“Savior, Heroes”
“Welcome to the Royal Palace. We are pleased to have you.”
The place we were summoned to was the temple of the nation of Shirane, which worships the Creator God. The stone building, adorned with magnificent carvings, was beautiful, but we quickly grew weary of it.
Although the rooms were tidy and clean, I, having been pampered in modern-day Japan, found the overly tranquil temple environment uncomfortable.
We were perplexed by the food, clothing, and living conditions we were provided. While I had vaguely expected a medieval European style, I never imagined the bed would be filled with straw.
The meals were simple, almost like vegetarian dishes, likely due to the temple’s religious nature. I tried wearing the formal robes for high-ranking priests, but the rough fabric was uncomfortable, so I ended up sticking to my own clothes.
Fortunately, thanks to the “Life Magic” granted by the Creator God, not only could we keep our bodies clean, but our clothes as well.
“Hey, Akimi. I can’t take this anymore. I’m exhausted.”
“I’m with you, it’s tough. This salty soup and hard bread just don’t give me any energy.”
Haruto and Natsuki , the spring-summer siblings, were lamenting, and I agreed with them. We were tired of living in the temple.
Though we were grateful for the lessons on magic and skills, there was an unsettling feeling, as if we were being watched, and it made me uneasy.
“How about we try negotiating to live in the Royal Palace?”
The royal couple had invited us to dinner at the palace on the first day we were summoned. The grandeur of the palace was comparable, but it seemed much more comfortable than the temple.
(They served us a delicious steak made from highland oak meat. That was amazing.)
Shirane was a religious state. Apparently, the first king of the nation was also the first saint, and the current royal family were descendants of the queen. The temple had close ties with the royal family, and the people were devout, so the temple played an important role in governance.
The king was the head of state, but the high priest, who presided over religious ceremonies, held significant authority.
“But that fuzzy ball said that the will of the summoned heroes takes precedence above all else. Let’s see if they’ll indulge us a little. After all, we’re victims who were forcibly kidnapped.”
I smiled wryly, and Haruto grinned back. Natsuki looked a bit exasperated, but she seemed to have no objections and nodded.
As a bargaining chip, we decided to use tea and sugar.
The royal couple had seemed to enjoy the awful herbal tea served after the meal. If they liked it that much, maybe offering them Japanese tea, even if it was from a 100 yen store, would get us three rooms in the palace. That’s what we hoped, at least.
In the end, we were welcomed far more warmly than we had expected.
“Please, come stay at the Royal Palace.”
“We welcome you, heroes.”
The queen smiled as she invited us, charmed by the tea bags, while the king, astonished by the refined sugar, eagerly welcomed us. The priests seemed a bit dissatisfied, but they didn’t stop us from going to the palace.
“Wow, was the tea really that good? And did they really get that excited over the sugar?”
“Apparently, sugar is only produced in a small part of the southern countries, and it’s really expensive. They say a small sugar pot costs five gold coins.”
“Wait, isn’t one gold coin about 100,000 yen? So, fifty thousand yen…?”
“That’s crazy. No wonder they’re rolling out the red carpet for us.”
Haruto laughed casually, while Natsuki looked deep in thought. I chuckled quietly, thinking how similar the two cousins were in their thinking.
“…Hey, so does that mean there’s a big demand for sweet foods? Like jam or honey?”
“I’m sure there is. Are you thinking of selling it?”
“Well, I figured you might have thought of that too. I’ll go with jam, honey, and maybe chocolate. I’ll casually get them hooked by giving them a taste.”
Since Natsuki was the only girl in our group, she would be taken care of by a noblewoman, the king’s 15-year-old daughter. Since sugar was so valuable in this country, she would likely win them over soon.
We had received some pocket money from the temple as preparation funds, but it was much better to have more money to use freely. It would also help in buying Japanese products from Tohma .
“Then, I’ll try bargaining with the royal couple. Besides tea and sugar, spices—like pepper—seem rare here, so I’ll focus on that.”
“Ah, I think I remember from history class that pepper used to be traded for gold dust, right?”
“They called it the ‘heavenly seed.'”
The initial investment was just one iron coin, about 100 yen.
Tohma , being a kind-hearted person, sold us goods at their shop prices without asking for extra.
“We’ll have to repay him eventually.”
“Yeah, but for now, it seems like he’s living a more comfortable life than we are…”
The images sent to us through the Creator God’s app, “Hero Messenger,” all seemed to show Tohma enjoying his camping trips.
“Ah, Tohma ’s camp food looked really good.”
Haruto laughed lightly. Natsuki was a little sulky, but I shared her envy. For now, we just had to endure.
“Luckily, we got seasoning and sauces from Tohma , so our meals are definitely improving.”
It might be rude, but we were planning to use our own sauces on the food provided to us.
We were getting tired of the salty soups and oil-only salads. The palace served more meat dishes, and just that was already a paradise compared to the temple.
“But I didn’t expect the palace beds to still have straw in them… They’re better than the temple’s thanks to thick quilts and fur, though.”
“Yeah, I was surprised. We should try asking if they have cotton here.”
The palace had taken the straw mattresses and covered them with quilts, fur, and layers of cloth, making them more comfortable than at the temple.
“Thanks to the cushions Tohma sent from the 100 yen shop, I can finally get a good night’s sleep.”
Though it was a hassle to sew them together into a futon, it was worth it for a comfortable bed.
“The guest room the king prepared for us is more comfortable than the temple. I never want to go back, but we’ll have to stay for magic lessons for now.”
Haruto sighed, a rare sight for him. He’d been complaining about the strictness of the priests who were acting as our teachers.
“It’s just a temporary struggle. Once we’ve learned the basics, we can join the palace soldiers for some intense training.”
“I thought we’d be dungeon crawling to level up right away, but you’re surprisingly cautious, huh?”
“We’re the important saviors chosen by the Creator God. We have to be careful, just in case.”
To be free, we first needed to get stronger. Then, we’d gather allies.
We’d try to avoid making enemies and just survive.
The stress of living under restricted conditions was building up, so Tohma ’s supplies were truly a lifesaver.
It would be great if we could shop somewhere other than the 100 yen store.
“If we fight monsters in the dungeon, we’ll get items to sell, right? I’d like to get some useful magical tools or weapons as a thank-you gift for Tohma .”
“He’d be really happy with that. He’s been complaining about only having an axe and a sickle for weapons.”
Even with his blessing, it was understandable that he’d be anxious. It might be faster to buy weapons with money earned through reselling than hoping for drops in the dungeon.
But for now, there were too many people watching us, so shopping in the city would be tough.
(I have to make sure Tohma ’s involvement stays a secret.)
In just a few days, I’d come to understand that this country discriminated against demi-humans.
Beastmen, dwarves, and elves—those with great strength, craftsmanship, and magical talent—were looked down upon by the human race. I couldn’t understand why, but if my cousin, who had been reincarnated as a high elf, was caught, I could only imagine how badly he’d be treated.
Being able to communicate with him and send supplies was a secret I had to keep hidden, both from the kingdom and the demons.
There were a lot of things to think about, and my head ached, but I’d do whatever I could to bring him back and return to Japan.
“First, we need to level up. Let’s give it everything we’ve got.”
“Leave it to us!”
“Of course.”
The three of us, raised in a sports-oriented elite family, nodded without hesitation.
