Enkidu's Return

Chapter 1

Melromarc Kingdom

"We did it! The summoning was a success!" A Mage shouted.

"Where am I?" Naofumi said, confused.

"O brave heroes, please save our world!" The Mage pleaded at the five figures standing in front of them.

"Seriously?" Naofumi said as he looked around, unaware of the gaze of a certain green-haired.

"What do you mean by that?"

"There is a long and complicated story behind this, but we've summoned you Five Cardinal Heroes here using an ancient ritual." The Mage explained.

'Five Cardinal?' So he thinks the five of us are heroes of legend? Naofumi thought.

"Our world teeters on the brink of destruction." The Mage continued. "We beg you, O brave heroes! Please help us!"

"I guess I could hear you out, at least." Naofumi said.

"I refuse." the ravenette hero said.

"Likewise." the hero with the curly blonde hair said.

"We can go back to our world, right?" the hero with the blonde ponytail said. "We'll talk about your problems after that."

Enkidu remained silent as he listened to what they were talking about.

"Don't you guys feel any guilt at all for bringing us here without our consent?" The ravenette hero said as he pointed his sword at the mages.

"And if you throw us out as soon as peace is restored, we'd have worked for nothing." The hero with the bow said.

"How willing are you to accommodate us? Depending on your answer, we might end up becoming your enemies instead." The hero with the spear said.

Not only are these guys taking all this in stride, but they've also already started to demand respect and rewards! Naofumi thought and looked at Enkidu. But why doesn't he say anything?

"F-First, we'd like you to have an audience with the king of our country, Melromarc." The Mage said nervously. "You can negotiate your reward after that, so please."

"Fine, I guess." the ravenette hero said as he pointed his sword to the ground.

"I suppose we could consider their offer." The bow hero said.

"Not like our demands are gonna change, no matter who we talk to." The spear hero said.

Yeesh! Could these guys be any more confident? Naofumi thought,

"Are you coming?" Enkidu said as he looked at Naofumi.

"Eh? Um yeah." Naofumi said and followed the others.

"We really are in another world, huh?"

"We sure are."

"Such a pleasant breeze..." Naofumi said as he looked out of the window. "It's like the typical sales pitch in all those tour brochures."

"Wait, have you never traveled out of Japan before?" The bow hero said.

"Going by the breeze outside, this place probably has your standard Mediterranean climate." The sword hero.

"Yeah, yeah. Excuse me for my lack of knowledge and vocabulary."

"You shouldn't worry about them." Enkidu said as he put his hand on Naofumi's shoulder. "They're trash, after all." Enkidu said quietly enough that only Naofumi could hear.

"I'm sure they're not that bad." Naofumi said.

"How naive. Trust me, it's better not to trust people like them. It's your choice whether to believe me or not. Sooner or later, you'll find out my words hold true."