《Not Your Hero》


 1. Summoned Heroes - Part One

    ¡°Oh Legendary Heroes blessed by the Gods above, we¡¯ve summoned as humanity¡¯s last hope. We kindly beseech you to lend us your aid to save us from the wrath of the Demon King.¡±


    A deep, charismatic voice came from a proud man who sat atop a throne. Without a doubt, he was the king of the castle.


    Standing on the magic circle laced with mystical runes that glowed with a soft hue, Futsuno Ryotaro inspected his surroundings and grimaced. He definitely wasn¡¯t in his classroom anymore, and everything that had happened thus far was real. After all, his classmates were summoned here too.


    He was now in ¡®another world¡¯. How had this happened?


    ~


    Ryotaro¡¯s morning was completely normal. He got out of bed, washed up and prepared to go to school.


    ¡°I¡¯m going off!¡±


    His voice resounded in the empty house, he was an orphan who lived by himself after all. His parents had long passed away in an accident, leaving him with a decent inheritance to live on his own.


    In school, Ryotaro¡¯s grades were at the top of the cohort. With a lot of spare time with himself every day, Ryotaro spent most of his time studying.


    Though he wasn¡¯t athletic, Ryotaro could be considered to be fit. With a height of 1.86m, and blessed with relatively attractive genes from his parents, Ryotaro was popular among the girls in school and occasionally went to the school¡¯s rooftop to reject them. Despite the constant rejection, girls in the school, regardless if they were seniors or juniors, continued set their sights on Ryotaro.


    ¡°Good morning Makkun!¡±


    In his seat, Ryotaro greeted a bespectacled large-bodied male student who had just entered the classroom considerably late. This student was Makoto Reishi was the polar-opposite of Ryotaro. Failing grades and in terms of appearances¡­ it hurt to even compare.


    Despite that, Ryotaro considered Makoto to be one of his closest friends and spent most of their time together. As he enjoyed listening to Makoto go on and on about his favourite ¡®waifus¡¯. The passion behind Makoto¡¯s eyes and the way they lit up when discussing his hobby, Ryotaro often found himself wondering if he would ever find something similar to that.


    While deep in thought, everyone in the classroom suddenly felt the sensation of being pulled away from reality and into a vacuum. Then, they simply vanished into thin air.


    The homeroom teacher who arrived saw that there was no one present in class and couldn''t help but think to himself.


    ¡°Hmm? Was it a holiday today?¡±


    ~


    Lead by hooded priests in white robes, the class was ushered into a hall with an altar at its centre.


    The altar surrounded by elegantly carved statues had a chalice studded with dazzling priceless gems atop it that were filled with a transparent liquid.


    Beside the altar, was an elderly man whose hairs had all turned white patiently waiting for the group to arrive. He was the Bishop of the temple.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The soft light rays which shone through the stained glass all reflected off the chalice. Granting the chalice the aura of a divine item, bestowed from the Gods.


    ¡°Place a drop of your blood into the chalice, and it shall reveal the divine font which God has granted you their blessing through a Divine Font!¡±


    Drawing a meticulously carved ceremonial dagger from his robes, the bishop presented it to the whole class. His eyes silently asking them to step forward for the ceremony.


    Under the pressure of the expectant king and bishop, the students glanced at each other out of uncertainty. None of them had come to terms with their current situation.


    Humanity¡¯s last hope? Killing a Demon King? All of this was too surreal.


    Only a single female student bravely stepped forward to receive the blade. She was Hayami Watanabe, an attractive goddess among the girls in the class. Cherry red lips, almond-shaped eyes, skin as smooth as jade and silky-smooth jet black hair which reached her hips. A rare authentic beauty.


    From Ryotaro¡¯s perspective, she treated everyone fairly and would usually offer to give some of her side dishes to him during lunch. Easygoing and gentle, that was his opinion.


    Everybody watched as Hayami pressed a finger against the blade and let a droplet of blood drip into the chalice. Astoundingly, instead of contaminating the liquid in the chalice, it was almost as if her blood had dissolved instead. The liquid remained crystal clear.


    At this moment, one of the statues lit up with a dazzling font overhead.


    ¡°Ah! The Font of Astreia! One of the Greater Blessings! The power of Stars and Divination!¡±


    The King and Bishop looked at Hayami with a light in his eyes. If this was the first hero, who knew what other blessings the remaining heroes had?


    But as the class took turns going forward, most of them did not have blessings greater to or equivalent to Hayami. Regardless, the king remained calm with unwavering conviction. Even Middle and Minor blessings held the ability to fend off the demonic invaders that threatened his kingdom. He looked at the group of heroes with a glint in his eyes.


    It was now down to the last two people in the class to step forward. Makoto and Ryotaro.


    ¡°Ryotaro, what if my Blessing isn¡¯t as good as the others? Or what if I don¡¯t have a blessing at all?¡± Makoto didn¡¯t consider himself to be blessed by God. He despised his own looks and could only helplessly watch as Ryotaro often met with good fortune in school.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure everything will be fine.¡±


    Seeing the panic behind Makoto¡¯s eyes, Ryotaro put his hand on Makoto¡¯s shoulder and gave a light smile to relieve Makoto¡¯s fears.


    With heavy steps, Makoto made his way towards the altar and placed a drop of blood into the chalice.


    What happened next, however, was completely beyond anyone¡¯s expectations.


    Above a statue, a font shone with a blazing intensity that blinded one¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°L-L-Legend¡­ A Legendary Blessing!¡± The Bishop couldn¡¯t help but stutter in disbelief. The fat chubby and ugliest person in the group of summoned heroes was actually the strongest of the group. Moreover, it was from a Great God, Perses. The God of Destruction.


    The King rose from his seat in palpable excitement and felt his body trembling. It was as if a sack of gold had fallen right into his lap.


    Makoto gleefully stepped away from the altar, shuddering with joy. A Legendary Blessing, enough to stun royalty and important personnel such as the Bishop. It was clearly a good thing.


    Finally, it was Ryotaro¡¯s turn. With Makoto¡¯s Legendary Blessing preceding him and being the last, everyone couldn¡¯t help but watch with great expectations in their eyes.


    Ryotaro stood in front of the altar and made a small cut on his finger. A droplet of blood soon made its way into the chalice.


    Everybody¡¯s head turned from the left to the right, in a frenzied search for which God would bless the individual before them. But there wasn¡¯t a single font appearing above any of the statues.


    The Bishop sucked in a deep breath and looked at the summoned ¡®hero¡¯ who stood in front of the altar. He then announced in cold raspy voice.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t blessed by any of the Gods. You''re powerless.¡±


    Ryotaro stood in front of the altar, frozen in shock.

 2. Summoned Heroes - Part Two

    ¡°Ryotaro! It¡¯s alright! Even if you don¡¯t have a blessing, we¡¯ll all work together! So a blessing isn¡¯t really important!¡±


    Oh? Who was that? Returning to his senses, Ryotaro looked to his right and saw Hayami clutching his hand between her own hands. Behind her, he could see the other girls in the class looking at him with pity. Some went as far as to even start tearing up for him.


    Ryotaro could only give a kindly smile in response to Hayami¡¯s concern. Although he wasn¡¯t given a Blessing of the Gods, Ryotaro wasn¡¯t devastated. He merely felt a little out of the loop since he was the only one who did not receive one. Moreover, he did not know what abilities the Blessings granted yet.


    ¡°Hayami are you alright?¡±


    Ryotaro noticed that Hayami had blanked out and continued staring at him.


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m alright!¡± Hayami quickly turned away when Ryotaro called out to her.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Ryotaro couldn¡¯t help but notice that there was a tinge of redness on her ears. Perhaps she was feeling ill?


    Regardless, he simply shrugged off the idea. He assumed that being suddenly pulled into a new environment wasn¡¯t good for one¡¯s health.


    Hmm? From the corner of his vision, Ryotaro noticed that Makoto was looking in Ryotaro¡¯s direction with a strange look on his face.


    Ryotaro simply dismissed it as another of Makoto¡¯s weird quirks, he had seen it one too many times after all. It was the same expression as everytime Hayami shared her lunch with Ryotaro.


    With everybody having gone through the ceremony, the King made his way in front of the class and cleared his throat to grab their attention.


    ¡°I, King Trustham of the Kingdom of Rosham once again request all of you Heroes to lend us your aid to fight against the Demon King!¡± Lowering his head while bowing deeply, the king once again pleaded for the assistance from the newly summoned heroes.


    When he did, the class was taken aback. Since the beginning, this king had sincerely lowered his head to ask for their help! How could they possibly say refuse to help a person in need?


    Ryotaro watched expressionlessly as most of the students quickly asked King Trustham to raise his head and promised to help him.


    At this moment, Ryotaro raised a question to King Trustham.


    ¡°What about our normal lives in our world?¡±


    His question clawed at the worries buried inside the student''s hearts. Each of them had parents who doted on them, a warm cosy place to call home, and a normal life to live. With Ryotaro lighting a spark, their worries bubbled forth.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, what about our parents?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t they be worried if we¡¯re missing?¡±


    ¡°Send us back now!¡±


    In the face of the group¡¯s panicked cries, the King Trustham gave a reassuring smile.


    ¡°Relax heroes, once the Demon King, you¡¯ll be sent back to your world as if nothing had happened. I give you my word for it.¡±


    Hearing King Trustham¡¯s words, a wave of relief swept over the crowd. If things returned to normal after they defeated the Demon King in this fantasy world, there was nothing to worry about. Furthermore, the person who assured that everything would go back to normal was a king.


    Kings were the epiphany of honour, living to serve the local populace while being fair, righteous and wise. Moreover, King Trustham gave them his word. For a king to go back on his word, that would be sacrilege!


    With the heroes¡¯ hearts set at ease, King Trustham graciously called for servants to escort them to their personal quarters.


    As they were led away, the class laughed and chatted about as they compared their current situation to an RPG. Going on a quest to defeat the invading Demon King sounded like a fun adventure that every child wanted to do! They¡¯d start by beating weaker monsters for EXP until they were strong enough to confront the Demon King.


    Walking behind the class, Ryotaro narrowed his eyes as he looked in King Trustham''s direction and whispered under his breath.


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    Based on what King Trustham had said, he either didn¡¯t have the ability to send them back at all or¡­ he already had the ability to send them back, but he didn¡¯t intend to. Why would they need to wait until the Demon King was defeated? If they could summon them here while the Demon King was alive and kicking, surely they could send them back anytime they wished.


    With these thoughts in mind, Ryotaro started questioning the moral integrity of King Trustham.


    ~


    ¡°Salbin.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lord Trustham?¡± The King¡¯s right-handed aide responded.


    ¡°Did you notice how the one with the Legendary Blessing stared at the crippled?¡± Rubbing his hands in glee, King Trustham gave a wide smile.


    ¡°Invite him to the Royal Bathhouse later.¡±


    Salbin gave a curt bow and quickly left as he set off to complete his master¡¯s command.


    King Trustham was alarmed by the amount of influence Ryotaro carried despite not having a Blessing. Most of the class appeared to have a friendly relationship with him. It was likely that most of the class would listen to Ryotaro''s opinion. For a ''pawn'' to have a higher hierarchy than a king, King Trustham couldn''t help but felt threatened by Ryotaro''s position in the group.


    Fortunately, this ''pawn'' had not received a Blessing of God.


    In addition, King Trustham was elated that the hero with the Legendary Blessing¡¯s appearance was overall, quite lacking. Moreover, it clear as day that he was envious of the Ryotaro; in terms of appearances and how Ryotaro was the center of attention in the class.


    It wouldn¡¯t take much to entice him with the promises of wealth and power. Those who looked unattractive were easily swayed by the pleasures of flesh. All he had to do was simply shower Makoto with gold, precious gems and women...


    From King Trustham¡¯s personal experience, he himself frequently indulged in such euphoria himself. Relishing in the plucking of untainted flowers that caught his eye¡­ such as the girl with the Greater Blessing.


    But alas, that girl was not for him to befoul.


    For he needed a carrot capable of making the Legendary Hero obedient.

 3. Magic Attributes

    The next morning, the entire class was brought to the Royal Guards¡¯ Training Ground.


    A stoic, burly man with countless white hairs sprouting from his head and beard was clad in gilded armour as he stepped in front of the class with a daunting gait.


    ¡°Ave heroes. Captain Aten of the Royal Guards of the Kingdom of Rosham at your service.¡± greeted Captain Aten as he lowered his head and put his hand over his heart.


    ¡°By order of the king, I¡¯ll be teaching all of you how to use Magic. Firstly, a demonstration.¡±


    After speaking, Captain Aten made his way to a weapon rack and took up a massively daunting tower shield and greatblade.


    ¡°Come!¡±


    Ryotaro¡¯s back suddenly broke out in sweat as he felt an overwhelming amount of pressure radiating from Captain Aten. Ryotaro¡¯s eyes glanced from left to right to check on his classmates in case they couldn¡¯t handle the pressure exerted on them.


    But all of them were standing upright without any change in expression at all. It was as though they were unaffected by Captain Aten¡¯s might. Rather, they couldn¡¯t notice the change in Captain Aten''s body caused by the spell.


    With a massive swing of his sword towards a target dummy, Captain Aten caused an explosion of dust that sent dirt flying in every direction.


    In response, the students had their hands up and eyes closed to protect themselves. Slowly opening their eyes as the dust dispersed.


    A crater had replaced where the target dummy was standing.


    ¡°Archers!¡± Captain Aten¡¯s roared out.


    Immediately, arrows as swift as lightning and as fast as the wind were released by the Royal Guardsmen¡­ and towards Captain Aten himself.


    But he simply stood there unmoving. Not making a single effort to dodge the incoming projectiles flying.


    Plink!


    Instead of penetrating through Captain Aten¡¯s skull, the arrows bounced off upon contact with his skin. It was as though they had hit a sturdy iron shield.


    ¡°Magic strengthening means to strengthen your body with magic. Giving your swings the might to fell a beast and granting you a body of iron. Albeit there are numerous types of magic strengthening spells.¡±


    The students¡¯ eyes lit with excitement, they couldn¡¯t wait to try out superhuman abilities themselves. Some were wondering what type of magic strengthening Captain Aten used as well.


    But that wasn¡¯t the end of his live demonstration, Captain Aten clapped his hands to gather the student¡¯s attention. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Murmuring several sentences under his breath, he then held his hand high and aimed to the sky.


    ¡°Fireball!¡±


    A blazing ball of fire shot out into the sky, its searing heat felt by those around the caster.


    ¡°My magic attribute is obviously, Fire,¡± said Captain Aten as he wiped the sweat off his brow.


    With the demonstration over, Captain Aten revealed a leathery pouch full of pale translucent pebbles from his belongings,gesutring for everybody to take a piece.


    We¡¯ve brought Attribute Stones so each of you may determine what elemental magic you¡¯re capable of using just by channelling your mana through it.¡±


    Every individuals'' magic attribute appeared to be randomly decided upon birth. It was neither hereditary nor could it be taught. An earth mage would not be able to use the same spells as a fire mage regardless of how much training one has done.


    ~


    Within moments of obtaining their Attribute Stones, the students were able to start controlling their mana. Channelling it into the stone and causing the stones to turn from white to another colour.


    Hayami¡¯s stone was coloured a spiralling mix of black and white, indicating she could use dark and light magic.


    Light magic was considered to be rare and users of such magic were greatly sought after by the upper eidolon of the temple as light magic was capable of healing wounds and curing ailments, the epiphany of holiness.


    Whereas dark magic dabbled in curses and illusions which ailed the target''s body and mind.


    Dual mages were considered rare in a small kingdom such as Rosham, the last time they had a dual mage, was close to a century ago. But for a dual mage to be able to use conflicting elements of light and dark, it was simply unheard of.


    In Hayami¡¯s case, it was likely due to her Blessing which gave her such a unique ability or so Captain Aten concluded.


    With Hayami achieving noticeably outstanding results by attracting the attention of some class members, Makoto felt an indescribable urge to outperform her.


    How could someone with a Legendary Blessing possibly do worse than someone with a Greater Blessing?


    Makoto lightly squeezed the translucent pebble in his fist with a smirk on his face as he channelled his mana through it.


    As Makoto opened his palm to inspect his Attribute Stone, it was as if his own God had heard his question and responded in kind. The previously dull pebble now gleamed in his hand with a myriad of different colours.


    ¡°Oho! To be able to use so many different attributes, truly the bearer of a Legendary Blessing!¡± Captain Aten exclaimed as he stroked his chin in approval upon he noticed Makoto¡¯s multi-coloured stone.


    Captain Aten¡¯s praise brought Makoto a lot of attention from his peers. His abilities caused him to stand out from the others, it was the same as being the talented genius in class that consistently scored well on tests and exams. Immediately, Makoto was surrounded by his fellow students who were wanted to see the multi-coloured gem themselves.


    Makoto silently threw a glance towards Hayami who was part of the crowd, interested in what her reaction would be.


    "Eh, that''s pretty amazing isn''t it?"


    Hayami''s eyes were round and bright with interest and awe as they focused on the multi-coloured stone in Makoto''s palm.


    Feeling Hayami''s eyes on him, Makoto couldn''t help but blush in embarrassment. Moreover, having been rarely complimented in school, Makoto couldn''t help but let his classmates'' compliments go to his head as he revelled in the envious looks of awe on their faces.


    Meanwhile, Ryotaro stood at one side as he dumbly stared at the dull coloured pebble in his hand. It remained unchanged despite his best efforts. In fact, he squeezed the Attribute Stone so hard, cracks could be seen on its smooth surface.


    Without any noticeable change in colour from the Attribute Stone, he quietly slipped the cracked stone into his pocket and went forward to join the crowd that surrounded Makoto.