“What the heck is this?!”

It was supposed to be an ordinary day, going to work, working, and returning home. Today was supposed to end just like that, as usual. However, it happened suddenly, without any warning.

Just five minutes away from home, a glowing magic circle appeared under my feet. Surrounding the magic circle, there was some kind of invisible wall.

“What is this?! I can't get out!”

The invisible wall—no matter how hard I hit it, I couldn’t break it. Actually, it wasn’t even like hitting something. I couldn’t even feel anything when I tried to hit it.

As the magic circle grew even brighter, I started to feel my consciousness slowly fade away.

“No way, is this an isekai?! A hero summoning?!”

I often read web novels and manga about otherworldly summoning stories. This phenomenon was something I’d read about many times. It’s the kind where you get forcibly summoned to another world and made into a hero!

There were no people around me. That means I wasn’t dragged into someone else’s hero summoning.

“Wait a second, I’m a 37-year-old man!”

Hold on. Isn’t this kind of thing usually meant for high schoolers?

Even if someone like me were to get summoned, wouldn’t it be more like I got dragged along with a hero or something?! What are they going to do by summoning an old man like me as the hero?!

My shout echoed around me, but it was in vain as my consciousness faded away.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Ugh... Ugh...”

Where am I? My head hurts...

I was definitely on my way home from work when that weird magic circle appeared, and I lost consciousness...

“Oh! It worked! So the legends were true!”

“We did it! We might finally be saved!”

My head felt fuzzy.

It seems like I’m lying face down on the ground. Does this mean I’ve really been summoned as a hero in another world?

I struggled to move my heavy body, somehow managing to push myself up with my hands and raise my face.

“Please, save us, Demon Lord!”

“...Demon Lord?”

Not a hero?

“Huh!? Lady Libera, step back! Th-this person is human!”

Wait, what are you saying? You’re human too, right...?

“...Huh?!”

I was speechless.

In front of me were four figures, but none of them had human appearances. Behind them stood about ten beings that looked like ogres, lizardmen, and succubi—creatures you’d see in fantasy novels and manga.

Standing before me was a beautiful woman called Libera. Her long, fiery red hair was tied back, and her eyes were as crimson as her hair. And from her head, two magnificent horns were growing, with a lizard-like tail extending from her back.

“That’s impossible! My ‘Demon Lord Summoning Ritual’ was flawless!”

Next to Libera stood a skeleton in a dark navy robe. There’s no other way to describe it—it was just bones. The face was a complete skull, and the hands and feet that extended from the robe were pure bone. It looked like one of those anatomical models from the school science lab wearing a robe.

Wait a minute, what do you mean by "Demon Lord Summoning"? Isn’t this supposed to be a hero summoning?!

“No matter how you look at it, this is just a human! Damn it, this is why I was against summoning the Demon Lord in the first place! I’ll kill any hero that dares to cross my path!”

There was even a large, bipedal wolf with silver fur. Its sharp claws and fangs were nothing like knives, and it had a body over two meters tall, looking powerful and muscular.

“Hmm, it seems this Demon Lord Summoning was a failure. To summon a powerless human...”

This other one looked more human, but had goat-like horns on its head and pale blue skin.

What the hell is this? They summoned me without my permission, and now they’re saying this stuff? Even an old man like me has limits to his patience!

“It seems there’s been some mistake on your end. In that case, could you send me back to my original world...?”

“Huh? You think a mere human can speak to us?!”

“Y-Yes, I’m sorry!”

...No, that’s impossible!

How can I stand up to these terrifying beings? Even if I get angry sometimes, it’s rare that I lose my temper.

“Why did this happen...? Damn it, we’ll have to thoroughly investigate this human. I’ll dissect every inch of him from head to toe!”

This skeleton is terrifying! What’s with all this talk about dissecting?!

“There’s no need to study this weakling. We should just kill him now.”

This blue-skinned guy has the worst personality! I looked around, but there were only these strange beings—no humans in sight.

“Wait! That would make us no different from those ruthless humans! He was forcibly summoned from another world; he has nothing to do with this world! It’s only right that we send him back to his world!”

Libera, the woman with red hair, stood in front of me, apparently protecting me.

“Fool! Do you have any idea how much we’ve suffered at the hands of humans? No matter what world they’re from, all humans must be exterminated!”

“And with the energy used in the summoning ritual, we’ve exhausted all the power needed for any further summoning or returning to the original world. At least for the next ten years.”

“What?!”

You dragged me into this world, and now I can’t even go back?!

“Libera, stand back! I’ll take care of him!”

“Jilbe, you idiot! I said I’d use him as an experiment! Even if he’s human, he’s a rare specimen from another world. If we must, give him to me instead!”

“I agree with Lord Debra. Before we kill him, we should at least investigate the cause of this failure.”

Are you kidding me?! These guys are still planning to kill me as their end goal!

“Debra, Lugaro, have you both lost your minds?! Where’s your pride as the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Lord’s army?!”

“The Four Heavenly Kings are meaningless without the Demon Lord! What good is a title without a leader?”

“Guh... that may be true, but...”

Wait, Libera! Don’t back down now! My life’s on the line here!

“Enough of this! Paralyze!”

The skeleton swung a staff adorned with a large blue gemstone, and suddenly, something like a glowing bolt of lightning shot towards me at high speed.

Zap!

“What?! What’s going on?!”

The lightning bolt disappeared just before it touched me, with a sharp sound like glass shattering.

“Y-You! What did you do?!”

“N-Nothing, really...”

Debra, the skeleton, was clearly furious, not expecting the magic to fail like that. But seriously, I didn’t do anything at all.

Was that magic just now? Well, considering the creatures here, I guess it’s no surprise.

“Enough! I’ll finish this human off myself!”

“Wait, Jilbe!”

“Stop it, you fool!”

Ignoring Libera and Debra’s protests, the enormous wolf-man, Jilbe, swung his right arm at me, aiming his sharp claws straight at me.

...Ah, I’m dead.

My 37 years of life started flashing before my eyes.

I lost my parents in an accident when I was young, grew up in an orphanage until I graduated high school, then used the money my parents left me to graduate from college and get a job. I worked a normal job like anyone else.

I didn’t turn out too badly, considering I grew up without parents. I had no luck with women, but I spent my days off hanging out with friends and going out drinking with coworkers after work. It was a decent life.

And now I’m summoned to another world, without my consent, about to die for reasons I don’t even understand.

...Wait, isn’t this flashback a bit long? Also, it feels like time has slowed down. Is time really moving slower, or am I just imagining it?

As I watched, Jilbe’s sharp claws approached me slowly. At this pace, I could easily dodge them. I wondered if this was a joke, but no—Libera and Debra were moving in slow motion too.

Well, if this isn’t a joke, then maybe I could land a hit in return. After all, they’re trying to kill me. I might as well punch one of them.

Moving as if time were still slow, I dodged Jilbe’s claws and swung my right fist toward his face, just like a cross-counter in boxing.

“Oof!”

Oh, time’s back to normal.

At the same moment, my right fist connected with Jilbe, sending him flying at high speed into the wall behind him. He didn’t get up, probably knocked out cold. Oddly, my right hand wasn’t even sore. I didn’t even put much force into it...

“What?! Jilbe, the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings, was taken out in one hit?!”

“I couldn’t even see the movement!”

Wait, he’s the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings? Not one of those “the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings” clichés?

Well, since this is an isekai, I might as well try one of those typical moves.

“...Status Open!”

Oh, a translucent window popped up.

――――――――――――――――

Jin Nishio, 37 years old

【Race】Human

【Occupation】Demon Lord

【Skills】

• Four Elemental Magic
• Spatial Magic
• Barrier Magic
• Accelerated Thinking
• Demon Lord's Intimidation
• Status Ailment Immunity
• Enhanced Physical Abilities

――――――――――――――――

………Looks like this old man is a Demon Lord after all.