Chapter 5

"Are you here!?"

Suddenly, someone grabbed my shoulder from the side. I almost froze in fear, but when I saw the person's face, I was surprised. It was the magician who had summoned me.

"Um, I think it's Victor, right?"

"I've been looking for you. Why did you leave the castle?"

"Huh?"

What is this person talking about...

Noticing that people around us were starting to pay attention, Victor said, "Come with me for a moment" and started walking.

When he tried to enter a fancy restaurant, I dug my heels in at the entrance.

"I don't need anything from you, and I don't have any money. So I won't go into this restaurant."

Victor looked at me intently with his brown eyes.

"What is it?"

"I have money. I won't be rough. I need to talk to the Holy Maiden. We can't keep arguing here; it's bothering the shop, so please come in."

Reluctantly, I sat down at a corner table as he asked. After ordering two teas, Victor sighed deeply.

The young magician had brown eyes and long, straight brown hair tied back. He was wearing a shirt, jacket, and pants, not the robe he had worn at the castle. He seemed to have lost a lot of weight since the first time I saw him.

"I heard from the chancellor that you left while I was bedridden. Why did you do that?"

"That's not true. It's the opposite. I was told to leave. So I left the castle in the clothes I was wearing and came to the city. And my name is Haru. If you call me the Holy Maiden, I'll leave right now. Don't add any honorifics."

"Ah, then, Haru. In the clothes you were wearing? That's... terrible. How have you been surviving?"

"I've been helped by kind people. I've met some nice people. I don't want to tell you the details. Do you even know what you did? What you did was a state-sponsored kidnapping."

"..."

"I was living a relatively happy life in my world. My family and friends must be worried sick about me suddenly disappearing. They must be sad, thinking I was involved in a crime. You kidnapped me, and when you found out I wasn't useful, you dumped me in a foreign country without any money."

"I'm really sorry for everything. I'll do my best to make it up to you. But my summoning spell was successful. Haru is definitely the one who can save this country from the disaster."

"Can save it, huh? Shouldn't you try to handle it yourselves first? Anyway, leave me alone. I don't need your compensation. Thank you for the tea. Goodbye."

I tried to stay calm. I didn't want to shout or lose my composure.

"Wait!"

Victor stood up and seemed to be about to chase after me, but his body swayed, and he bent over.

"Sir, are you okay?"

The shop staff rushed over, and customers at other tables were staring with wide eyes.

"Um, Victor? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine."

He muttered that and fell silent. If I just left him and pretended I didn't know him, I'd be no different from the important people in this country who only care about themselves.

Reluctantly, I helped Victor sit back in his chair and returned to my seat.

"Are you eating properly? You've lost a lot of weight, haven't you?"

"Food? Since the summoning spell was nullified, I've lost my appetite. I succeeded in a once-in-a-lifetime summoning spell, but it was as if it never happened."

"Wait. As if it never happened? After summoning me?"

"Yes. Apparently, I can't say the summoning spell failed, as it was done on the king's orders. Even though I'm saying it didn't fail."

"Ha. How low can these people go? And what about you? Did you use your once-in-a-lifetime summoning spell, ruin your health, and get fired from the castle?"

Victor smiled thinly with a dark expression.

"I haven't been fired. That's because I'm recorded as having resigned from the castle's magic corps due to illness. The records have been altered, so it's as if I never used the summoning spell."

Wow... So he's a victim too, in a way. As an employee, he probably had no choice but to follow his superior's orders.

"Um, just out of curiosity, do you really have money? Do you have a stable means of living?"

If it's a matter of male pride, I'll pay. I have a proper job that provides for my basic needs.

Victor took a leather pouch from his pocket and placed it on the table. It made a heavy thud.

"Take a look."

He untied the string and showed me the contents. There were many gold, silver, and copper coins of various sizes.

"Oh, you really do have money. I'm relieved. You should order something to eat. I'll order for you. What do you want?"

My past of taking care of two younger brothers inadvertently showed. I can't help but take care of people who are in trouble or weak. Is that a strength or a weakness?

"Anything is fine."

"There you go. 'Anything is fine' is the most troublesome thing for the people around you. I'll order something for you, so eat it without complaining. And to make things easier, let's just use normal speech, okay?"

After a while, a soup with beans and potatoes, and a ham and egg sandwich arrived.

"Take your time and eat slowly. If you don't chew well, your stomach will be shocked."

Victor drank the soup listlessly but seemed to enjoy it. He took another spoonful and then bit into the sandwich. Watching him, I felt a warm, gentle feeling, like giving food to a hungry large dog.

After finishing everything and rubbing his satisfied stomach, he looked at me straight and spoke.

"The great disaster will definitely come. The Seer is never wrong. She's a genius. And my summoning spell didn't fail. We need your power. I want you to work with me to save this country."

"...You're still saying that. Did you even listen to me?"

Give me back my warm feeling.