Chapter 2 2: Illusory World

Before I could even register that I was no longer in that white library, I was already gone. Somehow, the voice of the little girl who introduced herself as the "Librarian" echoed in my mind as the world around me changed for the second time. [Transporting to the Illusory World of 'This Generation's Hero is a Jackass!'] Mouth slightly gaping, I stared blankly at the scene before me. Blinking, remembering how to breathe, I turned my head left to right, slowly taking in my surroundings. "What..." With such a mutter, so faint it barely registered in my mind, I returned to animation. I was in a pocket-sized room of wood and stone, a single glass window between me and the glaring sunlight outside. The small room was utterly bare from decoration other than two things: A rather crude, archaic bed, and a sheathed sword leaning against the wall. Out of nowhere, the Librarian's voice sounded again in my ears, saying something I couldn't quite understand. [The target is 'Kala Maine, the Hero'!] But before I had the time to question it, she "spoke" to me a third time. [Your identity is a newbie knight-in-training under the Bevel Kingdom's Royal Army!] When I heard that, I belatedly realised just how heavy my body felt. Lowering my gaze, I laid my eyes on my own clothes, which had at some point been replaced with the sort of knightly casual wear, many layers thick, that you might see in a fantasy drama. What was it called, a gambeson...? Although I still had my backpack on, I didn't know where the clothes I had been wearing were, as well as that strange, glowing tattoo to adorn my hand, but I suppose that was the least of my concerns. "The hell..." Admittedly, I did feel shockingly composed considering just how precipitate a situation this was, but right now, I couldn't even tell if that was an accomplishment of my own self, or simply a result of being too bewildered to bear other emotions. At some point, the Librarian's voice stirred me again. [Ah, you must be taken aback! However, fret not! It may be your first Contract, but as the Illusory Library's Curator, among my responsibilities is the duty to assist you in your work, Enki!] I subconsciously furrowed my brows at her mentioning my name, but swiftly moved past it. "'Work'...?" Echoing a certain word with half a mind, a tremendous sense of discomfort welled up within me. Work? As in, a job? Something like that was exactly the sort of thing I never wanted to do-- Gonggg~!! A sonorous sound interrupted my thoughts. "Arise, men! New recruits, another day of training awaits!" Subsequently, from beyond the walls of this tiny room, a booming voice resounded. Shocked still for a moment, the Librarian's earlier words flashed again in my mind, and I realised. "...Wait, does that include me?" In a hasted scramble, I grabbed the sword, fastening them to the respective side of the belt on my waist. I had no idea if that was the correct choice, but at the very least, I could understand that I was somehow a knight in this place, so carrying such a weapon around shouldn't be a huge deal. Exiting the room after giving it a quick glance to ensure I hadn't missed anything, I found a stone brick hallway with dozens more doors. 'Uh, right, this must be some kind of barracks... Did she say 'royal army'...?' At the same time, numerous other young men emerged from what I assumed to be their quarters with equally drowsy, sleep-ridden eyes. "Yawwwn~ Mornin', fellas..." "Ah, mornin'..." "G'morning..." 'Ah.' "Morning..." Following along, I greeted them similarly; seeing as they only nodded at me in momentary acknowledgement, it seems they really didn't notice I wasn't someone who belonged here. Most of them, too, carried swords. 'What... They're not suspicious at all...?' I could feel the rapid thumps of my heart within my chest; so powerful that even my limbs were subtly trembling. I still had no clue what was happening, but it was truly exhilarating in all the wrong sorts of ways. Since I didn't know what to do, I just followed the others as they walked down the corridor. "Man, I'm hungry... Think they got the good stuff today? Oh, junior, you've never had the soup they serve here, right?" For some reason, one of the evidently older knights spoke to me. "Uh. No..." Because it came out of nowhere, I could only respond in such an awkward manner, but so long as they didn't suspect anything, I guess it was fine. "Yeah, that so? We-hell~, just you wait. On cold days, it really makes the training a whole lot more bearable having some hot sloshin' around in your belly, but you'll see what I mean next winter." 'What...?' There were roughly a dozen or so knights in our little group, and as I passively listened to their casual banter on the way, it didn't take long before we arrived at something like a canteen, where a tremendous number of other young men in the same attire could be found chatting together, eating identical basic meals. In a way, it resembled closely the university campus cafeteria I'd frequented. Staring wide-eyed at this vast hall, filled with the tumultuous clash of dozens of different voices and roaring laughter, I didn't even know what to think. What was it that happened to the magical cat-like critter again...? What about that white place I suddenly appeared in just after? Why am I now here? In the first place, where even-- [Ermmm... Enki...? Might there be an issue, perhaps? Do tell me if there are any problems, I will do my utmost to assist you!] An upbeat, high-pitched voice spoke to me, or rather, directly to my brain. Again, it was that "Librarian". The supposed Librarian―whom I just remembered was blindfolded. [E-Enki? You're beginning to frighten me! Please respond...!] Even though this should've been a time of glee and celebration after catching one of those exceedingly rare magical beasts, why was I instead here... "What is even going on...?" [...Eh?] Muttering that completely obliviously, I felt as if I was in a dream. Maybe that's why nothing was making any sense. Maybe that's why all of this was happening. But, in that case, how is it possible for me to wake up...? [M-my apologies, but could you explain what precisely it is you mean by--] "Oii! Junior...!" Suddenly, the apparent senior knight from before called out to me; it seems, whilst I was stuck in that stupor, the rest of the group had moved on to collect their food and find a table. Glancing over at them, who roughly patted a spare seat with a fresh tray at its empty spot, I realised immediately they meant for us to eat together. Grrrrrroanghh~! I flinched at the low rumble that emanated from my body. Putting a hand on my stomach, I cast a quick look around the hall once more before returning my attention to the senior knight's group. '...I guess, it is a bit strange to be hungry in a dream, huh...' I hadn't eaten anything ever since I woke up almost three hours ago, and going to buy some food was the entire reason why I went outside anyway. 'Wait, that's right―I do still have my bag with me...' Then, was it not a dream after all? But then, this situation, and my clothes... "Hey, everythin' aight? You spaced out for a while there." "Ah... Yes, I'm fine." Lying simply to the senior whom I sat beside, I turned my gaze down to the meal placed in front of me. 'Just soup and bread...?' Honestly, just from looking at it, it was probably more nutritious than anything I had eaten in days. Of course, not because the meal itself was particularly nutritious, but because of my recent diet. Although, you would think that knights ate quite well, so maybe the former also applied somewhat. "Tsk, see? Told ya he's just dreading the training. The newbies are always like this, they can't handle it, even the most basic bits." "I don't know about that because I never had a problem with it. We have a priest on standby too, so what's there to worry about? Anyway, he said he's good, so he's all good, right?" Patting my shoulder a few times, the adjacent senior returned to his meal, and watching him dig in greedily as he did so, I promptly followed suit. "―Mm!" "Hahaha, s'it good? Hey, didn't I tell ya?" The simple combination of bread and soup was, surprisingly, more delicious than I expected. It didn't take long to finish the meal... Well, I didn't usually eat a whole lot anyway, so it couldn't have ever taken that long to fill me up. However, even if I thought there was no problem so long as my hunger was sated, I soon found out that didn't mean it was the same for others. "U-uh, junior, you sure that's enough?" "Hm?" 'What, is something wrong?' I turned to the senior knight to give him a questioning look, but for some reason, he seemed hesitant. "No, it's just, the training's quite..." At the same time, murmurs from some of the other seniors around could also be heard. "Man. Newbies really do get bolder year after year." "He's so scrawny, how'd he even get in?" "No, the Hero's definitely gonna pick on him if he's like this. Ahhh, now I feel bad." My skin grew cold at the sense of being judged, with my insides conversely becoming hotter by the second starting at the core of my incessantly-thumping heart. But, before I had the chance to say something in return, that friendly senior patted me on the shoulder once again. "Let's see... Good luck, is all I have to say. As a senior, I'll be cheering you on wholeheartedly." I could only stare at him blankly. '...Why? No, wait, is something bad happening?' Gonggg~!! Right after that, a similar toll as earlier sounded, upon which everyone around raised slowly from their seats gradually, and with various expressions resembling disgruntlement or weariness on their faces, exited the hall uniformly. "..." Now alone in this vast, empty hall, my gaze lingered on the doorway through which they all departed. The silence was only transient, however. [Pardon me! R-really, you truly didn't fill an application or anything of the sort to accept the job, is that correct?! Th-that means, I sent you over there without any sort of prior briefing... Ohh, did I make a blunder...? No, this really is my mistake, isn't it...!] That apologetic, erring voice flowed.