“If that’s how it is, I think that would be me. Since coming here, I’ve felt like I became much stronger—stronger than I could have ever imagined.”
The soldiers in the room began whispering amongst themselves and let out a collective “oooh” at Reiji’s response. It was true that Reiji seemed to be the only one who’d gotten any power when they were transported, but be that as it may...
She said “by the Elements,” didn’t she?
Suimei scrutinized the girl’s words internally. Elements, elemental, elementary... Such words in the world Suimei was from were used to describe chemical elements, or more esoterically, the four or five arcane elements. Earth, water, fire, and wind made up the traditional four, and including the void made it a more conceptual five. These words and the things they represented played an extremely important role in magicka.
Yet the way Felmenia had phrased it made it sound like she was referring to a living being. Even though magicka could work hand in hand with spiritual religious faith, and even though the core of its practice was calling on spirits for power, the nuance was a little strange.
But they were in another world now. There was no guarantee that things worked exactly how Suimei would expect them to. If they were identical, there would be no need for the division between worlds in the first place. There had to be some reason these two worlds were separated—something that made this one different. Perhaps the difference was Elemental...
“So then you are the esteemed hero?”
“Well... Yes, I think so.”
While Suimei was ruminating over the Elements, Titania’s intoxicated eyes fell on Reiji. It appeared she had some special feelings for this “hero.” Of course, it didn’t hurt that he happened to be quite handsome. Seeing her looking at him like that, Reiji was somewhat taken aback. Even more so when Titania suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Hero-sama, though it is truly presumptuous of me, please... I’m in your hands!”
“H-Huh?!”
“Y-Your Highness?!”
It seemed that the girl in the white robe, Felmenia, was just as surprised by this sudden outburst as Reiji was. She called to Titania in a fluster, and it was only then that she seemed to realize what she’d said. The princess then let go of his hand as she blushed a little.
“Goodness... You have my deepest apologies, Hero-sama. I of all people shouldn’t be acting so impertinently in a situation like this... Well, now then, I believe His Majesty the King will explain things in the audience chamber, so please give us your reply then.”
“U-Understood.”
Still caught in the vortex of confusion, Reiji somehow managed to collect himself and offer an acceptable answer. Felmenia then took a step forward towards him.
“H-Hero-sama, allow me to introduce myself once more. My name is Felmenia Stingray.”
“Ah, yes. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“I believe we’ll be seeing a lot of each other from here on. It’s an honor to work with you. I’ll be in your hands as well.”
“What? Oh, yes, of course...”
Felmenia nonchalantly echoed the princess’s sentiment as she bowed, and Reiji replied politely despite not really grasping what was going on. Titania, however, cleared her throat in a rather forced fashion.
“Ahem, White Flame-dono...”
“M-My apologies. I’m getting ahead of myself.”
“Now then, please come this way, you all. I will personally show you to His Majesty.”
At Titania’s command, the soldiers once again fell into line and opened a path for Suimei and the others.
★
After following the soldiers down an unfamiliar and gloomy passage for a ways, the group emerged from the dimly lit stone hallway into a bright and dazzling marble passage with ornamental candlesticks dotted along the walls. Unlike where they’d been previously, this area was elaborately decorated and neatly kept. Here and there were works of art, paintings, and ornamental suits of armor that gave the place a truly splendid atmosphere. It was unlike anything they’d ever seen before.
But that was perhaps to be expected—this was another world. It truly seemed to be one of fantasy, swords, and sorcery. But from what he’d seen of it and its people so far, Suimei had already formed some rather strong opinions.
Apart from the unnamed soldiers who were escorting them, they’d met two young women—a princess and a court mage. Titania, perhaps because of the charming impression he’d made on her, was walking with Reiji and talking to him nonstop. She’d started by asking about the world he’d come from, and then moved on to asking about his age and his specialties. Her high spirits and incessant chatter made her look like a girl walking together with a boy she had fallen in love with. Suimei was a little jealous.
Mizuki was too, albeit for different reasons. It wasn’t like she was Reiji’s girlfriend, but out of all the girls he knew, she was definitely the closest thing. It was certainly what she wanted to be. And now a beautiful girl—a princess, no less—had suddenly jumped in the way and was vying for his attention. It didn’t really show on her face, but Mizuki was pretty down about it.
But then there was the second girl, Court Mage Felmenia.
“Do you need something?”
“No, nothing in particular.”
For a while now, Felmenia had been glancing back at Suimei, staring in particular at his abdomen. Suimei finally shot back with a question in a slightly sharp tone, but Felmenia simply turned back around like it was nothing and stayed that way. In his mind, Suimei let out a groan.
Was it a failure to keep my magicka on standby? From the looks of it, I’m guessing she saw through me and knows I can use magicka now...
It was one blunder after another for Suimei, it seemed. Right now, he just wanted to dig a hole to hide in, but he knew he’d never get away with that.
The existence of magicka and magicians was a secret in the world Suimei came from. It had to be. In the modern era where science was king, magicka was considered heresy. The zeitgeist made sure to stamp out anything that might stand to dethrone science, and that included magicka. But in this world, how were its users regarded? This girl who called herself a court mage was walking alongside a princess who was clearly her social superior, but it was hard to tell what her standing was otherwise.
Outright using magicka would be a quick and easy way to get the answers Suimei wanted, but it was a bad idea. He didn’t want to out himself to Reiji and Mizuki like that. And it was exactly because he wanted to keep them in the dark about his talents that his first priority now was finding a way to keep Felmenia from talking. He would have to think of some countermeasures.
“Here we are. This is the audience chamber. His Majesty awaits, so let us go forth.”
Titania indicated the door they’d arrived at. It looked large enough that even giants could pass through it, not to mention how extravagant and grandiose it was. One of the soldiers who had been attending them called out to another guard stationed at the door. The porter then muttered something, and before long, the door slowly began opening.
“Whoa!”
“Huh?!”
Reiji and Mizuki both gasped when they saw it. It was undoubtedly a surprise to them to see a door opening unassisted. The porter wasn’t touching it, and it certainly didn’t look like an automated door. Not having any idea what was afoot, Reiji asked Titania about it.
“H-How did it open?”
“...With magic? Was it to your liking?”
“Ah, I see, there’s magic here, huh?”
“‘Here?’”
“Magic doesn’t exist in our world, you see.”
“Is that true?!”
“Yes.”
“That must mean this is your first time seeing it, is it not?”
Seemingly pleased by how impressed Reiji sounded, Titania was grinning ear to ear. Felmenia, however, seemed to be panicking a little. She quickly began to assert herself to Reiji.
“
I-I can accomplish such a mean feat with ease.”
“Really?”
“Despite how I may look, I am one of Astel’s proud court mages, after all.”
“Wow, Felmenia-san is also amazing, huh?”
“W-Well... Heehee...”
It was difficult to tell if Reiji was genuinely impressed or if he was just being polite, but Felmenia suddenly became bashful. Was she weak to flattery? Perhaps anyone would be if the summoned hero praised their skills. The disparity between her normally intense aura and the carefree smile on her face now was amusing, if not charming. On the other hand, Mizuki’s eyes were still sparkling at the sight of the enormous door opening.
“Amazing... So magic really does exist...”
It seemed she was quite interested in the bigger picture. But as a girl who loved fantasy novels, that much was expected. This was right up her alley.
Suimei was paying attention to the magic as well, but as a magician, he was naturally more invested in the details than Mizuki was. He hadn’t quite heard the chant that the porter had used, but he easily had a handle on the spell’s composition, the deployment of the formula, the manifestation of its power, and the activation effect.
Wind, right?
What opened the door was simple magic—a wind spell that consisted of three verses, which had physically pushed the door to open it. The porter’s control over the spell was splendidly fluent. He must have been an exemplary magician, but...
Hmm, but I wonder... Why wind? Why go out of the way to utilize an element as an intermediary and increase the workload just to open a door? No matter how you look at it, using a three-verse chant so impractically is just completely over the top, isn’t it?
Rather than being stunned at the fact that magic existed, he was puzzled at how inefficiently it was being used. The porter was talented, certainly, but Suimei could only describe what he’d done as wasteful. Optimizing the available mana, he could have invoked a movement spell, and that would have been that.
Suimei just couldn’t figure why anyone would use a wind spell to achieve the same effect in a roundabout way. It would increase the length of the chant that much more, and increase the mana required for the invocation.
And since a spell like that took more time and mana than necessary, Suimei couldn’t see any merit to it. Speaking frankly, a task that simple shouldn’t have even required a chant. If Suimei had done it—or if any other magician he knew had done it—opening a door with magicka shouldn’t have taken any more effort than snapping his fingers. He decided not to dwell on it, but just how much excess mana had been wasted merely to open a door? Honestly, Suimei just couldn’t get his head around it.
Maybe the porter just likes going the extra mile for flair?
He left it at that. Perhaps the royal porter simply enjoyed being showy. If that were the case, it would be a little easier to understand. He had no real reason to nitpick the man’s style anyway, but whenever Suimei saw magicka in action, he had a habit of analyzing its practicality and efficiency. But while he was turning that over, Titania suddenly started talking to him.
“Suimei-sama, you are not surprised by magic, are you?”
Crap.
“Oh, me? I’m just too shocked to say anything... Hahaha.”
“Oh my, is that so? Just wait until you see the court mages training right before your eyes—you may just lose the strength in your legs.”
“Is it that amazing? Wow, I can’t wait to see it...”
“Heehee...”
Titania giggled in a cheerful, yet ladylike manner. This was indeed all surprising to Suimei, but not in the way she assumed. As she and Suimei continued to talk, Felmenia called out to her.
“Your Highness, it is about time.”
“Yes. Now then, Hero-sama, Mizuki-sama, Suimei-sama. Please follow me.”
With that, the group followed after Titania as she passed through the open door. On the other side was an enormous hall. The large, rectangular room had thick stone pillars piercing through it. It had clearly taken much more work to make than the passage they’d used to get there. This, apparently, was the audience chamber.
“Wow...”
“Amazing...”
“Oooh...”
The three friends couldn’t help but ooh and aah in admiration. The audience chamber was just that impressive. Even Suimei, who had been underwhelmed by the magicka earlier, was completely fascinated by this.
Sitting atop a throne at the raised center of the innermost part of the audience chamber was a rather intense-looking man who radiated an air of authority. This was likely the king, Almadious Root Astel. He had neatly-groomed, short, golden hair and a splendid beard. To his side was an elderly man who appeared to be his advisor. On either side of the throne was a line of other important-looking people as well.
Titania proceeded directly forward without even offering a glance at anyone but the man seated on the throne. Then, after ascending a single step of the raised platform, she knelt before the king. Following her example, Felmenia also knelt down. Deciding to take a hint from their actions, Suimei and the others followed suit in a hurry. Once everyone knelt down before the king, Titania finally addressed him.
“I, Titania Root Astel, have brought forth the hero summoned from another world by the hero summoning ritual.”
“Excellent. You have been of great assistance, Titania. However, why are there three heroes present?”
The king clearly seemed puzzled, but it was Felmenia that answered his question.
“You see, Your Majesty, the other two in the hero’s company are friends of his. It seems that they were also caught in the ritual and dragged with him at the time of the summoning.”
“What?! They were dragged with him?!”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Most likely.”
With that, the king’s intense expression became one of utter shock. The murmurings of “How could that be?” and “I’ve never heard of this” grew louder from the other people present. The king then turned to address Felmenia properly.
“Is such a thing truly possible? The hero summoning ritual has been performed by various countries for centuries, but I have never once heard of such a thing.”
“That is... I am but a fledgling with limited knowledge, Your Majesty, but I cannot deny the presence of the people who stand before you now. And as such...”
“You’re suggesting we have no choice but to believe it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After his exchange with Felmenia, the king’s expression turned grim. With that, Mizuki whispered to the others.
“He’s talking about this summoning thing like it happens all the time, even in other countries. Does that mean there are people like us all over the place?”
“Based on what he said, maybe. But more importantly, just how many Demon Lords are springing up in this world...?”
Suimei replied with a disconcerted expression to Mizuki’s question. He felt sorry for anyone else who’d been snatched out of their own world, but if they’d really had to summon that many heroes that many times... something was seriously, outrageously wrong here.
“Moreover, our situation seems to be a first for them.”
“Ahaha... We’re the ones people should be feeling sorry for...”
As they finished their whispered exchange, the conversation between Felmenia and the king came to an end. His grim expression was now resolute as he turned his gaze on the three friends.
“Hero-dono, I must apologize for calling you to such a place so abruptly. I am the thirteenth king of the Kingdom of Astel, Almadious Root Astel. And this is my castle, Royal Castle Camellia. Though I can only imagine how you must feel attending a royal audience with no prior notification, I implore you to be at ease.”
The king sounded rather gracious as he spoke, and when he was finished, Titania whispered something into Reiji’s ear. Suimei assumed she was cluing him in on how to properly address the king, but in complete contrast to that expe
ctation, Reiji stood bolt upright in apparent shock.
“What?!”
Suimei was bewildered, and it seemed everyone else was as well. The room was abuzz again. In short, the unthinkable had happened. It might have been hard for a modern person to understand, but in a medieval country like this, kings held absolute authority. They were regarded nearly as gods, and to stand in front of one so casually without permission was a flagrant act of disrespect. Surely nothing good would come of it.
“It is alright. The hero is an esteemed gentleman who has been summoned from another world to save ours. We should be the ones respectfully yielding to him. You needn’t worry about him addressing my father on equal standing.”
“I-Is that so...?”
Picking up on Suimei’s tense apprehension, Titania whispered to him to reassure him. Based on what she said, it seemed everything was fine. He’d been terrified for a moment there, but this was a relief. Reiji then bowed before the king and began speaking.
“My name is Reiji Shana, Your Majesty. I am honored to have been granted an audience here on such an occasion.”
“So you are the hero from another world?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As Reiji confirmed his identity to the king, the others in the room began excitedly talking again, saying things like “So that gentleman is the hero?” and “What a sublime countenance!” When their enchanted praise finally died down, the king then directed his attention to Suimei and Mizuki.
“Then the two back there must be the hero’s good friends?”
“Yes, I am his friend, Mizuki Anou.”
“I’m Suimei Yakagi.”
While still on their knees, Mizuki and Suimei looked up to answer the king. Since they weren’t heroes, they decided against standing like Reiji had.
“I see. I do apologize for summoning you with him. For our mistake, though it is truly to our benefit, I do hope you find a way to forgive us.”
“But of course.”
“Yeah...”
Still regally seated atop his throne, the king asked for their forgiveness. As king, it was likely the best he could do in the way of an apology, but it honestly didn’t sound like much of one at all. Suimei was a little peeved.
The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! Volume 1 Page 3
