Fate's Prank
Someone says it all the time.
"The Hero" is nothing but a loudmouth raid party, they claim.
When you look at it in the context of the entire country, those S-rank parties aren't exactly nonexistent.
They're not exactly 'unique,' but certainly not 'special,' the kind of party that just gets by.
Each nation's top S-rank parties laughed at the Hero's party.
On the surface, they weren't wrong.
But those who knew the rot festering underneath saw things differently.
"...Hah."
Before I left the NTR Party.
The Hero had reached out to me.
An S-rank party scout came straight from their ranks.
And, as expected... at first I turned it down.
[I’m sorry, but I know my place.]
I’d lived my whole life looking up.
So I knew exactly how high and thick the wall between me and others had become.
The fire and passion that burned so brightly in the academy days had dimmed, eroded by the years.
People facing true monsters usually felt the same way.
Except.
[You don’t want to grow even more?]
[....?]
The Hero’s party was never a gathering of real “monsters.”
More accurately, it was a party that had been artificially lifted.
The ordinary stones that had once rolled uselessly on the ground, receiving the Hero’s light and scattering like jewels, had become a party.
[Even if that’s the case...]
[If it doesn’t work, we’ll make sure to compensate you.]
At first I felt revulsion.
No matter how much it was for my growth, did I really have to stoop that low?
[....This. If it’s this...!]
But as time passed, I understood.
The feeling of smashing through the wall and steadily climbing higher was unbearable.
Growth after the academy days had stalled.
The A-rank realm I had only just reached after surviving multiple life-and-death situations.
I had no intention of denying that process, and I didn’t hate the party that had been there with me.
But the party that had offered me the S-rank realm beyond A-rank was none other than the Hero’s party.
[The Hero’s party? You want to transfer there?]
[! Don’t look at your phone at random!]
After the NTR Party’s fall, I joined the Hero’s party.
I talked with the Hero about my face and did the thing I swore I never would.
Standing in front of the Hero with my own face shining clearly.
Revealing myself, stained by the Hero’s light.
[It’s the right thing to do.]
It had been painful.
Humanly. Like something no person should ever have to do.
For some reason, I couldn’t look the Hero in the eye.
Because of that, I’d unconsciously grown sharper in my words and my heart had raced.
The stronger I became, the more I felt like I was becoming someone else.
And that feeling grew stronger the more I looked at the Hero.
I couldn’t let it continue.
My heart screamed that this was wrong.
So I...
[I...]
My long-held dream.
My long-held wish.
And above all else... for that.
[...I. I will join the Hero’s party.]
[Well thought out, Seia.]
It was fine.
Even when I joined the party before, I had said it.
If I no longer sensed the possibility of growth in the party, I would transfer to another one freely.
With that promise already made, the Hero probably wouldn’t say anything at this point.
[Really? Congrats! Work hard!]
The Hero hadn’t gotten angry at all.
Instead, he encouraged everyone, saying I’d done well until now.
At first I didn’t understand, but when I saw the three girls following me and submitting their transfer forms, I realized.
Maybe the Hero had already sorted out his feelings long ago.
A faint guilt twisted in me, but because our long relationship stretched back for years, we parted without blushing.
[...It’s fine.]
I had done something unforgivable to the Hero.
But if it was anyone but the Hero, he’d be fine with it.
He was an A-rank spirit contractor, after all.
And most importantly, the former leader of the NTR Party.
So the only thing I could do now was grow even harder in the Hero’s party and prove that my actions were right.
And so...
I really did work hard.
Just like going back to the academy days...
─────
[Name: Lee Seia (女)]
[Age: 28]
[Job: Mage (B+)]
─────
".........."
The one fortunate thing in my misfortune was that unless I demanded a rank reset, my rank wouldn’t change.
As for actual ability... forget it. On paper I was still A-rank.
That was supposed to be comfort──but what kind of nonsense was that.
‘I had grown.’
I had definitely felt it.
Even though I had been following the light the Hero taught me and clearly growing, I still thought...
"It wasn’t my imagination."
I’d blamed it on bad condition.
But after so long, it was too long to think that.
A sign. A warning. A vague unease.
I had asked the Hero about it, but instead of defending himself, he even used artifacts to tell the truth.
"If this really is my problem... then..."
I don’t know.
Why am I weaker now?
While riding a taxi back to the party, I stared blankly at my phone.
[Nature Official Stage (with manager)]
You need a manager for an official stage, right?
Haha
Is this good? (I’m so dumb)
Then when is the manager debuting?
You’re holding your breath until the manager debuts.
No, the manager is already dead.
".........."
Top of the recommended videos.
I naturally tapped and watched the video.
[Birth is a gift from nature~]
[I am your wind, you are my sun!]
"...Crazy bastard."
He’s still crossdressing like he did in the academy.
The quality is even worse now that his abilities have improved.
'He brought the whole group.'
He’s setting the overall shape with Seiren,
swapping voice tone with Shinpung, the sparrow,
and apparently the yellow puppy is in there too, given how the sound has impact sometimes.
And the finish is
[All of you worship this body iiiiiim!!!]
"Makes my head spin."
The supreme light spirit, Hecate.
Even with that, her mana gate is still holding.
Back then, one Hecate had barely kept me alive.
Now she’s handling four spirits at once.
'You keep growing.'
I hadn’t known before.
Since she didn’t show me, I couldn’t have known.
Growth for a spirit contractor isn’t as straightforward as it is for mages or warriors.
That was why I hadn’t known much about the Hero’s growth...
"...Hah."
Don’t say “I didn’t know.”
You knew, right, Seia? How hard the Hero worked. How he kept going.
He’d said he was just playing around, but when I saw the Hero’s spirit contractor, I realized.
'Continuous spirit summoning is exactly like spamming magic non-stop.'
I’d thought it was normal because he always did it casually.
But even the Hero’s spirit contractor said it was so grueling it was insane.
Because I didn’t know. Because I was naive. Because I never tried to learn about the Hero.
"Sunwoo..."
I don’t know why my heart keeps flipping back and forth.
Only thoughts of Sunwoo filled my head.
Like some kind of lack. A deficiency.
"Seia-nim! Here’s the orange juice you asked for!"
"Ah...."
Suddenly, Ha-yan handed me orange juice.
I was daydreaming and got here without realizing.
I took the orange juice and gave her a light nod.
"Then I’ll be going! There’s still so much left to do..."
"...Thanks."
Before I could even catch my breath, Ha-yan was gone.
Watching her back, I felt a flicker of pity.
'The girl’s working like a house slave.'
She manages the schedule for the old Hero party.
Maintains weapons and armor for the old Hero party.
Handles every request and every sudden problem.
From the outside it looked like abuse-level labor.
But the truth is she can’t directly help with raids like the others, so she does this and laughs it off.
Honestly, it was confusing.
'...She seems to love the Hero.'
The phrase “overcome with love.”
It’s hard to believe normally, but seeing her, it made sense.
Kwa-jang-chang!
─!──!!!!
"....That voice."
The noisy voice coming from upstairs.
Thin and squeaky, the kind that hurts the ears... it was unmistakably the voice of spirit contractor Elysia.
'That damned racialist.'
Why is she so loud today?
Unconsciously checking the calendar, I got the picture.
"Today’s Ha-yan’s turn."
Ha-yan and Elysia are both on duty with the Hero.
Probably why she’s acting hysterical, asking why she wasn’t chosen too.
'The Hero bit off more than he could chew.'
A few weeks ago, Ha-yan had personally asked the Hero.
Since she was fine, could he take care of the other girls?
The Hero probably thought that was kindness or pure heart.
"But I’d hate it if I were in her place."
Even if you love someone.
Even if you hate the idea of serving two people together.
And on top of that, the Hero’s interest in her is turning her into emotional trash.
'If that’s the case, why doesn’t he just admit he has her as his woman?'
The only virgin in the Hero’s party is Ha-yan.
I wonder if the Hero even knows what that means in a party made up entirely of women.
...I’d better stop.
What was I even thinking? Nothing good would come of it.
"At least my nose is out of joint."
I wanted to see Sunwoo.
But I couldn’t.
So I stared at my phone, unconsciously quenching my thirst in vain.
"Acquire Kim Sunwoo."
"....???"
Isn’t this what they mean by a cruel twist of fate?
"Sunwoo... with Sunwoo..."
No. No.
If they’re asking what a true twist of fate would be.
[Would you like to work with us?]
"Yes...?"
That must be...
"Nature needs people like you."
"....???"
The Ha-yan who had been left out in the cold by the Hero’s party.
The real-time scout coming straight for the Sunwoo she had always wanted to meet.
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