Pick Me Up!

Several evenings had passed.

In the living room of the mansion exclusively for Party One, on the fourth floor of the waiting room, the major heroes of Townia had gathered.

“Ahem.”

Edis cleared her throat as she looked at me, signaling her intention to start speaking. I nodded in agreement, and Edis took a deep breath before she began.

“I think everyone here must have witnessed a similar scene.”

Silence filled the room.

Most of the heroes gathered here were four-star heroes.

From Kishasha and Katiio, who had been four stars since their summoning, to heroes like Jenna and me, who had started at one star and promoted up to four stars.

‘Indeed, there are six four-star heroes now.’

Kishasha, Katiio.

Myself, Velkist, Jenna.

And lastly, Edis.

This was the list of four-star heroes in Townia.

Except for Edis, everyone else belonged to Party One.

Nevertheless, as members of the other parties were also scheduled for promotion, the ranks of the four stars would gradually increase over time.

“To be honest…”

Jenna sighed.

“It’s incredible. I don’t know what it means exactly, but I can tell it’s significant.”

“Are you talking about those people who were crowded in that palace?”

Velkist chuckled, arms crossed.

Jenna continued.

“I just did as I was told from above, but it seems there was a meaning to all that. I should have paid more attention.”

“I don’t quite understand. Could someone explain? Weren’t we just supposed to annihilate those enemies?”

“There was meaning to the missions we undertook.”

“I’m not so sure. I have no interest in solving riddles. It just looked like a bunch of humans and monsters gathered in a splendid palace, squawking at each other before it all ended. What meaning does that have?”

If you didn’t know the full context, it could be confusing.

The story had shifted to a strange place once we had promoted past two stars. It’s a bit lacking in hints to discern the purpose of this world’s existence.

“It’s terribly vague. If you’re going to inform us, you should do it properly.”

“That’s true. There are many confusing parts.”

“If you don’t know, let me explain step by step.”

Neryssa spoke up from a corner of the table.

She was the only three-star among the heroes here and knew quite a bit about this world and the missions, so I called her. Neryssa cleared her throat and spoke.

“To put it bluntly, our homeland, Townia, is already ruined. And the reason we were summoned here is to reverse that past and save Townia.”

Velkist furrowed his brow.

“The scene you all saw was just before Townia’s destruction. It’s meant to show how this world was created.”

“This is a bit…”

“Let me explain slowly.”

Neryssa glanced at me before continuing:

Our homeland, Townia, was long destroyed, and we had to return to Townia before its destruction to carry out our mission. The heroes summoned to the waiting room are chosen to save the world, and the princess plays a key role in the mission.

“Uh, it’s a bit complex…”

Jenna nervously scratched her head.

“I don’t quite understand. Even if what Neryssa said is right, I don’t remember agreeing to any contract. When I came to my senses, I was here.”

“My analysis is that lower-grade heroes might have been brought here against their will. It seems different for higher-grade heroes.”

“So in the end, I was dragged here against my will.”

“It seems so.”

Everyone contributed to the discussion as the meeting proceeded.

It seemed Jenna and Velkist were still not convinced. Neryssa continued to explain, breaking down the information into understandable chunks.

“My memory is different. I’ve never seen that blond woman.”

“Maybe your memories will return with the next promotion? I also seem to remember hearing someone’s voice. It’s a very faint memory, but it might have been the goddess.”

Kishasha objected, and Edis calmly countered.

“Either way, nothing changes. We still have to break through up to the 100th floor. Whether Townia is in trouble or not is just an annoying issue.”

“Nothing changes. But if this information spreads carelessly, it could disturb the others. Let’s keep our mouths shut about this among ourselves. Han, what do you think? About the lower floors…”

“…”

“Han?”

Edis approached me.

“I want to hear your thoughts. You haven’t said anything so far.”

“That’s true. Brother, what do you think about what we saw?”

All eyes were now on me.

I clicked my tongue and finally spoke.

“I don’t care. Do as you please.”

“What?”

“Let me know how you decide later. I’ll follow along.”

I stood up from my place.

Edis followed, looking flustered.

“Where are you going?”

“Sorry. I’m not feeling well.”

I quickly left the drawing room.

Even if I stayed quiet, Neryssa and Edis would lead the meeting.

The conclusion would be reached soon enough. The truth of this world would be kept secret except for major combat details, and we would not discuss it carelessly with others. That was the direction the meeting was taking.

‘All of it is a lie anyway.’

What I had seen was not something I could tell anyone.

Whether they would believe it or not, the information itself was dangerous. If the heroes knew the goddesses treated the people of Townia like toys, their morale would drastically drop.

‘…’

I opened the door at the end of the hallway.

It was my room.

I collapsed onto the sofa beside my bed.

‘It’s annoying.’

Everything was so complicated.

I didn’t even know how many times I had been betrayed.

The scenes I had witnessed were spinning in my head.

‘I need to organize this.’

For that, I needed help.

I snapped my fingers, and immediately next to me, stardust twinkled.

[The first of Loki’s subordinates, Iselle arrives!]

Iselle spun around and perched on my shoulder.

I began to unravel the tangled information, piece by piece.

Iselle watched me thoughtfully.

[You’ve been strange for a few days. What’s going on?]

“I have a question. Can you answer it?”

[Of course! Ask me anything!]

Iselle boldly thumped her chest.

‘Anything,’ huh? Let’s see. I smiled and began.

“I saw something interesting at the promotion ceremony.”

[Yes, the four-star promotion ceremony here received a lot of attention from the director. It was specially made for Townia, so it should be easy to understand…]

“They did a good job of spinning a convincing tale.”

Iselle flinched.

[What do you mean, Loki?]

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!