"You did it; it was a success!"
The kingdom of swords—Lævateinn.
Its center, the royal capital, was itself centered on the audience hall of the royal castle.
It was normally forbidden to make a fuss in the audience hall of the king. However, that place was currently engulfed by continuous cheers of delight. At the center was a black-haired youth in his mid-teens. He was confused by his current situation.
How did it all begin?
The youth, who lived in Japan, was following his routine after school, participating earnestly in his club activities and then going on his way home. However, his ordinary life was interrupted by a voice calling him to the extraordinary.
"Whoever can hear us. Please help us."
It was a call for help. The caller's identity was unknown. The situation was unknown. Even the kind of help required was unknown. Normally, there was neither duty nor obligation to respond, especially when the voice eerily echoed inside one's mind.
A normal person would feel fear and suspicion more than a sense of justice. He could not be blamed even if he ignored it and ran away. After all, people feared that which was unknown. It wasn't a bad thing even if he was afraid and escaped.
However, he was such a nice guy that he could be considered sick. His screws were loose, or perhaps his hoop was off. He wanted to help whenever someone was in trouble. He wanted to reach out whenever someone was lost. This was virtue and benevolence.
The wish to help others unconditionally and without hesitation, or the spirit to help others without the slightest suspicion, was the quality of a hero. But in terms of his own security, it was a reckless and thoughtless reply. Or rather, he had given up thinking at all. Therefore, the summoning, which required a heartfelt acceptance, was established and he vanished from Japan.
—The hero summoning succeeded.
This news immediately spread throughout the country.
♑
It was a dark place.
No light existed in the darkness, as if the surroundings were completely sealed off. Even so, I could unbelievably see in the darkness. I could see my hands and feet clearly. I walked on without hesitation. So I thought, "Oh. This must be a dream."
As I walked on in the darkness, a familiar room eventually appeared. It was not like what I saw recently in the world of Midgard, but rather it was the room of a house in modern Japan. Surrounded by white walls, this common room was littered with daily items all over the floor, while comic books and light novels lined up on a bookshelf.
Certainly…yes, this was "my" room. The arrangement of the furniture, the computer on the table, everything matched my memory.
But—why?
Why did I not feel a sense of belonging in this room?
It was not nostalgic. It was not familiar. It was not comforting. I certainly knew this place, yet it was severely discomforting as if I was visiting the room of a stranger.
Strange. I wondered what was going on.
Even though I felt nostalgic when I saw Aries, why did I not feel the same for this place where I lived?
I looked at the computer that was still on.
X-Gate Online…The screen of the game I knew so well was displayed. But it was strangely hazy and odd…as if it was forcefully placed on a completely different game, losing all sense of familiarity.
That was not all.
It was displayed on the window. I was absorbed in it without a doubt. But looking at it again…—
Suddenly, something grabbed my shoulder from behind. There were thin white fingers. The grip was chillingly strong and irresistible. It was too late when I tried to resist.
Time ran out the moment it was discovered. I would just have to wait for the next opportunity.
And so my consciousness was forcefully "pulled up" from the dream.
"—phas-sama, Ruphas-sama!"
…And I woke up.
The first to enter my vision was Dina, who was shaking me. Next were Aries and Libra, who were standing by the side.
"Ah. Please get up already, Ruphas-sama. Aren't we going to Vanaheimr?"
"…Oh. That's right."
Hearing Dina's words, my hazy consciousness became clearer.
Oh, right. That was the next destination.
I felt that I was sleeping quite deeply.
"Sorry. I had a strange dream. I apologize for not waking up."
"—What was your dream?"
"…Oh, that…Ah, what was it…Sorry, I can't remember. It seems to be a strangely important dream, but I can't remember it at all."
What the heck. I had an important dream, but I couldn't remember it.
Well, I knew dreams were like that. Humans would forget their dreams in about five and a half minutes after waking up. This dream seemed quite important to me. Then again, it was not really a big dream, so maybe it was nothing to worry about.
Traveling in Tanaka, our destination was my hometown—Vanaheimr.
This was a small nation in the mountains where the flügels, self-proclaimed people of heaven, lived in small numbers…Rather than a nation, it was more like a settlement. My setting was such that this was also my birthplace. Even though my black wings…
It was just a minor detail, so I didn't think too much about it back then. It wasn't hard to imagine being persecuted for it though.
In the game, besides my black wings, there were wings of diverse colors. Now, that would be the subject of persecution (
"You did it; it was a success!"
The kingdom of swords—Lævateinn.
Its center, the royal capital, was itself centered on the audience hall of the royal castle.
It was normally forbidden to make a fuss in the audience hall of the king. However, that place was currently engulfed by continuous cheers of delight. At the center was a black-haired youth in his mid-teens. He was confused by his current situation.
How did it all begin?
The youth, who lived in Japan, was following his routine after school, participating earnestly in his club activities and then going on his way home. However, his ordinary life was interrupted by a voice calling him to the extraordinary.
"Whoever can hear us. Please help us."
It was a call for help. The caller's identity was unknown. The situation was unknown. Even the kind of help required was unknown. Normally, there was neither duty nor obligation to respond, especially when the voice eerily echoed inside one's mind.
A normal person would feel fear and suspicion more than a sense of justice. He could not be blamed even if he ignored it and ran away. After all, people feared that which was unknown. It wasn't a bad thing even if he was afraid and escaped.
However, he was such a nice guy that he could be considered sick. His screws were loose, or perhaps his hoop was off. He wanted to help whenever someone was in trouble. He wanted to reach out whenever someone was lost. This was virtue and benevolence.
The wish to help others unconditionally and without hesitation, or the spirit to help others without the slightest suspicion, was the quality of a hero. But in terms of his own security, it was a reckless and thoughtless reply. Or rather, he had given up thinking at all. Therefore, the summoning, which required a heartfelt acceptance, was established and he vanished from Japan.
—The hero summoning succeeded.
This news immediately spread throughout the country.
♑
It was a dark place.
No light existed in the darkness, as if the surroundings were completely sealed off. Even so, I could unbelievably see in the darkness. I could see my hands and feet clearly. I walked on without hesitation. So I thought, "Oh. This must be a dream."
As I walked on in the darkness, a familiar room eventually appeared. It was not like what I saw recently in the world of Midgard, but rather it was the room of a house in modern Japan. Surrounded by white walls, this common room was littered with daily items all over the floor, while comic books and light novels lined up on a bookshelf.
Certainly…yes, this was "my" room. The arrangement of the furniture, the computer on the table, everything matched my memory.
But—why?
Why did I not feel a sense of belonging in this room?
It was not nostalgic. It was not familiar. It was not comforting. I certainly knew this place, yet it was severely discomforting as if I was visiting the room of a stranger.
Strange. I wondered what was going on.
Even though I felt nostalgic when I saw Aries, why did I not feel the same for this place where I lived?
I looked at the computer that was still on.
X-Gate Online…The screen of the game I knew so well was displayed. But it was strangely hazy and odd…as if it was forcefully placed on a completely different game, losing all sense of familiarity.
That was not all.
It was displayed on the window. I was absorbed in it without a doubt. But looking at it again…—
Suddenly, something grabbed my shoulder from behind. There were thin white fingers. The grip was chillingly strong and irresistible. It was too late when I tried to resist.
Time ran out the moment it was discovered. I would just have to wait for the next opportunity.
And so my consciousness was forcefully "pulled up" from the dream.
"—phas-sama, Ruphas-sama!"
…And I woke up.
The first to enter my vision was Dina, who was shaking me. Next were Aries and Libra, who were standing by the side.
"Ah. Please get up already, Ruphas-sama. Aren't we going to Vanaheimr?"
"…Oh. That's right."
Hearing Dina's words, my hazy consciousness became clearer.
Oh, right. That was the next destination.
I felt that I was sleeping quite deeply.
"Sorry. I had a strange dream. I apologize for not waking up."
"—What was your dream?"
"…Oh, that…Ah, what was it…Sorry, I can't remember. It seems to be a strangely important dream, but I can't remember it at all."
What the heck. I had an important dream, but I couldn't remember it.
Well, I knew dreams were like that. Humans would forget their dreams in about five and a half minutes after waking up. This dream seemed quite important to me. Then again, it was not really a big dream, so maybe it was nothing to worry about.
Traveling in Tanaka, our destination was my hometown—Vanaheimr.
This was a small nation in the mountains where the flügels, self-proclaimed people of heaven, lived in small numbers…Rather than a nation, it was more like a settlement. My setting was such that this was also my birthplace. Even though my black wings…
It was just a minor detail, so I didn't think too much about it back then. It wasn't hard to imagine being persecuted for it though.
In the game, besides my black wings, there were wings of diverse colors. Now, that would be the subject of persecution (
