With both hand in form of fist covering her face, the girl slowly lowered it and opened her eyes.

“...where am I?” Her voice echoed in a huge chamber.

She is immediately struck dumb upon witnessing her surroundings. Towering pillars made of solid concrete or perhaps marble? She is not sure what it was and branded by some unknown markings. Banners with a dragon and other odd symbols were proudly hanging in between. The chamber was nearly all-white if not of the dark-crimson magic circle drawn on the floor on which the girl sat in its center. And outside the magic circle are dozens of fabrics which seems to be arranged symmetrically.

The last thing she remember was, she was at her lover’s house so the first thing she did was look for him.

She looked left and right, up and down but none of things there seems familiar to her. She began to stand on her feet and naturally her long hair falls down on her head. Seeing that surprised her once again, her eyes widened as she gazes at her long blonde hair.

“What the heck happened to my hair?” she began holding every strand of it subconsciously.

Still amazed from her newly dyed hair, she also noticed her clothes. It was the same as what she wore back on her place or more likely it is what she wore at work. A white shirt inside her green cardigan paired with short skirt. All of them strangely became larger, but it didn't matter to her since it doesn't fail to cover her remarkable front.

She notices some red liquid still flowing from one of the fabrics. The girl attempted to touch the fabric but the appearance of the crimson ooze made her rethink, and in the end, she decided not to touch any of the fabrics lying on the floor.

‘That’s it, this is too much to be a prank’. But that thought was contradicted when she remembered that her lover doesn’t play pranks. But she’s still upset at his absence so she gathered up air as much as she could in an attempt to shout her lover’s name but something interrupted.

“…!”

Her attention immediately shifted when she heard incoming footsteps. One, two? No, based on what she heard there were atleast three of them. The girl steps back and look at the direction where the sound is coming waiting for the footsteps.

Not many seconds passed before the shadow revealed the owners of the footsteps.

The shadow revealed a man in an elegant robe with orange hair and blue eyes equipped with a royal crown on his head. Accompanied by his personal adviser and the elven mage, Aries Crestfall.

“Welcome to the Human Realm, brave hero. It is our pleasure to welcome you here.”

It was the adviser who spoke. The girl didn’t reply and narrowed her eyes then once again take a couple of steps backward.

“I know you’re confuse of what’s happening now but please it is not necessary to fear us.” Aries attempted to calm the frightened girl.

The girl opened her mouth and force words out. “No…No you might just be mistaking me for some other actress. I’m not part of this movie… can someone tell me the way out?”

“Actress? Movie?” Josiah muttered.

“It seems she’s thinking that this is just kind of a stage play, your highness. Please let me handle this”—Aries steps forward and tries to get close to the girl— “No. Young Lady, this is not a play. We summoned you here as our savior by the will of our King Josiah Arquenus.”

‘Summoned?’

“It is an honor to make your acquaintance. I am the current king of the Human Empire, and I am pleased if you could tell us your name.”

The way they dress and speak, and the pointed ears made the girl think that this is some kind of a fantasy movie.

“I’m sorry but I really need to get going—" The girl’s word was cut when a man dressed in a knight attire came bursting in the chamber.

The girl immediately assessed that the exit door is where the man came from.

“Your Highness! … Huh?” the knight was surprised when someone came running past him.

“Hey! Wait!” Aries shouted and prepared to chase the girl.

“No. Don’t” Josiah’s word stopped the elven mage.

The girl run as fast as she could past the long hallway that ends up in another huge chamber but the difference is the majestic looking chair on its center. She decided to ignore that and continued to run to the door. The stationed guard were surprised upon seeing the beautiful summoned hero that it made them froze to their spot.

She stopped at the front of a huge door and with all her might she pushed the door open. The other side of the door is an overlooking balcony of a huge castle in the center of the royal capital.

The scenery of the medieval-fantasy city once again gave her chills of surprise. The girl leaned on the edge of the balcony and didn’t say a single word while her gaze is locked in to the huge castle town.

Many waves of gentle morning breeze touch her face before she opened her mouth again. “Am I really… Summoned…”

“Yes. This is where you will live now until we stop the demons.” Josiah replied.

The girl looked back to the door where the king was standing.

“but… I need to go back… to him.” The girl said then change her gaze to the floor. She knew that this reality that she woken up to is the real deal after seeing the city but still some part of her can’t accept that.

Josiah opened his mouth again but before words came out, he remembered the knight that came rushing to the summoning chamber. He looks back and see the knight behind Aries.

“Report”

“Thank you, Your Highness, it is the dwarven chieftain and the elven queen who wishes your presence.”

“What? Why didn’t you say it sooner? How long are they waiting?”

“About an hour and half, sire.”

“Oh, youuu.”—Josiah change his gaze to Aries. — “I’ll leave her to you. I’ll be back once the meeting is over.”

“Yes, my king. Do your best!”

Josiah replied with a nod and left the room with his knights and personal adviser, now it is only the girl and the elven sage there both standing still in the huge throne chamber.

“Nice to meet you, young lady. My name is Aries, Aries Crestfall. I am a sage who devoted her life to this king—” Ahem— “I mean kingdom. May I know yours?”

“Ic—” an unformed word came out of the girl’s mouth. No, she couldn’t tell her real name at very least not yet. She thinks of another name.

“Randgris… My name is Randgris.”

“Oh, what an elegant name. Well then Miss Randgris shall I tour you to the castle?”

“… sure… lead the way.”

The two walked to the exit door.

It nearly took a week before the girl who said her name was Randgris opened up to Aries. And at some point, when they were having a magic lesson together. Aries asked the girl something.

“Hey, on your first day here.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“You said you need to go back to him, right? May I know his name? And your life together?”

The young lady who said her name was Randgris opened her mouth. “Sure. It is Ryuji… Ryuji Shinozaki. He is my lover”

Those moments that happened eight months ago were still fresh at Aries’ mind. She doesn’t know why she remember those moments now. But she is sure at one thing, they cannot let those two meets. Aries then close the cover of the window of the airship as the ruined fortress Aldebaran showed itself from a great distance.

~~~

After crossing countless obstacles of dried bloods, rocks, twigs, and fallen houses her senses have led her in front of the only building standing in the ruined fortress. The rays of the setting sun land on her spotless face. The golden-haired hero carefully turns the hanging door of the adventurer’s guild.

While the two girls with him are both tending his wound, Archen who was sitting on the long chair in the guild’s lobby was the first who spotted the figure coming in.

“Oh, Ms. Randgris”

The hero directed her gaze at the three humans. “Archen Windsor... What happened here?” her voice can be considered as soft and gentle even on female standards. Like a certain someone who was summoned in this world, her voice is the only thing that did not change on her.

“It... It was commander Cazius. He miscalculated the monsters’ nest. Which caused us to miss the demons and monsters from that cursed forest.”

“I see... Where is he?”

“…Unfortunately, he used some kind of an ancient magic that he illegally obtained months ago to drive the monsters away and it took his life in return.”

“…And what about your battalion and citizens here?”

“Most of the townspeople from center of the town successfully fled but others near the gates *Archen shooks his head* and my battalion... They were all used to activate that cursed magic. Any other adventurers who survive the night also fled with them.”

“I see. Good job on staying alive, the King and the others are on their way here, once they landed get your injuries treated and go back to the capital with them.”

“Thanks Miss Randgris, I haven’t done anything though.”

Randgris payed her final nod and say. “I’ll be searching the area, tell them that I’ll be going back to the castle tomorrow.” Then she started her unhesitating stride towards the hanging door.

“What have you done this time? …Bell” the hero muttered to herself as she walks in the rubble towards the southern part.

“Uhm… Miss Randgris…”

The hero looks at her back to where the voice came from. And there she saw one of the girls who was with Archen moments ago.

“Hmm?” she replied.

“Actually… I might know where they are”