CH 144

Episode 144 – Awkward Back and Forth Praise

After entering the room, I followed Lyra as she led the way to the bedroom where Byrne was lying down. In the bedroom were Porta and Nina, who had just peeked out from the inside, and most importantly, Byrne, who was lying in the bed, chatting happily with them.

He looked so pale and colorless three days ago, but now his complexion was rosy, as if he had almost completely recovered.

“Byrne. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.” (Lewin)

“Ooh! Lewin. You’re here to see me, huh? I also heard you collapsed and couldn’t move, so I’m glad to see you’re better now too.” (Byrne)

“I’m completely healed. You haven’t made a full recovery yet, have you?” (Lewin)

“Yeah. The damage must’ve been severe, so you should rest.” (Lewin)

“Thanks for looking out for me. Also… for protecting me this time too. If you didn’t take out that purple Troll, I’d be dead for sure. Or rather, I think all of us would have been killed.” (Byrne)

Byrne sat up from his prone position and bowed his head to me. Seeing that, the other three also followed suit.

“No, no! Please raise your heads! I was only the one who dealt the killing blow at the end. We all fought it together!” (Lewin)

“That’s not true. We weren’t able to get even a single hit in. You really saved us, Lewin! Thank you for always saving us whenever we get into a dangerous situation.” (Lyra)

When Lyra denied what I said and thanked me, I honestly felt quite confused. Even though Byrne and Lyra were saying this, I definitely didn’t defeat the Venom Troll by myself. If I was capable of doing so, then I wouldn’t have chosen to leave Grezesta.

“No, if even one of the five of us was missing, I don’t think we could have defeated it. Everyone weakened it together and I just finished it off at the end.” (Lewin)

“…But we were really only able to get to that point thanks to you. In the middle, I had already counted myself out when I saw that [Anti-Heal] wasn’t working on it.” (Nina)

“I think it’s all thanks to Lewin too. The moment Byrne got cut, the three of us hadn’t even reacted in time. When we realized, we all rushed towards Byrne, and then before we knew it—you already defeated the purple Troll.” (Porta)

I felt a bit embarrassed when I heard the four of them say this. It was true that after Byrne got wounded, they would have been defeated if I wasn’t there. But if it wasn’t for the combined strength of everyone and various other factors, we would not have won. As the one who took down the purple Troll in the end, I was sure of this.

“No, it was really thanks to all of us working together! Lyra and Byrne matched me perfectly, Nina weakened it with [Anti-Heal], and Porta buffed us. That’s why… I want to thank you guys too. Thank you for supporting me!” (Lewin)

I joined them, bowing my head in gratitude as well.

“Hmm. It’s certainly kind of… perplexing! To me, it’s kinda like ‘Lewin defeated it!’, but to Lewin, it’s kinda like ‘everyone supported me so we defeated it together’, right?” (Lyra)

“―That’s exactly what I mean! So let’s stop thanking each other for this matter. As I said at the start, we all secured this victory together.” (Lewin)

When I said that, the four of them looked a bit shy. This weird atmosphere… It kind of reminded me of the time when we first got to know each other, and it made me feel mushy inside. In order to move past this awkward air between us, I started to address the main topic.

“….So there’s actually something I need to talk to you guys about.” (Lewin)

“Eh? Something you need to talk to us about?” (Byrne)

“It’s strange for you to want to talk to us about something. Or rather… I feel like this is probably the first time.” (Lyra)

When I forcefully broached the topic, the air between us became a little tense. Certainly, most of the times I needed to talk to someone about something, I would consult with the grandma first. Since everything would be quickly solved every time I brought up any matter with her, I never really found the opportunity to consult with Kirty or [Iron Gear] about anything.

“…As long as it’s nothing weird, it’s fine.” (Nina)

“Hmm. From everyone else’s point of view, this may sound weird… I’ve decided to leave Grezesta.” (Lewin)

When I told them that, the four of them all looked at me with similar expressions of surprise. Their eyes looked like they were about to fly out of their sockets, and their mouths were hanging open in pure, unbridled astonishment. I could tell the four of them were truly surprised from the bottom of their hearts, as they had probably never imagined that I would ever say such a thing to them.

“W-w-why?! If there’s no reason, I can’t accept this!” (Lyra)

“Y-yeah, that’s right. I’d like to hear the reason too. I didn’t think you would suddenly say such a thing…” (Porta)

“The reason for this is that after the fight with the purple Troll, I realized that I couldn’t go on like this. Along the lines of what we were talking about earlier, it seems that I’ve started to rely too much on everyone else’s power… So in order to allow myself to grow, I’ve decided to leave Grezesta,” I said to the four of them who were still shocked. My explanation was a bit weak, but as they were the people who have been together with me for the past year, I hoped they would be able to understand somewhat.