Ch.4Episode 1 – The Gray Man

The paperwork I’d spent the entire afternoon on was finally accepted.

The reason I could afford to waste a whole afternoon on a single document was because my position had become completely untethered. How could I continue my intelligence work after becoming a Hero’s companion? All I could do was hand over my responsibilities.

My current status was, charitably speaking, a vacation for optimal physical condition. Less charitably, I’d been excluded from duty. Seeing my desk of many years completely emptied gave me the feeling of being laid off. Officially, I had been cut from the intelligence agency, so calling it a termination wouldn’t be wrong.

Anyway, as the Hero’s new companion, I spent several days going in and out of Colonel Klevins’ office delivering paperwork. The Colonel’s expression soured subtly each time more documents flooded in, but he accepted them all nonetheless.

I had requested everything I needed, my vacation was over, and the handover was complete.

Now, all that remained was…

“Captain Fredrik Nostrum. I’ll escort you to the royal palace.”

A meeting with the Hero.

Episode 1 – The Gray Man

I briefly recalled the story of “Heroes of the Dark World.”

A tale about a summoned Hero saving this world.

The problem was that this world wasn’t just fantasy—it was dark fantasy.

Kings waged wars, nobles played politics, and clergy called for holy wars while wallowing in gold coins. If it were simply a world where the social elite were corrupt and hedonistic, it would be just another generic fantasy setting.

The world of “Heroes of the Dark World” was a mishmash of dark fantasy and apocalypse.

A natural disaster from a few years ago had utterly devastated the entire continent.

Taking advantage of the chaos, demon tribes began encroaching on imperial territories. The sudden war crisis started shaking the continent’s economy.

As the economy faltered, the common people began crying out in hunger. Social unrest grew.

And thanks to various incidents, accidents, subversive groups, and secret societies rising to the surface, most nations were issued death sentences.

To clean up this mess, national leaders agreed to summon a Hero. Why? Because historically, Hero summoning was the ultimate panacea. While one incredibly powerful person lent their strength, the nations could try to get their internal affairs in order and manage the crisis.

Of course, I wasn’t sure if that was even possible.

It didn’t seem so bad when viewing it through a screen, but experiencing it firsthand revealed what an absolute disaster it truly was.

Anyway, the world was one step away from becoming “Fallout.” Or maybe “Biohazard.”

Since the Hero was still staying at the royal palace, the world wasn’t officially falling apart yet.

If our little Hero-mon did their job well, such calamities might be avoided.

“You may enter.”

The palace maid who had guided me this far bowed and withdrew. I heard she was some baroness from the frontier or something like that. Since she wasn’t a character who appeared in the game, I had no reason to take interest in her, so I just muttered a word of thanks and opened the door.

The room’s atmosphere was magnificent.

Tasteful decorations, a bed that looked plush at first glance, mahogany furniture, and rare wines displayed in a cabinet caught my attention.

But what stood out most was the softly glowing auburn hair.

Bright, shining eyes were looking at me.

“Ah, hello, I’m Camilla Lowell.”

She greeted me with somewhat awkward mannerisms.

Looking at her, it was impossible to think she was an artificially programmed intelligence. Her reactions were that natural.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Lowell. I’m Captain Fredrik Nostrum. I look forward to working with you.”

This was my first meeting with Camilla.

*

My first impression of the Hero who introduced herself as Camilla Lowell wasn’t particularly good.

Her fidgety attitude, awkward speech, and hunched posture.

Though she had fallen into another world without knowing why, her demeanor was so defensive it made me uneasy just watching her. Perhaps that was a normal reaction.

“Um… shall we sit?”

“Yes, let’s sit.”

“Okay…”

I sat on the sofa facing her.

While servants and maids prepared refreshments, she and I didn’t exchange a single word. Literally not a single word. I’m emphasizing this twice because it’s important.

Even for a first meeting, just telling your name and then clamping your mouth shut seemed like a strange habit from who knows where. It felt like being on a blind date with someone you didn’t like. I finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

“What kind of tea would you like, Miss Camilla Lowell?”

“Anything is fine. And… please speak more casually.”

“Oh, sure. How about black tea then?”

“Pardon?”

“What?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

She didn’t know what black tea was, so I just had them serve anything. I’d only ever had instant tea made by the magic tower, so I didn’t know much about tea varieties myself.

“Um, if I may ask, how old are you?”

“I’m 28 this year. And you, Miss Lowell?”

“I’m 23.”

Good grief. She was older than she looked. Was she young-looking, or were my eyes deceiving me? Probably the latter.

I began my interrogation in earnest. As an intelligence officer with years of experience, I worked my tongue skillfully, leaving the 23-year-old newcomer to society completely disoriented. When you work under someone who weeds out spies, you learn to be silver-tongued just to survive.

Anyway, after a brief interrogation, here’s what I learned about her:

Camilla Lowell. 23-year-old female. Transferred to this world while attending university in England. Only child.

She didn’t seem to realize this was a game world, as she brought up movies, comics, and novels. Though her speech was somewhat incoherent, she clearly understood that this wasn’t a dream. And she didn’t seem to remember what had happened right before crossing over.

“Hmm, so you were a university student, Miss Lowell.”

“You know about universities?”

“We have universities here too.”

“I wonder what they’re like… The university I attended—”

She began chattering with a much-improved demeanor. She talked about how the palace maids looked, what the royalty was like, and how delicious yesterday’s meal was. Occasionally smiling during our conversation, she seemed to be adapting to the atmosphere.

At least she no longer looked like a social outcast.

For a while, she chattered away non-stop, explaining her homeland, Earth’s scenery, and the features of 21st-century modern society. Of course, her eloquence wasn’t the best, as she sometimes got stuck in her descriptions and became flustered. I suddenly wondered what expression she would make if I told her that I too had lived on Earth before being born here. Would she be embarrassed or pleased?

“In our world, there’s a novel called Harry Potter that seems similar to this place.”

I wanted to tell her it was more like 1984 than Harry Potter.

I was actually an intelligence agency operative, and this was a dark fantasy world. Wouldn’t Orwell’s dystopia be a more fitting comparison than Harry Potter? Come to think of it, 1984 was set in England. A woman from England falling into a world similar to a novel written by an English author. How peculiar.

“The magicians showed me magic, and it was really impressive.”

“The court magicians would be pleased to hear that.”

“Can everyone here use magic?”

“Many people know how to use magic, but trained magicians from universities, magic towers, or the military are few in number.”

At this, Camilla Lowell tilted her head in confusion.

“Is there a difference?”

“Of course there is. Imagine putting guns in children’s hands. What would happen?”

“Ah… I understand.”

On the battlefield, you can see untrained soldiers or militia using magic, and it’s nothing short of a disaster when they attack indiscriminately, friend or foe. There’s a reason the state prohibits unauthorized people from using magic.

In the past, before magic was academically developed, those caught using magic were accused of being witches or demon worshippers and subjected to religious trials. Magic towers were established by such people who settled after wandering like nomads. Because of this history, relations between magic towers and religious orders remain strained even today.

There’s an episode that unfolds because of this issue, but that happens later, so there’s no need to explain it now.

Come to think of it, how did this woman complete her quest?

Considering the fierce support she provided me, her military companion, she doesn’t seem to have shown any negative behavior. It’s been so long that I can’t remember what abilities she started with in the game. I think there was some kind of type or something you chose at the beginning.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what abilities do you have?”

“Pardon?”

“Abilities. Skills, psychic powers, magic—that sort of thing.”

At this sudden question, she tilted her head for quite some time before scratching her cheek. Her slightly awkward reaction was cute, but her continued hesitation sent an uneasy premonition through my mind.

“…Um, I don’t think I have any?”

Something was very wrong.