NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Prologue
My name is Suzuki Takashi, 42 years old. Single.
I’ve been renting a room in a luxury hotel for about three months. The bedroom table and bedside are piled high with books, and a game console is connected to the TV. This has been my recent hobby.
As I lay on the bed reading a book, there was a knock, and a man entered.
“Mr. Suzuki, how are you feeling? Oh, I see you’ve got even more books.”
“Mika keeps bringing them in bulk. I still have a lot I haven’t read yet.”
The man who entered is a doctor who lost his license, what you’d call a back-alley doctor. I’ve been diagnosed with terminal cancer and given six months to live. I have no intention of pursuing life-extending treatment, and even if I did, I couldn’t go to a regular hospital. I’m paying this underground doctor a considerable sum for illegal pain medication prescriptions.
“Mika-chan is such a good girl, isn’t she? But despite her appearance, she has quite peculiar tastes. And she’s so cute too~”
Saying this, the underground doctor picks up a novel from the pile on the table. Most of the numerous novels in the room are isekai (other world) or fantasy stories. Takashina Mika, an employee at the bar I run in Tokyo, despite her cool beauty appearance, she seems to like these kinds of things. Since I fell ill and started recuperating in this hotel room, she’s been bringing these books, almost forcing her hobby on me under the guise of visiting. I’ve entrusted her with the bar for years, but I never knew about her hobby until now.
“Touch her and I’ll kill you.”
“Oh come on~ I won’t do anything~ But you know, Mr. Suzuki, that threat doesn’t carry much weight coming from you now, does it?”
Indeed, I no longer resemble my former self. In the past few months, I’ve rapidly lost weight and my body has withered. I’m in no condition to do anything to anyone.
“I’ve arranged with my former colleagues that if anything happens to her, they’ll destroy the perpetrator and their entire organization. My entire unused fortune is the commission fee. They’ll be happy to do it.”
The company I’m referring to is a private military company operating under the guise of a security firm. It’s a legitimate company based in the US, but depending on the conditions, they also take on illegal jobs ranging from combat in conflict zones to assassinations and sabotage.
“Y-You’re joking, right?”
“I’m dying soon anyway. There’s no point in leaving money behind, is there? It would leave a bad taste in my mouth if something happened to the girl who’s been taking care of me after I’m gone. It’s insurance, just insurance.”
“Y-You’re a scary person… Are there other people you’re protecting like this?”
“Who knows? Just hurry up and leave the painkillers.”
“I always wonder, don’t you ever think these could be poison?”
“I told you earlier, didn’t I? I’m going to die anyway. I’ve already taken care of everything I needed to do before dying. Whether I die from poison or illness, it makes no difference.”
“I-I see…”
“Oh, and if by chance I do die from poison, be careful because you’ll be killed, okay?”
“What?!”
“Just kidding. Feel free to poison me if you want. In exchange, I’m counting on you to take care of my body after I die. If you contact the number I gave you earlier, they should clean everything up nicely.”
“That’s definitely…”
With a pale face, the underground doctor left several ampoules of painkillers and an IV drip before leaving the room. You don’t really need to be a doctor to give yourself injections or IVs.
I’m a mercenary. When I was young, I worked as a Hitman in Japan, but as surveillance cameras, smartphones, and social media became widespread, the job became difficult. So I moved my activities overseas as a mercenary. There might have been other ways to live, but it was difficult given the environment I grew up in. I’ve killed people to survive and earn money.
As a front, I opened a shop in Tokyo. It’s a bar that serves alcohol. It’s a small place, but it was convenient for various underground jobs. I spent most of the year overseas, so I felt bad for the kids I left in charge of the shop, but I’ve left each of them a considerable amount of money. For Mika, who’s been working since the shop opened, I’ve arranged for the deed to the shop and money to be handed over through a lawyer after my death. It’s a thank you for taking care of things all this time. I don’t have any other particular regrets.
Suddenly, I noticed the novel in my hand.
“If you’re going to bring books, at least bring completed series… When is the next volume supposed to come out?”
One month later, I died.
I hear a voice in the darkness.
“I’ve finally found you.”
As I hear the voice and my surroundings brighten, a woman is standing before me.
“Nice to meet you, Suzuki Takashi-san. My name is Aria. I’m a goddess from a world different from Earth.”
“?”
“I’ll get right to the point, but I have a request for you, Suzuki-san.”
Standing before me is a woman of extraordinary beauty. Sparkling peach-colored hair and eyes, a perfect figure. Above all, her divine aura is overwhelming, her presence immense.
“A request?”
“Yes♪ Suzuki-san, you just passed away. If things continue as they are, your soul will be swept into reincarnation and reset. Before that happens, I’d like to scout you… no, make a request. I’ve called out to you because I want to request your services in the world of swords and magic that I manage.”
(A world of swords and magic?)
“…By the way, what’s the content of this request?”
“Please kill thirty-two heroes.”
It seems this woman is some kind of evil goddess…
She has a beautiful face but she’s saying something outrageous. A god making a request for assassination feels extremely out of place. However, I couldn’t get the phrase “world of swords and magic” out of my head.
“…Let’s hear the details for now.”
Why am I responding like this? Being asked about an assassination request by a stranger (?) and asking for details? It doesn’t make sense.
However, at this moment, I wasn’t calm.
“I’m glad you’re quick to understand. About six months ago, 32 ‘heroes’ were summoned from Earth to my world. When crossing between worlds, these heroes awakened to special abilities. Using these special and powerful abilities, more than half of the heroes have begun to run amok. Not all of them are engaging in barbaric acts, but there’s one concern, and I want all of them to be dealt with in anticipation of the future.”
(Dealt with… huh?)
“What’s this concern you speak of?”
“…It’s the technology for interdimensional transfer.”
The goddess’s face, which had been smiling until now, suddenly turns serious.
“First, regarding transfer between different worlds, this is originally a secret technique that only ‘gods’ can perform. It’s not something humans can easily do. It’s completely different from normal summoning magic, and the energy required is not something humans can produce. However, the summoning took place. We’re still investigating this, but the immediate problem is that the actions of the summoned heroes have become unacceptable, so we want to take preemptive action. We can tolerate them living freely using their special abilities, but we want to prevent them from attempting to return to Earth and consequently obtaining interdimensional transfer technology.”
“Is it really so bad for them to want to return to their original world? They were brought here forcibly, weren’t they? If you’re so worried about the transfer technology leaking, why don’t you, as a goddess, just send them back quickly?”
“Originally, we intended to send the summoned people back to Earth once the details of this summoning were clear. However, with 32 people, it’s a large number, and while we were securing the divine power—well, let’s call it super energy—needed for the return, some of the heroes killed the ‘holy maiden’ who could receive my divine messages, so we couldn’t communicate this intention. Additionally, the king who masterminded the summoning has cut off communication with other countries, so the holy maidens in other countries still can’t convey my intentions. Well, we can’t send them back to Earth now, so I’ve told the holy maidens to keep their distance from the heroes.”
(Eh… The heroes killed a holy maiden? Why would they…)
“It’s unfortunate, but as a god, I can’t allow those who are running wild with special abilities to freely travel to other worlds. If we could resolve this through restraint or persuasion, that would be ideal, but I’ve judged that it’s difficult for the people of my world to handle, which is why I want to ask for your help, Suzuki-san.”
“Can’t a god do something about this? Like divine punishment?”
“There are constraints on gods intervening directly in the mortal realm, making it difficult. Careless intervention could result in the destruction of a country or two. Even gods aren’t omnipotent.”
“Hmm…”
“Is there any way I can persuade you to accept?”
“Honestly, while I’m interested in a world of magic, I’m not confident I can kill over thirty people with such special abilities. Surely there are others more suitable than me for this task?”
There are plenty of people stronger than me. On Earth, there are many people superior to me, like martial arts masters or specially trained military personnel, and I can think of specific individuals who fit that description.
“First, the premise for choosing Mr. Suzuki is that he possesses a soul strong enough to traverse different realms. This doesn’t necessarily correlate with physical or mental strength. Also, adaptability to other worlds is crucial. People with strong cultural ties, customs, or specific religious beliefs don’t meet the criteria. Among Earth’s populations, Japanese people were candidates who met these conditions. After considering background and personality, Mr. Suzuki was finally found as someone who could potentially carry out the task. It was fortunate that he passed away at just the right time. Oh, the person Mr. Suzuki is thinking of right now doesn’t seem likely to die anytime soon, so they won’t make it in time.”
(Lucky? But that old geezer of a master still won’t die? He’s a monster. More importantly…)
“Can you read my mind?”
“In your current soul state, Mr. Suzuki, everything is completely transparent.”
“You should have mentioned that from the start.”
“I apologize. Also, we’ve prepared a physical body for you, Mr. Suzuki, so there’s no need to worry about executing the request!”
Saying this, the goddess waved her hand, and a young boy floated up from the floor. He was a beautiful youth with refined features and physique, with Western facial features and blond hair.
(He’s young. More importantly, the problem is…)
“This is the finest body I’ve meticulously crafted! Not only is its physical performance top-notch, but its magic aptitude is also at its peak! It’s perfectly resistant to various elements. The face is flawless too! Originally, I created this as a base for an attendant angel, but I’m offering it specially for this occasion! It’s the absolute best and strongest!”
“Isn’t there anything else? Something more plain-looking?”
“Huh? What’s unsatisfactory? This is the most perfect face and body possible, you know?”
“That’s exactly the problem. I’m about to kill over thirty people, how am I supposed to do that while standing out like this?”
“Oh no… But this is the only body we have prepared. We can’t make changes. Besides, regrettably, once Mr. Suzuki’s soul enters, it should cause some slight changes to the face and body due to its influence. Really regrettably… I mean, you’re saying this, Mr. Suzuki? I’ve seen your past memories, and you’re quite the insensitive guy, aren’t you?”
(This goddess’s character has changed quite a bit from her initial solemn atmosphere… Insensitive guy? That’s rich. I’ve had trouble because of that, which is why I’m asking for a plain face! I want to be normal, just normal! I don’t know what past you’ve seen, but if you’ve seen it, you should know! I hate standing out!)
I ponder for a moment.
(Hmm. Even if I refuse, I have nothing to lose… right? If I believe this self-proclaimed goddess’s story, even if I refuse, I’ll just return to the cycle of reincarnation and disappear as I am. Even if this is a dream, I’m going to die from illness anyway, so I might as well go along with it thinking I’ve been tricked. I want to try using magic too. But as a professional, there’s one thing I need to confirm.)
“What’s the reward?”
“Huh? Reward? A new perfect body and reincarnation in another world, a new life! Is that not enough? Once you’ve finished assassinating the heroes, as long as you don’t try to transfer to another world, you’re free to do whatever you want, even world domination…”
(World domination? What is this, some kind of juvenile fantasy…)
“Well, alright. I’ll accept the request. Even if I fail, I’ll just die again anyway. Give me information about the targets and the other world.”
“Thank you very much! Oh, but please don’t fail! Information about the heroes and my world has already been input into your new body. When you descend to the mortal realm, you should be able to access it as memories, and you should be able to use magic right away. Also, while they’re not in the country where the heroes are, there are two ‘Holy Maidens’ in other countries. If you encounter any problems, please contact them. They’re humans who can receive my divine messages, so I’ll instruct them to cooperate with you.”
“Understood. About the name, using ‘Suzuki’ with this face would be odd, so please tell the Holy Maidens that my name is ‘Ray’.”
It’s just an abbreviation of my mercenary callsign, but that should be fine. I don’t want to stand out because of a gap between my face and name. If a blonde, blue-eyed guy introduced himself as “Suzuki,” it’d be obvious he’s Japanese.
“I understand. Then I’ll call you Ray from now on♪ Well then, I’m counting on you! Have a safe journey!”
“Huh? Oh, no, wait a sec—”
I tried to ask something important, but in an instant, I was enveloped in light, and the goddess’s voice faded away.