Summoned to Another World
Hajime, who had been shielding his face with both hands and tightly closing his eyes, slowly opened them, feeling countless stirring presences. He then stared blankly at his surroundings.
The first thing that caught his eye was a massive mural. About ten meters high and wide, the mural depicted a person with a neutral, slightly smiling face, long golden hair flowing, and a halo behind their head.
In the background, grasslands, lakes, and mountains were painted, and the figure had their arms outstretched as if embracing them. It was a beautiful mural. A magnificent mural. Yet, for some reason, Hajime felt a faint chill and instinctively averted his gaze.
Looking around more carefully, he realized they seemed to be in a vast hall.
Was the material marble? It appeared to be a smooth, white stone structure with a beautiful luster, supported by enormous pillars adorned with equally beautiful carvings, and the ceiling was domed. It was a hall with a solemn atmosphere, one where the word "cathedral" naturally came to mind.
Hajime and the others seemed to be on a raised platform at the very back of the hall. Their position was higher than the surroundings. Around them were classmates, just like Hajime, staring blankly at their environment. It seemed that all the students who were in the classroom at that time had been caught up in this situation.
Hajime glanced behind him. There, too, was Kaori, slumped in a daze. She seemed uninjured, and Hajime breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, he shifted his observation to the people surrounding the platform, who could presumably explain this situation.
Yes, Hajime and his classmates weren't the only ones in this hall. At least thirty people were in front of the platform where Hajime and the others stood. They were kneeling as if in prayer, with their hands clasped in front of their chests.
They were all uniformly clad in vestments like robes, white with gold embroidery, and had staves (like a Buddhist monk's staff) placed beside them. The tip of each staff fanned out, and several discs were suspended instead of a single ring.
One of them, an old man around seventy years old, wearing particularly lavish and dazzling attire among the robed group and a fine, intricate eboshi-like headpiece about thirty centimeters tall, stepped forward.
However, calling him "old man" didn't quite fit given the intense aura he exuded. If not for the wrinkles etched on his face and his seasoned eyes, he might pass for someone in their fifties.
Jingling the staff in his hand, he addressed Hajime and the others in a deep, calm voice that perfectly suited his appearance.
"Welcome to Tortus. Brave Heroes, and all fellow countrymen. I welcome you. I am Ishtar Langobard, who holds the position of Pope in the Holy Church. I look forward to our future together."
With that, the old man, who introduced himself as Ishtar, displayed a benevolent, grandfatherly smile.
Currently, Hajime and the others had moved to a vast hall filled with several tables, each seemingly over ten meters long.
This room, too, was without exception dazzlingly constructed. Even to an amateur's eye, it was clear that the furnishings, the paintings adorning the walls, and the wallpaper were the pinnacle of craftsmanship.
It was probably a place for banquets. Ms. Aiko Hatayama and the four-person group, including Kouki, sat closer to the head of the table, with the rest of the classmates casually seating themselves in order of their usual cliques. Hajime was at the very back.
The reason no one had made much of a fuss until being led here was likely because their minds hadn't yet fully grasped the reality of the situation. It was probably also because Ishtar had promised to explain things, and Kouki, with his maximum charisma level, had calmed them down.
Ms. Aiko was teary-eyed, remarking that Kouki was more like a teacher than she was, keeping the students in line.
Once everyone was seated, maids entered at a perfect timing, pushing carts. Yes, live maids! Not fake maids like those found in certain sacred places on Earth, nor chubby old maids from foreign countries. These were genuine, beautiful young women and girls, the embodiment of a man's dream!
Even in this situation, the insatiable curiosity and desires of adolescent boys were alive and well, with most of the male students staring intently at the maids. However, the gazes of the girls who saw this were cold enough to rival an ice age...
Hajime, too, almost found himself staring intently at the maid who came near him to serve drinks, but for some reason, he felt a chill down his spine and instinctively fixed his gaze straight ahead.
When he fleetingly glanced in the direction of the chill, he saw Kaori, inexplicably with a full smile, staring intently at him. Hajime decided to pretend he hadn't seen it.
After confirming that everyone had received their drinks, Ishtar began to speak.
"Now, I imagine you are all very confused. I will explain everything from the beginning, so please, listen to my words until the end."
Ishtar's story, which began with these words, was truly fantastical, clichéd, and utterly self-serving.
In summary, it was like this:
First, this world is called Tortus. And Tortus has three major races: Humans, Demons, and Demihumans.
Humans dominate the northern region, Demons the southern region, and Demihumans apparently live quietly within the vast eastern forest.
Of these, Humans and Demons have been at war for hundreds of years.
Demons, though fewer in number than Humans, are said to possess greater individual power, and Humans have been countering this power disparity with their numerical superiority. The forces were evenly matched, and no large-scale wars had occurred for decades, but recently, unusual incidents have been frequent.
This was the Demons' use of monsters.
Monsters are said to be mutated aberrations of normal wild animals that have absorbed magical power. Even the people of this world don't seem to understand the exact ecology of monsters. They are apparently powerful and vicious beasts, each capable of using potent race-specific magic.
Until now, few had been able to control these creatures, which usually acted purely on instinct. Even if one could, it was only for one or two at most. That common belief had been overturned.
This meant that the Human race's advantage in "numbers" had collapsed. In other words, the Human race was facing the brink of extinction.
"It was Lord Ehit who summoned you. He is the guardian deity worshipped by us Humans, the sole god of the Holy Church, and the supreme god who created this world. Lord Ehit must have realized, 'If things continue this way, the Human race will perish.' To avert this, He summoned you. Your world is superior to this one, and without exception, you possess powerful abilities. A prophecy from Lord Ehit came just before the summoning was executed. He would send you, His 'salvation.' We earnestly desire that you exert your power and, under the will of Lord Ehit, defeat the Demon race and save us, the Human race."
Ishtar had a somewhat rapturous expression. He was probably recalling the moment he heard the prophecy.
According to Ishtar, over ninety percent of the Human race are followers of the Holy Church, which worships the Creator God Ehit, and those who hear the prophecies that frequently descend invariably attain high positions within the Holy Church.
As Hajime felt an inexpressible sense of crisis at the warped nature of this world, where people would undoubtedly, even gleefully, obey "God's will," someone suddenly stood up and protested vehemently.
It was Ms. Aiko.
"Don't be ridiculous! In the end, you're trying to make these children fight in a war, aren't you?! I won't allow it! No, as their teacher, I absolutely won't allow it! Send us back immediately! Their families must be worried! What you're doing is nothing but kidnapping!"
Ms. Aiko fumed. She was a twenty-five-year-old social studies teacher, very popular. Her short stature of about 150 cm, childlike face, and bobbed hair that bounced as she bustled about tirelessly for her students were endearing. Many students felt a protective urge towards her due to the gap between her constant earnestness and her frequent, unfortunate fumbling.
She was affectionately called "Aichan," but she would immediately get angry if called that. Apparently, she aimed to be a dignified teacher.
This time, too, enraged by the unreasonable reason for the summoning, she stood up and roared. The students, watching Ms. Aiko argue with Ishtar with a warm feeling, thinking, "Oh, Aichan is working hard again...", froze at Ishtar's next words.
"I understand your feelings. However... your return is currently impossible."
Silence filled the room. A heavy, cold air seemed to press down on everyone. All looked at Ishtar with expressions that showed they didn't understand what had just been said.
"Im-Impossible... Wh-What do you mean?! If you could summon us, you should be able to send us back, right?!" Ms. Aiko shouted.
"As I said earlier, it was Lord Ehit who summoned you. We humans cannot use magic that interferes with other worlds, so whether you can return or not depends solely on Lord Ehit's will."
"Th-That's..."
Ms. Aiko slumped weakly into her chair. The surrounding students also began to stir and make noise.
"No way, right? What do you mean we can't go back?!" "No! Whatever it takes, send me back!" "War's no joke! You gotta be kidding me!" "Why, why, why..."
The students panicked.
Hajime wasn't unaffected. However, being an otaku, he had read countless works of fiction with similar plot developments. Because of this, it wasn't the worst-case scenario among the several patterns he had anticipated, so he managed to remain calmer than the other students.
Incidentally, the worst scenario would be the summoners treating them as slaves.
As everyone fretted, Ishtar silently watched their reactions without interfering.
But Hajime somehow felt a hint of disdain in the depths of his eyes. Given his previous statements, he might have been thinking, "Why aren't they happy to be chosen by Lord Ehit?"
While the panic still hadn't subsided, Kouki stood up and slammed his hand on the table. The sound made the students flinch and turn their attention to him. Kouki confirmed that he had everyone's attention and slowly began to speak.
"Everyone, there's no point in complaining to Ishtar-san here. There's nothing he can do. ...I, I intend to fight. It's true that the people of this world are on the verge of extinction. Knowing that, I can't just leave them be. Besides, if we were summoned to save humanity, they might send us back once the salvation is complete. ...Ishtar-san? What do you say?"
"Indeed. Lord Ehit would not disregard the wish of a savior." "We have great power, right? Since coming here, I feel an inexplicable surge of power." "Yes, that's right. You can roughly consider yourselves to have several to tens of times the power compared to those in this world." "Okay, then it's fine. I'll fight. To save the people and to let everyone return home. I'll save both the world and everyone!!"
Kouki declared this with a clenched fist. His teeth needlessly sparkled.
At the same time, his charisma effectively took hold. The students, who had looked despairing, began to regain their vigor and composure. Their eyes, looking at Kouki, sparkled, truly showing that they had found hope. More than half of the female students sent him heated gazes.
"Heh, I knew you'd say that. I'd be worried if you went alone. ...I'll do it too, then?" "Ryutaro..." "At this point, that's all we can do, isn't it? ...I don't like it, but... I'll do it too." "Shizuku..." "Uh, um, if Shizuku-chan is going to do it, I'll try my best too!" "Kaori..."
The usual group of friends agreed with Kouki. Then, as a matter of course, the other classmates followed suit. Ms. Aiko was flustered, protesting tearfully with "No, you can't!", but she was powerless against the current Kouki had created.
In the end, everyone agreed to participate in the war. It was likely that the classmates didn't truly understand what it meant to fight a war. It could even be seen as a form of escapism, a way to protect their crumbling sanity.
Hajime thought about such things as he subtly observed Ishtar. He wore a thoroughly satisfied smile.
Hajime had noticed. During Ishtar's explanation of the situation, he had subtly observed Kouki, noting which words and which parts of the story Kouki reacted to.
Kouki's reaction when the tragedy of the Human race was recounted was remarkably transparent, given his strong sense of justice. After that, Ishtar had deliberately emphasized the Demon race's cold-heartedness and cruelty. Ishtar had probably seen through them. He knew who held the most influence in this group.
It was probably natural for the head of a global religion, but Hajime added Ishtar to his mental list of people to watch out for, deeming him an untrustworthy individual.
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