Welcome to the Manor!

Sato's inner unrest was interrupted by a familiar, hoarse voice. 

"We have arrived, my Dear Heroes! On behalf of the mistress of this house, I welcome you!" The old man paused, took a breath, and flamboyantly outstretched his hands. "Welcome to my master's manor!"

Sato's countrymen stared at the building from their windows. The muscles within their cheeks twitched with unease as they nervously scanned the building from top to bottom.

"Well? What are all of you waiting for?!' the old man smiled. His hands raised, he began to usher the summoned group toward the building. "Please, right this way!"

A series of clicks followed his request as numerous doors were swept open. Then, the clack of shoes on wood could be heard as the summoned stepped out of their carriages and onto the crunching gravel below. 

The group began to murmur amongst themselves with obvious unrest.

"Hmmm, is something wrong, Dear Heroes?" the old man asked with his head tilted.

One of the summoned raised their hand in response.

"Yes? May I help you?"

"Uhhh, yeah. Maybe you could explain just WHAT THE HELL that was back there?!"

"Yeah! Who were those people?! What did they want?!

The old man's eyes lit up with understanding as he clasped his hands. "Ahhhhh, those were just some undesirable riff raff. They're no cause for alarm, I assure you. I promise you won't be encountering them again."

"Oh really? 'Don't worry about it,' huh?" the speaker bared his teeth, and a vein of anger pulsated on their brow. "I SAW SOMEONE DIE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! I saw them take an arrow right to the eye! And you tell me, 'Don't worry about it?' Are you kidding me?!"

"Dear Hero, please. I kno-" the old man began, but the crowd-turned-mob formed a unified front against him. All of which shouted from the top of their lungs with raised fists.

"And how do you know we'll never see them again?! They saw my face; I know they did!"

"Yeah! What are you gonna do about this, huh?!"

"They're going to kill us all!"

The old man sighed amidst the chaos. Though briefly, his mask of cheer had fallen away as he lifted a hand to his forehead and exhaustively mumbled "Pathetic…" beneath his breath.

A few moments and shouts later, the old man heaved a deep breath and assumed another fictitious smile. Though he lost the chance to speak as another spoke in his place.

"All of you! Listen up!" Tachibana commanded with confidence. However, his attempt was drowned out by the crowd's blaring defiance. 

"I SAID 'LISTEN UP!'" he repeated again, this time piercing through the noise like a light through darkness.

The voices hushed at Tachibana's command, though their expressions still spoke loudly of their obvious unrest. Everyone's eyes fell upon the kid wearing a wide smile and blazing red hair as he stood just in front of the old man.

He raised a balled fist to his lips and cleared his throat. "Ehem, thank you... Look, I know you're all scared. I am too. But more than that, I'm excited! I mean, come on people! We're in a new fantasy world! A world where magic exists! And when there's fantasy, there's…" 

Tachibana stopped and gestured for the crowd to finish his sentence.

Only they didn't match his excitement. All he received in return for his question was a slew of confused staring. It all weighed heavy on the kid as he embarrassedly rubbed the back of his head.

"I suppose that was a tough one," he chuckled awkwardly. "Well, what I'm referring to is adventure! That's right!

With adventure, of course we should expect a few mobs to come out and fight us along the way, right? I mean, we're heroes! We're supposed to fight those bandits! We'll train. We'll get stronger. We'll learn to perform amazing feats with some hidden power that's buried deep within us all! 

And, by the time we're ready, we'll face those degenerates head-on! We'll show that we're worthy of the title of 'Heroes!' Don't you all want to be something greater?! Don't you all want to become legends?!"

The group still seemed unconvinced, but Tachibana's clique formed a barrier around him. Their smiles and cheering surrounded him with a fortress of support.

"Yeah! C'mon! All of you! We're gonna be dragon-slaying badasses someday! We can't let a group of low-level bandits scare us! We've got this!"

"I'm sure we'll get some super awesome gear soon. Then we'll teach those bandits what it means to mess with a hero! Who's?!"

A few in the crowd began to shift stances. The allure of grandeur was like a sweet honey to those who'd lived a life of stale monotony. It was enticing enough that it overpowered the crippling fear that each had held within their hearts.

"Alright! Hell yeah! I'm with you!"

"Me too!"

"I'm tired of being pushed around. Let's do it!"

Loud cheering echoed across the mansion's inner courtyard as a domino effect of fervor stirred within the group's hearts. Though there were still some who remained fearful and some who remained skeptical, the majority had fully embraced their place in this new world as legendary warriors.

"That's great!" Tachibana asserted. "In that case, my friends, we should listen to this old man. Right now we need any aid we can get. We're newbies! It's important to respect the tutorial, alright?"

Those now swayed by Tachibana's words nodded excitedly and obeyed the old man's instructions while those not convinced begrudgingly trailed behind. They all proceeded up a small flight of stainless stone stairs until they reached a grand entrance with an open doorway fit for a small giant.

"Well, let's go, shall we? I'd hate to be left behind!" Kamida turned to his three riding companions and gestured to the stairs.

"Yeah... I guess," Agawa replied. Her mouth tugged sideways in an expression that was more uncertain than amused. It was the kind of look that suggested she had neither been convinced nor particularly excited about what lie ahead.

Takagi yawned and crossed his arms behind his head. "What a lame speech, though. I can't believe people are actually following that guy. He's nothing but a lapdog."

"It's no surprise. That young man presents himself with such confidence that even I was momentarily swept up by his words. He'd do well as a salesman!"

"A lapdog salesman, pffft."

With that, the group began to venture forward up the stairs. All but Sato that is. He purposely slowed his pace till he fell behind the rest. 

'If I can break away here, I'll grab what I can from the town and leave,' the soldier thought to himself. 

Only his plan would sadly be obstructed. A net of guards spread out and guarded his path out from the mansion's courtyard.

"You're falling behind, sir," one asserted. Then, with a commanding finger, he pointed toward the stairs and the rest of the soldier's countrymen. "Please follow the rest and proceed inside."

'Figured it wouldn't be so easy,' Sato sighed, then projected a fake smile. "Of course! Thank you. Sorry about that." 

"No problem at all, sir. Just follow the rest, please."

Sato nodded, then begrudgingly followed his countrymen to the manor's open doors. If the doors at the toward had a polar opposite, these were it.

Each panel of the mansion's double-dooring had been caved outward, painted pure white and lined with depictions of golden feathers. Just beyond them was a long hallway, seemingly another world from the rest outside. A world of extravagance so blinding that Sato had to avert his eyes briefly.

Decorating the wall like paint on paper were dozens of polished golden, marble, and gem-constructed treasures that endlessly amplified and reflected any light.

From golden-framed paintings to ornamental artifacts on red-velvet pedestals, the interior was more like a museum than a place of residence. Wherever a treasure wasn't, there stood white marble statues depicting various odd creatures and people.

Most of which, though interesting, hadn't stirred the soldier's curiosity. At least, until his eyes fell upon one depicting a kneeling man with a stern expression. 

His face was chiseled and handsome with a sharp mustache and goatee to match. Angular eyebrows framed his intense eyes, which seemed to stare past Sato toward some unseen horizon.

Unruly locks of hair framed his face. They were tousled and partially obscured his forehead which gave him a naturally windswept charm. What appeared to be a thin leather binding gathered his marble hair near the back of his head. It had been gathered together and spiked outward in a ponytail resembling the tip of a lion's tail.

As for his body, most had been obscured by two massive wings patterned with marble-cut feathers. These wings, similar to those of the strange bird statue outside, protruded from his back and wrapped around to his front.

'Is that supposed to be an angel?' Sato pondered to himself. He took a step toward the statue and scanned an inscription on golden plating. To his surprise, the text struck a chord of familiarity. It resembled the kind of archaic Japanese he used to find in many of his high school's history textbooks.

Thanks to the soldier's studious nature when in school, he could glean the meaning of the words on the plate, though barely.

|Behold! The Future Unifier. The Lord of Blackwood and beyond! The Oppressor of Demons. The Slayer of Shamane. The Master of Eternal Flame! Long live the Hero of Ash! Long live ------------!|

"That's quite a few titles," Sato mused to himself. However, what his focus was drawn to wasn't the exuberance of the naming, but the lack thereof where it most counted. At the end of the long line of text, the venerated's name had been viciously scratched out until complete illegible.

'Curious. For someone so idolized, you'd think their name would be the MOST visible. Well,' the soldier shrugged and moved on, 'no use in dwelling on it.'

Sato's eyes narrowed upon one line of text before he turned away. '"The Lord of Blackwood, huh? So maybe he's the famed "Lord" that old timer keeps referring to. And "Blackwood?" Is that this town's name?'

A series of loud gasps pulled the soldier from thought. His countrymen were loudly muttering to themselves in shock.

'What now?' 

Sato turned his head and proceeded into the manor's main hall. When he entered, he stepped onto a red-painted path. It stretched ahead along the floor to the left, right, and straight toward a large, golden-lined marble staircase.

On either side of the path was a perfectly constructed line of maids and butlers. They bowed and spoke in perfect unison…and perfect Japanese.

"Welcome to our Lord's manor, Masters and Mistresses! We hope you enjoy your stay!"

The soldier appraised them from head to toe. The men wore immaculate straight-cut black tuxedos and the women: frilly bonnets atop their silky hair paired with lacy white aprons. 

A fleeting thought of criticism passed through Sato's mind, but he sighed to himself. 

'Who am I to judge? We may have different outfits, but we're both servants in the end. At least I was…' 

Sato steadied his gaze and squeezed his scarred fists tight, a rousing fire of determination stirring within his chest. 

'Not anymore. If I do anything, it'll be of my own will and nobody else's. I'm a free man from now on.'

A peppy shout originating from within the group shook the soldier from his thoughts.

 "Woah, real maids! I've only ever seen fake ones in cafes. They're all real cuties too! What a treat!" 

Though Sato couldn't see who it was from the back of the crowd, he could guess the speaker's identity. Not from the voice, but the reckless carefree demeanor.

The soldier peered through the numerous heads and bodies blocking his path to see a familiar sight of fiery red hair and nodded.

'Yup, it's the kid.' 

He and his entourage confidently approached the maids with smiles on their faces, though, to Sato, the ulterior motives were all but hidden.

"Hey…" Tachibana stopped just short of a few maids, then flexed an arm. "How're you girls doing? Are you excited to meet the ones that'll defeat the Demon King for you?"

For the briefest moments, the maids and butlers shared the same expressions of dejection the villagers had. Their artificial smiles of joy were replaced by genuine grimaces. Something which garnered an ominous glare from the old man.

"Hmmm, is something wrong, girls?" Tachibana reached a hand toward a plain, but pretty maid with a bob cut, only to be gently swatted away.

"We're fine, Young Master. Thank you for your concern!" she quickly replied and took a fumbly step backward. That's when the old man's hand appeared on her shoulder.

"Indeed! I'm sure they're just worried for your well-being, Dear Hero. You'll be off to face much of the world's most dangerous foes, after all! 

"Hmmmm… Is that so? Are you worried for me?" Tachibana asked with a smirk.

A flicker of panic flashed beneath the maid's eyes as she looked to the old man for direction. He nodded, then stepped back to his original place in the room. 

"Uh, yes. Very much so."

"Awwwww, that's cute. You know," Tachibana inched closer and took her hand, "I'd really like it if we could speak some more. You know, get to know each other. What do you say? Maybe the world wouldn't be so dangerous if I had you to tell me about it. What to worry about."

The maid's cheeks turned a rosy red as she pulled her hand away.

"I sincerely apologize, sir, but we servants are quite busy with our daily duties to engage in extra activities with our guests." 

The maid bowed apologetically, followed by the rest as they rejected any further offers from Tachibana's clique.

"Please forgive us!" they said in sync.

"Aww, that's a shame. Maybe next time then. C'mon guys, let's leave the ladies alone." Tachibana heaved a loud exhale of disappointment and beckoned for the rest of his group to follow. Once they'd returned, the old man garnered the group's attention.

He stood at the bottom of the marble staircase and folded his hands behind his back.

"Now that introductions with the manor's loyal staff have been concluded, my Dear Heroes, I wish to formally welcome you all to the Lord's grand residence!"

The maids and butlers bowed once more. Then finished with a perfect flourish before exiting the hall.

"Hey, where are they going?" one girl from the group inquired.

"They're most busy and there's much work to be done to ensure a smooth experience for you all during tonight's festivities, I'm afraid. I'm sure you'll see them again."

Once the old man had finished speaking, the last servant had vacated, leaving only him and the group within the manor's grand entryway.

"Speaking of festivities," the old man continued, "it is time to announce the order in which they'll occur! For the first, I'm sure you all are absolutely starved from today's events, so the Lord has prepared the grandest of feasts for you all to enjoy!"

Tachibana excitedly glanced at the rest of his clique and smiled widely. "See?! A feast, he said! This is gonna be awesome!"

The red-haired boy cheered to himself, creating a ripple effect as more of Sato's countrymen joined in.

"I could definitely go for some food."

"How could you eat after what happened earlier?"

"What? Stress makes me hungry; leave me alone."

Aside from a skeptical few, the mere mention of a luxurious banquet had seemingly bought the trust of Sato's countrymen. All of their unrest and wariness had been transformed into drooling salivations.

Meanwhile, the soldier's stomach rumbled to the touch after he brought a hand to it. 'Been a while since I'd eaten. Still, I won't be bribed off by some food, especially from this shady bunch.' 

Sato had been no stranger to hunger. In the past, he'd gone days without a proper meal while trekking through miles of road. Because of that experience, he could hold off if needed.

"However!" the old man continued. "Before we adjourn to the dining hall, I'd like it if you'd all allow me to formally introduce myself." 

The old man brought out his right arm and laid it across his chest. "My name is Albert Weiser, and I'm the head magister of this household. It is my utmost pleasure to make each of your acquaintances… Now, please follow me!"

Up the staircase and through gilded hallways, the group followed Weiser. During which, a vigilant Sato was scanning every nook and cranny, every hallway for a means to break away. Sadly, each branching path had been blockaded by several soldiers. 

'Can you be any less suspicious?' Sato griped with his brow furrowed in frustration 

Meanwhile, he could hear only impressed gasps and satisfied banter from his countrymen. Of whom, Kamida was the most expressive.

"Golden paintings, golden treasures, and even golden walls?! This place really is something!"

"You really do enjoy wealth, huh, Mr. Kamida?" Agawa inquired.

"I do! After all, wealth means opportunity! And opportunity means progress."

"Progress toward what, Conman?"

"Progress toward relationships, Mr. Takagi! Connections. Nothing is more important than befriending the right people…powerful people. Even more so given our unusual circumstances."

"Heh. If you want power, then why are you looking for these people? I'm right here."

Kamida chuckled. "Oh, Mr. Takagi, I love your confidence. You are quite the entertainment!"

"That's one way of putting it," Agawa sarcastically jabbed with a smirk.

More banter ensued between the three, as well as with the rest of Sato's countrymen. It seemed as if any and all tension had been washed away, leaving only mindlessly relaxed chatter

'You've all been won over, huh?' Sato sighed in disappointment. Though their acceptance would certainly make his escape easier - the guards would be on less alert - a part of him couldn't help but be demoralized by their lack of awareness.

However, a few moments later after the soldier had turned his head, the tapping of a soft finger on his shoulder pulled his attention.

'Huh?' Sato turned to see a subtly distressed Agawa.

"Hey, Mr. Sato?" she called out and shifted her eyes upward to meet him. Their gem-like brilliance had been clouded with doubt. "I'm feeling kinda uneasy about this whole situation. What do you think?"

Sato, upon hearing her words, felt his faith be restored, albeit slightly. 'At least she has common sense,' the soldier thought with relief. He put on an affirming smile, the same kind he always gave to a crying child or panicked civilian on the war front. 

"I think you're right, but we should play along for now and avoid acting suspicious, okay?" He nodded eased her as best he could, particularly so she wouldn't raise any of the wrong eyebrows.

"Yeah," Agawa hesitated, then loosened her grip. "Yeah, you're right. We should pull Kamida and Takagi aside at some point, though. You know? To discuss things with them too."

'That doesn't really sound like a good idea…' is what Sato wanted to say. The last thing he needed was this girl spreading panic amongst the others. 

However, on the other hand, it'd keep her busy. Without her to worry about, the soldier would be free to plan his escape. 'I guess I'll play along.'

"I agree," Sato finally nodded, "we'll talk to them soon."

"Thank you," Agawa's unease gave way to a warm smile. "It's reassuring to know that you feel the same way."

Their conversation concluded, so Agawa left Sato and rejoined the advancing group. As her figure became smaller, a pit of guilt grew ever larger within the soldier's chest.

The prospect of leaving so many behind for a fate not yet known left Sato feeling sick to his core. Even so, he clutched a hand tightly to his chest and averted his gaze to the floor.

'Don't be a hero. Don't protect them. You know better than to try.'