Chapter Text
As Subaru stepped out of the convenience store, the automatic door slid shut behind him with a soft mechanical click. The evening air was cool, carrying the faint smell of rain and asphalt. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, and somewhere in the distance, a car horn echoed through the street. Then his vision blurred.
At first, he thought it was just a dizzy spell, a brief blur at the edge of his sight. But the blur became color. Purple. Then red. Then purple again flashing back and forth like two overlapping worlds fighting for control of his eyes. The street bent. The lights stretched into long glowing lines. Sound warped into a low, vibrating hum.
“W... What the HECK?! What’s happening?!” Subaru grabbed his head, fingers digging into his hair as a sharp pressure pulsed behind his eyes. “My HEAD!!”
The colors intensified. The purple shimmered like smoke. The red burned like fire. They collided, surged, and swallowed everything. His balance vanished. The ground tilted. His knees buckled. Then, silence. Red consumed his vision completely. For a single heartbeat, there was nothing. When awareness returned, it came with cold.
A deep, stone-cold chill seeped through his clothes and into his skin. Subaru groaned and opened his eyes slowly. The first thing he saw was a ceiling, one that is impossibly high, supported by towering pillars carved with intricate symbols and patterns.
“...Huh...?”, his voice echoed.
He wasn’t outside anymore. He was lying flat on a wide stone floor polished smooth like glass. The air smelled of burning oil and old dust. The space itself felt enormous yet enclosed. His head swam as he pushed himself upright. The world tilted again, but this time it stayed. He steadied himself with something long and solid in his hand.
METAL.
He blinked and looked down.
A Spear.
It was slightly taller than he was, flawlessly balanced, its shaft etched with fine decorative lines. The spearhead gleamed like silver, and at its center sat a red gemstone that seemed to glow from within, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
Subaru stared. His breath caught, no way. Around him came the roar of voices, excited, emotional, overlapping.
“We did it! The summoning was a success!
“The ritual worked!”
“Oh, Brave Heroes! Please save our WORLD!”
Heroes?
Subaru turned his head quickly, finally noticing he wasn’t alone. Three other people stood nearby, each holding a different weapon: a sword, a bow, and a shield, all having the same stunned expression he had.
“WHAT?!” the three shouted in unison.
Subaru’s heart began to pound not from fear this time, but from something dangerously close to excitement. He looked from the spear to the rows of robed figures standing beyond a glowing magic circle carved into the floor beneath them.
Magic circle.
Summoning.
His lips slowly curled upward.
A laugh nearly escaped his throat.
“This is it…” he whispered, adrenaline surging through his veins like electricity. “It actually happened.”
He tightened his grip on the spear, eyes shining.
“My isekai life… starts now.”
“Because NATSUKI SUBARU is here!!!”
Subaru’s declaration rang across the chamber like a thrown bell. His voice blasted off the stone walls and vaulted ceiling, echoing again and again until it sounded bigger than he intended, louder, grander, far more theatrical.
Every movement in the hall stopped. Robed figures froze mid-gesture. A scribe’s quill halted above parchment. One torchbearer nearly dropped his staff. Dozens of eyes turned toward him at once.
The silence that followed was heavy enough to feel. Subaru felt it press against his skin.
“…Ah,” said Subaru, suddenly aware of how ridiculous that must have sounded out loud. His raised pose slowly deflated. He cleared his throat and looked away, pretending to examine the spear as if it were extremely interesting. “Sorry. Got carried away.”
His ears burned. To escape the collective stare, he turned toward the three others summoned beside him, really looked at them this time instead of just registering “other heroes.” They didn’t look like locals. Not even close.
The first was a black-haired young man dressed mostly in dark colors with a blue-trimmed jacket. His posture was straight, composed, almost staged. His face was strikingly refined, the kind that would fit perfectly on a fantasy novel cover. Too perfect, Subaru thought. Almost pretty enough to pass as feminine if he tried. In his hand rested a sword that shimmered with a faint blue magical sheen.
Next stood a curly-haired blond boy holding a bow. He wore a school uniform, but not one Subaru recognized. The cut was foreign, the colors unusual. His face looked young, and he carried himself with an air of polished confidence, like someone looking for praise and attention. Something about him gave Subaru the impression of a prodigy, maybe music, maybe academics, the “gifted genius” type perhaps.
The last of the three held a shield strapped firmly to his arm, its central gem glowing with a color that matched his eyes almost exactly. His outfit followed the classic fantasy starter style: a green-themed standard starting isekai protagonist tracksuit. He looked slightly older than the others, and far more relaxed. His gaze look cheerful, looking around the room with confusion mixed with excitement.
A tense beat passed. Then the sword guy stepped forward and spoke, voice calm but edged.
“Anyway, we refuse to do it for free.”
The hall stirred, a ripple through the robed assembly.
“You can’t just kidnap us and expect cooperation,” said the bow kid, chin raised.
“Yeah. What they said,” added the shield guy.
Their unity shifted the mood. The robed figures exchanged uneasy looks. What had felt like a triumphant ritual now felt like a negotiation or a standoff.
Subaru suddenly felt like he’d walked into the middle of a contract dispute instead of a heroic summoning. He burst into laughter, partly nerves, partly instinct to fill the tension with noise.
“Hahahahaha…! It’s good to confirm we’re not slaves to be used however you like, but fear not!” He flourished the spear again, unable to resist. “Hope has arrived!”
Several robed attendants visibly flinched this time. One of the darker-robed officials stepped forward, bowing slightly. His voice was diplomatic, carefully measured.
“Thank you, great heroes. The full story is complicated, and we would like to....”
“If you try anything suspicious,” the sword guy cut in, eyes narrowing, “we’ll become your enemies instead of your allies.”
He spoke without raising his voice, which somehow made it more threatening.
“Don’t expect mercy if you betray us,” added the bow guy.
The shield guy didn’t speak. He only watched with an easy-going smile, then gave a small nod.
The robed official bowed deeper.
“Of course. You will be rewarded handsomely. Please come with us to meet the King.”
“As long as you keep your promise,” said bow guy.
“Likewise,” added sword guy.
The shield guy simply adjusted his shield grip and stepped forward.
Subaru grinned, adrenaline still buzzing in his chest, and spun the spear once before resting it on his shoulder. And the four heroes followed their escorts upward toward the castle.
The procession moved out of the summoning hall and into the castle interior, their footsteps echoing across polished stone. The four heroes followed behind the robed officials, climbing a broad staircase that curved upward in a slow spiral.
Each step felt surreal to Subaru. Subaru knew he should talk to the others. Exchanging information was isekai survival rule number one, but his attention kept getting stolen by everything else. The architecture. The scale. The fact that none of this looked remotely like modern Japan. His head turned constantly, left, right, up, nearly missing a step once because he was too busy staring at a floating chandelier lit by flames that burned without smoke.
This is real. This is actually happening. Halfway up the staircase, they passed a massive open window carved into the stone wall. Subaru drifted toward it almost unconsciously and stopped. The view punched the breath out of him. A vast city spread below the castle hill, layered rooftops, white stone roads, and market squares full of moving color. Flags fluttered from towers. Farmland stretched beyond the outer walls, green and gold under the afternoon sun. Smoke rose in thin lines from distant chimneys.
His eyes lit up like a kid at a festival.
“Whoa… it’s beautiful,” he breathed. “I really did get isekai into another world!”
One of the others slowed beside him, the bow guy. His expression carried mild curiosity more than wonder.
“From the way you’re reacting,” said bow guy, “I’m guessing you’ve never traveled abroad before?”
“Not even once,” Subaru admitted easily, still staring out over the city. Then he straightened and offered a hand with a grin. “By the way, I’m Subaru Natsuki. Though I’m pretty sure you heard that earlier.”
“I did,” said bow guy. “Itsuki Kawasumi.”
The sword guy spoke next without breaking stride. “Ren Amaki.”
The shield guy come closer to Subaru and gave a short nod. “Naofumi Iwatani.” while looking out the window with the same amazement as Subaru.
Subaru mentally repeated the names, locking them in like party members in a new RPG. A robed official ahead raised his arm and gestured down a branching corridor.
“Heroes, please follow us this way.”
“Come on,” Ren said, confidence returning to his voice. “Let’s keep moving.”
He resumed walking immediately. Itsuki followed without hesitation.
Naofumi and Subaru lingered a half-second longer near the window. They exchanged a brief look, equal parts uncertainty and curiosity, a silent guess we’re really doing this moment. Then they stepped away from the view and followed the others upward toward the castle.
───▽───
The climb ended at a final landing of white stone veined with gold. Waiting there were immense double doors easily three times Subaru’s height, covered in engraved patterns of dragons, and crossed weapons. The metal inlays caught the torchlight and shimmered like embers. Two armored guards stepped forward in perfect sync. They planted their halberds, bowed once, then pushed. The doors opened slowly with a deep, resonant creak, the kind of sound that announced importance.
Beyond lay the throne room. The space was vast enough to swallow sound. Tall pillars lined a red carpet that ran straight down the center like a ceremonial road. Sunlight poured from high windows, illuminating floating dust motes and polished marble floors. Nobles in layered silks stood along both sides on the second floor, whispering behind gloved hands. Knights in full armor formed a silent inner line near the far dais. At the end, seated upon a raised throne of carved ivory and gold, was the ruler of the kingdom.
The King. His posture was rigid, beard carefully kept, crown set with measured precision rather than flamboyance. His eyes studied the four young men not with awe, but with evaluation. He spoke, voice carrying easily across the hall.
“So you four young men are the heroes of legend…?”
His gaze passed over them one by one, pausing a fraction longer on the weapons than the faces.
“I am Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, King of Melromarc. Introduce yourselves, heroes.”
Ren stepped forward first with composure, raising his blade just enough for the gem and steel to catch the light. His expression was controlled and cool, but the brightness in his eyes betrayed the excitement he didn’t want to show.
“Re-”
“I am Natsuki Subaru! Seventeen years old. A former high school student and now Spear HERO!”
Subaru, sudden interruption, and unexpected introduction cut Ren's introduction short. With his finger pointing toward the heavens above, his chest puffed out way more than necessary, chin tilted up in exaggerated pride, one eye sparkling with overconfidence, and a victory grin. Before quickly spinning his spear around in an over-the-top manner, ending with his spear resting across his shoulder in a deliberately dramatic pose, the kind he’d seen a hundred anime protagonists use right before the opening theme played.
Silence filled the chamber.
Ren's stunned expression quickly disappeared as dark shadows covered his upper face, and he gripped his sword tightly, as if he were ready to murder someone.
Subaru continued to smile, unaware. As the polished marble floor reflected Subaru’s ridiculous yet heroic pose like a painting no one had asked for. In contrast, Itsuki and Naofumi are still struck in their stunned silence.
Ren's body trembles, then he inhaled...slowly...
Across from him, Subaru remained blissfully unaware, still basking in the afterglow of what he considered to be his awesome self-made introduction, clearly waiting for applause that was not coming. His grin twitched slightly as the silence stretched… and stretched… and stretched. Soon, a bead of sweat formed at his temple.
Ren: "Y-You!!"
Subaru flinched, but only slightly, then snapped his gaze toward Ren with exaggerated coolness, as if he had anticipated this exact moment.
“Ah. So you’ve finally found your voice. I understand. My presence can be overwhelming.”
Itsuki blinked. Naofumi looked away, rubbing his temple as if reconsidering every life choice that had led him here. Ren took a step forward, boots echoing sharply against the marble.
“What was that supposed to mean?!”
Subaru placed a hand over his chest.
“That, my friend, was charisma.”
Silence.
Ren’s sword flashed into view in one fluid motion, the blade held steady a breath away from Subaru's chest.
Ren voice went cold: "Are you done?"
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
“ENOUGH!!”
The King's voice cracked across the throne room like a war drum, slamming into marble, pillars, and vaulted ceilings before crashing back down upon the four heroes. Even the nobles on the upper balcony recoiled.
Ren halted. His blade remained where it was. Subaru felt the cold kiss of steel almost touching his tracksuit, and instinctively took a step back and, indignant, pushed the sword away with his spear.
The nobles began whispering
“Unrefined…”
“Children…”
“Can they truly save us?”
The King lifted a gloved hand. Silence returned.
"Heroes! You stand in the throne room of Melromarc."
"And you would draw steel upon one another before even hearing why you were summoned?"
Ren’s jaw clenched. Slowly, reluctantly, he lowered his sword. Naofumi quietly stepped between them, enough to create physical separation. After a moment, the King spoke again.
"Now, heroes! Reintroduce yourself!"
Ren’s gaze held for one more second, then he turned away, dismissing Subaru. He raised his sword slightly, just enough for the blade to catch the sunlight streaming through the high windows.
"Ren Amaki, Sixteen years old. A high school student."
"Itsuki Kawasumi. Seventeen years old. Also, a high school student."
Last came Naofumi. He stepped forward, smiling like the others, hand resting near his shield. His expression was joyful.
“Lastly, my name is Nao-”
“Ren, Itsuki, and Subaru…”
The King’s voice cut across the space sharp enough to halt motion. Naofumi’s words died mid-syllable. Several nobles nodded as if a list had been properly completed. A beat passed. Naofumi blinked. Subaru does the same.
“You’re forgetting me, King,” he said plainly. A faint ripple moved through the court: discomfort, annoyance, surprise, hard to tell which.
“Huh?”
The King turned his head slightly, as if noticing an object in the corner of his vision rather than a person in front of him. Although it had gone as quickly as it came, his expression switched back to natural.
“My apologies… Shield… Hero…" The title sounded like an afterthought.
"It seems age is catching up with me. I have governed these lands as King for so long that you must pardon me if such things sometimes slip from my thoughts.”
“Anyway...”
The dismissal was quick. Too quick. Both Subaru and Naofumi thought that it was weird for the King to forget him when he could remember the other heroes just fine. Naofumi exhaled through his nose and smiled. He straightened and delivered his introduction anyway.
“My name is Naofumi Iwatani. Twenty years old. University student.”
The king leaned forward slightly on his throne, fingers resting on the armrest.
“I expect the heroes already know of the crisis we face, the Waves of Destruction?”
The question echoed across the chamber as nobles watched and listened closely.
Ren spoke first, “More details would be helpful.”
The King nodded once, approving the composure, and began his explanation. Courtiers remained calm as he described the Waves. Although a few knights tightened their grip on their weapons.
Subaru's imagination filled in the image vividly, vast crimson fractures spreading across the sky, unnatural bleeding light. And from those tears poured monsters of all kinds, which spread across the land, destroying villages, towns, and armies alike.
He swallowed.
Still...a part of him couldn't deny the strange, electric thrill running beneath the fear. The call to action, the excitement of being chosen as a hero. And dealing with a crisis, which he believed prior to being summoned, only existed in fantasy stories.
So this is the real thing.
“No one knows their true origin, not their cycle, nor their cause. Only that they return again and again. Our only consistent defense has been the summoning of the Cardinal Heroes.” He gestured toward the four weapons.
Naofumi listened with the same pleasant expression, that easy smile never once leaving his face. Yet beneath that carefully maintained calm, something stirred, a faint, restless flicker he couldn’t quite put into words.
“Our only consistent defense.” The words should have been reassuring. Instead, they caught against the memory of a name the King had tried to cast aside only moments earlier.
Almost unconsciously, his hand drifted toward the shield at his side, fingers brushing along its edge. Just a touch. Just enough to steady himself. And through it all, he kept smiling.
“Sounds like you’re asking a lot from us,” Ren said. “You pulled us here without warning. Are we expected to work for free, too?”
“After we’re done saving your world, what then? A thank you and a handshake?” Itsuki's gaze fixed on the throne. “We’re not disposable tools.”
Before the tension could spike further, Naofumi stepped in, smiling politely, tone open and good-natured.
“I mean… saving people from monster invasions sounds like a pretty important job,” he said. “I don’t mind helping. But yeah, it’d be reassuring to know what support we’ll have.”
To Subaru, it sounds… reasonable. Subaru flashed Naofumi a quick grin.
"Yeah, what Naofumi said. If we're supposed to fight world-ending disasters, starter gear and good luck aren't going to cut it."
“If that is your concern,” said the King, “then we will make proper accommodations. If it is a reward you seek, it shall be granted once the Waves are repelled. Titles, land, wealth, these can be arranged. And as for returning you to your home world… we do not currently know of a method.”
“But know this, we will not abandon you to struggle alone. We will provide whatever resources are required to make this task manageable.”
That landed really well as the heroes look at each other with a victorious smile on their faces, except for Ren, who looks at Subaru with an annoyed expression. Subaru blinked back at him.
"…He’s still on that?" Subaru muttered under his breath.
Subaru coughed lightly and looked away
The king raised one hand toward them, palm outward.
“Now then, I would like each hero to check their Status Magic.”
“...Status Magic...?” asked Subaru and Itsuki.
“...Status...what...?” asked Naofumi.
They both glanced over at each other. Itsuki gave them a look of bewilderment, while Ren was calmly spacing out, looking like he was staring into nothing. His eyes were busy, though, so what was he looking at exactly?
"What's wrong with you guys? It should've been the first thing you noticed in this world," said Ren.
"Oh, get over yourself. Quit acting like you know everything," said Itsuki.
"Don't you see an icon in the corner of your field of vision?" said Ren.
Subaru gave Ren a look before trying it out for himself. He quickly noticed the icon and focused on it. The icon expanded outward, showing his status.
[Natsuki Subaru]
[Class] : Spear Hero LV1
[Equipment] : Base Spear (Legendary Weapon)
Other-World Clothes.
[Skills] : None
[Magic] : None
“Level 1, huh?” said Subaru, muttered, staring at the glowing interface before him.
“That’s worrying,” said Itsuki.
“Yeah, no telling if we can fight like this. I mean, what am I supposed to do with a shield?” said Naofumi.
“What’s all this, anyway?” said Ren.
“Status Magic is something only heroes can use,” the king explained. “If you wish to strengthen the legendary weapons you’ve been given, you’ll need to travel and fight. They grow and improve through experience.”
“They’re not already at full power?” Naofumi frowned. “And mine isn’t even a weapon.”
Subaru tilted his head, tapping the side of his spear thoughtfully.
“So, we're basically starting at tutorial difficulty...that's rough."
He glanced toward the others.
"Oh, well, until our weapons actually feel legendary, we can try wielding other weapons.”
“We can figure that out as we go,” said Itsuki.
“Anyway, it looks like we ought to train ourselves,” said Ren.
Naofumi leaned forward slightly.
“We already got the perfect team, so let’s for-”
“Wait, heroes! The holy weapons are unusual in their function. While they can achieve a great level of power, they can’t be near another holy weapon. The heroes must begin their journey apart from each other if you wish to gain experience.”
“That’s...dumb,” Subaru responded before a message appeared in front of his vision.
[Attention]
[Cardinal Heroes are highly advised to fight separately. The Holy Weapons will experience adverse effects of growth if they are near each other.]
“Fear not, heroes, we will provide you with carefully selected adventurers who will help you in your journey. We need some time to sort it out, so I suggest that the heroes rest up.”
A servant of the castle, dressed in a neat black-and-white maid uniform trimmed with lace, stepped forward from the line of attendants. The polished marble floor barely made a sound beneath her careful steps. She lowered herself into a graceful bow, her silver tray clinking softly against the ornaments at her waist.
“I shall bring you to your rooms. Please follow me.”
The four exchanged glances before following her. Their footsteps echoed loudly in the vast chamber, and the massive doors behind them closed shut with a resounding thud.
TO BE CONTINUED...