I was originally an ordinary person.

I went to school normally.

I worked normally.

I was someone who lived an ordinary life.

Then one day.

With a blinding light, I was summoned to a world I didn't know at all.

When I opened my eyes, a girl wearing a crown was kneeling before me.

"...Please, save us."

She was the princess of this country.

The princess spoke quietly.

Once every 100 years.

A Demon King is born.

Countless people die, and the kingdom faces the brink of destruction.

God took pity on the kingdom and bestowed a special power upon the princess.

The power to summon a person from another world.

And it was said that the person summoned from another world would gain immense power the moment they arrived.

"...Please, save us."

"...I'm sorry."

"...I know it's shameless to ask for such a favor."

"...But..."

"...We have no other way."

At first, I wanted to refuse.

But the princess's last words held me back.

"...If you wish to return to your original world, Hero..."

"...There is no way other than defeating the Demon King."

If I couldn't return to my original world.

My family.

My friends.

I would never see them again.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

"...I understand."

"...I will go."

And so, I became the Hero.

The princess introduced three companions to me.

Riel, the elven archer.

"I'll open the path ahead with my arrows!"

Mireya, the ice mage.

"I will freeze everything that stands in your way with my magic."

Selene, the saintess.

"I will protect you with my light."

Thus, we began our journey to defeat the Demon King.

We laughed together.

We fought together.

We cried together.

We shared the meat Riel hunted in the forest.

Selene healed me when I was hurt.

Mireya always grumbled, yet she was the first to cast a barrier in front of me.

Before we knew it, we weren't just companions; we had become like family, trusting each other with our lives.

Finally, we arrived at the Demon King's castle.

After a long battle, we defeated the Demon King.

We were victorious.

When we returned to the kingdom, the people cheered and called us heroes.

The princess held a grand banquet for us.

She smiled and handed me a goblet.

"...You've worked hard."

"...Hero."

I took the goblet without any suspicion.

And then.

A moment later.

"...Cough!!"

Red blood soaked the floor.

"...This taste..."

"...Poison...?"

I looked at the princess with trembling eyes.

The princess was crying.

"...I'm sorry."

"...I'm so sorry."

"...But now..."

"...You are a threat to our kingdom, Hero."

Then, three people stepped forward from behind me.

Riel.

"...With my arrows."

"...This time... I will stop you."

Mireya.

"...I'm sorry."

"...This time, I will freeze you."

Selene.

"...Hero."

"...I will seal you away."

Only then did I learn the whole truth.

In this kingdom, a Demon King is born every 100 years.

At first, the kingdom could defeat the Demon King with its own strength.

But the price was too high.

The land was devastated.

Famine struck.

Plagues spread.

Countless people lost their lives.

Eventually, the kingdom prayed to God for salvation.

And God answered.

"I shall give the King's daughter the power to summon a person from another world."

"The one from another world shall gain immense power the moment they arrive here."

After that, the kingdom summoned a person from another world every time a Demon King appeared.

They all became heroes and defeated the Demon King.

But there was one problem.

There was no way to send the person from another world back to their original world.

As time passed, the heroes fell into despair.

Some tried to rule the kingdom.

Some were consumed by rage and became new Demon Kings.

Some threatened the kingdom, unable to bear the fact that they couldn't go home.

Eventually, the kingdom made a decision.

The Hero who defeats the Demon King.

Must be sealed.

That was the secret the kingdom had kept for hundreds of years.

Weakened by the poison, I couldn't even resist properly.

Riel's arrows stopped me.

Mireya's ice bound my body.

Selene's holy light shackled me.

I finally fell to my knees.

The princess stood before me, shedding tears.

"...I'm sorry."

"...I'm... truly sorry."

I was dragged by soldiers to the dungeon.

Countless mages were already waiting there.

Powerful restraints.

Dozens of layers of sealing circles.

And a massive barrier.

I was sealed inside a prison from which no one could escape.