“So, you’re the legendary mercenary?”
“Yup, I am that mercenary.”
From the start, Arjen didn’t like the Hero. Perhaps the Hero who greeted him felt the same way. They both knew it. The Hero was unreasonable and impulsive, and Arjen could not stand it. It wasn’t until they had defeated the Third Disaster and returned to the Capital in high spirits that their conflict reached its climax.
“Arjen, leave the party.”
“What?”
“I thought about it during our last expedition. I’ve concluded that this party can function well enough without you.”
Elroy was telling Arjen to leave. ‘Did I hear that correctly?’ The Hero sounded arrogant. Well, he wasn’t only vain, as Arjen would have been angry if that were the case. Elroy’s voice had a hint of anxiety as he glared at Arjen, his dull turquoise eyes wavering. As usual, the Hero’s office was unlit and dark. Arjen let out a hollow laugh.
“Right, right, let’s hear it the reason.”
‘Did the Hero let his guard down after defeating the Third Disaster? Did he think he’d single-handedly defeated the creature just because he’d struck the final blow?’ Arjen stared at Elroy’s eyes with those similar to a beast.
“You’re so selfish. Don’t you realize you will tear our entire party apart if you don’t follow my orders?”
“Why are you like this? Even since the beginning, you have been like this.”
Arjen said with anger felt in every word. Still, as if he still had any pride left, the so-called Hero gritted his teeth, contorting every facial muscle he could.
“That’s what I want to say. Explain why you never obeyed a single command, not once, from beginning to end?”
“If you deserved obedience, then I would have. You’re an incompetent asshole.”
“And you’re the one judging my worthiness?”
The floor they stood on shattered. A torrent of mana surged with uncontrollable force, and the Hero drew upon his own mana to meet it. At first, they were evenly matched, but Arjen’s momentum grew with each second.
“You have eyes but refuse to see, so you must be blind.”
“Then you must be deaf, for you have ears and refuse to hear.”
The room started to creak as the two continued their duel. However, it quickly ended when Arjen pulled back his mana. He had no sense of duty in the first place; he didn’t dream of saving the world, and he hated having to work with this bastard all the time.
“Well, good luck with your task.”
Arjen said farewell and turned away. ‘The Hero had driven me out, and he would be the one to bear all the blame. I had done nothing wrong.’ I grasped the doorknob and looked back at the Hero.
‘I wonder how long you can stay arrogant for.’
Arjen paused as he opened the door. After throwing everything out there, one thing still held him back. Iris. The Saintess who had stood with me against the Hero with his head in the flowers, not knowing the cruel reality of this world.
Iris.
Arjen gritted his teeth as he remembered her eyes and her smile. ‘I don’t want to leave her here, but I can’t say anything lest it put her in an awkward position.
“At least, don’t bother the rest of the party.”
I left a note behind, packed my things, and hopped into a night carriage. No matter what, I wanted to leave the kingdom and the country that had taken my life of freedom and forced me to serve that ash-haired Hero.
“I won’t be a mercenary again for a while.”
Inside the rattling wagon, Arjen rolled his eyes. At the edge of the starry night sky, the lights of the royal road glowed faintly. I cast a hateful glance toward the city, then closed my eyes.
“Being an adventurer sounds nice.”
Arjen ushed the image of Iris’s face out of my mind. At least he left a note, so she knows what happened.
***
Iris was the first member of the Hero’s Party. Before Elroy was chosen by the Holy Sword and given the title of Hero, she was already fulfilling my duties as the Saintess. All one needed to become a Saintess was to learn healing magic.
“Ah…, Saintess, thank you… thank you!”
“I thought I would be a one-armed man for the rest of my life… Thank you….”
Broken bones, a hole in the stomach spilling out entrails, severed limbs, gouged-out eyeballs. Iris’ magic could heal it all as long as it wasn’t a decapitation. As soon as the Holy Land realized her talent, they made her the face of the church and gave her the unflattering nickname of Saintess. Despite the title, Iris was very proud of her duties.
“… I’m going to defeat the Disasters?”
The narrow-eyed bishop, who always had a benevolent smile, nodded.
“This was decided at the meeting between the Kairos Kingdom and the Holy Land. The chosen one has appeared, and the people of the realm already call him the Hero.”
My blue eyes widened at the word “Hero.” The bishop gave a small chuckle at my reaction. The dull glow of the candlelight blurred his smile. He sighed softly, turning his head toward the relief on the wall where my shadow was growing.
“It had to be done at some point, even in the Holy Land… or, more accurately, in our religion. The fact that the Kairos Kingdom, which holds the Holy Sword’s owner, made the first offer was welcome. In this case, the Holy Land will recommend you, Iris, to assist the Hero.”
Iris had always lived for duty, so this was nothing special. She nodded confidently. She doubted anyone would have a stronger sense of duty than her. Even if it was the Hero chosen by the Holy Sword.
“So, I’ll be traveling alone with him?”
“Not a chance. The Kairos Kingdom will mobilize all its forces to support this expedition. Once they realize our cause, other countries will also roll up their sleeves and help.”
Despite the bishop’s reassurances, Iris couldn’t help but worry about the support of other nations. She doubted they would understand the meaning of the expedition and support it properly.
However, she couldn’t believe what happened. The one that put the party at the most risk was the Hero themself.
“I’ll go first.”
“No, you go in the back. I’ll go first.”
The Hero was self-righteous and selfish. He never listened to the opinions of his party, and whenever there was a problem, he always drew his vaunted Holy Sword. He has a short temper, and more than once, he put the party in danger by charging at monsters.
“Stay out of it.”
The Hero was not weak. But he was weaker than even the Mercenary who had joined them along the way. The Hero’s party’s journey to defeat the Third Disaster could be summarized as a battle of egos between the Hero and the Mercenary.
It was natural that the Saintess would rely on the Mercenary more than the Hero.
Iris’ resentment toward the Hero grew as she wondered, ‘Why did such a weak man become a hero, and wouldn’t the journey have been easier without him?’ He continued to express his fondness for her openly, thinking he was being smooth. She almost left the party because of it.
Still, it was bearable when Arjen was there.
And only a few days after they repelled the Third Disaster, Iris received the news from Georg that was like thunder ringing in the middle of blue skies.
“He kicked him out? Arjen?”
It was a no-brainer. She hurried to the Hero’s headquarters with Georg in hot pursuit. Opening the door, she unleashed a torrent of complaints on the Hero. No, it wasn’t a complaint; it was the reality of this party. His face suddenly became blank as he listened to her words.
“Okay, if you’re just going to sit there like that, stupid and not explain anything, then I’m going to leave this damn party because I’d much rather be working for Arjen than you.”
Iris decided to leave to find Arjen. The Holy Sword and its owner were useless. If she were to continue her journey to save the world, she’d be far better off convincing Arjen to let her join than being stuck next to this damned Hero.
“Who says you can just walk out of this party?”
The Hero still seemed to think he was in control of the situation.
“Ha! Who cares what you think? I can do as I please. You can’t keep me here, and you know it.”
“Wait-“
“That’s it; I don’t want to hear from you anymore. Unless you want to cause friction with the Holy Land, don’t chase or even look for me from now on.”
Iris knew the Holy Land would stand by her side. The failure of the Hero’s party without Arjen was inevitable. Sbe would gladly listen to any orders from the Kairos Kingdom, except for staying by the Hero’s side again. They have also given up on the Hero, so she doubts that will happen.
With that thought, Iris left.
***
Two weeks have passed.
By now, Iris looked more like the average female adventurer than the Saintess. Wrapped in a cloak to hide from prying eyes, she sat in a tavern in a backwater town.
“…Wait, I’ll be right there.”
In her hand was a note from Arjen. In it, he briefly described his feud with the Hero, why he had left the party, and where he planned to go. She folded the note, stuffed it into her pocket, and sighed heavily.
“Oh, so you are from the kingdom?”
Just then, Iris’ ears picked up a conversation between the barkeep and a patron. She listened carefully to hear what they were talking about.
“Aye, sir. I’m an adventurer, just arrived here today on a brief mission.”
“Anything interesting going on in the Capital lately? Is the Hero’s Party doing well?”
Hero’s Party.
My blue eyes narrowed. I didn’t want to know, but it was information I needed to know.
The guest glanced around, then spoke in a lowered voice.
“Apparently, there’s been a major change in the members of the party this time. They said the Saintess and the Mercenary left.”
“Is that true? Why on earth would they….”
The customer gestured with a finger to his mouth, silencing the barkeep.
“Shhh. You’re the only one who should know about this, you know? I know about this because I work for the Royal Palace. It’s not something you can tell just anyone.”
“You know what, pick whatever you want to drink. I need to hear the story.”
Iris couldn’t help but giggle at the man’s following words.
“Aside from those things, the Hero’s Party is in a lot of trouble this time, so they’re holding a hearing at the Palace.”
