The great hall was still buzzing with whispers and conversations after the panel appeared in front of Luke, belittling the class he had received.
Luke lowered his head with a flushed face. He felt furious and disappointed, because even in this fantasy world, he was still a nobody.
"What does that mean?" Lisa shouted at Almera in a high tone.
"It means he has a Hospitality class," she said patiently. "A Monster Innkeeper is also an important role because it connects two worlds."
"Two worlds?" Peter asked.
"Yes. The monster world and the human world."
"Huh? So we were all brought here because you needed help with demons and monsters? Why do we have to be the bullshit heroes? Why not you yourselves? Or someone else?!" Peter began shouting angrily, making the soldiers raise their spears toward him again.
"Peter…" Lisa touched Peter's arm and shook her head.
"What?! They brought us here, to this nothing-world, then told us to fight and risk our lives for them?! And guard an inn for monsters too?!"
Almera and the King exchanged glances for a moment, then the King clapped his hands once. Two servants entered the hall carrying a large wooden chest and placed it before Luke, Peter, and Lisa.
"By royal decree, those summoned as Heroes of the Kingdom will be given rewards for their service, such as what is inside this chest, each hero each chest of this size," said the King, signaling the servants to open it.
Thousands... no, perhaps tens of thousands... of gold coins and precious stones filled the chest. The nobles who saw it gasped and whispered among themselves.
"All of this can be brought back with you to your world, once the summoning is deactivated," Almera added. "Which means, when the Demon King Zalthorak is dead."
Luke swallowed hard. The three of them looked into the chest, imagining what would happen if each of them carried one back to Earth.
"As for the innkeeper class," the King stroked his long white beard, "you were indeed summoned along with the others. However… your role requires further consideration."
He waved his hand again to the servants and soldiers. "For now, you will rest in the guest chambers."
Peter, Lisa, and Luke followed the servants. They didn't protest much anymore, but confusion remained within them, especially Luke. He had the feeling he would be discarded soon.
—
They walked past carpets and paintings depicting war scenes and people they had never seen before, hanging on the corridor walls, lit by torches mounted on iron brackets at regular intervals.
"We need to get out of here soon," Lisa whispered to Peter and Luke. "They're all sus. Everything about this is sus."
"She's right," Peter replied in a whisper too. "Is there any job on Earth that gives that much gold without risking your life?"
Luke glanced at the servants and soldiers escorting them, but they seemed to ignore their whispers.
"Any ideas?" Lisa asked softly.
"Well…" Peter muttered, but couldn't give an answer.
"I think if they really intend harm, we don't have anything right now to resist them. You see, they outnumber us, and they have magic," Luke said.
Lisa sighed deeply, clearly unhappy with that answer.
Peter clicked his tongue. "Yeah. And I hate situations like this."
"Me too," Luke added.
They finally arrived at a corridor with large wooden doors leading to spacious, luxurious rooms for that era.
Luke's chamber had a four-poster bed larger than a king-size, with thick curtains and a soft mattress, perhaps made of goose feathers. A stone fireplace stood against one wall with neatly stacked firewood. A large wooden wardrobe stood against another wall, while a writing desk faced a clear glass window overlooking the outside.
This place was far bigger, cleaner, and lowkey more luxurious than anywhere Luke had ever lived in his life.
"Please, make yourself comfortable," said a young maid kindly. "My name is Elly. Dinner will be ready soon. And tomorrow morning, you will meet the training masters to begin combat and other lessons."
"Wait," Peter asked as she was about to leave.
Elly stopped and turned back, still polite. "Yes?"
"You said training. What exactly does that mean? And… what about Luke?" Peter continued.
The maid paused, thinking how she should answer these strange foreigners.
"Master Peter and Lady Lisa will begin combat orientation tomorrow morning," she answered carefully. "Such as weapon handling and so on. Master-at-arms and court mages will oversee it."
"And Luke?" Lisa asked, staring challengingly at Elly.
Elly looked at Lisa for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Luke, lowering her head to the stone floor. "His schedule will be different…" she answered softly.
Her words added to his unease. He had overheard one of the nobles earlier in the throne room, saying that the monster inn was located deep in the forest.
And from what he saw through the corridor windows earlier, there was no forest nearby, meaning that location was far away.
But before any of them could ask Elly further, the maid bowed. "Please rest now. I will return later with your dinner."
Then she left before the three of them could corner her.
—
When dinner arrived, the three chose to eat together in Luke's chamber, pulling chairs to the table near the glowing fireplace.
The food in this world was surprisingly delicious. Roasted meat with herbs of unknown name, warm bread, and thick soup. On Earth, such food would only be found in expensive restaurants.
But they ate in silence, without much appetite. Their minds were occupied with what had happened that day.
"So," Peter said quietly, breaking the silence. "What's the plan?"
Lisa sighed, then sipped her red wine. "For now, we just survive. Learn about this world first. And trust no one but the three of us."
"Glad we're on the same page," Peter muttered. Then he looked at Luke. "You holding up?"
Luke nodded slowly. "I think so…"
What he said was true. He no longer felt panic, fear, or anything. Strangely, he was already leaning toward accepting reality, though with some resentment because his role here had been decided and he couldn't do anything about it.
"They promised us gold and precious stones. Also power and a way home if we succeed," Lisa muttered after a while.
"They only promised," Luke corrected her.
"Yeah."
They fell silent again. Peter leaned back in his chair. "I don't like this hero stuff. It feels like we were forced to sign a one-sided contract."
"I agree with that," Lisa chimed in. "And Luke's class… a monster inn connecting the monster world with humans? I bet they won't want monsters anywhere near here."
"No, you're right. It seems that inn is in a place very far from here," Luke said. "The only way is for us to get access to any information about the magic that can take us out of here."
Peter sighed. "Luke is totally right. That's the only thing we can do now. Pretend to obey and learn from them, then steal the summoning knowledge," he muttered, gazing out the window where two moons hung in the sky, accompanied by scattered stars.
The three fell silent again, finishing their dinner in quiet, lost in thought.
Two knocks sounded at the door.
"Come in," Luke said.
Elly entered, this time accompanied by a man in a dark gray robe with a lion-and-crown emblem on his chest. The man looked authoritative, and as he approached their table, his aura made the three feel like they were meeting their CEO back on Earth.
"Heroes," the man said, looking at Peter and Lisa in turn. "My name is Wade, and I am the royal chamberlain of this kingdom."
Then he looked at Luke for a long time, but said nothing to him.
"Tomorrow, you two will go to the eastern training yard early in the morning. Your instructors will be waiting there," the chamberlain continued.
Peter and Lisa nodded slowly, beginning to play their roles of pretending to obey.
"And you," Wade said to Luke, "tomorrow you will meet me."
Lisa interrupted. "For what?"
"To discuss his class and role. And also his departure," the chamberlain said, still staring at Luke.
Luke just silently stared at the thin man with the short beard, then nodded.
"Rest well, all of you. We will see each other again tomorrow," Wade said, then turned and left the room. Elly followed him, but before closing the door, she looked at Luke briefly with a pitying gaze.
Lisa abruptly stood when the door was fully closed. "You're right. They're separating us," she shouted angrily.
"Not yet," Peter said, though he looked upset too. "But yeah. They're planning to."
Luke just stared at the remains of his food on the table, not listening to his two friends argue about his fate.
Peter and Lisa were the heroes, valuable assets to this kingdom. And he was just a wrong summon, clearly not someone who could stay in this castle much longer.
'Fine. If this is the burden I must bear, I will accept it. But maybe I won't be kind anymore to these people of the kingdom,' he resolved in his mind.