Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Cause of the Slothful Party (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Long ago, the hero who defeated the Demon King used a special power, combining it with his comrades' strengths to bring down the Demon King.
And now, the newly awakened heroes each possess their own unique special powers.
People believed that as signs of the Demon King's revival appeared, the gods had awakened the dormant powers within those who inherited the hero's blood.
They called these powers Blessings.
Among the many current heroes, the one drawing the most attention was the Fastest Hero Mabel Party.
It was the party led by the hero Mabel, who wielded the Blessing of Acceleration that boosted her own speed.
The party's lineup was known to consist of the Fastest Hero Mabel, the Storm Witch Ianna, the Nun of Compassion Marti, and one other male member.
The Mabel Party was currently the object of envy and admiration among other heroes, and the Nellis Party harbored the same jealousy and longing toward them.
But now...
The revelation that the man standing right in front of them had been part of that Mabel Party left them stunned.
'Mr. Kalt was in the Mabel Party!?'
Nellis's mouth hung open in shock, refusing to close.
But Kalt, unfazed by her reaction, turned to the receptionist.
"All the procedures are done, right?"
"Y-Yes? Oh, yes! That's correct! I've recorded the quest acceptance."
Hearing that, Kalt addressed the Nellis Party.
"Procedures are complete, so let's head out for the quest right away."
With a gentle smile, Kalt stepped out of the guild, and the Nellis Party snapped to their senses, hurrying after him.
"W-Wait a second! Hold on just a minute!"
As they exited the guild, Scarlet stopped Kalt in his tracks.
"What's the matter?"
"What's the matter...? I mean, come on. Who the hell are you? What are you even doing here?"
Yesterday, she'd eyed him suspiciously, but now her gaze mixed confusion and bewilderment.
Kalt suppressed a chuckle at the difference, holding back with sheer patience.
"I'm in the middle of getting my skills verified so I can join your party."
"That's not what I mean! Why would someone from the Mabel Party want to join our party!? What's so great about us!?"
Nellis and Aria said nothing, but their stares showed they shared Scarlet's sentiments.
Watching their reactions, Kalt once again felt how much the Mabel Party had grown and shone, earning such responses from other hero parties.
At the same time, his gut boiled with resentment toward the Mabel Party's ingratitude, despite how famous he'd made them.
But reining in his patience once more, he kept it off his face and said,
"Everyone, let's head out of the village first to tackle the quest."
"You're just dodging the question?"
"No. I'm just saying we should be efficient. I already told you, right? I'll explain why I left my previous party on the way to the quest."
I'll tell you what you're all curious about while we move.
With that, Kalt walked toward the village outskirts again, and the Nellis Party followed behind.
Once outside the village, Kalt spoke up.
"Nellis, would you take the lead?"
"Me?"
"Since I'm trusting you all and heading out right away. I still don't even know where the kobolds mostly hang out."
Normally, for a first-time quest in unfamiliar territory, he'd research inside the guild before leaving.
But knowing the Nellis Party had done this kobold extermination quest multiple times, Kalt planned to let them guide the way.
They'd simply assumed, from how confidently he'd led them out like he knew the area, that he was familiar with the surroundings just like them.
"Ah, got it!"
Understanding his intent, Nellis quickly moved to Kalt's side and started walking.
"Follow me."
"Sure."
Kalt positioned himself beside Nellis, keeping an eye on Scarlet and Aria at the rear for safety.
'No monster presence around yet...'
"Truth is, it wasn't for any grand reason that I left the Mabel Party."
""...!""
Finally, Kalt brought up the Mabel Party, and the Nellis crew focused intently on his words.
"According to them, I just wasn't cutting it anymore, so they kicked me out."
To Kalt, it was laughable nonsense.
"Not cutting it?"
"They said I couldn't keep up with the party anymore, so it was time for me to go."
Hearing the reason from Kalt's mouth, the Nellis Party didn't outright refute it as absurd.
Rumors had it the Mabel Party was skyrocketing in growth right now.
It was entirely plausible for one member to lag behind in a party that was performing so spectacularly.
In other words, Kalt had been booted from the Mabel Party for lack of skill.
Sympathy welled up in Nellis, Scarlet, and Aria for him.
But even with that pity, Scarlet still had one thing she couldn't wrap her head around.
"Okay, Mr. Kalt, but then why try to join our party?"
This time, it was Nellis walking beside him who asked.
"No particular reason. Most parties recruiting new members just weren't a good fit for me."
"Not a good fit for you?"
He'd been booted, sure, but he'd stuck with the Mabel Party up until now?
That doubt was cleared up by Kalt's next words.
"Yeah, as you can see, I'm a vanguard, so I can't join parties looking for healers or ranged attackers. Sure, some wanted a vanguard... but they all had members with rotten attitudes despite decent skills. When you're joining a new party, don't you want to get along well with everyone?"
"Ah~ Makes sense? Wait, does that mean our party's reputation for being nice and good people got around?"
"No, I only knew the name and the roles needed."
"Ugh."
"Plus, I heard you were the Slothful Party."
"Eek!"
They'd known he knew, but his blunt honesty deflated Nellis's spirits anew.
"Th-Then... why would you want to join the Slothful Party, knowing that?"
Kalt had been waiting for that question.
He'd drill hierarchy into them later, but for now, leaving a good first impression made everything smoother.
He was certain his answer right here would win them over.
"Because you remind me of them."
"Remind you? Who?"
"You and the Mabel Party."
His words left question marks popping up in the Nellis Party's heads all at once.
They resembled the Mabel Party?
The currently rampaging powerhouse party...
And their own Slothful Party?
Already anticipating their puzzled reactions, Kalt followed up immediately.
"You know this? The Mabel Party used to be a Slothful Party too."
"What? The Mabel Party was slothful? No way!"
"It's true. At first, none of them could see a path to getting stronger. Haha!"
Kalt burst into laughter, but in truth, recalling those days gave him a headache.
'I tried letting them overcome it on their own without hypnosis, but they were so hopeless I had to use it.'
"Couldn't see a path..."
"The Mabel Party..."
Even as Kalt stated it confidently, Nellis, Scarlet, and Aria struggled to believe it.
They half-wondered if he was just pitying their situation and making up lies to motivate them.
"Mabel wasn't strong from the start either. They had problems, overcame them, and that's how they got famous."
Of course, those problems were resurfacing now.
"But until they solved them, they could only flounder at a low level. Same for Ianna and Marti. That's why I think your situation now is similar to back then with them."
So he'd come to them first.
The Nellis Party was still skeptical of Kalt's words.
And rightly so—even if the Mabel Party had a slothful phase like theirs, their issues must've been far easier to overcome.
Of course, Kalt could read their thoughts like an open book.
"But just because you're similar to the old Mabel Party doesn't mean you're exactly the same. So this quest is a chance for me to check too. To see if you're hidden gems with sleeping talent like they were."
If they were gems, great.
If not, he'd still raise their skills as far as possible.
Originally, this quest was meant to test if Kalt meshed with the Nellis Party.
But now that they knew who he was, they all thought the same:
This was a quest where they were being tested by Kalt.
"W-We’ll do our best!"
"Don’t get too tense. Like I said, ultimately, I’m the one who wants to join your party. Oh."
Kalt’s honed senses from his Mabel Party days picked up a monster’s presence.
"Perfect timing."
The Nellis Party noticed it too, right after him.
From the bushes emerged three bipedal wolf-like monsters with brown fur and razor-sharp claws.
Kobolds.
Kalt drew his sword and assumed position.
"Looking forward to working with you all. Let’s combine our strength and take down the monsters."
The time had come to assess the Nellis Party’s skills—and their flaws.