When Hajime opened his eyes, he wasn't too fazed by the entirely different scenery before him.
He had read enough light novels and mangas to know what was happening as soon as the magic circle appeared on the classroom floor.
Thanks to that, Hajime got a short time to look around before the rest of the casts took their time to recover.
The first thing he noticed was the altar he and the classroom were standing on.
It was high enough to be considered a second floor, connected to the ground level via a set of stairs going down.
Thirty or so people were surrounding the base of the structure. They all wore identical robes with symbols that vaguely looked religious.
Hajime didn't need too much thinking to guess they must be the sorcerers that pulled off the summoning.
None of them weren't keen on doing something violent yet, which was a good first step in his book.
For all he knew, they could've been summoned into an opening to an inner-galactic gladiator fight as a sacrifice for a cosmic entity.
Meanwhile, Kaori was just waking up from the initial shock.
"Wh...what is, this place?"
She stood up shivering.
As nice as the place looked, she was a sliver away from a complete mental breakdown from all the abnormalities that had taken place in the last 5 minutes.
Her thoughts moved aimlessly around, trying their best to make sense of the situation...until her eyes landed on Hajime.
Out of the 30-ish people gathered around, Hajime was one of the very few who stayed calm. He looked fairly interested in the surroundings, and when he realized Kaori was staring at him, he froze for a second before sheepishly waving his hand.
He found Kaori staring at him much more daunting than whatever situation they were in.
That calmed Kaori down. Perhaps because even though everything just changed in a literal space of seconds, Hajime was still the same.
"Hajime, do you know what just happened?"
"In short, I think we're summoned."
Hajime answered, all the while scanning the room they were in. It was less of a room and more of a temple. In Ancient Greek format, nonetheless.
Kaori was lost by Hajime's answer.
"Summoned? Like...a ritual?"
"Basically. Though I'm not sure if they'd be hospitable to us."
That idea was needless to say, very unsettling.
Kaori doubted a bunch of high school kids could do much against a being who could perform a ritual like this.
Just then, footsteps accompanied by tapping slowly came closer from the stairs.
The students, who were barely calmed down by the combined work of Shizuku, Satoru, and Aiko, all scrambled away to the far side of the altar in panic.
Only a handful of people stood their ground as a fanciful miter appeared first before its wearer, who turned out to be much older than Hajime guessed.
The presumed pope was an old man that looked in his mid-70s. The hand closed around the golden staff was wrinkled beyond belief.
But all the same time, Hajime couldn't help but be intimidated by the sharp twinkle behind the aged eyes.
The old pope quickly scanned the altar, registered the ones standing up front, and put on a perfect warm smile for everyone.
"Welcome to Tortus, young heroes. I am the pope of the Holy Church, Ishtar Langbard. It is an utmost honor to witness another revelation before my passing."
"You mean we're not the first case?" Hajime asked, drawing gasps from many.
Ishtar turned to Hajime with the slightest frown that no one could decipher beneath his wrinkles.
"I am sure all of you are in desperate need of explanations. I'll gladly lead all of us to another room, so we can talk comfortably."
Ishtar jingled the top of his staff, making a clear ringing noise like a small silver bell.
Hajime wasn't too fond of the idea of leaving this altar. If this was the only means to go back, it would be wiser to stay close at any cost.
Then again, Hajime doubted they had much choice in the matter. Sure, this old priest exalted them as 'heroes', but that could easily change when they show signs of rebellion.
None of the others didn't object either, so they all filed into a line behind Ishtar; like a bunch of chicklings following their mother hen.
Right outside of the temple, two factions were at a standoff.
Well, one of the two was a faction—a phalanx of twelve men in platinum color coated armors, guarding a girl with blond hair and piercing blue eyes.
She wore a simple, yet elegant dress with a short wand strapped around her waist like a pistol. All things considered, Hajime estimated that she'd be royalty of some sort.
On the other side of the small army, however, only one man stood alone. He had a strikingly scarlet robe around his neck and looked ready for some head-busting.
Hajime estimated him as a militant prince or an uncontrolled war criminal. Then again, one can fit the description of the other with ease.
"Our saviors have arrived. Cease the fracas!"
Ishtar shouted with a surprising amount of strength in his voice.
However, neither side backed off. In turn, the belligerent man shifted his gaze over to the batch of students.
Hajime was shocked to find that he was much younger-looking than his first impression. The man didn't look older than 17.
When he saw most of them seek shelter behind the pope, the boy snorted through his nose.
"This is our Messiah? All they are worthless!"
His finger went through each and everyone until it reached Shizuku.
She was one of the few who stood their ground(or didn't bother to move, in Hajime's case).
And in true samurai fashion, Shizuku didn't flinch in the face of the boy's massively aggressive grin.
"Now, that one on the other hand..."
Before Shizuku can react, the princess stepped forward.
"Prince Invias. With all due respect, I'd remind you that you have a concordat to uphold.
The Heiligh Kingdom would at least take our saviors for the first three months."
Invias snorted again.
"Concordat. And what would that piece of paper do for you, if I decide otherwise right here and now?"
His right hand burst into flame.
The twelve guards all surged forward to protect the princess, but the intimidator didn't show an ounce of concern and laughed.
Right before they seemed to go against each other, however, Invias extinguished the flame in his hand.
"Well, have fun babysitting these...Messiahs. The Hoelscher Empire will hold your precious concordat 3 months later."
With that, the flammable prince flew away engulfed in flames; Human Torch style.
The princess sighed and gracefully stepped over to the gathered students.
"I apologize for the incident. There are some unsolved political matters between the lands."
She slightly lifted the edges of her skirt and bowed her head.
"My name is Liliana S. B. Heiligh, the princess of the Heiligh Kingdom.
Great heroes, allow us to welcome you to our castle."
* * *
It turns out that the main castle was near the [Temple of Summonings]. The structure was named a bit too straightforward in Hajime's opinion.
To reach the castle, Ishtar led everyone to a pedestal with a different magic circle carved on it.
Naturally, most of the students were reluctant to stand on it, but after Ishtar established that it was not something dangerous by standing on it first, one by one they all got on.
The pedestal was perched over the cliff, which was so tall that a string of clouds was caught in the middle, far below their feet.
Hajime had to wonder how was it possible to breathe like normal when they were so high. His only guess was that some kind of magic was at work.
"Faith is the key that opens the road to heaven. [Celestial Path]."
The magic circle lit up. With a loud rumble, the pedestal started to move down like an elevator.
The students started clamoring with excitement at their first showcase of harmless magic. Their incitement was aided by the grand view that was unveiled as they went down.
A huge city panned out through the misty clouds. The most noticeable building was, of course, the castle of Heiligh.
It's the blue roof and white bricks stood out in comparison to the similar row of beige-colored houses. The city itself was surrounding the front of the castle in a semicircle, with dots of people wandering around busily.
Liliana went on to give a brief explanation of how the Heiligh Kingdom came to be. Hajime pricked his ears to the explanation, hoping to get some good insight on the world they had to inhabit.
"...Our Kingdom is well-known for our technical advances in craftmenship and artifact engineering."
She went on to explaining further, but most of it was fantasy mumbo-jumbo that wasn't easy to follow.
Eventually, they reached the landing port perched on top of the castle. More priests were waiting for them, all bowing their heads as the students passed by.
They were led to a new room. It was just as lavishly built as the temple before, with fabulos makings and astounding tapestries.
When the students have all sat down on their choice of chairs, and the 12 guards marched away to their original duties, Ishtar stood at the front of the room and cleared his throat.
"Now, I am certain a lot of things require and answer. I'll do my best to cover the whole problem, so I implore everyone to listen well."
Hajime focused for the first 10 seconds ago before zoning out.
It was one of those generic fantasy settings that would've been considered 'old-school' in the 2000s.
Three speices existed in this world: Human, demons, and demi-humans.
Demi-humans lived in the wilderness, usually not interfering with anything unless they're directly involved.
Humans and demons however, was at war...
And that's how far as Hajime bothered listening. The rest if the talk was more centered around the god of the Holy Church—named Ehit, who was also responsible for bringing them here as well.
How the summonings worked was also baffling for him.
Apparently, they don't do anything. Only when someone in the Holy Church hears a message of the gods(whatever that meant) they gather around to welcome the heroes.
This problem wasn't missed by everyone else.
"Hold on," Kaito slammed both of his palms on the table, abruptly cutting short Ishtar's words.
"You mean you people don't have the capability to take us back home?!"
Ishtar smiled, as if he was taking care of an annoyed toddler.
"I'm sure our Lord Ehit would be more than glad to give a safe return once the problem at hand is solved."
"But—"
Ehit continued on with his exposition like nothing happened.
However, the majority of the students were now sharing concerned glances with each other.
It was a valid point, and none of them were on board with the idea that they'd have to hope this unknown god will be kind enough to send them home after all the hard work is done.
Ishtar must've noticed the negative mood as well.
"There is no reason for concern. If everything is carried out well, it would be possible to make your own way home."
"What are you talking about?" Satoru shot back, rather aggressively than usual.
That's when princess Liliana stepped forward.
"Lord, bestow us the sight upon over the skies. [Areal diagram]."
From her outstretched hand, a semi-transparant map appeared. It showed a large island with 7 red dots litered around the entire landscape.
"This is the whole map of Tortus," Liliana started to explain. "There are seven [Ancient Magic] foretold in the history, magic powerful enough to reshape the world around the user in their own respective way.
If all 7 magic were to be combined, it would be possible to make your way back home.
The seven dots mark the [Great Labyrinth], where the Ancient Magic is theorized to be kept. All we want is to get anyone to obtain the magic—the following war would be our's to fight."
There was a breath of relief from the majority, including Hajime. He didn't want to participate in any war.
"And what about the demons?" Shizuku asked. Also more aggressively than usual, though it was hard to tell with her. "If the Ancient Magic is such a powerful tool, shouldn't they be looking for it as well?"
Ishtar stepped into answer.
"Which is why we can't do it alone.
Lord Ehit does not send our saviors without preparation—everyone would've been bestowed amazing powers and abilities based on who you are."
Around half of the students were excited. They were in a brand new world with a brand new set of powers; weeb or not, everyone has had dreamt about a similar situation at one point.
However some were still apprehensive. Even though they won't be taking part in a war, it sounded like their would be conflicts against the demon races.
And besides, they didn't know anything about magic or combat. How could a new set of powers help when they don't know how to use them?
"Stop!"
Someone stood up, shivering with rage.
Students realized it was their social studies teacher, Aiko; mostly because it was hard to tell if she was standing or sitting.
"You can't be serious! You're sending these children off to dangerous environments, just so you can win a war? It's absolutely unacceptable!
As a teacher to everyone, and an adult, I am responsible for keeping everyone safe! And I demand you do everything you can to get us back home!"
At her enraged outburst, princess Liliana stepped back, her eyes dragging down to the floor in shame.
On the other hand, the pope Ishtar tilted his head with a line of frown over his wrinkled forehead.
"Madam, we aren't the ones who summoned all of you here. It is all by the will of our Lord Ehit; there is nothing I, or you, can do about it."
"That's absurd!"
"It's alright, teacher."
Kouki had also stood up. His trademark handsome grin in tacked, he looked around the concerned faces of some of his peers.
"There is no point in complaining to Ishtar. If he's not the one thay brought us here, then there is nothing he can do.
But there is something we can do. We can find our own way back home—and while doing that, we could save these people from devastation.
I don't know what anyone else thought, but when I first saw the town, or city below, I thought it was a very beautiful place, filled with so many people.
If I can help it, I won't let that turn into rubble.
We're supposedly given amazing powers, everyone. Shouldn't we be using them for the good?"
Kouki spread out his hand to everyone.
If Hajime had to give him anything, he had to admit that Kouki was a killer in charisma.
Those who had been doubtful were one by one, regaining their composure. They all looked up at Kouki with a sense of wonder and hope, while some of the female students put adoration in the mix.
"Heh, not bad, man. You pulled one of again, didn't you?"
Ryutaro Sakagami put a hand on one of Kokuki's shoulders. Hajime vaguely recalled him being best friends with Kouki.
At least, they were always seen together when Kouki wasn't surrounded by his fangirls, which wasn't alot.
Someone else stood up after him.
"I-if Kouki is going, I'll go too...!" Eri said in a trembling voice.
Kouki beamed at her in thanks, effectively sending a rush blood to her cheeks. Then she realized the array of glarings; mostly from jealous students.
"I—I mean, um..."
Eri was cut short by someone noticeably shorter than her hugging her from behind.
"Slow down, Eri! You aren't going anywhere without ol' Suzu!"
Hajime barely had any idea who she was. Judging from what some students murmured, he guessed her name was Suzu Taniguchi.
Kouki, all the while laughing alongside his assistants, glanced at Kaori and Shizuku for similar support.
Kaori managed to return a smile, but she didn't stand up. Instead, she carefully grasped Hajime's hand under the desk.
"I'm scared." She muttered. Her expression barely showed it, but Hajime noticed the small trembling in her voice and hand that was never there before.
She was doing her best to mask it. Because she knew that willingly or not, many students are looking at her as much as they did Kouki.
If she acted outwardly terrified, that might throw off someone else as well. Kaori wasn't going to let that happen.
Hajime realized all that. He was greatful that, out of every amazing people she must know, he was the one who she seeked for support.
"It'll be fine." Hajime muttered.
Meanwhile, Shizuku didn't even bother acknowledging Kouki's gaze. She was staring down at the table, deeply indulged in her own thought.
To Hajime's surprise, Satoru wasn't taking any part in the hype as well. Considering his nature, he expected him to jump right into the situation with bouncing excitement.
But neither of them were intended on pushing back. Hajime didn't as well, for that matter—because he doubted the students would ever listen to him over Kouki.
In the end, despite Aiko's concern, they all decided to participate in Ishtar/Liliana's plan.
They both thanked the students for their compliance, and after a pleasant snack served(Hajime noted that they were given only after they agreed on the assignment), they each received a fancy room to rest for the day. The introductions and training would start tomorrow.
Hajime flopped onto the fluffy bed. It was as large as his room was; which also meant it was large as their previous home.
Even though the body was hardly tired, Hajime could feel the lullaby of sleep taking over.
It was quite the hectic day. It still felt particularly unreal that he was actually in an another world.
'This might be all a dream,' He thought. 'when I wake up, I might just be in my room.'
The thought made him melancholy. If that really were to happen, he'd surely be let down quite a bit.
As skeptical as he was, there was no denying that Hajime was also excited at the fantasy world.
He couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.
God damm, that's a dump of exposition if I ever saw one. And that's after I trimmed a lot of them!
As in the description, some things would be different. Lots of new characters, more added settings, etc etc.
Well, I hope you had fun reading.
I'll see you all in the next chapter.
Ta ta~
