Chapter 3: Inn Aura

They summoned me without permission and now, when I claim it’s a case of mistaken identity, they don’t listen and all the important people who were excitedly celebrating are now downcast.

I don’t care.

“Can you send me back to my original world? I didn’t come here willingly.”

I repeated that several times, but no one responded. In the end, I was yelled at, “Shut up!”

…The deep-sea fish yelled at me. They forcefully kidnapped me and now they’re annoyed. As I was about to give up and return to my room, someone spoke to me from behind.

“Haru-sama, we cannot send you back.”

When I turned around, it was a man with a chin beard standing next to the Prime Minister.

“You won’t send me back? Or you can’t send me back?”

“Both.”

I almost raised my voice in anger but held back. Calm down. Don’t forget that there’s not a single ally here.

“I don’t…understand.”

The man with the chin beard then explained apologetically.

“When summoning someone from another world, it consumes the summoner. Victor, who summoned you, has already finished his role as a summoner. The magical connection required for summoning has been severed. And if we try to send you back using another summoner, that person’s entire life will be ruined.”

“So?”

“I can’t ruin the life of a summoner just to send you back without doing anything. That’s why we can’t send you back. We’ll reevaluate in one week. If you still don’t have any magical power, you can do as you please.”

Such a selfish argument. But I endured it. After all, I have nowhere to escape to. The only maid who came to my room was Sherry-san. Well, that’s fine. I don’t want to be treated as a polite saint anyway.

And of course, one week later, I still had no magical power. This time, the Prime Minister spoke up.

“Sigh, let me give you one piece of advice. Do not disclose that there is a major disaster coming to this country. It will cause a commotion among the people. If you speak, your life is not guaranteed. Now, that’s enough. You can go wherever you want. Leave the castle immediately.”

Did he just call me “you”?

You scum. This guy is such scum. But now that I know I’m useless, if I make a fuss, I might really be killed. I should quietly withdraw from here.

I rushed out of that room and took a moment to calm my heart in the courtyard on the way back. Sherry-san stayed by my side the whole time.

After zoning out for quite a while, I weakly returned to my room. When I opened the door, the room had completely changed while I was away.

It was empty, with no furniture at all. There wasn’t even a handkerchief in the closet. Only the jeans, hoodie, and underwear I was wearing when I came here were directly placed on the floor. The thorough selfishness of it made me laugh unintentionally.

Of course, if I’m going to leave, I should think about what to do next. As I slowly changed clothes, the maid, Sherry-san, entered and gently spoke to me.

“Haru-sama, I truly apologize. I, this is too cruel. . .”

As she said that, tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lip.

“Sherry-san, you’ve done nothing wrong. Please don’t cry. It’s just that I don’t know what to do in this country where I don’t know anyone.”

Then, Sherry-san approached me and whispered in a low voice.

“When you leave the castle, you will undergo a physical examination, so I won’t be able to pass you a note. Please remember this. There is an inn called Aura in Sanbancho, Minami-ku. It’s my family’s place. Please go there. If you tell them that Sherry taught you about it, they should help you. I cannot forgive the way things were done this time. It was too selfish.”

Ah, I’m relieved. . . There are people here who have compassion. I was starting to think this country was full of scoundrels.

“Sherry-san, thank you. I will never forget this kindness. Sanbancho in Minami-ku, the Aura, right? I’ve got it.”

“Please be careful until you reach the Aura. Well then, excuse me.”

After saying just that, Sherry-san hurriedly left the room.

Soon, two soldiers arrived and escorted me to the exit, standing on either side of me. To others, it would appear as if I were being taken away.

I walked with the soldiers through the vast royal castle. Everyone passing by averted their gaze from me. It seems that news of my lack of magical power has spread. When we reached the entrance for commoners, the soldiers kept their distance.

As Sherry-san had said, I underwent a physical examination conducted by female staff. After confirming that I wasn’t taking anything from the castle, the woman simply said, “You may leave.”

Summoned against my will and ordered to leave. Before I get pelted with stones or something, I need to hurry and reach Sherry-san’s family’s place.

I turned back and engraved the towering royal castle in my heart. I will never come back here, no matter what.

❂❂❂❂❂❂

I walked aimlessly through the bustling streets of the capital city. Some people stared at my unusual attire, but perhaps because it was a lively urban area, most people ignored me. Along the way, I chose a kind-looking person to ask for directions and eventually arrived at the inn called Aura.

Inn Aura was a small inn with a sophisticated appearance. It seemed to be run by a well-to-do Ojou-san, chosen as the caretaker for the summoned person from another world. And she had a good personality too. I felt really fortunate to have Sherry-san.

The young woman who was promoting the inn in front of the establishment looked slightly surprised when she saw my attire, but she greeted me with a friendly smile and asked, “Are you here to stay?”

“No, I’m not a customer. I was told that Sherry-san would help me if I came here.”

“Wait a moment, please. I’ll go consult with the owner!”

The young woman said just that and rushed inside. After a while, she returned and guided me to what seemed to be the reception area.

As I felt grateful and slightly embarrassed while being served tea and sweets, a man in his forties named Modal-san kindly asked about my situation. Modal-san turned out to be Sherry-san’s father. Until then, I hadn’t been very emotional, but once I started talking, tears flowed uncontrollably.

“So, I’ll do anything. Please let me work here. I hope you’ll take care of me.”

As I choked up while explaining the situation, Modal-san looked at me with a sympathetic expression and nodded. 

“I can’t badmouth the people at the castle, but what they did was truly terrible. If you’re okay with it, please stay here as long as you like. And please don’t hate this country that suddenly summoned you.”

Oh, how grateful I was. I repeatedly bowed my head and expressed my thanks.

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