The Brave Hero's Struggle to Find "Normalcy" in Another World
Kudo Hayato is an ordinary high schooler. Average height, average looks, average grades—the kind of guy you'd forget five minutes after meeting him. So when he's suddenly summoned to the otherworld of Eristia as a "chosen hero," he figures there's been some kind of mistake.
He's right.
His magical aptitude? Zero. His swordsmanship? Zero. His divine lineage? *None.* In a world where heroes are a dime a dozen and saving the realm is just another Tuesday, Hayato has been given the most impossible
The Brave Hero's Struggle to Find "Normalcy" in Another World - Knife Hero and the Clumsy Mage
The bulletin board at the Watabo Alliance Clevas headquarters was already bustling with the morning's first arrivals.
The rustle of parchment turning came from the reception window. Adventurers checked the requests and left, one after another—but one boy stood rooted directly in front of the board, radiating an air that didn't belong.
It was Kudo Hayato.
His short black hair was slightly unkempt, and his warm brown eyes held a serious glint. In his hands was a notebook he'd brought from Japan—an ordinary lined notebook that had somehow survived the trip to another world inside a supermarket bag—open to pages crammed with tiny writing and numbers.
"Request List: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (Revised Edition)"
There was a heading. Revised edition.
Hayato tapped the entries with his pen tip, glancing back and forth between the board and his notebook.
Top of the list. Dragon subjugation. Reward: thirty gold coins.
(Travel to the subjugation site from Clevas: roughly fifteen silver. Round trip, thirty. Factor in death risk and it's not just a net loss—it's career suicide. Rejected.)
Next. Demon Lord subjugation. Reward: unspecified.
(A task that shouldn't exist based on difficulty alone. Not just rejected—I'd like it removed from the board entirely.)
Hayato marked an X in his notebook without emotion.
Moving to the middle section. A survey of a Goldrake nest—a dragon-type dwelling in the mountains, twelve meters long, danger level "Extreme." Even just standing guard pays eight silver, but travel takes two days.
(Round trip, four days. Lodging costs just under four silver. Net profit under four. Hourly rate doesn't add up.)
X.
And then, at the very bottom.
Three Vorg subjugation in the Valessa Forest, west of Clevas—a hunting ground of broadleaf trees about twenty-five kilometers west of the city. Reward: two silver coins.
Vorgs were wolf-type monsters about a meter and a half long, danger level "Low." They fell into the safest category in the Watabo Alliance's classification.
Hayato's eyes lit up.
(Travel: about three hours round trip. No consumables. Death risk: low. Reward: two silver. Best cost-performance on the board.)
He circled it in his notebook. A thick, forceful circle.
Behind him, the receptionist was whispering to her colleague.
"Hey, that kid... he's been writing in that notebook in front of the board for a while now."
"Checking requests?"
"I think... he's doing calculations."
"...For requests?"
"Down to the minute."
A brief silence, then the colleague muttered.
"We should probably report this to the branch chief."
Hayato didn't notice the conversation. He was already adding a note to his notebook: "Vorgs: tend to appear on the west side of the forest, more active in the morning." He'd heard that from Pola the day before.
That was when it happened.
The sound of running footsteps approached from behind.
"Excuse me! Today I'm definitely getting a request!!"
A full sprint. The light tap of shoes kicking off stone floor. Thud-thud-thud-thud—
WHAM!!!!
"Whoa—"
"Eek—"
To be precise, what occurred was a somewhat complicated situation: "a small girl who had crashed arm-and-notebook into Hayato's back tumbled forward, sending the notebook flying."
The notebook arced through the air—and with a crisp smack, landed squarely on the fallen girl's face.
Silence.
Behind the reception counter, the receptionist clapped both hands over her mouth.
Hayato and the girl got up at the same time. They both inhaled sharply—
"I'm so sorry!!"
Perfect harmony. They bowed deeply in unison.
CRACK!!!!
Their foreheads collided with precision.
"Ow—"
"Ow—"
Another perfect harmony. They both clutched their foreheads and crouched down.
On the floor lay the notebook, still open.
The spreadsheet, crammed with tiny writing, was fully visible.
The girl picked it up while still holding her forehead, and froze.
"...Is this a household budget...?"
"It's a cost-effectiveness analysis."
Hayato corrected her quietly.
---
When the girl looked up, Hayato saw her face properly for the first time.
Long silver hair loosely braided and tied with a light blue ribbon. Clear aqua eyes, wide open. A faint scrape on her cheek—probably from falling regularly. She carried a magic staff on her back, its tip glowing with a crescent moon emblem. The pale blue-white light characteristic of Luveria-made magical tools.
Sixteen, maybe? She was about ten centimeters shorter than Hayato. Her expressions shifted rapidly—right now, apology, curiosity, and excitement were all mixed into one complicated face.
"I'm really sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going! Um..."
The girl returned the notebook, then looked at Hayato's hand.
And stopped moving.
On the back of Hayato's hand was a faintly glowing pattern—a Summoning Crest. A complex design like a magic circle, glowing softly gold. The indelible proof of being a Summoned.
The girl's aqua eyes grew wider by the second.
"...That's a Summoning Crest... isn't it?!"
"Ah, yes. I was summoned yesterday."
"Lord Summoned!!!!"
With a lunge—or rather, a pounce—the girl grabbed both of Hayato's hands. Her eyes were sparkling. Literally sparkling. Dazzling.
"I'm Lily! I came from Luveria—from the magic academy city of Cornas in Luveria! I can't believe I get to meet a real Lord Summoned!!"
"Um, nice to meet you. I'm Kudo Hayato. Uh... you've got a strong grip."
"What are your stats, Lord Summoned?! High-tier magic? Sword arts? Sacred lineage?!"
"All zero."
Lily froze.
"...What?"
"Magic aptitude: zero. Sword arts: zero. Sacred lineage: none. Certified by the Hero Council—Valorict."
Lily stared at a point in the air for a moment, then looked at Hayato with a face that had resolved itself.
"I see. You're being modest."
"I'm not being modest."
"How humble!!"
"I'm telling you—"
"That's even more proof of genius!! My master always said that truly capable people downplay themselves!"
Hayato stopped moving entirely for about ten seconds.
(...There's no exit from this conversation.)
He rebooted and tried again, carefully.
"I really am zero. At yesterday's status disclosure, all twelve councilors sighed in unison."
"In unison?! That means everyone is paying attention to you, Lord Summoned!"
"Attention, or despair..."
"What a big heart!!!"
Hayato gazed into the distance.
The sky over Clevas was clear again today, and sunlight streamed through the Watabo Alliance windows. It was a very refreshing morning.
Lily continued in a bright voice.
"I just graduated from Cornas Magic Academy in Luveria—Cornas is an academic city in the magic research nation of Luveria, in the western part of the continent—and I came to Clevas all by myself! I want to take requests together with you, Lord Summoned!!"
"You came alone? From Cornas?"
"Yes!"
Lily smiled. A bright, unguarded smile.
But in the instant just before that smile appeared—just for a moment—something like a shadow seemed to cross her aqua eyes. It was as brief as a fish skimming the water's surface before vanishing.
Hayato didn't notice. Or rather, it was more like it had vanished before he could think to care.
"A joint request—is that not okay? I can provide support with magic!"
"No, but I'm..."
"Please!!!!"
Her aqua eyes grew moist. They were glistening. Slowly welling up.
Hayato, still holding his notebook, stared at the ceiling for a while.
(Uwaaah...)
"...Just directions. I won't fight alongside you or anything."
Lily's face lit up brilliantly.
"As expected of Lord Summoned! Your heart is just so big!!"
"I just gave in like a normal person."
His retort vanished into the void.
---
The Valessa Forest was about two hours on foot west of Clevas.
Along the way, Lily talked the entire time. About the magic theory she'd studied in Cornas, about how the crescent moon emblem on her staff proved it was Luveria-made, about how Vorgs moved in packs so the standard tactic was to target the pack's central individual first—whenever Hayato said "huh" or "I see" at intervals, Lily grew even happier and kept talking.
As they reached the forest entrance lined with broadleaf trees, the air turned cool. Morning light filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground. Birdsong came from somewhere distant.
Hayato had a rented short sword at his hip, and in his other hand—
"That's... a kitchen knife, isn't it?"
Lily was staring at it.
"It's a cooking tool. I always carry it."
"............Dual wielding!!!!!"
"It's not."
"Dual wielding with a short sword and a kitchen knife! How innovative!!"
"The kitchen knife isn't a weapon."
"Lord Summoned's ideas transcend the bounds of common sense!!!"
Just as Hayato was about to say something, the bushes ahead rustled.
A dry rustling of leaves. Then a low growl.
Three Vorgs appeared. About a meter and a half long, gray fur with amber eyes. Monsters classified as "Low" danger by the Watabo Alliance—but even so, seeing them in the flesh carried considerable pressure. The three spread out in a fan formation, fixing their gazes on the pair as if sizing them up.
"I'll provide support!"
Lily raised her magic staff. The crescent moon emblem glowed pale blue.
"Wait, let me go first—"
"Fireball magic, here I go! Fiare Flamma!!"
A red sphere of light shot from the tip of her staff as she chanted.
With force, with power—
It missed the Vorgs spectacularly, sailing wide to their right.
WHOOOOOOSH!!!!
Flames grazed Hayato's bangs. Hot. His temple stung.
The fireball flew on and slammed into the trunk of a large tree.
KABOOOOOM!!!!
The tree caught fire.
"Ah."
"Don't 'ah' me!?!?"
The Vorgs flinched back at the explosion. It was an opening, but when Hayato turned around, the burning tree was belching smoke dramatically.
"I'm sorry! I'll cool it down with water magic next! Aqua Sphera!!"
"No, not that—"
SPLAAAASH!!!!
The water sphere, succumbing to gravity, fell straight down. Onto Lily's head.
Soaking wet, Lily stood frozen in place.
Her silver hair clung to her face, her blue ribbon askew. Water dripped from her staff. Only her eyes remained wide open as she tried to process what had happened.
The three Vorgs looked at the drenched Lily.
The Vorgs looked at Hayato.
They looked at Hayato.
Hayato raised his short sword. But—the angle was wrong. His right-hand grip was off, the blade not properly aligned. It was a rental he'd first held yesterday, and he didn't know how to use it.
(Not good.)
One of the Vorgs lunged.
Hayato twisted his body on instinct to dodge, and—reflexively—swung the santoku knife in his left hand.
That wrist motion he'd repeated every day cooking for himself. The smooth turn when peeling vegetables. Relaxing the muscles, letting the blade follow through.
The knife grazed the Vorg's neck.
It was a sharp cut. One flash, and the Vorg collapsed to the ground.
The remaining two looked at the drenched Lily—still frozen—and perhaps sensing something, bolted into the depths of the forest. A soaking wet mage may have been too far outside their expectations.
Silence returned to the forest.
Only the crackling of the burning tree broke the quiet.
Hayato looked at the santoku knife. Looked at Lily. Looked at the knife.
"...I just got good at it from cooking."
"With a kitchen knife..."
Lily spoke, trembling. Water still dripped from her.
"With a kitchen knife, you took down a Vorg... As I thought... as I thought, you're a genius...!!!!!"
Hayato looked up at the sky.
Through the gaps in the leaves, he could see the clear sky. It was a very blue sky.
---
The way back was just retracing their steps. It was a little early for dusk, and the slanting sunlight filtered through the trees.
Lily walked along, tapping the ground with her staff. Her clothes had mostly dried, but her silver hair was still a bit damp.
Walking beside her, Hayato happened to glance at her bangs. They were singed. The flames that had grazed his own bangs had apparent
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