CHAPTER 1014: EPILOGUE 19 - A TURNING POINT (3)

Many of my classmates were practically glowing with excitement when we heard about it. It was like the air itself had changed. You could feel it in the way everyone whispered to one another, eyes wide and filled with disbelief. Some even laughed out loud, as if trying to convince themselves this wasn’t just some crazy dream. The moment we realized we could actually use magic, it was as if the world itself had flipped upside down.

Honestly, who could blame them? We’d spent our whole lives doing the same routine. We wake up, go to school, study, go home, repeat. Everything had always been predictable, dull, and... ordinary. So when something like this suddenly drops out of nowhere, something that breaks every law of what we thought reality was, it felt impossible not to be excited. Even I could feel my heart pounding, this weird mix of fear and thrill crawling under my skin.

I mean, come on—who wouldn’t get excited after finding out they could use magic?

But after that wave of amazement started to calm down, the questions began to rise. The shock faded, replaced by unease, confusion, and a growing sense of dread. We weren’t idiots—we knew this kind of thing had to come with a price. Something this unreal couldn’t just happen for free. We needed answers. Real ones.

"U-Um..." Hasegawa-sensei’s shaky voice broke the silence. She stood near the front, her hands trembling as she tried to find the right words. "Is it possible for us to be sent back to where we are? I mean... we didn’t exactly sign up for this. T-This... something like this shouldn’t even be allowed, right? I-I don’t understand."

That was a fair question—probably the first real one any of us had managed to voice out since being thrown into this madness. Now that our heads were starting to clear a little, it was only natural for someone to ask what everyone else was secretly thinking.

The woman standing before us let out a slow sigh. Her expression softened. "Well," she said, her tone calm and oddly heavy, "we do have a way to send you back to your world. But that method... is connected to the Demon King. In order to retrieve the spell that can return you home, we need to obtain it from him."

My throat went dry. "W-What does that mean?" I managed to ask. My mind went blank for a second, my stomach twisting as I forced the words out. "Does that mean... we have no choice but to defeat the Demon King if we want to go back to our world?"

There was a long silence after that—just the echo of my voice fading into the vast hall.

The realization hit like a slap to the face. Just because we found out we could use magic didn’t mean we were ready to take on something as insane as fighting a Demon King. The excitement we felt moments ago suddenly felt meaningless, like a cruel joke.

To be honest, yes, I was excited at first. Who wouldn’t be? Having powers? That’s the kind of thing people dream about. But when the cost of those powers turns out to be your freedom—your home, your family—it stops being exciting. It just feels... empty.

"Please don’t joke around!" Hasegawa-sensei suddenly exploded, her voice filled with anger and desperation. "In the end, all you want is for these children to participate in some kind of twisted war against your Demon King or whatever! That’s completely out of the question! As their teacher, I will never allow such a thing! Send us back immediately! Their families must be worried sick! What you’re doing is—this is kidnapping!"

Her voice echoed through the massive chamber. You could tell she was scared, but that fear only made her anger burn brighter.

She really was something else—our social studies teacher, Hasegawa-sensei. Everyone adored her. She was small, maybe even a little frail-looking, with short, glossy hair that framed her cute face. She looked way too young to be a teacher, honestly—more like one of us students. But right now, that small body of hers held more fire than anyone else in the room.

"I understand how you feel," the woman said softly, shaking her head as if she really did feel bad about all of this. "Truly, I do. It’s terrible that you were suddenly transported into another world and told to fight a battle that isn’t yours. But please, understand this—we did this because we had no other choice. If we hadn’t taken this drastic step, our continent would’ve been swallowed by the demons’ corruption. I’m sorry... I truly am. But it’s impossible for you to return right now."

The air seemed to drop in temperature. The hall, which had been buzzing with murmurs a minute ago, fell dead silent. It felt like time itself froze.

"I-Impossible...?" Hasegawa-sensei whispered, her voice cracking. "If you can summon us, then surely—you can send us back, right?" Her voice trembled, and her eyes shimmered as if she was about to cry.

Honestly, I couldn’t blame her. I felt just as lost.

"As I mentioned earlier," the woman continued, her voice soft but unyielding, "we currently don’t have the means to send you back. Not until the Demon Lord is defeated. The summoning spell works only one way. Unfortunately, a separate spell entirely is required to return you home."

The weight of her words hung over all of us like a curse. She sounded genuinely regretful, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept.

Were we really supposed to just accept this? To stay here, in this strange world, cut off from everything and everyone we loved? I couldn’t stop thinking about my family—how worried they must be, how they’d react to me just disappearing. The thought made my chest ache.

"For now," the woman said finally, breaking the heavy silence, "I suggest you all rest. In the coming days, we’ll begin training you to prepare for the Demon Army. You’ll be staying here in the castle, and once you’ve recovered, I’ll explain more. For now... thank you for listening."

And with that, she turned and walked away—just like that. No further explanation, no reassurance. Just... gone.

I wanted to yell after her, to demand more answers, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Instead, a group of maids appeared quietly, bowing as they motioned for us to follow them. Their faces were calm and unreadable, as if this kind of thing happened all the time. We followed, our footsteps echoing against the marble floor.

Everything felt unreal, like we were walking through someone else’s dream. The laughter from earlier was gone. All that remained was silence.

We were stranded in another world. We couldn’t go home. And the only way back... was through the Demon King.