《I Got Reincarnated on Earth, Only to Get Summoned Back to My Old World》


 Prologue

    Inside a well-kept room, an average-looking youth was casually flipping through the pages of his new manga that he just recently bought. Meanwhile, alternative rock music was jamming in the background of his bedroom, as the plugged-in stereo did its work.


    "Welp. This manga sure is boring." Yuan eventually sighed out of boredom. "Nowadays, the stories are so predicatable, and it''s the same thing happening over and over again."


    He shut the manga close before casually tossing it aside. While still lying down on his bed, Yuan lazily streched his limbs and muttered to himself, "There is nothing new and interesting with thisIsekai genre anymore. The setting is all too familiar to me now... I wish they could just make something original already; I''ve had enough with this Isekaibullcrap."


    Suddenly, a knock on the door promptly disturbed his train of thought as a middle-aged woman entered his room.


    "Yuan, come downstairs dinner is ready." the woman gently told him.


    "Yeah, okay Mom. I''ll come down in a sec."


    After the woman left his room, Yuan got up from his bed and went to unplug the jamming stereo. But when he was just about to get out of his room, he noticed a pictureframe of a happy family placed on his desk. In the photo there was a cute little boy happily smiling for the camera, a beautiful young girl holding hands with her mother, and of course, the lovely parents of the two children.


    "I can''t believe it''s been 18 years since I was born unto this world. Time sure does fly, huh..." Yuan thought out loud as he started to reminisce about the past.


    His first life as a Hero in his orginal world was still very clear and vivid in his memory, especially the part where he finally defeated the Demon King and was then betrayed by his most trusted companions.


    ...


    "Heh...I never thought that I''d die like this... In the hands of my own comrades at that..."


    "I''m so sorry that it had to be like this, Yuan. But we were given direct orders by His Highness to eliminate you after having dealt with the Demon King." A man coldly answered him with an expressionless face.


    "The King, huh... Hmph. That old, paranoid bastard. ...I hope he gets what''s coming for him."


    Yuan was still able to somehow talk coherently, even with a dagger pierced all the way through his back and out of his chest. Crimson blood was unsparingly dripping down onto the wet ground, slowly marking the coming of the Hero''s inevitable end.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "His Highness could not have someone who is potentially dangerous to keep existing in this world." The man continued on with his words in a monotone, "And so, he has tasked us to kill you right after subjugating the Demon King."


    "...Is that so~ Well, you guys certainly picked a good dagger to do the job. Shadowkill Imperial Dagger is its name, if I''m not mistaken..."


    "...."


    Yuan looked over everyone present with his emotionless eyes, and anyone who received his gaze either flinched, froze, or looked away.


    One particular girl even raised a meek voice wrought with sadness and guilt to him: "Hero Yuan, we are truly sorry... I hope you live peacefully in your next life..."


    "I don''t think I need your pity, Anastasia." he indifferently said to her.


    She froze at his comment. Trying to form a response, the girl known as Anastasia opened her tiny mouth, but the words just wouldn''t come out. Eventually, the girl who was as delicate as a flower gave up and gritted her teeth in silence.


    "Well, Yuan... It''s been fun while it lasted." The man from earlier suddenly cut in. "The only thing I regret is that we couldn''t hold an official farewell party for you, Our great Hero."


    And after that, everything went to darkness. The brave and valiant Hero, Yuan, ultimately departed from the world he saved.


    ...


    Still staring silently at the picture of his new family, Yuan absentmindedly mused in his head: "But by a twist of fate, I was suddenly reincarnated here on Earth with my past life''s memories fully intact."


    He continued on his thoughts with a wryly smile spread across his face, "Of course, adjusting to a new world and life wasn''t easy at first, especially learning and understanding the multiple languages of this world."


    Recalling the time he was born as a baby, he began to feel somewhat emotional from his new beginning. When he first came to this world, Yuan was already completely conscious to what was happening around him. And when he turned two years old and could finally walk on his own, he explored the house of his new family.


    By the time he was five years old, he could already speak fluent Filipino and read; all of it was taught to him by his parents and older sister. Yuan''s parents were very proud of their son, even going so far as labelling him as a once in a lifetime genius. And thanks to his supposed high IQ, Yuan was above his peers in terms of grades and academic achievements.


    He was also a very charismatic leader, winning the student council president position in his second-year of high school. Yuan''s new life here on Earth was going excellent that he didn''t even miss or feel any kind of sentiment for his old world. In fact, he very much enjoyed his life here on Earth that the two lives couldn''t even be compared to each other.


    Over there in his original world he was an orphan. When he was only but a small child he was all alone, left to fend for himself. He worked very hard to get admitted into one of the more prestigious academies in the capital, and there was almost no rest for him. Everyday life was a struggle as he fought for survival, even while facing discrimination from his peers for his ignoble birth. Meanwhile, here on Earth, everything was just dandy for him.


    "Hmm... I should just forget about my sad past and live my present life in peace. I think I desrvethat much, that''s for sure."


    Pushing all of those meaningless thoughts aside, Yuan turned around and fiinally left his room while closing the door on his way out.

 Chapter 1: The Otherworldly Heroes

    "So, Yuan, what do you think of Alaine?"


    "What? Where did that come from?"


    Jacob Atwel, Yuan''s closest friend in school, asked him out of the blue. At a lost for words, Yuan scratched his head wryly, not really knowing how to respond to the sudden question.


    "Uhh... Well, yeah, I guess Alaine is pretty cute."


    "Right~? And also, don''t forget to add smart and diligent. She''s the perfect girl to be with, don''t you think so, Yuan?"


    "Ahahaha... M-Maybe, I don''t know."


    Seeing his friend Jacob pressing him for some sort of answer, Yuan could only shrug his shoulders at him. Suddenly curious about what the subject of their topic was doing, he quietly turned his gaze towards a nearby group''s direction. It was a generic group of youthful girls and boys hanging out with each other, but one particular girl stood out from the rest.


    She had on a beautiful smile adorning her pretty face, which could unknowingly draw you into staring at her for hours. The girl they were just talking about -- Alaine Reuyan, one of the more beautiful girls in their class was as dreamy as an angel. Yuan had to admit that she was at least one of the most prettiest women he had ever seen.


    Even with the beauty standards of his previous world, she would definitely score a solid nine out of ten. While Yuan was absentmindedly thinking so, Alaine coincindentally met his gaze as she was looking his way, inadvertently locking eyes with him.


    She flashed him a sweet smile while mouthing to him: "Good morning, President."


    "Oy, oy, oy~! What do you think you two are doing so early in the morning? Class hasn''t even begun and you are already flirting with each other." Jacob continued to tease him with an all-knowing smirk spread across his face.


    "Just shut it with the childish teasing already, Jacob..."


    As Yuan was sighing towards his friend, a new character appeared and assimilated into the scene.


    "Oh hey, look over there, it''s Ren."


    A well-known foreign student quietly walked into the classroom, drawing numerous gazes in his wake. The Japanese foreign exchange student -- Ren Kazuya, a pale but handsome young man of a relatively tall height, towering around six feet and five inches.


    As Yuan looked at him, he could clearly sense Ren Kazuya''s pride and arrogance radiating around him. With his chin and nose high up, Ren sauntered over to his seat while reciprocating the friendly greetings he received from his classmates with a simple nod.


    When he arrived at his designated spot, Ren Kazuya directly took his seat while setting his school bag onto his desk. After doing those two said things, he slowly turned his head towards Yuan, eyeing him out with a piercing glare.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Glancing at his side, Yuan returned Ren''s gaze apathetically with his own. Naturally, there was some tension in the air between the two honored students (eventhough Yuan personally didn''t care all that much).


    "Yo Ren-kun, how''s it going?"


    Jacob Atwel, not reading or caring about the atmosphere, went up and cheekily wrapped his arm around the sitting Ren''s shoulders.


    "Get your hands off of me, please." Ren coldly commanded(?), removing the arm on his shoulders.


    "Uwoah! Always with the cold treatment... Don''t be so stiff man, we''re all friends here, right?"


    Ren only snorted in response to Jacob''s friendly words. Choosing to ignore him for now, Ren looked to Yuan once again and said sternly,


    "Wanna make another bet with me, Amon?"


    "Another bet?"


    Yuan''s eyes widened for a moment, not exactly expecting yet another bet to start the morning. Tilting his head upwards, Yuan looked at the smart-clock mounted on the wall above the blackboard.


    "Hmm... Sure, what''re we betting this time?" he asked curiously.


    "This morning''s test exams -- whoever scores the highest naturally wins." Ren said to him. "As for the prize... how does 500 pesos sound to you?"


    [Info: 500 Philippine Peso = 10 US Dollars]


    "Heh, I''ll gladly accept your money then." Yuan smirked.


    Ren promptly narrowed his sharp eyes at his opponent''s provocation, as he snickered in reply, "We''ll see about that, Amon..."


    "Uwoah! The bet is already on?!" Jacob abruptly interjected with his usual frivolous remarks. "Well, best of luck to you then, Ren-kun~"


    "Hmph. You should say that to your friend over there instead; he needs it more than me." Ren arrogantly proclaimed.


    "Hehehe~ Trust me, Ren-kun, you''ll need all the luck you can get if you wanna beat Yuan at his own game."


    "Tsk."


    Turning his head away in annoyance, Ren ended the conversation there; just in time too, as classes were about to go underway.


    --RIIIIINNG!!!


    The school bell noisily rang, signaling the beginning of the first-period of class. The instructor punctually arrived and went straight to the teacher''s desk, placed at the front-center of the classroom.


    "Take your seats everyone, the lessons will be starting now."


    The middle-aged teacher said to his students, as he placed his things neatly onto the desk before grabbing a chalk and writing on the blackboard.


    ...


    One hour later.


    --RIIIIINNG!!!


    Hearing the school bell ring, the instructor ended his lesson there as he turned to his students.


    "Okay everyone, we''ll end it here for now. I''ll be seeing you all next time tommorrow morning."


    Putting away the white chalk and shutting close the thick math book in his hand, the instructor took his stuff and left the classroom in a hurry.


    "Damn, Math is as difficult as always."


    "You just worded my internal monologue, man."


    "Hahaha!"


    After the teacher left, a couple of friends joked and chatted with each other while waiting for the next instructor to arrive.


    "Haaaam~"


    Stretching his aching back as much as he could, Jacob loudly yawned.


    "That sure was tiring..."


    "It''s only the first-period, Jacob."


    "Math just isn''t my strong suit, y''know."


    Suddenly, as Yuan and Jacob were talking, a heavy rumbling occured.


    "Wait a minute...! What the hell is happening!?"


    "Why is the building shaking all of a sudden!"


    "EARTHQUAKE!!!"


    Panicked voices reverberated inside the classroom as everything was shaking dramatically. And then out of nowhere, magical runic symbols appeared on the ceiling, wall and floor of the classroom, emitting out a resplendent light along with its manifestation.


    "Hey Yuan, what''s going on!!?"


    "How the hell am I supposed to know the answer to that!"


    Without exemption, everyone present inside the classroom was engulfed by this resplendent light and vanished altogether. Soon after, everything returned back to normal and the shaking completely stopped. The students were nowhere to be found, as scattered papers and notebooks littered the floor of the now empty and quiet classroom.

 Chapter 2: Its a New World, for them at least...

    Inside the dimly illuminated underground hall of a castle, a solemn atmosphere encompassed the summoning of ''Otherworldly Heroes''. Supervising the entire summoning procedure was an elegant sorceress named Anastasia Clyde, the Head Court Magician in the Grand Kingdom of Averon.


    "Attention! Concentrate and condense your magic power as much as you can, then pour every single drop of it into the summoning circle; do not let up!" Anastasia ordered in a stern manner, as she poured great amounts of her mana into the shining circle. "Also, remember to quickly switch places with the reserves if you can''t go on any longer!"


    It has almost been a week now since they''ve began this daring operation of summoning Heroes from another world to assist them in vanquishing the sudden monster insurgence. Normally, a nigh impossible feat such as summoning Heroes from another plane of existence would never be feasible, and it would probably never be duplicated ever again.


    But now, it was all made possible by utilizing an Elder Dragon''s Core which possess huge amounts of magic power, the Quintessence of Yggdrasil to greatly enchance all of the secondary materials, and a bottle of water from the Fountain of Life to regulate everything. These three main ingredients and some other unmentioned components were all put together in order to conjure up the ultimate summoning magic known in existence.


    "I can feel it... we''re almost there!"


    A frenzied flow of magic power began wildly gathering at the focal point of the summoning circle, letting out waves of mana undulations in the underground hall. And soon enough, a resplendent holy light erupted outwards from the summoning circle while sending out great shockwaves along with it.


    "I-Is it finished...?"


    "Yeah, at least... I think so."


    The participating Court Magicians and High Mages quietly discussed amongst each other.


    As the view of the surrounding area started to clear up more and more, silhouetted figures could be faintly discerned through the blinding beam of light. Shortly after, a crowd of young people wearing a familiar uniform normally used by students on Earth could be seen standing on the flickering summoning circle.


    "We-we...We did it!"


    "After a long week of endless toiling we finally managed to succeed!"


    "Hooray!"


    Cheers of joy mixed with some relief reverberated in the underground hall. Anastasia, the supervisor of this whole operation, breathed out a sigh of pure exhaustion after a job well done. All it took was one hellish week for them complete the daunting task, which was considered a fairly short amount of time but it certainly drained the life out of these Mages.


    And while they were zealously celebrating their success and expressing their sense of triumph, the summoned individuals were blankly staring at them with dazed expressions on their faces. Noticing this, Anastasia quickly tried to regain her composure while putting on a dignified air befitting her position as the Head Court Magician of a Grand Kingdom.


    "Ahem!"


    She loudly coughed to clear her sore throat, while also trying to get everyone''s attention completely focused on her. Once Anastasia was positive that everyone''s eyes was solely trained on her, she began to announce in the loudest and most dignified voice she could muster out,Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "My warmest greetings to you esteemed Heroes from another world! I, Anastasia Clyde, the Head of the Court of Magicians in the Grand Kingdom of Averon, welcome all of you to the wonderful world known as Imahen!"


    Listening to her dramatic speech, the so-called "Heroes from another world" reacted by looking at their classmates in confusion.


    "Dude, do you know what she''s talking about?"


    "I don''t know man, beats me. But why did she call us Heroes from another world, that doesn''t make any sense..."


    "Yeah, you''re right... Aren''t we still on Earth?"


    "Hmm... No, it doesn''t look like it."


    The high school students that were now only summoned, murmured to each other while occasionally glancing at the long-robed strangers that were surrounding them.


    "Hey, do you have any idea who those robed people are?"


    "Uhm... Maybe they''re cultists...?"


    "Crap! What did we get ourselves into!?"


    Ignoring the alarmed expressions that they were putting on, Anastasia unhurriedly concluded her speech, "I know all of you are utterly confused by what is happening, but I assure you that we do not mean any harm. Now then, I would like to request all of you to please follow me as I lead you outside."


    Without further delay, Anastasia made her way towards a large double door where two armored men were standing guard. Although they were still hesitant, there really was no other choice left for them but to comply. And so, the haplessstudents silently tagged along with Anastasia.


    When she arrived in front of the large double door, Anastasia commanded the guards stationed there, "Deactivate the spell and open the door immediately."


    ""Yes, right away!""


    As they both answered her in repectful unison, the guards pushed the door open from their respective sides. Very quickly the only door to the underground hall was reopened and Anastasia walked through, followed of course by the group of students.


    "Hey Yuan... What do you think so far about our current situation?" Jacob quietly whispered to the youth beside him, but even after a long while he didn''t receive an answer back.


    Finding this silence odd, Jacob glanced to his side where he saw Yuan blankly staring into air. His entire focus was apparently somewhere else, evident by the way he was knitting his eyebrows with a pensive look.


    "Yo Yuan, what are you thinking over there?"


    Jacob abruptly stopped where he was and put on a serious expression. Yuan promptly stopped in his tracks as well when he sensed that Jacob had come to a halt.


    Meanwhile, the others continued marching forward as they weren''t aware that two of their classmateshad stopped following them. They were originally placed at the farthest back of the line where they were completely out of everyone''s viewpoint, so it''s only normal to get left behind in this situation.


    "What got you so serious all of a sudden, Jacob?"


    "I''m like this because of you man, you''ve got me worried, y''know? You''re usually very calm and collected in every situation that you''re put in, but now, I can sense that something is bothering you..."


    "...."


    Staring into his pure eyes, Yuan could feel the genuine concern his best friend had for him. I guess they were close to each other for a reason, and that their 12 years of friendship really did amount to something special.


    Putting on a nonchalant smile, Yuan shrugged his shoulders as he said to him, "It''s nothing man, trust me. Maybe I''m just slightly unnerved by the situation that we''re in is all."


    Even though he was still somewhat unconvinced, Jacob could only nod his head in understanding. Besides, he knew to trust in Yuan''s judgement when it came to almost anything. Because that''s just how it''s always been for them whether it''d be in the past, the present, or the future.


    "Right... Look man, if you ever need help with something or you just want to share your thoughts with someone, just know that I''m always here for you."


    "I know, and I''ll be sure to find you if anything ever comes up that I need your help with." Yuan nodded in acknowledgement. "Now then, it''s about time we get going."


    "Huh...? Oh yeah, I totally forgot that we were supposed to follow that robed lady!"


    Casting aside the worries he had for Yuan to the back of his head, Jacob reverted back to his usual energetic self. While smiling brightly, he turned towards the direction where his classmates and the robed lady from before should be.


    "Wait a second, where the hell did they go?!" He instantly switched to panic mode. "This is like, seriously bad man! We got left behind!"


    Still being unable to believe how Jacob could so easily change his mood like it was some sort of switch, Yuan let out a faint chuckle in amusement. Taking a calm step forward, Yuan made his way down the hallway like he already knew where to go.


    "Just follow my lead and we''ll catch up to them in no time."

 Chapter 3: A fool for a King

    While the two of them were walking across the hallway, Yuan was pondering in his head about everything that had transpired moments ago in the underground hall. He was primarily thinking of the robed lady that led them outside the underground hall where the summoning took place.


    "Anastasia Clyde..."


    Even though she changed somewhat and grew a few inches taller, Yuan could never get rid of this sense of familiarity he had for her. Maybe it was due to the fact that they practically travelled together for over 20 years in the past.


    "Fate has somehow brought us together once again, and it also sent me back here to Imahen." Yuan let out a faint sigh of bitterness.


    He wasn''t exactly looking forward at the prospect of him reuniting with the people who were once his trusted companions. And plus, his life on Earth was way better compared to here in the world of Imahen, so Yuan would very much like to return back to his new life there on earth.


    In what seemed like a few minutes later, Yuan and Jacob finally spotted their group of classmates standing still in front of a diamond-plated double door that exuded rich opulence.


    "Oi, isn''t that our classmates over there?" Jacob said with a glowing expression on his face.


    "Yep, looks like it. Come on, let''s head over there quick."


    They both hurriedly went over to where their classmates were staying and very naturally assimilated into the group. When the people at the back noticed their sudden appearance, they turned towards them with questioning looks.


    "President, Jacob, where did you guys run off to?"


    "Yeah, we just noticed awhile ago that you two had suddenly disappeared, but we were too nervous to say anything to that robed lady."


    They quickly said to Yuan and Jacob one by one. After listening to them, Jacob took it for himself to give out an explanation.


    Pretending to scratch his head in embarassment, he answered in an awkward manner,


    "Ah, well, you see me and Yuan here somehow got lost midway while we were chatting. And as you could probably already tell this place is pretty big, so it took us some time to find you guys."


    "Wow, you two really got lost?"


    "Y-Yeah..."


    It looked like his classmates didn''t really buy the excuse Jacob came up with on the fly. As it was now up to him to save the situation and to clear off any doubts his classmates had for them, Yuan put on a carefree smile as he interjected,This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Nah, what really happened was that I got a sudden headache and Jacob stopped to check on me." Yuan coolly lied to them with a straight face. "My headache was probably because of the ''teleportation'' that we experienced when we were brought here."


    This time, his classmates apparently bought it as they put on enlightened expressions while nodding their heads in understanding.


    "Oh, so that''s what really happened, huh."


    "If so why couldn''t have you just told us the truth from the beginning."


    Rubbing his neck nervously, Jacob tried to reason on why he lied from the start instead of just telling the "truth" of what actually happened,


    "W-Well, I thought that it would be embarassing for Yuan if people were to find out that he had gotten a headache when we got here while everyone else was perfectly fine..."


    "Right..."


    While they were casually talking to one another, Anastasia gently clapped her hands to get everyone''s attention back on her.


    "Alright, since everyone is already here I would just like to say a few important things before we continue with our tour of the castle." Anastasia gracefully flashed a smile at them, as she continued on with her soft-spoken words, "And so, I advise all of you to keep your mouths shut and your ears open, okay."


    When they heard those words, every single one of the students instantly closed their mouths and held their breath. Yuan faintly sensed the magic power being used on her words, and he was made to involuntarily look to her in silence.


    "Everyone, we will now be meeting the great King of Averon so I sincerely request that all of you put on respectful behaviors in front of His Majesty."


    Wearing a serious and humble look on her pretty face, Anastasia proclaimed loudly towards the diamond-plated door: "Anastasia Clyde, requesting an audience with His Majesty."


    Soon after her words were spoken, the doorway to the Throne room was slowly pulled open from the other side. As the door was fully opened up a grandiose and vast room came into view.


    "Enter." An old, aged voice sounded from deep within the room.


    "Please excuse us."


    Anastasia and the dumbfounded group of high school students slowly moved across the entire room, before finally arriving at the end where a throne casted from sparkling diamond gems magnificiently lay. And sitted grandly on the diamond throne was an elderly man with a full-grown beard attached to his wrinkly face.


    "Anastasia Clyde solemnly greets His Majesty the King." she immediately dropped a knee to the floor and lowered her head correspondingly.


    "Mhm, very good. Arise."


    "Yes."


    At the king''s orders Anastasia quickly got to her feet and bowed her head once more.


    The old and worn-out king quietly swept his gaze at her, before turning his sights toward every single youth that was brought here today in his Throne room.


    "Hmm... Not bad. You have perfectly accomplished the task that I have assigned to you and your team, Sorceress Anastasia." The King declared proudly. "I am also very impressed by the Heroes that were summoned to aid us in fighting off the monsters and demonic beasts, they look fine and young."


    "This one humbly thanks His Majesty for your words of acknowledgement."


    "Mhm. You are sure to be handsomely rewarded by the kingdom for your meritorious service, Sorceress Anastasia. Kindly step aside for now."


    Anastasia elegantly exited the scene and stood at the sidelines in silence, yet her eyes was shining in anticipation.


    "Now then... allow me to introduce myself."


    The King leisurely stood up from his throne and remained standing where he was. Spreading his arms wide freely like a bird, the elderly king said,


    "I am the ruling figure of this kingdom, and I am known to all as King Alteon Averon! And I welcome you, Otherworldly Heroes, to the Great Kingdom of Averon!" he pronounced in a loud, imposing voice.

 Chapter 4: Appointing a Leader to the Group

    As the King finished his self-introduction to the ones gathered there in the Throne room, silence was the reaction given to him by the high school students of Earth. Some of them were looking at him intently while others just stood there, awestruck by the noble air of superiority radiating from him.


    The aged king slowly walked down the steps of his elevated throne and arrived in front of the students.


    "So now then, I would like for all of you to pick a representative from your group. There is simply too many of you, and it would be a complete waste of my time to speak with you all one by one." He said to them loftily, "Do it now."


    They all looked at each other for a moment, seeing the doubt and uncertainty reflected in their classmates'' eyes. Afterwards, they respectively glanced at Yuan Amon and Ren Kazuya -- the Student Council President and the Class President of their school.


    "Ohoh. It seems to be that the group is divided." the King raised a brow at them amusingly. "Okay then, you two there, step forward."


    With the king beckoning them, Yuan Amon and Ren Kazuya each took a step forwards, seperating themselves from the group. One of the two was a handsome youth standing tall and proud with his back straightened and his chest out, while on the other side was a calm and collected youth with a reliable air to him. They both stood in sharp contrast, with each of them offering different styles in appearance and attitude.


    "Hmm... I''m impressed, there is indeed a dragon among men. I just didn''t expect there to be two of you, truly extraordinary."


    The King voiced out his admiration for both of them, but the way he said it as if receiving his praise was an amazing honor to be had annoyed Yuan greatly.


    "Hmph. As haughty and condescending as ever this old bastard, he didn''t change one bit. How disappointing to have lived this long in vain." Yuan derisively sneered in his mind, but of course he didn''t openly show it on his face as he maintained a deadpan expression.


    But unexpectedly, one individual didn''t think the same as him.


    Ren Kazuya smirked in a self-gratifying way as he spoke humbly towards the king, "I thank you for the compliment, King."


    "Ohohoho~ It is certainly well-deserved." the King instantly responded with a smile etched on his wrinkly face.


    Watching their pleasant exchange in disbelief, Yuan inwardly sighed while thinking to himself, "Damn it, I can''t believe this idiot is playing along with him..."Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Some time later, the king took a glance at the quiet and average-looking youth silently standing there besides the handsome youth.


    The King unhappily scoffed at Yuan, as his old and muddled eyes slightly narrowed in contempt.


    "Why hasn''t this kid stepped up and offered himself to me already, or is it because he is having some trouble withstanding the pressure released in my prescence?"


    As the aged king disdainfully thought so, he turned his gaze away from Yuan and looked towards the group of students waiting there in the same spot he left them.


    "I have already decided the one who will be leading your group in the coming days."


    Pointing a single finger at Ren, the King declared in a solemn voice that brook no arguments on his part, "This young man right here, he will be the future leader of your group!"


    Everybody unconsciously looked towards the direction the king''s finger was pointing to, and standing over there was Ren Kazuya, the Japanese exhange student as expected.


    Ren turned around to take a look at his fellow classmates shocked expressions. Even though he was personally appointed by the king to be the sole leader of their group, Ren''sface was visibly indifferent on the surface, but deep down inside he was vainly enjoying the special attention given to him by the king and his peers.


    "Please take care of me in the future everyone."


    The Japanese foreign exchange student Ren Kazuya, he, who usually acted tough and aloof to everybody he interacted with, unexpectedly tilted his entire upper body into a proper bowing posture. Everybody stared at him in stark surprise, except for the King and Yuan Amon.


    "Well that''s pretty unusual. Ren actually lowered himself without pretense, I guess he isn''t as bad as I thought he was." Yuan observed him with sharp eyes. "It''s too bad that he''s sometimes an overly prideful individual, but it''s just youthful nature after all."


    "Ahem!"


    A low cough promptly distributed his train of thought, as the king gestured with his hand and said, "For it has already been decided, all of you shall leave the Throne room at once!"


    And as if on cue, Anastasia Clyde appeared beside the students with an attractive smile adorned on her flawless face.


    "Please come here everyone, we will now be continuing our grand tour of the castle~" she meekly ushered them into following her to the exit.


    When Ren Kazuya was just about to go and join his classmates on the tour, he felt a heavy hand placed on his shoulder. He glanced questioningly at the wrinkly hand on his shoulder, before looking up to the person who stopped him from going.


    "Except for you, boy. Come with me, we have much to discuss."


    And so, the king led the reluctant Ren to a separate room within the Throne room, where they actively discussed and exchanged information with one another.


    Meanwhile, Anastasia and the gang exited the Throne room and walked through the large hallway once more.


    "Okay everyone~ Make sure you follow along now and don''t get lost~ But if you do happen to do exactly that, just ask one of the maids here; they will lead you right back to me or to your private chambers." Anastasia explained to them.


    "Well she seems to be in a good mood. Must be because of the excellent job she showed to that old bastard." Yuan sneered.


    But what Anastasia was actually thinking of was this: "Ah, what should I choose as my reward~? Maybe some cute magical beasts to add to my collection, or I could order numerous beautiful furniture crafted by the Elves to decorate my mansion~"


    Anastasia skipped merrily throughout the entire grand tour of the castle.

 Chapter 5: Decision

    "And here we have the residential area, it''s where we house our various servants and give accommodations to our guests staying in the castle."


    The students were brought by Anastasia to a wide corridor that seemed to stretch out endlessly from one side to the other. A countless number of doors were also lined up on both sides of the corridor with numerical figures engraved on each of them.


    "Okay, so that concludes our grand tour of the whole castle, and if you have any questions to ask me just raise your hands." Anastasia clapped her hands together for closure, as she said to them with a small smile.


    The students looked around their surroundings in silence, quietly appraising the wonderful interior of the floor that they were on.


    Anastasia''s smile grew even wider watching their perturbed expressions; she somehow found it quite funny that these teenagers were trying their best to maintain a calm persona in front of her.


    "Alrighty~ So I suppose there won''t be any questions then~?"


    Once again they didn''t answer her, as they chose to keep to themselves.


    "Well then, since it''s already dark out why don''t you guys choose a room for yourselves, I know all of you could use a break. Oh, and don''t worry about dinner, a sumptuous meal will be arriving shortly in your private chambers."


    After telling them that, Anastasia didn''t bother with them any longer as she departed while casually waving her hand back and forth behind her. All of them just stood there watching her elegant figure getting further and further away until finally disappering out of sight.


    "Everyone listen up, we''ll do what she said and pick out our rooms. And if you want you can share a room with your friends if you don''t feel like sleeping alone in this place, that''s just fine by me."


    Yuan suddenly said to break the awkward silence looming over them. All of his classmates turned their heads to stare at him, and seeing the dependable Yuan Amon smiling leisurely somehow comforted their heavy hearts.


    "Yeah, let''s all choose a room you guys! Who wants to be my bunk buddy, only beautiful girls are allowed in my room though." Jacob energetically chimed in, as he tried to lift up the mood of his classmates.


    Fortunately, Jacob''s joke had the desired effect on everyone as they spilled out a chuckle or a smile.


    ...


    A few minutes later, Yuan lay sprawled on his bed after helping everyone choose their own rooms. He was especially exhausted from all of the events that happened today.


    It was supposed to only be a regular day in high school like any other, but everything was turned upside down all because of the stupid idea that old, paranoid bastard of a king made.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Dammit...! Just why... why was I sent back here of all places!?" Yuan cried in utter dismay at the most unfortunate thing that could have happened to him. "Just when I thought I could live a peaceful new life on Earth that old bastard had to go and ruin it for me...!"


    Yuan was instantly filled with rage and hatred for that elderly king.


    How he wished he could just chop that old bastard into pieces and feed him to some random dogs on the street.


    "No...! I won''t let him destroy my second chance in life!"


    Yuan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth furiously. He quickly shot up from bed and found a secluded corner of the room. There, he hurriedly plopped down onto the floor and crossed his legs as he adopted the lotus position.


    "Power... I need to recover my past life''s strength if I ever want a shot at taking revenge!"


    With his goal being determined, Yuan slowly closed his eyes and did breathing exercises in order to calm his boiling nerves.


    "Huuuuaah..."


    After finally reverting back to his usual state of serenity, Yuan began to feel and absorb the incorporeal mana in the atmosphere. Tiny moths of resplendent light slowly gathered around him, enveloping him entirely in their warm touch.


    "Now then, since I have stored a bit of mana I should try a couple of low-level incantations."


    With outstanding and accurate control over his mana veins, Yuan willed his magic power to turn into crackling lightning in his right hand, and on his left he conjured a miniature whirlpool of wind.


    "Hmm... It seems that my affinity with wind and lightning is still the same as my previous life. At least there''s one good thing that happened today."


    With a casual flick of his wrists, Yuan dispelled the wind and lightning dancing on the palm of his hands.


    "Huuuuaah..."


    He slightly felt fatigued from having to conjure up wind and lightning magic simultaneously, even though the two spells that he used were relatively simple to cast.


    Suddenly, a knock came on his door and a soft voice of a woman was heard outside of his room, "Esteemed Guest, your dinner is ready."


    "I''m coming."


    Yuan hurriedly got up from the floor and went to open the door.


    "Why hello there~"


    "Yes, good evening to you too, Sir. May I please come inside your room?"


    A cute girl dressed in a maid''s outfit stood there on the doorway with a pushing kart in hand, and on it were various dining utensils and a lid covering his meal.


    "Yes, of course." Yuan fully opened the door for her with a kind smile. "Please, come right inside."


    "Then excuse me for the intrusion."


    The maid respectfully replied to him before pushing her kart to enter the room. When she found a table that was placed inside the room, the maid quickly headed over there to properly set it for dinner.


    Yuan casually closed the door and followed the maid to the table. Seeing her swiftly placing the various items from the pushing kart onto the table, he quickly intervened by grabbing her delicate arm that was just about to set the plates down.


    "Please, let me." Yuan said to the maid as he took the plates from her hands.


    "Sir, I can''t let you do that. Please just wait patiently for your dinner to be served."


    The cute maid objected and tried to take back the plates from Yuan, only to find out that everything was already set and that her pushing kart was now clear of any food and utensils.


    She was momentarily dumbfounded by what just happened, but after awhile she cleared her throat and said, "Thank for your help, Sir. But next time, I''d appreciate it if you would just leave me to do my job."


    "Hmm... Okay, I''ll let you do that, but in exchange I have one condition for you." Yuan held up a single finger while declaring boldly, "You will have dinner with me tonight!"


    A mischievous grin was displayed on Yuan Amon''s average-looking face, as he was pleased to witness her stunned appearance.

 Chapter 6: Origin of Imahen

    A short minute passed by in silence, and Yuan kept his cheeky grin the entire time.


    The maid carefully observed his eyes and expression while asking him, ¡°So you would want to have dinner with a servant such as myself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, care to join me? I wouldn''t want to spend my evening night eating by my lonesome self in this big room, so I request a beauty such as yourself, who also happens to be a maid in this castle, keep me company while I have my dinner.¡±


    She listened patiently as he explained while peering into his brown-eyes, but she couldn''t detect a trace of ill-intentions or perversion the entire time he was talking. Instead, the bright smile etched on his face told her that the boy was a kind and friendly person at heart.


    After drawing a conclusion from her observation of him, the maid gave a courteous response, ¡°Fine, I will kindly entertain this esteemed guest''s demand of me. Then please excuse me while I go out to get my food.¡±


    She bowed her head respectfully before turning around and heading towards the door.


    ¡°No wait!¡± Yuan quickly took ahold of her hand and stopped her from leaving the room.


    ¡°Why? Is there anything else that you demand of me, Sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes I do, and it''s called a request, okay? I''m not demanding you of anything, you can choose to ignore my request if you don''t want to do it.¡±


    "Right, I''m sorry to have misspoken."


    The maid lowered her head guiltily and kept it that way as she waited quietly, expecting to get reprimanded or punished because of her lousy use of words.


    "It''s alright, my request is very simple really. All I want you to do is to divide my meal into two even portions ¨C one for you, and one for me."


    But those next words of his was clearly unexpected for her, as she quickly snapped her head up and widened her eyes in reaction.


    ¡°Please don''t do that, Sir.¡± She hurriedly said to him, ¡°I''ll just quickly leave to get some food of my own and return here immediately to accompany you.¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°I insist.¡± Yuan asserted.


    She instantly closed her dainty lips as she was about to rebuke him some more. Seeing Yuan''s stubborn expression, the maid ultimately sighed in resignation and went to the table to divide the food evenly for them.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Oh yeah, the name is Yuan by the way.¡± he suddenly reached out a hand to her. ¡°Yuan Amon, one of the Summoned Heroes, and you are~?¡±


    ¡°My name is Lara.¡± Lara promptly took his offered hand and shook it as she introduced herself.


    ¡°That''s a cute name ¨C Lara.¡±


    ¡°I''m embarrassed by your compliment¡­¡±


    Even though Lara said that she was embarrassed, there wasn''t any hint of hesitation at all when she sat down facing him from across the table.


    ¡°Well then, Miss Lara, let''s enjoy our evening together shall we?¡± Yuan teased while wriggling his thick eyebrows playfully.


    "Could you please stop that, Sir."


    "Only if you call me by my name."


    "Please, Sir Amo¡ª"


    "First name."


    The cute maid withheld a weary sigh while earnestly imploring him, "Please Sir Yuan, can you stop it with the antics..."


    "Hahaha! Sorry for messing with you Lara, you can just call me whatever you''d prefer."


    "Then I''ll call you Sir Yuan from now on."


    The cute maid was almost put to tears because of how difficult it was to talk to him while maintaining her manners. There were even a couple of times where she just wished she could leave the conversation.


    "So Lara I have a request."


    "...What is it?" she took a deep breath to calm herself.


    "You know since I''ve just arrived in this world today, I would like for you to tell me some useful information about your world''s history."


    Yuan nonchalantly spoke while picking up a piece of fat meat with his fork and placing it inside his mouth.


    "I''ll start with the origin of our world, then." Lara''s face turned serious all of a sudden as she spoke, "In the very beginning of genesis, there was said to be twelve primordial gods who created the whole entire universe of space and time, and they were collectively called the Elder Gods."


    Lara bagan to tell the tale of old, passed down since ancient times of an unknown period and era. Meanwhile, Yuan was satisfied as he sipped on a bowl of delicious soup while half-heartedly listening to her story.


    She continued in all seriousness while watching him, "And of these twelve Elder Gods one of them decided to create a world full of magic and powerful lifeforms, and then she named it Imahen. The world that you are currently on."


    "Go on."


    "No one can really trace back the history of how long Imahen has existed, but an important piece that formed our current history was the era where demons and monsters ran rampant and amok." Lara shut her eyes, reminiscing about the past. "90 years ago a group of valiant Heroes was formed, and they led a vast army composing of the various races who were against the Demon King."


    "Ahuh~"


    "The whole expedition took about five years before the Heroes finally defeated the Demon King and brought a moment of peace across the realm. But¡ª" her eyes abruptly sharpened. "¡ªthat peaceful period didn''t last for long and another large-scale war broke out amongst the various races. The reason from what I heard was because of the numerous divine treasures that the Demon King had in his possession, which incited the most basic cause of war ¨C Greed."


    "Oh, that''s interesting..."


    Yuan had never heard of this before, probably because he was long dead by the time they searched and scavenged the stronghold of the Demon King he killed.


    "Even now war is still being fought around the world, as every country who is in possession of a divine artifact are targeted by countless greedy thieves and avaricious wolves."


    "Hmm... I see." Yuan nodded. "And, does the Kingdom of Averon possess a divine treasure from the Demon King?"


    "Yes, this Great Kingdom is in possession of multiple divine treasures."


    When he heard the maid confirm his suspicion, his eyes instantly sparked with greed.


    "So that old bastard is actually one of the biggest winners from the Demon King subjugation... To think that he has multiple divine treasures stashed away somewhere." Yuan split his lips into an evil smile. "This will be interesting."

 Chapter 7: Training

    The cute maid saw the evil smile on his face and became vigilant.


    "You aren''t seriously thinking of stealing from the Great Kingdom, are you?" Lara narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.


    "Who me? ''Course not~" Yuan played it off with a chuckle. "Why would you think that I would steal something when I just got here, do I really look like a cunning thief to you?"


    "I totally am." he faintly smirked.


    The maid continued to stare at him sharply, but seeing him still eating his food leisurely as if he didn''t notice her glare, she decided to let him be for the time being.


    "I see... Well then, I think I have entertained you long enough, I''ll take my leave now."


    "Hold on a minute."


    "...What is it now?"


    Yuan put his dining utensils down and crossed his arms somberly at her. He stared straight into the maid''s eyes and asked her, "What happened to the group of heroes who defeated the Demon King, where are they now?"


    The cute maid stayed silent for a moment, as she studied his somber expression.


    "Why do you ask that...?"


    "No reason other than wanting to meet them." Yuan tried his best to suppress the hostility he felt by tightly gripping his crossed arms around him.


    "I see... The other heroes I don''t know of, but one of them I do know is currently serving as the Head of the Court of Magicians in the kingdom." Lara formally called her name and title, "She is Anastasia Clyde, the Graceful Sorceress of Averon."


    "...And, what about the others?"


    "I do not know." she shook her head. "I should really be going now, thank you for sharing your meal with me, Sir Yuan."


    "Right... I''ll see you around then."


    Lara bowed her head at him and finally took her leave, closing the door on her way out of the room.


    Yuan sighed dejectedly, but at least he obtained some useful information about the current world of Imahen from that cute maid named Lara.


    "Basically, the world is at war with each other because of the divine treasures of the Demon King, and those bastards are nowhere to be found..."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Yuan took a deep breath and resolutely stood up from his seat, returning to the isolated corner of his room.


    He once more sat down on the same spot as before, adapting the lotus position yet again. And for the entire night, Yuan quietly gathered magic power from the atmosphere into his mana reserves.


    ...


    The next day.


    After his deep meditation, Yuan felt completely refreshed. He did some early morning stretching to flex his stiff muscles, making them relax. Following that he exercised his teenage body by doing push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks and squats.


    "Mhmm... That''s better."


    By the end of it, his whole body was glistening with sweat and oil from all that training exercise. After carefully wiping the sweat off of his body, Yuan got in the showers and cleansed himself from bad odor and fatigue.


    When he got out of the bathroom, he noticed a piece of paper with a letter written on it placed on his bedside.


    He curiously picked up the letter and read its content aloud, "Good day Hero, you and your companions have been summoned by the Princess to attend a formal gathering this morning. You will have your breakfast prepared over there at the dining hall where the gathering will take place; if you know the way please go directly to the dining hall, and if you don''t have a servant guide you there."


    Yuan threw the letter away after having read its message. He then went to the large wardrobe in his room and opened it; inside were all types of clothes imaginable to him.


    Yuan swiftly selected a formal but comfortable wear that he could easily move around in. Afterwards, he left his room and stood on the corridor outside.


    Picking a particular direction to go to, Yuan walked towards the door of a specific room with an engraved number of VII on its surface.


    He knocked on the door to announce his visit to the person inside while loudly shouting, "Hey Jacob, get up man! We have to get going."


    With his incessant knocking and yelling, the door was finally opened for him. Standing on the other side of the doorway was a groggy youth with messy bed hair who was sleepily rubbing his eyelids while yawning.


    "Uooahh... Hey, what time is it?"


    "How the heck am I supposed to know that, they don''t have clocks here y''know."


    "It must still be early, right? So why did you have to go and wake me up, can''t a man catch some z''s..."


    Yuan swept his gaze from top to bottom, and it certainly did look like Jacob wasn''t ready to head on over to the dining hall with him.


    "Didn''t a servant come to wake you up or something?"


    "Yeah, some old butler guy did, and he also gave me a letter."


    "And, did you read it? The letter?"


    "Nah, I was still too tired to care about that so I just tossed it aside and went back to sleep."


    Yuan sighed at his best friend''s relaxed attitude as he told him, "Dude, how can you be so lax. Don''t you know that we''re technically in another world now, can''t you at least take these things seriously?"


    "Meh, it''s not like we can do anything about it." Jacob shrugged his shoulders at him. "If there''s nothing else I''m heading back to bed."


    Jacob quickly tried to close the door on him, but Yuan was faster to put his foot in to block the door from closing.


    "Hoi! This isn''t the end of it!" Yuan almost popped a vein on him. "Get out of your room right now!"


    And so, Yuan compelled his best friend Jacob to get ready for the formal gathering hosted by the Princess. With no other choice, Jacob could only follow his command and languidly prepared to go together with him.


    Half an hour later, every single one of Yuan''s classmates were finally gathered outside of their rooms as they prepared to head over to the dining hall as a group.


    It was finally time to formally meet the Princess of Averon once again, but the only difference this time was that he was born anew.

 Chapter 8: Meeting the Third Princess of Averon

    With everybody ready to go, the high school students of earth was then led by a servant towards the dining hall, and when they arrived at the venue there was already a variety of delicacies prepared on a long table.


    "Wow dude, look at all that food!"


    "Man, I''m starving."


    "Hey, who''s that sitting there on the far end of the table?"


    Everyone took their gazes off of the food and turned their heads to the far end of the long table. Sitting over there was an elegant and beautiful woman who was dressed in a simple but gorgeous long dress. She looked over at the students and offered them a smile, as she got up from her seat and walked towards them.


    "Good morning, Otherworldly Heroes. I am the Third Princess of Averon, Rachel Averon." she introduced herself to them, retaining her smile as she did so.


    One of Yuan''s classmates suddenly took a step forward and made himself known from the group,


    "Good morning Princess Rachel, I am the appointed leader of our group ¨C Ren Kazuya."


    The handsome Japanese youth directly introduced himself and bowed his head to the Third Princess.


    She nodded at him gently, and said, "Yes, it is very nice to meet you, Hero Ren Kazuya."


    Princess Rachel charmingly smiled at him, and it unconsciously captured the male students'' hearts as they were drawn naturally by her beauty.


    Of course, there was one exception amongst the male students of earth.


    "Heh, employing the honey trap already, huh... Impeccable move, you sly old bastard. To use your daughter''s charm to draw in the simple-minded, youthful men of earth. I bet these pack of virgins would just willingly throw themselves at her every beck and call now that she''s ensnared them with her beauty." Yuan contemptuously thought in his head as he sneered.


    After Ren Kazuya finished introducing himself to her, Princess Rachel turned to look at his companions and smilingly invited them, "Come, let''s all eat first before further discussion."


    And so, Princess Rachel ushered the high school students to the long table where they were to be seated along with her. As everyone was taking their seats, Princess Rachel observed their every movement and action carefully.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    When sweeping her gaze over them, she noticed a strong presence coming from an average-looking youth who was seated alongside a young man with an energetic vibe.


    "How is this possible...? This man... why can I already sense magic power coming from him? Didn''t they only arrived here yesterday?" she was utterly dumbfounded by her discovery. "No wait... Maybe they came from a world where mana is already prevalent, but if so how come I don''t sense any magic power coming from his other companions...?"


    This question kept lingering in her head for the entire meal, as she focused her intent on Yuan exclusively.


    "Hey Yuan, look ¨C I think the Princess is checking you out." Jacob teasingly said while nudging his elbow at him.


    Yuan already felt her gaze fixated on him long ago and was only pretending to be oblivious to it, but he just couldn''t tell why she was doing so.


    "...What''s this woman planning? If she''s anything like her father, it can''t be something good..."


    Even though Jacob kept nudging and pestering him to look, Yuan only turned a deaf ear and ignored him. Their classmates who were curiously watching them looked to the Third Princess, and when they saw Princess Rachel silently turn her head to their direction they hurriedly went back to eating their food innocently.


    "Hmm... Maybe I''m just overthinking things, for now I need to guide these Heroes from another world to what they''re supposed to be doing."


    An hour later, everybody had finally finished eating and were now drinking water or wine to help in their digestion. Seeing them chattering away and drinking, Princess Rachel hit her wine glass repeatedly with a spoon, creating a clear high-pitched sound that silenced them.


    "I hope everyone has eaten plentiful and are now feeling full and satisfied with the food we serve here in the castle."


    The students all nodded at her showing content expressions on their faces, having no complaints whatsoever with the service here.


    "I am relieved to know that. Okay then, we shall now discuss the objective on why we have summoned all of you here to my home world, Imahen." Princess Rachel wore a serious expression as she started to explain, "You see 90 years ago, the almighty Demon King of this world was felled by the Great Heroes of Imahen. At that point in time, peace reigned across the realm, but it didn''t last long."


    Her gaze hardened as she retold the tragic events of the past century: "When the various races of this world who were opposed to the Demon King thoroughly searched the tyrant''s lair, they manage to find divine artifacts and treasures that stored unimaginable power that no ordinary being should possess. But in order to use these divine treasures a certain price must be paid.


    "Over the years the strong countries, nations, and empires waged war with one another over these divine treasures. And with many slaughtered due to this tragic war caused by greed, the demonic beasts were left unfettered where they grew and multiplied by feeding on the corpses of the damned."


    All of them quietly listened to the Third Princess'' story and were left deeply shocked by the events that occurred in this world.


    Death. War. Demons. Demonic Beasts. Divine Treasures. Heroes. Demon King.


    All of it sounded like it came straight out of a fantasy novel or movie that they had only read and seen but never experienced for themselves. And now, they were faced with the fact that all of this could possibly be real, that''s what the princess told them at least.


    But it''s not so hard to believe her story entirely, because it was the only thing that could explain their current circumstances ¨C their transportation to this other world.

 Chapter 9: To the Capital!

    As the high school students of earth were ruminating over the story she told them, Princess Rachel suddenly stood up from where she was seated and said in an almost begging tone of voice,


    "I know that this may come off as a very bold request but please, hear me out... With the demonic beast insurgency many people have died and were massacred by these monsters, and even more will join them if we don''t quickly do something about it." Princess Rachel looked at every single one of them with beseeching eyes while appealing, "So please, brave Heroes... please rid my world of this catastrophe; please, save the countless innocent lives that will be slaughtered because of these monsters."


    She then lowered her entire upper body into a deep bow, catching them completely off guard by the unexpected action. And the brave Heroes that she addressed were all seated there stumped for words, not knowing what to do or how to respond to her plea.


    Then suddenly, another person stood up from his seat and declared ever so righteously to everyone there in the hall,


    "I, Ren Kazuya, am more than willing to lend my strength for the people of this world. Knowing that I could extend my help to those in desperate need of it, I see no reason why I should refuse your request, Princess."


    With one of them leading and taking the initiative, the others were quick to join in on the fun as they shouted out fervent promises to the Third Princess,


    "Me too, I will lend my strength to you Princess!"


    "I will do my best in defeating those foul monsters for you Princess, and for the people of this world!"


    "Hell yeah! Let''s go slay some monsters!"


    First there was one, then two, three, and four ¨C the passionate atmosphere instantly spread across the whole group of youthful teens who were filled with a sense of justice and heroic spirit to save the people of Imahen.


    Witnessing this moment with joyous eyes, Princess Rachel was moved close to tears as she exclaimed happily,


    "Thank you everyone! On behalf of the Great Kingdom of Averon and the people of Imahen, I am truly and utterly grateful to you all." She quickly did another bow to show her appreciation for them.


    "Oh my god, these rash, hot-blooded idiots... They don''t even know what they just signed up for."


    Meanwhile, Yuan was sitting there sighing and shaking his head in disapproval at his classmates impulsiveness. While his best friend and seatmate on the other hand, directly shot up from his seat and clapped his hands energetically while whistling in the crowd.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Okay everyone, please settle down now. And once again, I can''t thank all of you enough for your promise of protecting us, the people of Imahen from the demonic beast insurgency. But now, I would like for all of you to please follow me outside where a row of carriages are currently waiting to take us to the capital."


    The princess gestured for them to follow her, as she guided the group of high school students to the doorway leading outside the castle. A long row of luxurious carriages was already lined up when they came out of the castle, and drawing these carriages were pure white horses.


    "Heroes, please choose any carriage that you prefer and just directly go inside it. The coaches will then take us to one of the most prestigious academies in the capital, Lionfang Academy. I will be explaining more when we''ve arrived at our destination."


    All of them obediently complied with what the princess said, as they each picked a random carriage to go in. And as expected of the two best friends, Yuan and Jacob chose the same carriage and went inside.


    "Well damn, the interior of this thing is hella fancy!" Jacob couldn''t help but exclaim in amazement when he saw what it was like inside the luxurious carriage.


    There were four vacant seats available here, so Yuan and Jacob occupied both sides of the carriage as they sat facing each other.


    "Hey guys, got room for two more?"


    From the entrance of their carriage suddenly appeared two beautiful girls. Both of them were equally charming and attractive, but their individual style and disposition were strikingly different from each other.


    The one who asked them the question had a face of an angel, and she gave off a warm and tender feeling to those around her. And standing beside her was a captivating young girl who gave off a cold and detached feeling akin to an ice queen.


    When Jacob saw them, he immediately popped his head out of the opened window of the carriage and greeted them cheerfully, "Well this is a pleasant surprise! To what do we owe the honor of having the two most beautiful ladies of our class, Alaine Reuyan and Daniella Asignar, to seat beside us in the same carriage?"


    "It''s nothing special really~ Daniella and I just wanted to have a chat with you guys about something." Alaine softly replied, "So, what do you think? Can you give us a ride?"


    Alaine''s face was adorned with a sweet smile, making her angel-like features even more blooming than what it already was.


    Staring at her in rapture, Jacob gave Alaine his answer without a moment''s hesitation: "Of course! You two are absolutely free to join us here in our carriage!"


    "That''s great to hear."


    After she said that, Alaine turned her bright gaze towards Yuan, seeking for his opinion on this matter.


    "Yeah sure, come inside if you''d like." he gave them the green signal.


    Yuan had no reason to turn the girls down, and Alaine even asked him so nicely. And so, Jacob kindly opened the small carriage door and gestured for them to enter.


    "Please, come in."


    "Thank you for having us then."


    Alaine and Daniella both entered the carriage and took their respective seats beside one of the boys. The angel was seated beside Jacob, while the ice queen was sharing the same seat as Yuan. All four seats of their carriage was completely filled in, and now they were ready and waiting to depart.


    "Since everybody has already found their own seats, let us set out for Lionfang Academy straightaway!"

 Chapter 10: In Another World

    Following the princess'' order, the coaches of each carriage whipped their horses and started for the main gateway of the castle.


    The main gate of the castle was heavily guarded by knights in shining armor with lethal weapons at hand. And when these knights saw the long line of luxurious carriages approaching, they hurriedly lifted open the gate and gave a solemn salute when the carriages passed by them.


    "I still can''t believe that we''re really in another world..."


    Yuan who was blankly staring outside of his window, suddenly heard someone''s faint whisper beside him.


    He slowly turned his head to look at Daniella, who had her gaze fixated on the scenery outside of the carriage. Large mansions and other such rich residences were at the far side of the road they were commuting on. The streets was clear and peaceful, and no one could be found walking around on the sidewalks of the road.


    "Hmm... I wonder why there aren''t any people here? It''s so quiet."


    Alaine asked no one in particular, but Jacob answered her anyways,


    "Probably because they''re still sleeping."


    "It''s already late in the morning, I doubt everyone''s like you who sleeps around all day and only gets up between meals." Yuan retorted.


    When Alaine heard this, she couldn''t help but laugh while Daniella smiled slightly in amusement.


    "Hey, I''m just saying you know, if ever I had a house that big and fancy I wouldn''t want go out either." Jacob muttered matter-of-factly.


    Not long later, the long line of carriages finally exited the wealthy district through another gate and continued on a bustling road filled with people.


    "So many people here." Alaine''s eyes twinkled in curiosity, as she surveyed her surroundings via the window.


    Then suddenly, the usually quiet and reserved ice queen Daniella, spoke out to them, "This must be the Capital the Third Princess talked about. We must be nearing our destination."


    "She''s right about that."


    Yuan thought to himself, as he continued to blankly stare out of the window of their carriage. Many different people each wearing different clothing busied themselves on the street.


    Various establishments were also built on the side of the road, practically taking up the whole city. There were numerous inns, taverns, restaurants, hotels, banks, etc. lining up the streets, and a constant stream of people were going in and out of these buildings.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Man this place sure is hectic, huh."


    "Yeah."


    Jacob and Alaine said respectively. And about twenty minutes later, they were now heading to what was apparently the academy, judging by the countless youths dressed in uniforms making their way towards the tower.


    After entering the academy through its gates, the long line of luxurious carriages found a clear spot on the campus ground and freely parked there.


    "This must be our stop." Yuan said as he got out of his seat. "Come on, let''s get off."


    His three seatmates got off the carriage together with him, and they waited there while looking at their classmates coming down from the other carriages. When every single one of the high school students finally had their feet on the ground, Princess Rachel loudly clapped her hands to get their attention on her.


    "I hope everybody had an easy and relaxing ride from the castle to here in the Capital." The princess said to them with a smile, "And now, I welcome you all to the most prominent and prestigious school of the Capital, Lionfang Academy!"


    Right after she said so, the group of high school students moved their gazes around the surrounding area of the campus.


    They couldn''t help but notice a few students of the academy were looking and pointing at their direction discreetly while saying something to their friends.


    "Oh, Third Princess Rachel, you''ve arrived!"


    "Yes, hello and good morning to you too Headmaster Valir."


    "Please Your Highness, the pleasure is all mine. I''m very glad to have you arrive here safely in our humble school."


    Afterwards Headmaster Valir suddenly turned his gaze towards the grouo of high school students that were together with the Third Princess. And then suddenly, he spread his arms wide open in a welcoming gesture, while proclaiming loudly to all of them,


    "And to all of you: I, Valir Legaspi, headmaster of this school, formally welcome you esteemed guests to Lionfang Academy!"


    With his formal greeting out of the way, Headmaster Valir put his arms down and turned back to the princess.


    "Now then, shall we go inside the tower, Your Highness?"


    "Yes, we should. Please lead the way for us Headmaster."


    "Of course."


    The both of them started moving towards the entrance of the tower, and Yuan and his classmates promptly followed along with them.


    "Yo, this academy is huuuuge!"


    "It''s much more bigger than the academies of Earth that''s for sure."


    "Yeah... I wonder what type of courses and tracks they offer here?"


    Jacob and Yuan casually chatted with each other while following the two leading figures in front of them.


    "They probably study magic here, right?" Alaine joined in on their conversation with a question of her own.


    "That''s most likely the case. From what I can see magic is definitely practiced here in this school." Daniella was the one to say something this time.


    Headmaster Valir abruptly stopped in his tracks and faced the door in front of him that had a plaque that wrote, "Headmaster''s Office."


    "Let us discuss the details inside, Your Higness."


    "Mhm. Let''s all go inside then." Princess Rachel nodded her head.


    Respectfully opening the door for them, the headmaster first waited for everyone to go inside before closing the door shut and heading to his desk.


    "Please Princess, take a seat."


    Without a word, she took her seat on one of the couches available in the office, but Yuan and his classmates remained standing from where they were.


    When the princess saw this, she courteously said, "Please everyone, kindly take your seats."


    Some were hesitant while others were not, and soon all the vacant seats in the office were all taken up by someone.


    "I''m so sorry everyone for the lack of seats. I''m afraid that some of you will have to remain standing there for the time being." Headmaster Valir politely apologized to them, bowing his head while doing so.


    Afterwards, he lifted his face and glanced at all the people present in his office and declared, "So then, let''s start our meeting shall we?"

 Chapter 11: Headmaster Valir

    The headmaster began to say to everyone there in his office,


    ¡°If you don''t already know, my name is Valir Espirit and I am the headmaster of Lionfang Academy as well as its founder.¡±


    After he formally introduced himself to them, Headmaster Valir went on to explain, ¡°Now, the reason as to why the Third Princess brought you here to my academy is to enroll.¡±


    When the group of students heard what he said, they were more confused by the answer than anything.


    ¡°Can Headmaster Valir please elaborate for them.¡± Princess Rachel requested him.


    ¡°But of course.¡± he slightly smiled and added: ¡°Simply put, you Heroes will be students of Lionfang Academy. All of you will receive two to three years of special training, where you will learn magic power control, weapon mastery, and martial arts.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a minute.¡±


    Someone from the group of students suddenly interjected. Everybody''s gaze naturally landed on that person, the Japanese exchange student Ren Kazuya.


    Ren continued on to say, ¡°What''s the meaning of enrolling us here and being students for two to three years?¡±


    ¡°Well, it is a necessity and our obligation to train Heroes into shape. We wouldn''t want to send you all to the battlefield only to get eaten alive by demonic beasts now do we?¡±


    ¡°But for three years¡­ I can''t agree to that. If possible I would like to return back to my own world after one or two years has passed.¡±


    When the headmaster heard that statement, he couldn''t help but burst out laughing.


    ¡°Hahahaha! Boy, did you really think that it was going to be that easy to slay these monsters?¡± Headmaster Valir then enunciated every word of his next sentence in all seriousness, ¡°Well you are dead wrong! If these vile creatures were that easy to kill, then why do you think we summoned all of you here to help us?¡±


    After saying all of that, the headmaster¡¯s hard gaze when looking at Ren returned to normal, as he began to chuckle in amusement.


    ¡°But at least you have the courage and conviction to help us out. We''ll test that later on though, but for now...¡± the headmaster suddenly got up from his desk mid-sentence. "Let''s go check out the classes in the academy so that you Heroes can get a good grasp on what we do here in Lionfang."


    As he got to the door, Headmaster Valir suddenly turned around to look at Princess Rachel and asked for her permission,


    "Is it alright if I take them from your hands, Your Highness?"


    "Anything is fine, Headmaster. But unfortunately, I can''t join you. I still have a lot of things to do you see."


    "Yes, of course. Please take care on your way back to the castle, Your Highness."


    The headmaster bowed his head courteously, as the princess exited his office through the doorway he opened for her.


    "You don''t have to see me off. Be sure to take proper care of the Heroes for me, Headmaster."The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "We''ll do."


    She nodded his head at him and finally took her leave. Headmaster Valir sent her off with his profound gaze while having a thoughtful look on his face.


    Then, he turned towards the group of students before him and spoke, "Let''s not waste time. Please follow me."


    Yuan and his classmates followed him out of the office and walked down the long hallway. They passed by many youths wearing uniforms before stopping at a particular classroom.


    Headmaster Valir knocked on its doors and waited patiently for someone to answer it. A few seconds later, the doors were pulled open from the inside.


    "Headmaster Valir, what brings you here?"


    A middle-aged man with a stylish mustache greeted.


    The headmaster slightly smiled and replied, "It''s good to see you Professor Darius. I was wondering if me and my guests here could sit in while you lecture."


    Headmaster Valir turned his head around where the group of students were positioned, and the middle-aged man addressed as Professor Darius followed his lead.


    "Oh my, could you kindly introduce these guests of yours Headmaster."


    "Yes. These outstanding youths you see here were personally brought by the Third Princess here in the academy. And now, I just wanted to show them what classes are like in Lionfang."


    "Oho~ I see... Well then as for the Headmaster''s request, I can naturally fulfill it." Professor Darius left the doorway wide open while gesturing for them to enter. "Come in, come in. There''s a lot of room in the back so you can all just observe from there."


    "Many thanks, Professor Darius."


    The headmaster slightly bowed his head in appreciation before passing through and entering the classroom. Subsequently, Yuan and his classmates followed along, and they were greeted with a friendly smile by the Professor when they passed him by.


    Inside the classroom were seventeen students seated in an elevated seating arrangement just like what you would see in a theater or stadium. All eyes were entirely focused on them as they made their way up the steps and to their seats.


    "Students, please help me welcome the headmaster and his guests arrival to the S-Class."


    Professor Darius told his pupils, and they all rose from their seats and faced the visitors while clapping their hands systematically.


    "Good, that''s enough. You may all take your seats now." Headmaster Valir said with a wave of his hand, and all of the students promptly took their seats.


    "Eyes here everyone." Professor Darius called out. "I know that you all are very curious as to why we suddenly have visitors today, but I need you all to focus on my lecture because I will be teaching a new spell."


    After he said all that, Professor Darius reached out a hand in front of him and chanted,


    "Lightning power that sets the heavens ablaze, heed my call¡ªLightning Cobra!"


    Magic power of lightning condensed in his hand and flew out of it, forming a cobra made of electricity.


    Hiss!


    It floated in the air and began coiling around the outreached arm of its summoner.


    "As you all can see, this is an advanced lightning spell called the Lightning Cobra. What makes this spell relatively difficult is that the cobra has to be sentient and be able to move around to attack the target." Professor Darius began to explain, "The principle behind this is that you have to give your magic power intelligence; the simple kind, not the overly complicated one."


    A student in the front row raised her hand and said, "How do we give intelligence to our magic power?"


    "I was just about to get to that. The way how magic power works is that it has a mind of its own, but we are binding it so that we don''t lose control over it. And if you perchance lose control, you will lose your mind and be eternally damned with no hope of salvation." the tone of his voice deepened a few syllables. "You will then experience the cruelest of fate by turning into a demon. This is known as Devilization."


    His pupils remained silent, as they mulled over the professor''s words. Meanwhile, the group of high school students of earth didn''t understand a word he spoke. But they were however, awestruck by the lightning cobra displayed in front of them.


    "But of course, Devilization is a rare occurrence, and it can only happen when the spell you use is too great for you to handle, making you lose control over your mana. But enough about that..." His dignified expression blew by like a breeze. "The way to properly control your mana while giving it a life of its own will have to do with your willpower. A strong mentality is all you will need to set free your magic power yet still reigning over it."


    The lightning cobra suddenly screeched before disappearing into thin air. All of it was by the doing of its creator.


    "So that''s our lesson for today, Magic Sentience. Let''s all go to the training field so that I can demonstrate how it is done."


    His gaze looked over to the back row and landed where Headmaster Valir was staying.


    "Will you be joining us, Headmaster?"


    "Certainly."


    "That''s wonderful! Perhaps you can help out the students as they train for the spell."


    "I''ll do what I can."


    And so, every single person in the classroom left and headed to the training field of the academy.


    As Yuan tagged along with them, he had a thought in his head, "How do I sneek out of here...?"


    He was already planning for his escape.

 Chapter 12: Mana Refinement

    The group led by Professor Darius made their way outside the school building and toward the vast open field of the academy. When they got there, Yuan could see a few classes occupying their own spaces on the open field, as they undergo combat exercises and magic training from their respective instructors.


    The high school students from Earth couldn''t help but glance over at the other classes¡¯ direction, and what they saw left them greatly astounded.


    ¡°Yo, did you see that Yuan?! That guy just made actual fire appear from his hands!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I saw.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that like, legendary or what!?¡±


    Jacob''s loud exclamation caught the attention of his fellow classmates, as they all concentrated their gazes on a handsome young man wielding burning energy on both of his hands.


    With a resolute shout, he thrust his palms forward as raging fire instantly spewed out and engulfed its designated target into flames.


    ¡°Heh, you call that legendary? Legendary my ass. Flamethrower is merely a low-intermediate ranking spell.¡± Yuan regarded the spell that the young man conjured with disdain.


    The young man''s instructor clapped his hands and generously offered him praise for the perfect execution of the spell. His friends also gathered together to congratulate him, and one of them even gave him a pat on the back for good measure.


    "Alright everyone, eyes here please." Headmaster Valir suddenly called out.


    Yuan and his classmates promptly switched their attention from the handsome young man to the headmaster, who was now standing in front of them with his hands behind his back.


    "Since we''re already here in the open field, I wanted to teach you Heroes how to gather and properly refine mana into your bodies." he announced.


    When they heard this, Yuan''s classmates started chattering amongst each other with visible excitement shown on their young faces.


    "Gathering and refining mana?"


    "Are we finally going to start using magic now?!"


    "It would be so awesome if I could shoot out fire from my hands just like that guy from earlier..."


    Seeing that the youths attention were shifting away from him, Headmaster Valir quickly followed up on his words, "Heroes, settle down as I will now be teaching you the ways of Mana Refinement."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "Everyone be quiet and listen!"


    Yuan loudly barked at his classmates in order to shut them up, and it proved rather effective as they all turned silent.


    "Good. Thank you for that, boy."


    Yuan responded to the headmaster''s gratitude with a nod of his head. Headmaster Valir was very surprised to see such an average-looking youth hold such strong respect from his companions.


    He unconsciously inspected Yuan from head to toe with a slightly intrigued expression.


    "Hmm... This young man looks awfully ordinary at first glance, but I can feel a very mature and experienced air around him. Interesting..."


    But now wasn''t the time to entertain his own thoughts, he still had a job to do.


    "I will now be demonstrating to you all how it is done. And please, follow my instructions and actions accordingly. First, you will have to find a spot or position where you feel most relaxed or comfortable with."


    Headmaster Valir suddenly got down on the ground with his back straight and crossed his legs.


    "For example, you can cross your legs like so, and then close your eyes while slowly breathing in and out. This position is commonly used when you want to deeply meditate and calm your state of mind."


    They all listened attentively to the serious exposition the headmaster was giving to them.


    "And then, what you need to do is feel the atmosphere. Mana is essentially found anywhere and everywhere in the world; we humans live and breathe it everyday. Sense the magical presence in your surroundings, and guide it towards yourself."


    Then, something inexplicable happened. Colorful particles of energy converged around Headmaster Valir, and it condensed into resplendent light that seeped through certain spots of his skin.


    "See that glowing energy seeping throughout my entire body, that is known as Refined Mana. What makes it different from normal mana is its degree of purity, and we want to intake mana that is in its purest state. Because if we just absorb mana haphazardly like a reckless fool our bodies will be contaminated, shortening our lifespans considerably."


    Even while gathering, refining and absorbing mana, Headmaster Valir took the time to carefully explain to them the whole process. The group of high school students watched in earnest at the dazzling spectacle of Mana Refinement.


    A little while later, Headmaster Valir got up from the ground and dusted himself off before proceeding to tell them, "It''s now your turn. Sit down on the ground and cross your legs for me. Find a comfortable spot that you like and close your eyes; clear yourself of any distracting thoughts in your head and feel the atmosphere."


    The group of high school students did as they were told ¨C they sat on the ground with their legs crossed and their eyes closed. Slowly, they exhaled and inhaled a breath, feeling the atmosphere around them.


    "That''s very good. Now patience is key here, you don''t want to rush things when you''re gathering and refining mana. Take your sweet time with this exercise and familiarize yourself with the existence of mana."


    They silently listened to the headmaster''s words resounding in their minds, fully devoted to meditation.


    "Remember the teaching of Professor Darius, "Magic Power is a living being, it has life and sentience." So I want you to sense that faint life in the air and let it flow towards you. And then, imagine condensing and spreading the mana throughout your bodies."


    Three hours later, Yuan and his classmates bodies soon started to light up brilliantly. Refined Mana was finally gathering around them and seeping through certain spots of their skins.


    Headmaster Valir was greatly shaken by what he was seeing right now.


    "Three hours... It really only took them three hours to learn Mana Refinement..."


    In ordinary times, a normal person would take at least one whole month to gather and refine mana from scratch. And for those gifted individuals who are labeled as geniuses, it would only take them a week or so to accomplish this.


    But these youths that he just met today succeeded in Mana Refinement after only three hours had passed. That was the reason why he was so amazed by what he witnessed.


    "A bunch of freaks... just where in the hell did the Third Princess get them from?" he was insanely curious to know the answer.

 Chapter 13: Meeting the Old Bastard for the Second time this week

    Yuan was once again sitting inside one of the luxurious carriages that the Third Princess provided for him and his classmates. And joining him in the carriage were the same people as last time: Jacob Atwel, Alaine Reuyan, and Daniella Asignar.


    They were currently leaving Lionfang Academy and heading back to the castle, as they were suddenly notified that the king wanted to have an audience with them through lunch.


    During their carriage ride it was bound to be quite bubbly, as one of its passengers couldn''t refrain himself from opening his mouth for more than two seconds.


    ¡°Hey, did you guys successfully refine mana? Because I know did!¡± Jacob smilingly stated with a proud look on his face.


    ¡°Yeah I did, and I got this really weird feeling from it. If I had to describe it, it felt like I was bathing in warm spring water.¡±


    ¡°I had a similar feeling¡­ it was surprisingly refreshing.¡±


    Both of the girls answered him¨Cone was softly-spoken while the other gave a terse response.


    ¡°Hahaha! Same, same. And what about you Yuan? Oh, I guess you failed, huh~" Jacob goaded him into joining their conversation.


    "Ahuh..."


    "Since you aren''t answering, then it must be true!¡± Jacob put on an understanding expression, as if he was suddenly enlightened.


    ¡°Heh, really now~ If you could do it, then all the more reason that I can! And besides, I''ve always been one step ahead of you guys.¡±


    After saying that, Yuan casually flipped his palm. Then suddenly, the air instantly stirred in response and started gathering onto his palm, condensing into a tiny blade of wind.


    ¡°Hot damn son!¡±


    ¡°You''re as impressive as always, President.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Jacob was utterly dumbfounded, and Alaine directly praised him, while Daniella stared at him in a daze.


    ¡°...How did you do that?¡± Daniella couldn''t help but ask.


    ¡°It''s a secret, but never mind that." Yuan flicked his wrist and made the tiny blade of wind disperse. "More importantly, I want you guys to go to my room tonight after dinner.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°And, why should we?¡± Daniella pouted, obviously not happy about him refusing to answer her question.


    ¡°Didn''t Alaine say that you girls wanted to talk to me about something?¡±


    Alaine cutely tilted her head to the side while slightly squinting her eyes, as she tried to recall if she ever said something like that.


    ¡°Hmm... Oh yeah, I remember now!"


    She was suddenly reminded of that time at the castle, when they were boarding the carriages to head to the Capital. After remembering it now, Alaine wore a sheepish expression as she scratched her cheeks adorably.


    "Sorry about that... It''s because I was so distracted by the sceneries during the carriage ride that it totally slipped my mind.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, but let''s have that conversation in my room tonight.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t it be better if we just have it here, right now?¡±


    ¡°No. I want all four of us to have a serious discussion, so let''s have it privately at my room, okay?¡±


    It was apparent that he really wanted them to come to his room tonight, so they had no choice but to agree since he asked them so sternly.


    "Don''t worry President, we''ll be sure to come to you after dinner."


    "Thank you, Alaine." Yuan put away his tough visage and replaced it with a grateful smile.


    ...


    When they finally arrived back at the castle, Yuan and his classmates were immediately led by a servant to the dining hall. And as they entered the hall, they were greeted to a sumptuous feast by the king and his numerous guards.


    "Ah, good. You''ve finally arrived, Heroes."


    The king sat at the only middle seat of the long table filled with delicious delicacies of every kind.


    "Hurry and take your seats, all of you." he gestured to them with his hand.


    And the group of high school students silently obliged. They each took their own seats and sat down, but none of them touched the food yet as they awaited for the host to start.


    "Please, go on and help yourselves to the meal." The king spoke with a kind smile.


    And so, they partook of the food and madly ate until their hunger was fully satiated. Yuan''s classmates didn''t know why but when they saw the various foods placed on the table, they were instantly overcome by extreme hunger like they hadn''t eaten for weeks.


    All of them devoured the entire menu and only stopped when there wasn''t any bread left to eat, or a single soup left to drink. The long table was literally wiped clean by a pack of teenagers.


    "Hahaha! Good, I see that all of you are finally satisfied. Then let us proceed to the part of why I called you here." The old king tapped on the table while continuing to say, "I plan to set up a banquet next week, and I will have all the nobles and officials of the kingdom attend. The purpose of this gathering is to tell the people that valiant Heroes who will save Imahen has come to help."


    Pausing for a second, the aged king held his wine glass and slowly started mixing it before taking a sip.


    "As you can tell this is a very important event for you Heroes, because you will be officially introduced to the whole world. Information travels quite fast you see, and spies are bound to spread the good news to every single influential figure residing in different kingdoms, nations and empires.


    "And when that time comes, the entirety of Imahen will know of your existence. The common people will surely rejoice and be happy that real Heroes has come to save them from the claws of those demonic beasts."


    The old king gave a hearty laughter, as his face wrinkled and crumpled into an ugly mess that made it unbearable to watch; the mere sight of him disgusted Yuan to no end.


    "That''s all I wanted to say. You may now take your leave and go do whatever it is that you have planned for today."


    And with the conclusion of the king''s long speech, the meeting came to a conclusion.

 Chapter 14: Secretly Leaving The Castle

    After their meeting with the king ended, Yuan and his classmates went out of the dining hall and strolled through the long hallway.


    But Yuan suddenly stopped and turned around to face his friends who were behind him, "Come meet me tonight after dinner, alright?"


    "Jeez man, you don''t have to keep reminding us." Jacob said with a carefree tone. "We''ll be there okay."


    Since he already knew that Jacob usually kept to his word, Yuan redirected his gaze toward the girls and saw them both giving him a nod of affirmation.


    "Don''t worry, President. Me and Daniella we''ll head straight to your room right after we had our meals."


    "Thanks."


    He flashed an appreciative smile at Alaine while regarding Daniella with a friendly nod of his head.


    "Then I''ll be going now."


    "Huh? Where are you off to?" Jacob immediately asked, sending him a curious look.


    "To train."


    Yuan smiled enigmatically before walking off and separating with the group. And now it was only Jacob, Alaine, and Daniella left in the long hallway of the castle.


    ...


    Inside his room, Yuan looked out the opened window and took a cursory glance at the surrounding area. From where he was standing, he could see the beautiful landscape of the castle stretched out before him.


    Right now, he planned to leave the kingdom and head out to the wilderness beyond the high walls. As for the reason why he was doing so, he wanted to see for himself what the current situation of the outside world was really like. Because based on the information he got from that cute maid last night, a full 90 years had passed since he died and got reincarnated.


    After checking to see if the coast was clear, he placed a foot on the window sill. A refreshing breeze suddenly blew by from outside, caressing him while blowing his hair gently.


    "It''s time to move..."


    He unhesitatingly jumped down from the opened window, plunging downwards onto the ground. And somehow when Yuan landed, his feet were smoothly planted on the ground; almost seeming like the air was helping him safely descend from the third floor.


    "Flash."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Just as he muttered this single word, Yuan broke out into a lightning quick sprint. He moved like a gust of wind, as he speedily approached the wall encircling the castle. The reason why he didn''t choose to go through the gateway was because the gate was heavily guarded by imperial knights.


    These highly-skilled knights could easily detect him if he ever passed through there, making it neigh impossible for him to leave unnoticed. And that is why Yuan''s only option was to escape over the wall.


    "Assist me in my steps thy gracious wind¡ªWindwalker."


    Yuan jumped through the air and landed on a transparent platform made of condensed wind. He quickly made his way up by jumping onto the next step, and then the next one, until finally arriving at the top of the wall. Beyond the castle wall was the Aristocrats'' District, the one they needed to pass through in order to go to and fro from the castle to the Capital.


    Dropping down from the castle wall, Yuan utilized the wind to glide to the nearest rooftop. Once he touched the tiles of the roof he swiftly dashed from one roof to another, rushing forward in a quick yet silent way. And soon enough, he reached yet another wall, the wall separating the Aristocrats'' District from the hectic Capital next to it.


    The gateway leading to the Capital and the Aristocrats'' District was still being guarded by Imperial Knights, so he was again forced to mount over the wall.


    "Windwalker."


    Yuan employed the same tactic he did with the castle''s wall and jumped to the transparent steps one at a time. When he reached the top, Yuan paused for a moment to take a breather.


    "Huuuuaaa..."


    Exhaling a hot breath, he gazed down at the city below him somewhat emotionally. The gravel road were full of carriages and wagons rolling about, while the sidewalks were bustling with all sorts of people. It was a scene that you would regularly see from a thriving state.


    And beside the Capital was the Residential Area, but unlike the castle and the Aristocrats'' District it wasn''t being separated by a wall. So that is to say that the Capital and Residential Area were side by side, which makes travel from the two places a lot more free, easy, and accessible.


    That means there are a total of three walls protecting the Great Kingdom of Averon: The Inner Wall, Central Wall, and Outer Wall. Expounding, the Inner Wall being the wall encircling the entire castle, the Central Wall separating the Nobles from the common citizens, and the Outer Wall that protects the kingdom from being attacked or invaded.


    With that being the case all Yuan had to do now was to go through the Outer Wall and he would be a free man. After admiring the city view for a while, Yuan targeted a secluded alleyway and glided his way over there.


    Normally if people were to just look up to the sky, they would see a lone man surfing through the air like a boss. But because it was nearing nighttime, the skies were now getting dark which helped him in obscuring his descent.


    When he landed softly on the alleyway, he couldn''t stop himself from hearing erotic moaning and heavy grunts coming behind a large wooden box.


    "Crap, are you serious right now... They''re actually doing it out in the open like this. What a couple of savages." Yuan snorted in disgust at their abhorrent behavior. "Couldn''t wait to get a room could they?"


    He didn''t even bother to take a peek at theiractivity behind that large wooden box. And besides, he needn''t spend his time needlessly watching something he could do himself. More importantly, he still has a personal task set out requiring fast completion.


    "Jesus, I need to get out of here..."


    Yuan hurried to leave the secluded alleyway a second sooner and enter the overflowing streets of the city. The night was only beginning, Yuan went with the flow of the crowd.

 Chapter 15

    Yuan seamlessly mixed in with the crowd of people on the streets, but it wasn''t like he didn''t have a destination in mind. Taking a particular pathway, Yuan quickly made his way to the place he remembered in his past life.


    "Wait a second... This ain''t it."


    What stood before him was a classy restaurant instead of the place he had pictured out in his head.


    Looking a little bit lost, Yuan muttered to himself, "This is where the Leviathan''s main headquarters should be standing, but..."


    When he gazed at the establishment in front of him, it was entirely different from the Main HQ he remembered.


    "This doesn''t make any sense... What exactly happened this 90 years since I was gone?"


    Yuan deeply furrowed his brows as he contemplated. From his memory, this area that the classy restaurant was built on is supposed to be his organization''s land, where the mercenary group Leviathan was based on in this city.


    Leviathan is the Mercenary Guild that he had founded in his past life, and it was his pride as well as his joy. After he had turned eighteen and graduated from his academy here in Averon, he decided to establish his very own guild that dealt with assassination as its main business. And in the past years, his organization quickly grew and expanded to other states in the world.


    The guild he created, Leviathan, had an almost encompassing influence in the field of assassination. Every time people mentioned the word Leviathan, they would instinctively have a sense of fear and awe for such a powerful organization.


    But now...


    "...Why the hell isn''t it here anymore? Could it be...?" he suddenly clenched his fists tightly in anger. "It must be the work of that old bastard...!"


    Sensing the rage radiating out of Yuan, the bystanders actively avoided him and carefully walked past.


    "Breathe Yuan... just breathe. Inhale, and exhale." he breathed in and out of his mouth consecutively, as he tried to calm down his boiling bloodstream. "It''s okay, everything is fine. Since I don''t have anything here anymore, then I''ll just leave this place."


    Yuan no longer spared a glance at the classy restaurant as he walked away. He picked a random street and followed the crowd aimlessly, but in his head he was still thinking over what his next step was.


    "Think, what other establishments did I make in Averon." Sifting through his entire lifetime''s worth of memories, Yuan did his best to recall anything of the sort. "Establishments, establishments... Wait, that''s it! Kulas'' Serenity Inn!"Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    His eyes regained its former luster when he remembered the side business he had in Averon¡ªmanaging an inn.


    "I left the responsibility of managing the inn to Kulas when I joined the expedition to defeat the Demons and the Demon King. It must still be there, I''m sure of it!"


    Yuan finally saw a ray of hope shining upon him, clearing his worries and negative thoughts away. And with that, he set out to find the place he remembered.


    About twenty minutes later, Yuan arrived at a tall building with a simple yet elegant design to it. There was even a miniature garden constructed in front of the building, adding the beauty of nature to the architecture.


    "What the hell... This clearly isn''t the place I remember."


    The place got a whole lot fancier than he expected, and well-dressed individuals could be seen loitering around in the lobby area from the transparent glass doors and windows.


    "Damn it... Well since I''m already here, I might as well take a look inside."


    Sighing lightly, Yuan walked through the miniature garden and entered the lobby area of the building. When he had entered, Yuan''s eyes immediately caught the name of this establishment located behind the reception desk.


    "Serenity Hotel..."


    The name had been slightly altered from the original inn to a hotel, and the owner''s name was taken out of the context, but the place still had the word ''Serenity'' on it. But, there was truly only one way to find out if this place was still the same one he created.


    Yuan went straight to the reception desk where a pretty female receptionist was patiently waiting to receive customers.


    "Good evening, Sir. What can I help you with today?" she greeted with a trained smile playing across her lips.


    "Codename: Wind Lightning Emperor. Official Rank: Gold, Tier-X." Yuan indifferently answered.


    The female receptionist maintained her smile professionally while saying, "Please take the elevator to your right and go to the twelfth floor."


    "Got it, thanks."


    And so, he proceeded to the elevator located on his right and pressed the button to open it.


    DING!


    The elevator door slowly slid open for him and Yuan got inside. Since there was no one else besides him, Yuan promptly closed the elevator and pressed the button leading to the twelfth floor. He could feel the elevator swiftly moving upwards by the slight gravity pushing down on him.


    DING!


    After waiting for a quick 30 seconds, the elevator finally stopped on floor twelve and slid open its doors. Yuan promptly got off this floor just as the female receptionist in the lobby instructed him.


    "She seemed to have understood my words earlier, but why would she want me to come here to this specific floor of the building?"


    The twelfth floor was narrow and empty, and it only led to a single door at the very end of the floor.


    "Such a weird design." Yuan thought while going towards that lone door. "I wonder what''s inside here?"


    Turning the knob on the door, he slowly opened it and peered into the interior. Several individuals giving off various unique auras were chilling around inside this room that could be considered as a lounge. And on the far end middle of the room, a billboard with a long list of papers was standing there conspicuously.


    Before he could move his gaze elsewhere, Yuan suddenly heard a raspy voice calling for him,


    "The boy standing on the entrance. Yes you, get over here."

 Chapter 16: Kulas

    Yuan turned his head to the owner of the voice, and from the other side of the room he saw a middle-aged man standing on another doorway, which apparently led to some sort of office.


    ¡°I said come here, boy!¡± the middle-aged man bellowed.


    Although his face seemed aged and slightly wrinkled, his muscular body exuded a dominating force that no common man could withstand. Seeing him again after such a long parting, Yuan involuntarily let a soft chuckle escape his lips.


    He wasn''t exactly the same as Yuan remembered from memory, but that spunky attitude of his and that large build was a dead give away.


    ¡°Even though his face had slightly changed over the years, his attitude apparently didn''t see much improvement.¡± Yuan mused delightfully in his head, as he calmly approached the middle-aged man.


    Meanwhile, the middle-aged man intently observed Yuan with a deep gaze, watching his every movement and manner seriously. If anyone of Yuan¡¯s classmates were to ever receive this gaze head on, they would probably flinch, freeze on the spot, or break out in cold sweat. But not Yuan Amon of course, he simply resisted the pressure the middle-aged man was intentionally releasing and walked towards him with even steps.


    And while all of this was happening, the few people inside the lounge spectated this scene with interest, because they knew that they themselves would find it hard to oppose the middle-aged man''s pressure.


    At last, Yuan finally arrived a few feet in front of the middle-aged man with a faint smile etched on his lips.


    ¡°Impressive.¡± the middle-aged man said a single word of praise to him, before turning around and going into his office. ¡°Follow me inside.¡±


    Yuan silently did as he was told and went through the doorway after him. The spectators watched as the door was closed shut, barring them from seeing whatever it is that transpires inside that office.


    After shutting the door from prying eyes, Yuan watched as the middle-aged man walked toward the front of his desk. Feeling the quiet gaze from behind him, the middle-aged man sighed and decided to be the one to break the ice.


    "Who are you?" he posed a question to Yuan with his back facing him.


    "Who do you think I am?" Yuan replied nonchalantly with an enigmatic smile.


    "I don''t like playing mind games, boy..." The middle-aged man turned around to face him, as he sternly added, "I received a message from the reception that an unidentified young man entered the building and introduced himself as the Wind Lightning Emperor... What is the meaning of this?!"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    A huge amount of physical force was suddenly released from the body of the middle-aged man, and it unreservedly poured down its overwhelming pressure unto Yuan.


    Bleurgh!


    Yuan coughed out a string of blood by the sudden torrential pressure pinpointed at him, and he immediately fell down on his knees with both hands touching the ground. The middle-aged man indifferently gazed down at the youth in front of him, who was dripping bucket loads of sweat.


    "You have the audacity to come here and pose as the great Wind Lightning Emperor, the Grandmaster of the number one Assassination Order¡ªthe Leviathan!" The middle-aged man laughed in anger mixed with killing intent. "There is a limit to being reckless boy, because this is just outright ridiculous! You really think that I, your father, could take such a senseless joke?!"


    But when he was just about to approach the incapacitated youth, he suddenly saw something extremely bewildering happen. The youth who was supposed to be looking down on the floor due to his overwhelming pressure, unexpectedly lifted his head up and stared straight at him.


    "...What the¡ª"


    Then, Yuan once again smiled mysteriously and slowly got up from the floor, albeit with great difficulty.


    "Hmph!"


    The middle-aged man snorted in disdain and added more physical force to pressure him even further.


    Bleurgh!


    As expected, Yuan coughed out blood in reaction, but only this time it was of an alarming amount. His face instantly turned ghastly pale and his limbs were shaking violently from the pressure, as if it was about to break down and give up on him.


    "You like that, boy? This is merely twenty percent of my true power, just letting you know that." he snickered arrogantly.


    But then, vast amounts of magic power circulated and converged around Yuan, surrounding his entire being with wind and lightning like a force field. Not knowing when to give up, Yuan slowly started to rise up again but he was more firm and unbending this time.


    "Insolent!"


    In return, the middle-aged man doubled the pressure on him from twenty percent to forty percent. And yet again, the same scene was produced for the third time.


    Bleurgh!


    Yuan completely flopped down onto the wet floor, his face drowning in his own blood. Blue veins could be seen protruding out of his forehead, as he swiftly moved his head to lay on its side instead of the front.


    "GOD DAMMIT KULAS, STOP IT WITH YOUR STUPID ASS TESTING ALREADY! OR ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TRYING TO KILL YOUR BOSS HERE?!" Yuan yelled furiously at the top of his lungs, almost cracking his vocal cords while doing so.


    The heavy physical force generated by the middle-aged man''s body abruptly receded, liberating Yuan from having to withstand that inhumane pressure any longer than he''d like.


    "I was just making sure that it was really you, Boss... maybe you''re truly dead and that another entity was actually taking control of your body...!"


    "Are you cursing me to death, you middle-aged oaf!" Yuan angrily retorted, "I haven''t truly died yet, nor am I currently hosting another existence inside me!"


    Ever so carefully, Yuan tried to get up from the blood drenched floor, but his arms gave out and his legs refused to move each time he attempted.


    "Kulas, are you gonna help your Boss out or not!?"


    "R-Right away, Boss!"


    The middle-aged man, or preferably known as Kulas, hurriedly arrived by his side and picked him off the ground before gently laying him on a sofa.


    "Are you okay, Boss?"


    "The hell kinda question is that to ask an internally bleeding patient?! Of course I''m not okay!" Yuan yelled at him with an exasperated expression. "Go and fetch me a high-quality recovery potion already!"

 Chapter 17

    Kulas quickly left the office to get a recovery potion, leaving the badly injured Yuan lying on the sofa alone.


    "That idiot, couldn''t he tell that it was me from the signature wind lightning magic power I was releasing!? I even revealed to him one of my well-known defensive techniques¡ªWind Lightning Forcefield¡ªand yet, he still chose to pressure me to the brink of death...!"


    Yuan couldn''t help but curse out begrudgingly at his subordinate that wasn''t present here. Although he knew that Kulas'' doubts and uncertainties were clearly justifiable, the extreme pain coursing throughout his body made him think otherwise.


    "What''s taking him so long?! A minute is more than enough time to get a high-quality recovery potion!" Yuan was visibly getting restless, the injury he incurred was no trifling matter for the current him. "Another minute... then I''ll seriously die from hemorrhage..."


    The complexion of his skin was now beginning to turn corpse-like, and the life aura emanating from him was quickly fading away by the second. It was already a challenge to breathe at this point, and by now the feeling of his arms and legs were gone. He slowly closed his heavy eyelids, the vision around him engulfed in pure and utter darkness.


    "...Damn you, Kulas."


    "¡ªBoss, I got the recovery potion!"


    Kulas practically burst through the doorway and hurriedly came over to the sofa while grasping a ruby red potion in his hand. But when he laid his eyes upon Yuan who closely resembled a corpse, his soul almost flew out of his body right then and there.


    "Crap...!" Kulas immediately took the cap off the potion bottle before gently lifting Yuan''s head and pouring the contents into his mouth. "Please don''t die on me, Boss!"


    Courtesy to it being a high-quality made potion, the liquid smoothly entered his mouth and flowed down his throat unimpeded. Fortunately, it only took several seconds for the high-quality recovery potion to show its miraculous effects.


    Yuan¡¯s originally cold to the touch skin quickly regained its subtle warmth, while vitality was also returning to his corpse-like complexion. Upon seeing this, Kulas breathed a sigh of relief and sat down heavily on the L-shaped sofa.


    He waited patiently as a few minutes went by in silence when suddenly, he felt some movement from the rejuvenated Yuan.


    "Boss! Thank god, you''re finally awake."


    Yuan slowly sat up straight while gently placing down his feet on the floor. Leaning his head backwards, Yuan comfortably reclined on the backrest of the sofa.


    "How are feeling, Boss?" Kulas meekly asked with a small smile.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Just great, thanks to you, Kulas."


    "Hehehe~ Well, I just did what any other subordinate would naturally do for their boss..."


    "Oho~? And, does that include trying to kill your damn boss?!"


    Yuan growled at Kulas angrily, pointing a finger at him while doing so. And in response, Kulas hurriedly got off the sofa to prostrate in front of him while apologizing.


    "B-Boss! I''m terribly sorry for my mistake, please lay whatever judgement it is that you have on this foolish servant of yours!"


    "Haaa... Never mind that, I''ll let this slide for now since this is an auspicious day; the day of Reclamation!"


    Staring directly into Kulas'' eyes that were wide in astonishment, Yuan confidently smiled at him.


    "Starting today, the Wind Lightning Emperor hath returned! And now that I''m back, I''ll make sure to kill every last one of those bastards who plotted my downfall!" Yuan declared in a loud voice.


    Even though Kulas was inflamed by the passion of his Boss, he didn''t forget to ask the most important question that he''s had for a while now.


    "By the way Boss, how did you come back to life? Weren''t you killed by King Averon''s men?"


    "Yes, I was indeed killed by a surprise attack after I dealt the killing blow to the Demon King. But, it wasn''t just the Kingdom of Averon that was involved; all the other nations were in on it."


    "Wh-What!?"


    Kulas was so shocked from hearing this piece of information¡ªall the other nations, which meant that every participating faction that battled the Demon King that day already planned to bring his Boss''s demise! He always thought that it was only Averon that was behind this, he couldn''t be farther from the truth.


    "But why?"


    "Heh, why? I''ll tell you why: Leviathan was the most deadliest organization to have ever existed in this world, we''ve killed thousands of high-ranking individuals from every nation since our inception." Yuan¡¯s gaze hardened when he arrived at this point, "So tell me, why do you think every nation was out to get me, the Grandmaster of Leviathan?"


    After hearing these words of truth from his Boss, Kulas was subsequently enlightened. Every nations leader feared the Leviathan at their peak, and every time the name Leviathan was mentioned it was synonymous to "certain death".


    Every mission that they''ve accepted in the past was always accomplished with a hundred percent guarantee. People either loved them, or hated them; but it''s essentially both sides of the same coin.


    "Those cursed bastards...!" Kulas swore angrily while clenching his fists. "I''ll make sure to make them pay for what they''ve done!"


    Yuan¡¯s eyes were tinged with absolute coldness, as he seriously spoke, "Don''t worry, that''s exactly why I came here¡ªI need your help."


    "Please Boss, speak your mind and I''ll carry out your requests immediately."


    "Good. These are your orders from now on..."


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside the castle''s Throne Room was the old king majestically sitting on his bejeweled throne. The two knights guarding the massive door to the Throne Room slowly opened it, and a handsome young man entered while directly striding towards the old king.


    Ren Kazuya, upon arriving in front of the King, decided to take a knee while slightly bowing his head respectfully, "Ren Kazuya greets His Majesty, King Averon."


    "Mhm. I''m glad you came, Sir Kazuya. Come, let us speak privately in the conference hall."


    The old king smiled and slowly got up from his opulent throne. Then, he calmly walked down the steps that led to his throne, dragging his long blue-cape across the floor.


    When the old king passed him by, that''s when Ren chose to stand up from his kneeling posture. He lightly dusted his knees before following behind the old king, maintaining a respectable distance between them as he did so; Ren did that all the way until they entered and were seated inside the conference hall.