Again Summoned?

Victoria: "I understand that you must have a lot of questions running through your mind right now. Feel free to ask anything you wish without hesitation."

Suddenly, a voice spoke up, "Alright, my first question is, should I address you as Mister or Miss? I'm a bit confused."

Victoria, smiling, replied, "You can call me whatever you like."

Aniket commented, "The lipstick is pretty cool. Auntie—I mean, Uncle—I mean, whatever you are. See, that's why I was asking."

At that moment, someone in the crowd raised their hand. A girl asked, "What are we all doing here?"

Victoria, speaking softly, said, "Finally, someone reasonable! Let me explain. Heroes, all of you have been summoned to this world to help humanity reclaim its lost identity.

Over the past few years, humans have fallen far behind compared to other species. To put it in simple terms, our situation is quite dire.

We had no other choice, and thus we decided to summon heroes like you."

A boy introduced himself, "My name is Akira Nakamura, and my question is, does this world have magic or something like it?"

Victoria replied confidently, "Of course, it does. Magic is precisely what brought you all here. Any other questions?"

Another asked, "Can we level up by killing monsters, like in a game?"

Victoria responded, "That's an important question. The answer is no; you cannot become more powerful by killing. However, you can enhance your abilities and grow stronger by practicing hard and improving your stats."

Avinash asked, "Is there any way to return if someone wants to go back?"

Victoria answered, "Yes, that's another vital question. Unfortunately, at the moment, we don't have the resources to send you back. However, we promise that preparations to send anyone who wishes to return will begin in due time."

A girl's voice chimed in, "So, have you summoned others like this before? Because the talk about games and leveling up seems familiar."

Victoria smiled. "I must commend your sharpness, young lady. You're right. Before you, others were summoned to this world in a similar manner. Once their mission was complete, they were sent back as per their wishes."

Someone asked, "What if someone refused to leave?"

Victoria replied, "If someone wishes to stay, that would be fortunate for us. Heroes are highly respected in this world, and their strength is invaluable to us."

Avinash interjected, "So, does that mean we're just weapons for you?"

Victoria: "Absolutely not. But you are like our trump cards. However, don't worry, we have no intention of hurting anyone's feelings. We deeply respect your opinions."

Victoria continued, "I think we've had enough questions and answers for today. All of you should rest now; you must be exhausted after the process."

Suddenly, a childish voice interrupted, "No, I want to go home! I want to go to my mommy!"

Avinash's eyes widened as he saw James crying like a child. He clearly remembered that James was completely fine on the first day. So, what had happened to him in the meantime, and why was he behaving like this?

A girl remarked, "What about him now? I think you accidentally summoned someone crazy."

Victoria replied, "It seems we've made a mistake, so we'll take special care of him."

Saying this, Victoria left. After walking for a while, he punched a pillar with such force that it shattered into pieces, leaving debris scattered on the ground.

Victoria, fuming with anger, said, "Where is Xavier?"

A While Later

A maid spoke, "Hero, this is your room."

Avinash entered the room, and as soon as he saw the bed, he lay down and held his head.

He couldn't believe what had happened to him over the past few days, let alone what lay ahead.

Talking to himself, Avinash muttered, "Calm down, Avinash, calm down. Three things are clear now. First, these people are not letting us go, no matter what. Second, everyone has lost their memories except for me and that strange girl. And third, I still don't know what these people want from us."

Suddenly, a blue screen appeared in front of him, displaying familiar messages:

Loading...

Not enough energy.

Loading...

Failed.

Failed again...

System shutdown.

"Perhaps there's a fourth thing—I still have no idea about my powers," he thought.

"Given the situation, I should gather some information about mana. At least I won't be completely defenseless.

I hope this turns out to be something useful. If not, I'm done for."

Elsewhere

"So, you're here," Victoria said angrily.

Xavier, upon seeing him, asked, "What are you doing here?"

Victoria replied, "I'll ask you only once. What did you do to him? Everyone knows that when a hero is summoned, all their disabilities are cured. So how could there be a crazy person among us? Tell me honestly—what did you do to him?"

Xavier, sitting calmly in his place, said, "Stay out of my business. This has nothing to do with you."

Victoria's voice turned cold. "It seems you're not understanding me. This isn't a request—it's a threat. And I don't think anyone would question me about this, even after you're dead."

Beads of sweat were now visible on Xavier's face. He finally said, "Look, it's not my fault. The Princess inserted some strange worm with a human face into his mind. I don't know anything else. I was just the torture in-charge.

So if you have any questions, ask the Princess. I had nothing to do with it."

Taking a deep breath, Victoria said, "I hope this doesn't create more problems."