Why_me_1373

Everyone dreams of living in a fantasy world—
Magic, swords, kingdoms, and adventure.

But no one talks about the weight of it all.
The fear. The choices. The lives that hang in the balance.

This is a story not of a destined hero, but someone who found himself in a place where fantasy meets reality.
And once you’ve crossed that line, there’s no going back.
"Not every summoning leads to glory."

Ashes of Mana

All the knowledge I had gathered about the magic circles and the ancient characters from the scroll—I had summarized it onto a single sheet of paper.

"Is this… true?" Emma asked, her eyes scanning the parchment, wide with disbelief.

I nodded slowly. "It took me hours to find the meaning of each character. I had to cross-reference multiple ancient texts to translate it properly."

King Leontius stepped closer. "What exactly is it?"

Emma's expression hardened. She folded the page carefully and turned toward the others.

"Lily, stay with Alve. Your Majesty, Ramon, Miss Seraphina—come with me to the library. I'll explain everything there."

She looked back at me. "Alve, the magic scroll… it's still in the library, right?"

I nodded again. "It should be where I left it."

As the group left, Lily walks to to the window. A quiet moment passed before she broke the silence.

"Sometimes… I forget you're just a kid," she said, gazing out the window.

She continued, her voice soft but clear, "We got word through the communication orb about what happened here at the palace. Miss Sera and a few knights rushed back immediately. Ramon and us finished off the last remaining demons and followed soon after."

I looked at her. "What happened then?"

She turned to me, her eyes a little dim.

"There were casualties… but Seraphina made it in time to minimize the damage. We managed to clear the city of the wandering demons alongside the remaining knights."

Walking over to my bedside, she sat down.

"The city is recovering now. Everyone's doing their part. It's just… you wouldn't wake up."

Her voice trembled slightly. "Day after day, we worried. Lady Sera came to check on you every day."

"You better be," she muttered. Then her voice cracked.

"And please… don't ever do that again. We didn't mean to summon you here… but if you were to die like this…"

Her voice broke entirely at the end.

I reached out and placed my hand gently over hers.

"I know I shouldn't have pushed myself… but I couldn't stand by and watch everything fall apart. I gave my word—and I meant it."

She calmed, her breathing steadier.

"…Well, take a rest now," she said quietly, standing up. "I'll go check on the others."

Just as she opened the door to leave, I called out,

"Lily. Ask the others to look into Viscount Ironhart's family."

She paused, nodded once, and glanced back with a half-smile.

"Very well… Now get back to sleep, you dummy."

I exhaled slowly and let my tired body sink back into the bed, the weight of everything pressing down again.

_"Just what are you planning, Basil Ironhart…"_

Chapter 39 - The Translation