That night, Luke couldn't sleep soundly. His chamber, though comfortable and quiet, couldn't make him feel at ease. Unlike his cheap apartment where he could still hear people's voices, sometimes even love-making sounds, but it was never this silent.
Now he felt utterly miserable because of the silence, and also the thoughts and prospects of how he would meet monsters, and perhaps even serve them. Every time he closed his eyes, he imagined meeting monsters with disgusting slimes, or a monster arriving carrying a human head and placing it on the counter.
When a servant knocked on his door in the morning, he was already awake, dressed in simple clothes and leather boots appropriate for the era, sitting and waiting at the side of his bed.
"Master Luke," Elly said from outside the door. "The chamberlain is ready to see you."
Luke took a deep breath and stood up from his bed.
Unlike Peter and Lisa, who were escorted by armored knights to the eastern training yard, Luke was taken on another route through the castle. The corridors they passed were quieter and less decorated, perhaps because that area was where the royal staff worked.
They stopped at a simple chamber with an oak door. Elly knocked once, then opened it.
"You may enter," she said, avoiding his eyes.
Luke stepped in and opened the door wider. Wade was sitting, busy with papers at his desk, not lifting his head as Luke approached.
"Luke. Please, sit," he said calmly.
Luke sat, realizing Wade was staring at him intently. "I am sorry about you being accidentally summoned here," Wade finally said after a while.
Luke clasped his hands tightly on his lap. "I know."
"That alone is unfortunate," Wade continued. "But your class complicates things further."
Luke didn't answer. He just waited for the words he already expected from the chamberlain.
"The Innkeeper is not a heroic role. It does not inspire the people, and it does not belong in the capital, nor near our future heroes," Wade said slowly.
These were the words Luke had expected to hear. He was only a hindrance to his two companions becoming true heroes. And coincidentally, he had to serve as keeper of an inn for monsters located far from human civilization.
Wade opened his drawer and placed a velvet pouch on the desk before Luke. The sound of coins clinking was heard as it landed.
"This is your compensation," he said. "One thousand gold crowns, five hundred silver crescents, one hundred twenty copper bits, and several gems. Enough for you to run the inn and live decently for several months."
Luke stared at the pouch. He didn't know the value of all those currencies, but from the chamberlain's tone, he knew it was money meant to make him leave without much protest.
"You promised the same reward to each of us yesterday," Luke said quietly.
Wade stared back without blinking. "The king promised rewards to heroes."
Those words nearly made Luke stand up to choke the chamberlain. But he restrained himself.
"We will provide you with transport and supplies. Also legal ownership of the inn and the land around it. In return, you will manage it," Wade continued.
"Why?" Luke asked, only wanting to know the reason the inn existed in this world.
Wade looked at him for a moment, thought briefly, then answered bluntly. "Because the inn must exist, so someone must take responsibility for it."
"So I'm being sent away."
"Yes. Honestly, yes."
"How far?"
Wade smiled. He seemed merely practical, not malicious. "Far enough that its problems will not trouble the kingdom."
Luke nodded slowly. The chamberlain's answer made sense, considering the inn's guests would be monsters.
"And Peter and Lisa?" he asked again.
"They don't need to know the details of your departure. Just that your role requires you to leave," Wade said patiently, answering all his questions.
Luke stared at his clasped hands on his lap. This was how the hero story was supposed to go. The main characters would advance and be given the spotlight, while he was just an extra, whose presence would disrupt the story.
"When do I leave?" he asked.
"Tomorrow morning before dawn," Wade replied.
Luke stood and took the pouch. "I understand," he said.
Wade nodded slightly, clasping his hands on the desk. "I believe you do. That is why you were chosen to bear this burden."
Luke didn't answer, turned around, and walked toward the door.
"Emmm, Luke."
Luke stopped, but didn't turn back.
"This world rewards those who accept their place," the chamberlain said softly. "Do not make things harder than they need to be."
Luke said nothing, then left the room. Elly was still waiting in the corridor near the chamberlain's office. She lowered her head as Luke approached. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
He gave a thin smile and sighed deeply. "It's fine. I'll live."
Luke wandered the castle halls aimlessly instead of returning to his chamber immediately. His mind drifted to what he must and would do from now on, but what was certain was that he had to survive.
As for finding a way back to Earth, Luke had to leave that to Peter and Lisa, who would clearly be closer to the mages and the people of the court.
He returned to his chamber after the sun, strangely only one, unlike the two moons, set in the west. Elly had already prepared clean clothes and a travel pack beside them. Inside were rations, a waterskin, and a folded map.
Peter and Lisa visited after dinner, promising to find a way out of this world and to visit him at the monster inn. Luke only smiled and said nothing more, even though his two friends kept urging him to stay in the castle with them.
Before dawn, his door was knocked softly several times. Two servants stood outside, and Luke immediately took his travel pack.
"This way, Master Luke," one of them said, and both led him to the courtyard, passing corridors and storage halls until the smell of dampness and horse manure was in the air. A simple wooden wagon driven by an old driver waited at the side gate.
One servant handed a pouch of coins to the driver, while the other gave Luke a sealed document and a ring with a crescent-and-door emblem.
"Proof of ownership, you will need it. And remember, never stray from the path when you reach the forest," the servant explained.
Luke accepted and nodded, then climbed onto the wagon, which immediately departed through the side gate.
After some distance, Luke looked back and saw two figures standing on a balcony, lit by dawn's light. Peter raised one hand in a slow wave, and Lisa stood stiffly, staring at the wagon that grew smaller in the distance.
Luke raised his hand to wave back once, but the castle disappeared when the wagon turned at a crossroads. He sat back in the open rear of the wagon, pulling his cloak and mantle tighter against the cold morning, closing his eyes with a chaotic heart.
Hours passed, and the road changed. Trees grew denser, thicker, and settlements vanished completely.
Finally the driver spoke in a grim tone. "Woodlands," he said, stopping the wagon in a lonely clearing with nothing around. "This is as far as I go."
Luke jumped down, and the driver immediately turned his wagon sharply, tense, leaving without a word or farewell, abandoning Luke alone in the forest.
He sighed deeply. "Fine. Let's see what kind of story this really is," he muttered to himself, beginning to walk into the dense forest ahead.