A Degenerate's Tale

In the Ofrain Kingdom.

The home of the Hero King. In the throne room.

"Your Majesty, report! All the knights we sent to the Holy Continent. They've been all been... exterminated!"

On top of the throne was an elderly man. He was the king of the Ofrain Kingdom. A descendant of the Hero King. His name was Pius Ofrain.

He closed his eyes to take in the weight of the information. The knights of the Ofrain Kingdom. If they were all dead, it meant that the Kingdom no longer had a military.

"Summon the mages. We will summon Otherworldly Heroes and take them into our ranks."

"O-Otherworldly Heroes?"

King Ofrain no longer spoke.

Days later, the higher echelons of the Ofrain Kingdom gathered in a dark hall.

A dozen Expert Mages formed a circle as they recited a long spell.

King Ofran and his son, Crowned Prince Mark Ofrain, quietly observed this from afar. Their faces were solemn.

Hours passed, and the chanting stopped. Then, a flash of light filled the room, and four silhouettes could be seen.

Hero POV.

My name is Seno Shin or Shin for short.

I'm just your average high school student. Living the monotonous lifestyle of spending most of my time at school and arriving home to an empty house.

My hobbies are reading and playing video games. Sounds pretty average, right?

Outside the window, the sun was just starting to set. The clouds were dyed a beautiful shade of red and orange.

It was just her and I in this empty classroom. Quietly doing our work.

Perhaps that was the only notable part about me.

My relationship with her.

I slowly bring my face up and look at her from the corner of my eyes.

She's a very beautiful girl. The flower of this school. Black hair, black eyes. Pale skin and an athletic body that has all the curves in the right places. In short, she is a Yamato Nadeshiko. "The personification of an ideal Japanese woman". Her name is Konno Kayo, my childhood friend.

Because I looked at her for too long, she started to look my way, and I hurriedly turned my head away. If I meet her eyes, I will begin to blush like a tomato and stutter like an idiot.

"Seno-kun."

My heart starts to beat erratically at the sound of her voice. Did I get caught? Is she going to call me out for staring at her for too long?

"Y-Yes?"

"It's getting late. I'll be heading out now. See you." Kayo's voice was like a spring breeze that washed my anxiety away. Yet, at the same time, it suddenly gave me courage.

"W-wait!"

Before I knew it, I had already called out to her. Something I've only dreamed of doing.

"What?"

I stood up from my seat and said with all my courage. "I should head out too. Let's walk together."

It felt like an eternity as I waited for her answer.

"Okay."

It was like a huge boulder was lifted from my body when I heard her answer.

Not wanting to keep her waiting for long, I hurriedly packed up my stuff, not caring if I left anything behind.

At the school gate, she stood alone quietly. This picturesque scene only served to take my breath away.

Like that, we begin to walk home together for the first time in years.

"I think it was middle school that we last walked home together."

That's right... we used to be close. We played at the park, laughed at cartoons, and ate together like a family. We spent our childhood together.

But things changed as we grew older. We both matured and naturally parted ways. Kayo became the flower of the school, and I became a side character in the back of the classroom.

"Y-yeah."

"You've changed a lot."

"Y-yeah."

"Seno-kun."

"Y-"

Before I could say anything this time, a massive flash of light engulfed us.

When I came to, we were standing in a vast, dark hall from the middle ages. Something you would see in those western movies.

Dozens of men in dark robes surrounded us.

I did a double-take. Next to me was my childhood friend, Konno Kayo. Behind us were two other people. They wore the same uniform as us, so we went to the same school. They look vaguely familiar. I think the boy is Toma Takumi and the girl is Ishihara Iori?

Before I could think any further, the men in dark robes stepped away and made way for a pair of an older man and a handsome young man.

Are they celebrities?

The man looks handsome and dashing. The older man looks like someone very respected. They both wore clothes of medieval royalties.

"It seems like the hero summoning was a success, father."

"Mhmm..." The elderly nodded at his son. "It's up to you from here."

"Leave it to me, father!"

They seem to be speaking a foreign language. Is it English? I don't know, but I seem to be able to understand perfectly.

It was at this moment that my life changed forever.

"Welcome, heroes!"