Unlucky!! - Chapter 1
A brilliant light flashed in the F-Class classroom, and in an instant, the drab space transformed into something out of a high-end medieval palace—ornate furniture crafted from luxurious materials, a completely alien scene.
I vaguely recalled hearing some muffled voices in my half-asleep daze, but that wasn't clear, so I brushed it off. "Ooh... Hero..." Right in front of me stood a pink-haired pretty boy dressed in pristine white robes emblazoned with religious symbols I'd never seen before. He was radiating fanatic priest vibes like nobody's business—a total simp for some faith, looking like a total heartthrob (in priest-speak, a handsome stud).
He shuddered violently, tears streaming down his face as if he'd witnessed a divine miracle. And it wasn't just him.
"Ahh... We're saved!!"
"Luminus!!"
"Ooh!! Ooooh!! Goddess!!"
Dozens of other priests and priestesses behind him—similarly clad in religious garb, though a notch or two below the pink-haired one's prestige—were trembling, weeping, and cheering in ecstasy.
Ignoring their hysterics, I quickly scanned the surroundings. It was unmistakably the interior of a grand church straight out of the Middle Ages or Renaissance—lavish decorations, artworks, and religious artifacts everywhere. No trace of the modern world, no matter how hard I looked.
Further back were knights in full plate armor, even more robed figures clutching staffs, and a glowing geometric magic circle pattern underfoot. It all pointed to one obvious conclusion.
Isekai bullshit, just like in those novels I used to read.
'Yeah, figures.' I wasn't particularly shocked; I just accepted it. With reincarnators out there, why not this? Besides, after the shitshow that was my previous life, this barely registered.
Still, I had to say it.
"What the fuck is this place?"
"H-Hiiik!?"
"Ooh!! Aniki's authentic Korean 'shibaru'!! That's rare!!"
Kanami, who hadn't heard me curse in ages since I toned it down around friends, let out a cute squeak of shock. Erika, the hyper four-dimensional weirdo who'd always been unpredictable, was thrilled instead, treating my rare swear like a delicacy.
That sparked it—like a volcano on the brink finally erupting, the other students started chiming in.
"Am I dreaming right now?"
"What!? Where the hell are we!?"
"What's going on!?"
"Dammit!! Who the hell are these guys!?"
"Hiiik!?"
Including me and my crew, there were 15 students here, plus our hapless F-Class homeroom teacher who'd gotten dragged along somehow—16 in total. More than half couldn't process the sudden shift, denying reality or spiraling into confusion.
What about the other half?
"President, Committee Chair, behind me."
Yamashiro Natsuji—one of Seigen's lackeys, rumored to be a family-hired bodyguard—positioned himself behind Seigen, Yukihime, and his other flunky-slash-secretary, Uehara Kotono.
"Kids, stay behind me."
"Th-Thank you..."
"Aniki!! Let me up front too..!!"
"Shut it."
"Yes, sir."
I pulled Kanami and Erika behind me protectively. Just in case.
One of my few hobbies in my past life had been reading niche novels, and some involved isekai where summoners enslaved the heroes. Preparing for the worst, I tensed my body for combat—first time in months.
"Hngh!!"
"Choking on the Goddess's grace..."
Even as we stayed on guard, the priestly mob was lost in religious fervor. But someone intervened, snapping them out of it.
"Saint, it's great that you're overcome with faith, but it seems the heroes are starting to view us warily."
"Huh? Knight Commander? What do you—"
?? That speed... I couldn't track it with my eyes?
In my past life, I could follow bullets from anti-materiel rifles to some degree, yet I hadn't caught one of those distant knights reaching the pink-haired pretty boy.
That blue aura right before he moved... probably the culprit.
"Ah..."
Hearing the knight, the pink-haired priest glanced at us and realized something. Then—
"Forgive us!! What incredible rudeness toward the heroes!!!"
He bowed at a perfect, graceful 90 degrees.
Murmurs!!
Za wa za wa!!
The students' chaos drowned it out, but at least the Student Council President and Wind Discipline Committee Chair caught it. They exchanged glances, nodded, and Yukihime spoke first.
"Everyone, quiet!!"
Silence!!
Her charismatic shout cut through the din. Yukihime acted like a total bitch to me and looked like a nepotism parachute into her position thanks to her family, but damn, she had skills. With her Yamato Nadeshiko beauty, noble poise, strict yet fair leadership, charm that drew everyone in without favoritism, and command over crowds—she was stupidly popular. Girls idolized her as the "Charisma Chair."
She'd wrecked my life plans, sure, but whatever.
Still pisses me off thinking about it.
Irrespective of my grudge, things moved forward.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Minamoto Seigen. Could you explain where we are, who you are, and why we're here?"
Sensing no threat from the apology, the Student Council President waved off his bodyguard Natsuji and stepped forward as rep. I hated that smug snake's perpetual shit-eating grin, but as class pres, he was the obvious spokesman. Me and my crew? We were nobodies anyway.
"Of course!! Heroes!! I'll explain everything gladly."
The pink-haired priest flashed a soft, harmless smile devoid of malice.
"First, my apologies for the unseemly display. I am Matthias, Saint of the Luminus Church—though the title exceeds my humble self."
He introduced himself as the Saint of the Goddess's faith, affiliated with the Luminus Holy Kingdom. This place? The grand cathedral in Maximilis, capital of the Roman Empire.
"And the reason you're here is that our goddess Luminus summoned you as heroes to our world, Mundus."
"Whoa!! Isekai heroes!! That genre popping up in light novels lately, right!? I know it!! Gotta beat the Demon King, ain't it!!"
Erika, the space cadet with zero impulse control, blurted that mid-explanation, weirdly hyped. (Our world was 2004, FYI.)
Zzt!!
Natsuji beside Seigen shot a sharp glare our way.
Interrupting was rude, sure, but...
Dare glare at my friend like that?
I fired back a subtle pressure wave at him. He had real combat experience unlike these scrubs, but—
Zzt!!
"!?!?!?"
Still no match. If he was a housecat, I was a tiger. Different leagues.
Terror flashed across Natsuji's face; he averted his eyes.
About time.
"Hahaha!! To think a hero grasps the goddess's will so quickly!! As expected of her chosen!!"
"Aw~ Flattery gets you nowhere, imda."
Matthias praised Erika with a warm, affable grin.
"In any case, that hero is correct."
He continued. I wasn't huge into isekai, but I'd read enough to know the tropes.
Long ago, seven gods including the goddess created the world. Four good ones led by her clashed with three evil gods. The fallout left only her standing; humans and nephilim (divine helper-creations) fell to mortality, birthing Mundus.
The evil gods died, but their remnants lingered. As co-creators of the world's System, their fragments periodically coalesced into a revenge-seeker against the goddess and her followers.
"That is the Demon King."
The goddess won but exhausted herself, wounded, recuperating in the divine realm for eons. Her power outmatched his, but from there, her influence on the mortal world paled against his direct presence.
"Thus, foreseeing his rise, she prepared countermeasures."
Before he could block her interference, she'd create heroes to counter him. Generations of heroes had handled Demon Kings successfully.
Why not erase them permanently? "The Demon King is woven into the world's fundamental laws. Killing him outright would devastate it. Our merciful goddess won't let her creations perish."
Full recovery to rewrite those laws? Not yet. So they bought time.
"Until now, we've managed fine."
Some close calls, but Mundus endured and thrived cyclically. Until now.
"The previous hero—empire founder Great Emperor Maximilion's descendant, Roman Empire's First Princess—vanished with a note saying '[Gone training]' alongside her friend, the Eastern Empire's princess."
The goddess's oracle confirmed her death. Demon King already manifested; her interference blocked, no new local heroes possible. Miracles at best.
"Desperate, the goddess sought another way."
Summon from a world beyond her limited reach, where the Demon King knew nothing. It worked. We were the result.
Explanation done, most students gawked, breathless, struggling to keep up.
"Thus, heroes, please... save us."
Matthias bowed deeply once more.