Neith was the first to enter the grand hall. At the far end of the chamber, seated opposite the entrance On the throne, was the man who appeared to be the king. He was a middle-aged man who looked healthy and strong. His expression carried confidence and a faint sense of superiority.
The moment Neith stepped into the hall, the nobles who filled the hall turned their attention toward him. York and Silva followed shortly after. Silva moved forward with quick, nervous steps.
"Your Majesty! The summoning was a complete success! These are our heroes…"
Silva's voice trembled with excitement and tension. Her eyes kept shifting toward a middle-aged woman with completely white hair. The woman's gaze was cold and stern, yet filled with pride. Her dress was in the same color palette as Silva's, making it obvious they were related.
The king nodded in approval, his deep voice echoing through the hall.
"Well done, Silva. We had full faith in your abilities."
Silva smiled and stepped aside respectfully. The king's eyes then turned to Neith and York.
"Heroes—our saviors—may we know your names?"
York quickly replied, and Neith spoke after him.
"I'm York!"
"...Neith."
"Neith and York, our hopes rest upon you! Please, save our world! The Demon King grows stronger each day and continues to invade our lands…"
York listened attentively, while Neith at least pretended to listen. In reality, his mind was wandering.
'This ridiculous speech again… He's repeating exactly what Silva babbled about earlier. I've already heard this nonsense before—
"Heroes, gain your powers! Slay monsters! Protect humanity! Obtain your sacred swords and defeat the Demon King!"
Blah, blah, blah…'
After the king finished his long explanation about their mission and destiny, he finally concluded:
"Now then, heroes, rest for the time being here in the palace. Starting tomorrow, you will be taught everything you need to know. Once you're ready, your grand adventure shall begin."
York looked excited, fired up by the king's words. Neith, on the other hand, was irritated by the commanding tone. He hadn't said a word yet, but the king's attitude already annoyed him. As if it wasn't his choice. As if Neith owed them protection.
'Right… this is why I wanted to kill this disgusting old man. I should've done it back then…'
Still, Neith remained silent. All he wanted was to take whatever financial support they were offering and leave.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
York replied enthusiastically.
The king nodded.
"Good. Heroes, please accept this."
Two guards stepped forward, each holding a bag of gold.
"Each of you will receive 300 gold coins."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
York said cheerfully.
'You don't even know how much that's worth, idiot… sigh …Though, 300 coins isn't bad actually.'
York thanked the king aloud, while Neith replied only in his thoughts.
The two heroes left the hall, led by guards to their respective rooms. York began talking non-stop, filled with excitement.
"Wow, another world… I can't believe this! You're Neith, right? Like I said before, let's take care of each other! Hey, do you wanna talk for a bit?"
Neith hadn't said a single word to York until now.
"No… I'm going to rest."
He opened the door to his room and stepped inside, leaving York standing awkwardly in the hallway.
Neith lay on the bed, staring blankly at his status window.
Race: Human
Level: 1
Class: None
Skills: Translation
"Ugh… this is so damn annoying! disgusting! … Twelve years?! I thought the 'Rewind' ability would take me back to the start of the fight or maybe the day before… but twelve whole damn years? Now I have to go through all that crap again!"
Neith cursed and swore until he was out of breath. He took a deep inhale.
"...Huff. Alright… so I'm back in my nineteen-year-old body. That's fine. So far, everything's exactly the same as the first timeline. Nothing's changed yet… The palace is already dark. No one's awake except the guards… If I remember right, tomorrow we start learning basic magic—healing and enhancement. After that, we move on to swordsmanship. Yeah, that damn First Knight will be our instructor… great, just great. I really don't wanna see his face."
He grabbed the bag of gold, looked out the window, and checked if anyone was nearby. Then, without hesitation, he jumped straight down. The room was on the second floor—his leg broke upon impact.
"...Damn it!"
He cursed through gritted teeth, placing his hands on the injury. Whispering a short healing chant, his hands began to glow with a vivid green light.
Magical incantations were merely knowledge—knowledge Neith still remembered. Even at Level 1, he could heal a minor fracture like this, though the pain lingered slightly.
Moving quietly through the shadows, Neith slipped past the palace walls and disappeared into the forest beyond.