On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

"Arise, esteemed Heroes! You are summoned here for a reason—to fulfill the noble purpose of saving millions of innocent lives."

The annoyingly loud voice made me want to punch whoever speaking, but I was more focused on my state. Looking at my body as I stood straight, I wondered why I was all right. Living as a wanted criminal for two years certainly had its perks. I could adapt quickly and focus on the surroundings.

There was a middle-aged man with strange clothing sitting on the throne before me. The man wore a lot of accessories that gave me uncomfortable feelings. On his side, stood an old man with a golden robe and a funny-looking staff. He looked more extravagant and pretentious than the middle-aged man; who, I concluded, was the King.

Around me, there were around thirty people my age. They looked Japanese but they dressed differently. None of them wore kimonos. They dressed the way westerners dressed, making me wonder if they were children of nobles who sent their kids overseas. I would later figure out that they were Japanese from a different era.

By the time I finished observing everyone in the room, the King had finished his speech. The old man raised his weird-looking staff and muttered something under his breath and golden light enveloped us not long after.

While the others showed a blissful look upon being exposed to the light, I couldn't help but grimace at the pain I felt in my chest. It was as if something was going to burst out of it. Having understood the situation, I tried to hide my pain to the best I could. I couldn't act differently, lest I would be killed.

I could see it from the way the old man looked at us. He was looking for the "defective product." I knew I was that defective product, so I had to pretend I was not. Those eyes didn't tell me something good would happen to me should I get exposed.

When the light died down, the King and the old man heaved a sigh of relief. The old man stepped forward and talked about the 'System.' I couldn't understand what he was talking about. The sentiment was shared by most of the summoned people. Only some of us were excited and I wouldn't know why until they explained it to me.

The next thing I noticed was how flabbergasted all of the other summoned people were. They seemed to see something that I couldn't before them. I instantly figured out that what they were seeing was the 'System' the old man had been talking about. This made me frown and slightly worry.

If I behaved weirdly, I would be found out. Therefore, to hide the fact that I didn't have the System that everybody had, I chose not to react.

"H-Hey... "

When the boy standing beside me tugged on the sleeve of my kimono, I hoped dearly that he experienced the same thing. I refused to believe that I was a "defective product." I hope it was just a mistake on the old man's part. I was desperate.

"Hm?" I quirked an eyebrow, prompting the boy to scratch his head awkwardly.

"Y-You are very calm about all of this. I wonder if it is not your first time here."

My wish remained ungranted. My displeasure affected my expression, so the boy was slightly taken aback. He likely thought his question offended me. He shook his head vigorously and then profusely bowed to me, saying he was just joking.

I waved his apology off and addressed his cowardly nature. He told me he was just afraid that everything that was happening was merely a dream. Before getting summoned into this world, he watched a bomb being dropped on his village. He said it uprooted trees and destroyed mountains, which was why he found it haunting.

As he finished recounting the terror of the bomb, I realized something that I had overlooked—we spoke in Japanese. His Japanese was slightly off, but I could understand him. This was when I asked what part of Japan he came from. He said he was from Hiroshima, which was coincidentally also the place where I died.

I didn't tell him about that, but I told him I was also from Hiroshima. He became attached to me ever since. He was the only person whom I could have a mundane talk with. He helped me with matters regarding Heroes, making me less suspicious. Though, it didn't matter at all since everyone still found me suspicious as a Hero.

"You know. It has been a year and I am surprised that you haven't gotten used to the System yet."

"I came from the Edo Era. Technology and stuff are not my strong suit."

"You are just lazy to learn anything that isn't about fighting, aren't you?"

"Keep your assumption to yourself, Nagato."

"I am just stating a fact, Shizuru."

I asked a lot of things to Nagato. I asked him to show me the Skills he purchased and teach them to me. When he asked why I didn't just purchase them myself, I told him that I forgot how to do it. He would get suspicious of my cluelessness about the System from time to time but never pried on it too much.

The same reason wouldn't work forever, of course, so I told him the "truth" one day. I confessed that I asked him to teach me the Skills before I bought them because it helped me with getting better at using them after purchasing them.

His look of disapproval made me worry. Fortunately, he looked at me that way because he wished that I could have told him sooner. He was more than happy to help me. To prove it, he purchased a lot of Skills and taught them to me. I felt slightly guilty for using him, but I didn't plan on stopping.

I was the ace of the Heroes. I was confident that I could protect him from anything. I believed it was enough payment for what he did for me. Who didn't want to live? That was what I thought. Alas, I didn't know anything about interpersonal relationships. I misinterpreted his willingness to do things for me as his trusting me. I was wrong—horribly so.

"Shizuru, I wonder if…you truly are a Hero."

"Are you wondering why I got so ahead of everyone?"

"Nah. It's just…sparring with you makes me feel like I am sparring with those Warlords. I don't know the way to describe it, but you are not like the rest of us. Your movements and the way you use your Skills are different. It feels…off-putting."

"So, you have finally decided to become like the others too? I thought you weren't one to be jealous of his friend's brilliance."

"No. I am certainly not that guy."

I could notice the strain in his voice as he said it, but I brushed it aside. In my naïve mind, Nagato was the boy who believed and listened to every word I said. I paid the price for thinking that way in my thirteenth mission. It was the hardest fight I ever had as a Hero. The Seventh Demon King's General at that time, Vitolen, was the enemy.

We were completely overpowered. Our army was decimated, leaving only a few hundred elites alive. The order from the King was to take the hundreds of elites back safely. It was easier than done. We had no chance of retreating. Vitolen always managed to catch up to us, so we had to stop a lot of times.

Frustration got over us and we thought of leaving the elites behind, so we could run away by ourselves. We didn't do that in the end because the elites were people who had helped us get to where we were then. They patiently trained and guided us. Leaving them would only weigh down on us morally.

"I only want one Hero. Give me one and I will let the rest go." I could still remember what Vitolen said vividly. "Ah, here is a tip for you. One of you is a betrayer."

His remark changed everything. Everyone stopped in their tracks just to pin me with their gaze. My face immediately darkened. At that moment, I realized none of them had ever believed me in the very first place. Was my acting not good enough? I wondered. No, it wasn't the case. They were afraid of me, someone who outgrew them rapidly.

Of course, it wasn't the only reason. The Temple also had a hand in affecting their vision toward me.

"Those who are corrupted will never get the blessing of God. In our case, we won't get the System," said one of my peers tensely. "Shizuru, do you have a System?"

"Do you think I don't?" I quirk an eyebrow, somehow managing to keep calm.

"What Class did you choose?"

'Easy,' I thought. "Warrior," I answered confidently. Unfortunately, it became my grave.

"Shizuru, Warriors can't cast Spells even if you learn how to do it. The System will restrict you from doing that." As I tensed up, so did everyone. "Shizuru…you don't have a System."

I cursed inwardly and looked at Nagato. He was no longer the Nagato that I knew. The moment I looked into his eyes; I could tell he would be the first to attack me. I wasn't wrong. He was the first person to dive his sword into my body.

By the time I knew it, I was already left limping alone in the direction of the Kingdom. I was heavily bleeding and it reminded me of my last day on Earth.

"Funny to think that humans think we will kill those who cooperate with us," Vitolen whom I had been ignoring muttered. "You are one of us, now. You never belong there. Let's put the power inside you to good use."

Even as he stood before me to stop me, I kept walking. I wanted to take revenge badly. I wanted to make them pay. Therefore, by the time I knew it, I had grabbed Demon King Ilschevar's hand.

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