I Don't Want to Join the Hero Party

"The worst witch, Morgan."

Her true identity stemmed from the legendary party known as the Excalibur party.

The party leader, a pen dragon.

And the twelve apostles who served at his side.

Yet what they overlooked most of all was—

[Why... why...! Only I don't understand you!]

Behind their backs stood a single girl.

The spirit's appreciator, the fairy of the lake.

She stepped up to the front line whenever danger approached, helping out, crafting artifacts to hand over, and even handling everything from curses to blessings and all manner of other chores in healing.

Yet despite those sacrifices, perhaps the table knights' disregard left her feeling disappointed.

In the end, Morgan became the worst witch and began scattering curses across the world.

And the very first curse—and its origin—

Use the curse that seals an awakener's abilities.

Really?

Believe it or not—that's your choice.

...I'll believe it. Because there are no lies in a hero.

When the crisis struck.

Morgan poured every ounce of her power into cursing the world.

She cursed those who tried to kill her.

She spewed chains that bound their souls, their strength, their very existence.

Now, the method to counter it isn't all that complicated.

The worst witch, Morgan.

The reason her extermination had been so difficult was simple.

There simply wasn't enough power to defeat her.

In other words, the party was too weak.

The opposite: the only one who could have stood against her had been the hero before him.

But the hero can do it, right? The tone and attitude haven't changed at all.

Well, it's the truth, so there's nothing I can do about it.

In the past.

No, even in what had now become the future, Morgan's extermination had always fallen to the hero.

And the result—the hero had been dragged all the way down to the bottom of that hell.

I never want to create that situation again.

I never want to create that situation again.

Never again. Not twice.

I didn't want to create that kind of situation.

I had only just become strong enough to handle it now, but I had no intention of going through another hell of a life like that.

And that was why I had recruited a mage.

Morgan's curse will target exactly three people.

The member of the party who used the most mana.

The member who attacked the most.

The member who took the most damage.

In short, the one who sacrificed the most for the party would receive the curse.

A curse dripping with malice, intended to turn devotion into garbage.

But if you knew how to counter it, the curse was easy to avoid.

The first condition will be assigned to the mage I just recruited.

Were you planning this from the very beginning?

There's more than that.

The second condition.

To bring in the person who attacked the most—

I'll bring in the party leader of the NTR Party. If the mage's life is in danger, that idiot will naturally follow on his own.

Why so confident...? You still can't say it?

Got it. I'll believe it.

You have to give the guy credit.

Even though he was stuck at A-rank, his output was on par with an S-rank.

On top of that, he was the kind of human who held an extreme moral code that said he was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠willing to die for humanity.

If it meant sacrificing for humanity and his comrades, he would laugh and accept death.

And the third and final condition... I'll handle it myself.

Eh?

All of Morgan's attacks will be blocked by me. There's no other choice. Probably only I can stop them, and any attack that wouldn't kill me isn't worth facing.

...Do you have a plan for that?

Of course.

That was why I'd been dragging White around with me all along.

I'll transfer the curse onto White.

...So you're really abandoning her?

I'm not abandoning her. Because I intend to take responsibility for my girls to the very end.

Even so, you haven't laid a hand on her yet?

Because White's ability can only be used while she's a virgin.

The power that steals every injury and status effect from her comrades.

The Saint of Sacrifice

But the sad part was that it could only be used while she remained a virgin.

Once she lost her virginity, the ability would vanish.

She would still have the healing power of a saint, but the greatest ability would disappear.

That was why White had been left behind in the party, unable to grow.

But that was the story of the past.

In Korea, a dark spirit has appeared. And it will be captured and contracted with White.

If it's a dark spirit...

There are light spirits too, so there must be dark ones, right? I'll ask Elysia to bring one over, and once she shows White to it, it'll naturally attach itself to her.

As before, probably this time as well.

Especially since the dark spirit and White's abilities seemed to complement each other perfectly.

Using the dark spirit's power to hide the curse. Then White can stay with us to the end.

And when the time came, I would be able to accept White as well.

...So you really didn't abandon her.

As I said earlier, I have no intention of abandoning the girls I chose.

And that girl is your childhood friend?

Given the long history, it was an irreplaceable bond.

That's why—when I was on the verge of despair from drinking, I remembered that tiny spark of hope I'd barely caught.

After the Morgan extermination, raid-level boss monsters will appear all over the world. And we'll need to use the two hero parties as our main forces.

...Another string of words that are hard to believe.

Yoo Jihye exhaled lightly.

She had no choice but to do so.

She simply nodded quietly in response.

Still, I'll believe you, Hero-nim.

The hero's words were always the truth.

Go fuck yourself?

Eh...?

That was how it had always been.

No, perhaps it had been twisted from the very beginning.

***

This raid is extremely dangerous. The hero party is even moaning about it.

I had been summoned out of nowhere and told this straight-up legend.

It might even lead to someone's death.

A raid was dangerous?

B-rank dungeon raids alone had countless casualties.

Yet here they were telling me this...

Please help the hero party.

Go to a place where death was all but certain.

For humanity. For salvation. And...

She rambled on, then said:

...If Sunwoo-ssi joins, Se-a's survival chances will also rise.

WA!

As I had said before.

I was a veteran who had already survived every kind of battle.

Yet even I had never heard such an overt proposal.

Especially not just a proposal, but what amounted to blackmail...

[...Papa. This feels gross.]

[Same here. Looks like a dozen or so vicious snakes have appeared.]

The spirits inside me agreeing with each other.

I felt the same disgust. It looked like nothing but poison; there was no way I'd swallow it.

Don't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠talk nonsense. Why the hell would I go there?

Hyewon glared at me and shouted.

If that's the case, we have no choice but to position Se-a at the front line.

Is that blackmail?

It's not blackmail, but it could be seen as a kind of proposal.

If someone appeared who could handle Se-a,

Se-a could retreat to the second or third line, not the front.

...Hah.

At her subtle probe, I let out a soft laugh.

For humanity. And for my comrades, huh?

If it had been the old me, I would have had no choice but to stand up.

After all, I was a comrade, and in a pinch I would have run away with the girls.

...Manager Yoo Jihye.

Yes, Party Leader Kim Sunwoo.

But.

I kept my face expressionless.

Actually, I smiled at her calm certainty of victory and answered.

I'm not that grand or amazing a person.

....Really?

I don't have any grand dreams.

As long as I live well,

as long as you live well,

as long as we live well,

and as long as the others live well—

And among them, the most important thing was to become—

I won't be the hero who sacrifices himself for humanity.

Me.

I had to become that.

Humanity might be in danger.

At that time, other S-ranks would come to help, right? There weren't that many people more amazing than me anyway.

They're just selfish weaklings who only care about themselves. But you're not like that, are you, Sunwoo?

If you think that, you must have looked up the wrong address.

If it was about the Nature members being in danger,

or if Hyewon was kidnapped or something like that, then I might not know.

Se-a... might be in danger.

If you joined the raid party of your own free will, you must have been prepared to die.

It was her own choice.

I could question it, but there was nowhere to stop her.

And, as I said earlier.

You're always calling her Se-a, Se-a, and then tripping over your own words... Isn't that a little backward?

..........

Her expression was growing colder and colder.

Her eyes held the look of someone realizing something had gone wrong.

I leaned back against my chair and quietly watched Jihye, then turned to Hyewon.

Hyewon. I know what you were thinking when you called me just now. But listen. I'm no longer the leader of the NTR Party.

Oppa...?

The past was the past.

And now I was living in the present and looking toward the future.

Right now, I'm the instructor of Nature. Isn't that right?

Yes! Sunwoo Oppa is the instructor of Nature!

So.

There's absolutely no way I'll join the hero party!

...You might regret it.

That regret would be pity for the friend who walked a path to death, not guilt over me dying.

...........

I'm sorry for making time for you.

Jihye stood up from her seat and left the room.

........

I sat quietly in my chair and watched her retreating back.

For some reason, it felt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strange.

It was only when the sound of ice melting filled the air.

I thought you'd definitely leave.

Leave? Where to?

To save Seon-unnie. She said not to worry because she wouldn't die.

Me? Surely... I'd actually kill someone.

If it had been me before meeting Nox, I probably would have.

Hyewon looked at me with a satisfied smile.

Thank you for staying by my side.

...Thanks, show me the money transferred to my account.

My chest felt inexplicably tight.

What the hell was that.

Arrhythmia?

The girl who always seemed like a pampered baby was now looking like a warm young lady.

If Hyewon's breasts had been just B-cup—or even A-cup—I might ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have taken her to the hotel.

Thank goodness.

Our Hyewon was an AA cup!

By the way.

Congratulations on your rank-up.

....Wow.

The next day.

It was the eldest son this time.

Naturally, I refused.

Why would I quit managing a group of beautiful idols and join a sweaty company?