Chapter 3

◆The Summoned One, Kroki

In the once-blessed land of Elios, where the gods dwelled, there was a male deity.

This male deity possessed great power, even among the gods of Elios, but his appearance was hideous.

Because of this, while other gods had formed couples, he remained single.

Despite this, the male deity longed for a wife and approached the unmarried goddesses.

However, none of them would listen to him.

Next, he tried to court the angels and fairies who served the goddesses. But they, too, found him repulsive and sought help from the goddesses they served.

The goddesses, who disliked the male deity, plotted to expel him.

Led by the goddess Reina, they falsely accused the male deity to the king of the gods, Audis, claiming he was forcing the angels and fairies to become his wives.

Audis, after consulting with the other gods, decided to banish the male deity to the dark land of Nargol.

The male deity wept, for he had never forced anyone.

He appealed to Audis, but the goddesses had conspired to give unfavorable testimonies, and the decision stood.

The male deity had no choice but to comply.

At that moment, he made a single request to Audis: if he could receive a strand of hair from Reina, the most beautiful of the unmarried goddesses, he would accept the decision.

Audis agreed to the request and negotiated with Reina.

Reluctantly, Reina agreed to give a strand of her hair if the male deity would leave.

The male deity departed for Nargol.

In Nargol, he resolved that if no one would be his wife, he would create a goddess who would.

Through various attempts, he finally succeeded in creating a goddess using Reina's hair.

However, this goddess was a near replica of Reina.

Upon realizing that a replica of herself had been created, Reina became furious and demanded that the goddess be handed over to her.

This time, the male deity refused to comply.

He erected a barrier around Nargol and prepared for a fierce resistance.

Reina appealed to the other gods to defeat the male deity.

However, his power was too great, and only Audis, the king of the gods, could match him.

But Audis, as the king, could not easily leave Elios.

The other gods, except Reina, did not want to fight the male deity.

Reluctantly, Reina sent human heroes and armies to Nargol.

This marked the beginning of the battle.

The male deity who fought against Reina was known as the Demon King Modus.

Modus and Reina's armies engaged in fierce battles.

Modus's forces won consecutively.

Realizing she could not win, Reina sought the advice of the goddess Casa, who possessed the power of prophecy.

Casa's prophecy stated that a hero summoned from another world could defeat Modus.

Reina summoned such a hero from another world.

This hero was the Light Warrior Raze and his companions.

Initially, Modus was unaware of the prophecy.

It was only when Raze and his companions broke through the defenses with their formidable power that Modus learned of the prophecy.

Modus, realizing that fighting the hero would result in his defeat according to the prophecy, could not engage in battle.

He gathered more information and learned that Casa had also prophesied that someone from another world could stop the hero.

Modus stole the summoning ritual from Reina and summoned an entity to counter the hero.

That entity was me.

According to Modus, this is a summary of the situation.

If I lose the battle, Mona will be erased. I must avoid that at all costs.

Modus, with tears in his eyes, told me this.

According to Modus, the stolen summoning ritual did not include a method to return.

Either there is no way to return, or it has not been found yet.

This means that Raze and his companions also do not know how to return.

Modus did not seem to be lying.

Moreover, if he wanted me to listen to him, he could have threatened not to let me return.

So why are they fighting?

But now is not the time to ponder such questions.

I found myself in the courtyard of Modus's castle.

This courtyard was modeled after Modus's home in Elios.

It was neither overly ornate nor uncomfortable, but rather a soothing place.

Apparently, only Mona, Modus, and a few special individuals could enter this place.

I sat in a circular chair and listened to Modus's account of the events.

A cup of tea, which Mona had prepared, sat before me.

The tea emitted a unique fragrance.

It was slightly bitter but quite delicious.

As I sipped the tea, I pondered my next steps.

Do I have to fight Raze again?

It feels like a dream.

Modus said that if I fight for him, he will create another goddess for me.

Creating a goddess is not easy, but he believes he can manage one more.

This is a tempting reward.

After all, I have never had a relationship with a woman.

In fact, I have been avoided because of my lecherous gaze.

I recalled the past.

Girls who initially treated me normally would suddenly become distant.

It seems that I unknowingly ogled cute girls.

This has been pointed out by Shirone. Apparently, I have a lecherous gaze when looking at girls in miniskirts.

But what can I do? It's instinct.

This means I will never have a relationship.

Thinking about this made me feel sad.

I should stop thinking about it...

Moreover, I have seen the appearance of the goddess Reina.

Mona resembles her, though with some differences.

The next goddess Modus creates will likely be as beautiful as Mona.

To receive such a goddess is too tempting.

Most importantly, she will love me unconditionally, even if I am not a good man.

I want to be affectionate with a cute girl.

I don't need multiple like Raze; one is enough.

If a very cute girl becomes my girlfriend, life would be blissful.

But...

To achieve this, I must defeat Raze.

Honestly, I don't think I can win.

In the past, I have fought Raze.

It was a disappointing match.

Was it a while ago?

When I was in middle school, Raze, who had taken an interest in kendo, fought all those who had learned kendo at the school.

I was among them.

I was utterly defeated by Raze.

I never thought I was particularly strong.

But I didn't expect to lose so easily.

It was quite a shock.

First, his movements were different. I wondered how he could move like that at our age.

I still remember what Shirone said after watching the match.

"You seem down, Kroki. Raze is special, so don't feel bad about losing."

Shirone tried to comfort me, but I felt very miserable.

Honestly, I thought about quitting kendo then.

But for some reason, I continued.

I might have gotten a little stronger, but Raze has become even stronger.

I must refuse.

If we fight seriously, I might die.

The reward is tempting, but losing my life would be pointless.

Besides, I have no obligation to fight for Modus.

I could abandon him.

But something in my heart held me back.

It's a very trivial thing.

Mona is likely Modus's only companion.

I couldn't bring myself to abandon them.

"Please, Lord Kroki! I have no one else to turn to!"

Modus, with tears in his eyes, took my hand.

I could only manage a weak smile.

"Sorry, can you give me a little more time...?"

This chapter is shorter compared to the second one. I revised an old piece and posted it. Writing a novel is really difficult.