The heroes from another world led by Kanzaki Touya departed from the Divine Emperor’s Kingdom Delamis and, after a long period, arrived in the Water Country Traase. Why did they come to Traase? To explain that, we must speak of the oracle given by the Reincarnated Goddess Melfina to the Shrine Maiden Colette. The scene is Delamis Cathedral, right after the oracle was delivered.
—Delamis Cathedral—
The moment Touya and Setsuna reached the cathedral doors, they ran into Nana Mizuoka and Miyabi Kuromiya.
“Kanzaki-kun! What on earth happened?!”
Nana seemed slightly confused. She was Touya’s classmate at the same high school and in the same class. Though short with a youthful face, she had a disproportionately large bust and was incredibly popular with a certain segment of the male students. She herself felt self-conscious about her appearance, often being mistaken for a grade-schooler, but her gentle nature combined with her looks created an aura of warmth that soothed those around her.
“I saw light coming from the cathedral. Was it fireworks?”
In stark contrast to Nana, Miyabi was calm. She had transferred into Touya’s class the day before their summoning. A transfer student who returned from abroad, she possessed a genius intellect and exhibited behavior that defied common sense, a mysterious beautiful girl. Perhaps due to her quarter Japanese and quarter Russian heritage, she had beautiful silver hair, and on her first day of school, she became the subject of a fan club, solidifying her legend.
These two were also heroes, summoned from modern times to this world along with Touya and Setsuna.
“I have no idea either. However, Colette is inside the cathedral.”
“What?! We have to check if she’s okay quickly!”
“Right! Let’s open the door and rush in! Are you ready?! Here we go…”
—Bang!—
“Colette, are you alright?!”
Where Touya’s shout landed, a silver-haired girl stood facing the altar. There was no sign of anything being broken or any disturbance. As if the intense light that had just radiated was a lie, the cathedral was deathly silent. As the four heroes scanned their surroundings, Colette quickly turned around and declared loudly:
“An oracle has been delivered!”
Setsuna reacted to her voice.
“An oracle… Did the Goddess come here?! What did she say?!”
Contact with the Goddess since being suddenly summoned to this world. Perhaps, just perhaps, she could help them return to their original world. With such faint hope, Setsuna waited intently for Colette’s next words. Eventually, Colette slowly opened her mouth…
“With the aid of Lady Melfina, the summoning of the heroes was successful one year ago. Since then, we have not received any divine oracles, but finally! Finally, a new oracle has been received! Ah, Lady Melfina’s appearance is truly like a flower face and a willow waist! Her smile, which showed joy at the heroes’ growth, is worth a thousand, no, ten thousand gold coins! Colette is overwhelmed by such kindness and love that has appeared before me twice in my fleeting life…!”
“………”
She was so overcome with joy her mind had tripped. The number two in the great nation of Delamis in such a state was a rare sight. No, if she were seen like this, her reputation would be ruined.
“K-Kanzaki-kun, Colette-san seems a bit tired. We’ll take her to her room, could you go back ahead?”
“Ah, right. Shall I carry her on my back?”
“No. You always try to touch Colette like that. Touya’s lucky pervert incident.”
“Wh-what! Are you still holding a grudge, Miyabi… I told you it wasn’t intentional…”
“M-Miyabi-chan!? Did something happen between you and Kanzaki-kun!?”
“Yes, yes. That’s enough of your comedy act.”
Setsuna clasped her head, lamenting the situation, and tried to bring order to the scene. As Touya’s childhood friend and a troublemaker, she had experienced these bothersome situations countless times since childhood, naturally falling into this role. If she left the other three to their own devices, they would continue like this indefinitely, so she supposed it couldn’t be helped. Still, Setsuna suffered from a stomach ache every day.
“With this commotion, the knights will probably be here soon, so Touya, you handle them. Nana and Miyabi, you’re with me to carry Colette! Let’s move out!”
“Und-understood!”
“Roger that~”
Touya burst out of the cathedral. Following him, Setsuna and the others carried Colette away.
“Too beautiful, too beautiful~ Lady Melfina~”
That night, a no-entry sign was placed on Colette’s bedroom.
~~~~
—The Next Day – Colette’s Office—
Knock, knock.
“…Enter.”
“Shrine Maiden, please excuse me.”
Colette, who had been writing documents, stopped her hand and looked at the door. Entering the room was Cliff, the commander of Delamis’s renowned Holy Knights. He was the Divine Emperor’s Kingdom Delamis’s strongest warrior and was responsible for the heroes’ training. Even with the four of them fighting together, Touya and the others still couldn’t defeat him. Touya and the others followed Cliff into the room.
“Holy Knights, Commander Cliff. I have arrived!”
“You’ve worked hard. The reason I’ve summoned the heroes and Commander Cliff today is for a report. A divine oracle has been received from Lady Melfina.”
The shocking words were spoken with a completely different tone than yesterday. However, Touya and the others, who had witnessed an even more shocking display last night, had a subtle expression. Should they be genuinely surprised by this? They exchanged glances. Miyabi was trembling slightly, trying not to burst out laughing. Cliff, unaware of the situation, was astonished.
“Is that true?! Shrine Maiden, congratulations. I must report this to His Holiness the Pope at once!”
“Please wait. Father… I have already informed the Pope.”
“Oh, so you have.”
“Then Colette, what did the Goddess say?”
Setsuna, trying her best not to think about last night, asked for the oracle’s contents.
“…An evil presence from an empire on the Western Continent. The path of the hero lies there. Never approach Pars.”
“W-what…!”
Cliff was even more surprised.
“Commander Cliff, the empire on the Western Continent, could it be…?”
“Yes, the Lizea Empire, with whom our country has been in a state of ceasefire for many years.”
Delamis and Lizea are currently in a truce, but the tension of wartime still persists. The deep rift between two nations that has been dug cannot be easily filled.
“Is it possible to go through the Great Cross Bridge?”
“That is possible, but security is strict, and there are multiple checkpoints. Like Trisen, it is a militaristic nation. If it’s discovered that you are heroes from Delamis, there’s no telling what they might do. Unless you are a merchant whose identity is guaranteed, I cannot recommend it.”
“B-but, according to the Goddess’s oracle, there might be a Demon King in that empire, right? Are you really going?”
At Nana’s words, everyone fell silent. No matter how much training they underwent or experience they gained over this past year, they were, at their core, high school students who had lived in peaceful times. They had prepared themselves to fight the Demon King, but facing the battlefield caused their hearts to waver.
“Shrine Maiden, I believe it is still too early. Touya and the others are still lacking in both mind and body to face the Demon King. Furthermore, as knights of Delamis, I cannot rashly step into foreign territory.”
“I understand that as well. However, this is an oracle from Lady Melfina, it must have some meaning.”
Colette closed her eyes and thought deeply. Silence dominated the room, occasionally broken by a gentle breeze blowing in from the window. Soon, Colette opened her eyelids and murmured:
“Let’s set sail from Traage.”
