King Melis then brought my attention to his other family. The lovely queen's name is Heidi. The eldest prince is George, and the second is Willard.
I lost interest in the princes. They have your typical handsome faces. Gee, I don't blend well with attractive young men. Well, at least they are respectful to me. Though I did notice the second prince, Willard, was giving me weird glances. But it was brief, so I ignored it for the time being.
"Then, Hero, why don't we eat first?"
I nodded and set my eyes on the plates handed by the servants. They looked extravagant and also, did they put glitter on these things? Whatever, the taste is the most important factor.
But first, I took glances at the other nobles and ministers eating, learning the basic etiquette. Somehow, I didn't make myself look clumsy as I ate with proper manners. As for the taste… It's not bad, but it's not mind-blowing. I guess their culinary field's advancement has not reached the modern Earth. After all, these should be the best dishes as they were prepared for the royal family.
"Hero Aust, let's talk about the important matters."
King Melis' expression turned serious. With a wave of his hand, a faint white glow expanded and covered the raised platform like a huge bubble.
"I made it so that others wouldn't hear our discussion. Will that be alright?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
"You can just call me King Melis. As a Hero, you stand just below my position, and depending on your future achievements, you may even take over my position." He chuckled with a complicated tone.
What achievements? Defeating the demon lord or fucking your dear daughter so that I become the next king? Although you didn't ask, I'd like to answer that my preference lies with the latter.
"I see, but I am still a clueless stranger to this world. It would be rude for me not to show respect to the king."
"I understand. Well, why don't I start with why you were summoned to this world?"
Finally, let's get into the meat.
King Melis then explained the situation, which includes a brief history of the world of Thauteria. The story goes like this.
Five gods descended from the heavens to provide life in this world. Four races were born: the humans, the demons, the beasts, and the spirits. The fifth god didn't create life but, instead, was responsible for preserving it. The name of the fifth god is Thautus.
The world has been peaceful for the first several millennia. However, one day, Thautos disappeared and chaos ensued. There is no longer a single supreme being governing the world. No race could appoint a single leader to replace Thautus. The other races feared that the entity appointed would become biased and corrupt, favoring their own race.
No consensus was reached, and it naturally led to wars- the battle for supreme power. The two main warring races are the human race and the demon race. Meanwhile, the beasts' culture focused on individuality, rarely forming a nation. Lastly, the spirits peacefully lived with nature and stayed neutral. However, that doesn't mean that beasts and spirits are not part of the war.
The humans and demons pushed each other to take desperate measures. Both use their strength in numbers to occupy lands and take advantage of the resources that are naturally owned by beasts and spirits. In turn, the beasts and spirits do not take kindly to either the humans or the demons. The representatives of the beast race and the spirit race have formed their alliance, namely the Beast-Spirit Alliance. Although they are less uniform, with the combined strength of the two races, this alliance is able to stand beside the human and the demon races.
As the war develops, so too does the magic of this world. All races are competing to reach a higher level of magic manipulation and power until they have hit the limit.
King Melis didn't go into the specifics of magic. He mentioned that this would require years of education.
The limit of magic is set by Thautus, and this is to prevent any of the races from ascending and reaching the level of the gods as history told. At first, there was a status quo in the development of magic until, one day, sages discovered that this Creation's Limit, as they call it, only exists for the creatures in this world.
Thus, it led them to an idea: What if they summon a being from another world?
That sparked the development of summoning magic. Centuries have passed since then, and for the first time, an otherworlder was summoned into this world of Thauteria. The Human Race has won!
I now fully understand the festive environment. It's like the space race back on Earth. When America first landed on the moon, they were considered victorious in the space race.
I paused… does that mean that I have the opportunity to rule this world?
A tingling sensation appeared in my chest. I refrained a smile from breaking out. So, this is what King Melis meant when he mentioned that my position depends on my future achievements.
At the same time, although I am the first otherworlder, it doesn't automatically mean I will lead the Human Race to victory over other races.
"King Melis, I am curious how I will learn magic. You see, back from the world I came from, we don't have magic."
The king nodded with understanding.
"No worries about that, Hero. We have long expected that and prepared for it. You see, one of the traits of an otherworlder is being that of a blank slate. That is why we have prepared what we call the Hero's Blessing, in which you will receive artificial magic talent of the highest kind!"
My eyes glittered when I heard the King explain the Hero's Blessing.
"Is there any other requirement for me to receive the Hero's Blessing?"
"Yes. Other than being a blank slate, free from any magical origin, you have to be mentally and spiritually strong. The Hero's Blessing comes with a great trial."
"Trial?"
"Yes. Simply put, the process in the Hero's Blessing includes inserting an orb of energy into your body, and this energy will plant itself within you. Because of this, we expect it to be very painful."
I wanted to ask how painful it was, but I didn't want to seem weak, so I dispelled the worry plastered on my face.
"I hope to endure that pain and receive the blessings."
"Hero, you have a positive outlook on this." King Melis commented with satisfaction.
"Yes. I come from a world where magic does not exist. To be able to manipulate supernatural forces has only been a fantasy to us. If I could get such power, I would go through any pain."
"I see…"
It seems that wasn't enough, so I added.
"Furthermore, I know that the Hero's Blessing is a product of effort and hope from this kingdom and the Human Race. While I am foreign in this world, I am still a human and I'd like to respond to everyone's hope with what they deserve." I gave a confident smile.
"Ohh…"
The princess blankly stared at me while the eldest looked with awe. Even the queen was mesmerized by what I said.
"Well said, well said!" King Melis laughed as he patted my shoulder, "Even before the ceremony for your Hero's Blessing, you already look heroic!"
"Thank you for your praise. I am just being honest."
They didn't call me "Mr. Smooth Tongue" (self-proclaimed) for nothing. I am aware that everyone is trying to get on my good side. In the future, I may become the strongest person in all of history under the gods. Furthermore, they would want to control me.
Right now, they have to be disillusioned that I am already on their side. This is so they'll take care of me well.
"May I know when this Hero's Blessing will commence?"
"Truthfully, Hero, we would love to do it right after this feast if you are comfortable with that. We suspect that the other races are progressing with their summoning spells well. We have to be quick and get you to surpass the Creation's Limit so we can suppress the other races before they can summon their own otherworlder."
"In estimation, King Melis, how long would it take me to surpass the Creation's Limit?"
That is the ultimate goal- surpassing the Creation's Limit.
"That is hard to tell, but we can safely guess that it would take at least a decade. But it can also reach up to a century."
"..."
Seeing my surprised expression, King Melis shook his head, "It depends on you, Hero. For example, I have reached the Creation's Limit, which is casting a Level 9 Spell at the age of sixty-three. With the royal bloodline, my talent is already among the highest. Meanwhile, you will receive the Hero's Blessing, which will provide you with a talent greater than any royal bloodline. Thus, we are sure that you will reach the Creation's Limit faster than I. But, surpassing it is a different story."
That is a very long time to be practicing magic. My mood plummeted. I don't want to live a life full of learning and practicing.
"At the same time, your arrival will eventually be spread throughout the world. The other races will hear about you, and it is not difficult to guess that they will try their best to assassinate you if they have the chance."
Fuck!