Ludleth shoved open the boutique door with his shoulder, balancing three bags on one arm and two on the other, while yet another dangled from his wrist.
"Mother… how much were you planning to buy?" he panted, as one of the bags slipped down his forearm.
"Oh, don't make that face," Anna replied. "You need all of this to present yourself properly at your brother's ceremony, your father's audiences, and the visits from the nobility. Besides," she added with a sly smile, "everything looked far too good on you."
Ludleth rolled his eyes, trying hard not to drop anything.
"Do you want a hand?" his mother asked, leaning down a little to look at him.
"No," he muttered, adjusting the bags with a shrug by now it had become a matter of pride. "But I can't feel my arms anymore."
"Be a good boy, Ludleth," Anna laughed, placing a hand on his back as she guided him down the three steps to the sidewalk.
They walked side by side, Ludleth doing his best not to let the bags knock against each other, the handles slipping from his sweaty hands.
As he made his way down the street, Ludleth could feel the stares of passersby, looking at him as if he were some sort of spectacle. Thankfully, a few men shot him sympathetic glances, as though they too had once been in his shoes.
Just as they neared the spot where the carriage was waiting, Ludleth noticed two men wearing long scarlet cloaks trimmed with gold, speaking with some locals.
One had the sides of his head shaved, with a strip of hair down the middle tied into a small braid. The other wore his hood down, revealing short-cut gray hair. Both wore long silver necklaces with red cross-shaped pendants and carried small black leather-bound books at their waists.
They were priests of the Red Church, likely trying to recruit a noble or two into their faith. Although they were permitted to preach within the kingdom of Astror, the crown made sure they never became powerful enough to challenge its authority.
This of course, didn't sit well with the Red Church. They constantly tried to expand their flock especially among the wealthy and influential to fund their missions. Still, they did so discreetly, adhering to the king's orders, who turned a blind eye as long as they didn't overstep.
Naturally, Ludleth and his family didn't follow that religion, but for the sake of political peace, they pretended. If one had to compare the kingdom's relationship with the Church, the closest parallel would be that of the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire during the Investiture Controversy a long-standing tension in which spiritual authority tried to assert itself while monastic orders like the Benedictines and Cistercians expanded, sapping imperial power, and the emperor did everything possible to retain control and prevent them from becoming a threat.
Here, things were somewhat similar. The Red Church held a certain influence in Astror, but it had to contend with the monks of Karat more active in the eastern realms but recently expanding into this region as well.
The royal family allowed the two cults to clash within their territory, weakening one another rather than rejecting both and creating enemies on two fronts.
This, of course, didn't concern Ludleth directly. However, what did catch his attention was that one of the men speaking with the priests was Count Franz a well-known anti-religious noble who regularly called for the removal of both faiths, claiming they undermined noble power.
That struck Ludleth as incredibly strange. According to the rumors he'd heard, Franz couldn't stand to be within ten paces of those believers without chasing them off. And now, here he was, speaking with two priests in broad daylight. It was political suicide.
Franz was a popular figure within his faction if people knew he was conversing with those he considered enemies, they would abandon him in an instant.
True, the street they were on wasn't particularly busy, but it wasn't exactly hidden either.
Unfortunately, Ludleth couldn't hear what they were saying they were too far away. But he'd definitely report it to his father… assuming he didn't already know. After all, this could signal a major political shift.
Thinking of his father, Ludleth couldn't help but feel worried, not for his safety but because of what his mother had told him.
As the self-proclaimed best historian in the kingdom, Ludleth couldn't help but fear that history might repeat itself.
After all, it wouldn't be the first time. Many kingdoms had risen and fallen because of mana beasts, and now hearing that one had appeared enough to mobilize his father frightened him.
Before, he had merely feared that a magical beast invasion might happen someday. Now, he was genuinely afraid.
Of course, he couldn't let paranoia take over. Maybe it was just an isolated incident, and everyone had overreacted. Still, just to be safe, he'd double his training. One never knows.
Then a light jolt pulled him out of his thoughts.
"We've arrived."
"Finally," he muttered, carefully setting the bags on the ground and stretching out his fingers.
"Ludleth, don't leave them on the ground they'll get dirty," Anna scolded.
"Just a moment," he grumbled, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms upward, hearing his joints crack as he did.
Anna stepped closer, bending down to pick up two of the bags. Ludleth looked at her and spread his arms. "Mother, please at least let me carry them."
"Don't start playing the gentleman now," she laughed.
Ludleth loaded the bags back up and opened the door of the magical carriage.
"After you," he said with a mock-pretentious expression, bowing with an exaggerated flourish.
"Oh, what a gentleman," she said, chuckling as she took his arm and climbed in, settling herself before sitting down.
The boy climbed in right after her, closing the door behind him. As soon as he sat down, he heard a soft hum as the wheels began to move.
"So, did you have fun today?" Anna asked, crossing her legs.
Ludleth leaned his head back against the seat and let out a long sigh. "If by 'fun' you mean being stripped and redressed like a mannequin for hours while you chatted with Mister Kalben, then yes I had a blast."
"You looked stunning in those outfits," she said, unable to hold back a laugh.
Ludleth pretended not to hear her, watching a pigeon flutter past the nearby window.
Noticing her son's lack of response, Anna decided to say something that would definitely catch his attention.
"You know, I'm not sure if I should tell you yet, but since you were so well-behaved today… I've decided to go ahead."
That made Ludleth turn his head, curious.
"A few weeks from now, after your brother's ceremony, your magic tutor will be arriving at the palace."
Ludleth's eyes widened slightly. "What?"
With all the training Scáthach had been putting him through, he had completely forgotten about this.
She smiled. "I know you've been training hard, so I've decided to call someone I trust to teach you how to use mana."
Ludleth smiled. At last he was finally going to learn how to use mana. He still didn't know why he hadn't been able to before, but for now… he didn't care.
——————
In his bedroom, Ludleth kicked off his shoes before dragging himself toward the bed, still fully dressed, and letting himself fall onto the mattress. He sank into the lavender and linen-scented sheets.
"What a strange day," he murmured to the ceiling.
He sat up, his blond hair falling into his eyes. He blew it away with a puff of air, but it kept slipping back down, so he finally brushed it aside with his hand.
Why did he feel so restless? Normally, he spent his days doing nothing reading, wandering and it never bothered him. But now, that forced pause made him feel hollow, like something was missing and his body was trying to find it.
He missed… training.
The thought made Ludleth smile. He lay back down, folding his hands behind his head.
It was a strange feeling. Before he started training, he hadn't cared at all. Whether he trained or not was irrelevant it was just a way to generate Aura. But now it felt like his body was asking to push itself, to improve. It was a sensation he'd experienced only a few times in his life.
The change felt surreal to him. Even his body had improved at a speed that, on Earth, would be called impossible but thanks to Aura, here it was real.
Ludleth turned onto his side, staring out at the dark sky.
He didn't want to waste today's summoning.
It was too late now to summon Scáthach, so why not try his luck? The summoning counter would reset after midnight anyway.
Besides, even though he had told himself he wouldn't summon in his room again, right now he had no other place to do it. As long as nothing broke, he'd already tested that any fur or objects brought in by the summon would disappear afterward.
Fortunately, the servants were busy, and no one would come to bother him for a few hours. So, it was the perfect time.
He got out of bed and opened the system.
[Summoning Initiated]
[Drinnn…
Drinnn...…
Drinnn...…..
Drinnn...….]
[Summoning Successful]
[You have summoned Muhammad Lee (Earth-43685)]
Ludleth stared at the name of the summon. The most common first name on Earth… paired with the most common surname. Statistically speaking, it was mathematically probable that it would come out
[The summoned individual will appear in…
3…
2…
1
Thank you for summoning. The summon will remain active for 01:00:00]
[To extend the duration, use your own mana.]
A boy appeared.
Messy black hair, amber skin, faded jeans, a gray t-shirt with writing Ludleth couldn't read and worn-out sneakers.
His dark eyes darted around, trying to understand where he was.
"Where… where am I?" he stammered.
As the boy spoke, Ludleth realized he could understand every word even though the language sounded foreign. Maybe it was a feature of the system he hadn't noticed before.
'Looks like I won't have to worry about language barriers with future summons.'
"Calm down," said Ludleth, raising a hand. As he did, an idea crossed his mind one that many might call stupid, but he wanted to try it.
He straightened his back, put his hands behind him like his father did during royal audiences, and adopted a serious expression.
"You have been summoned," he declared, with the solemn tone he had only ever heard in political speeches, "for a mission that will decide the fate of this world."
Muhammad's eyes widened, his mouth hanging half-open. "What? What are you talking about? I was at home! I was watching—"
"Silence, hero!" Ludleth interrupted, raising a hand. He turned dramatically to face the window, then looked back with a stern exaggerated gaze. "This kingdom is threatened by the Demon King's hordes. I, Ludleth of Astror, have chosen you from all the men of your world to save us."
Silence fell across the room.
"Wait… what the… what the hell… I—I'm not a hero!"
The boy spun around and pointed a finger at him. "Don't contradict your king!"
Muhammad stumbled back, bumping into the desk behind him. His breathing grew rapid, and his eyes darted around in panic, trying to grasp where he was and what was happening.
Ludleth fought the urge to laugh. "Don't be afraid. Wealth. Fame. Power. You can have it all in this world…" He paused, watching Muhammad's tear-brimmed eyes and open mouth.
'Maybe I'm going too far,' he thought but it was too late now. "But first, we must train you to defeat the Demon King."
"But I'm just a regular guy—I don't even know how to hold a sword! I work at—"
"That doesn't matter," Ludleth cut in. "From today on, your fate is sealed. You will become the hero who saves this world."
Muhammad clenched his fists. "You're insane… you're insane…" he muttered.
And that was it Ludleth couldn't hold it anymore. A smile burst across his face and he doubled over laughing, leaning on the edge of the bed. Muhammad stared at him, bewildered.
"You're joking?" Muhammad asked.
Ludleth nodded, still laughing, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "Sorry… sorry… I couldn't help it…" he said, catching his breath. "There's no Demon King or war."
Muhammad collapsed to the floor. "Oh God… I thought I was in some kind of isekai anime or something…"
At that, Ludleth laughed even harder, bracing himself against the wall.
"I'm sorry," he said more calmly. "It's just that… I've always wanted to play the part of the king summoning a hero."
Muhammad stared at him with red-rimmed eyes from the panic. Then, against all odds, a small smile crept onto his face. "You're a bastard… you know that, right?"
"I know," Ludleth said, still chuckling.
Muhammad stood up. "So… where am I? And what the hell do you even want from me?"
"Nothing much. You were summoned to another world by chance," the blond boy replied casually as he sat on the bed.
"You're free to do whatever you want as long as you stay in this room and no one sees you. In an hour, you'll disappear and return to your world."
Muhammad stared at him in disbelief. "Can I at least get some water?"
Pointing to the pitcher on the table, Ludleth said, "Help yourself, hero."