Chapter 5

After Rich was defeated by Narzenia, the battle quickly came to an end. Og was a melee-specialized magical beast and certainly not weak. However, with Rich, the commander and a powerful mage in the rear, now gone, there was no way we would struggle against mere Ogs.

After defeating Og, Narzenia and I continued to explore the lower levels, hunting various magical beasts. During this time, we encountered various traps and magical beasts that mimicked the walls of the labyrinth, but no irregularities like the initial one occurred. Narzenia only sustained minor injuries, and we completed our exploration without any further damage.

A few hours later, we left the labyrinth, feeling only a slight fatigue.

"Actually, if you smile at beings with a certain level of intelligence, you can gather quite a bit of hate."

"I see, so that's why you put on a smile when you're on defense."

"To be honest, I'm not a battle maniac or anything, so smiling is quite tough... But you see, when I'm on defense, I can't attack, so I get ignored, which is a problem..."

As we walked towards the guild, I chatted with Narzenia. It was a peaceful time, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of novelty in this tranquility. In the past, with my previous party, such peaceful moments never existed. Or rather, I was the only one who couldn't participate in the post-labyrinth banter. That's why I wasn't used to such peaceful conversations after the labyrinth.

However, this peace was not unpleasant.

So I naturally smiled...

"But, big brother, with what we've earned, it's quite a substantial amount! So it was worth the effort!"

"...Huh?"

...But the next moment, the words Narzenia said made me replace my smile with a puzzled expression.

I couldn't believe what Narzenia said. The reward I received from Margulus was about one-fourth of what the other party members got. If I did the math, the reward shouldn't have been that high.

"No, it's not that much of a price, right?"

"What? This is enough to buy a house!"

"......Huh?"

So I was left speechless by Narzenia's words.

A few minutes later, I realized that the reward I had been getting from Margulus was less than one-tenth of what the other party members received, and I collapsed on the spot.

"I see... I thought it was strange that you seemed so wealthy..."

"Big brother! Please, cheer up..."

After learning that I had been deceived by Margulus, I couldn't hide my shock for a moment. I understood that I was a defective healer and not at the level Margulus and the others wanted. That's why I had been content with a quarter of the other members' rewards, but I never imagined it was actually less than a tenth.

"Um, thank you. Well, let's head to the guild for now."

"Y-Yes!"

...But there was no point in sulking forever. I thought about this and decided to head to the guild. Being deceived by Margulus was a shock, but the past couldn't be changed. It was better to look forward to how much we could earn now. With this in mind, I decided to head to the Adventurer's Guild.

"!"

"Oh!"

...But when I arrived at the Adventurer's Guild and saw a certain person, my mood sank even further.

◇◆◇

In front of me, standing at the reception desk, was a beautiful receptionist. ...But I didn't like her. So I quickly placed the materials I had collected, mainly magic stones, in front of her to leave as soon as possible.

"Oh, I thought you were kicked out of Lightning Sword, but you found a new host so quickly."

...But the receptionist ignored my inner thoughts and spoke to me, her words filled with mockery.

"These are lower-level magic stones, and these are also from the lower levels? You really have a talent for finding hosts. Of course, your healing magic is terrible!"

"Parasitism" refers to a weak person joining a strong party to receive disproportionate rewards. ...Of course, I wasn't parasitizing Narzenia this time. But I had no intention of telling the receptionist this, knowing that no one would believe me. That's who I am. Everyone mocks me and refuses to acknowledge my existence, no matter how hard I try. ...So, despite feeling humiliated in front of Narzenia, I tried to suppress my emotions and get through this as usual.

"Hmm. If you say that, I'll stop exchanging them here!"

- But at that moment, a voice filled with anger rang out.

"Is that so? You don't trust big brother that much. Then it's fine. We'll sell the materials elsewhere! Yes! We will do that!"

The voice belonged to an enraged Narzenia. The receptionist, taken aback by her words, which were laced with hostility, was speechless.

"Wait! Selling elsewhere is troublesome! Besides, I'm trying to help the noble lady who has been deceived by this parasite..."

But the next moment, the receptionist, her face pale, tried to stop Narzenia with all her words. The Adventurer's Guild profits from reselling materials obtained by adventurers, so they must have wanted these lower-level materials at all costs.

"I have no intention of selling to a place that insults my party members!"

"!"

But Narzenia cut off the receptionist's words and walked towards the exit, leaving the stunned receptionist behind. I, who had been staring at her in shock, regained my senses and ran after Narzenia as she left the guild.

◇◆◇

"I'm sorry, big brother! I decided to sell the materials without consulting you..."

After leaving the guild, I apologized to Narzenia. Her face, which had been red with anger, was now pale, and she looked genuinely remorseful.

"It's not a problem at all."

But I wasn't angry with Narzenia at all. Selling materials outside the Adventurer's Guild was indeed a hassle, but I was so grateful to Narzenia that it didn't matter.

"But..."

"Thank you so much, Narzenia."

So, to express my gratitude, I interrupted Narzenia, who was about to say something, and thanked her.

"Huh! No, that's not..."

Narzenia's face turned slightly red, perhaps from embarrassment, but she then looked at me and smiled.

"See, we're a party! You can always rely on me, big brother!"

Seeing Narzenia's smile, I smiled too. Strangely, even though I had been in a party before, I felt as if I had just gained a party for the first time. But this wasn't an unpleasant feeling, and I spoke to Narzenia.

"Sure. Narzenia, let's work together from now on."

"Yes! I look forward to it too!"

From that day on, I began to affirm my existence. No, that's not quite accurate.

- What I gained that day was not confidence in myself, but the presence of a companion who recognized me accurately.