Volume 1 - CH 2

Chapter 2 – Memory of A Year Ago – First Part

“Eto, danger!”

Hearing Lana’s shout, Eto turned his body and saw a human-faced lion, a Manticore, was approaching him. At this rate, he won’t make it in time to use any magic. Thus, he pointed the one-handed sword that he held in his right hand at the throat of the monster.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t an opponent that could easily be damaged by such a desperate stab. The Manticore stepped back to avoid his sword and once again strongly kicked the ground with its tough hind legs, trying to bite Eto.

That scene seemed to move slowly in front of Eto’s eyes. And even though the fangs of the Manticore are approaching, he doesn’t have any way to defend against it.

But when he was prepared to be eaten by the Manticore, Eto suddenly felt an intense heat and light from his right. At the next moment, a fireball that was as big as the Manticore’s body hit its flank, blowing its body to the other side.

“Eto-san, please move back!”

With her right hand extended toward the Manticore, the master magician, Mirei, shouted.

Having a side of its body burned black, the Manticore frowned and growled. Simultaneously, its body begins to glow, and two wind arrows manifest above it.

“GURURURURU, GWAR!”

Then, with a deep roar, the Manticore fired the two wind arrows at Eto.

Shortly after that, Lana bumped her body into Eto, causing the wind arrows fired by the Manticore to fail to hit its target.

Lana immediately stood up and held out her sword to protect Eto. Looking at that, the Manticore glared at Lana and shined its body once again to activate its magic.

However, a much more dazzling light suddenly spread all over the area. Standing there is Ronaldo, the Hero, who lifts up a shining holy sword in his hand.

As Ronaldo brandished his holy sword down, the slash of light that jumped out of the tip of the sword flew and tore the body of the Manticore. Looking at that, Lana immediately narrowed her distance and slashed the head of the collapsing Manticore to give it a finishing blow.

☆☆☆

‘Ah, this dream again, huh.’

Or so what Eto thought. It was the same dream that he had over and over. It was in fact something that Eto really experienced a year ago.

Although he knew that he wasn’t very useful in the hero’s party, that battle against Manticore made that fact clear to everyone.

The Hero’s party is accompanied by a total of about thirty people consisting of the escorting knights and mages, liaisons to the royal castle and church, pharmacists, cooks, and coachmen. And it was precisely around that time their attitude toward Eto changed.

That night, Eto was called by the hero.

☆☆☆

Hero Ronaldo and the master magician Mirei were waiting for him in the inn’s dining room. The escorting knights were also present, but Lana wasn’t there. And since that inn was reserved for the hero’s group, no other guests are staying there.

“Sorry to make you wait, Hero-sama.”

""

“Aa, Eto-kun, please have a seat. I have something to discuss with you.”

Around that time, Eto still had a feeling of admiration toward the Hero Ronaldo. Not only strength, the hero also possesses a blonde hair that shines like the sun, well-refined features, and a polished behavior akin to a noble, all of which were definitely things that could make people envy him.

Eto has sighed many times when he saw his plain black hair and plain face that reflected in the mirror. Yes, he couldn’t find any parts he could win when comparing himself to Ronaldo.

“Eto-kun, in today’s battle against Manticore, are you aware that your carelessness has put our party in danger?”

“… Yes, I am very sorry.”

“I don’t need you to apologize. If you are aware of that, then you are also aware that your support magic is useless at our level of battle, right?”

“Hero-sama…”

“Eto-kun, unfortunately, I have to forbid you to use your support magic in this party”

“But! If you do that, there is nothing I can do!”

Eto subconsciously shouted. Although he did admit his mistake, that doesn’t mean he could just nod if the Hero forbade him using support magic, which was his only special ability.

“Eto-kun, what could you even do in today’s battle?”

Mirei, who had been silent until then, opened her mouth.

AD

“That’s…”

“Hero-sama and Lana would be the vanguard, and I will handle the rear. Meanwhile, Eto-san could help the party by handing over potions and stopping low-ranked monsters.”

“However…”

The instructions that Mirei told him were ones that she gave assuming Eto won’t use the support magic anymore. That basically means he was the support of the party or could be said to be a chore that didn’t require his abilities as the sage.

“Hero-sama, my support magic is still growing. Even now, it is effective for myself, Lana, and the escorting Knights and mages. That’s why, please let me use my support magic.”

Eto lowered his head and earnestly requested.

When he was still being trained at the royal castle, the leader of the magic corps and others saw great potential in Eto’s support magic. But now, if he was banned for using it, even the door to that possibility would be closed.

Besides, Eto thought that if he could somehow insert his support magic into his party’s combat tactic, he was sure that he would be able to manifest his power more than he has now.

“Eto-kun, I don’t want things like today to happen again. We have to show the people real strength. By doing so, I believe it could lessen the fear they have towards monsters and strengthen their loyalty toward the Kingdom. That’s the reason a hero’s party exists, don’t you think so? Hence, I was disappointed with how you fought today.”

“Hero-sama…”

Eto stopped his thoughts for a while when he heard Ronaldo’s words. The existence he admired just said he was disappointed with him. Because of that, his body seemed to become cold, even though it wasn’t cold that day.

“… Because of my carelessness, the Manticore was able to approach us. But, I think it is something that often happens in close combat. Furthermore, even if it wasn’t me, other people could also hand potions to the party, right?”

""

Eto somehow managed to regain his wits and tried to say that to the Hero.

“In that case, will you leave this party? I think it’s a sin to be chosen by the goddess-sama as a sage but be useless in battle. If you don’t feel like contributing to the party, you can always leave, you know?”

“….”

Hearing how low the evaluation of others toward him, Eto starts to lose hope. He doesn’t remember much after that. He only remembered that he told Hero-sama that he would obey his words. And from the next day, Eto stopped using his support magic.