The stars above were countless, scattered like tiny lights across the dark sky. The moon was bright, lighting up the quiet garden around me. The air was cool, and the faint sound of crickets filled the silence. I stayed on the stone steps, thinking about Sosa's words from earlier. They stayed with me, circling in my mind.
"Still here?"
I turned at the voice and saw Sosa,the instructor and amge, standing nearby. She looked calm but serious, her green robe catching the soft moonlight.
"I thought you had left," she said, crossing her arms.
"Oh, you are still here, too," I replied, trying to sound casual. "A teacher like you should get some rest, you know. It helps you teach better."
She raised an eyebrow. "I wanted to ask you for help, Uzu Hiko. But it's surprising to hear that you're planning to leave."
I sighed. "Yeah, I talked to my friends about it. They were surprised too. They said they can not protect me if I am not nearby them, but they still accepted my choice."
I tried to change the subject, but Sosa kept her sharp gaze on me.
"I heard you went to the former general's house with the princess," she said suddenly.
I blinked. "I was curious about his bravery," I replied. "Even though he's gone, his family told me about his battles. He was a hero."
Sosa didn't look convinced. "You can not fool me, Uzu," she said firmly.
Her words made me pause, "What do you mean?"
"It's true you do not have magic," she said. "But your skills are far beyond what anyone here knows—even beyond our king."
I stayed silent, unsure of what to say. Why was I being compared to a king.
"You have mastered every fighting style under Master Maki," she continued. "He is the strongest swordsman in Jambudweep, yet you defeated him in just seven days. No one knows except you and him even Princess does not have any idea you were secretly training with Master Maki. Why are you hiding it?"
Her words felt heavy, and I looked away. But I still replied.
"Well… it's true," I admitted. "But what is the point? Without magic, none of it matters. Magic is everything in this world."
Sosa sat down beside me, looking at the stars. "That is not true, Uzu. Skills and strategy are just as important as magic. You can change the course of a battle without casting a single spell, I just told you something that you may able to use magic soon."
I frozed. "Why are you telling me this?"
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke. "The hero summoning ritual… it's never brought five people before. It's supposed to summon from one to three or maybe fourth, if it's a 'One Order', . Even that requires the king level magic to use summon. But here you are—a fifth person, and even without magic. Doesn't that seem strange to you?"
Her words made me pause. I hadn't thought about it before. I'd just accepted my role—or lack of one—in this new world.
"What are you saying? And One Order', what is this ?" I asked.
" 'One Order' is the third highest summoning Ritual.With this Maximum four heros can be summoned. 'One Order' was used to summon you and your friends." She said.
"I'm saying there's something we don't know about your summoning, who suggested King to perform summon via priest" she continued "Thus I want you to investigate it."
I stared at her. "You want me to figure out why I was summoned?"
"Yes," she said. "Your presence here doesn't make sense. If there's a reason for it, we need to know. You might be the only one who can uncover the truth."
I looked back at the stars, thinking about her words. "I'll think about it," I said finally.
She nodded, as if expecting my answer. "That's all I ask. But don't take too long. We don't have much time."
Sosa stood up, brushing off her robes. "I'll leave you to your thoughts. If you go through with your plan to live as a farmer, I'll come find you. And there is also a chance that someone manipulated the summoning."
Then she walked away, her figure disappearing into the shadows.
I stayed there, staring at the sky. Her words kept replaying in my mind, making me question everything. Why was I summoned if I didn't have magic? Was there a reason?
The stars seemed to twinkle brighter, like they were watching me. The night was calm, but my thoughts were anything but. For now, I could only wonder what lay ahead.