《Heroes Return》 Prologue A hero summoned through sacrifice into a world of demons and war. This hero through years of hardship and training seeks his one wish to return to his homeland before his death. With this goal, the hero subjugates the demons and elves who conspire against the empire and it''s people. With the end near, the hero learns a way to return to his world using the demon queens heart as a catalyst. At the end of war, the hero request aid from the empire but instead of helping him in his request as repayment, they attempt kill him due to the possible danger he posses in his strength. During his turmoil, the heroes comrades of which he gained during the years hardship of battle aid him in defeating the demon queen as their own way of repaying him for his sacrifices. At the end of this battle, the heroes comrades are defeated and only the hero remains clenching the heart of the demon queen in with his remaining arm.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Before the hero leaves, he convinces the empire and other countries to no longer rely on the hero summoning to prevent any more tragedy and to rely on their own strengths. With his purpose completed, he cast the summoning magic breaching the dimensions barrier and crossing the world to his homeland. Missing for 7 long years, his parents faces he finds difficult to remember and his younger sister who has grown up to a high schooler have their fair share of troubles and experiences with the return of the former hero who starts up his own shop selling magic items. This is the story of Haruto and his daily life selling magical gadgets and making new memories while slowly getting accustomed to his world. Chapter 1: Heroes Request Walking down the steps of a crumbling tower is a lone man wearing a red cloak with holes littered all around the mans clothing. Only sounds of stones hitting the ground and the steps of the man are heard throughout this dark scene as soldiers prepare their weapons and stances bracing for an attack. Noticing this, the man faces towards the army of soldiers ranging from the thousands with their bodies reeking of both fear and greed. Stopping his movement, the man starts to laugh quietly for no reason causing the soldiers to step back ever so slightly. The chuckling is heard across the bloody field filled with bloody weapons and corpses. The sound of laughter recedes the mans mouth as he faces the commander of the army. "Is this what you wanted? I''m honestly tired of this. When will this stop?" The mans words are heard with soldiers trying their best not to listen to the man as guilt will only follow if these words enter their already damaged hearts. "I only wanted to go home all this time. I ended the war while I battled in the front lines for years now for that only reason and this is what I get?" A small chuckle can be heard as the commander facing the red cloaked man hears the words of the former hero with a straight face. "Why? I don''t know why I had to go through all of this. I never really needed to help you but I guess i was just naive thinking this was for the best. I really was an idiot wasn''t I?" The man starts to slowly walk towards the army with his hands down and blood leaking down his body as the trail of red follows a small dripping beat as it lands onto the cold dirt floor. The commander watches this display with many thoughts running through his mind and stays completely still as his battle instincts run wild telling him to run away. "I''m really tired you know? Heh, were all tired from this bullshit war and this stupid king who only lazes about on his shitty throne while we do all the work. Can you really believe this guy, the only thing he has done is bring me here and now he wants to get rid of me? Fucking unbelievable." The man in red stopping his tracks as he faces the commander only a few meters away as he stares deep into his soul. Slightly shuddering but remaining resilient the commander speaks out for the first time while the army of soldiers slightly shaking behind him are somewhat awed by the display of their courageous commander. "Where are the rest of the traitors?" The former hero hearing this turns mad as he stomps the ground with a gust of wind and cracking sounds are heard under his feat with a thunder like snap. "Traitors!? Are you fucking kidding me? What in the fuck did they do to you when you guys did nothing? Ah well I guess you don''t have a clue since your shitty king probably told you I attacked the castle or some shit like that right? If your wondering they are all dead." The commanders face becomes gloomy as he remembers the heroes comrades on the battlefield that were resilient and powerful as they were the hope of all the soldiers. Yet, now they are dead from a battle that was heard towns away that shook ground beneath them more than the army of soldiers behind him. "You know, none of this would''ve happened if you shits just listened to me instead of that prick but I guess it doesn''t really matter now." Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Thats right, that doesn''t matter anymore. Whats done is done. I as the commander and leader of the empires royal army cannot falter here. Yet, I still don''t want to battle with this monster, not because he is powerful but because he is the one whom we took from his home and forced him to save us. The thoughts brew around in the commanders mind but his stopped from his thoughts as the former hero lifts his right remaining arm and holds a head sized purple heart. "Now I can go home huh. You know, after this long I don''t think I deserve to go home but I can''t stop here since i''ve already sacrificed enough. I don''t want to go through that again. Yet, I really want to go punch your king in the face and kill you all but I can''t." The soldiers all take a step back as their arms shake slightly in fear with the bloodlust oozing out of the monsters body in front of them. "Isn''t it funny? The person who you tried to kill said with her dying words to forgive you guys? I think thats really funny to be honest. If only Lily didn''t say that I would''ve killed you all right now but I can''t break that girls wish." The commander sighs quietly in relief as he hears some dark yet hopeful words coming from the red cloaked man. "Before I go though, i''ve got an actual request that I realllly want you guys to fulfil. Do you think your up to the task commander?" Confused but reminded of the hardships this man in front of him has gone through but to never ask for a reward or compensations for his deeds only deepen the guilt the commander feels towards the man before him. "If it is within my power, i''ll fully accept your wishes no matter how dangerous or atrocious it is as long as it doesn''t go against the people. It is the least I can do for all that you have done for us." The man simply smiles in delight as he hears trustworthy words from the leader of the army. "I''m starting to like you, you know? *Sigh* My only request is to destroy the hero summoning tower and get rid of all information regarding how to summon someone from another world as a hero. That is my only and final request I give to you and this world." Tensing up from the request given by the man in front of him as he processes the task he has been given. Yet difficult, not an impossible request as he fully understands his reasoning behind the mans request. Nodding in conformation causing the former hero to slightly smile in delight yet go back to a tired yet fulfilling face as he is reminded by the task he has yet to accomplish. Sighing, he continues. "I really hope you complete this request. Your people should no longer rely on the people from other worlds and kidnap them for your own purposes. It''s time to grow up and understand that only continuing this will further the fall of your country as it is unable to defend itself with it''s own strength. Well I best be going now, I don''t know how long I have left but I want to at least die in my home you know? Do me a favour and step back a bit." The commander nodding and turning around, issuing his troops to stand down and fall back. Some soldiers sighing in relief as the soldiers in the back only confused simply listen to the instructions and start to head back. The commander facing away from his troops as he faces the man before him simply smiles as he no longer has any reason to kill the man before him. Accepting and completing his final request is the minimum he can do for all he has done during their times of need. "I guess it''s time. See you late- ah. No, I hope I never see you again commander. Isn''t that weird? Heh, you know, i''ve never actually called you by your actual name. What as it again, oh thats right. I hope you are able to fulfil my request Ross" With a small curved smile on the mans face, he looks towards his remaining arm clenching the heart of the demon queen and starts to suck up the mana from within. Chanting a spell using an ancient language only some know of as a large blue and inner yellow circle appear around the man. The hearts beating slows as more mana is being absorbed and used in chanting a spell. As more verses are said, the circles on the ground start to shine and enlarge with the inner yellow circle slowly spinning. The scene of the former hero returning to his world is seen by all the soldiers and Ross as more lights and chants are heard across the field. Few minutes pass as the chanting finally stops and the lights slowly dimming down as the ground slowly starts to shake. Soldiers becoming cautious as they stare at the spectacle before them with the former hero slowly rising up from the ground and the demon queens heart simply turning to dust as it disappears due to the wind. The man floating above the ground smiles as he says some final words which are not heard as the sound of the teleportation is the only thing that can be heard. A blinding light is shined throughout the field as the ground starts to stop shaking. The lights start to slowly dim and what remains brings forth many different emotions from the soldiers. A dark burnt marking of a powerful spell is is left on the ground and small cracks are seen with some ash thats left of the queens heart is settled on the ground. The commander turning around facing his troops and starts to command his soldiers to return to the empire. "Soldiers! We are to return to the empire and fulfil the final and only request of the former hero! If you do not wish to accept, that is fine by me! However, for what he has sacrificed I believe this is the least we can do. We are to return and destroy the summoning tower! All who accept this will not gain any compensation but will only receive the honour of the former heroes request! Now, march back to the empire and destroy that tower to show the rest of the world that we will rely on our own strength in future battles and will succeed for generations!" The soldiers roar in agreement as if their fear from before was but a mask as they march back to the empire preparing for the consequences of going against the kings orders but filled with pride with the task to fulfil their saviours only request. The commander looks back to where the hero disappeared from and can only pray that his future will be but a peaceful one. Chapter 2: Arrival The summoning spell was a success. I seem to be crossing dimensions and is now travelling to back to my world. Or so I thought, as all but a white familiar scene surrounds me. I guess I have to talk to the gods before crossing dimensions like when I was first summoned. I wonder which one I have to talk to. As I starts to regain my senses, a sharp pain from my shoulder jolts my mind as my body is unable to move due my previous intense battle and the use of a large amount of mana. Why am I feeling pain? I¡¯m in the gods domain right? Yet, not only am I not able to move but I hardly feel any mana surrounding me at all? Looking around the room do I only start to understand the situation. An IV stand to my right and other devices surrounding me taking my vital signs. Hospital? How did I get here? No, I guess this is ideal since if I didn¡¯t make it here I would¡¯ve died somewhere else. Who brought me here? Such thoughts are of no use to me now. Right now, I need to speed up my healing or I don¡¯t believe i¡¯ll be able to survive past a day in my current condition. At least I should be able to patch up some of my wounds since theres no miasma here like the demon queens castle that will damage my body. Closing my eyes, I start to sense the surrounding mana and slowly start to absorb it into my body before spreading it around my wounds and fuelling my bodies cells to heal my wounds. I invented this technique using my worlds knowledge after crossing to the other but even though it does heal wounds it isn¡¯t omnipotent and it realises on my bodies stamina. It seems Earth has an extremely low level of mana when compared to the other world. That might explain why magic is non-existent since it¡¯s almost undetectable. While absorbing the mana around me, I notice someone who seems to be sitting down beside me and stand up staring at me intently. ¡°He, hey, are you okay? Uh..¡± A girl with black straight hair dropping straight down to the centre of her back with dark brown eyes is seen somewhat confused and worried at the man laying down on the bed. Looking up, I notice the modern clothing I missed as the woman clothing reminds me of the past. ¡°W..who are you?¡± With small cracks in my voice are heard while i¡¯m desperately trying to hide my tears I was finally able to realise my life goal but the first person I see reminds me of someone for some strange reason deep down. ¡°Uh.. I wanted to ask you the same thing you know¡ Um..you were kinda bleeding out.. in um my brothers room¡¡± ¡°Brothers Room¡±? Did I appear in someones house and just drop dead on the floor. I could¡¯ve sworn I was imagining my home¡. wait. I look closely at the girl in front of me and now do I realise just how lucky I have been to have the first person I see to be my sister. She¡¯s grown up over the past years and I almost didn¡¯t realise who this was until she mentioned me appearing in my own room. Tears of both joy and regret fall down start to fall down my face but I don¡¯t stop since theres no reason to stop. I start to reminisce about my younger 8 year old sister who was so cute but now seems to be a high schooler no doubt with her tall stature. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Stopping my healing due to exhaustion and simple relief, I lay back down on the bed and before I start to fall back to my slumber, I manage to say the words i¡¯ve always wanted to say for over 7 years. ¡°I¡¯m home¡¡± Akari POV Returning home from another day of school i¡¯m met back to my lonely home with only me and my mother who is now out working. Ever since the disappearance of my brother 7 years ago it¡¯s been lonely. Even though the police searched for him for over 3 years no traces were found at all. I never understood where my brother went but me and my mother were devastated. Even though I was only 8 I still remember my brother clearly since we did everything together. Although it¡¯s better now, it¡¯s still lonely. Where did you disappear to onii-san. Unlocking the door to my lonely home, I heard a loud thud from upstairs. ¡°Is mum home early?¡¡± Opening the door and slowly walking upstairs I see a flashing light coming from my brothers room and another loud thud. I slowly crept up to the room and ope the door slowly. I look around and I saw someone on the ground bleeding as blood spreads around the whole room Screaming I ran downstairs and started calling the ambulance and police before pulling out a knife from the kitchen and holding it in front of me. My legs are shaking in fear for the first time in my life. I don¡¯t know what to do. Theres a deadman in my brothers room. After a while of calming down, I start to slowly walk upstairs to peak through the doorway. All I see is the man simply laying there not moving at all. Entering, I notice the window still locked shut and the man with only one arm with a pleased face. Looking closer, I notice he somewhat looks familiar but right now theres no way I can keep looking at that. Going to the bathroom I pick out a rag used for bandaging up big wounds and start to rap it around¡ Why is he bleeding everywhere!? Who is he!? Hearing the sirens outside I bolt down the stairway and open the door calling for help. The ambulance run inside my house and I follow them in. Only now do I notice the man only has a single arm and a cosplay like robe around him soaked in his blood. I was questioned by the police who this man was but I tell them I have no idea who he is and they told me there was no break in found meaning someone let him in or the doors were unlocked which is impossible. My mother seems to of been contacted since I see her pulling up her car and running towards me asking if i¡¯m alright. I told her what happened and she told me to visit the person in the hospital to find out who he is. I¡¯m really scared but I keep getting this nagging feeling that I know this person yet I don¡¯t know who he is. We arrive at the hospital and we are told he is in room #204. My mother starts to ask me what injuries he had but I simply say I didn¡¯t get a good look at him. Which isn¡¯t necessarily a lie since I honestly do not know how many wounds he had and how bad his condition was. Walking up to the room we meet a nurse who says the man was almost dead before they made it to the hospital and is his condition isn¡¯t looking good. My mother and I get worried since a person almost died in my brothers room and I was about to witness it. Entering the room, I see the man is still unconscious and has almost his entire body rapped up in bandages from head to toe. I still don¡¯t know who he is but I keep getting this strange feeling like he¡¯s familiar but he has this aura that i¡¯ve never felt before. I turn and see my mother telling me that she has to leave since she rushed out of work without signing off so I wave her goodbye and sit down on the seat. Reorganising my thoughts I think about what happened and how this person got into my house. What was that light that came from the room and who gave him all these wounds? I can only think of these things yet I can¡¯t answer them until he wakes up so I sit still. After what felt about an hour or two he starts to fidget before opening his eyes. I¡¯m glad, I thought he wasn¡¯t going to wake up at all today. Before I start to ask if he¡¯s alright I sense something really strange around me as if it¡¯s being drawn to the man on the bed. What is this feeling? I watch as the man closes his eyes before his once bleeding body starts to regain some life in it which completely bewildered me. The cuts on his face start to slowly close up and his bruises on his legs start to fade away very slowly. After what felt to be about a few minutes I finally wake up and ask him whats on my mind right now. ¡°He, hey, are you okay? Uh..¡± Ah, I wonder if he heard me..? It looks like he noticed me but he just keeps staring at me weirdly. ¡°W..who are you?¡± Eh, is he crying? Does it really hurt that much? Ah, what do i do? Why do I feel like I know this person and want to hug him or something. What is this strange feeling. ¡°Uh.. I wanted to ask you the same thing you know¡ Um..you were kinda bleeding out.. in um my brothers room¡¡± He¡¯s crying!? Did I say something bad!? What do I do¡ Eh, maybe it really hurts or something and needs some pain killers. Thats right! Turning around I run out the door and start yelling for the nurses to get some help before returning to room and seeing the guy smiling. Why is his smile about to make me cry? He seems really tired, um what do I- ¡°I¡¯m home¡¡± I¡¯m home¡.? ¡°Onii-san¡?¡± Chapter 3: Reunion Waking up, I remember what happened before I fell asleep. It seems I wasn''t able to hold my tears and ended up crying in front of my sister. Even after all those years I was still able to cry. My wounds seem to have gotten better but i''m still feeling problems in my body due to the overuse of mana. It hurts but it''s nothing to worry about when compared to my previous injuries. I start to collect mana around me since my mana pool still isn''t in good shape. Before I start to heal my body I''m surprised by the person sleeping next to the bed. It seems I must''ve worried her.. Even though it''s been 7 years I still managed to remember her cute face. I go to pet her head but i''m disturbed by what I soon realised. My left arm is gone. During the battle I had to sacrifice my arm in order to behead the demon queen. I could replace it with some sort of pseudo arm but i''ve decided i''m going to leave it this way as a way to remember. Do I really deserve this though. Even though I managed to fight for all those years for the simple reason of going home, many of my friends died on the way. They did this for someone like me who would sacrifice others for their own selfishness. I really am pathetic aren''t I. "Nnn.." Ah it seems onee-san is waking up. What do I say? After all this time of being apart, do I just say ''Hey sis, long time no see'' or something. How do I even explain where i''ve been all this time? I slowly move my remain hand towards her and start shaking her head. "Hey, wake up." "Nnn.. onii-san.." She seems to be dreaming about me even though i''ve disappeared for this long. I guess it must of been hard for her too. I wonder if mom is alright. I don''t even know what to say to her at all either. "Hey, Akari-chan wake up." "Eh.. ah um..sorry!" She seems to be somewhat embarrassed to be sleeping next to some strange man like me. I guess she still isn''t convinced it''s me but it can''t be helped. If I was her i''d never believe a man who was found dying in their house. Now then, the moment of truth. "Akari, you''ve seem to have grown." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. She seemed to be anxious and confused since i''m talking as if I''m her brother which I am. "W.who are you?" "I see, you don''t remember me huh. Can''t be helped since i''ve been gone for so long." "Onii-san...?" "Akari, sorry i''ve been gone for so long. I''ve been busy, hows mom? Is she doing well?" I don''t know what to even say anymore. It seems like she''s about to cry since i''ve come back. She''s had it rough without me protecting her. "Is.. is it really you *sniff* onii-san?" "Of course it''s me Akari, who else could it be? It''s me your one an-" Before I could finish what I was saying, I was embraced by her who was sobbing tears al over my face. "*Sniff* Onii-san where have you been!? *Sniff* We''ve been worried so much about you! What happened!? Who did this to you!? *Sniff* Are you going to disappear again?! Don''t leave me again onii-san." Ah, i''ve always waited for this moment somewhere in my heart. I start to pet my still sobbing sister to calm her down. "Don''t worry anymore, i''m not going anywhere alright? I''m here now, it''s alright now." She seems to of called down somewhat but doesn''t want to let go of me. "Are you really not going to leave us again? Really?" "Don''t worry, I came back after so long just so I could see you. It''s fine now." "I''m so glad but where have you been?" What do I say? That I was summoned to another world and had to participate in many battles and wars that involved hundreds of near death battles involving the fate of the world? Do I say I was kidnapped and I managed to run away? I thought about it somewhat but i''ve never actually gone in depth in how I should explain my circumstances. "Can I tell you later? I''m really tired and your hurting me a bit." Finally she realises she''s been laying and hugging tightly on my already injured and weak body. Even though it hurt, I didn''t complain since I was rewarded by a hug. Before we managed to continue our conversation any longer there was a knock on the door. Entering the room there seems to be a woman in blue clothing and she seems to be holding a notebook in her hands. Who is she? Oh shit it''s the police isn''t it? I didn''t think about the police at all when I thought about returning. I guess this is inevitable since not only was I badly injured but I broke into my own house. She seems to notice that i''ve woken up and asks for Akari to step outside since i''m going to be questioned. "It seems you''ve finally woken up. I''m part of the police team that is investigating the break in concerning the home of the Miyazaki''s. Could you explain why you were found in there and why you were badly wounded to this extent?" It seems it''s already question time. She didn''t ask for my name yet, so either they found out who I am or are trying to solve the more concerning matter of someone appearing out of nowhere in someones home. I don''t really want to get involved with the police since it''ll be troublesome and take a long time to settle down with them on my backs. I wonder if i''m able to change her memory and find a way to stop the investigation. I''m not the best at mind magic, but since there isn''t any magic in this world or at least none that I know of it shouldn''t be too difficult. I start to collect mana in the surrounding area and manipulating it to a certain extent before whispering a chant and sending it directly into the woman¡¯s head. *Thud* Eh, what? Did I kill her? I look down towards the ground and I see the woman passed out on the floor. She doesn''t seem dead but i''m pretty sure I didn''t use that much mana to overload her brain? Ah, I guess since the humans here don''t use magic they have almost no magic resistance so I think it''s reasonable that she simply passed out. I guess i''m really dangerous in this world even when i''m trying to limit my self to a certain extent. I start to use the rest of the mana I collected and start to mess with her memories slowly now, since I don''t want anymore complications. Now thats done, when she wakes up she should think she came here to ask i''f i¡¯m okay and leave. Then she would call off the investigation saying that theres nothing to be worried about. Although I might have to do this again to some other people, I don''t want to use this in the future since it''s dangerous and I don''t like messing with peoples minds. She seems to be waking up so I lift her up using some more mana and put her into a standing position. It would be weird if she woke up on the floor right? I would even be freaked out if that happened to me. She seems to be confused for a moment but it looks like my memory manipulation magic worked. "It seems theres nothing to be concerned about here anymore. I hope for your full recovery now, i''ll be leaving." "Bye." She leaves the room while touching her head as if she has a headache. I''ll need to make sure I keep my self limited unless something happens but I don''t think i''ll need to go at full power at all ever again. Although theres a concern if i''m able to completely utilise the mana in this world since there is less of it I don''t think I need to be worried about that. Akari seems to be worried when she enters the room and asks me what happened but I just tell her theres nothing to be worried about. Even though she seems to be calling me onii-san theres still some doubt in her heart which I believe is completely reasonable. "Hey Akari, do you want to do a blood test?" "Blood test is it.. why?" "Well, even though I told you i''m your brother theres no way you''ll believe it right? So, lets do a blood test to confirm that we really are siblings." She seems to be thinking about it but looks at my injuries and me back and forth. "Don''t worry, i''ll just lose a little blood. Thats nothing to being able to come back home." I say that while smiling to give her some reassurance. "..Okay, but please rest until your all better okay? I don''t want you to get your self hurt anymore." She''s looks so cute when she''s worried about me. I have to look at this face for now on don''t I? I''m glad I made it back. Chapter 4: Catching up I and my sister started talking about things including what''s been happening at home and how life has been while I was gone. I also started to talk about what happened before I disappeared so that I become more credible even if it is a somewhat of a dark topic for both of us. My sister Miyazaki Akari is now 15 Years old who is in her last year of Junior High school. She seems to have made some friends who have helped her after my disappearance and made her life overall better. Apparently, she got a part-time job at a fast food restaurant and earns some money to pay the bills while my mom works at a school cafeteria. Due to my father''s death during a robbery when I was 13, my mom was in shock and couldn''t work for the first year. During this time I looked for work and helped my family earn some money. My mom started getting better but then I disappeared which only made it even harder for her. If my mom didn''t have Akari I don''t know what she would have done with herself but I don''t think it would''ve been a good thing. After my disappearance, there was a police investigation trying to figure out what happened to me but it remained a mystery. The last time I was seen was on a security camera near the park. After that, there was nothing else and it was deemed I either ran away or was kidnapped and killed for some unknown reason. My sister didn''t understand at the time but she was extremelydepressed and would constantly ask if I was going to be alright which only made my mom''s condition worse. My mom was forced to work since there was no more money to pay for the house anymore but my mom refused to move since she was expecting me to come home one day. Even after many incidents regarding money, my mom focused on Akari''s education and kept getting money so that she can have a bright future. Even though it was hard for them to put up with it all this time since I''m here now they don''t have to worry about it. Before I came here I, of course, thought of some ways to make money. I thought about many things but the easiest way for me to make money was to bring gold over but I was limited to the amount since if I come out of nowhere with an abundant of gold I''ll be investigated. I also thought about many other ways to make money but my favourite is setting up my own small shop somewhere and selling things that I made in the other world. Using my knowledge of another world, I created many types of devices out of magic including clocks, long distance communication devices, mana pills, and other products. Due to my inventions, the world started to slowly change adapting and creating their own products to help with businesses and overall the life standards. I also managed to somehow get across the fact that the world doesn''t need magic, although at first everyone started calling me crazy but some took it to heart and tried researching further into this topic. I taught those that wanted to change the world through my ideas about electricity and some things I knew about science and they seemed to start advancing slowly. Although I won''t be able to see it for myself, I still think that even without aiding in the war I managed to impact the world greatly. During our conversation, we were interrupted two crime investigators but with the use of my magic they let without asking any questions which confused Akari but I told her not to worry about it.by Akari''s phone and it seemed mom has called saying that she will come visit. After some time Akari got a call from mom saying she will come to the hospital to find out what happened while she was at work.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Akari mentioned that I''ve returned Akari was scolded greatly over the phone for making jokes but seemed to be somewhat hopeful after hearing more about me regarding my return. "Akari, what do I say to mom. I really don''t know how to face her in this condition." I''m honestly scared since my mom was really overprotective after my father''s death and seeing me like this will be a huge shock. I don''t want my mom to become overprotective again after seeing me since I want to be able to take care of them for now on to fill in my role during my absence. "It should be alright, don''t worry since she will be glad no matter what!" Akari seems like she will convince my mother I''m alright no matter what since she seems to understand my worries. After about what seemed to be half an hour later, the door seemed to open and a woman walks in. She seemed to be in the early 40''s and is wearing what you would normally find what a cafeteria lady wears in a school. She resembles Akari but has a much more adult feel with longer hair and some wrinkles here and there but still has somewhat of a youthful appearance. Mom doesn''t seem to have changed greatly other than having a gloomier look and older appearance. "Akari! What were you saying about Kou-chan all of a sudden!?" Akari seemed to of been somewhat anxious to explain the situation but there''s no need for her to do anything since I''m going to be the talking. "Mom were in a hospital, you should be yelling you know. You might wake the patients up." Shifting her head towards my direction, her somewhat angry expression cools down a bit as she looks at me while I simply smile after a subtle joke. Instead of telling me to stop pretending to act like her son she just looks at me for a few seconds before slowly walking up to me. "K, Kou-chan, Is that really you..?" She''s already recognised me even though it''s been so long. Is this some sort of power all mothers have, being able to recognise their children on the spot? "I''ve come home, mom." I just smile back at her while she starts to shake before jumping towards me crying as she hugs me. "What happened to you kou-chan!? We looked for you everywhere but we couldn''t find you! Who did this to you!? Are you alright? Does it hurt? Are you feeling okay?" While mom is hugging me I just hold her tight while Akari watches us while tears start to form in her eyes. "It''s okay now, I''m fine. I really wanted to see you again mom." Although saying these words make me almost cry I keep up my cool act since I need to make sure mom knows I''m okay. "Kou-chan who did this to you? You''re hurt everywhere are you okay? Your..arm.." She seems worried about me since not only am I all bandaged up but I''m also missing an arm. I really don''t know how to explain this but eventually, I''m going to tell them that was in another world but I''ll leave out all the dangerous stuff. Although it will look like I''m crazy at first I won''t mind it since no one would believe me no matter what I say. "Don''t worry mom, I just got a little hurt there''s nothing to worry about. Akari told you were worried about me all this time. I''m here now so you don''t need to worry anymore." Mom just seemed to hug me tighter while asking me more questions while I just answer with ''I''ll explain later when the time is right'' or ''You don''t have to worry about that anymore'' and so on. "Akari, do you know what happened to the cloak I was wearing?" Akari seemed to be a little anxious when I asked her but that cloak may seem simple but it''s my own specially designed magic clothing made from an ancient spiders thread and enchanted with multiple types of magic. Even though it was riddled with holes during the battle against the demon queen It is able to fix itself over time when absorbing the mana around it. "..It was stained with blood so after I got it back from the officers after they were done with it I washed it....That''s right why did they give it back so quickly..." I ignore what Akari mumbled and ask her to give me it for a second so I can do something. Akari returns with a folded dark gray cloak that is simply plain and cheap but if someone who can sense mana saw this they would do whatever they can to steal it due to its priceless value. Opening up the cloak I put my hand into one of the pockets and start to send mana into it and pull out two small gold pieces of ore that weigh around 2 kgs. Mom just looks at it amased and confused while Akari has a face that says ''Where did that come from? It was empty when I washed it?'' "Mom, you have money problems right? Here, take this and sell it at a jewelry store somewhere and use it to buy a better house to live in." I shove it into mom''s hands and stares at her hands amazed by the sparkling gold ore but soon she realises what she is holding and starts to give it back to me. "K, TheresKou-There''sno way I can take this you know!? Where did you even get this? This is atleast over 5 million yen!" After a while of debating, she reluctantly takes the gold and puts it away before anyone sees it. Akari seemed to be troubled about where I got it from but I just say ''I didn''t do anything illegal so don''t worry'' and ''I''ve got more so don''t worry about me'' which was probably a bad thing to say since they start to question me about where I got it even more. Although I don''t know the exact price of how much gold is worth I know it is worth much more than what my mother thinks unless the prices changed while I was gone. Even if I wanted to be filthy rich by selling these I don''t want to since it will be troublesome and I would rather work for money at the moment. After some more talking about the past and more questioning about what happened to me a nurse comes in to take my blood and my sisters for the blood test. Akari told me it''s not needed anymore but I told her I''d rather do this since it would be better than words which she admits but says she would believe me anyway even if the results say were not related which troubles me. It started to get late and I told them to go home for now since it was getting dark. Akari and mom told me there''s no way they will leave me but I told them that school and work are more important right now so before I come home I told them to get my room ready. Chapter 5: Returning home Now that they''re gone, I need to properly start fixing my body. When I start collecting mana, I notice my mana pool is also slowly starting to mend itself. Due to the low mana concentration, even if it takes longer to fill up it will be able to heal itself without interference from the surroundings. Spreading the mana around my body and directly into my wounds I start to feel a lot more refreshed even if it takes up my stamina. Although it''s late, I guess I haven''t eaten anything since coming here. Looking towards the table to my right, there''s a tray with some food and some utensils. Although I didn''t miss eating these types of food it doesn''t mean I wouldn''t prefer eating it over what I ate at the Inns. It was average but it can''t be helped since it was both cold and served for low-paying patients. I start to continue my healing and taking a proper rest while recollecting my thoughts about the day. I finally managed to meet my family once again but my rage against the empire only builds. Even if I know they didn''t specifically select me, but due me having the so-called best magical talent on earth for the reason of being their only hope doesn''t sit well with me. They were in a time of need but instead of resorting to using their own power and sacrifice they took the easy way out and just summoned another hero like always. My family missed me, and there is an irreversible time gap created for their selfish reasons. I left them and only made things worse while I was gone and I couldn''t help in any way possible. Although I hate them, it''s already over now and I can''t do anything to fix it other than pushing forward and returning. This time, I''m going to create a better environment for both my mother and sister to live in. Focusing my goal in mind, I fall asleep after my body gets to the point where it can''t continue healing anymore unless it gets damaged.