quickly crushed the black flames in his hand.

The sound of clapping was heard.

“Indeed, Lord Croki. Lord Ranfeld is the strongest knight in Nargol, and you not only dodged his attacks but also neutralized his black flame.”

Modest laughed, thinking that he could defeat the hero.

What is this black flame?

Incidentally, the people in the video earlier were also emitting light and flames from their hands.

Perhaps I have gained some strange power in this world.

My head can’t keep up.

Moreover, what does it mean to fight them?

There should be no reason for me to fight.

So, I should avoid fighting.

But what will happen if I don’t fight?

If I don’t fight, will I not be able to return to my world?

They probably have to defeat the demon king to return to their world, so they are fighting.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to cooperate with them and fight the demon king?

And then ask the goddess who summoned them to send me back to my world.

But will Raiti cooperate with me?

Raiti is cold to men.

He would probably kick me out, saying he won’t deal with a guy.

If I were a cute girl, he might help me, but unfortunately, I’m a guy.

If I don’t get their cooperation, they will leave me behind after defeating the demon king and return on their own.

Should I cross-dress and hide the fact that I’m Croki to make contact with them?

…Am I an idiot?

He shook his head, thinking it was a ridiculous idea.

That would be a lack of pride.

I don’t want to see Shirone either.

We are currently not on good terms.

So, cooperation is impossible.

Then what should I do?

Perhaps only the one who summoned me can send me back.

He glanced at Modest.

“Um… do I have to defeat them to return to my world?”

He asked just in case.

“Huh…?”

But the question seemed unexpected, and Modest made a strange sound.

“…The method to send Lord Croki back?”

Modest thought for a moment.

Then he took out something that looked like a piece of paper from his pocket.

He had a bad feeling about it.

Modest seemed to be reading the words written on the paper.

“Do you… not know how to send someone back?”

Modest remained silent in response to the question.

An awkward silence filled the air.

“…It seems there is no method to return in this summoning spell.”

It was the worst possible outcome.

“Wait a minute—!!!”

He shouted without thinking.

“What is this!!!”

He raised his voice.

How irresponsible is that?

“No, I apologize.”

Modest apologized.

Despite his large size, he seemed to be quite timid.

“Please wait, Lord Croki.”

Mona, who had been standing next to him, stepped in front of Modest.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

Her eyes left him speechless.

For someone who is not used to women, her eyes were like a weapon.

“Please, Lord Croki. Listen to what Modest has to say.”

This is Chapter 2.