Chapter 46: A Meeting with the Rookie Summoned Person

“Alright, everyone’s here. Nara, I’ll explain the situation on our end, so can you share what’s going on from your side?”

“Ah, yes.”

After bringing Ivern and the others back, we all sat at the same table to talk.

For the record, as soon as Leon got home, he clung to Meyleen and left my side entirely.

Even now, he’s gripping Meyleen much tighter than he ever did with me.

Hey, kid, what’s with the double standard?

Guess I can’t compete with Mom.

“First off, let me ask, Nara, how have you been living since you were summoned? What kind of stories have you heard?”

When I asked, Nara hesitated and looked uncomfortable.

“You don’t have to be careful with your words. I can more or less guess.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. Let me guess: the narrative is that I’m a villain who destroyed Lindor and now controls Weimar, aiming to dominate the world, right?”

Hearing my words, Nara’s eyes widened.

“That’s… almost exactly it!”

“Well, it’s not hard to deduce if you piece together the rumors floating around. So, as someone from the same world, you were trained to defeat me, the so-called villain, right?”

“…Yes, that’s right. I saw the destruction of Lindor caused by you, Maya, and I ended up believing the claims.”

Ah, so he saw that.

“Well, can’t blame you. Seeing that would convince anyone.”

I nodded in understanding, but Ivern tilted his head.

“I’ve never been to Lindor. What was it like?”

Right, even someone as informed as Ivern wouldn’t know without having seen it firsthand.

“The capital was half-destroyed. From what I’ve heard, it was basically leveled, with the castle at the center wiped out.” 

Nara explained.

“Ah, yeah, that happened.” 

I replied, casually remembering.

Hearing this, both Nara and Ivern froze, staring at me in shock.

“So… you really are a villain, Maya.” 

Nara said cautiously.

“…I’d heard you half-destroyed the capital while fleeing, but to think it was that bad.” 

Ivern added.

For Nara, realizing I had actually destroyed Lindor reignited his belief in the villain narrative. Ivern, however, was shocked by the severity of the situation, knowing the context behind it.

Nara, noticing Ivern’s composed reaction, looked puzzled.

“Ivern-san… you’re not that surprised by this?”

“Hm? Oh, I know the full story behind it. Sure, you might have doubts now, but if you hear everything Maya has to say, it’ll make sense.”

“…Alright. If it’s coming from someone who can managed being Maya’s friend, I’ll trust you.”

“Hey, wait a second.” 

I interjected.

What’s that supposed to mean—“someone who can manage being Maya’s friend”?

“Ah, no! I didn’t mean it like that! I just meant that if you know the whole story and still stay friends, you must have a good reason!”

“…Fine, I’ll let it slide. So, what happened after Admos brought you in?”

“Well…”

Nara began recounting his life in Admos.

My takeaway? He’s been treated far better than expected.

His living conditions were top-notch, he had excellent mentors, and—wait, what’s this about a princess warming up to him?

Seriously, this guy’s the protagonist or something.

“Then the demons started a war to eliminate us… and I was sent to fight.”

“I see.”

“…I was desperate. It was kill or be killed. In that extreme situation… how many people did I cut down? By the time I realized, the demons were retreating.”

It wasn’t hard to imagine what kind of harrowing experience Nara had endured.

After all, I’d been through the same.

I considered offering some words of encouragement, but before I could—

“Heh… heh heh heh heh.” 

Meyleen suddenly burst into laughter, unable to hold it back any longer.

Both Nara, who had just been sharing his struggles, and I stared at her in surprise.

“Meyleen-san?”

“Ah, forgive me, Nara. I wasn’t laughing at you. It’s just… my brother failed so spectacularly, it’s amusing.” 

She said, barely suppressing her giggles.

Right, Meyleen had been overthrown by her brother.

Considering her open hatred for the current demon regime, it was no wonder she found their failure hilarious.

For a while, Nara was unable to continue speaking, his voice drowned out by Meyleen’s slightly deranged laughter.  

“…Let’s set Mayleen aside for now. So, Nara, you got here pretty quickly after returning. Did you think you were ready for combat after just one experience?”  

“There’s no way… Honestly, I thought I never wanted to fight again. But…”  

“But?”  

“…The truth is, the day before I was sent out on that mission, I… uh… got involved with Eva—the princess—in a deeper way. I think the king found out about it and sent me here in anger.”  

“Wow.”  

So he not only got close to the princess but actually crossed the line. Bold move.  

“He didn’t seem outwardly angry when he spoke, but… his eyes weren’t smiling. I’m pretty sure his expression was telling me, ‘Take them down, even if it costs you your life.’”  

“Yeah, royalty in this world would totally do something like that. They’re rotten to the core.”  

When I said that, Nara’s face turned serious.  

“…Is that really the case?”  

“It is. Nara, you’ve only dealt with the royalty of Admos, but the rulers of this world—including the nobles—are truly corrupt. Most of them think it’s perfectly fine for commoners to die as long as they themselves benefit.”  

I must’ve been scowling hard, because Nara hesitated for a moment before speaking again, looking a bit frightened.  

“Maya, if you’re saying that much… does that mean you’ve had serious conflicts with royalty?”  

“Hm? Yeah, you could say that.”  

Now that I’d gotten a good idea of Nara’s situation, it was my turn to tell my side of the story.  

“Alright, now it’s my turn to talk. I’ll tell you what happened since I was summoned to this world. After you hear it, decide for yourself whether you believe me, and whether you can accept or condemn my actions.”  

“…Okay.”  

And so, I began recounting my journey in this world from the very beginning.  

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter