Chapter 76
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: United Party (2)
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"Alright, let's go together!"
Ateu beamed with joy at Kalt's words, while Scarlet shot him a questioning look.
"Kalt! What are you suddenly talking about?!"
"No, why are we suddenly teaming up with that party?"
"They're heading out to hunt orcs too. We'll end up at the same place anyway."
"Even so, why hunt orcs together?"
'Is he really just trying to mess with me the whole way?'
Scarlet still couldn't shake the image of Kalt smirking at her earlier.
She was 99% sure he'd suggested hunting orcs with Ateu's party just to find more excuses to tease her.
"We can handle orcs just fine on our own."
"Of course we can. But this kind of experience is something you all need. It's a great opportunity."
"What kind of experience?"
Kalt spoke with the same mentoring tone he'd used when imparting wisdom to Nellis's party.
"The experience of fighting in alliance with another hero party."
"We need that...?"
"Of course you do."
Kalt shifted to a more serious tone.
"We're a hero party. A hero party's goal is to defeat the demons and prevent the Demon King's resurrection. Demons can control monsters, and above all, they're incredibly strong—too much for a single hero party to handle."
He didn't mention how Mabel's party had taken down demons without allying with others, since that was an exceptional case.
"So you need to learn how to cooperate with other parties when a powerful enemy appears. Got it?"
"...Got it."
Knowing his reason wasn't to tease her but for their growth left Scarlet with no room to argue.
Kalt turned to Ateu, who had been quietly watching their exchange, and flashed a bright smile.
"Ateu, right?"
"Y-Yeah!"
"Since we've run into another hero party, you wanted to gain some cooperative experience together, yeah?"
Kalt had spoon-fed them the perfect excuse to join.
Ateu wasn't so dense that he missed it.
"Y-Yeah! Exactly! You're sharp, man! You a hero too?"
"No, I'm just the vanguard. Our party's hero is..."
Kalt moved to Nellis's side, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"The Indomitable Hero Nellis right here."
"H-Hi there!"
"Y-Yeah, hi."
As the two heroes exchanged awkward greetings, Kalt moved again, approaching the rest of Ateu's party.
"Looking forward to working with you."
"Sorry about that. Our party's idiot hero just blurted out something dumb..."
"No, joint training is something our party needed too."
"Hoho, you're a truly considerate person. If you don't mind, may I ask your name?"
"Just call me Kalt."
"Kalt... Kalt. That name rings a bell..."
As Takeshin, Ateu Party's priest, pondered, Makbels, the bespectacled mage, widened her eyes and spoke up.
"Kalt... You don't mean the Kalt who split from that Mabel Party, do you?"
"That's right."
Kalt gave a wry internal smile at Ateu Party recognizing him.
'I'm more famous now for leaving Mabel than for being in her party.'
"But now I'm Kalt of Nellis Party, not Mabel Party."
"The porter from the Fastest Hero Party..."
"To correct you, I did carry gear, but I was active as a vanguard too."
"Ah! S-Sorry!"
"No, it's fine. Easy mistake."
By Kalt's experience, Makbels was plenty polite.
Not like those who mocked him outright or snickered about porters being porters.
"Has Ateu Party ever hunted jointly with another party before?"
"No, Ateu's always so full of himself, saying we're plenty strong on our own..."
"I see. So Ateu's acting like this because of our party's Scarlet, huh."
"Sorry. I'll talk to him..."
"No, you can't easily control people's emotions. Who knows if it'll end well, though."
"Ugh..."
Even her own party member Makbels couldn't confidently say Ateu's crush would work out.
"Still, this is a good chance for you all to form an alliance party and fight monsters. It'll be valuable experience."
Kalt extended his hand with a smile.
"Let's help each other's parties grow meaningfully."
"A-Ah, sure."
As Makbels shook his hand, she thought:
'Wow... Is this what a reliable senior looks like?'
Even hearing Ateu liked Scarlet from the same party, Kalt understood and even considered their party's growth. It was like beholding a seasoned adult.
'If Ateu saw Kalt, maybe he'd learn something?'
After just a brief chat, Makbels felt a glimmer of hope from his considerate, dependable words.
"What? This guy's from that Mabel Party?"
The orc spawn point was too far from Tridia to walk, so they had no choice but to take a wagon.
Thus, Nellis Party and Ateu Party boarded a cargo wagon that carried multiple passengers from the station, heading toward the orc area.
During the ride, Makbels filled Ateu in on Kalt.
"Mabel Party's the one with the Fastest Hero Mabel! But I don't recall hearing the name Kalt..."
"I told you about those rumors three times, and Kalt was in them!"
"Did I?"
"Hoho, you were busy stuffing your face at the time."
"Meals are important! Hahaha!"
"Sigh, never mind. Sorry, Kalt."
"No issue. In hero parties, the hero gets the spotlight—companions don't spread as far."
"See? He's fine with it."
"Even if he is, you shouldn't downplay it in front of him..."
As Makbels started lecturing Ateu,
Scarlet, arms crossed and frowning, spoke up curtly.
"Even if he's okay with it, dismissing or looking down on him to his face is rude, isn't it?"
The moment her voice rang out, Ateu bowed deeply toward Kalt.
"You're right! Sorry, Kalt!"
Seeing Ateu apologize instantly to Scarlet's words, everyone but her thought the same:
He's really fallen for her.
But Scarlet thought differently.
'At least he gets the point.'
She still couldn't accept that Ateu had fallen for her at first sight.
On the way to the orc spawn, Nellis Party and Ateu Party exchanged names, positions, and intros.
"Like I said, my ability boosts strength! I use that blessing to smash enemies with these gauntlets as vanguard!"
"I mainly use lightning magic. My go-to is the beginner spell Lightning Bolt, but I can handle intermediate ones too."
"I can use Recovery Blessing and Protection Blessing to keep allies from getting hurt."
"Protection Blessing..."
Protection Blessing.
It was a blessing Aria still couldn't use.
Just as mages had aptitudes for elemental magic,
priests had aptitudes for certain blessings and holy attacks.
Aria excelled in recovery and holy attacks, but sadly, defensive blessings like Protection were weak even if she could cast them.
After Ateu Party's intros, Nellis Party shared their blessings, positions, and specialties.
"A barrier that blocks attacks... Neat blessing."
"Flame specialist but handles all elements..."
"Scarlet's amazing!"
"Hey, butt out!"
"Hoho, jealous. I can do Protection fine, but holy attacks don't suit my aptitude..."
"Same here—Protection's tough for me. I'm jealous of you, Takeshin."
"Everyone has strengths and weaknesses."
Kalt had already introduced himself as vanguard, so no big reaction.
Nellis, noticing, jumped in first.
"And our party's strongest is Kalt!"
"Oho, really?"
"Well, he was vanguard in Mabel Party."
"How strong?"
Ateu Party showed interest, and Nellis puffed proudly.
"Super strong, of course! Kobold King falls to Kalt in seconds—slash! And he handles dozens of kobolds solo, super fast, like a gale!"
"For real?"
"Totally! Right?"
"Yes, Nellis is right."
"Kalt's feats were impressive."
"Kobold King... Nellis Party. Oh yeah, the party that beat it was..."
"I remember now. Nellis Party, right? Hoho, to think the stars of those rumors are right here. We've heard you're a promising up-and-comer."
"Pr-Promising? Hehe~ It's all thanks to Kalt~"
Most feats were Kalt's, but praise felt good—Nellis scratched her head, unable to hide her grin.
"Close your mouth at least."
Scarlet shook her head at Nellis.
Meanwhile, Ateu silently eyed Kalt.
'Women love men who shine in action—strong, cool ones. If I show my skills against this feat-heavy Kalt, Scarlet's attention will turn to me!'
"Hey, Kalt!"
"Yes, Ateu?"
Ateu addressed the softly smiling Kalt.
"Spar with me once we get off the wagon! Curious how strong you are!"
Scarlet color illustration!!!