To eat, one must work. This was a truth as old as the mountains, especially in a poor village nestled at the edge of the world.
Consequently, the inn's common room was deserted in the early morning, occupied only by a few weary lodgers and the innkeeper polishing mugs behind the bar.
In the quiet, two beautiful women sat at a table, their expressions downcast.
"Sigh... what is actually happening?" the blonde woman murmured, her warm and inviting features clouded with worry. She was Seraphina, a Saint Candidate of the Church of Goddess Luminara, and a woman whose heart was said to be as broad and gentle as her smile.
"He said what he said. What's gotten into him so suddenly?" The other woman, Elara, shook her head in consternation. With her striking, sheep-black hair, she was both a brilliant wizard and the second daughter of the Duke of Caeloria. She couldn't fathom the hero's change in demeanor. Leon had always been sincerity incarnate, the last to bed and the first to rise.
Now, some switch had been flipped. He had become so lazy he wouldn't even get out of bed, and because of it, their party had been stranded in this village for days.
The creak of floorboards on the stairs drew their attention. Seraphina and Elara looked up, a flicker of hope in their eyes, only to see another woman descending alone. Their hope died instantly.
"Still no?"
A collective sigh passed between the three of them.
The newcomer, a woman with short, dark navy hair and matching eyes, nodded with a guilty look. "If he Sols't even listen to you, Fiora, then there's really nothing we can do," Elara said, shrugging in defeat.
She had a point. The woman who had just tried to wake Leon was none other than his cherished childhood friend, Fiora. He used to listen to her without question. That he would now shun even her meant his mind was well and truly made up.
"But what's the reason?"
"...You don't think... the Hero knows, do you?"
"No way," Elara scoffed. "You all know how dense Leon is."
"Nothing is absolute in this world, Elara."
"That's true, but..." Elara trailed off, her mouth closing into a thin line.
An imperial social banquet was to be held in the capital next month. There, the three of them were scheduled to transfer to another hero's party. If Leon knew about that... his current behavior would make a bitter kind of sense.
"...Even if he knows, it doesn't change anything."
"I know, but..."
"Then let it be. It's what Leon would want, too."
"I suppose so... Haaah."
But it didn't change the fact that they were abandoning him. All because Leon was an incompetent hero.
A month has passed since I took possession of this weakling's body. The heroines, who were an absolute nuisance for the first few days, had for some reason given up on me. It was a welcome change.
"Hero. We must leave today."
The Saint Candidate who apparently enjoys exposure play spoke to me. Wow, just look at that. A slit in her dress running right down from her chest, and another one up the side. Are breasts and an ass that big even physically possible? It was another stark reminder that I was, in fact, inside an adult game.
Hah. How did she ever become a Saint Candidate? She looks more like a succubus to me.
I ignored her, as I usually did, and continued chewing on my stale bread. She sighed, as if she'd already expected as much.
"If we don't leave today, we'll be late for the Imperial Social Banquet. Since you Sols't be going, Hero, we have no choice but to go by ourselves."
"The Imperial Social Banquet?"
Oh, that event. The social gathering in the Imperial Capital, the center of the continent. It was famous for attracting all sorts of celebrities, a prime place to make powerful connections. Of course, the other heroes would be there. Whenever the original Leon went, he was relentlessly mocked for his commoner background and pathetic abilities.
But right now, none of that mattered to me.
If it's food from the Imperial Capital, it has to be delicious, right?
I'd had more than enough of this endless cycle of dry bread and thin soup. I couldn't even stand to look at the stuff anymore, that watery broth that always smelled faintly of chicken. What kind of world was this? It was a fantasy setting, and yet the food was just as bland as my old one. Surely a place like the Empire, the heart of the continent, would have a higher level of culinary skill. At an imperial banquet, even the simplest dish, sprinkled with a few spices, would be a hundred times better than this swill.
Hmm...
"Yes, Hero. If we don't leave right away..."
"Let's go."
"Time is... yes? What did you say?"
As if she couldn't believe my answer, Seraphina's eyes went wide. I didn't care. My mind was made up.
"Let's go. To the Empire."
I gathered my few meager belongings and strode past Seraphina, who could only stare blankly as I descended the stairs.
Down in the common room, the tsundere Elara and my childhood friend Fiora were sitting listlessly at the table. They looked up at me, their expressions just as shocked.
"Ah, did you come down to eat? Wait, didn't the innkeeper already deliver your meal?" Elara and Fiora glanced between me and Seraphina, their confusion plain.
"He said he's coming to the Imperial Social Banquet," Seraphina announced, hurrying down the stairs behind me. "We're leaving."
They both stared at me, their eyes wide with the same shock. Well, you can't expect sunshine and smiles from a man who's been kidnapped into another world, can you? But I'm not a total shut-in. Even a shut-in otaku has to go out to buy a hamburger now and then.
Hey, hey. Don't look at me like that. To be honest, it kinda hurts.
Whatever. I left them to their staring and walked out of the inn. After a moment of exchanging glances, Seraphina and the other two hurried to follow.
"What happened?" Elara demanded, crossing her arms in her characteristic tsundere fashion. "You adamantly locked yourself in your room for a month. Why the sudden change of heart?"
To my surprise, I didn't find it the least bit cute.
"Are we walking? Isn't there something like a carriage around here?"
"How could there be a carriage in a village like this?"
"No way. You're not planning on walking all the way there, are you?"
"No, you two don't have to worry," Fiora said, shaking her head reassuringly. "I heard there are some horses in the village we can borrow."
"Really? Then let's go. Lead the way."
"...I get it."
With a bitter expression, Fiora turned and began to walk. As I followed her, someone nudged my side. I glanced over to see Elara glaring at me, her face a mask of dissatisfaction.
"Why are you talking to her like that? You could be a little kinder."
I ignored her again, of course.
We walked in silence for a while, soon arriving at the village stable. Elara stared at my face for a few more moments before sighing and looking away, as if she were taking her frustration out on the poor blades of grass.
"Ah, respected warriors! How may this humble servant help you?" the stable owner asked, spotting us and approaching with a broad smile.
Fiora stepped forward to handle the negotiation. "We'd like to borrow some horses. We need to get to the nearest city."
"To the city... not too far, then. How many will you be renting?"
"Three, please."
Three? Ah, so one of us doesn't know how to ride. Probably Elara or Seraphina. A wizard and a cleric, it made sense they might not be horsewomen. I decided to be magnanimous about it and turned to inspect the horses.
That white one seems to be in the best condition.
It was a rural village, not a city, but the animals looked well-cared for. Still, this one was clearly the best of the lot. I put a foot in the stirrup and swung myself onto its back in one fluid motion.
Neigh! Neighhhgh!
Startled by a stranger suddenly on its back, the horse reared up, its front hooves flailing in agitation.
"Whoa, whoa, easy boy."
I stroked his mane gently, murmuring reassurances. The hysterical animal quickly calmed, standing as if it had never been agitated at all. I patted the horse's back lightly and waited for the others to mount up.
But no matter how long I waited, none of the three showed any sign of getting on a horse.
"What are you all doing? Let's get going."
"Um... Leon, I can't ride if you're sitting there," Fiora said, scratching her cheek with an awkward smile.
"...You're a knight... and you don't know how to ride a horse?"
A knight who can't ride a horse? My god, the world-building in this place was insane.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Of course, she can," Elara snapped. "You have to get down so Fiora can handle the horse."
Oh, so it's Leon who can't ride a hor—
Wait. Hold on a second. What kind of bullshit was that?
"...Elara, Seraphina, do you two know how to ride?"
"Of course I do."
"Yes, I know how, but... why do you ask, Hero?"
Both of them nodded matter-of-factly.
...So that's what they meant. The original Leon didn't know how to ride a horse. He always had to ride with Fiora, sitting behind her.
Faced with this utterly backward reality, I couldn't help but rub my temples.
A Hero can't ride a horse? A freaking Hero? What planet were you born on, dude?
"Well, I know how to ride now."
"...What?"
"I said, I know how to ride a horse now."
"No, what are you talking about?"
I lightly tapped the horse's flank. It began to move forward in a slow, steady trot.
"What?!"
"Uh...?"
"...This is...?"
The three heroines looked utterly dumbfounded by this simple display of equestrian skill. So, for good measure, I showed them a few more advanced tricks, things only an experienced rider would know.
The result—
"What is happening..." Fiora stared, her face a rigid mask of astonishment.
"I can't believe it..." Elara muttered over and over, as if in a trance.
"Oh, benevolent Goddess..." Seraphina dropped to her knees, covering her mouth with her hands.
There was nothing I could do but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Haha, Leon, you damn punk. What in the world were you?