Save the Hero Party (4)
Of course, some people were suspicious.
This was a fact Sisilia herself hadn't noticed. Sisilia, who had survived countless battlefields of life and death. Her presence alone made the air around her heavy, no matter how hard she tried to downplay it. And aside from that, the backstory felt way too contrived.
“A Korean Japanese?”
But they couldn't outright deny her claim, so the users resorted to a clever tactic. They decided to ask about facts from 22nd-century Earth that no one else would know unless they'd come from there.
“Mind if I ask your favorite movie?”
“I don't really watch movies.”
“Good. Then, what's the Japanese president's name?”
“No idea.”
And—as predicted—Sisilia seemed unable to answer. Just as some users were gaining confidence, one who had studied abroad in Japan chimed in with advice.
“Japanese people often don't know their own prime minister. Plus, looking at her, she's totally menhera.”
“What's menhera?”
“Borderline personality disorder.”
Sisilia endured the interrogation inwardly reeling from the shock.
“Full name?”
“Privacy.”
“Where'd you live?”
“Privacy.”
“……Favorite supermarket?”
“Privacy.”
“……Name a trending phrase or any song.”
“Mengo.”
As the users' faces twisted in bewilderment, the study-abroad newbie nodded solemnly.
“Definitely Japanese.”
“No, something's off!”
As protests erupted from the crowd, Evan stepped forward. Sisilia's eyes flashed coldly for a moment, but she simply closed them.
“Can't you at least share your hometown? Brushing it off as privacy leaves us no choice but to suspect you.”
“……I lived on Awaji Island my whole life.”
“...Where's that? Name a famous tourist spot we'd know.”
“Kansai area. Close to Kobe.”
“Huh?”
The Japanese exchange student widened his eyes and nodded. It meant her words checked out. Only then did Evan flash a friendly smile and extend his hand.
“I'm Evan, president of the User Association. Mind if we talk for a bit?”
Sisilia nodded quietly. As Evan stood, he said to Ruby,
“Ruby, you come too.”
Sisilia gently took Ruby's trembling hand.
**
“Pretty disorienting, right? Suddenly summoned to an unfamiliar world, scared out of your mind, and all they say is 'save the world'—nothing but vague nonsense.”
Evan led Sisilia to a secluded garden. A space for users only, impervious to any magic interference. And Sisilia had created this garden herself.
‘...Not what I intended it for.’
Ruby had been staring at the ground since they arrived. Sisilia could feel the girl's fear. This place, meant to shield newbies from noble harassment, had become a blade tormenting her fellow rookies instead.
“I protect users' rights here in Liannen. I've got my own plans, which is why I've become their representative.”
Evan strolled through the garden, gently touching the flowers with a subtle smile. It reminded her of Edward, but one fundamental thing differed. Edward was a powerhouse—socially and in raw strength. But from Sisilia's perspective, the Evan before her was just a newbie. A beginner still adapting to the world, someone she needed to help. Sisilia would gladly assist, and that's why she'd devoted herself to protecting users' interests. She'd lived the past ten years solely for that. Thanks to her, newbies lived in relative safety.
But they didn't know her consideration. They believed—truly believed—they were this world's powerhouses.
“Liannen can't stand against the Demon King on their own. They have no choice. I'm squeezing every advantage I can from that.”
So they could rampage freely without consequence.
She'd thought it was just a few bad apples. Troublemakers exist everywhere; you can't blame the majority for them.
……But Sisilia was slowly uncovering the truth. From the moment she first set foot in that classroom.
Treatment like nobles had bred arrogance, disrupting their meta-knowledge. Sisilia instinctively realized she'd failed for the first time in her life.
“Join the association. You've got a face I like.”
Evan stopped and stood before Sisilia. She asked,
“Doing a hero party?”
“……?”
It was so off-topic that Evan looked puzzled. But since she'd asked, he answered.
“Already brainwashed? As I said, we're pursuing our rights. If we become heroes and defeat the Demon King—our leverage vanishes.”
“Isn't that a bit much? This country seems to be trying its best, in its own way.”
“……As innocent as you look. You could think that. But consider this: who summoned us from our peaceful world to this hellhole?”
Sisilia had no intention of dodging responsibility. She was the one who summoned the users. If it hadn't worked, she would've found another way.
But it wasn't just to see newbies. Sisilia could solo the Demon God. She could do it now. Even without unlocking certain episodes, she had the power to bulldoze through. But that would doom humanity.
Newbies were precious to her. Yet the people of this world were equally precious. Her choice from the start: sacrifice a few modern souls to save the many medieval ones.
She didn't think it noble. She knew it was wrong. If pointed fingers came, it'd be regrettable. If resentment followed, she'd apologize. But she wouldn't stop. She'd decided that from her first summoning.
“……If Liannen stopped being user-friendly and ruled through fear instead, what would you do?”
“Hahaha! Fun hypothetical. Impossible, though. And……”
Evan smirked.
“I have the Blessing of Time. Tough for a newbie like you to grasp, but it's crucial—killing me is impossible.”
Evan extended his hand to Sisilia.
“Now, choose. Side with users, or strangers from this medieval backwater?”
Sisilia closed her eyes, thought briefly, then looked straight at him and declared,
“Since we're summoned anyway, I think we should bust our asses to take down the Demon King. That's the real lucky break.”
“...Really? Pity. Didn't expect you'd choose like this girl.”
Evan raised his hand. That's why he'd brought Ruby—to instill fear if persuasion failed, to draw her in.
And in that instant—
Sisilia grabbed Evan's wrist without even looking.
‘What strength.’
Evan panicked at his unmoving arm.
“Honestly, I don't get it.”
Sisilia said flatly.
“The world's in peril, you're the hero destined to save it—how could you refuse?”
Humans live for their desires. She couldn't condemn Evan for pursuing his. She was no different.
“Especially when such a pretty girl suggests it.”
Sisilia shoved Evan away, flashed a bright smile, and pointed at his arm.
“Insufficient masculinity. Sentence: execution.”
“Wh-what?”
“Bang.”
Compressed wind shot from Sisilia's finger. It struck Evan's left arm, which had been swinging toward Ruby's cheek.
“Gaaahhh!”
Evan clutched his exploded arm, screaming wildly. Ruby stared blankly at the scene.
Sisilia clasped her hands behind her back, expression serene, and strolled through the bloodstained garden. Passing Evan, she glanced at Ruby by the door and said,
“Do whatever you want, Ruby.”
“……”
“What you're holding isn't this guy's flimsy power—it's real power.”
Following Bianca's advice, Sisilia aimed to bolster Ruby's strength. But it wasn't just about '武力'—raw force. In human society, the scariest power was authority, not violence.
**
“Huff, huff.”
Evan fled at full speed.
“Outta the way!”
Shoving people aside, he ran. His mind fixed on escaping Terezia somehow.
Evan had escaped thanks to Ruby.
After Sisilia left, Ruby had glared resentfully at Evan and poured the potion on his burst arm.
Tears and snot streaming, Evan asked Ruby. She replied,
‘To end up like this!’
When Evan was first summoned, he'd seen it as a golden opportunity. In the real world, he was a worthless NEET. Bad family ties, life in ruins. So he'd been thrilled—hell, he'd wished for it.
In Another World, Evan was a ranker. He knew plenty, confident in his edge. Things unfolded as planned: steady leveling, leveraging users' necessity for gains.
One worry, though: Sisilia.
The rank-1 monster from Another World, a dev-created munchkin NPC. No clue why she existed here, but her appearance matched. And she was the real deal.
Rumor had it: disrupt the game, and Sisilia kills you. Evan had died by her hand multiple times—for monopolizing high-level farms. Rice-eaters like him feared her most.
But flipped: ally with her, and none sturdier.
“Huff, huff.”
Evan slumped against a wall in a dark alley, finally resting.
“……Never thought it'd be her.”
He'd realized 'Siri' was Sisilia only when his arm flew—her signature user-slaying move from Another World.
Had he known sooner, different play. He had an offer Sisilia couldn't refuse. Tormenting Ruby was to skip norms and meet her directly.
But such extreme aggression? Unimaginable.
“Why? Tormenting one person shouldn't block the clear.”
His doubt cleared instantly.
“Because I'm a user, not an NPC.”
“!”
Sisilia appeared—disguise off, true form.
Evan was more shocked by her words than her arrival.
“……What did you say?”
“I was summoned just like you—a user.”
“Impossible.”
Evan gulped, staring at her glowing silver-blue eyes in the dark.
“I've seen you fight the Demon God.”
He shook his head in terror.
“That's beyond human. If possible…”
Power in Another World stemmed from imagination. Stats aside, vivid imagery was key. What Evan witnessed lingered post-game shutdown—more shocking than gore, weirder than art.
……No human mind could conjure it. Like commanding top AI: 'draw something humans can't imagine.'
“You're not human.”
Sisilia's face soured. Harsh words, despite his crimes. Approaching to end it, he backpedaled, screaming,
“W-wait! I was rank 2 in Another World! Blessing of Time!”
“……”
“Fellow user—you get it! No clear without my blessing! Y-you won't recreate that scene here!”
“True. But blessings are slotted. You're unqualified—retrieving it.”
“No one handles Time better! No one!”
“Who knows.”
Despite pleas, Sisilia advanced. Terrified, Evan yelled,
“Gonna kill me? Become a murderer?!”
Sisilia knelt impassively, removing the artifact from his neck—the source of his growth.
“Die here, wake up in your original world.”
Evan stared blankly.
“Really…?”
Sisilia nodded. Unconfirmed, but she believed it. No downside.
She stood and exited the alley. Evan wiped tears, thinking,
‘She's sparing me?’
But at the threshold, Sisilia glanced sideways.
“Liliana, go ahead and eat.”
Evan looked up slowly.
“Bon appétit.”
The pink-haired demoness lifted her skirt, drooling down at him.
That was all Evan remembered.