Chapter 156 Parting

He was raging, and now he became one pathetic mess again. The man was folded over himself, with his forehead on the earth. His party didn't rise for him, so I did.

I started to walk up to him. And making sure I wouldn't surprise him (he couldn't see me, he really was too much bent forward, at this point, he practically faced the earth), I announced myself with loud steps.

As I approached, his sniffing and crying immediately stopped.

Was he getting better? I wouldn't expect that. Still bent in, he now headbutted the earth, cursing one last time, and leaned back up.

"Leader!" That was the priestess. Whatever her desperate voice tried to convey, it worked.

"I know… what you think," he began. "But this wasn't a bad idea. …This wasn't a bad idea! Get it?!" Their leader turned into a mess. After everything that had happened, everything he'd just lived, everything he'd just had to fight through, he would be reaching a breaking point sooner or later.

I could ask, "Why're you telling that to me?" but I didn't. I had never spoken of it out loud. It being a bad idea. It being wrong, dumb, and dangerous for his team. Or it being totally reckless, irresponsible, incompetent.

"I know it's my fault! But what? Think you're better than me?!" he continued. "'Do better,' you told her. 'You. Do better next time.' What? Do you think you're better than us?! Know what? Yeah, you are! Happy?! Satisfied?! But what do you think, huh? Should we stay weaklings forever…! You get it?! Yeah? No? Of course not! You can't! You can't get it! …You're not like us!"

I sighed. I couldn't say I was sad or disappointed, though. I just felt like sighing. Because sure, why not? As he explained that, I turned around and looked at my party, searching for eyes that would face mine. None would. Everyone's face was as if pinned down to the ground.

I turned back to Leader. His face was distorted. That was due to the behavior he was displaying right now. His face was distorted because it didn't fit onto his head. He'd never been like this.

His face was distorted with negative emotions. And it would stay like this for a long time. Thankfully, he at least grew calmer now and wouldn't yell anymore.

"You can't get it. You're not like us. … Weaklings, right? This wasn't a bad idea. This isn't a bad idea. Soon, there's that upcoming tournament that's taking place. And if we wanna…"

Ring!

❮ Main Quest — The requirements have not been met. ❯

❮ Requirements – Complete 'Act I, Chapter I, First Dungeon' Main Quest before proceeding on. ❯

I didn't have time for this. I waved my hands and swept the sudden notifications away.

In front of me, Leader still spoke. "And if we wanna prove our worth there… as well as moving up on the social ladder… we gotta make it right. But you don't know that. Life isn't just adventuring here and there. That, you know. You're practically an aristocrat. …You don't know how hard it's down there." I didn't know what to think of these words. At this point, the man was mostly rambling. "You're right. We're weak. But you…!"

He now gave me another scowl. "…Climbing up the social ladder? That isn't something you need to do. Tsk. Damn it. You, you're having fun here. …But us…" He sighed deeply, shaking his head repeatedly. "…Here goes the little man, with his cheat ability… how'd you call it again? 'Mana Conception'? 'Mana Impression'? You… you… you. Goddamn 'you.'" And he grew excited and frustrated again. "Couldn't you tell they were here?! The monsters?!" He waved around frantically.

"Leader…! That's enough!"

"Is it, though?"

I said nothing. I often did that. I was detached. Unconcerned.

"We can't just stay weaklings forever, and you, you wouldn't help. Couldn't you tell us, eh?! …Couldn't the All-Powerful and OP little man let us, the lowly and inferior commoners, know, eh? And then you pull out that healing spell… like it's nothing… ha-ha… ha…!"

As there was a blank, one of the demi-orcs that was hiding about in the distance made some twig snap. I kept their presence silent, too, but were they heard now?

That was barely loud enough. Only Leader seemed to have picked that up as he mistrustfully turned around, inspecting what was up. This didn't bode well. He seemed not to have been sharp enough to get the fact that he and all his team were being surrounded by a group of 14 new hobgoblins. All sneaking up on them while they didn't perceive.

So I spoke, at last, "You mean to say, like them?" I extended my arms around, explicitly indicating there were monsters.

And on that man's face, the scowl only grew tougher and tougher. He hesitated but now decided to keep his cool. "How many?" he grumpily asked.

"Fourteen. There will be more coming up."

"…Which way? How much time?"

"There, this direction. Don't worry about time."

"But… it's deeper into the forest."

"Don't you worry about that, either. I'll guide you people out."

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"…"

"Trust me?"

"Sure. …Guys, we got to get moving."

Everybody overheard us. The Party was attentive. At once, when Leader gave them instructions, it was a relief to see all of them could heed these instructions and get to be moving at last.

"Also—" I still had something to say. Something really important.

"What?"

"Whatever you're chasing, give it up."

My line was meant to save his life. In the end, it didn't.

Leader's eyes shot at me. "We should hurry it. You know that. … Always zoning out, aren't you. Seriously, even at moments like this? All of this really only is a game to you, isn't it?"

"We sail out East."

Immediately, we headed back to town.

Leaving all the monstrous corpses behind us, I guided my humans out of the dark woods. Good humans. They trusted my lead. Time ran by. I protected them from the demi-orcs who were tracking us. Killing one hobgoblin after the other, I wasn't surprised to even find goblins after us.

Before long, we exited the forest. In total, though I'd hoped for more, only about fifty demi-orcs were slain by me. I'd gone up from two levels. The new stat points I obtained were all put into strength again.

After we arrived at our city's gate, my adventurers thanked me. A lot. They bowed to me and stuff. And since it got me too embarrassed, before dropping the magic backpack off my back—it was full of loot and riches—I ran off their sight.

Farewell, I thought. Today, my friends officially outlived their usefulness to me. They weren't teaching me any new thing I needed to learn, and I pretty much only wasted my time with them.

The lesson and memories I gave them today was our parting gift.