Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Reason for Distrust (5)
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"Got it."
Kalt nodded with a soft smile at Scarlet's condition.
"So, what should I tell you?"
"...Tell me the real reason."
"The real reason?"
"Why you left that famous Mabel Party."
Scarlet had seen for herself just how capable Kalt was, even if it had only been a few days.
Her own party, the Nellis Party, might be mocked as the Slacker Party and stuck at a low level, but Scarlet didn't think her judgment was low-caliber too.
That made it all the more incomprehensible.
The Mabel Party had judged the Kalt standing right in front of her as 'not up to par' and kicked him out?
'Does that even make sense?'
Sure, at first, they only properly remembered three names from the Mabel Party: the Fastest Hero Mabel, the Storm Witch Ianna, and the Nun of Compassion Marti.
But that was only for parties they weren't in.
For their own party, the Mabel Party would know full well how capable Kalt was.
Unless Kalt was just dead weight who couldn't carry his own load or fulfill his role.
But he was skilled enough to wield Mana Blade, could cook, and even handle his comrades' mental care.
Anyone who'd partied with him for even a day or two would see how capable he was.
Yet they called a talent like that 'not good enough'?
At first, she'd bought the idea that the Mabel Party's standards were just that high, but not anymore.
However.
"Real reason or not, I didn't leave—they kicked me out."
"No way! Don't lie! Does it make any sense to kick out someone as capable as you for lack of skill?!"
"Yeah, exactly. I thought the same. It's not arrogance. Haha, when they first called me 'not up to par,' I was floored. Haha, really..."
Kalt kept his smile, but he couldn't control the irritation and anger creeping into his voice.
"Those stupid bitches..."
"!?"
It was a tone from Kalt she'd never heard before.
Not the loud shout of extreme rage, but the low, seething growl of someone chewing on their fury.
"After all I did for them..."
"K-Kalt?"
"They act like my taking care of them was a given, treating me like dirt. Ahh, those airheaded bitches, really..."
His clenched fist trembled with a grinding of teeth.
'I-It was real?'
Scarlet's eyes widened. Kalt's reaction didn't feel fake at all.
A raw aura of fury radiated from him, the kind you didn't dare touch.
"R-Right. It was real. I misspoke. Sorry."
"Ah."
Only after Scarlet apologized did Kalt realize he'd lost control of his anger.
"Sorry, Scarlet. When I think back on it, I can't help getting emotional."
"...You're human too, huh. I get it."
Though anger had welled up unbidden, Kalt decided this situation wasn't so bad.
Seeing him furious had wiped away some of her wariness, replacing it with a sense of kinship.
In that case.
'If I draw out a bit more empathy...'
"Scarlet, you might not care, but... want to hear my story? It's about my past, but still."
"Sure. It'll help me understand who you are."
Kalt started with a topic sure to pique her interest.
"First off, I'm from the same village as Mabel. Childhood friends, you could say."
"Hm, so that's why a guy like you stuck with the Mabel Party until recently."
"Yeah, pretty much. Ianna and Marti joined us midway through our travels."
"What were you like as a kid?"
"What was I like? Just a normal kid. But my parents were the best to me. They loved me."
That love had shaped the Kalt he was today.
But Scarlet wasn't moved by his words.
"Sounds like you were loved growing up."
"Yeah. But... that love didn't last."
"What? Did things go sour? Your parents say they didn't need a kid like you?"
"No, they died of a plague."
"Ah... Sorry."
"It's fine."
'Family relations must've been rough.'
Kalt observed Scarlet's reactions as he spoke.
Her jumping to that example suggested she'd been treated that way by her own family.
"After my parents died, I lived with Mabel. We were neighbors, so her folks—her mom and dad—took me in. Grew up together after that. Mabel was... greedy, scatterbrained, a total troublemaker. Really... she was a handful."
"The Fastest Hero Mabel?"
From her exploits alone, Scarlet had assumed the most talked-about hero had the personality to match.
But the Mabel from Kalt's mouth was something else entirely.
"Yeah. Her personality hasn't changed much. And she's surprisingly timid too. Back in our Slacker Party days, I was seriously worried about what to do with her."
"I see. ...So why'd you adventure with the Fastest Hero? Was being an adventurer your dream?"
"Nah, it wasn't my dream. But when Mabel awakened as a hero and had to set out, her parents begged me. 'Please take care of her.' They knew her personality and habits, so they were uneasy sending her alone. I agreed. I'd owed them so much already."
Kalt continued reminiscing.
"I did everything I could. Learned all the essentials for traveling, tried to make her pull her weight during Slacker Party days. Once she overcame her weaknesses, I focused on building my own skills. You know Mabel's the Fastest Hero, right? To keep up, I had to get faster and stronger too. Otherwise, she'd charge ahead alone and get hurt from letting her guard down. That's how I ended up mastering Mana Blade."
Kalt uncurled his fingers one by one from his fist.
"Beyond that, I'd brew tonics for big requests so we wouldn't run out of steam, cook her favorite meals to cheer her up when she was down, nag her into training instead of relying on her Blessing, brush her hair when she got lazy about it..."
'...Isn't that a nanny?'
From what Kalt listed, he'd been nothing less than Mabel's minder.
"Yeah, I looked after her a ton. Ianna and Marti too, to some extent. Haha. Saying it all out loud, I realize how much I did for them. And yet... those bitches... Hah."
Kalt pressed his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
"Suddenly, they tell me I'm not needed anymore and to get out. Mabel said it, but the other two just stood there silent. Same as agreeing. So I left."
Having heard Kalt out, Scarlet was dumbfounded.
She even felt anger on his behalf, empathizing with his plight.
"Does that make sense? No, where do they get off saying you're not needed? Are they insane?"
"Haha, that's exactly how I felt. When I called bullshit, they accused me of denying reality."
"How could they say that...!"
A scenario flashed in Scarlet's mind.
Betrayal.
To make room for new members, the Mabel Party betraying the devoted Kalt to bring in fresh blood.
"Did they have new members lined up?"
"Nope. The same day they kicked me out, they posted a recruitment notice and went off on requests without me."
"What!?"
Her predicted story shattered instantly.
Scarlet grew even more confused, her head spinning.
Fine, say they cut Kalt loose.
Shouldn't they at least have a replacement ready before continuing operations?
And not just anyone, but replacing someone they'd basically babied?
"Wh-What were the Mabel Party even thinking?"
"Beats me."
'Those airheads probably weren't thinking at all.'
Kalt smirked inwardly, watching Scarlet clutch her head in bewilderment.
'She's totally immersed in my story. Got her empathy, and her guard's way down from when she first came in.'
This was enough. He might not hear the direct cause, but he could learn about her past.
And from there, zero in on her issues, Kalt figured.
"Anyway, that's my story. Satisfied?"
"Uh... yeah."
"Good. If I go on, it's just more about how I slaved away for them back then. Want more?"
"No need. You don't have to spell it all out."
Scarlet recalled the anger Kalt had let slip.
Push further, and that seething voice and aura would spill out again.
"Got it. Your turn now, Scarlet."
"What?"
"You said equivalent exchange. I shared mine. Now... tell me about you, Scarlet. Who are you? What's your problem?"
"..."
Scarlet fell silent, thinking it over.
Should she tell Kalt her issues now?
But the answer was already set.
She'd proposed equivalent exchange herself.
And from what she could tell, Kalt hadn't lied.
Unlike her, but still... he was someone betrayed by comrades, harboring intense anger over it.
'This guy might...'
Understand her rage and despair even deeper.
"Alright."
Scarlet broke the silence and met Kalt's eyes.
"I'll tell you."
Scarlet.
No.
Scarlet Burnings' story unfolded before Kalt.