The next morning after the bad gacha.
The sky had just changed from dark to light. Takuya had not even opened his eyes yet, but two royal soldiers came to the horse stable. Without saying much, they immediately grabbed both of Takuya's hands. That made Takuya wake up.
"Hah?! What is this?!" Takuya shouted.
"In the name of King Valion, you are under arrest!" one of the soldiers shouted.
"WHAT NOW?! I have not even woken up properly yet!"
Takuya was dragged away. He tried to resist, but he was beaten by the soldiers. Takuya managed to knock down one of them, but another soldier quickly brought him down. Not long after that, more soldiers arrived. Not just two, but five at once. All of that just to arrest one Takuya.
He was already in pain. His body was dragged by force, without being given time to change clothes or even brush his teeth. His slime jacket swayed back and forth as his body was forced to walk along the stone road toward the royal palace.
"Why are you dragging me like a thief?" Takuya complained.
"You are a thief."
Thud.
Takuya fell silent.
---
Inside the throne room of the Kingdom of Valion, King Aldren IV sat proudly on his throne. His robe hung down with a large gem on his chest. On his right side stood Seraphina, while the three other heroes Shigeru, Aika, and Hiroshi stood a bit farther behind. They were wearing luxurious clothes that had just been bought. It was very different from Takuya, who was still wearing the first clothes he had when he was summoned to this world.
Takuya was pushed until he fell to his knees in front of the king. His knees bled as they hit the floor. When he tried to stand up and complain, two swords were drawn behind his head.
"What is this... at least give me breakfast first..." he muttered weakly.
King Aldren raised his hand.
"Takuya Minami, a man from another world summoned to my kingdom, you are charged with stealing the Royal Ring of Valion, a sacred artifact, a symbol of the king, and the highest sign of power in my land!" His voice echoed throughout the hall.
It was very clear from the king's eyes. He was extremely angry that his precious ring had been stolen by a foreigner. It was the same as insulting him. It was completely unforgivable.
Takuya raised his head, stunned. "What?! I do not even know what kind of ring that is!"
"Stop pretending!" shouted one of the royal advisors. "The ring disappeared after the celebration party last night. Everyone has been searched. The only one left is you. And we also have testimony that you sneaked into the king's room!"
Takuya was shocked. "Hah? What do you mean? I was not even at the event...."
"Be quiet, Takuya! If you keep talking, I will order the soldiers to cut off your head!" the king said firmly.
Takuya clenched his fists. He was very angry because he was accused of something he did not do. He had been summoned without consent, given a horse stable as a bed, fed only once a day, and not given proper clothes. After all of that, now he was accused of being a thief.
It made Takuya's chest feel tight. He was filled with anger.
"Give your testimony!" said the royal advisor.
Someone stepped forward. When Takuya saw who it was, his eyes widened. It was Hiroshi Kanda. His own schoolmate.
Hiroshi bowed to the king. After that, he faced Takuya and the others. "I swear. Last night I saw Takuya sneak into the room of His Majesty the King. When I tried to stop him, he punched me until my face turned blue. This is the proof," Hiroshi said while pointing at his face, which was blue as if it had been hit by a fist.
"NO! That is a lie! I did not..." Takuya protested.
Before he could finish his words, a massive pressure suddenly pressed down on Takuya's body. He was slammed to the floor. A commander of the Kingdom of Valion named Lucas stopped Takuya. He was the strongest human in the Kingdom of Valion. Takuya was nothing but a small insect to him.
"Search his clothes!" the king ordered.
The soldiers immediately did their job. Takuya's clothes were searched. Takuya was sure that he did not steal anything, so there should be no ring in his clothes. He had not even gone far from the horse stable. It was impossible for him to steal anything.
"Your Majesty, the ring has been found!" one of the soldiers shouted.
Takuya's eyes widened. He turned toward the soldier who had just spoken. At that moment, he saw a ring being held by the soldier. Takuya was still in shock and could not say anything. He never imagined this would happen.
"Impossible," Takuya whispered softly.
"Bring it here!" the king demanded.
The soldier walked toward the king and handed over the ring he had found. When the ring was placed on the king's little finger, it fit perfectly. Everyone immediately looked at Takuya. Looks of contempt were directed at him. Takuya did not know what to say. This was too unreasonable.
"I did not steal anything!" Takuya shouted.
"There is nothing that can save you now. All the evidence is here. You cannot deny it anymore," the king said. "Stealing a sacred royal item is the greatest insult. The punishment is death."
The king was about to give the order to the executioners to take Takuya to the square to be executed, but suddenly someone stepped forward and raised her right hand.
"Wait." Seraphina's voice cut through the threat.
She stepped forward and knelt before King Aldren IV. "Your Majesty, I beg you. Please grant mercy to Takuya. Even though he is foolish, weak, and annoying, and has stolen the royal ring, he was summoned by us. We cannot judge a summoned hero so easily."
Everyone present was shocked. Hiroshi looked at Seraphina, and Aika slightly lowered her head. No one expected Seraphina to defend Takuya after what he had done.
"You beg for mercy for a thief?"
"Yes."
Silence filled the room. The king finally let out a heavy sigh.
"Because of your request, Seraphina, I will spare him. But people like him do not deserve to stay in the palace. I will not give him even a single bronze coin. From today onward, he is an outcast. There is no place for him in the Valion palace. If he dares to enter the palace again, he will receive the death penalty."
Seraphina did not protest much. She did not beg further for Takuya, as if this was exactly what she wanted.
"Is that enough, Seraphina? I grant your request not because Takuya is a summoned hero, but because of you," the king said firmly. "You have served the Kingdom of Valion for a very long time and with loyalty. I appreciate all your efforts."
Seraphina nodded. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The king looked at Takuya. His gaze was filled with hatred and anger. "Throw him out of the palace! I do not want to see his face again," he ordered.
Takuya was dragged away like a criminal. No one defended him except Seraphina. He was then expelled from the palace. Takuya's fate in this isekai world was truly miserable. It was similar to his terrible luck in gacha. Takuya stayed silent, confused about what to say.
"Pyoo~" The slime made a sound.
Takuya smiled. "Thank you," he said while stroking the slime jacket.
Even though he was helped by Seraphina, Takuya was sure that the woman was also the one who trapped him. When their eyes met, Seraphina smiled widely. From the beginning, Seraphina clearly did not like him. Takuya understood her reason, but framing him as a thief was something else entirely.
That was truly unforgivable.
But suddenly, Takuya smiled widely. He laughed. "Is this the beginning of my villain era... ah, I mean anti hero?"