Chapter 210
Chapter 210
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 210
Chapter Title: Joining the Hero Party
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There was nothing I could do after joining the party.
"I'm not helpful at all. You can basically consider my combat power nonexistent."
I said that as an illusion mage, my combat ability was close to zero, and I was no more than a porter who could carry a bit more luggage.
'I'm confident in illusion magic and alchemy, but if it's a real dragon, neither of those two things I mentioned would work.'
A dragon wouldn't fall for my illusion magic, and the few potions made with alchemy wouldn't have much effect either.
Rather, the potions made by Aurora, the head of the Life Magic School, would be far more effective.
'If the dragon had hidden its lair tightly with an illusion magic circle, I might be of some help...'
But if not, there wouldn't be much for me to do.
'This expedition is just to find traces of the dragon and prevent it from rampaging further anyway.'
There was no need to go all the way to the dragon's lair.
We had no reason to provoke the dragon more than necessary.
However.
"Why do you think you're not helpful? The dragon might attack our party with illusion magic, right?"
Niki countered my words.
"I agree. We acknowledge Sir Max's skills. No matter how strong the dragon's illusion magic is, it won't fool Sir Max's eyes. Even if it does catch us, if Sir Max buys us just a little time, the rest of us can handle it."
Yuris added to Niki's opinion.
"Right. We all know Brother's illusion skills."
The saintess Eirin also agreed with everyone.
"I once encountered a dragon in the past, and with an inferior species' skills, you should be able to react sufficiently to the dragon's illusion magic."
Even the high elf Reina joined in.
Four in favor.
It had already exceeded the majority, but I looked at Aurora, the only one who hadn't voiced an opinion.
I pleaded with her using my eyes for help.
But.
"I'll vouch for Max-nim's skills!"
Even Aurora, caught in my implicit signal to unconditionally support me, agreed.
You should be on my side.
In the end, my joining was decided unanimously.
My attempt to somehow oppose it ended in failure.
And at that moment when everyone's conviction burst forth.
...
A strange atmosphere flowed between everyone.
What can I say.
-It was like they were all saying to each other, "How do you know that?"
And so, having joined the hero party, I went along as a porter and rearmost mage.
I struggled even with mounting a horse, which I wasn't used to riding often.
If not for my innate athleticism, I would've wobbled off the horse and failed to depart.
When I couldn't ride properly.
"I'll give you a ride."
Yuris first.
"I'll let you share the hero's horse—a great honor."
Niki.
"It's well-known that elves handle animals well. Even an inferior species like you will feel comfortable; I'll help."
Even Reina offered to let me ride with her.
"Brother, how about the carriage?"
"Max-nim, this spot will be comfortable!"
The two women in the carriage also suggested helping me aboard.
Feeling an instinctive crisis that I couldn't ride with any of them, I hurriedly mounted the horse by myself.
And so, the expedition began.
"Tch."
Disappointed sounds came from here and there.
As I started the expedition on horseback, Niki approached me.
"How is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your feelings on becoming a proud member of the hero party."
A proud member.
I still wondered if I really belonged here.
And you didn't even ask for my opinion.
I swallowed those words below my throat.
"I still can't believe it."
"Hehe, is that so? But Max-nim qualifies. You're that... capable, aren't you?"
Hero, why is your face turning so red?
This makes me anxious.
You're not going to suddenly ask for illusions in the middle of the night, are you?
Niki, smiling, leaned toward me and whispered.
"Don't worry. I won't suddenly visit at night asking for illusion magic."
"..."
How did she know?
"It's all over your face."
"Is it?"
"Yes."
"That's a relief. Knowing the hero isn't the type to do that during an expedition."
"Hehehe."
She flashed a satisfied smile and spurred her horse.
"I'm a hero who knows how to maintain dignity; I can't do that on the first day."
"...Which means."
"It might be different starting from the second day?"
Why did those words sound so terrifying?
I looked at the other guests—no, companions.
They were all customers of our shop.
They gazed at me with faces saying they'd somehow experience illusions no matter what.
Their eyes were filled with desire.
Normally, I'd think of it as a chance to make money, but today was different.
The fact that these companions here could pierce through the walls of the illusions I created and hear the sounds from inside.
Illusions were hard to break from within, but from outside, they crumbled all too easily.
To those not under the spell, illusions stood out.
So, once I started using illusion magic...
'They'd all know. That hero Niki, Goddess of Victory Yuris, high elf Reina, saintess Eirin, and Life Magic School head Aurora are customers of our shop.'
The customer information I'd guarded so carefully would spill out in an instant.
"Niki?"
"Yeah? What's up?"
"It'd be better not to. Even if, illusion magic breaks easily from outside. If I cast it, the other companions will definitely notice."
"Oh, that's why?"
Niki smiled with her eyes.
Her cheeks flushing pink, she tilted her head toward me.
"Don't worry."
"Yes?"
"I'll block it with power strong enough that they can't force their way in."
"Yes?"
"You know? The hero's power can't even be pierced by a saintess's blessing. Unless it's the Demon King."
The hero's power was so cheat-like that even a saintess's blessing couldn't break it?
And she said she wanted to get penetrated by a slime with that power?
My head spun.
But actually, this wasn't even about piercing illusion magic or not.
The moment I used illusion magic, the others would know, right?
They'd know what I was doing.
They'd know what happens inside that illusion magic.
But I couldn't bring myself to say it.
The moment I spoke.
-The saintess did it too?
It would be no different from me revealing the other customers' info to Niki with my own mouth.
In the end, I couldn't say anything.
And the one saying such things wasn't just Niki, the guest—no, companion.
"Ahem, Brother?"
"Yes, Saintess-nim."
"Um... could I visit your tent later for a bit?"
"When?"
"When we camp. There's something I'd like to ask..."
"No way..."
The saintess slightly lifted her saintess robes in secret, pointing to her lower abdomen.
"Please draw the symbol of this unworthy woman here."
Yuris and Reina also approached me, each for different reasons.
"Inferior species! You can expect it, right?"
"I'll come when everyone's asleep."
Why are you all doing this? Seriously.
No.
This is all my doing.
Because I satisfied them all...
'Stupid Max.'
What should I do?
Niki, leading the way toward the dragon subjugation, sensed that the companions looked different from usual.
Reina and Aurora had never traveled or gone on expeditions together, so she wasn't sure about them.
'But Eirin and Yuris are weird.'
The two had gone through dungeons and battlefields together to subjugate the Demon King's army.
And she knew better than anyone how they acted in such situations.
-A saintess must always prioritize cleanliness.
-A knight must set an example.
They always approached expeditions with impeccable neatness and posture.
No matter how big the battle the day before.
Even covered in monster blood.
They never stayed like that for long.
After battle, they always maintained perfect cleanliness.
Yes.
That was the them she knew up to that point.
But.
'A nice smell...'
A fragrant scent piercing her nose.
It was perfume.
The sweet, seductive pheromone fragrance used to tempt men.
She could swear to it.
They had never used such fragrant perfume during expeditions before.
And.
Niki was the same.
"You all don't tell me..."
Niki thought as she looked at the two—no, four others emanating feminine scents.
Perhaps all four women here shared the same goal as her.
Something other than dragon subjugation.
And the other women were starting to do the same.
To them, Niki looked a bit different from the hero they usually saw.
And so, a strange atmosphere unlike the beginning began to flow through the campsite.
"...What should I do?"
Max pondered deeply in the center of the women's encirclement.
Searching for a way not to become a living dildo.
The Ice Mountains, filled with rumors of a dragon's appearance.
Grgrgr.
The few humans living nearby had left.
Even monsters began fleeing in fear of the dragon's presence.
The remaining lifeforms were either crushed unconscious by the overwhelming pressure from the great being or fled in panic.
In the center of such Ice Mountains.
-Fi, finally...
A pure white dragon revealed itself.
Its gleaming white scales withstood the pouring snow and chill as it surveyed the surroundings.
-Hehehehehe.
Confirming nothing around, it began laughing right there.
A chilling laugh.
The white dragon, letting out a eerie laugh that instilled fear in listeners, began to change form.
Fwoosh!
Light emanated from the white dragon's body, and its form gradually shifted.
"Hehehehe."
Transforming into a petite girl with large breasts, the dragon laughed darkly while basking in the falling snow.
"Now I can finally live quietly alone in my home."
Buried in the snow with no sign of life nearby, she let out a pleased sigh.
"So quiet, it's great. Hehehehehe."
From her mouth came laughter utterly devoid of any draconic dignity.