Chapter 2: The Hero’s Secretary

I Became the Secretary of a Hero! — LNCrawler · All chapters

HOW long did she drift through sheer darkness? The strange sensation of being suspended in midair continued. Just as she was getting motion sickness, a tiny light broke the darkness at the farthest visible point.

Maybe that’s the exit? Aki strained her eyes.

As she reached for the light, the hole spat her out.

A magnificent green natural landscape spread before Aki’s eyes. A verdant plain extended endlessly below her until it reached a pristine blue horizon. She barely made out the twinkling light of the brilliant sun reflecting off the water. The hole had thrown her in the middle of the vast skies above an unfamiliar land.

The grandeur of the scenery captivated Aki until the whistle of wind brought the sight of her rapid plummet to mind.

“How pretty—wait, this isn’t the time to be enjoying the scenery!” she shrieked, all the while wanting to cry over her happy-go-lucky personality. She got chills just imagining what would happen if she continued falling, but she didn’t have the ability to fly like the Dark Lord.

What should I do? What can I do? All I can think of for now is to scream!

“Someone! Anyone! SAVE ME!”

“Roger that. I’ll save you, so hold tight for a minute.”

An unfamiliar man’s voice suddenly rang in Aki’s head. Startled, she searched, but all she saw was the natural landscape racing by as she grew ever closer to her impending death.

“Wh-Who are you! Where are you—”

“Just wait a minute. Don’t talk right now. You’re distracting me.”

I angered the voice in my head!

Just when she thought the voice had unreasonably scolded her, the man continued to speak cryptically, “O grand earth, carry her from great distances. The future is beckoning us. Time flows equally in everyplace.”

Is that some sort of spell? The second Aki thought that, the scenery in front of her transposed from the vast greenery to a stone shrine. The drastic change didn’t stop her plummet from the sky toward the shrine’s atrium. Reflexively, she stared down to see her impact with the ground was imminent.

Panicking with tears in her eyes, she screamed, “AAAAAAHHHHHHHH SOMEONE!”

Just as she closed her eyes to brace for intense pain, a golden-haired man waiting directly below her spread open his arms.

“Don’t worry! I will catch you, so please relax!”

“Huh? Whoa!”

Within seconds of noticing him, her body flipped in the air and the next thing she knew, she was securely held in his arms. She blinked several more times.

What on Earth just happened? Just when I thought the scenery changed, some man catches me out of nowhere…

Aki warily looked up, locking eyes with the man who worriedly peered down at her, his face only inches away from hers. Her cheeks instantly reddened the more she took in his appearance.

The man possessed silken golden hair and bright-green almond-shaped eyes. His aquiline nose, chiseled chin, and the kind look in his eyes set him up to be a man of unrivaled beauty.

He studied Aki as she was mesmerized by his prince-like visage, and spoke to her with his perfectly shaped lips, “Are you all right? I hope you aren’t hurt anywhere.”

His voice was neither too deep nor too high, but the most comfortable tone to hear. Aki froze in the dashing man’s arms, heat rushing throughout her body.

“U-Um, uh, err…”

“Oh, my apologies. It was rude of me to casually touch a lady without her permission.” He smiled gently and carefully put her down.

I thought my heart was going to stop for all sorts of reasons just now…

Aki endured the hammering of her heart as she observed the man’s clothing. A pure-white cloak hung over the back of his long blue and white coat. Light plate armor protected his shoulders and chest. His slender and well-portioned figure retained the stylish appeal of a movie star. Kindness filled his bright-green eyes as he bent down to eye level with Aki and lowered his eyebrows in concern for her.

“You must be overwhelmed by everything. You were abruptly summoned to another world after all.”

“…Summoned...to another world?”

What exactly does that mean?

The man inclined his head. “That’s right. You came to this world from a parallel world, correct?”

Parallel world? Oh no, I have no idea what he’s talking about.

Aki looked up imploringly at him. “Um, I don’t know anything about a parallel world, but I jumped through a gap in space in order to save my younger sister from a man who called himself the Dark Lord. I ended up here after making my way through an area filled with shadows…” She rapidly explained, barely catching her breath.

“Don’t worry, I understand the situation. You came to this world chasing after the Dark Lord, correct? But the moment you appeared, Leo used summoning magic to bring you to us. You would’ve been in a perilous position if you continued falling like that.”

Summoning magic? Aki recalled what happened before the man caught her. Oh yeah, I heard an unfamiliar man’s voice as I was falling.

“…Um, when I arrived in this world, I heard a man’s voice in my head. Was that Leo?”

“That’s right. He’s over there right now—Leo, can you get up anytime soon?” The man turned and looked up at the high platform altar in the shrine.

“…Not happening. Even I can’t get away with using up all my magic to summon someone from another world and not feel exhausted,” moaned another man.

Aki glanced around to find a man with black hair sprawled out on his stomach on top of the altar. His voice was the one she heard when she was plummeting to her death. He sluggishly sat up and assessed her from head to toe. Beneath his manly, trim eyebrows was a pair of violet eyes infused with a rebellious spirit.

Whoa, this guy is breathtakingly handsome too!

The man with black hair had perfect facial features on par with the golden-haired man. Not noticing how overwhelmed Aki was by his looks, the black-haired man examined her with disappointment written all on his face.

“Heh, so you’re the ‘Hero’s Right-hand’ this time? I had high hopes knowing they would be someone from another world, but my hopes may have just died seeing how surprisingly weak you look…”

…Weak? Aki skeptically raised an eyebrow.

The golden-haired man stepped forward. “Hey now. That’s uncalled for, Leo.”

“Yeah, but didn’t you imagine the Hero’s Right-hand would be some sort of muscular warrior or a wise old man? Or at least a woman of unparalleled beauty?”

“Those were the types of people who were summoned for other heroes over the years. Things might be different for me.”

The two men arbitrarily continued the conversation without including Aki.

I feel like they are saying some extremely rude things about me… Maybe I’m not the person they were expecting? My deepest apologies for not being some woman of unparalleled beauty. Aki unhappily puffed out her cheeks and pouted.

Catching sight of her expression, the black-haired man chuckled with amusement. “Sorry, sorry! I’m just kidding! I’m honestly glad we ended up with an adorable lady like you.”

“…Do you mean it?” Aki retorted with narrowed eyes. The man nodded assertively.

“Yeah, of course I do! You have a kind of simple cuteness to you. I feel like we can be great friends right off the bat.”

“…Are you trying to compliment me here?” Aki quipped. The man laughed loudly in response as if he really enjoyed her remark.

“Good grief,” Aki sighed, putting her hands on her hips. The golden-haired man, who had been watching their banter with a small smile, stepped between her and the other man with the same smile.

“Now, now, you two. We seem to be around the same age. Don’t you think we will be able to get along? Shall we start by introducing ourselves?” He proposed as he turned to Aki. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Elias, Elias Leland. I work in an occupation known as ‘Hero’ in this world. And this guy here is the Mage Leo Gaines.”

“Hi. Let’s get along, pretty lady from another world.” Leo slightly tilted his head and waved.

The blond is Elias and the black-haired guy is Leo…

Aki repeated their names in her head. Their names weren’t Japanese. Was she actually in another world?

Elias smoothly held out his hand to the bewildered Aki. She lifted her head in surprise. “Let’s shake hands,” he suggested.

She timidly extended her hand and shook his manly, muscled hand. He smiled happily.

“A woman’s hand is incredibly dainty, isn’t it? I look forward to working with you from now on. Um, what is your name?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Aki Konishi. Please call me Aki.”

“Aki it is then. It’s a nice name,” Elias beamed.

Both Elias and Leo seem like nice people…

Elias’ gentleness and Leo’s friendliness gradually eased Aki’s tense nerves.

I need to find out if Nako is safe after being kidnapped by the Dark Lord and where he took her.

“Um, Elias, why was I summoned here? And why did the Dark Lord take my sister…?”

Aki thought the day was going to go by normally with her working late as usual and returning home to her little sister waiting with dinner made. Not once did she think the day would end with her sister being abducted to another world by some Dark Lord.

Why did this happen? What do I do now? What’s happening back on Earth? There are so many things to worry about.

Leo scratched the back of his head at the downtrodden Aki. “…Well, I'll give you more of an explanation later, so let's start with the basics. First, this world exists on the basis of two heroic figures known as the ‘Hero’ and the ‘Dark Lord’ and their continuous battle over the ages. But Elias, who was born as the Hero, has to go on a journey to defeat his archenemy the Dark Lord. All in order to preserve this world.”

“To preserve the world?” Aki parroted. Elias quietly nodded.

“That’s right. We’ll explain more on that later… You were called to this world to fulfill the role of the Hero’s Right-hand. It’s been established that the Hero and the Dark Lord summon assistants called the Right-hand from your world, which we know as a parallel world. It looks like you were chosen as the Hero’s Right-hand and your sister was chosen as the Dark Lord’s Right-hand,” he explained.

Aki nodded, still not completely comprehending what he meant. It all sounded like the setting to some role-playing video game.

The Hero’s Right-hand and the Dark Lord’s Right-hand, huh? In other words, we are like indispensable assistants to them? Now that I think about it, the Dark Lord called Nako his fiancé. Was that his exaggerated way of calling her his Right-hand? …I kind of have a grasp on why they summoned me to this world, but how much does Nako know about all this? Will we have to fight each other with me on Elias’ side as the Hero’s Right-hand and Nako on the Dark Lord’s side as his Right-hand? Cold sweat trickled down Aki’s cheeks.

…But wait, there’s a chance Nako only heard the obscure explanation of being the Dark Lord’s fiancé and knows nothing about being his Right-hand or having to fight Elias. In the first place, she isn’t the fighting type. I don’t think she’d happily go along with them if they said she had to fight. But Nako didn't struggle or resist when the Dark Lord took her. Does that mean he tricked her? I can’t let Nako stay with the Dark Lord. It’s my job as her older sister to protect her.

“That reminds me,” Elias spoke up, “I had Leo summon you for me, but you said the Dark Lord went directly to pick up your sister and brought her here.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, that’s true… Can he freely travel between your world and my world?” Aki asked.

Leo placed his hands on the side of the altar and unsteadily climbed to his feet. He stretched his right hand in front of him and ran his finger through the air like he was drawing something on an invisible canvas. A faint blue light connected a line behind his finger’s movement, eventually transforming into a magic circle not unlike the ones Aki had seen in books.

Leo waved his hand after finishing the circle, erasing it. Wind swelled up around him, lifting him into the air. He airily floated toward Elias and Aki before landing smoothly beside them.

Wow! Leo can fly! Is this the power of magic too?

Leo casually adjusted his clothing and faced Aki, whose eyes sparkled over seeing magic done right in front of her. “There you have it. This world has a power known as magic, but the magic that allows someone to travel between worlds, World Transference Magic, requires enormous magical power that’d kill the average Mage. So, in general, only the Dark Lord can make use of it. Dark Lord has a monstrous amount of magical power, even for this world.”

“Really? Is it impossible for the Hero Elias as well?”

“Yeah. In stark contrast to the Dark Lord’s outrageous levels of magic, the Hero has zero magical power. Instead, the Hero is blessed with strength surpassing the bounds of human logic and catlike reflexes,” Elias explained.

“I see.”

So that’s why he was able to easily catch me while I was falling. Still, his slender and not particularly muscled physique doesn’t fit the image of someone with super human strength. Maybe it’s a latent ability that doesn’t need to be shown physically.

“…Aki.” Elias gingerly scooped up her hands. Surprised, she looked from their hands to his serious face. He earnestly stared right into her eyes. “I’m sorry you girls got pulled into our mess. I promise I will definitely rescue your little sister. So won’t you please trust me and come with us?”

“Elias…”

Being with another world’s hero greatly increased the likelihood of rescuing her little sister. But Aki had lived until that day as an ordinary office worker. She didn’t have any special powers suited for traveling in another world. The thought of only being a burden to Elias and the others during their travels niggled at her mind.

“Um, it would be really reassuring for me too if I could join you on your journey. But I don’t have any powers or anything…”

“What?”

Elias and Leo exchanged looks.

“You don’t have any powers?” Leo’s eyebrows knitted in disbelief. The two men were acting strange all of a sudden. Had Aki confessed something absurd to them?

Elias reservedly placed his hands on her shoulders. “Aki, you weren’t endowed with some sort of special ability when you came to this world?”

“What kind of special ability?”

Am I supposed to say what I’m good at here? Like cooking, cleaning, and laundry? But being the average office worker I am, I don’t really have any special skills worth mentioning. How should I answer him?

Leo scratched the back of his head at a loss over her downcast silence. “You see, the Hero’s Right-hand is supposed to be endowed with a special ability by the Goddess when they’re summoned to this world. Did you not meet the Goddess?”

Goddess? The only people I have met from this world so far have been the Dark Lord, Elias, and Leo. I assume a Goddess is a woman, but I have no memory of meeting any women since leaving my condo. Is the Hero’s Right-hand supposed to have received a special ability the moment they were summoned to this world? Aki bit her lower lip.

She didn’t want to be in their way, when they were helping her rescue her sister. It didn’t matter how trivial it would be, but she wanted to find something she could do to be of use to them.

What is something a paralegal can do? A great idea suddenly seemed to come down from the heavens.

“Oooooh! I just came up with a great idea!”

“Whoa! What’re you suddenly shouting for? You scared the living daylights out of me!”

Aki ignored Leo and stepped forward with cheeks flushed red from all the excitement. “Um, you know, I served in a position known as a paralegal, or what you might call a secretary, in my own world! I predominately organized my boss’—or perhaps superiors would be easier to understand in this world—schedule!”

“I-I see. So?” Elias responded, lifting both hands in the air, signaling his complete confusion by what she meant and her intensity.

When I think of a hero’s adventure the first thing that comes to mind is traveling to different towns greeting the people in power, reserving transportation between continents, acquiring last-minute inn rooms along the way, and things that all require managing the time and schedule. Having served as both a paralegal and secretary in the law firm, I’m more than skilled at managing that kind of work.

Aki looked up at Elias who waited for her reply, and took a deep breath before loudly proclaiming, “Elias! Please make me the secretary to the Hero!”