We sat in a relatively large room which housed a few couches and armchairs. All of them had some very comfortable cushions of surprisingly high quality. Additional furnishing included coffee tables, dressers, two double beds in the back of the room and even a harp. This was clearly some high-class guestroom, normally likely used by high-ranking nobles and other distinct quests of honour. Putting us here was certainly flattering but at the same time put us under more pressure. Since they’re so nice and welcoming to us, we are likely expected to return the favour and agree to their demands more easily. Well, we will see about that, cheeky bastards.

The students, after being served some tea and various sweets to snack on, seem to have mostly calmed down, now chatting between one another. It was mostly Kira trying to show off in front of the ladies but the rest of the students, for once, welcomed his antiques as a form of comedy. This left Lucas, the commander and me basically to ourselves, although I knew the others were still intently listening to every piece of information shared. With the exception of the two times when a maid came in to refill the snacks and tea and check on our status, we talked without a break for over three hours. Gradually, the students started to lose their focus a little, which I couldn’t blame them for. At times even Lucas seemed to be disinterested in a lot of the details we have talked through. I could still tell they were all trying their best, though. And now that we ran out of questions, we just sat there in silence. Lucas and I were going over this whole thing again in our heads, while Tserkit simply sat there, with his arms crossed, waiting for any new questions we may still come up with.

The short version of the whole situation plaguing this realm isn't too complicated. It's quite the average story you could expect from a set of circumstances like these. There was a prophecy about a great, evil Demon King being revived in some unforeseen future. The few kingdoms in the region thus decided to form a Holy Alliance to try and fight back against the fiends. They managed to hold off fairly fine for a pretty long time but can’t make any gains against the demons and now their attacks are gradually becoming more and more ferocious. This likely means the big bad guy is likely close to being reborn and demons are gaining more strength as a result. However, the threat isn't imminent, yet it isn't a far off one either, giving us both time to take it at our own pace and the pressure to not be distracted too much from preparing. The Demon King could revive anytime between a few weeks from now up to a couple of years into the future though, according to mystics. At that point the demons would still need some extra time to launch their full offensive. The general consensus is it will take no fewer than three years and not more than seven but it’s pure speculation. Either way, the Holy Alliance came to an understanding that they barely stand a chance against the hordes of demons, who were far superior in strength and resilience to even the most dangerous monsters they have thus far encountered. The demons, who were already a thorn in the side of humanity for a couple of decades, were way more powerful than humans, likely outnumbered them too, morale wasn't a factor for them and now there was also a much bigger threat looming over the horizon. Because of that, they engaged in a Hero summoning ritual, hoping to summon seven beings of great power who were bound by gods to help this realm. Yet something clearly went wrong, as seen by the fact there are nine of us and that we aren't as keen on helping the Holy Alliance as they expected us to be. Or at least I am not, the other Heroes all confirmed to have a feeling like they should offer their help to the various countries of this realm, although most of them can’t seem to be fully confident if they really want to do that or if they just feel some sort of an obligation towards their heavenly duty. A few, like the ever hot-headed Kira, but also Shin and Ikaze, even stated that they will help this world no matter the decision I made. After a bit of pressure, Tserkit caved in and admitted to an additional fact that the summoning ritual is supposed to ensure that the Heroes will agree to provide their support. It was some sort of a magical enchantment that was also meant to keep them calmer after the summoning took place. This was most likely why everyone was confused as to how quickly I woke up. I recalled the priestess girl saying something about the ritual not being fully complete yet. Could this be what she was referring to back then? This would also explain why my students were much more composed compared to how they behaved during the summoning and why they all seem just a little out of place now. For some reason, however, the spell appeared to have mostly failed and the commander suggested it might be related to me also being summoned, as I was the first one to wake up and the most rebellious one at that, although it was simply a wild speculation on his part.

In the meantime we also talked a lot about the geopolitics of this realm. Tserkit mentioned a lot of names of countries and towns that I had no chance of remembering anyway, so I simply didn't bother to. I will learn about everything in due time if it's important enough. What I did remember was the name of the city we were in, Sevondrea. It could come in useful at some point, after all, we still had no idea what the future might hold for us.

There was just one more thing I had to ask the commander. I felt like I already knew the answer but I just wanted to confirm it:

-Is there a way for us to get back to our world?

Tserkit remained silent for a couple of seconds, his expression already telling me everything I needed to know. Finally, he found the words he was looking for:

-We currently know of no such ways.

-Will researching it take priority?

I immediately followed up and the old commander looked me up in the eyes, replying with barely any hint of reservation:

-I highly doubt it. The longer you stay here, the more likely you are to cooperate with us. They will likely mention working on it but it will almost definitely be just a facade. They may even use the pretext of defeating the Demon King as a condition for your successful return.

-And why are you telling us all this?

Again, the commander stopped for a second. He looked to the side, as if checking how my students were enjoying the cake. Some seemed to be completely lost in the sweet pleasure however a few eyes and ears were still directed towards us.

-I just don't want to live with regret or bad consciousness. I believe it is better for you to know the truth now than to discover the lies later and resent us for it. If you guys can become as powerful as the legends paint you, I don’t want to be anywhere near your bad side, that’s all.

-Wise choice.

I leaned back, thinking about it for a moment. Lucas didn't say anything but I could feel his gaze on me. He left the final decision to me. Eventually, I let out a heavy sigh.

-Could you leave us alone for a few minutes?

Tserkit nodded and stood up, turning to the door and leaving without an additional word. He didn't even look behind himself at us. Once the door shut and the room remained in complete silence for a few seconds, I glanced over my students.

-So, some of you have already made your choices but still… What's your take on all of this, guys?

My pupils glanced around at each other, as if confirming that the others felt the same way they did. Lidia was the first one to break the silence:

-I think we should help them.

Lana didn’t seem like she enjoyed the idea but she still made a valid point:

-It's not like we can go back home anyway, is it?

Shin, Ikaze and Kira were practically jumping on the hills from excitement.

-This is kinna exciting, isn't it?

-Yeah, they seem to be in need.

-Heck yeah! I mean, come on, there’s even magic here!

The rest quietly nodded, unsurprisingly, all in agreement. They quickly started talking about how exciting living as revered heroes could be and what interesting things they could find in a magical world like this one. Seeing them, a smile forced itself on my face. Somehow, even I seemed somewhat excited to see what those guys can achieve with seemingly limitless possibilities they have here. I turned to Lucas with a defeated sigh.

-And you?

-Personally, I am against it. I'm not sure they will be able to handle it, especially if we’re supposed to be separated from now on. It will take a huge toll on them for sure. But it doesn't look like we have much of a choice either and I don't want to think what they will do if we go against them. Even if we're powerful beings capable of defeating armies, we're unarmed, untrained in ways of magic and in an unfamiliar place. It's better to cooperate, at least for now, and think of future possibilities once we are in a better spot. Who knows, maybe we’ll even grow to like it here.

-Same reasoning as mine then, huh? Alright, let's agree to help them and go from there. Who knows how it will turn out anyway.

I stood up, which caused my student to stop chit-chatting and look over in my direction. I walked up to the door and opened it. Tserkit was standing right in front of me, leaning against a pillar supporting the roof above the hallway that we were walking down earlier. He glanced at me expectantly.

-We decided to provide you with our support, for now.

-Thank you, I’m confident we will work out our differences in the future and start trusting one another once you live here for a bit. Now, please, follow me, all of you.

-Where to?

-To check your magic attributes.

I nodded and looked over my shoulder, motioning everyone to get up and join us. We walked there in complete silence, both worried and excited about what's to come. It didn't take too long before we came to a massive, reinforced door under a huge tower made from a dark stone, a stark contrast to all the white this whole place was built in. I noticed it and its red roof earlier from a distance and was mildly curious about it and I guess I will get my answers soon enough.

We entered the tower, coming into a huge, nearly empty room illuminated by nothing more than a few torches on the walls. There was no ceiling, the underside of the red roof clearly visible with an ominous glow that I couldn’t quite locate the source of. The only piece of furniture inside was a slate altar with a book on it and some sort of a white, convoluted circle on the ground in front of it. There were three people wearing dark robes and hoods standing around the altar, all spreading their hands wide and up as if praying or in some trance.

-What kind of cultist play is this?

I asked, stopping in my tracks. Tserkit sighed, likely offended by the way I phrased the question, and turned towards me to answer it.

-The are many ways of measuring one's magic however most can only measure the general compatibility and only a very rough ability level. This circle can estimate all compatibilities as well as give a much better estimate of the overall magic power. It was also adapted to help identify the God that has chosen each Hero as their champion. It’s the only such circle in existence and it requires very specific steps, ceremonies and incantations to work properly. Now, if one of you could enter the magic circle…

-I'll go first.

I shifted my gaze to Lucas, who gave me a reassuring smile. He had to pick up on it too and that’s why he volunteered first, before I could. Something about this whole situation didn’t add up. This circle was specifically adapted for us, Heroes. This meant they knew more about this whole summoning ritual or Heroes alone than even Tsarkit is letting us in on. Could it be that we’re not the first ones here, by any chance? Could they already summon someone or could some Heroes have been summoned to this world long before? I will have to study some legends about that when I get a chance to. The stories of old could hold some valuable information for us. But for now, we were already at the circle, so pulling back now wasn’t exactly an option. I nodded my head and stepped aside to let Lucas pass. I knew there was no talking him out of this and if I cannot go first to check on things, I’d rather have him do it in my place. I knew he had much better chances of surviving anything that might be thrown at him than the other students, and likely even me. While I did care for all of my students, he was the only one I could put my trust in to do things right.

Once he received my go-ahead, my friend turned on his hill and started heading towards the centre of the circle with a theatrically confident step. As soon as he approached it, the hooded figures started chanting something in a weird and agglomerated language. After a short while, the magic circle erupted in a rainbow of bright colours. I heard some of my students gap in surprise, a few taking a step back. I frowned, having a feeling this wasn't supposed to happen. As soon as the light died down, the mages converged behind the altar and started to enthusiastically discuss something in hushed but excited voices. This only confirmed my speculations. I figured things won’t go that smoothly for us here.

-So... What does all that mean?

Lucas was the one to break the awkward silence that befallen the tower. The cultist-looking mages suddenly stopped whatever they were doing and all together turned towards him. They stared at him for a moment in a fairly creepy fashion but then, all at once, suddenly, they all straightened up. One of them coughed in an awkward manner and extended his hands to his sides in a welcoming manner.

-Dear Hero, it appears that you have been favoured by all of the seven Gods of our realm. You seem to possess great physical power and high aptitude for magic, including rare arts. You truly are a Hero among Heroes and worthy of leading our Holy Alliance in the fight against the Demon King! And your fellow Heroes too, obviously.

-Nah, mate. There's already someone serving as our parent, I don't need to take up his role. Hey, Ed! If I was chosen like this, I'm afraid to think what your level will be at!

-Please, don't put me in such a spotlight. What if I don’t end up being some near-god existence and will instead turn out to be just ordinary at best?

I stared down at the laughing Lucas and turned towards my students to check up on them. Seeing that as an apparent sign from me, they all formed a line to the circle, surprisingly not really pushing for spots. Everyone just kind of found their place and took it.

The next seven students’ evaluations weren't anything as flashy as Lucas’s was. Each of them received a blessing of a different god and various levels of magic, from above average to rather powerful but not particularly exceeding the expectations of the mages. All of my pupils looked rather excited after having their aptitudes checked. At this point I couldn't really say if they were indeed enjoying themselves or if it was that horrid spell that was cast on them during the summoning ritual taking its toll. Still, I decided against saying anything to them in case they were truly excited. It was good for them to have gained decent strength. That should make surviving a lot easier for them and mean they’re treated with a decent level of respect. Or so I had hoped. Still, having suddenly gained all this power and status, I was afraid some of them may get lost in it and step down on a wrong path. I’ll lecture them later, they’ve heard enough of this for today already. I’ll let them enjoy the moment for now.

-Edward, now's your turn.

-Go show them, teacher!

-I'm sure you will have the best abilities of us all!

I put my hand up to calm down my students. I didn't like how they were raising expectations of me again. I could see the commander's and the mages' curious gazes fixed on me. After all, all gods have already chosen their champions and there was even Lucas who was chosen by all of them at once. Could they have chosen two champions to fulfil the role of being that radiant knight in the shining armour? Or will my magic aptitude just be off the chart since I'm technically their teacher and the strongest fighter in the group? So far it seemed to rank people's strength similarly to our internal ranking system at my fencing school. If we go with that as a guiding point, I should be at least as powerful as Lucas was with his magical aptitude. Well, there was only one way to find out and it wasn’t by idly standing around.

I stepped into the circle and the mages started their incantation yet again. Once they finished, however… absolutely nothing had happened. There were no lights, no weird sounds and everyone around looked utterly surprised.

-What, did we mess something up?

-Should we perform it again?

-Let's try again, slower now. Maybe we were too excited.

And so, coming to a quick agreement, the mages performed the rite once more. And once more, absolutely nothing had happened. Somehow, despite that, the second try seemed even less spectacular than the first one.

After staring at me in disbelief for at least a whole minute, they, quite literally, jumped over the altar and started investigating the magic circle for any damages, signs of mana depletion or any other possible irregularities or abnormalities. They ended up running around the tower looking like headless chickens as they checked, double-checked and sometimes even triple-checked various things, investigated the walls for any oddities and cross-referenced a series of parchments and books to ensure the absolute perfect condition for performing the ritual were actually achieved. Quite a few long minutes later, they returned to the altar and whispered to one another for a bit longer before they turned to face me, all at once, which was more than slightly disturbing. Even though I couldn't see their faces under their hoods, I could feel their piercing gazes on me, curious and suspicious at the same time.

-Edward, was it? It appears there are two possible outcomes: you either possess more magical power than we can measure or you don't possess any at all. We would like to run a small test to confirm that.

-Of course, what is it?

I agreed instantly, at this point kind of just wanting to be done with this. The test couldn’t hurt much either, right? Seemingly content with my eager cooperation, the mage nodded and turned his side to me. He extended his hand and muttered something. Suddenly, a ball of fire appeared at the end of his fingers, which then burst forward and splashed against the wall of the tower. With that, he turned towards me again.

-That was a very basic spell called Seidr. It causes your magic to spontaneously release and take the form of your strongest element. It is actually another commonly used method of testing the aptitude and magical power, although it can only detect a single element. I would like you to perform that spell.

-How do I do it?

-Pick your target, focus on it, imagine the magical power surging through your body like a wild force and, with an extended hand, speak out the name of the spell.

I nodded and extended my hand towards the wall, mimicking the moves presented by the mage. I wasn’t paying that much attention to him when he first performed the spell but, luckily for me, he presented everything once again when he was explaining it to me. I took a deep breath and tried to imagine what he had told me. I was having some tough time going by that description but, with a little focus, I finally managed to imagine the magical power within me. It took the form of a river flowing chaotically throughout my whole body. That’s how I always imagined magical power would accumulate in a person if it was real and so I just decided to go with it. I held my breath for a moment, trying to imagine redirecting that river towards my outstretched arm. As I exhaled, I opened my eyes to confirm I was pointing towards a wall and not another person and shouted:

-Seidr!

And yet, likely to no one’s surprise, absolutely nothing happened. The mage who instructed me turned around to his colleagues but those simply shrugged and shook their heads. The guy then returned his gaze to me, his voice betraying his disappointment but also hinting at the fact he was fairly perplexed by what he just saw.

-We were unable to detect any mana fluctuations. Usually even a failed spell generates some. Hence, we have to conclude that you possess no magic whatsoever. This makes you the weakest of all the people here, if not in the whole realm, as the precedent of someone having absolutely no magical power has never been recorded before. In fact, so far it was only speculated to potentially be true. You’re the first person to be confirmed to have no magical power. If possible, we would like to run some tests later on, if you’re willing to assist us. I promise it won’t hurt… too much.

-I understand. Those tests will have to be put on hold for now, however.

I made my reply and turned away before any of my students had a chance to jump in and defend me. I already had a feeling that's how it will turn out. I'm an anomaly in this summoning, I've already figured that out. But usually, in stories like this, it's the odd guy who ends up the strongest, right? Maybe there's still a chance for me yet. However, not having any magic or other blessings sure does sound rough. This world seems to depend strongly on them and even if I were to unlock my abilities later, it's likely still going to be rather tough until I get there.

The mage nodded, seemingly thankful that I didn't make it difficult for him. He gathered some papers off the altar and handed them over to the commander. Tsarkit looked over them briefly, stopping for a bit longer at one in particular. I assumed it’s either mine or Lucas’s. We were the only two real anomalies in this lineup.

-So you really do not have any magic, huh. That's indeed the first time I've ever heard about something like that. I do feel sorry for you, kid. Truly.

-I managed just fine until now without it, I can cope.

I shrugged and started walking back to the group. My students were all confused, they didn't know how to react or how to face me. They were sure I'm going to be the greatest one among them all but it proved otherwise. Some of them probably now felt guilty for putting me in the spotlight earlier and hyping up the others that I will surely receive the greatest blessings of them all. I couldn’t really blame them for that, though. I let out a sigh, not sure how to cheer them up either. That's when I felt a strong pat on the back. I turned around to face Lucas and his usual wide smile.

-I guess that means we're stronger than you now? I call it bullshit. I'm not giving up until I beat you fair and square, no magic used, you hear? That's what my goal in life was and I'm not changing it. So don't forget to keep training yourself, you old dog. I anticipate a good fight with you in the future!

I stared at him, somewhat dumbfounded, but when it hit me what he was trying to play off, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. I let out another heavy sigh, this time reprimanding myself for getting lost in my thoughts and not acting when I should. I put a smug smirk on my face as I crossed my arms.

-Come at me with all the magic you have. I'll still beat you up into a pulp. A student cannot best their master and I'll work my ass off to prove that. So don't slack off yourself either. You too, guys. As your teacher, I have great expectations of all of you, both for when the time comes for us to face off again and while you perform your duties as Heroes. I want the people here to sing ballads about your merits, you hear me!

My students didn't immediately pick up on what was going on as they shared confused glances with one another. But then, it seemed to hit them all at once and they all gave us big smiles, laughing and proudly boasting their chests. Even the more shy ones joined in this time.

-You bet, teacher!

-We'll grow strong enough to beat both of you!

-Just you wait and see.

I smiled seeing them invigorated once again. At the very least, they now had a more feasible goal to work towards. Saving the world was a nice target and all but for us, used to living lives in a world where the sudden end of it was nothing more than a running meme in the Internet, we had a fairly hard time sympathising with the locals. Beating me up in swordplay hit way closer to home and should resonate better with them. I kind of hated myself for not thinking about using that idea myself.

-Just remember: utilise the newfound strength, learn how to control it and how to use it to grow stronger. But do not rely on that power. You all were branded as highly adept, so I'm sure your magic is indeed really powerful, but that might also be a curse in disguise. Our bodies weren't used to having magic, so approach it step by step, learn and adapt. Again, it should only be a tool to help you grow, not to elevate you to new levels without effort. You'll only end up destroying yourselves that way.

My students listened to me calmly and, at the end of the lecture, they all did their little salute thing. That's when Tserkit, already standing by the door to the tower, called out to us. I nodded and the students all ran towards him, now more excited about learning more about their new strength that may finally help them beat me. Of course, I was also curious about how they will grow and what tricks they will use to best me one day.

-A fairly grim perspective, fighting that weird magic.

I laughed to myself but stopped as soon as I saw Lucas, who looked at me with a dead serious expression in his eyes.

-Don't lose yourself, Edward. You're still our leader. If you lose heart, we all will.

-You don't really have to put any more pressure on me, you know? I’m already crumbling as it is.

I let out a sigh and scratched my head, taking a deep breath before continuing on:

-I know that, Lucas. You're all counting and depending on me. But I'm only a human too. And, contrary to you, I have no one to rely on but myself. You're a great help, but you're also following me the same way they do. But don't worry about it, I've already made up my mind. Whatever happens, wherever we all end up, I'll continue to be a teacher to all of you and I'll keep acting in your best interest, even if it kills me.

-...don't forget to enjoy your time here as well.

-I plan to, me going crazy won’t help anyone here, will it? Now, they're all waiting for us, shall we get going then?

-Yeah. We still have to go back to that cathedral, right?

Lucas asked that question to the commander, who was waiting by the door to the tower, frowning as the two of us took our sweet time getting out.

-Correct, Sir Lucas. Now that your introduction to our realm and the evaluation of your abilities are all completed, we will meet up with Alleya and the kings of this realm. They will decide which regions need your assistance the most and will assign you to those kingdoms accordingly.

I was feeling nervous. At this point, whatever that Holy Alliance decides on is likely going to be the final decision. Well, my students agreed to this, so even if I wanted to, I can't do anything about it now anymore. I'm just in for the ride at this point.