After receiving the report from the scouting forces, Darwin announced to all of us that the demon army had retreated. Somehow, the demons were nowhere to be seen.
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work today," he gathered with us again, and we all began to celebrate.
But there was one thing that troubled me—the fact that I was still so weak, and in a year, there would be another war against the demon forces in the Geno region, right in the domain of the Demon King.
Raynie and Darwin had once told me that when the first invasion came, it was a declaration from the demons to prepare. The first assault they launched was to assess the strength of the forces in each kingdom. Once they had that knowledge, they would begin preparing even stronger forces.
To prepare for what's coming, we would all participate in a massive hunt tomorrow, hunting down every monster. Immediately afterward, everyone in the cities and villages with combat skills would be enlisted for the upcoming war.
---
Realizing how weak I still was, I decided to train while facing more enemies. After finishing my meal, I headed for the hill, leaving those who were still celebrating behind.
"Hey Ken, where are you going?" Lloyd was still watching me.
"I'm going to keep watch on the hill and rest there."
"Oh, then I'll accompany you."
"Ah, it's fine. Stay here with the others."
I didn't want to trouble anyone. This world was so different from mine, though there were some things that felt familiar...
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll just scout."
"Alright, be careful."
As I walked toward the hill, there were many monster corpses scattered around. Somehow, the mess had been cleaned, but the smell of burnt bodies still lingered, blood dried on the ground, and the trees were damaged from our attacks.
I finally reached the top of the hill, where countless stars filled the sky. Lenia and I always sat here, watching the stars together. At first, I only accompanied her, but over time, I began to appreciate the things she loved.
Calm and peace. She always told me she desired those, and when I told her I was [Hero], she wasn't surprised because she already knew. I also shared some stories about my world, and she wished this world was the same as mine.
After resting for a moment to digest my food, I practiced by striking a tree without channeling Shu into my sword.
'I thought so. My strikes without Shu have little effect.'
After hitting the tree several times, it was clear that my attacks were shallow without channeling Shu into my weapon. This frustrated me, leaving me clueless about what to do next. Then, I remembered something... Yes, Raynie once told me about the souls of the elemental kings, but I didn't know where they were.
I kept thinking about many things, and I wondered about my father. Was he alright? Was time the same here as in my world? I didn't even know if this was a different dimension or just another planet in the same dimension as Earth. And most strange of all, why could I understand the language of the locals?
The night began to fade, and I couldn't sleep. I was consumed by thoughts about the exact location of the elemental kings. If I had to guess, they should be where their elements are most powerful, but I didn't know for sure.
'I think I'll visit the blacksmith and head to Milson Village afterward to visit Lenia's grave.'
The sun started to rise. Six hours had passed without me realizing it, and I made my way down the hill to return to the camp. The guardians and royal soldiers were still asleep after their celebration. I went straight to Darwin's place and called for him.
Darwin was still awake, and I saw him working on reports. There were several papers and writing instruments scattered on the table.
"If you're busy, I'll leave for now."
"It's fine. I'm done with the reports; I just need to send them."
Darwin used a bird to send his messages. 'This reminds me of an old story from Earth.'
"Two reports?"
"Y-yeah, there are two." He seemed surprised.
"Ahem, Ken... there are a few things you need to know."
"...What?"
"First, you're still not strong enough. In your training with Raynie, you might have been able to withstand her attack... but that was just Raynie's trick to fool you."
"Huh? But the three people who attacked me before—"
"You know who sent them, right?"
"..." That was true. Raynie had ordered them, but why would she do that?
"Second, you're not the only one with [Origin]."
"Wait, what do you mean by [Origin]?"
"Your base element, [Inanis], is one of the [Origins], and it is the first element from which all others derive. But there are other elements beyond understanding, like [Nature], which has immense healing powers, even capable of regenerating severed body parts, or [Chrono], which allows the user to manipulate time."
"How many users of [Origin] are there?"
"So far, I know of five people with [Origin] from the kingdom and a few others. That includes you, but there are likely others who remain unknown. So from now on, be more careful."
"Who are the other four with those elements?"
"You have [Inanis], Mila from the Garkan Kingdom has [Nature], Halvis has [Animus] (Mind), and he is an old Hero. Xavier has [Chrono] (Time), also a former Hero... and lastly, Yalfard has [Locus] (Space), and he's Xavier's partner."
"Are they still alive?"
"Unfortunately... no. Right after they defeated the Demon King... they were killed, and we don't know why. It wasn't even clearly documented in the kingdom's reports."
"...I see."
"One more thing I need to tell you."
"A new weapon?"
bam
"No, idiot. Every kingdom has decided on a team for you."
"A team?"
"Yes, like a party for quests as a Guardian, but this one is specifically for infiltrating the Demon King's castle."
"So, I'm not choosing them?"
"Don't worry. There's someone you know on the team. I'll tell you now because we need to clear the demon corpses... The team will consist of you, Lloyd, Vorn, Mila, Luvia, and Grin."
Mila... the only other person with [Origin] besides me. Well, maybe this is good.
"They've all been given titles, probably the only one left without a title is you. Haha."
"Oh, come on. I never had a chance to show my skills."
A title is like a nickname that represents someone, and from their title, their strength is recognized. I learned this after reading some pages in a guidebook.
Darwin told me the titles of everyone who would be on my team.
Spearmaster Lloyd, Unstoppable Explosive Pierce
Great Healer Mila, Healing Goddess
Iron Tanker Vorn, Grand Fortress
Great Mage Luvia, Electro Valkyrie
Eagle Archer Grin, The Hawkeyes
"You'll all gather next month, and you'll be given direct orders from King Grim."
"...Alright."
"Good. If you know everything now... next, please wake up those still sleeping to clean up this mess and return to the city."
I started waking up those who were still asleep and told them to begin cleaning up the camp. Once everyone was awake, we began cleaning up the camp first. Then we gathered the demon corpses into the hole made by the Geo element users.
'Thankfully, no one died on our side, though... some lost body parts like legs, eyes, and arms.'
After all the bodies were gathered, the Pyro Mages began burning them.
'Ugh, it smells terrible.'
"Hey Ken," Lloyd came over and greeted me again. Looking around, it seemed his other friends didn't join him.
"Got any plans for today? If not, let's join the others. You haven't spent time with them for a while, always sticking with Lenia."
"Haha, sorry. Today, I plan to visit Lenia's grave."
"Ah... I see. Well, that's okay. After you're done, just let us know. We'll accept you as a new party member."
'Ah, it seems Darwin hasn't told this guy about the castle assault plan...'
"Yeah, I'll meet up with you guys after I'm done."
---
Tenra, the meeting place for the Dooms branch group.
"Haha... Hahaha... Why is the current Hero so pathetic! Hahahaha! He only managed to defeat a few skeletons."
'Hmm, but I still have to kill him properly since I've been trusted with the Isra continent.'
Then the person turned toward the crystal ball sitting on the table next to them.
"Aahhh... right... right! I remember now, hahaha, call the Witches to gather immediately."
Then they went to another room, which was empty except for a circle with strange markings. The summoned Witches started to gather in the room.
"We will conduct a summoning."