As soon as I returned to the city, I went to the Adventurerâs Guild all alone. The whole path was traversed through feet and I had never looked back.
I had to report that I had left Leticiaâs party or to be more specific the heroâs party.
The guild of course encourages adventurers to form a party and fight in groups.
The reward in such scenarios might be reduced, but the risk too can be reduced by forming a party.
The guild thus provided several perks, such as the provision of items such as potions, so that more adventurers are motivated to work in groups.
But in order not to abuse such a system, one must report to the guild that he has left the party as soon as possible..
âEh !? Traiter-san, did you leave the brave party !?â
When I informed the receptionist, she was terribly surprised. Itâs a convincing reaction.
Itâs been the same party for over 5 years. Not many would get the chance of joining the heroes party. Of couse someone like me could only be considered lucky to have been at one. But that was the public view. Only I knew how bad an experience it was.
âI mean, I was banished by them.â
âExpulsion âŚ?â
I raised my shoulders.
âI made a lot of mistakes ⌠well, like that.â
âYes ⌠yes, I see. Iâve certainly received the party withdrawal report.â
The receptionist probably guessed that she shouldnât ask deeply.
The procedure went smoothly anyway.
With the end of the procedure all of my ties with Letica were completely cut off.
Iâm just another person from today.
When I thought about it, I felt nothing but happy. It was indeed a well sought out release for anyone experiencing the same pain as I..
All I wanted to do now was to start from scratch and start my own adventure. But the path to that was much thornier than I had thought.
âAnd I want to make a request, but is there anything.. Any mission that even one person can do? Subjugation, collection, escort ⌠any kind is fine.â
âWell, um ⌠Iâm sorry. There arenât any requests for solos right now ⌠If youâre attending a party, you can choose as much as you want.â
âWell, then, canât it be helped?â
There was also a way for me to request to be accepted in a different party, but âŚ
Such a thing would put me in the same vicious cycle all over again. This time it was Letica, the next time it would be someone else. The power harassment would never cease no matter which party I joined..
It was often told that it couldnât be useful for Leticia. She cussed me time and time again for that. But now that I look back at it, it might be true. I am among the weak after all.
Iâm a fallen wizard who canât really do much.
âIf so, why donât you team up with me?â
âHuh?â
I turned back to find a red-haired girl.
She seemed to be about 18 years old.
She had long fiery red hair which reached to her waist.
She had long and slender limbs. Her body too was slender yet she had clear and prominent curves.
In addition, her face was so beautiful that anyone would just fall in love with it.
Her appearance might be in complete contrast from Leticia, but even so she was a perfect girl.
âIâm Alice Sprite. Feel free to call me Alice. Nice to meet you.â
âUm ⌠nice to meet you. Iâm a Haru Traitor.â
I shook hands for the time being.
Then move to the discourse space and listen to more details.
Since the guild is also a place for adventurers to meet, such a discourse space is prepared.
âIsnât it correct to say that you are also looking for a party?â
âYes, thatâs right. Iâm not having a party right now. Thatâs why Iâm in trouble because I canât accept the request ⌠So, if Haru is okay, why donât you join with me?â
âThatâs really sweet of you. Though I would probably be holding you back. Thatâs why this doesnât sound like a good idea ⌠Iâm weak.â
Yeah ⌠Iâm weak.
Leticia has often told me that itâs a coarse fish and canât be used, but thatâs not a misguided point.
In that respect, Leticia is strong.
She is also able to subdue a dragon alone.
âIs that so? But I overheard a glimpse, you were having a party with the hero, right?â
âAh ⌠thatâs right, but there are a lot of things ⌠itâs kind of like she was kind enough to let me join the party as a chore boy.â
I was beyond tired to make people believe in the true nature of Letica, so much so I had given up trying. No one would believe me in regards to her malicious nature. It was thus better to go with the floor and avoid such a topic.
âSo, when it comes to being used as a force ⌠Iâm sorry to say it myself, but I wouldnât be of any help.â
It was better to accept my weaknesses upfront and avoid partying rather than being harassed using strength later.
âHmmâ
âOh, Alice âŚ?â
Alice came to my face with a suspicious expression.
She glared into my eyes as if trying to find for falsehood..
âIt doesnât look like you are weak, doesnât it? ⌠Rather, you feel stronger than I am, or rather its your aura that is much denser.â
âI donât think it is ⌠what is Aliceâs level?â tilting my head I asked.
â22â
âIâm 7. You see, Iâm weak, right?â
I showed her the level marked on my adventurer card. I was aware that she was being considerate of my feelings but it was better to not lie about something like this, especially considering that such a lie could lead to oneâs death due to a momentâs or carelessness.
The level represents the strength of the person.
The higher the number, the stronger the power and the more experience you have gained.
âthat?â
âWhatâs wrong?â
âIsnât that adventurer card old?â
Adventurer cards are magic cards issued by the guild.
Itâs like an ID card, showing the ownerâs level and occupation.
My adventurer card has never been updated since I started my journey with Leticia.
âI didnât update at all âŚâ
âFor how long?â
âMaybe it is over 5 years?â
âNani why? Why didnât you update it for so long? It costs a little money to update, but updating the adventurer card is rather essential. Above all, to grasp your power Is also suitable. â
âIs that so ⌠but in my case, I couldnât update it for some reason.â
Because Leticia didnât allow it. Putting her harassment aside, it went without saying that being the chore boy of the group I had no choice but to follow the instructions of the leader.
[Huh? Update the adventurer card? You donât need that. When a level 7 filth grows up, nothing happens. The filth remains a small fry forever. So you donât need to update the adventurer card at all Haru. Itâs just a waste of money no more, hahahahaha! ]
She had said that and didnât give me the money to renew the card.
The partyâs funds was completely controlled by Leticia, so there was nothing I could have done about it.
âWell I will like to update it when I have time? Right now, Iâll give priority to talking to Alice, I am not in a hurry.â
It was true that I was embarrassed to update it in front of so many eyes. What if the results were far worse than anybody could have expected? That would certainly be a huge problem and embarrassment.
âWell, then Iâll let you go this time, but ⌠why donât you try to organize a party with me?â
âSo you want to stick to me?â
Alice held poked her cheeks.
âHmm ⌠What do you think? I feel like I can get along well with Haru. I wonder if you are compatible regardless of whether you are strong or weak. Thatâs the most important thing, isnât it?â
âOh yeah, itâs really important.â
I nodded.
It was Leticia that had made me realize how important compatibility was. She had made me realize that no matter how much I tried, me and her certainly couldnât get along. We were destined to drift apart.
âWhy donât you ask for a request once? A mission which seems easy to do with two people. So, if it seems to work, thatâs fine. If it doesnât work, thatâs also fine. How about it?â
Alice clasped her hands.
âThatâs right ⌠OK, do you want to try it?â
So thatâs how both of us decided to form a party for a mission as a trial.
ââââââââââ
The request I made was to subdue the monsters that appeared outside the city.
The target is a dog-shaped monster called Hound Wolf.
The recommended subjugation level is 5, so itâs not a big enemy. Even I who was level 7 could probably deal with it.
It will be a good exercise to check compatibility with Alice.
âHuh!â
Alice smashes the Hound Wolf with a sharp sword. The swashbuckler, which has more power than it looks, cuts off the monsterâs body.
However, there is more than one enemy.
The remaining two.
Immediately after launching an attack, one of them approaches Alice who cannot move. Bare fangs and jump while groaning âŚ
âAlice!â
Using a sword one size smaller than Aliceâs sword I defended Alice as a shield, the short sword was able to stop the Hound Wolfâs assault.
âNice, Haru!â
I was able to gain time to reposition Alice.
Alice gives a pleasant smile to us âŚ
Then stare at the enemy.
âSword dance!â
Aliceâs sword technique has been activated.
Showing a dancing movement, she chopped off the body of the Hound Wolf.
âGuru!â
The last one that was cornered rushed in with a rash.
âEat this beast!â
I threw a throwing knife and stopped the Hound Wolf from moving.
âDouble slash!â
Aliceâs sword flashes twice and kills the last one.
I was tasked to keep an eye on the surroundings âŚ
After confirming that there are no more enemies, she put the sword back in the scabbard.
All the while she showed me a very bright smile.
âYou are amazing!â
âHuh?â
What are you talking about?
âIâm not doing much, right? Iâm just devoting myself to support.â
âThatâs not the case. I think itâs great enough to be able to use a sword even though you are a wizard. Above all, you defend me when I most need it, and even when I think itâs dangerous, you support me. Arenât youl ⌠I mean, a master of support? I donât think there are many people who can move like haru â
âWell ⌠Iâm used to it.â
When I was at Leticiaâs party ⌠Iâve always been supportive. Leticia never put me in front lines. The vanguard was always her one man show.
At first I thought that she was worried about me and wanted to keep me safe, but she wasnât.
Leticia didnât want to give me any credit.
She wanted to have all the credit to herself.
One cannot help but be amazed at Leticiaâs bottomless desires.
When did she get distorted like that ⌠the answer to that Haru had never found.
âHull? Whatâs wrong?â
âNo ⌠nothing. Are you injured?â
âOh, this? Just lightly ⌠itâs not a big injury.â
âItâs hard to get suppurated. Iâll treat you right away.â
âBut I canât use potions like this âŚâ
âItâs okay, Iâll use magic.â
âHuh?â
For some reason, while Alice stood completely astonished, I cast recovery magic on her not bothering for her reasons..
âHealâ
A faint light wrapped around Aliceâs wound and heals the wound as if it were playing in reverse.
Shortly after, the wound disappeared completely.
âNow itâs all well and good.â
ââŚâ
âWhatâs wrong, Alice?â
âYouâŚâ
âWhatâs wrong with this ⌠but what do you mean âyouâ?â
âWhat is it? Why are you so surprised?â
âYou should be surprised too! Why can the wizard Haru use healing magic? Healing magic should only be used for priests and other limited professions! Wizards can only use attack magic. Itâs something that is common knowledge! â
âIs that so?â
âThatâs right! Why donât you know such common sense?â
âWhy I donât know .. well.â
Definitely because of Leticia.
I was denied by Leticia to have the general knowledge of an adventurer.
[âIt doesnât make value for a small fry like you to know anything, itâs just a waste of time ..â].
Thatâs what she had forced upon me.
I couldnât argue because I was deprived of the opportunity to learn, so I just kept going.
I donât know anything, but âŚ
I didnât know that the wizard couldnât use recovery magic because of Leticia.
âThere are many things I donât really understand about Haru. You were at a brave party, right? How did you spend your time?â
âthat isâŚâŚâ
Can you believe me even if I tell you the truth?
No one has believed me till now. What was the point of confessing at this point?
It was then that I was at a loss for a reply.
âGurururu ⌠!!!â
Another giant hound wolf appeared, quivering in anger.