A day has passed since the second summons.
　He was now sitting on a bed in a prison in the basement of the royal castle.

Is your head cold?
'...... Yes. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

　He hangs his head in a reflective tone towards the knight who spoke to him from behind the bars.
　Exhaling in relief at this one's calmness, the knight said, "I'm going to report to Your Majesty. I will be able to get out in a little while,'' he said, and left the front of the prison.

　I'm sorry for the inconvenience, huh?
　...... Don't be silly.
　It's you kingdoms who say that.

　While I was in prison, the knight who came over told me a lot of things.

　He said that the Luzas who beat the octopus was not badly injured, and he also stated that he didn't care about it, so he would get him out of the prison as soon as I was cool enough to do so.
　Apparently, the shock of being summoned to assault him means that he's not guilty of the assault.

　Well, they can't just summon a brave man and execute him immediately.

　However, it was somewhat rash of me to hit him without knowing the situation.
　The result is this prison.
　Since he was killed right before, though, it's inevitable.

''If only I could use ...... magic, I could easily get out of this kind of prison.

　Is it the effect of being killed once or being summoned twice?
　For some reason, I had lost the ability to use magic, if I can call it that at all.
　Even if I could release weak magic power, I couldn't convert it into a form of magic.

　It could be said that he had almost lost his power as a brave man.
　The reason I'm in prison like this is because I don't have enough power to break through.
　It would take a lot of work to kill Ryuzas.

　On top of that, he also found that his appearance had changed.
　His muscles have lost their strength, his height has shrunk, and even the color of his hair has changed.
　Apparently, he had returned to his high school form before the first summoning, when he was in high school.

　My face has also become younger, and it's no wonder no one realizes that I'm the brave man I once was.

　I can no longer use magic, and my muscles have lost their strength.

''Still--''

　The knowledge and skills he's acquired and the experience he's accumulated are firmly in his head.
An ordinary knight would be able to crush it lightly.
　There are plenty of ways to do it.

"Liuzas .......

　I meditate on it, endure the anger, and remember.
　The first time I was summoned to this world.

　And how you were betrayed by your friends.


◆


　The first time I was summoned to this world was three years ago.
　I was relaxing at home when I was summoned by the kingdom just as I am now.

"Welcome to the other world's heroic lord. I beg you to save this world from the Demon King.

　Even then, I found myself standing on a circle made of a strange pattern.
　Ironically, the first time you heard the same words the first time and the second time.

　Then you were told by an old man who claimed to be the king to explain why you were here.

　This is a world called Latesia, which is different from Earth.
　It is said that the world is in danger of being destroyed by an entity called the Demon King.

And my kingdom, Onryn, has summoned a brave man to kill the Demon King.
.......
Yes. It's you.

　--Otherworld, hero, demon king.

　A list of characters that would never come out of the mouths of the modern world in any serious way.
　The information is mercilessly slammed into your confused head.

What is your name? What is your name?

　The way he looks at you, the king's aura of obvious political savvy.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　Iori Amatsuki Iori.
　As prompted, I said my name, which I don't really like because it's girlish.

''Amatsuki.''

　Only halfway through.

　This sense of urgency has caused me to take a big bite out of it.
　It couldn't be helped, it was the first time since my junior high school graduation that I stood in the middle of such a crowd.

"I see...so it's Amatsu-dono.

　Wrong.

　I couldn't say, "I'm not a quirky person," and eventually the name stuck with Amatsu.
　I was in no mood for that at the time.

''So, Amatsu-dono, can you save the world from the ...... demon king?''

　The king, as a matter of course, tries to proceed with the conversation.
　Irritated by the tone of disregard for my convenience, I shouted in a trembling voice, "I don't want to fight.

　I was born sixteen years ago.
　I was born for sixteen years and had nothing in particular that I wanted to do, but I was driven by others.
　Even when my parents died in an accident, my uncle did as he was told and took me in.

　Still, I thought that being swept away in this situation was life-threatening.

　I don't care about that, I just want them back home.
　I asked him to do so, but he replied, "It will take a few years to return to the world you came from.
　He also threatened that within a few years, the kingdom would be destroyed by the Demon King's army.

　What do the people of this world expect from a high school student who doesn't know anything about fighting or anything else?

　After that, they disbanded, saying that they wouldn't jump to conclusions, and they were forced to live in a room in the castle by the king's wishes.
　If we were kind, he would change his mind - the ulterior motive was transparent.

　She would stay in her room, eat the food that was brought to her and sleep.
　The people in the castle saw me like that and called me a coward.
　That's when I thought to myself, "How many times do I have to be a congratulatory head? I thought to myself, "How can they have such a happy head?

　Resolutely, I don't want to be a slave in the name of bravery.
　At first I thought that way.

　But - a turning point came.

　The militant faction became enraged that I wouldn't fight them and launched an attack on my room.
　It was in the nick of time.
　I would have been killed if a woman who was passing by hadn't helped me.

　The castle is supposed to be patrolled by knights.
　But as it happens, the knight on patrol was skipped that day.

　The people who attacked them were severely punished by the king.
　The same goes for the knights who had abandoned their duties.

　About this matter, the king said impatiently

Unless you are brave enough to fight as a brave man, I'm afraid it will happen again in the future.

　The bottom line is that the king was pulling the strings behind the attack.
　I knew that, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Four years. "Four years, protect your kingdom for four years, and I promise to return you to your world.

　The king once said.
　The Demon King's army is attacking more and more violently every year.
　If things continue as they are, the human race will be destroyed within three years.

　In other words, the king said, "If you want to return to your home world, you must defeat the Demon King.

　If I don't fight like this, I might be killed by the king's hand.
　Otherwise, if the kingdom is destroyed by the Demon King, I will never be able to return to my home world.

...... All right.

　Thus, I was swept away as usual and threw myself into an unwanted battle.


◆


　Once he decided to fight, he could understand how to use his own power in a strange way.
　Carved on his arm, the emblem that was the proof of bravery.
　What it brought was superhuman physical ability and overwhelming magic.

　Using them, I fought as I was instructed.

　Under the influence of my power, my hair turned gray and I grew a lot taller.
　After three months, I became a completely different person.

　It was around this time that the world began to praise Iori, calling her the "Heroic Amatsu".
　The savior of the world.

"Heroic, huh?

　I'm not thinking about saving the world or being the savior of the world or any of that noble stuff.
　This is just a fight to get me back to my world.

　At first, that's what I thought.

　That changed after six months.

"My name is Liuza. Let me help you defeat the Demon King's army.

　The battle against the Demon King's army would require cooperation with many humans.
　The sorcerer Liuzas was one of them.

''I have a sister, you know. I want to create the world that she wanted,''

　I'm fighting to protect the people I care about, Liuzas said.
　There's no way anyone would want to be sent to a world like this to protect them.
　Even so, he thought it was great that he could say that and fight.

I don't want to see any more of my people get hurt. That's why, Amatsu, I will fight with you.

　"That's what Dionis, the sub-human youth called the demon race, said.
　The demon tribe, which had always taken a neutral position, was hated by both the human and demon king's armies.

''I have to lead the demon tribe,'' said Dionis. I'll do anything to protect my people.''

　A sense of responsibility to fight for the family.
　And a strong will to accomplish the mission.
　Dionis had something that I hadn't had before, as I had always been a drifter.

　As I fought alongside them, I knew my inner self was changing little by little.

　And--.

　The woman who had previously protected him from the attacks of the extremists.
　Meeting Lucifina changed me a lot.

''My village was lost in the battle between the Demon King's army and the humans.
　My parents, too, at the time.

　I've seen so many people get hurt and die in wars, humans, demons, sub-humans, and wars.
　So I want to create a world where there is no conflict and all races can live together.
　That is my dream, Lucifina said.

'I believe we can do that with you.

　Lucifina has saved me many times.
　She stood by me time and time again when I was ready to give up.
　She told me that you were strong and that I would be able to return to my world.

　I was drawn to her as she tried to support her companions in the midst of hard fought battles, but never made any weaknesses, and I was slowly drawn to her.

　When I started fighting, all I could think about was returning to my home world.
　But every time I continued my journey, my feelings changed.

　I saw people who had been wounded by the war.
　I saw sub-humans who had lost their loved ones in the war.
　I saw demons in sorrow over the death of their friends.

　I have seen so many people hurt in the war.

　That's why I sincerely thought about it.
　I want to realize the world without conflict, as Lucifina said - I want to realize a world without conflict.

　But even with the power of a hero, it was not an easy journey.
　He almost died many times along the way, and even felt like he was going to falter.
　The reason I was able to keep fighting was because of these three friends.

　With support from the kingdom and from other countries, we would fight the Demon King's army.
　The formation of the war was greatly reversed and gradually tilted towards the human side.

　The end of the war is approaching at hand.
　We've deepened our relationship with our friends, and the only thing left to do is to defeat the Demon King, the source of all this.

　Or so I thought.

　--until the day the final battle takes place.


◆.


　When I was summoned, three years had passed.
　All the labyrinths set up by the Demon King's army in various countries have been trampled over, and all four Heavenly Kings have been defeated.　
　All that was left was the Demon King.

　With the support of each country, our party rode into the Demon King's Castle.

　We fought with the Demon King once.
　In that battle, we succeeded in weakening the Demon King.

　The plan is this.

　Me and Lucifina will draw the Demon King in the vanguard, and Dionis will support him.
　In the meantime, Ryuzas will increase his magic power and use his maximum firepower magic to finish off the demon king.

　If you do your best and throw everything you've cultivated so far, you should be able to achieve victory with this battle strategy.

　Overcoming traps, defeating demons, and breaking through numerous difficulties, we will advance through the demon king's castle.
　The human army that was supposed to follow us got stuck in the middle of the road and were unable to enter, but the party still managed to defeat the demons with their own strength.

　That's when we reached the innermost part, the Demon King's room, while preserving the magic power of Liuzas.

''I can't let you guys through from here.

　The last person to stand in the way was a single demon race.

　A girl with long silver hair that swung and a strong will to fight in her golden eyes.
　Although she has a small body, the magical power she possesses is extraordinary.
　In previous battles, she had clashed many times with a powerful demon tribe that she knew well.

　At that time, for the first time, the girl called herself a name.

''--Elphiszak Guildegard.
...... Amatsu.

　Those were the only words we exchanged.

　And then the fight began.

　The girl was strong.
　Even those of us who had defeated the Four Heavenly Kings were struggling with it.

　Every time I used my magic, the walls would shatter and cracks would appear on the floor.
　Together with Lucifina, we fought with the sword as the vanguard, while Dionis and Liuzas provided support in the rear guard.
　After a fierce fight to the death, it was the girl who got to her knees.

''My ...... defeat?''

　The girl, bleeding from all over her body, muttered in resignation as she was thrust against the sword.
　In order to end the fight, this girl must also be defeated.
　That's when she was about to swing her sword down at the girl.

'I wonder how this happened .......
　I just wanted to stop the fight.

　It was not a word directed at anyone else, but a self-mockery directed at himself.
　The fingers that clenched the hilt loosened slightly at the words that he wanted to stop the fight.

'You ......'

　This girl, who had clashed with him many times, is not a demon race that enjoys killing humans.
　Is it really necessary to kill her just because she is a demon?

　I stopped moving as that question popped into my head.

"Kill him, Amatsu!
"Do it now!

　The shouting of my friends came from behind me.

　To kill or not to kill.
　The moment I dropped the sword I was holding at them, I was torn and determined.


''--ah?''


　There was a sharp impact on my right arm with a thud.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

You're going to have to be ...... what is this a joke?

　The magic that was released from behind me had cut off my arm.
　Fresh blood spurted out of the section of the fallen arm, and I was hit with a heat that felt as if I had been pressed against a burning iron.

　The girl in front of me just looked at me dumbfounded.

''Utterly, your naivety is repulsive.

　The one who exercised the magic that cut off his arm was supposed to be his companion, Liuzas.
　A sorcerer who had mastered many sorceries and supported me on my journey many times.
　A reliable companion who stood up for the defense of the kingdom.

I'm sure that's why I was able to drop your arm like this, right?

　I can feel the brave power in my right arm flowing down with my blood.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

''How about ......?''
Don't you see?　You've come this far, you're no more use to me, hero. If I only had an arm full of magic, I could kill the Demon King.
What do you want me to tell you at ......

　This was when he extended his remaining left arm to join his cut off right arm with his healing magic.
　The magic that flew in unexpectedly pierced his chest.

"Go ...... ah!

　The vomiting sensation that was building up, and he spat it out unexpectedly, and it was bright red blood.
　The smell of your own iron is spreading in the room.

You don't look good, do you, Amatsu?

　It was Dionis who attacked me and said that as he spat it out.
　A man of the demon race who stood up for the insolence of the demon king's army, even though he was of a different race from humans, he could not tolerate the insolence of the demon king's army.
　A reliable companion who uses both magic and sword skills.

　Why are they attacking me?
　Are you being brainwashed by the demon tribe?
　I don't know what's going on here.

"Ryuzas. You still can't seem to understand the situation, can you?

　Dionis laughed at me while I was stunned and suppressing my wounds.

Yeah, well, that's just the way it is. It is a good friend of mine and I'll tell you. The hero, Amatsu, was killed in a battle with the Demon King.
　The remaining three of us defeated the demon king, and we mourn your death while returning to our country as heroes in triumph.
　Good scenario, right?

　Leuzas replied, and he had the ugliest look on his face I've ever seen on his face.

"That's right. When you weakened the demon king and brought us here, your role is over.

　As soon as I summoned him, an enormous amount of magical power resides in my right arm.
　The only entity that can fully use that power is the 'hero'.

It's a good thing that you don't have the power of a hero, because you can kill the demon king by transferring his magic power to Liuzas.
　I'm not going to be able to get to the bottom of it. Do you know what that means?

　Three years.
　The long travel companions are trying to kill me with a smile on their faces.

Why? ......

　The strength drained from my body and I fell to the ground.
　Liuzas and Dionysus sneered at the sight of him, giggling.

It's a good thing you're at ease, Amatsu. I'm going to take over your will, and I'll make sure that the demon king is killed by me!
Luci, Fina.

　Ignoring the deafening voices of Liuzas and the others, I call out to Lucifina.

　She was the first woman who was kind to me in this world.
　I wanted to believe that Lucifina was the only one who was one of mine.

'Amatsu-san,'

　At the call, Lucifina smiled gently, as usual.

''Leave the rest to us. Your role is now over.
''What ......?''

　But his eyes were inorganic and he wasn't looking at Iori.

'Wait. ....... Why. Didn't we promise ......?　When this battle is over, we'll create a world without conflict.
Hmmm.

　Lucifina laughed, as if she couldn't stand it.
　Like that, I froze.
　I wondered if this was really Lucifina.

"A world without conflict?　You're not going to be able to get away with it. You've come from another world and you want to save this one?　You didn't think it was presumptuous?
Ha ha ......?

　What are you talking about?

Ha-ha!　That's just brilliant, Amatsu. You're the only person in the world with that kind of vision.
'Maybe you should sleep on your dreams, huh?'

　I scoff at myself, my friends.
　Is this really real?

　You want to believe it's a dream, but the pain in your body confronts you with reality.

I've received enough magic for my needs. Lucifina, I need you to clean up the rest of that shit.
So, Amatsu. Now go to sleep and dream all you want.

　At those words from Ryusas, Lucifina swung her magic-clad sword.
　She could still barely move her legs.
　But her heart was already broken.

"Goodbye--"Hero Amatsu.

　Then Lucifina swung her sword down.
　Slashed by the tremendous magical power, I fell through the wall and out of the Demon King's Castle.

　I don't feel any more pain.
　The only thing that came to mind was the word "betrayed".

　What were the days until now?
　The mocking eyes of those guys were burned into my brain and I couldn't stop thinking about them.

''d*mn it ...... shou!''

　Was it wrong for me to want to end the conflict?
　Was it wrong to do what I had been doing?
　I don't know that anymore, either.

　Disappointment, and a fierce hatred for my friends.
　I heard the sound of something crushing with a crunch, and my consciousness went dark.


　This was the end of the first summons.
　This is the end of a brave man who was betrayed, ridiculed and killed by his friends.

　
◆


　The sound of multiple footsteps echoed with a thump, thump, thump.
　When I opened my eyes and lifted my gaze, the knights who went to report to the king were about to come back.
　The number of people has increased to five.

''His Majesty wants to see you.

　Four knights turn their vigilance towards us and one knight uses his bundle of keys to open the door of the prison.

　You are now clear and free.
　The restraints are not fitted, so you can escape as you please.

　But I'm not going to do that just yet.
　There are still too many unknowns to put into action.
　The magic is gone, and the arm that should have been chopped off is still there.
　Before we act, let's do some research.

　There's nothing to hurry about.
　There will be plenty of opportunities for you to succeed if you remain obedient.

　--Wait and see, Liuza.

　I held my mouth from lifting and walked out of my cell.