The Replacement of the Sword Hero

Chapter Two: A Royal Conversation

The other heroes were content to retire to their rooms and talk amongst themselves but I had to take the initiative here in order to avoid the pitfalls that were to come. First and foremost, I needed the support of the king in my endeavours, as well as a certain character for a companion whose whereabouts I knew thanks to the Spear Hero's misadventures in the spin off series. This meant that I had to confirm some information that would not be revealed in the original timeline until about the 11th volume.

I opened my mouth and spoke. "Your Majesty." I bowed my head again. "I am aware that as a hero summoned to this world, I am expected to have a basic understanding of the world before my arrival."
I watched his expression. The king raised an eyebrow. "Go on..." He said.
"I come to this world with knowledge of great importance to you specifically. You once had a younger sister, by the name of Lucia."
The king's eyes shot wide open and he bolted upright. "How could you know that name?!" He screamed at me. There was anger in his eyes and pain, but also a deep sadness and resignation. All I needed now was to give him hope.
"I came by this information by chance as I was learning about this world before I was summoned here. However, among that information I learned something else. Your sister left behind two children, your niece and nephew, of which you are unaware."

The king was trembling as he sat in his throne.
"Your Majesty, with your permission, I would like to depart on a quest immediately to retrieve them. However, your niece is blind, much like your late sister, and she is close to death. The only thing that can save her at this point in time is the Elixir of Yggdrasil. For the king of Melromarc, I trust that is not too high a price to pay for the life of your sister's daughter?" I intentionally provoked him at the end. The king's eyes were distant as if he was remembering a terrible grief. He turned to his minister and held a brief, hushed conversation.
His voice was hoarse when he next spoke to me.
"I will have the Elixir for you in five days, Sword Hero."
And now I had to drive in one more bargaining chip. "Also, Your Highness, I wish for you to make an exception for me. Please allow me to visit the castle dungeons and select a prisoner to become my slave. I will only allow them to accompany me as a party member for this quest."
The king nodded absently. "Very well."

I bowed. "That is all, Your Majesty." I turned on my heel and left the room, seeking out the bed chamber prepared for myself and the other heroes.

The room I was shown to was very spacious. There were ornate beds prepared for all four of us inside this room, and the heroes were sitting on them in the midst of conversation.
"I see. As for my opinion, this reminds me of a console game called Dimension Wave." Said Itsuki.
Motoyasu turned to me and asked. "Hey, Wilbur, what game does this remind you of?"
"Sorry, I only just got here what were you talking about?"
"We were saying this is very similar to games we've played. In my case, this world is just like the game Emerald Online." He explained.
Itsuki spoke up next. "And for me, it's a console game, Dimension Wave."
That came as a surprise to me. I must have misremembered. I was sure that Itsuki called it 'Brave Star Online' in the light novels. Or maybe that was Ren. Dammit, I didn't have much gaming knowledge, but neither could I reveal too much here.

"I see, have any of you heard of Brave Star Online?" I asked. Shakes of the head all round.
"And I take it that the games you two both mentioned are quite well known?"
Both Itsuki and Motoyasu affirmed it.
"Have you considered that we may be from different worlds ourselves?" I asked. The question hung in the air.
"Okay." Itsuki said. "Then how about we start with some common-sense questions. You can all name the current prime minister, right?"
"Sure."
"Okay, let's all say it at the same time."
Everyone took a breath.

"Masato Yuda."
"Gotaro Yawahara."
"Enchi Kodaka."
"Boris Johnson."

Everyone turned to look at me. "Huh?"
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you guys, I'm English. I'm from Great Britain. I should probably abstain." I confessed.
"Okay, we can rule out Wilbur." Said Itsuki. "How about everyone else?"
"I've never heard any of those names, not even in the history books." Said Naofumi.
Everyone fell silent.