They all had been waiting for a while. Haruki was already feeling tipsy, having drunk more than enough wine. He didn't care about anything else. What he truly enjoyed was the wine and the food, savoring every bite. Meanwhile, the other summoned men barely touched their plates. Some looked too nervous, while others just didn't seem to have the appetite—or maybe it was because they were still kids and couldn't handle the wine.
Not that Haruki cared. He leaned back, sipping from his glass. "They're excited about the whole hero and saving the world thing," Haruki thought with a smirk. "I couldn't care less." He didn't sign up to save some world he didn't know or care about. All he wanted was to get back to Japan. And if that wasn't an option, then he just wanted to live his life, however he could. "Screw this "saving the world" shit," he thought bitterly.
As he stuffed another piece of meat into his mouth, a sudden window popped up in front of his eyes, startling him.
**Quest: Place food into Magic Storage.**
Haruki blinked. "Huh?" he thought, staring at the floating text. "Why the hell is this popping up now?" He scratched his head, feeling a little annoyed. Should he follow it? It seemed pointless, but then again, why not? He glanced at the table, eyeing a loaf of bread.
"Whatever," he thought, grabbing the bread and focusing on it. Without really knowing how, the bread disappeared from his hand, vanishing into thin air. Haruki eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Haruki was amazed for a brief moment, watching as the food disappeared without a trace. "So, this magic storage thing actually works," he thought, a sly grin spreading across his face. Without hesitation, he reached for more—wine, bread loaf, grilled meat—whatever caught his eye. He casually stuffed each item into his storage, making sure no one noticed what he was doing.
"This counts as stealing, right?" he wondered briefly, but quickly shrugged it off. "Whatever," Haruki thought, not caring about the moral implications. He kept putting food and drink into the magic storage until he felt satisfied. It was easy, too easy, and he couldn't help but enjoy the power it gave him. At least he wouldn't go hungry, no matter what happened next.
Once done, Haruki leaned back in his seat, watching the other summoned guys chatter away, still lost in their hero fantasies. He smirked to himself. "et them be the heroes if they want."
A small notification popped up in front of Haruki's eyes:
**Quest Complete:**
Reward: 1 Silver Coin
Haruki blinked at the message, then grinned slightly. "So there's a reward for these quests, huh?" he thought, curious. He casually pulled out the silver coin from the storage, turning it over in his hand.
"I wonder how much this is worth here?" Haruki glanced around the room, seeing the other guys still lost in their hero daydreams. He didn't want to draw attention by asking questions just yet. He figured he'd find out about the currency system soon enough—either through another quest or by paying attention to what those so call King were saying later on.
Haruki quickly slipped the silver coin back into his magic storage, glancing around to make sure no one noticed. "No point in letting these kids or anyone else know I've already earned something here," Keeping it to himself seemed like the smart move for now.
"Better to keep a low profile," he reasoned. He leaned back, sipping more wine and acting indifferent while the others continued to chatter.
The royal mage opened the door, announcing, "You may now have an audience with His Majesty, the King."
Haruki watched as the other summoned heroes stood up, visibly excited and nervous. Some of them adjusted their clothes, trying to look presentable. Haruki, on the other hand, couldn't care less. King, president, prime minister—what difference did it make to him? All of them were just titles to him. He'd seen enough of people in power back in Japan, and none of them impressed him.
With a sigh, Haruki stood up lazily, following behind the group as they eagerly made their way toward the throne room. He just wanted to get this over with.
As they started walking down the hallway toward the throne room, Haruki took the opportunity to scan his surroundings. The palace, though grand, didn't quite match the narrative of a kingdom at war. Everything screamed wealth—the polished marble floors, intricate tapestries, and gold-trimmed decor
"War with the demons, huh?* Haruki remembered the mage explanation. The country was supposedly struggling, yet this place looks like it's doing just fine, Haruki thought with a smirk. War or not, these people sure know how to live in luxury. He couldn't help but wonder if the whole "hero summoning" thing was just a ploy to get some free labor from another world.
The kingdom claimed to be at war with the demons, yet here they were, living in luxury. He couldn't help but wonder what the real story was behind all this. Haruki knew better than to trust appearances—or those in power.
They can fool the kids, but not me, Haruki thought, smirking to himself as he continued walking. The others were still buzzing with excitement, eyes wide at the luxury around them. Haruki knew better. He'd seen enough in his life to know that people who cry about needing help usually aren't the ones suffering.
( End Of Chapter 3 )