I'm Not the Isekai Hero

I wake up with a start to knocking on my door. I'm a bit disoriented as my eyes open to see a strangely nice oken ceiling and wall with an electric lamp unlit above me. Somewhere in my confused brain I remember I sent armor to be cleaned and yell out in a voice unfamiliar to me, "Just leave it by the door, thank you!"

There is a small thud with the accompanying sound of metal shifting and sliding against itself and I hear soft footsteps move away from my door. The sunlight peeking in through the curtain of the window behind me flickers across my face and I squint, slowly pushing myself up into a sitting position and pause wiping my face to remember the events of the previous day. That's right, I'm... the Hero now. I wince as I remember the pain of getting flung by the Hero's final attack into the cliff-side, rubbing the back of my head a bit where I can still feel some dried blood. I need to take a bath soon. The hero was a guy from another world named Levi Halestorm. I... met the Gods? They tasked me with saving our world in his place after the Spectral Dragon Emperor killed him and his party and gave me his powers and armor. I'm no longer in my village but in a place called Thelian, a large town close to the Capital.

I sigh heavily and lower my hand from my face, looking around the sparse room. It feels empty and cold compared to my room back in Falacia. I swing my legs over the edge of the somewhat softer bed and get up, cracking open the door to make sure no one will see me when I grab my armor. The hall appears empty and I quickly drag it into my room. I inspect the shiny armor that still feels alien to me, gently brushing my thumb over the hero's token in the center. It feels bittersweet to be holding such an important item. Even though I was chosen by the gods I still feel like a fraud, I can't even use my powers yet or know what they even are.

I sigh and put on the underclothes and then the armor on top of it. Today I need to gather information, about myself and the Hero's job, as well as gather a new team to assist me. I also need information on the Spectral Sorcerer and acquire a sufficient weapon, but that would require coin, which I don't have. I wonder if the Magistrate gives an allowance to the hero and his party or will I have to earn it myself by doing service or warrior requests under the Guilds?

I finally put on my helmet and inspected the pad of paper and pen on the desk, picking up the pen, a quill tip attached to a small well of ink acting as the handle with a cap of hardened cloth and fat rubbed on the interior to prevent the ink from soaking the cloth. It is the first time I've such an advanced pen, the ones in my village required one to continuously dip the quill in ink and sat in a holder when not in use.

I take off the cap and write in the notebook, "I feel like a stranger among friends, a felinial(cat-like animan) in shibara's(dog-like animan) fur among other felinials. Can I ever live up to who they think I am?"

I am interrupted by a knock at the door. I tear off the page and stuffed it in one of my pouches before hurrying to open the door. A small featherfallen, somewhat shorter than me, is standing there fidgeting slightly. Her body is white, her face feathered with a small nose like a cat, and her wings are black with blue tips. Her 'hair' is a group of feathers swept up to a point at the back of her head.

"Um.. Great hero?" she says in a nervous voice, "I.. I am here to b.. be your guide.. to..today. Are you ready t..to leave?" She keeps her head down and stares at my armored boots. I laugh internally a bit and kneel down so I'm not towering over her, "Yeah I'm ready, thank you so much for being willing to show this newbie around!" I say cheerfully, leaning to try and make eye contact even though she can't see my face. She hesitantly looks at my helmet as I speak and blushes a bit, "Oh... it's n..nothing, really." She now looks at me a bit more relaxed, still nervous but not nearly as bad before. I reach out my hand and ask, "What's your name?"

She takes it and we begin walking as she replies, "Aluli, it means light in featherfallen Great Hero. I am 48 years old, I became an adult last year. I am allowed to go out on my own now but featherfallen typically don't stray too far from their parents until the age of 62."

I am half listening as we leave the building and I get my first good look of the town as the early morning hustle and bustle is happening. Stores I hadn't seen yesterday line the backs of houses and side-streets, and the main streets have carriages and the occasional autobox, a carriage that can pull itself using a metal contraption inside it that transforms a liquid called sluvial into heat somehow. I have only heard about them in passing from merchants visiting Thelian but seeing them up close was amazing, especially because they seem strange without a corath(a ground animal from the featherfallen areas with wings, clawed feet, and a felinial head) pulling it.

Aluli's wings bounce and flutter as we walk, almost as if they are itching to fly. Her tail, although raised, gently sweeps the ground behind her. I am beginning to appreciate the moss here more and more as I realize how rough dirt or stone roads would be on things like that.

The buildings around us are colorful and varied in size, shape, and design. Underwater dwellings only exist on the main road, but I appreciate the architectural design that must have gone into such infrastructure. Bridges connect the houses residing above the water homes, stone covered in moss as well, and now that I payed closer attention I could actually see that there were underwater stairs to make it easier for Naiads to enter the main road. Little stone protrusions lined the river except for where these stairs existed to dissuade people and carts from falling in.

I am so engrossed in looking at the new world around me that I don't realize Aluli has stopped. I trip over her tail as I instinctively tried to avoid stepping on it and stumble forward, landing on my helmeted face next to her. Heavily embarrassed, and glad no one could see my face while it is beet red, I try to regain some dignity by quickly picking myself up and brushing the moss off my armor. Aluli stands there with a look of combined surprise and humor, her feathered hands hiding her smile. "Are you ok Great Hero?" She asks, unable to contain an undertone of laughter. A few people walking along the road giggled as they walked by, having witnessed it as well.

I reply, very embarrassed but not without my wits, "Yes, I'm fine, but never mind me, is your tail ok? I apologize for being so absorbed in my own thoughts." I say a bit remorsefully. She is surprised and reaches around to inspect her tail as she replies while wiping her feathers "Oh, no need, my tail is perfectly fine. Even if you had broken a feather I would just regrow it within a couple months. I am glad you are ok, I stopped because we have arrived at the guild! I heard you lost all of your items and probably need your ID card reissued. You can also complete warrior and service requests while you are here if you wish to." She says, seeming to have forgotten her earlier nervousness.

I look at the large building in front of us, with a bridge and a side underwater entrance, that also has a roof entrance. Many people are heading in and out continuously, most covered in armor and weapons of all kinds. I see a large amount of animen entering and leaving particularly, probably because of their natural physical advantage compared to most other races. Aluli guides me inside and the interior is wide open and filled with activity. A few featherfallen fly about above, and there are perches for them near the ceiling. Tables are scattered about with parties conversing at most of them, a few tables with water holes next to them for Naiads, and there are request boards on both sides of the foyer. There is a small second floor with more tables while still leaving the central area open. Near the back is where the main desk is, a wall with a floor and ceiling door separating the private rooms in the back from the foyer.

We both head to the main desk, and a Naiad woman greets us. I am taller than most here, so I can see the edges of a water hole behind her. "Hello Aluli, nice to see you again, and who's this tall man next..." She cuts herself off as she sees the token on my chest. "Oh, Great Hero, it is an honor to meet you. I am Calia, what can I do for you?"

Aluli laughs lightly, "No need to be so formal Calia, the Hero needs to get his ID card reissued." Her expression becomes a bit more somber as she says this next part, "He lost all of his possessions in a great battle, along with his comrades."

Calia covers her mouth in shock and sadness, "Oh I am so sorry, we can do that right away, please enter the door to your left and I can retake your measurements" She says, hurriedly disappearing into the water hole. Interestingly, Naiads become dry to the touch almost immediately after leaving the water. They try to stay in the water to prevent their skin from drying out too much though.

I am somewhat uncomfortable anytime anyone brings up the deaths of the Hero's party, since I had no personal attachment to them and feel no comradery as I probably should. I know I should be sad, but I would also like to believe that the Hero would probably set aside his own emotions for the good of the country.

As we go through the side door though, I begin to panic at a realization about what getting an ID card means. Magic typically is how one's stats are measured and they are printed on the card. This includes your name and physical traits. Although I've taken Levi Halestorm's name and we are roughly the same height and build, my own name Rualta would probably show up. I pray quickly to the gods in the hope that they can alter the card somehow. If my details don't match his, everyone would be very suspicious, and my cover will be blown immediately.

Calia reappears at a hole near one side of the floor and walks up to the measuring stone. She gestures me forward and I hesitate. Aluli bumps me forward with a wing and I slowly walk towards the stone on the table. I put my hand over it and Calia says, "You probably know this, but just infuse a good portion of your mana into the stone and it'll automatically write your card next to it."

I hold my breath and infuse my mana as I have done before at Thelian, but this time it felt like I was opening a large dam of mana instead of a river like before. The stone glows so brightly orange that I have to shade my eyes before I withdraw my hand and the light fades. Calia and Aluli gasp at the light and Calia says, "I knew the hero had a lot of mana, but I didn't know it was this much! And so pure too! Outstanding." She seems to stare at me like some kind of new creature before regaining her composure and picking up the card on the slab next to the stone and looking at is as she brings it to me, "Sorry, I guess its to be expected Great Hero Levi." She says, handing it to me. I am relieved to see the name says Levi Halestorm and the correct hair color and age show up, as well as Levi's stats. It seems that having his mana and powers altered what magic believed my identity to be. I quickly place it in a pouch on my waist and say "No problem, I understand it can be a bit surprising, thank you for your help." She smiles and we leave out the same door.

Aluli then says, "That was pretty amazing to witness, but I assume you probably want to get to work now. I've been instructed to give you this," She hands me a bag of coins, "to help you obtain a weapon. It won't be enough to get you one of the Great Hero's caliber, but it should be a good start. I'm sure you will receive a bigger stipend when you meet the Magistrate later."

I gratefully accept and we walk back out to the street. On our way out, I notice the room has gotten quiet, only whispers can be heard as people stare at me. Word seems to have finally gotten around that I am the Hero, and people are unsure what to make of this revelation, especially considering my lack of party.

We head out on the street again and Aluli turns to me, "Next we should probably get you a weapon. There is a blacksmith just around the corner, would you like me to lead you or would you prefer to browse on your own?" she asks.

I shake my head, "I'll probably be fine on my own, thank you for being my guide today, I appreciate the help" I say. She smiles sheepishly and say, "No problem at all Great Hero. I figured you might want to explore things yourself, so here's a map if you get lost. Head to the nearest guard station if you need me again, or I will be waiting for you at dusk near the central hub building, where we left from initially. I bid you well on your search!" She says, and at the last word unfurls her very large white wings with blue tips and takes off in one fell downbeat. I shield my face from the downdraft and stare in awe as she heads towards the upper floors of the central hub, the power visible in every flap of her wings.

Freed from the anxiety-inducing task of worrying about being discovered by my guide, I sigh in relief and make my way to where the blacksmith is located on the map.