Daphne Epiphone, Part 1

The interview with the first applicant didn't last long. I flipped through the papers and droned out the interview questions in a mechanical voice.

“Do you have any other specialties?”

“Alchemy. I can brew healing potions, too.”

Mary Astrus answered my question with a voice laced with irritation. Her expression practically screamed, Do I really have to answer these kinds of questions? Had she said she was traveling the world after graduating from the Magic Tower? She had red hair, and her face was, of course, beautiful. She was like a rose with thorns—or perhaps a poison-laced rose—a haughty woman who looked like she stepped right out of a comic book. Oh, and she was also the new party member whom Elroy had brought in after kicking out Aryen and Isis in Never Returning Again.

Georg seemed swayed by her apparent skill. After the interview ended, he twitched his thick eyebrows and whispered in my ear.

“Elroy, this mage... her skills don't seem bad. Let's put her on the waiting list for now and—”

“I'm sorry, but we'll have to pass this time. Better luck next time.”

I cut her off without a shred of regret. I could feel Georg's expression rotting beside me in real-time. I even heard him mutter a quiet curse. Well, it couldn't be helped. In the original novel, Never Returning Again, the Hero's party began its descent into rock bottom precisely after recruiting party members with trash personalities. That mage, who was currently muttering under her breath as she left the room at my dismissal, was a villain in the original who ordered Georg around as she pleased while playing the coquette to the Hero to secure an easy ride.

I just saved your life, you bastard.

I snorted inwardly as I looked at Georg, who was glaring at me with a terrifying gaze. I guess his suffering in the original was, to some extent, self-inflicted.

“...You don't listen to a single word I say from the very start.”

“She's only the first one. No need to be so impatient. If we're going to put everyone we see on the waiting list, why are we even holding interviews? Are we trying to build a fifty-man party or something?”

I looked down at the sheet listing the applicants and called for the next one.

“Next applicant, please come in.”

But neither the next applicant nor the one after that made it onto the waiting list. I dismissed them as quickly as flipping through the pages of a boring book. I rejected the ones Georg wanted to keep, and I rejected the ones he wanted to throw out. Among them were adventurers who had become replacement members of the Hero's party in the original, as well as villains who would later block the protagonist's path.

“We'll have to pass this time. Better luck next time.”

I sent the current applicant away in a half-exhausted voice. Georg crossed his arms with a sullen expression and shook his head, looking as if he hadn't expected anything anyway.

“Just what kind of person are you looking for that you've rejected every single applicant so far?”

I put down my pen and stretched.

“Well, none of them fit the bill so far. The skilled ones have glaring flaws, and the ones without flaws don't have the skills to match my standards.”

“You keep saying no one can replace Aryen and Isis, yet your standards have gone through the roof. People are starting to leave the line out of frustration. Are you planning on hiring absolutely no one?”

Georg shook his head as he spoke. Just as he said, some applicants weren't even showing up when their names were called. Not that it mattered; if they were the type to give up that easily, I wouldn't have picked them anyway.

She should be arriving soon.

But then again, if it was that timid girl, she might get swayed by the crowd's mood and turn back. I had already confirmed she was in the queue outside this building, though.

I scanned the applicant list. According to the order, she was up next.

“Next applicant, please come in.”

With a slightly anxious heart, I called for the next applicant. She would come. She had to. I tried my best not to let it show on my face, but cold sweat was trickling down my back, and my heart was pounding wildly against my ribs.

Please, come in. My desperate wish had now shifted to a polite register in my mind. The suffocating tension made every second feel like an hour. But then, sensing someone lingering right outside the door, the corners of my mouth curled upward.

Knock, knock, knock. Along with the sound of knocking, the door opened. Beyond it, I faced a young woman with light pink hair, standing with her hands politely clasped together. She turned her trembling purple eyes toward me. The original Elroy—that trash Hero—would have immediately snapped in irritation at her shivering state, but to me, her cowardly demeanor was the most welcome sight in the world.

“Daphne Epiphone, correct?”

At my question, Daphne nodded repeatedly, her face pale. Suppressing the urge to tell her she was hired on the spot and should start tomorrow, I gestured toward the chair.

“Please, have a seat.”

Daphne nodded again, walked over, and sat down. She stumbled slightly as she walked; she must have been incredibly nervous. I forced the massive grin threatening to break out on my face into a small, polite smile. I gave Daphne plenty of time to catch her breath.

The Hero of Never Returning Again, Elroy, made two fatal mistakes after kicking out the protagonist and Isis. The first mistake was recruiting the wrong people as party members. Mary Astrus, the first interviewee, was a prime example of that.

“What motivated you to apply to our party?”

“Ah, that... well...”

And the second mistake the Hero Elroy made...

“While I do feel a sense of duty to save—no, protect—the world...”

...was not recruiting this person.

“I also wanted to take this opportunity to change myself...”

Daphne Epiphone. A 4th Circle mage. An ill-fated mage who had shut herself away in the Magic Tower to study magic, only to be expelled by a master who envied her talent. She was also the only person in Never Returning Again with the potential to become an 8-Circle Mage, and a character destined to become another one of the protagonist Aryen's heroines. She was the helper who would contribute more than anyone else to Aryen's defeat of the Seven Calamities.

“I... I mustered up the courage to apply.”

Daphne's voice trailed off, shrinking until it sounded like a mouse squeaking. In the original story, she had joined Aryen's party only after being rejected during the Hero's public recruitment. At the time, not only was she rejected, but she also had to endure verbal abuse and insults bordering on personal attacks from the Hero during the interview.

“What aspect of yourself did you want to change, applicant?”

And I had absolutely no intention of making that kind of mistake.

Daphne Epiphone was a coward. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say she lacked resolve, or that she was simply weak-willed. The talent of a great archmage might have been too heavy a burden for a girl who had grown up peacefully in an ordinary household in a rural village.

To her, magic and mana were things that came and went as naturally as breathing. Yet, she hid the fact that she could use magic, hiding it again and again. She had realized that if this truth were ever discovered, she would never be able to live a normal life.

I only wanted to protect my family.

One day, when her village was attacked by monsters, Daphne used her magic to obliterate them. The villagers, practically banishing her, sent her away to the mages of the Magic Tower.

“Just focus on your research.”

The professor who had initially been thrilled to teach her magic began to grow wary of her at some point. Daphne didn't bother to ask why, but she knew. The look in the professor's eyes as he tried to relegate her to a research-only position was exactly the same as the look the villagers had given her.

What made her weaker than anything else was not contempt, but rejection. Daphne belonged nowhere. She only continued to shrink inward. Viewing her own talent as a shackle, she locked it away, deeper and deeper. Her magic, which had been growing rapidly, stagnated, and she could never display her true capabilities in real combat. Consequently, even after graduating from the Magic Tower, Daphne had no choice but to wander aimlessly.

“Daphne, if you're just going to shrink into the background like that, just get lost.”

“What are you so afraid of that you can't even cast a spell and just stand there shivering?”

Men, initially charmed by Daphne's looks, would stay quiet at first, but as her fragile behavior persisted, they would turn on her one by one, venting their frustration. Perhaps, regardless of her skill or attitude, they were simply annoyed that she wouldn't yield to their constant advances.

“You seduced our leader relying on nothing but your face and body, didn't you?”

“If you have that much free time, stop being an adventurer and go to a brothel. They'll welcome you with open arms there.”

And women, driven by jealousy, pushed Daphne into a corner. The rumors spread like mist, reaching far beyond her immediate party to other adventurers. Words pierced Daphne more sharply than any blade, whether they were directed at her face-to-face or whispered as idle gossip over drinks.

Her inability to use magic properly wasn't because she feared monsters. What she feared was herself, and the people who looked at her.

“We accepted you because your credentials looked good, but how on earth did you even graduate from the Magic Tower?”

“Don't ever come looking for our party again. Just go solo.”

She was afraid of belonging somewhere. At the same time, she was tormented by the fact that she couldn't be with anyone. Crushed between fear and misery, Daphne found it hard to even breathe. Days of taking on only simple commissions that anyone could do, resolving them all alone, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dragged on.

Daphne Epiphone was a coward.

It was on a day she had been drinking alone. Daphne pulled her hood low to avoid being recognized and visited the Adventurers' Guild. The guild was noisy as usual, but the clamor was different from the typical chaotic buzz. Every adventurer's gaze was fixed on a flyer posted on the bulletin board. Daphne kept her distance to avoid mingling with them and squinted to see what was written on the flyer.

What caught Daphne's eye was the recruitment notice for the Hero's party.

“Man, it's been a while since the guild was this lively.”

“Well, I don't know how many of the guys staring at that actually meet the qualifications, though.”

While the adventurers who checked the conditions grumbled and walked away one by one, Daphne remained standing, staring at the notice. A white sheet of paper with nothing but the qualifications, interview date, and location, devoid of any further explanation. The Hero party's notice asked nothing of Daphne.

Spurred by the alcohol, Daphne's heart wavered. Could I be with someone again? Just one last time.

The interview was tomorrow. Daphne stared at the notice for a long time as if clinging to it, then quietly left the guild before anyone could notice.

And the next day.

I must be out of my mind.

Daphne's courage had been a limited-time offer that expired that very morning. In the central street of the Royal Capital, dozens of skilled individuals had formed a massive queue. Daphne stared blankly at the adventurers chatting among themselves, her expression overwhelmed. Every single one of them seemed no less capable than her. The resolve she thought she had firmly built up this morning began to crumble.

“...So it's a relief this opportunity came up.”

“I might as well take this chance to see the Hero's face. It'd be even better if the Saintess is there too.”

She didn't dare join that line. Her skills were average or perhaps even inferior compared to theirs, and she was a coward who couldn't even display her full potential. There seemed to be absolutely no reason for the Hero to choose her. Daphne's feet hovered indecisively between the queue and the path back home, but as other people began to line up behind her, she found herself trapped in the queue.

You're crazy, Daphne. Absolutely out of your mind.

Her mind went completely blank. She couldn't think. Amidst a spinning, dizzying field of vision, Daphne was pushed into the building by the other applicants. A few people looked at her with curiosity, while those who knew of her rumors frowned or cast mocking sneers in her direction.

I have to go back. I have to leave.

The anxiety that had been slowly creeping up began to consume her entire body. Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in her panicked state, her ears picked up exactly what was happening inside.

“I'm sorry, but we'll have to pass this time. Better luck next ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time.”

“You have been rejected. Please leave.”

“Thank you for your time. We'll see you next time.”

Rejection, rejection, and more rejection. Daphne's face gradually drained of all color. Yet, her turn was relentlessly drawing near. It won't work out. There's no point ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in staying. A voice whispered inside her, but her body was completely frozen and refused to move. Even as several people gave up and left the waiting area, Daphne sat there, unable to budge.

Why... why aren't you standing up, Daphne?

Daphne couldn't understand herself. Was there still a shred of hope lingering within her, or was she simply so paralyzed by fear that she lacked even the courage to walk out of the building?

“Next applicant, please come in.”

Someone tapped Daphne on the shoulder. Only then did she realize it was her turn. She scrambled to her feet and approached the door. Barely managing to raise her hand, which was trembling too much to even knock, she tapped on the wood and pushed the door open.

“Daphne Epiphone, correct?”

Beyond the open door, the Hero was gazing at Daphne with his deep dark green eyes. It was a look Daphne had never encountered in her entire life.