The next morning after the terrible gacha.
The sky had just shifted from dark to bright. Takuya had not even opened his eyes, but two royal soldiers came to the horse stable. Without saying much, they immediately grabbed both of Takuya's hands. That made Takuya wake up.
"Hah?! What is this?!" shouted Takuya.
"In the name of King Valion, you are under arrest!" yelled one of the soldiers.
"WHAT DID I DO THIS TIME?! I have not even properly woken up!"
Takuya was pulled. He tried to resist, but he was beaten by the soldiers. Takuya managed to defeat one, but another one succeeded in knocking him down. Not long after, more soldiers came. Not only two, but five in total. All of them just to capture one Takuya.
He was already in pain. His body was dragged forcefully without being given time to change clothes or even brush his teeth. His slime jacket wobbled as his body was forced to walk on the stone path toward the royal castle.
"Why are you dragging me like a thief?" complained Takuya.
"You are a thief."
Thud...
Takuya fell silent.
Inside the throne room of the Valion Kingdom, King Aldren IV sat proudly on his throne. His robe flowed with a large gem on his chest. On his right side stood Seraphina, while the other three heroes Shigeru, Aika, and Hiroshi stood a little farther behind. They wore luxurious clothes that had just been bought. Completely different from Takuya who still wore the clothes he had been summoned in.
Takuya was pushed until he fell to his knees before the king. His knees bled against the floor. When he tried to stand and complain, two swords were drawn behind his head.
"What is this... at least give me breakfast first..." he muttered weakly.
King Aldren raised his hand.
"Takuya Minami, person from another world summoned into my kingdom, you are accused of stealing the Royal Ring of Valion, a sacred artifact, the symbol of the king, and the highest emblem of power in my land!" His voice echoed throughout the hall.
It was so obvious from the king's gaze. He was furious because his precious ring had been stolen by a foreigner. It was the same as insulting him. It was something he could never forgive.
Takuya lifted his head, shocked. "What?! I do not even know what kind of ring that is!"
"Stop pretending!" shouted one of the royal advisers. "The ring disappeared after the celebration night. Everyone has already been checked. The only one left is you and again... we have testimony that you sneaked into the king's room!"
Takuya was stunned. "Hah? What do you mean? I was not even at the event...."
"Silence, Takuya! If you keep talking, I will order the soldiers to cut off your head!" the king warned firmly.
Takuya clenched his fists. He was extremely angry because he was being accused of something he did not do. He had been summoned without permission, given a horse stable as a bed, fed only once a day, and never given proper clothes. After all that mistreatment, now he was being accused as a thief.
It made Takuya's chest tighten. He was filled with anger.
"Give your testimony!" said the royal adviser.
Someone stepped forward. When Takuya saw who it was, his eyes widened. It was Hiroshi Kanda. His own schoolmate.
Hiroshi saluted the king. After that he faced Takuya and the others. "I swear! Last night I saw Takuya sneaking into His Majesty's room. When I tried to stop him, he punched me until my face turned blue. Here is the proof," Hiroshi said while pointing at his bruised face.
"NO! That is a lie! I did not..." protested Takuya.
Before he could finish his sentence, suddenly an overwhelming aura pressed down on Takuya's body. He collapsed. A commander of the Valion Kingdom, Lucas, stopped Takuya. He was the strongest human in the Valion Kingdom. Takuya was nothing but a tiny insect to him.
"Search his clothes!" ordered the king.
The soldiers immediately carried out their duty. Takuya's clothes were searched thoroughly. Takuya was certain that since he did not steal anything, there should not be any ring in his clothes. He had never gone far from the horse stable. It was impossible for him to steal.
"Your Majesty! The ring has been found!" shouted one of the soldiers.
Takuya's eyes widened. He turned toward the soldier who spoke. Then he saw a ring being held by that soldier. Takuya was still in shock, unable to say anything. He never imagined this would happen.
"Impossible," whispered Takuya softly.
"Bring it here!" commanded the king.
The soldier walked toward the king and handed over the ring he had found. When the ring was placed on the king's pinky finger, it fit. Everyone immediately turned their eyes to Takuya. All gazes were filled with contempt. Takuya did not know what to say. It was too absurd.
"I did not steal anything!" shouted Takuya.
"No one can save you now. All evidence is here. You can no longer deny it," said the king. "Stealing the sacred royal item is the greatest insult. The punishment is death."
The king was about to give the execution order to the royal executioners to bring Takuya's body to the square, but suddenly someone stepped forward and raised her right hand.
"Wait." Seraphina's voice cut through the threat.
She stepped forward and kneeled before King Aldren IV. "Your Majesty, I beg you... grant mercy to Takuya. Even though he is foolish, weak, annoying, and has stolen the royal ring. But he was summoned by us. We cannot judge a summoned hero."
Everyone in the hall was shocked. Hiroshi stared at Seraphina, and Aika slightly lowered her head. No one expected Seraphina to defend Takuya after what he had done.
"You beg... for a thief?"
"Yes."
Silence enveloped the room. The king finally let out a heavy sigh.
"Because of your request, Seraphina, I will spare him. But," the king's eyes turned cold, "a person like him does not deserve to stay in the castle. I will not give him a single bronze coin. Starting today, he is an outcast. There is no place for him in the Valion Castle. If he dares to enter again, he will receive the punishment of death."
Seraphina did not protest much. She did not ask for more mercy for Takuya as if this was exactly what she wanted.
"Is that enough, Seraphina? I grant your request not because Takuya is a summoned hero, but because of you..." The king emphasized. "You have served the Valion Kingdom for a long and loyal time. I appreciate all your efforts."
Seraphina nodded. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The king looked at Takuya. His gaze was filled with hatred and anger. "Throw him out of the castle! I do not want to see his face again," he said sternly.
Takuya was dragged away like a criminal. No one defended him except Seraphina. And he was expelled from the castle. Takuya's fate in this isekai was so miserable. It was similar to his luck in the terrible gacha. Takuya just stayed quiet, unsure what to say.
"Pyoo~" The slime's sound.
Takuya smiled. "Thank you," he said while patting the slime jacket.
Even though Seraphina helped him, Takuya was sure that she was also the one who framed him. When their eyes met, Seraphina smiled brightly. From the beginning she seemed to dislike him. Takuya understood the reason, but framing him as a thief...
That was something he could never forgive.
But suddenly, Takuya grinned widely. He laughed. "Is this the beginning of my Villain era... ah, I mean anti hero?"