The red fog started to clear as I coughed hard. The glowing red light faded, and I found myself surrounded by a crowd of people. It looked like I had appeared in the middle of a market out of nowhere.
The people stared at me curiously. They were dressed in medieval-style clothing. Among them, a knight in shining armor stepped forward. It looked like I was in some kind of isekai situation.
I stood up as the knight approached me. With a harsh voice, he asked, "How did you get here? Who are you?"
His sword was unsheathed, and he was glaring at me. Was he going to kill me right here? The uneasy feeling crept in, but no, I couldn't let fear take over. If you defeat fear, you become a winner, right? Time to show these people who I am!
With arrogance and a straight face, I pointed at the knight and declared, "Lowly mortals, bow before me! I am the greatest demon lord from the darkest part of the underworld!"
The knight narrowed his eyes, speaking firmly. "Nonsense. This looks like some kind of teleportation artifact. They are rare—how did you get your hands on one? Tell me!"
His sword was now pointed at my neck. I shivered as chills ran through my body. These knights weren't buying anything I said.
People around us began whispering:
"Is he a witch's student?"
"Did he come here to spread a curse?"
"Is he a thief?"
"Who is this boy?"
What were they even talking about? I laughed loudly, throwing one hand over my eyes and shouting, "Ha ha ha! You people are stupid motherfuckers! Can't you see I am your chosen Hero?" I turned my gaze skyward, screaming dramatically.
The knight's anger flared. "Be serious! We are already in the middle of a ceremony to summon heroes from another world. It looks like you've interfered with our plans!"
"Ya thu... What do you think I am, you bastard?!" I snapped back. "I don't work for anyone! Your business means nothing to me. Shoo shoo, vanish from my sight!" I gestured with my hands dismissively.
"Enough nonsense. Knights, capture him!"
---
"♪ La la lalaaaalala la la la... ♪"
I was sitting in a carriage, handcuffs tightly bound around my wrists. I didn't even remember how I got here. The knights must have knocked me out and dragged me here.
Inside the carriage were two other people: a girl with pointy ears and hair that was a mix of pink, white, and blue, with chromatic eyes—pink and blue. She was an elf. The other was a burly man, his dangerous-looking eyes fixed intently on the girl. Great, these two were my new jail buddies.
The man didn't look friendly. In fact, he seemed like he had some disgusting intentions toward the girl.
The carriage bumped along the road, pulled by horses. There was one knight inside with us and another riding up front.
The knight inside sneered. "We've got three new slaves now. The girl here will be perfect for... special kinds of dirty work, just like the rest of her kind. Ha ha! The man—he'll be a plaything for us knights when we get frustrated. And the boy? You'll become a guinea pig for the sorcerers. Ha ha!"
Only two knights for security? Hah, what a joke. Even criminals could easily escape from this setup.
"You bastard! Who are you to decide that I'm a guinea pig?" I retorted. The knight kicked me hard in the face.
"Shut up, you disgusting criminal!"
What crime did I even commit? I just appeared in this world, and now I was already a criminal?
I started muttering random words in Japanese, mostly nonsense.
The knight grew suspicious. "What are you doing? Are you chanting magic?" He leaned closer to me, his face right in front of mine. I spat on him and smirked. "How dare you kick my face!"
Suddenly—
Boom! Boom! Boom!