The Moment I Got Kicked Out, the Hero Went Flying

"Luka. As of today, you're expelled from this party."

I stopped stirring the stew with the ladle.

Leon stood before the corpse of a two-headed troll. Not a single scratch on his armor, and a blue glow still lingered on his holy sword. He looked every bit the victorious Hero.

Content of the speech aside.

"Ah, so this is a same-day wrongful termination?"

"That's right."

"Then do I finish the dinner I was cooking and leave, or should I pack it to go in my stomach?"

Leon's mouth twisted.

"Even at a time like this, all you care about is food. You're worse than a beast!"

Kaya, squatting beside the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pot and snatching bits of meat, covered her mouth. Her shoulders shook — laughter was leaking through.

Seeing that only made Leon's face harden further.

"That's all you're good for, and you know it. Cooking meals, tending the fire, hauling luggage!"

Bram, the tanker, kicked the shield he'd tossed on the ground.

"A talentless freeloader without a single skill! No healing to mend wounds in one go. The second a fight breaks out, you just sit in the back chewing popcorn like some damn parasite. There's no place for you here. Get lost!"

"Hold on a second. Fact-check, please. So who exactly are the parasites here? You guys?"

Bram roared.

"How dare you talk back!"

Crows perched in the two-headed troll's blood puddle startled and took flight.

I glanced around the forest. Fresh claw marks scored the tree bark. The birdsong had thinned compared to earlier.

"Hey, old man. Keep brain-rotting out loud like that and you'll pull aggro — the magic beasts are gonna throw a meetup. Clear out before sundown."

Bram snorted.

"If you're scared, tuck your tail and run off by yourself!"

As it happened, that was exactly what was about to go down.

Aileen wrapped the spear blade she'd been polishing in a cloth.

"I oppose this."

Leon turned.

"I'm the Hero. I've already decided."

"Being the Hero makes you right? I reject this unilateral decision. We're still in the Black Thorn Forest. You're going to throw our supply officer out bare-handed before sunset? Are you short on intelligence, by any chance?"

"We'll just hire a new porter from the city guild!"

Veronica snuffed out the flame dancing on her fingertips and cut in.

"It's three days and nights to the city. What about the meal plan? Who sets up base camp? Who scouts the path?"

"I can handle those menial chores myself."

"You turned the stew into a bland water-flood and still talk a big game, I see."

Leon's eyes flicked to the pot.

The stew had already suffered one flood thanks to the water he'd dumped in earlier. I'd barely salvaged it by adding more potatoes and spices.

Miel gripped the strap of my pack tightly. Then she let go and pushed the bag toward me.

"Luka is… our lifeline."

Her voice was small, but Leon heard it.

"Replacements are a dime a dozen."

Silence fell.

Kaya plucked a second piece of meat from the pot.

"I'm in."

Everyone stared at her.

"You kick Luka out, and starting tonight the Hero himself grabs the ladle, right? Can't wait. Bland water-noodles."

"Is a damn rice cooker really what matters right now?!"

"I haven't even gotten a peek at the Demon King's face, but my stomach starts rioting three times a day demanding food. Peace in my gut is more urgent than slaying the Demon King!"

"You always take that bastard's side."

Leon's voice dropped.

"A useless whelp who can't even swing a sword once, dismantling the party's discipline with that three-inch tongue of his. Has it never occurred to you that you're being stirred up by his wicked mouth?"

Kaya dropped the smile and went cold.

"Ah, so that's the real reason."

"What are you talking about."

"You're kicking Luka out because you're scared people will notice the Hero's vessel is the size of a soy-sauce dish."

Bram's hand settled on his sword hilt.

Aileen's spear tip swung that way just as fast.

I set the ladle down.

"So there's not even a one-percent chance you'll reverse this wrongful termination?"

Leon lifted his chin arrogantly.

"Of course not. Even without trash like you, the Demon King's head is mine."

"Okay. Nice and clean. I like it."

When I didn't cling or beg, Leon actually frowned.

I opened my pack.

I set the kingdom-issued tent, the shared rations, and the spare rope on the ground. The armor-maintenance kit Bram had left with me went on top of his shield.

Lastly, I heaved Leon's bag up and dropped it heavily at his feet.

Thud.

"Did you put a rock in there?!"

"Only the Hero's luxury goods, packed with care. Three bottles of perfume and four spare designer-grade cloaks, all present and accounted for."

Kaya muttered under her breath.

"This isn't a Demon King hunt — this is setting up house. You packed a lot."

Leon lifted the bag. His arm sagged under the weight, but he barely held on.

"Kh…!"

I took only my own things.

One change of clothes. A blanket. A small pot. A cooking knife. A worn map.

And a pouch of seed potatoes and vegetable seeds.

It had been a year since I opened my eyes in this world.

In my previous life, I'd bounced between monthly rentals and dormitories. So once we took down the Demon King and collected the reward, I'd planned to ask for a plot of land.

A place to plant potatoes, roast them when I got hungry, and sleep without asking anyone's permission.

I just hadn't expected to lose my job before the Demon King did.

"If you get on your knees and crawl right now, I might mercifully keep you on as Porter Number One. How about it?"

At Leon's words, I tightened my pack straps.

"You just forced me out, so from now on your luggage is your own ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠muscle's problem. Watch that lower-back disc."

"You'll regret this to your bones!"

"Yes. I pray you manage three square meals a day somewhere with no delivery service."

Bram snorted with a sneer.

"Hmph! As if I'd miss your lousy camp cooking!"

"No, I'm more worried about indigestion than the food."

"What?"

"Starting today, you're scheduled to get beaten like a neighborhood punching bag, so whatever you eat might just sit heavy."

I turned my back.

Aileen reached for my wrist, then stopped. She'd glanced back at the fallen troll and the still-uncleared campsite.

"Luka…!"

"We'll say our goodbyes later. Please clean up the campsite that's about to become a war zone first."

That was enough.

About ten steps out, I shut off every layer of Amplification I'd left running.

My ability boosts the performance of any target I choose.

For the past year, I'd quietly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠raised their strength, recovery, weapons, and techniques without anyone noticing.

Used on an army, it could change a war. Used on a field, it could change a nation's table. If I bragged about it, I'd stop being a comrade and become property.

So I told no one.

And now that we were strangers, there was no reason to keep lending it out.

Something hit the ground behind me with a heavy slap.

"What the hell?! Why is my shield suddenly a lead weight… why is it so heavy…!"

That was Bram.

Leon's bag slammed into the dirt too.

The flame on Veronica's fingertips shrank to a handful. Miel narrowed her eyes toward the forest, and Kaya took a step and slightly bent her knee.

Only Aileen raised her spear at once.

"All hands, combat ready!"

The underbrush split with a violent crash.

An Iron-maned Bear the size of two grown men stacked together came barreling out, kicking a log aside. Between its black fur, a silver mane jutted up like blades.

Even then, a thin smile curled on Leon's face.

"Burn this into your memory, Luka! Your empty spot isn't worth a speck of dust!"

He raised his holy sword.

Blue blade-light came down on the Iron-maned Bear's foreleg. Ordinarily, a single swing would have severed it clean through to the ankle.

CLANG!

All it cut was a few tufts of fur.

The holy sword rebounded.

Leon's wrist snapped backward.

"Huh? Why won't it cu—"

The Iron-maned Bear's forepaw smashed into his side.

BOOM!

The bold laughter that had filled the campsite a moment ago flipped into a scream.

"GYAAAAAH! My ribs!!"

Leon's body shot into the air, spun twice, and slammed back-first into a massive tree before sliding limply down.

"Hhk…!"

Bram tightened his grip on the shield.

"Out of the way! This tanker will personally stop it!"

The Iron-maned Bear's massive bulk crashed in.

The center of the shield caved in like the bottom of a pot.

"Uh…?"

The ground ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠under Bram's feet cracked open, and he went flying through a tent, slamming into a pile of ration sacks.

Whump!

Flour exploded.

Bram, white from head to toe, barely managed to push himself up.

"Aagh! Why is my premium shield crumpled like paper!"

Kaya drew a dagger as she spoke.

"The shield's innocent. What are you gonna do when the guy holding it has trash-tier physique?"

Veronica formed a fireball. The blaze that used to be bigger than a person's torso stopped at the size of a watermelon.

"What? Why is my Fireball this small…?"

Miel's arrow grazed the bear's eye precisely but failed to sink deep.

"M-my bowstring won't pull properly…!"

The panic lasted only a heartbeat.

Aileen deflected the Iron-maned Bear's forepaw with her spear shaft and shouted.

"Don't pull aggro! Extract the tanker and melee first! Veronica, lay smoke on the ground! Miel, suppressing fire on the right eye! Kaya, drag those two human disasters over here and make them do something useful!"

The four of them moved at once.

Veronica's flame burst the dirt. Miel's arrows punched through the dust, and Kaya grabbed the flour-covered Bram by the scruff of the neck.

Aileen would handle the cleanup.

I started walking again.

Behind me, Leon's frantic bellow rang out.

"Heal! Healer! I think a bone shard punctured my lung! Heal me already!!"

Kaya answered while hauling on his arm.

"Oh my, wasn't that the great healer you said you'd recruit in the next city?"

"You crazy bitch, why the hell would you bring that up now!!"

"What? Crazy bitch? Sounds like your head is the one that needs a heal, you absolute moron!"

I let the chaos at my back slide off me and kept walking my own road.

The party members' voices cut off.

How long did I walk?

At the end of the forest path, a fork appeared.

Right led to the royal capital.

On the left stood a half-rotted signboard.

I checked my pouch.

Nowhere near enough to buy a house in the city.

Seeds slept in my bag, and I had the unique trait I'd honed for a full year — Amplification.

Beyond the sign, endless land stretched out.

"Oho, so this is a listing the kingdom itself cut ties with?"

I kicked a stone at my feet into the forest.

Nothing happened.

"Tax-free honey land, is that it."

Good.

I walked into the Forest of Death.