第４８２堀：呼び出したのは英雄？ (Part1)
**Chapter 482: Is the One Summoned a Hero?**
**Side: Kagura Kamishiro**
"U-um, Hero-sama? Why are you doing such a thing?"
The Princess, still failing to grasp the gravity of our situation, asked this. The summoning had indeed been a success—the summoning itself, at least. But that didn't necessarily mean the one who appeared was a "Hero." I hadn't truly expected a convenient, fairy-tale hero to pop out, but I was still stunned by the reality of it. In the blink of an eye, our magic had been suppressed, and we had been bound.
*Tsk.* I should have brought guards with me. But since failing the summoning ritual day after day would have been bad for morale, I had been forced to do it in secret.
*Wait, no.* I can't leave the conversation to the Princess.
"Hey, could you untie us?" I asked.
The man standing before us didn't seem interested in the slightest. He kept his back turned, busy checking on the well-being of the people who had arrived with him. Well, that was to be expected. We had summoned them out of nowhere. Thinking about it now, it was essentially kidnapping.
"Everyone here? Is anyone hurt? Especially you, Milly, is your stomach alright? ...Good, that’s a relief for now. But if you feel anything strange, tell me immediately. Oh, and don't use your teleportation rings. They’re isolated and won't work right now, but they operate through gates. Even if a gate is formed, absolutely do not use them. We don't know what kind of effect teleportation might have on the child in your womb."
*Womb? What is he talking about?*
Intrigued, I twisted my bound body to look past him.
"No way! Are those Spirit Priestesses? And there are three of them... no, if you count the little ones, there are six!"
"Oh my! Ah! It—it’s true! Oh, gods! First Ancestor! Thank you for sending us a Hero!"
In the back, there were indeed priestesses—beloved by spirits, with animal ears atop their heads. *This is bad. I thought he was a fraud, but is he really a Hero? And how on earth are there so many Spirit Priestesses here?*
As I was lost in thought... *Thud, thud, thud!*
Ice spears suddenly erupted from the ground, surrounding me.
"Eek!"
"That was dangerous! What do you think you're doing?!" I shouted at the woman with the infuriatingly perfect figure who had summoned the ice.
She and another girl with red hair had been watching us closely the entire time the Japanese man had his back turned. I had assumed they were mages because of their staves, but to manifest that much power in an instant? That was impressive. Even for a student, that was top-tier.
"...Shut up."
"Yes, as Cleena-san said. Could you please be quiet? Honestly, if the children start crying because of this, I won't recognize your right to exist."
This is bad. These two are clearly furious. Well, considering we basically kidnapped them, that’s only natural. But the Princess didn't seem to realize that at all.
"How rude! Do you know who I am?!" she demanded.
*Oh, for heaven's sake.* We summoned them; there’s no way they would know who the Princess is. The red-haired girl, Cleena, stepped forward at the Princess's attitude.
"...I have no idea who you are. All I know is that you are enemies. Enemies get burned."
Flames began to swirl around Cleena. *No way! She can manifest magic through sheer emotion? She's on the same level as me—or the Princess!* This is bad. If this keeps up, we’re both going to be incinerated!
"Wai—"
"Hold it, Cleena!"
Before I could stop her, the Japanese man intervened.
"...Don't stop me."
"Calm down. The situation is too unclear. I can guess some of it, but we should at least try to talk. If we just finish them off, we'll have to go looking for someone else, and since they seem like high-ranking figures, more people might come swarming. I don't know how well we can fight here. They’ll be useful as hostages, so no killing."
"...If Yuki says so."
Reluctantly, Cleena stopped her magic, and the flames vanished. *Whew, that was close.* Being killed by the "Hero" we summoned would be a joke too pathetic to even tell.
"You said your name was Cleena, didn't you? Expect to be punished for this later. You have been rude to a Princess of the Haiden Kingdom."
*Ah, Princess. Could you please just be quiet? We finally calmed things down, and you're starting another fire...*
"Yuki, I'm going to burn her after all..."
"Yes, yes, calm down. I'm just as annoyed, but we can't have the children seeing something so gruesome, can we?"
"...Mm. Understood. You're right, showing them trash isn't good for the education of Akiten and the others."
"What did you say?!"
*Ugh.* Please, stop picking fights with them!
"A-ah, Princess, please calm down too. We aren't getting anywhere, and we don't know when the enemy will attack."
"...Very well, Hero-sama. For now, leave that rude woman aside, untie these ropes, and listen to what I have to say."
"No, we can talk without untying you. We were summoned here out of the blue, so we can't tell if you're friend or foe."
"We couldn't possibly be your foes! You are an ancient Hero!"
"...This princess doesn't seem to be getting the point. Hey, you with the black hair. What’s the current situation?"
*Thank goodness.* If he’s asking me, this will be easier.
"Princess, let me handle the talking."
"Eh? But surely it is only natural for me, a Princess, to speak?"
"It is his request, and since I have black hair as well, it might be easier for him to talk to me."
"Ah, I see. Very well, Kagura. I leave it to you."
*Sigh.* Why is just having a conversation so exhausting?
"So, is 'Yuki' fine?"
"Yeah. Is 'Kagura' fine for you?"
"That's fine. We can talk about status later. The truth is, the Princess and I summoned you, which is why you were teleported here. You might not believe it, but it’s reality."
"..."
No reaction. Well, I suppose it’s hard to believe in sudden summoning or teleportation. He probably doesn't even think such magic exists.
"To make you believe me, I’d like to show you the outside... but I can't. We are in a desperate situation. This city is surrounded by a massive enemy force, and we don't know if we'll last until tomorrow. We summoned a Hero in hopes of finding a way out. That’s you. Do you understand now? Could you untie us? Without a commander, the city will fall by morning. If you don't want to die, we would appreciate your help. I don't know if it’s because you were summoned as Heroes, but I can tell that you, Cleena, and the blonde woman possess immense magical power. It would be convenient for us. Won't you help?"
I had to make him understand that staring at each other wouldn't improve our situation.
"It’s more dire than I thought."
"If it weren't, we wouldn't be resorting to fairy-tale summoning rituals."
"Surrounded, huh... What about reinforcements?"
"...We don't know when they'll arrive."
"What are the numbers?"
"100,000 against 5,000. We’re the 5,000, obviously. We’ve held out for seven days, and we’re already worn down to about 2,000."
"That’s desperate. Honestly, it sounds like a lost cause. I'm surprised you held out for seven days."
I had explained the hopeless situation, but Yuki showed no signs of panic.
"We’re essentially a suicide squad. We have nowhere left to run. It’s not just that, though—we have the student corps from the Magic Academy. Because we had a rare magic unit stationed here in Baide, we’ve managed to hold on this long."
"I see. No escape, and with a princess present, surrender is the absolute last resort. I assume the losing side gets looted?"
"Naturally. That’s the greatest reward for the soldiers who follow. The people of the city will have their homes burned, their wealth stolen, the women will be violated, and their lives will be taken. We couldn't allow that."
...The Princess. She should have run away while she had the chance.
"...Well, I don't know the local situation well enough to say for sure, but I understand the gist of it."
"Then..."
"You will lend us your strength, won't you?!"
The Princess interrupted, her eyes sparkling as she responded to Yuki's words.
"Princess, please calm down. Even if we wanted to help, we don't know the extent of the military power here. May I ask a few questions first?"
"Yes! If you will lend us your strength, I shall answer anything!"
*No, Princess. Answering "anything" is a bad idea.*
"Kagura-san, it would help if you answered my questions too."
"Understood. I will answer as much as I can."
At least we seem to have secured their cooperation. Now, how on earth am I going to explain this to everyone by morning?