I'm Not the Hero (1)
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the grand interior of the imperial palace, its magnificent architecture bathed in sunlight, the arched structure and beautifully patterned pillars sparkling elegantly.
“Hmph. You’ve kept me waiting a long time. Hero.”
An elderly empress sat on the highest chair in front of me, as if she had been expecting us. On either side of her were two figures who looked like a prince and princess.
All three of them had golden hair and fair skin. Their appearance was just like that of typical royalty, and it made me a little uneasy. The prince smiled with a hint of blush on his cheeks, while the princess looked down at us with a cold gaze.
I glanced sideways and saw the girl I had come with. We sat there with our mouths tightly shut, observing our surroundings. Honestly, there wasn’t much else we could do.
“……”
I tightly closed my eyes. How had I ended up in a situation like this? I clenched my head with my palm and tried to recall the memories, but the more I thought about it, the less it made sense.
Honestly, there hadn’t been anything special about it. I had woken up that morning and was on my way to school like usual, sitting on an empty seat in the subway.
However, a sudden burst of light had started radiating from the body of the girl sitting next to me. Of course, she began screaming. And then I had been pulled into another world along with her.
So, the “hero” the old empress had mentioned wasn’t me.
“Um…”
The girl gave an awkward smile and raised one hand. Judging by the gesture, she seemed more composed than I was. Maybe that’s why she was the one I had come with.
“Hero? What does that mean…?”
The elderly empress didn’t seem surprised at all and nodded. At the same time, a maid who looked devoted walked over to us and began explaining.
“I apologize for the late introduction. Your Majesty, the Hero. This world is currently threatened by the Demon King, endangering the survival of humanity. That is why we have summoned you through the ritual.”
I let out a small sigh. It was too typical of a fantasy story. It was a royal tale, but at least I knew I wasn’t the protagonist.
A modern male protagonist who goes to another world, fights the Demon King, saves the world, and maybe even marries the princess of the kingdom and stays behind…
But the protagonist would be the girl next to me. When I glanced over, the first thing I noticed was her long black hair, just like mine.
“Then, please, Hero. I humbly ask you to save this ‘Aritina Empire.’ The imperial family will not spare any support for you. Cough. Cough.”
“Your Majesty, are you all right?! Call the priest immediately! Hurry!!”
When the elderly empress coughed, the people around her panicked. But after waving her hand to calm them, she urged them with a firm and dignified voice.
“I am fine. More importantly, hurry.”
In response to the queen’s words, two mages in robes approached us, each carrying a small orb. They carefully asked our names.
“Um… My name is Yu Inna.”
She answered in a surprisingly bright voice despite the surprise on her face. Seeing that, I felt a bit annoyed with her.
“I’m Lee Seonghyun. But summoning us like this and asking us to save the world…”
That’s not right.
Due to the atmosphere, I swallowed the rest of my words. The mage extended the orb toward us and issued instructions. It was impossible to ignore the brazen feeling.
“Please place your hand on it.”
I had assumed it was a woman’s voice because of the robe, but the words sounded so casual, as if they knew exactly what they were doing.
“As expected, a young man. Your reaction is so cute. This is just a magic tool to measure your attributes and power. Don’t worry.”
When I hesitated a little, another mage chuckled and explained. The first words I heard were strange, but it was a relief to hear it was just a measurement device.
Yu Inna extended her arm toward the orb, and bright light burst forth.
“Correct. This person is the Hero!!”
The people below the empress clapped and cheered. Yu Inna, mouth agape, looked around.
“Then, next male.”
The large orb in the mage’s hand was directed at me. I moved my trembling hand toward it.
“Wait a moment. Isn’t the Hero already determined?!”
“That’s right. A man can’t be the Hero in the first place!!”
My body froze when I heard their words. I barely managed to calm my lips from curling into a laugh.
Upon thinking about it, the voices I heard were mostly female. The empire’s empress was a woman, and so were most of the subordinates.
Of course, there were men in the middle, but they seemed to be only servants. I could guess that the gender receiving the most official positions was female.
“Enough. Still, we should test it. Your Majesty, we need to be sure.”
When the queen spoke, the surroundings fell silent. I quickly placed my hand on the orb.
“……”
Nothing happened. They must have expected something. An unusually long silence followed. Then the mage’s words made me accept reality.
“This person has no attributes at all. Perhaps because they’re from another world. This individual is not the Hero. It seems they were mistakenly summoned.”
Her firm declaration caused the area to fall even quieter. For some reason, shame prevented me from raising my head.
“I knew it. Men like that. Well, as long as a man marries well, it’s fine, right?!”
“Even if that’s the case, a person should have at least some attribute. Even if they’re from another world… Tsk. What a pitiful case.”
I hadn’t done anything wrong, yet I was being mocked and pitied. The finger-pointing and murmurs aimed at me stopped only after the princess’s words of “dignity” came out.
⁕⁕⁕
“Please eat. Seonghyun-nim.”
A maid in a neat suit handed me a tray with food. While I scanned the room restlessly, I opened my mouth to her.
Yu Inna and I had been assigned suitable rooms. Of course, she would have received the better bedroom. After all, she was the Hero.
“Um, what about Yu Inna…?”
The maid’s eyebrows twitched. Her gaze toward me wasn’t kind at all. Looking back, I was the one who was in a predicament.
Was it because I had carelessly said the Hero’s name? But did I really need to worry about every little thing like that? I wasn’t even from this world.
“The Hero’s meeting isn’t over yet.”
Unlike me, Yu Inna continued talking with them. Since I had nothing special to do, I had no choice but to leave.
“I hope they grant my wish to return to the original world soon.”
After sighing, I scooped up the soup on the tray and swallowed it. I broke off a bit of the hard bread and soaked it in the soup.
First and foremost, I needed to talk to Yu Inna. After all, it was because of her that I had been brought to this world. I couldn’t blame her completely, but there was some fault on her side.
“Um…”
Screech—!!
The maid closed the door without listening to us at all. It was rude to just close it while someone was speaking. After all, I was the guest here.
Knock—Knock—!!
I set down my spoon and opened the door. There stood Yu Inna, with the same black hair and eyes, possessing the characteristic olive skin of Koreans.
Her eyes, drooping like a puppy’s, were wide with excitement as she rushed in, breathing heavily. I quickly handed her a glass of water from the table.
“Um, are you okay? So…”
“Thank you. Hic. The meeting just ended.”
I led her into the room. When Yu Inna saw my room, she frowned slightly and muttered.
“This is too much. The rooms are so different. It’s not like they’re discriminating or anything.”
“This is still considered good.”
That was true. The furniture, moderately sized and filled, was decent enough. Yet Yu Inna’s reaction suggested there was a big difference. Honestly, that didn’t matter.
I looked into her sharp eyes as if to ask what the meeting was about. The things I was curious about were returning to the original world and the meeting itself.
But Yu Inna said nothing, simply staring at me in silence. Before I could speak, her waist bent sharply at ninety degrees.
“First, I’m sorry. For dragging you into this strange world…”
“Wait a minute. That’s not your fault. They were the ones who summoned us.”
Yu Inna’s eyes were red, looking genuinely apologetic. Honestly, I had to admit it. She was a victim too.
“But you ended up entangled with me. Sitting next to me, listening to those insulting words…”
The voice she used carried sincerity. Yu Inna apologized to me with genuine remorse. But right now, we needed to think realistically.
“The biggest problem is that I’m useless for defeating the Demon King. They all have the attribute, but I don’t.”
Saying I was useless made me feel a bit strange. It was an uncomfortable truth, but I had to accept it. Yu Inna’s lips quivered, and she trailed off. Judging by the way she didn’t deny it, it saddened me unnecessarily.
“Could you tell me what the meeting was about?”
“Ah, yes. Of course. I even recorded it just in case.”
While I read the neatly written Korean, I listened to her explanation. Her kind demeanor made me feel a human bond with her.
“…First, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Lee Seonghyun. I’m twenty years old.”
“Ah! I’m Yu Inna. I’m also twenty years old.”
Since we were both Korean and had no one else to rely on, we decided to drop the formalities. I sat on the hard bed, and my butt ached a little from the stiff mattress.
“Seonghyun-oppa, don’t worry too much. I heard that defeating the Demon King will take us back to the original world.”
Yu Inna, sitting next to me, spoke in a reassuring tone. The future was still completely unclear.
According to her summary, when we were summoned, all the stored energy had been used. So, the only way back was to use the energy that would burst out when the Demon King fell.
“Hah.”
That was worse. Defeating the Demon King. It sounded like a very difficult and tiring task, but who knew how long it would take.
“Why is the imperial family acting so arbitrarily? They have responsibilities. It’s not just me, but you don’t have an obligation to defeat the Demon King either.”
“You’re right, oppa. First, calm down. If I finish the quest with the other companions, I’ll definitely send you back.”
Yu Inna nodded with a determined expression. For some reason, her attitude felt a bit strange.
“How are you so composed? Aren’t you worried about your family or friends?”
Was it simple, or were they just hyping her up, making her reaction seem overly bright? Either way, she was probably just a kid.
“I’m the Hero. Because I have the Goddess’s Protection, my whole body is different. I don’t get easily swayed by emotions. Physically either. Even my talent. And I don’t really want to go back home anyway.”
At that moment, Yu Inna’s expression darkened. After all, from her perspective, worrying about food in Korea was better than being a hero and enjoying wealth and fame.
“Goddess’s Protection?”
That was her ability. It was indeed a skill name that suited being a Hero.
“Oppa, do you like web novels or webtoons?”
“…Yeah. Just casually. I see them occasionally.”
When I answered, Yu Inna gave a mischievous smile. Before I could even ask, she muttered some somewhat embarrassing words.
“Status window.”
She looked at me with an excited expression. I had no idea what she wanted me to do.
“Eh? Oppa, don’t you see this? Ah, I wanted to show you, but you can’t see it. It must be invisible to others.”
Yu Inna muttered regretfully. I kind of got what she meant.
“It’s amazing. Since you said it, it really feels real. Then, as the chosen Hero, don’t you have some ‘cheat key’ like thing? Then we can defeat the Demon King quickly and go home.”
“Um? Ah, of course. Of course. Oppa, just trust me. I’ll definitely send you home.”
“Yeah, of course. You dragged me into this because of you.”
“Ehh? But that’s the same situation for me too. Anyway, laughing makes you look a little handsome.”
After hearing her words, I felt my face. My mouth had curled up. At least, talking with a fellow Korean person eased my anxiety a little.
It was the first smile I had seen since coming to this world. Facing Yu Inna, I said.
“…Inna. Thanks.”
“Wow. You’re the first to call me by my name. Ah, right. I’ll start training tomorrow.”
I tilted my head. I looked at her slender arm and asked. With such a thin arm?
“Training?”
“Yes. I heard I’ll go on a quest with the other companions after some training. There are elves there too. I have to eat friends. That’s how I’ll become a Hero, right? I’m the main character. Right?!”
Her expression brightened as if she was looking forward to it. She was probably trying to speak more brightly to hide her anxiety. So I wouldn’t worry.
“Can I get training too? If I go with you when you leave, it might help a little. Right?”
When would the quest happen? Feeling sorry for thinking this way, she had the power of being the Hero. Maybe she was deliberately delaying the quest to enjoy the journey.
Or perhaps she could return to the modern world alone after defeating the Demon King. It would be reassuring to watch from the side. At the very least, I could carry luggage and follow closely.
“Ah… That’s…”
Yu Inna’s expression slightly faltered. Was this request too difficult?
“Actually, there’s a problem. Oppa, this world is different from the one we lived in. It seems the gender roles have reversed. Men say the outside of the city is quite dangerous. So…”