Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Following My Desires (1)
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"Hey, what did you just say?"
"What do you mean? I just stated the facts."
Dread, his face slightly flushed from the alcohol, smirked mockingly at Kalt with undisguised contempt.
"I heard the guild posted a notice during the day that the Fastest Hero Mabel Party is looking for a new member. Mabel, Ianna, and Marti were right there. That says it all, doesn't it?"
Dread released Jena's hand and jabbed Kalt's shoulder with his index finger.
He didn't bother hiding his scornful gaze at all.
It was the look one might give a discarded loser.
"They're ditching the dead weight and looking for someone useful, right? You got kicked out, didn't you?"
Having said his piece, Dread cackled loudly and reached for Jena again.
But his hand never reached her wrist.
"Hah... fuck, really. Now even trash like you looks down on me."
Kalt's hand shot out and grabbed Dread's wrist as it stretched toward Jena.
"You oversized amateur."
"What? You got dumped and now you're talking shit?"
Dread immediately glared at Kalt and clenched his other fist.
"I was gonna let it slide out of pity for a reject, but you're asking for it? That goofy-smiling pushover lost his mind after getting dumped?"
He'd always tried to live kindly, smiling at people whenever he interacted with them.
Dread had never liked Kalt to begin with.
It wasn't just that his smiles seemed like showing off how nice he was. The real reason ran deeper.
Dread had been scolded to stop causing trouble for his own party members and learn from Kalt of the Fastest Hero Party.
He hated being compared to anyone, which made him despise Kalt even more. Not just the smiles—every little thing Kalt did grated on him.
"Bullshit."
But Kalt's face right now held none of that good-guy smile.
He was glaring at Dread with the annoyance you'd show an idiot.
Kalt wanted to live kindly, but he wasn't such a pushover that he'd smile at a guy badmouthing him right to his face.
Especially not now, after leaving the party and deciding to live freely by his own rules.
From here on out, Kalt resolved to act honestly on his feelings.
"What the hell does a guy who got shot down by a girl know about it?"
"W-what did you say?"
Kalt decided to poke at Dread first.
"Can't you read the room? It's obvious Jena hates it. Calling that seduction? If you're that big, your brain should be too. Or what, is your head just big and empty?"
"You bastard!"
"Eek!"
Hooked by Kalt's taunt, Dread swung his fist at Kalt in a drunken rage.
Jena, standing nearby, screamed and reflexively covered her face. The onlookers around them imagined Kalt flying back from the punch.
But.
"All that size for nothing."
"Wh-what...!"
"Huh?"
What actually happened was the exact opposite of what they'd expected.
Kalt didn't go flying.
Instead, he'd caught Dread's incoming fist head-on.
"N-no way! A mere errand boy blocking my punch?!"
"Who're you calling an errand boy?"
Apparently, staying quiet had let all sorts of weird rumors spread.
Kalt had never cared much about gossip, but hearing it nonstop from Dread was starting to piss him off.
Kalt handled the party's meals.
Bad food during quests could cause serious issues.
They needed nutritious meals to keep their strength up.
And honestly, the tastes in this world weren't quite to his liking anyway.
He also selected their gear.
Mabel had no eye for equipment and was too gullible.
He carried most of the miscellaneous baggage.
Mostly his own cooking tools and essentials.
Kalt hated entrusting his stuff to others if he could help it.
The only extra was Mabel's gear, which he'd grudgingly carried after her endless whining.
And yet, somehow, that had branded him as the party's pack mule or errand boy in people's minds.
His main role had always been vanguard.
Intercepting monsters Mabel missed in her reckless charges, keeping them from reaching the backline Ianna and Marti.
Or covering the blind spots of the so-called Fastest Hero while syncing perfectly with her.
To do that, he'd trained daily without fail, honing his body. His strength was far from weak.
He knew his efforts better than anyone.
He knew his role better than anyone.
So it was utterly ridiculous that this weakling Dread would dare look down on him.
"Urgh!"
Dread strained with both hands to shake off Kalt's grip.
"Let go! Let go, you errand boy! How dare you—!"
"Hah, still no clue about your place? Your head really is empty."
Kalt released the fist he'd been holding.
Suddenly freed, Dread's arm swung back wide from the momentum.
The drunk, who couldn't even judge the gap in their skills properly, poured strength into the swung-back arm again.
"Raaah!"
And hurled it straight at Kalt's face.
To Kalt, who'd synced with the Fastest Hero Mabel, that punch was laughably slow.
As if to prove it, Kalt clenched his freed hand into a fist and slammed it into Dread's side.
Thwack!
"Guhk!"
The unexpected agony halted his swing mid-motion, his hand instinctively flying to the pained spot.
His breath caught; he couldn't even process what had happened.
"Down from one hit? You think you can pull your weight in a hero party like that?"
Crack! Kalt backhanded Dread's jaw with his palm.
"Uh..."
Dread's legs buckled.
Kalt let go of the wrist he was still holding, and Dread crumpled forward onto the floor.
"D-Dread just went down that easily?"
"What the hell? What happened?"
"Wasn't that guy just a pack mule?"
Whispers of shock rippled through the tavern at the scene unfolding before them.
Kalt was in a foul mood today.
He'd been trying to shake off his irritation when Dread scratched at his nerves, making it worse.
So, having resolved to live by his own desires, Kalt decided not to stop here. He'd punish Dread one more time for ruining his mood.
Crouching down, Kalt reached out to Dread, who hadn't quite lost consciousness yet.
"Uh, ngh..."
Dread's eyes lost focus amid the pain.
Kalt whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
"Hey, from now on, you're a man who can't even get it up. Especially not in front of a woman."
Kalt patted Dread's cheek lightly with his extended hand.
Then, loud enough for everyone around to hear, he added,
"Pathetic. Passed out after a couple hits."
Standing up, Kalt grabbed Dread by the ankle, dragged him out of the tavern, then returned to his seat and resumed eating.
"Um, excuse me, Kalt."
Jena spoke to Kalt as he ate.
"Thank you for helping me."
"No big deal. How's the hand he grabbed?"
"It's fine. I don't even know how to thank you properly."
"No need for that..."
Kalt was about to brush it off.
Then Jena's body caught his eye.
She was the main reason this tavern raked in so much business.
The signboard girl Jena had a decent look by village standards. Shoulder-length brown hair and a cute face.
And breasts—large, ripe fruits that looked utterly delectable to any man.
Most of the male customers came here just to see her.
Kalt usually had his mind on party schedules and logistics.
But now that he'd left Mabel's party and sworn to live a little more true to his desires, Jena appeared right in front of him.
Kalt quickly scanned her up and down, subtle enough that no one else would notice.
Nice figure.
And above all, she'd just shown some favor toward him for the help.
His battle-honed observation skills told him so.
'A little nudge, and she'll fall right into it.'
Reflecting on it, Kalt realized he'd lived far too dutifully.
He'd vowed to live kindly to repay his late parents' grace.
Then spent years repaying Mabel's parents by cleaning up after their wild hero daughter.
And through all that time, he'd never held a woman.
'In my past life, I was at it every damn day.'
Maybe he'd been too harsh on his son in this life.
"Jena."
"Yes, Kalt?"
Kalt extended his hand toward her.
"Uh..."
Confirming her eyes had lost focus, Kalt said,
"After closing, meet me in the back alley. We'll talk about how you can thank me."
"...Yes, Kalt."
As her focus returned, Kalt gave a small smile.
"See you later, then, Jena."
"Pardon? Oh, yes! Later!"