Leaving the Hero's Party
Then I go.
I was originally a hero.
A veteran hero who had defeated the Demon King three times, no less.
The Goddess might have even summoned me to recognize that fact and made me a similar request.
*I’m truly sorry. I know I don’t deserve to say this, but there’s no one else who can help me.*
*I won’t ask you to defeat the Demon King in this world either. Just guide the hero from there so he can defeat the Demon King—please? This will truly be the last one!*
Originally, the Goddess had planned to release me after defeating the third Demon King.
Back when I was just a normal college student in Korea.
By now, I’d be playing the fourth arc of the Demon King’s world and missing our poodle Choco who waits for me anxiously at home…
In the end, I couldn’t refuse the Goddess’s request, which sounded like a beautiful woman’s voice that could easily ensnare anyone who listened to it.
What a wicked Goddess…
*
“Lowell. As leader of the hero party, I’ll give you this order. Please leave already.”
How much time had passed since I was reincarnated into this world while caught in the Goddess’s light…
I had handled the Demon King’s forces in place of the somewhat (?) lacking hero and coached him on his shortcomings. Unexpectedly, I received the notice of my expulsion.
Expulsion…
I’d read plenty of isekai expulsion novels, but…
To actually receive it myself…
“Can I at least hear the reason?”
Yeah…
I’d rather know the reason.
What I had done wrong in the first place…
For taking the Goddess’s request and suffering in this harsh world.
“You should know your place, right? You’re a hero? What are you acting like you know when you’re not a hero and still stirring up dungeons?”
“Hey, Eric. You must be mistaken about something. If we hadn’t left that dungeon immediately, it would have been big trouble.”
“Look at that. You’re still acting arrogant like this. You still don’t know what you did wrong?”
What was making the hero this angry right now…
Was the Kayas Dungeon we had just escaped from.
We had come to the dungeon for exploration, but in the end, it was a trap set by the Demon King’s army,
And because I had noticed it, I had used my original abilities to safely escort the party—including the hero—out.
I had saved the party members who were about to fall into a deadly trap, yet… why expel them for this… How disappointing…
“Saving party members who were in danger is such a big mistake?”
“I saved the hero. How dare you, a party member… and a different race at that… Who do you think you are, daring to save me!”
The hero wasn’t angry about my actions. He was upset because a party member, an elf, and a woman had saved him, wounding his pride.
This body the Goddess had newly reincarnated into…
Lowell Titania Sileos.
A noble daughter of the Sileos family from the elf kingdom, a High Elf who entered the hero party wearing the honor of my race.
At first, being reincarnated into a sudden female body had been both surprising and curious,
But to make sure the other party members wouldn’t look at me strangely… I had tried to act as the hero as much as possible using the memories this body possessed.
But…
The hero wasn’t as strong as I had thought.
Not even awakening the Holy Sword,
With skills that couldn’t even make it through the beginner stage…
Because he was from the royal family, his useless pride had only grown, and he wouldn’t listen to a word I said.
This was no laughing matter, and…
If I had known this would happen, it might have been better for me to become the hero and defeat the Demon King.
“Eric, I like what you’re doing. But don’t you think you should train your skills first before saving? With that level now, even the Four Heavenly Kings would be tough to face, let alone the Demon King…”
“What!!? Who does this crazy woman think she is!”
The hero instantly raised his hand as if he was about to slap my cheek, but the other party members rushed over to stop him before he could swing.
Since then, the hero had been glaring at me and acting like he might leap at me at any moment,
And each time, the other party members had grabbed the hero to stop him.
No…
More accurately…
It was as if they were pretending they couldn’t hit me because the party members had stopped him.
Probably because, when escaping the dungeon,
They had seen my superior swordsmanship and didn’t want to rush in…
“Even so, since the faces match, I was going to overlook it, but you’re hopeless. I’ll tell the Empire—the Holy Country that manages the party and the Elf Kingdom where I come from—all about your expulsion! Remember that!”
Saying he would inform the Empire—the Holy Country managing the party—and the Elf Kingdom where I came from…
Was basically the same as burying me alive.
The elf expelled from the hero party.
That would be the mark following him for the rest of his life, according to the hero Eric.
At first, I had considered just letting him off the hook to calm the hero, but as his behavior worsened, I finally stood up from my seat.
“Fine. I’ll go as you wish.”
If I could, I would have kicked the hero’s shins repeatedly right here…
It’s a scene that occasionally appears in movies…
The scene where seniors in the workplace join new employees…
“Before I go, I’ll give you one last piece of advice. Eric, if you don’t awaken the Holy Sword, you won’t be able to face the Demon King or even the Four Heavenly Kings. Practice every day right now to create sword qi. That’s the only way you’ll survive.”
I had given the advice out of concern for the other party members, including the hero,
But unlike my wish that he would at least listen once, the hero instead let out a fart and sat on the sofa with his legs crossed.
“Watch yourself. Lowell. Who’s worrying about whom now? You don’t even know what’s going to happen to your future… What? Awakening? Do you know whose dog the Holy Sword awakening is called?”
“Yeah yeah. You’ll do whatever you want. Then I’ll be going.”
I didn’t say anything more here or it would look like I was still attached to the hero party…
I stopped giving advice and left the hero’s room, heading to my own room.
I felt sorry to the Goddess, but the chances of defeating the Demon King in this world’s hero party were now zero.
My skills weren’t the only problem.
When entering towns or cities…
The hero party members, including me, would spend three days locked in the inn waiting for the hero to return, because he would go around visiting every brothel in the village, sleeping with women for three days until he was satisfied.
Of course, the schedule would always slip.
There was more.
Whenever a strong monster appeared in a dungeon, for operational reasons, they would retreat to a safe place and hide in the tent under the excuse of “need to use the bathroom” until the monster disappeared.
Ah~ If I hadn’t had to use the bathroom, it would have been a one-shot.
After that, we only made excuses, and after running out of supplies, we finally returned to the surface.
The problem with the hero party wasn’t over yet…
*Knock knock.*
Without knocking, the door to my room opened violently, and two women entered.
Adelia, the Saintess of the hero party, and Selina, the mage.
“Lord Lowell. This doesn’t seem like the best option. First, go apologize to the hero and…”
“Adelia! Apologize? What kind of apology is that? This kind of woman should be expelled as is! There’s no one for her to bully except our hero!”
Adelia, trying to persuade me, and Selina, who was silencing her.
A daughter of Duke Felix, successor to the Magic Tower and one of the Empire’s great nobles, a woman who had her eyes wide open and was wagging her tail to win the hero no matter what.
In contrast, Adelia had prioritized only maintaining the party and defeating the Demon King,
But the problem was…
She still believed the hero could defeat the Demon King.
“Hmph… apologize? You should think carefully too. You don’t really think the hero with that skill can defeat the Demon King, do you?”
“Lord Lowell. Historically, there has never been a hero who defeated the Demon King from the start. If you train while traveling…”
“Yeah. You’re right. The problem is you didn’t train.”
“......”
The Saintess, with no more words to say against my rebuttal, closed her mouth tightly and fell silent, closing her eyes as if in prayer.
“You still haven’t learned your lesson? You dare to doubt the hero? Are you a Demon King spy?”
“Hmph… if I say something convenient, I’m the hero’s follower, and if I tell the truth, I’m a Demon King spy?”
“Anyway, you should be prepared. I’ll tell my father, and you’ll be gone from this world tomorrow.”
“Good. Having a powerful father… so you fell into the Magic Tower on his power?”
“Well…. Wh-what?! You… you!!!”
Selina, who was still glaring and unable to calm her excitement after my words struck home, stumbled over her words.
There was no point in saying anything more here; it would only pile up emotions, with no real result…
I picked up the bag I had set on the bed and passed by the still-glaring Selina, finally leaving the inn after closing my eyes at Adelia, who was still praying.
Go well, wherever you are…
After all, if I went like this, the world would fall into the Demon King’s hands, so…
Until then, I’d travel the continent, watch how the world collapses if one hero is poorly chosen…
And that was how I left the hero party.