"You knew the Hero?" (MC)

"Yes, we even accompanied him on his journey to defeat the Demon Lord of that time.

Through all the dangers we faced then, he still stood at the front, and led the world to peace. He didn't have any other goals to achieve and nothing more to live for. Whenever we talked about what would do after beating the Demon Lord, he always told us that a Summoned Hero's only purpose is to beat the Demon Lord. After that, they would be useless to the world.

As our time spent in the Black Lands increased, David-san began to loose his kind nature and became more and more brutal to his enemies.

He became increasingly cold to everyone, and by the time we faced the Demon Lord he became a loner with only maintaining relationships with a few of us.

And after defeating the Demon Lord, he left all of us and went alone on a journey across the world. We didn't hear of him again until 80 years later.

When we met him again, he was an old man. He looked very tired, but his old kindness had returned to him. He talked about his experiences travelling and the people he met.

Then he told us that, he didn't have much long to live."

We had reached the city gates, and Anissa fell silent. Our group walked in and then Anissa led me away to a blue building close by. That building was heavily guarded. Inside the building was a series of locked rooms, and Anissa led me into one of them.

That room was empty, except for a magic formation in the floor. She stepped into it, and gestured me to follow her.

As I stepped in, we were Teleported again. This time I was in a huge room with gorgeous furniture and decorations. The floors were lined with carpets and the walls were smooth like they were whitewashed. Through the closest window, I could see that I was in a mansion or a castle.

But, unlike the busyness you would expect from such a place, I was surrounded by complete silence. There were no guards or servants, or anyone visible for that matter.

"Welcome to my home, Cristo-sama." Anissa spoke, and walked beside me.

"I hate to be rude, but I find this place almost empty." I spoke my honest thoughts.

"I don't have any servants in my home. When you're Immortal, you need to find reasons to keep you busy and alive. By having no servants, I have to do everything by myself which keeps me busy." Anissa replied to me. Hmm, It's actually quite surprising that there exists an Empress who does everything by herself. Literally everything.

"And I'm not actually alone." She smiled, and turned to the door.

The door opened and two kids walked in. They looked about twelve years old, and were dressed in clothes designed for nobility or such. One of them was a boy and he had a sword strapped to his back. His blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, with two strands on either side of his face. His eyes were sharp and piercing, like a sword.

The other was a girl, also blonde and wore a blue dress with floral patterns.

And both of them had pointy ears. Elves.

The girl ran to Anissa and hugged her, while the boy stood still and glared at me.

"Cristo-sama, these are my children, Raymond and Erica." Anissa introduced them to me. She had a look of pride and love and her look was filled with warmth.

The girl, Erica, had a curious face when looking at me and the boy, Raymond, still glared at me. I just smiled at them and the girl slightly blushed.

I didn't understand at first why she was blushing, but then I remembered that I did a character customisation, and made my face more good looking than it was in my old world, and now I've got white-coloured hair.

I kept smiling back at her before introducing myself, "It's a pleasure meeting you, Raymond and Erica. I am Monty Cristo, a Summoned Hero."

"Nice to meet you, Cristo-sama." (Erica)

" *mutters* waste of time. " (Raymond)

Anissa glared in anger at Raymond, but didn't say anything to reprimand him. Erica grabbed Raymond and quickly left the room before the situation became more awkward.

"I'm sorry for my son, Cristo-sama. He's been under too much pressure lately. I please ask you to forgive him for his behaviour." Anissa spoke after a moment of silence, her voice was apologetic.

"You know, you don't have to be so respectful to me And stop adding a -sama . I might be a Summoned Hero, but I really haven't accomplished anything yet. And I'm also really very younger than you, so you don't need to be so respectful to someone of the younger generation. It's best if you just call me by my name." (MC)

"Allright, as you wish. Cristo-kum." Anissa giggled like she was looking at a cute kid. And then suddenly there was a change in her behaviour.

The aura around her changed, and she appeared more seductive and foxy all of a sudden. The world appeared to change with her as the focus. She leaned in close to me, and I could smell the scent of a forest on her.

"So ,Cristo-kun" Her voice sounded softly in my ears, and her hand brushed my chest. She stopped for a moment when her hand reached my chest. I think she felt my heart pounding against my chest and completely incapable of any resistance. I found it, very....very hard to maintain a straight face, and clenched my fists so hard, I thought they were going to bleed the next instant. I could almost feel the EXP increasing from the damage.

"You haven't been perfectly honest with me, haven't you?" She asked me. I'm sure she knew that I was completely flustered and that she had me right where she wanted me to be.

"Wha.. what do you mean?" (MC)

"Clenching your fists and your butt cheeks really hard won't help you gain your composure much, Cristo-kun." (Anissa)

I turned and stared her right at her face. I ignored how beautiful she looked and focussed on her emerald eyes. It was really hard, but I did it.

"What do you want to know so badly?" My voice was cold and detached.

"How did you know about Normida, if you were just summoned? And before you tell me anything, all summoned heroes come here with almost no knowledge of this world." (Anissa)

"Well, I'm different." I snickered.

"Different how? What makes you so different?" (Anissa)

"Why don't you find out by yourself? Oh, that's right you can't." (MC)

She growled lightly and her presence became more and more intimidating by the moment, but I held my ground.

"Are you flustered because you can't use [Appraisal] on me?" I smiled, guessing her vexatio.

_____________________________________

P.O.V of Anissa Normida

Three days ago, exactly a thousand years after my husband's sacrifice, I was sitting in the Tower of the Guardian, which held my husband's remains.

It was pitiful to look at the state of our city, which is just a shell of what it once was. The majority of our population abandoned us, our technology failed us and our city lies as a broken shell of what it once was. My son wants me to put all my faith in him and his sword. And my daughter, still hadn't matured to help me.

I decided to take a break from my work, and left the city to go outside the dome using the Teleportation formation. As I stood in that burning and unending desert, I cursed out loud against all of existence, not knowing what to do, what was the point of continuing this pointless existence.

My husband is gone forever.

My city is ruined beyond measure.

My life is being wasted, fighting for a goal that I'll probably never reach.

And then, It happened.

A blinding light shot down from the heavens right in front of me. Even for me, a limit reaching Light Mage, that light was too blinding. But amidst that ray, I saw a figure belonging to a youth. And then the horizon flashed and the blinding light disappeared.

Is it..It it what I think it is?

.

.

.

.

Is it the hero?

Is it our turn to laugh at he world?Is it my turn to spill blood?

.

.

Yes, there is no mistaking it. It's the light of the Hero Summoning.

At last! My vengence is at hand!

___ of the world! I will be the one to destroy you.

_____________________________________

(MC P.O.V)

"Or is it because you can see who I am but can't see my skills?" My voice was almost taunting her to make a move. And she did.

The next instant she kicked me, and I flew into the walls. Damn! That was so hard! I removed myself from the wall.

When I looked forward, she had disappeared. I looked around the room, but I couldn't find her.

"Don't be so cocky.

I held back on that kick, just to leave you alive. Now, tell me. How do you know that I possess [Appraisal]?" Her voice reached me, but I still couldn't see her no matter how hard I looked.

After a moment, I looked to my left and spoke to the wall there, "It was when you checked me when I told you that I don't have any Affinities."

I kept staring at the wall. There was no reply.

One minute later, I heard a *sigh* and she appeared from my left.

But, what happened next confused me very much. She seemed to stare at me, but I felt that she was staring through me.

"Eye of the world! Even if you use this dead Hero as your pawn, you won't be able to stop me? I will be the one to destroy you." (Anissa)

"What the hell are you talking about?" (MC)

"No matter how much you play this game, it'll end with your downfall. I'll make sure of it even if it's the last thing I do." (Anissa)

Then she stared right at me and her hands started glowing.

"I'm sorry Cristo-kun. But, you have to die here. It's much better than being used by the Eye of the world." (Anissa)

>

"What?" (MC)

>

"How?" (MC)

And then I blacked out. Right before I blacked out, I saw the words spread across my vision. "Wasted"....

No JK ????????

"Override Mode, activated. Permission allowed for motion only."

_____________________________________

(Anissa POV)

Before I attacked him, suddenly Cristo-kun collapsed to the floor.

And then he began to generate a new aura. The aura of a very powerful person.

His hands pressed to the floor and he slowly got up. He appeared a bit disoriented, but his eyes soon focussed and he stared at me.

Those onyx eyes focussed right into my being, and began to induce a strange terror in me. It felt like I was staring at a weapon. A weapon of unbridled fury and capable of untold destruction.

Then his eyes relaxed, and the terror in me disappeared. But the intimidating presence remained.

"We meet again, Lady Anissa" (____)

The voice was calm and patient, yet penetrating enough to affect the atmosphere. There was power behind it. Power that could contend with me.

"You're the Eye!" I could barely restrain my anger.

"I'm not the eye." (____)

That tone, it almost sounded playful. And I could detect a hinge of nostalgia behind it. Like it knew me.

"You know, Cristo-kun would've explained everything to you, if you actually let him. But then I realized, you probably wouldn't believe him even if he told you the truth.

I began to forget how stubborn you were.

That's why I came out to talk. But you're even hostile with me.

I'm really disappointed, you know.

Is this how you treat old friends?" (____)

"Who are you?" (Anissa)

"I'll give you a hint!" (____)

The next instant I felt a blade at my neck. But, Cristo-kun didn't even move from where he stood. Then I rubbed my neck, but I still couldn't find the blade. But, in my heart, that blade was still held against my neck.

"Now do you remember?" (____)

This feeling. Yes, I know this feeling. It can't possibly be!

"##### ######## ####, is it?" (Anissa)

"And we have a winner!" (____)