Chapter 2: Isekai Summoning

“Oh, success!”
“Incredible, I never thought you’d actually pull it off…!”
“As expected of the princess.”

With the mysterious person’s offhand “off you go” remark, my lost consciousness gradually began to return.

It seems that instead of the pure white void from before, I now find myself in a spacious room.

Many people surround me, casting strange looks my way. Some even have swords pointed at me. What on earth is going on?

“Silence!!”

A low male voice echoed throughout the room, and the previously noisy chatter fell utterly silent.

From a platform one level higher than where I stood, someone sat pompously on a chair. Judging by that, he seemed to be the most important person here.

Then, a man standing right next to this pompous fellow looked at me and said:

“Hmm, you don’t seem very strong at all. Is this truly the legendary warrior—a one-man army?”

…That’s a case of mistaken identity.

“One-man army” definitely doesn’t apply to me. I’m a gentle soul who couldn’t even kill an ant!

“According to the ancient manuscripts, the ritual was performed correctly. He is undoubtedly the legendary hero!”

A cute little girl standing closest to me retorted at the snide remark.

Undoubtedly the legendary hero… that’s definitely wrong.

Sure, it’s a common trope that someone summoned from another world is welcomed as a hero, but that only works if the person summoned is ambitious or righteous.

For a regular guy like me, who couldn’t care less about what happens to others, taking on that role would only bring trouble for everyone.

At that moment, the important man who had just silenced the room spoke up:

“Boy, what is your name?”

“Well, normally you introduce yourself before asking someone else’s name, right?”

With that remark, the murmuring among the crowd resumed.

“How dare you speak to His Majesty like that!” “Execution! This guy should be executed!” “W-wait! He’s just arrived here. He probably doesn’t understand the situation yet.” “Usually, you can tell by his demeanor—this guy is definitely an idiot. He should be killed right here.”

Uh oh, did I just say that out loud?

I have this annoying habit of blurting out whatever I’m thinking. It seems I unconsciously said it again this time. Ugh, I’m really in trouble now.

Wait a minute—the king? That old man?

…Could it be that I’m in a pretty dire situation right now?

“Heh heh heh heh. What a spirited young fellow you are.”

Despite the murderous atmosphere around me, the king laughed heartily, as if he found the whole thing amusing.

Oh? Could it be that his broad-minded nature means he’ll overlook this?

Well, he may be arrogant, but the king does have some redeeming qualities.

After laughing loudly, his laughter echoing through the room, the king suddenly became dead serious.

“—Kill him.”

“Ha!”

?! No way!?

I had thought he’d let me off, but the king had clearly decided to execute me.

At those words, men resembling guards began edging closer with swords pointed in my direction.

“Wait, Father! Are you really going to waste this successful hero summoning by executing him!?”

It appears that the cute little girl is the king’s daughter.

The princess, concerned for my well-being—or rather, insisting that since the hero summoning had succeeded, I shouldn’t be executed—stepped in to plead on my behalf.

“No matter how mighty one may be, none shall defy the king. Kill him!”

Yet the princess’s plea did not reach the king.
The king barked this order at the guards and, accompanied by his retinue, disappeared into the back of the room.

Does that mean his interest in me was gone? Or did he simply not want to witness a killing?
Either way, I’m in deep trouble right now.

I just died a moment ago, and it seems I’m about to die again.

“Everyone! Lower your swords! He is the hero who will save this kingdom!”

Yes, say that!
Though being called a hero is a complete misunderstanding, I simply cannot let myself die here!

“I’m sorry, Princess, but the king’s orders take precedence.”

The guards swiftly formed a neat formation, surrounding me so that there was no chance of escape.
Then a burly man stepped forward right in front of me.

“Sorry, boy. It’s the king’s command.”

Saying that, he raised the sword in his hand high above his head and swung it down toward me.

Shun—

Whoa, I’m dead again… Wait? The pain just isn’t coming.

I wondered if perhaps the guard had hesitated, so I turned to look at him.
But that wasn’t the case at all.
He struck his sword again, tapping it methodically as if utterly amused that I was still alive.

“Once more!”

The guard shouted, and swung his sword again.

Shun—Kang—

This time, with my eyes wide open, I saw it clearly.

The guard’s sword struck directly above my head, yet for some reason it was deflected. There was no pain in my head whatsoever, and I felt no impact at all—truly baffling. What the heck is going on?

“I told you, didn’t I? I prayed for your wish to come true.”

That voice… it was the mysterious one!

It seems the mysterious person can speak to me even outside that white void. She was directly addressing my mind—and I was quite surprised by that.
But what exactly is my wish?

“Your wish is to live until your natural lifespan. I lightly prayed that it would be granted.”

I see. Well, of course I wouldn’t want to drop dead in an instant.
It’s only natural that my deepest desire is to keep on living.

“So, until your life naturally ends, nothing you experience will injure you, nor will you ever fall ill. You can live your life in perfect health.”

Isn’t that an incredible cheat ability?!
Not once will anyone be able to hurt me—any poison or assassination attempt will bounce right off me.

This is awesome—so damn cool!!

“With that, my explanation is complete. I shall now take my leave. Until we meet again, when your life comes to an end.”

Well, after all that, the mysterious person did give me a cheat ability.
Yes, yes—this is exactly what I wanted. With this, I can definitely make it in this world.

Thank you, mysterious person!
I silently sent my gratitude to her, then looked around at the bewildered guards and declared:

“It is impossible for any of you to harm me.”

In truth, no one could harm me now—if I may take the opportunity to mock your obvious incompetence—and vent the frustration of nearly being executed.

Now then, it’s time to get out of here.
With that king around, staying here would be a death sentence in more ways than one.

It seems my intentions were sensed.
The princess hurriedly said to me:

“Hero-sama, I apologize. My father did not act out of malice. Please, lend your strength for the sake of this kingdom.”

Well, if I were executed without any ill intent, that would still be a terrible situation.

Honestly, I have no intention of working for this kingdom. …In fact, I have no intention of working for myself either.
I was just an ordinary high school student until a moment ago. I’m not ready to work as a member of society.

I don’t yet know what kind of jobs exist in this world, but they’re probably all pretty lousy.

Alright, I’ve made up my mind. My goal in this world is clear. That is—to become a NEET!!
As a NEET, I wouldn’t have to work or study. I’d just live a lazy, self-indulgent life until I eventually die.

Now that I’ve set my life’s goal, it’s time to leave this place.
This is the first step toward my dream NEET life!

“Anyone who gets in my way… will die!”

I threatened the guards coolly, and began walking toward the exit. Yet the guards continued to surround me, as if determined to restrain me.

“Really, it’s inevitable. If you want to die so badly, come at me. I’ll put you out of your misery in no time.”

What a bluff. I have no intention of killing anyone.
I’ll just do something like what characters in anime do—tap the back of their necks to make them pass out. That way, it won’t take much time or effort.

No sooner had I spoken than the guards, with desperate looks on their faces, charged at me simultaneously.
They all seemed ready to sacrifice their lives in obedience to the king’s command. The loyalty they showed, despite having such a king, was truly something.

But when facing approaching foes, mercy is unnecessary.
I possess a cheat ability—no way will I struggle against these weaklings.

If they want to defeat me, they might as well bring along a Demon Lord.

I attempted to strike the back of one guard’s neck with a swift hand chop, only to—
miss the guard who was lunging at me. I tried to dodge the sword swinging wildly in my direction, but—
failed to avoid it.

Crap, come to think of it—my cheat ability only works to nullify damage, nothing more.
It doesn’t boost my physical strength, sharpen my intellect, or let me cast magic. It merely prevents me from taking any damage.

I have absolutely no offensive capability!

This is bad—this cheat ability is completely useless in a fight.

It was only then that I realized the fatal weakness of my cheat ability, and panic set in—but it was already too late.

I ended up being overpowered by the guards and thrown into a cell.