The room was too big. That was the first thought Ren had as he sat on the edge of the bed. It was a massive four-poster thing draped in blue velvet and gold tassels, large enough to sleep a family of four. The floor was covered in plush rugs that swallowed his feet, and a bowl of exotic fruit sat on a mahogany table near the balcony.
It was a room fit for a prince. Or a sacrifice.
Ren stared at his hands. He could still feel the phantom warmth of the golden light from the crystal. Hero. He didn't feel like a hero. He felt like he was going to throw up.
Knock. Knock.
Ren jumped, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Who is it?" "It's me." The voice was small, hesitant. Ren let out a breath and hurried to the door. He pulled it open to find Rika standing in the hallway.
She wasn't wearing her school uniform anymore. The servants had given them nightwear—silky, expensive-looking pajamas that felt ridiculous. Rika looked tiny in hers, her usually perfectly styled hair loose and messy around her shoulders. She was hugging a pillow to her chest like a shield.
"Can I come in?" she whispered, glancing down the empty, torch-lit hallway. "My room is… it's too quiet. I keep thinking I hear things." "Yeah," Ren stepped aside. "Yeah, come in."
Rika slipped inside, and Ren closed the door, locking it. It was a flimsy lock against a world of magic and demons, but it made him feel slightly better. Rika walked over to the balcony doors and looked out at the two moons—the shattered white one and the distant red one. "It's pretty," she said softly. "In a creepy way."
"Rika," Ren started, leaning against one of the bedposts. "Are you okay? You didn't eat much at dinner." She turned around, hugging the pillow tighter. "I'm scared, Ren. I'm really scared." The facade she put up in front of the others—the sassy, confident girl who rolled her eyes at teachers—was gone. Her eyes were red-rimmed. "Valdorn… he looked at me like I was a knife he wanted to sharpen. And Daigo is acting like this is a video game, and Mei is acting like she's ready to go to war… but I just want to go home. I want to go to the mall. I want to complain about math class."
Ren walked over and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. She was trembling. "We will go home," Ren promised. "I swear it." "How can you know that?" Rika looked up at him, searching his face. "We have to fight a Demon Lord, Ren. A Demon Lord. Kaelthar. Even the name sounds like something that eats people."
"I have the Divine Blessing," Ren said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "The King said it's the strongest power. I… I'll protect you, Rika. You don't have to be 'deadly' or whatever Valdorn said. Just stay behind me. I'll take the hits."
Rika let out a shaky breath and leaned her forehead against his chest. "You're an idiot," she mumbled into his shirt. "You're going to get yourself killed trying to be cool." "Probably," Ren managed a weak laugh. "But at least I'll look cool doing it."
They stood there for a moment in the silence of the luxury room. "Do you think Sora is okay?" Rika asked quietly. Ren flinched. The guilt was instant. "I don't know," Ren admitted. "The barracks… they looked rough. But Sora is smart. Smarter than me. He always finds a way to slide through things, right? He's probably talking the guards into giving him extra food right now."
"I hope so," Rika pulled back, wiping her eyes. "It feels wrong. Being here in this… palace… while he's out there in the dark." "Tomorrow," Ren said firmly. "After training. I'm going to find him. I don't care what Valdorn says."
Down the hall, in the common room connecting the boys' suites, the mood was… loud.
"Dude, look at this sword!" Daigo Shun was swinging a decorative claymore he had pulled off the wall display. It whooshed through the air with a terrifying sound. "It's real steel! Heavy, too. But with my Strength stat at 5? Feels like a twig!" He laughed, posing in front of a mirror. "I'm basically Guts from Berserk now."
"Put it down before you decapitate someone," Itsuki said from the sofa. He had found a bookshelf and was already three chapters into a history of the Kingdom. "If you damage the property, they might deduct it from our nonexistent pay."
"You're no fun, Mr. Sage," Daigo grunted, but he put the sword back. He flopped onto a chair, which creaked under his weight. "Man, this is wild though. Magic. Skills. Stats. We're isekai protagonists!"
"We are child soldiers," Riku Kamishiro corrected from the corner. Riku was sitting on the floor, surrounded by disassembled parts of a clock he had found on the mantle. His [Artificer] title seemed to give him an urge to take things apart. "Don't let the shiny armor fool you, Daigo," Riku muttered, not looking up. "They're fattening us up. The King, the banquet, the soft beds… it's classic manipulation. Make the cattle feel comfortable so they don't panic before the slaughter."
"That's dark, even for you," Reiji said. The [Paladin] was standing by the fireplace, looking contemplative. "The King seemed genuine. He was crying when he apologized to us."
"Actors cry too," Riku snapped a gear back into place. "And notice who isn't here? Amano." The room went quiet. Toby, who had been trying to fix his cravat in the mirror, turned around. "Indeed. It is… regrettable. Sora does not possess the fortitude for combat."
"He doesn't possess the stats," Riku corrected. "There's a difference. And because of that, he got tossed out like trash. That's the real face of this kingdom. If you're useful, you get grapes and silk. If you're not… you get the mud."
"He's safer there," Daigo argued, though he sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "The King said he wouldn't have to fight demons. That's a win, right?"
"Is it?" Itsuki closed his book. The light reflected off his glasses, hiding his eyes. "In a society built on magical power, being powerless is a death sentence. Sora is currently alone, defenseless, and designated as a 'waste of resources.' If I were him… I wouldn't be sleeping tonight."
The silence stretched, heavy and uncomfortable. "Well," Daigo stood up abruptly, clapping his hands. "No use brooding! We start training tomorrow. We gotta get strong fast so we can end this war and grab Sora on the way out. Right?" "Right," Reiji nodded, forcing a smile. "We do our duty. We protect everyone."
Riku just stared at the clock mechanism in his hands. "Tick tock," he whispered.
In the girls' wing, the atmosphere was more subdued. The four girls—Ayaka, Mei, Yui, and Sayaka—were gathered in the largest room. Noa was there too, but she was sitting on the window sill, staring at the moons, isolating herself.
"I can't believe they took our phones," Mei Tachibana complained, pacing back and forth. She was wearing a silk nightgown that she clearly hated. "How are we supposed to know what time it is? How do we keep track of anything?"
"The sun goes up, the sun goes down," Yui said quietly from the bed. She was inspecting her knuckles. The [Monk] title hadn't changed her body physically, but she moved with a new, strange fluidity. "It's simple."
"Nothing about this is simple!" Mei snapped. "Did you see the weapons on the guards? They had bloodstains on the leather. Old ones. This isn't a game."
Ayaka sat on the edge of the bed, brushing her hair. "We have to trust that they know what they're doing. The King said we have 'Origin Mana.' We're special." "Ren is special," Noa's voice drifted from the window. It was the first time she had spoken in an hour. Everyone looked at her. Noa didn't turn around. "Ren is the Hero. We're just the support team. And Sora…"
"Don't," Ayaka whispered. "Sora is gone," Noa said bluntly. "He's the only one who didn't get a role. Do you really think they're just going to let him 'train' peacefully?"
"The King promised," Ayaka insisted. "Kings lie," Noa said. She hopped down from the window sill. "I'm going to sleep. If I'm going to be a [Summoner], I need energy." She walked to the door, but paused before opening it. "You guys should be careful. Especially you, Rika." Rika, who had just returned from Ren's room looking slightly calmer, froze. "Me? Why?" "Because Rogues are usually sent on the missions the Paladins are too 'noble' to do," Noa said darkly. "Don't let them turn you into a murderer."
Noa left, closing the door softly.
"She's just trying to scare us," Mei huffed, crossing her arms. "She's always been weird." "She's right though," Sayaka spoke up. The [Sorceress] had her black notebook open, writing in it with a quill she had found. "I can feel the mana in the air here. It's… thick. Aggressive. This world wants to hurt us. We need to be ready."
Yui flopped back onto the pillows, staring at the canopy. "I just want to punch something," she muttered. "I feel… restless."
Ayaka blew out the candle on the bedside table, plunging the room into the soft amber glow of the moonlight. "Sleep," she commanded gently. "Tomorrow, everything changes."
But as the castle fell silent, none of them slept well. Ren tossed and turned, dreaming of golden chains wrapping around his throat. Daigo snored, but his hands twitched, gripping an invisible sword. And far below them, in the damp, cold barracks of the outer city, a bunk remained empty because its occupant was already awake, staring at the stone ceiling, refusing to close his eyes.