Chapter 6

This is from Narusena's perspective!

"Phew, I'm so tired..."

I wonder if it's a bit sloppy for a girl to act like this, but with the fatigue accumulated in my body, I couldn't resist and collapsed onto the bed in my room with a lazy sigh. It's already late at night, as I returned after having dinner with my brother after exchanging the materials from the lower levels. Thanks to my brother's acquaintance, the exchange was completed in a shorter time compared to other places, but it still took some time. As a result, even though I wasn't that tired when I returned from the dungeon, I'm now completely exhausted.

"Hehe. Brother was smiling so much..."

Despite being this tired, I still wore a satisfied smile. Indeed, today was a day full of events, but Brother seemed happy in some way.

"Hehe!"

—If it wasn't just my imagination, I felt he was happy that I joined the party.

Thinking about this, I excitedly kicked my legs on the bed. My lips were curved into a smile, and the fatigue I felt was temporarily forgotten.

For me, it was such a joy to see Brother happy about something I did.

Especially since I had always thought I might not be necessary to Brother.

At first, I came with the intention of protecting Brother. Yes, I believed I was stronger than Brother.

"Brother was really, really strong..."

...But, that was a misunderstanding. Brother was performing far better in the dungeon than I could ever compare.

It was a growth that far exceeded what I had seen before...

◇◆◇

Actually, this wasn't the first time I met Brother. Although I doubt Brother remembers from today's events, I was once saved by him. And that scene is still vivid in my mind.

Even though he was in a terrible state and didn't have the strength to be called strong, Brother fought desperately to protect me.

The basic healing magic is not a particularly convenient spell. After all, it only enhances the healing ability of the person it's cast on, and it's not a combat spell. The *Heal* spell is more of a comfort to speed up the healing of minor injuries after a battle.

But, despite only being able to use such a spell, Brother fought desperately against the monsters. When I saw that, I made a decision.

Brother, despite being an adventurer, lamented that no one would be his companion. So, I decided to become really strong and join Brother's party. I would protect Brother and receive lots of praise.

So, I worked hard after being saved by Brother that day. I honed my excellent skills through rigorous training and forced my parents to acknowledge me. I also used my family's connections to keep track of Brother's reputation as a defective healer in the guild. ...During my training, I was always worried about Brother's safety.

So, when Brother joined a second-rate party known for fraud, I rushed to his side. Even after that party became top-tier, I trained hard to become an adventurer as quickly as possible because of the poor treatment Brother received.

And because of all this, when I finally became an adventurer, I was overjoyed to hear that Brother had been expelled from that fraudulent party. It felt like fate, and I decided to comfort Brother after his expulsion.

...But, I was stunned to see how much stronger Brother had become.

Brother was unimaginably stronger than the last time we met. No, it wasn't just strength.

His skills in detection, trap removal, knowledge of monster weaknesses, and his healing magic, which I thought he could only use *Heal* for, were all top-notch. He instantly healed my injuries in a moment.

All of these were at a top-tier level. ...And when I saw Brother like this, I became disheartened.

Because I had always intended to protect Brother, but he was much stronger than me, and I realized I had been deluding myself.

With Brother's skills, he could join any party. Yes, he might even be invited to the hero's party. If that happened, I might be someone Brother no longer needed. Thinking about this, I felt like the world went dark.

...But, I knew this was something to celebrate.

Because I knew how hard Brother had worked. So, even if I was told I wasn't needed, I had to celebrate Brother's success, and I kept telling myself this...

—That's why I became furious at the receptionist's attitude.

I know people like that woman. They look down on others they consider beneath them and mock them without any guilt.

I couldn't stand to see Brother, who had worked so hard, being treated poorly by such a person.

So, I stormed out of the guild emotionally and later felt ashamed of my selfish actions.

But, Brother didn't scold me; he even smiled and thanked me.

—And from that moment, Brother started to look happy.

"Hehehe!"

Thinking about that, I can't help but smile lazily again. Even if someone might hear me, I don't care right now.

"But, I wonder why..."

However, a question suddenly came to my mind. It was about the fraudulent party Brother had joined.

"...Why did the previous party expel someone as amazing as Brother?"

The answer to this sudden question didn't come to me, and I quickly forgot about the fraudulent party...

Next time, from the fraudulent party's perspective.

I plan to provide more details about the meaning of the fraudulent party later!