* * *

“You idiot!”

“I didn’t mean to! Sometimes situations just… escalate like that.”

“Enough. Get lost. If you’re going to die, do it alone!”

Cold-hearted bastard.

Telling me to leave, only to storm off himself.

The way he bolted to avoid being associated with me was almost insulting.

I threw myself at his legs.

“I don’t want to die! Let’s die together!”

“Why should I? Let go of me!”

“We’re a team! We live together, and we die together!”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!”

For reference, frostworms are made of ice and melt if you fry them.

After messing with Vasco for a while, I felt a bit better.

Sure, my clothes were dirty from rolling around, but who cares?

Adventurers’ clothes aren’t supposed to be spotless anyway.

Well, except for the hero’s.

The hero… the hero isn’t your ordinary adventurer, so he’s in a league of his own.

Half-joking and half-serious, Vasco, who had been playing the role of a villain abandoning a poor, sick man, lowered his voice.

“You… you were joking when you said all that stuff about harassment, right?”

Oh, how adorable.

He still has hope.

“No.”

“You crazy bastard.”

Vasco’s face twisted in a mix of shock and disgust.

“Look, no matter how much someone might hate being sick, choosing that kind of suicide method is just plain wrong!”

“…”

Scratch that.

Calling him heartless earlier? I take it back.

You’re genuinely kind.

A little dumb, sure, but it’s part of your charm.

“Hurry up and apologize, got it? Huh? You understand, right?”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What the hell are you laughing at? You’re going to apologize, aren’t you? Well? Answer me!”

“I will.”

Even amidst all this chaos, apologizing was definitely the right thing to do.

I mean, I already tried earlier, but it was more of a reckless apology barrage without even checking how the hero was reacting.

After giving my back a few pats and telling me to speak up if I felt unwell, Vasco left.

‘Should I apologize again?’

The hero is terrifying, so let’s tackle the easier apology first.

I tossed another log into the campfire and cautiously approached Naike, who was tending to it.

“Naike… are you okay?”

“Oh, Raul. Are you okay? You didn’t look so good earlier.”

Naike welcomed me with a gentle smile, completely unbothered by the embarrassment he’d suffered earlier with the hero.

His kindness hadn’t wavered one bit.

He’s got such a great personality.

If Vasco is the type to confront someone head-on to clear the air, then Naike is the type to wait until things naturally recover.

“I’m fine. I just felt a bit down because I felt bad for you!”

“Oh my, feeling bad? Did you do something wrong to me?”

His wide-eyed, innocent look seemed genuinely puzzled.

“I insisted you’d be fine coming along, but you weren’t, were you? And then Zerbin gave you a hard time for no reason.”

Naike chuckled softly.

“I had a feeling it would turn out that way. I’m not as sociable as you are, after all.”

“You? Not sociable?”

With such a good-natured personality?

“To get close to people who are difficult to approach, you need more than basic social skills. You also need a certain level of audacity.”

Naike spoke with a faint hint of melancholy.

Spotting a slime nearby, he slammed his fist into it, instantly reducing it to bits that he threw into the fire to dry.

Slime doesn’t have much nutritional value, but it’s harmless and tastes decent sprinkled with sugar—chewy like jelly.

“If it were you, Raul, even if someone told you to buzz off, you’d keep chatting them up like it was nothing, wouldn’t you?”

Well, that’s true.

When the hero said he wasn’t even planning to remember my name when we first met, I still struck up conversations.

Even when he ignored me and went to the temple on his own, I doggedly stuck around.

“‘Come on, we just met. Isn’t it basic manners to introduce yourself?’ That’s totally something you’d say.”

But that was because I had a mission to save the world.

Honestly, when I thought the hero hated me, I avoided him on purpose.

Not that I can just admit that!

“But I could never approach someone who outright refused to talk to me. It’d feel like I was imposing on them, and I’d feel bad.”

He’s right.

For someone who values solitude, forcing them into company, claiming they’d enjoy it, would definitely be annoying.

If no matter what you do, you’re just a nuisance, there’s no point in trying.

Especially for a kind-hearted person who hates inconveniencing others.

“And Zerbin… he’s kind of intimidating.”

Is it just verbal reprimands?

The sheer pressure he exudes is no joke.

Even I, who’ve gotten used to it, feel overwhelmed, so someone new to him must be outright terrified.

This is just how people are wired, and you can’t force someone to change.

I thought Naike’s warmth might soften the hero’s defenses, but it was a massive failure.

Maybe next time I should bring someone with a bolder personality.

Someone who wouldn’t hesitate to talk to the hero, even if he says he doesn’t like it.

“Still, I’m the one who wanted to travel with Zerbin in the first place, so you don’t need to feel bad about it.”

Anyway, Naike is really one of the good ones.

A truly indispensable person for this world!

This time, I’ll make sure…

Make sure to—

Ugh, let’s do our best.

---

I eventually apologized to the hero as well.

Far more calmly than before.

“Sorry. I was caught off guard by your misunderstanding, so I said that. Whatever you were thinking, please forget about it.”

“…”

“I’m not some trash who rates his comrades’ bodies. I absolutely didn’t mean it that way. Really.”

Hoping he could sense my sincerity.

“…”

Can’t he just say something?

My embarrassment was making my face flush, and I probably looked even more suspicious.

I ended up covering my face.

There was a faint sound like air escaping.

What the—?

Before I could dwell on it,

“Fine.”

I immediately dropped my hands.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Same word, but I’ll take it!

The hero’s expression was composed, not looking at me like I was some degenerate.

Finally, relief washed over me.

I smiled broadly.

“Thank you! For understanding!”

“Let’s go.”

Even though his next words were about not wasting time, I was just relieved.

With a lighter heart, we rode to our destination.

---

We arrived at Cheps.

A dark night, a forest trail.

Tethering the horses far away, we approached a spot where we sensed movement.

Even from a distance, it was clear a large group was on the move.

Black magicians.

From the tallest tree, I could see better.

The dense forest, where even moonlight struggled to seep through, was the perfect place for clandestine activity.

For them—and for us.

I signaled Naike with a glance.

She responded with a cheerful smile before leaping down.

The ground where she landed caved in, and the escape route below turned into chaos.

“Who’s there?”

“There’s been a leak!”

“Everyone, don’t panic! We outnumber them—ugh.”

Oh no, it’d be a real problem if they calmed down now.

My well-honed dagger flew straight into the neck of the one speaking.

Behind me, Vasco whistled sharply.

“Shadow Claw.”

“Wow.”

It’s been ages since I heard that nickname!

That must’ve been meant to embarrass him, but it only made me laugh.

Vasco probably had some equally silly nickname, but I couldn’t remember it.

Something about being ghostly because of his unassuming presence.

I’ll have to bring it up later to tease him.

For now, I stifled my laughter.

It’s looting time.

I jumped down into the mud below.

One dagger, two, three.

Each enchanted blade hit its mark and returned to my hand.

I dashed forward again.

“Ahhh!”

“Damn it, too fast—!”

“Catch that woman!”

“Where are the attacks coming from?”

When Naike launches the ambush to distract the dark mages, Vasco and I will take care of neutralizing the key members.

I’ve fought alongside Naike numerous times during the war, so working together feels second nature.

As for Vasco… I couldn’t even remember when we’d fought together, but he adjusted himself perfectly.

Gratefully so.

“Let’s go!”

As planned, we took everything valuable we could find.

But as soon as I raised my voice, the dark mages locked onto our position, and their attacks came flying in.

Swirling black shadows condensed into orbs and hurtled toward us.

They were fast—but not faster than me.

No matter how many attacks they launched, as long as they didn’t touch my skin, I was fine.

I was confident in dodging such strikes.

Not a single scratch.

However, the Hero ended up doing… nothing.

He just stood behind the tree we initially hid behind, silently watching us.

He really came just because of me, didn’t he…?

How do I even repay such kindness?

All I ever do is ramble about his chest or something.

I should figure out what food he likes and bring it to him.

For now, that’s the only way I can think of to settle the debt.

‘…Ah.’

Suddenly, my vision went black.

A dying dark mage, eyes brimming with malice, was approaching the Hero.

* * *