Chapter 33

"………Rau, there's something I need to tell you."

"…………Why are you here?"

It was two days after the battle with the Wolf of Calamity that I, Rau, was suddenly spoken to by Margus, the leader of the Lightning Sword party, which Rau had been a part of.

Margus and the others seemed to have been waiting at the Adventurer's Guild, appearing right after Narsena vanished.

Today, Narsena and I came to the Adventurer's Guild to handle the aftermath of the Wolf of Calamity incident, and I felt a sense of relief after finally finishing the troublesome tasks.

...However, the sight of Margus and the others made that feeling disappear, and I couldn't help but contort my face.

I knew that two days ago, the Lightning Sword had been stripped of all the privileges granted to top-tier parties by the Guild's direct adventurers, as it had been a topic of gossip in the Guild.

And because of that, I felt a bitter emotion at the sight of Margus and the others again.

When I was in the Lightning Sword, Margus and the others would often lash out violently when they were in a bad mood.

And I thought that might be the reason they had appeared now.

"I'm sorry for everything."

"Really, I'm sorry."

"…………What?"

That's why I was taken aback when Margus and the others suddenly bowed their heads to me. I couldn't hide my shock.

However, Margus and the others didn't notice my reaction and continued speaking with their heads bowed.

"You might already know, but we, the Lightning Sword, have been demoted from top-tier. ...But, we now understand that it was our own doing. After all, we had expelled the person who was the greatest contributor to our party."

"…Really, I'm sorry, Rau. We didn't realize how much you had worked for our party."

Their words of apology left me stunned. After all, everything they said was what I had been seeking all along.

...But because of that, I couldn't help but feel a sense of distrust towards Margus and the others for saying such convenient things.

"…I might feel ashamed to show my face, but there's something I need to tell you. You are being targeted by other adventurers because you defeated the Wolf of Calamity! ...So, to protect you, would you consider rejoining the Lightning Sword?"

"The Lightning Sword is no longer a top-tier party, but we are still somewhat well-known. If Rau joins the Lightning Sword, adventurers might hesitate to attack, and if they do, we can fight together."

"Ah, thank you."

But seeing Margus and Sabelia's genuinely worried expressions, I thanked them. I didn't completely dismiss my distrust, but I judged that they were not my enemies at the moment.

"But I have a reliable companion now. So, you don't need to worry so much."

"……What?"

However, I had no intention of rejoining the Lightning Sword, regardless of whether Margus and the others harbored hostility or not.

...After all, I didn't consider the adventurers who were trying to attack us a threat.

Narsena and I had realized that some adventurers were planning to attack us, either out of fear of retaliation for defeating the Wolf of Calamity or because they couldn't accept that someone they deemed flawed had such strength.

But those adventurers were no match for Narsena and me. It wasn't just confidence; it was certainty.

Therefore, I had no intention or need to accept Margus's proposal.

"Wait a minute."

"Hm?"

...But for some reason, Margus and the others turned pale at my words, trying to reassure them. The next moment, they spoke to me with a panicked look.

"Rau, your party member is definitely just using you. I'm not saying this to be mean. Break up the party and rejoin the Lightning Sword immediately..."

"Huh?"

Margus desperately tried to persuade me to return to the Lightning Sword. ...But his words only backfired.

After all, his words turned my distrust into clear hostility.

"R-Rau?"

Noticing the change in my demeanor, Margus turned pale. It was an impossible scene given our past relationship. But to me, it was just a trivial matter. Driven by anger, I spoke to Margus.

"I don't consider the Lightning Sword my enemy."

"Then..."

Hope appeared on Margus's face at my words.

"My companion is only Narsena. If you oppose her, I will destroy the Lightning Sword."

"!"

But I coldly stared at him and spat out those words. With that, I left the Adventurer's Guild, and Margus and the others did not follow me...

◇◆◇

"Big brother has been treating me better ever since the Wolf of Calamity incident..."

When big brother showed his anger to Margus, I, Narsena, watched from the shadows, my face slightly flushed. Lately, it wasn't just my imagination; big brother had clearly become kinder to me, and I felt my affection for him growing.

"What are you doing, Margus! Hurry up and chase after Rau!"

"H-Hold on. He's acting different from usual..."

"It's fine if we're not top-tier anymore!"

"Chase after him, you say..."

...That's why I couldn't hide my anger when I saw the two of them talking about using big brother. After confirming that big brother had left the guild, I spoke up.

"What do you mean, break up the party? You're the ones trying to use big brother, right?"

"Ah? What do you want? We're busy right now... Oh."

My sudden words made Margus turn to glare at me. But the next moment, his face relaxed into a lecherous expression when he saw me.

"Disgusting."

"Gaah!"

...And the next moment, I felt a surge of disgust and knocked Margus unconscious with a single blow.

"……What?"

Sabelia's face showed shock at the sudden turn of events, and she looked to the guild staff for help. But the guild staff acted as if nothing had happened and ignored us. In fact, they acted as if they couldn't see the Lightning Sword or me at all.

After all, the moment Margus and the others noticed big brother, I had arranged things with the guild staff to create this situation.

"!"

Seeing the guild staff's reaction, Sabelia tried to run away.

"Stop right there!"

"Ah!"

But I grabbed her by the clothes and forcibly held her back. Then, I whispered in her ear.

"Big brother is soft on you because you were in the same party. But I'm different."

"!"

Sabelia's face turned pale at my small but threatening voice. Big brother is grateful for being accepted into the party and is quite lenient towards the Lightning Sword. He might even forgive the way he was treated.

But I am different. I know that the Lightning Sword tried to use and discard big brother. I couldn't stand by and watch them try to use him again.

"If any trouble arises, it will be a burden on big brother. I'll let you off this time, but there won't be a next time. If you try to use or deceive big brother again, I won't show mercy."

"I, I understand!"

Sabelia's face turned pale, and she nodded repeatedly, tears welling in her eyes. I was certain that I had instilled fear in her. Satisfied with her reaction, I released Sabelia and pointed at Margus.

"Tell him the same thing. There won't be a next time."

With that, I walked back to where big brother was...