Chapter Sixteen

  After getting nothing as my familiar, the rest of the day nothing happened.

  I had two more classes: one was magic theory, and the other was artificing.

  Nothing extraordinary happened during that, so it got skipped.

  I'm still upset that I didn’t get a familiar.

  I thought it could be a possibility, but still.

  But after I didn't get a familiar, Follis Darwin told me that if I didn’t get one by the end of the week, I’d be kicked out.

  I thought I was practically invincible, but Rei pointed out to me that knights can be kicked out of the Hero Academy if they are deemed to be too unfit.

  If I can’t even make it through the first week of school, how would I be fit to protect Marin?

  I would be kicked out and likely sent straight to the frontlines!

  I would die out there!

  From what I’ve been told of demons, they’re actually pretty human-like.

  The main difference between demons and humans lies in culture and instinct.

  Demons have this instinct in them that makes them want to kill humans.

  Apparently, a thousand years ago, the demons and humans were at war.

  Not for the normal things you would expect between demons and humans.

  At the time, the demons were in control of a huge archaite (ar-k-ite) deposit, and the humans wanted it. (Very tough metal. Stronger than mythril)

  Once the hero killed the Demon King, the Demon King cursed humanity with his dying breath and passed his hatred to his fellow demons and their descendants.

  Since then, they’ve had a voice in their head telling them to hunt and devour humans.

  The voice doesn’t control them; however, it can influence them.

  Where was I going with this?

  Oh yeah.

  Since they’re really no different than humans, I don't want to kill them.

  Now, I know this is an isekai slop-type world, but I'm not an isekai slop main character.

  I'm not going to spout bullshit about how ‘If I try hard enough, I can save everyone’ or ‘The power of friendship prevails above all else.’

  I'm not so idealistic or foolish enough to think that a war can be won and no lives be lost.

  I just want to keep the number of lives lost to the bare minimum.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  I don’t want to kill unless it's absolutely necessary.

  Well, that was day one of school at the Hero Academy.

  I'm tired, and to be a good student, I need to rest.

  Good night, dear Traveler.

  Ohayo sekai!

  It's the next day, and I can see the sun shining through the window next to my bed.

  I look over and see Rei sleeping soundly.

  Would it be gay if I said he looks cute when he sleeps?

  It would?

  Damn.

  Anyway, he looks cute when he sleeps.

  Rei wakes up and looks at me with his cute, sleepy eyes.

  “Wah? What's up?”

  “Good morning.”

  “Oh, yeh. Good morin-yawn.”

  Would it be gay if I said he looks cute in his pajamas?

  It would?

  Damn.

  I need to get ready.

  …

  I can't get up.

  Why are we doing this again?

  Author, can you stop writing about this kind of situation?

  This is all your fault!

  Rei gets out of bed and enters the bathroom.

  This is my chance!

  I jump out of bed and throw on my uniform.

  And Rei comes out of the bathroom just in time.

  I rush past him and close the door without giving him the chance to even notice.

  Mission accomplished.

  After waiting a minute for it to go away, I leave the bathroom and finish getting ready to head to class.

  Rei and I leave our room and go to fetch Marin from her’s.

  We greet her after she gets out and head off to class.

  On the way, I notice something.

  On the way to our class is a pond, and in the center of that pond is a strange pavilion.

  There's no bridge or any other way to get to it.

  “Hey, Rei. The pavilion in the center of the pond, what’s its purpose?”

  “Do you not know?”

  Of course not.

  You’re the one who's supposed to teach me about this common knowledge stuff, but you only ever teach me things when I specifically ask about them.

  You’re lucky you're so damn cute.

  Damn, that was gay.

  “Well, inside the pavilion is the sword of the hero. It was placed there when this academy was built.”

  The sword of the hero?

  As the hero, I feel like I should have that sword.

  In games, that would be a legendary class weapon that you would need to defeat a Demon King.

  It should have really high specs, stuff that can put me on a whole other level.

  But I can't just take it.

  The whole point of my being one of Marin’s knights is that we don't want the knowledge of the hero being summoned to be public.

  It would reach the ears of the demons, and they would attack the school, putting innocent lives in harm's way.

  Guess I’ll have to leave it for now.

  Maybe when I'm to go face the Demon King, I’ll take it then.

  “Has anybody in this class heard of the name ‘Fortuna Leight?’”

  I have.

  Isn't that the name of a god?

  I can remember if it was Roman or Greek.

  It was one of those two, and technically both.

  The one lone student in the back right corner by the door stands up.

  Alavander Cromwell.

  “Fortuna Leight is the name of the spirit that resides inside the sword of the hero.”

  “Absolutely right!”

  A spirit inside the sword?

  According to the tropes, that checks out.

  “To fight demons, the hero needed a weapon. The kingdom gave him allsorts of weaponry, but none of them could handle his strength. His quest for a suitable weapon lasted him nearly half a year. It finally ended when he came across a mythical being. One of the original fairies. She was terrified of death and wanted to live forever, so she sat in her fountain and never left, constantly taking advantage of the healing properties. She was tired of never being able to leave. She wanted to see more, but if she left, she would die. Just as she was about to give it all up, he arrived. When Vendae Draterauq showed up, he offered her a deal, become my Immortal sword, he said. Live life as a blade for the rest of eternity. She wished to see the world again, so she took up his offer and became his sword. He used a ritual to connect to the one beyond heaven, and transformed her into his blade. After he defeated the Demon King, his party member, Alista Cromwell, took the sword and founded the Hero Academy, and placed it in the pavilion outside."

  This guy rambles.

  But that's an interesting story.

  What makes this hero so different from me?

  I'm just an ordinary guy who got isekai’d.

  He seems to be some truly divine agent.

  I can't connect with some being beyond heaven.

  Is he special, or maybe a fraud?

  That spell he did on Fortuna Leight could just be one of his three unique abilities.

  Same with having a connection with some god beyond heaven.

  Maybe I could find out more if I had the sword.

  It has a spirit inside it, right?

  I still need to get a familiar by the end of the week, or I'm shipped out of here.

  I have the opportunity here to kill two birds with one stone!