Chapter 4: I'm a Very Democratic Person
There's a limit to what you can achieve alone.
Being a lone wolf might sound cool, and their methods might be mysterious and free, but in reality, it comes with many inconveniences.
This was something he understood deeply.
It was much more reassuring to have strong teammates by your side during a quest. The reason Kobayashi hadn't formed a party was that ordinary teammates were truly useless; even if he reluctantly partied up, they likely wouldn't be of any help.
Take Dust, for example.
What he said back at the tavern—"Waiting for teammates isn't the same as freeloading and waiting to die"—wasn't just an empty boast.
Don't be fooled by his current appearance as a delinquent who loves to skip out on his tab and drink. As a Dragon Knight with a mysterious past, Dust was one of the top-tier powerhouses in Axel, a town full of experts. Even Kobayashi himself had received careful guidance from him when he first arrived in this world.
The huge difference in strength made him understand that even if their levels were the same, he had no chance of winning. He was not comparable to someone who hadn't grown up in an era of peace.
And yet, after teaming up with Taylor, Lynn, and Keith, this powerful expert sealed most of his own strength to match the party's pace, only taking on low-level adventurer quests.
...Although, this was also partly because Dust didn't want to live too strenuously, and because of the unreasonable demands of a certain trashy princess.
The countless experiences of those who came before us tell us one thing: to reach greater heights and defeat stronger enemies, powerful allies are indispensable.
In summary, if the right teammates came along, Kobayashi was willing to form a party. After all, it's not like he was bound by some "Sorrow of the Blood."
Even though Aqua and the others were unreliable and still novices, their potential was more than enough for Kobayashi to patiently teach and cultivate them.
Looking at the four people sitting before him, adding himself made the prototype of a party. As the party leader, Kobayashi felt he should say something.
Building relationships starts with mutual flattery.
"Ahem, Megumin, you may not remember, but we've actually had a brief encounter before."
"Eh, we have?" Megumin scratched her head, seemingly unable to recall.
Kobayashi reminded her, "Half a month ago, at night, in the small woods to the east..."
"Ah! That demon!" Megumin shouted, appearing to remember something. "You were the one who shot an arrow from the shadows and interrupted its magic!"
"That's right," Kobayashi nodded.
Half a month ago, a mid-level demon named Hoost had appeared in Axel. It had come to seize Wolbach's other half. The subjugation process went smoothly, but just as victory was in sight, the inherently shoddy nature of a product sold by Wiz caused them to fail at the last second.
In the nick of time, Kobayashi fired an arrow that cut off the demon's escape route. Then, Megumin, who had rushed to the scene, cast her Explosion magic and successfully defeated it.
"Your magic is incredibly powerful. As far as Explosion magic goes, I'm willing to call you the strongest."
Kobayashi gave Megumin his high praise.
Megumin puffed out her flat chest and held her head high with pride. "Of course! I am the one who will ultimately master Explosion magic! A mere demon is turned to ash in an instant by my Explosion!"
"Oooohhhhhh!" x3
Fervent applause immediately erupted. It had to be said, Megumin's posturing was a great success. Anyone who didn't know the truth would surely think the little black-haired, red-eyed loli was a super-powerful carry. Even Satou Kazuma secretly told himself that he needed to get on her good side.
Next, Kobayashi looked at Darkness.
When she wasn't acting strangely, the blonde female knight looked like a cool and aloof ice queen, which was a real turn-on for some. Of course, a strange female knight was even more of a turn-on.
Kobayashi's gaze was a bit improper, but Darkness found it wonderful, even somewhat enjoyable.
"W-what is it?"
"It's nothing."
Kobayashi paused for a moment, then said, "Darkness, I've actually heard about you... from a certain silver-haired thief."
"Was it Chris?"
"That's right."
This was a week after Kobayashi arrived in this world. Having just leveled up, he was in desperate need of some practical skills that cost few points, so he sought out Chris, who happened to be at the Guild for a drink. Thanks to the kind Goddess of Fortune, Kobayashi learned many useful thief skills.
He had also invited Chris to form a party, but she had unfortunately refused, citing personal inconveniences. Kobayashi knew that she often traveled to other towns to collect the troublesome divine artifacts that Aqua had distributed, so he wasn't too discouraged by the rejection.
However, Chris did recommend Darkness to him, but at that time, Kobayashi had refused for his own reasons. The matter of forming a party was thus dropped.
"She said you were pure, kind, and gentle, a proper Crusader. She also said your physical toughness is extremely high, comparable to the hardest adamantite ore, and that in terms of defense alone, you might be number one in the world. Although... you might have a tiny, tiny flaw in your personality."
Kobayashi gave her high praise as well.
"Oooohhhhhh!" x3
The other three looked at Darkness with sparkling eyes, their gasps of awe and applause unending. Who wouldn't want a sturdy, reliable knight to stand in front of them?
"H-how could you... that's too much of an exaggeration."
Darkness's face was beet red. It was unclear if it was from the embarrassment of being praised, or the excitement of being told her body was harder than ore.
"No, I believe what she said is true."
"That's right, Darkness, you should puff out your chest with pride like me!" Megumin looked at the female knight with great approval. "You and I are the perfect combination!"
"Y-yeah... hehehe..." Darkness giggled foolishly, her cheeks flushed.
Well, it seemed she was enjoying this.
Kobayashi then looked at Satou Kazuma.
"Kazuma-kun, you're like me. Although we've only known each other for a short time, I can already tell you're a reliable companion. I can foresee that your flashes of cleverness will bring us surprises; I'm already looking forward to it, in fact. It doesn't matter if you're just an ordinary adventurer. I believe you have the potential to become strong, and I firmly believe you will."
His praise for him was greater than for the other two.
"Oh my, you're making me blush."
Satou Kazuma rubbed the tip of his nose with his index finger. Though he said he was embarrassed, the upward curve of his lips showed he was pleased.
As I thought, desperately trying to keep Kobayashi-senpai was the right choice. He's handsome and speaks so nicely. I like him a lot.
As for the useless goddess...
"Aqua is an indispensable part of the party. If you know, you know."
"...That's it?!"
The others received lengthy praise and high recognition, yet all she got was a single "If you know, you know"... It was too half-hearted!
Aqua draped herself over Kobayashi's back. "Hey, say a little more! It's okay to praise me more, you know, since I'm a goddess and all!"
"Alright, that's enough chatting. Although everyone has different interests and hobbies, I hope we can seek common ground while respecting our differences."
"Hey, please?"
"If anyone has any requests, you can bring them up now. I'll do my best to satisfy them."
"Hey, hey, hey, come on, say it."
Aqua chirped endlessly in his ear. Kobayashi chose to ignore her and let the other party members speak freely.
Megumin raised her right hand high. "I want to cast Explosion magic every day."
"No."
"...Eh?"
The rejection was so swift she didn't even have time to react.
"Your Explosion magic is too powerful and often affects the town. The forest to the west already needs to be reforested because of your blasts. And you were the culprit behind that major disturbance a while back, weren't you, you chuunibyou Archwizard with a screw loose?"
"B-but if I don't cast Explosion, I'll die from having too much mana."
"Then die."
Kobayashi's reply was cold and merciless.
Next was Darkness. "I want to raise a tentacle monster!"
"No."
"Urk..."
"Monsters will cause a disturbance in town. Besides, there are many women in the party, and we need to be considerate of their feelings... Don't think you're immune just because you're a woman. Sometimes, a fist can be very unreasonable."
"I've been rejected. Haa—haa—haa—haa—so wonderful!"
Normally, having a request rejected should make one sad like Megumin, but she was blushing and panting, looking like she was thoroughly enjoying it.
"Hey, I want to—"
"No!"
"I haven't even finished speaking!"
Before Aqua could even finish, Kobayashi decisively rejected her. Although he didn't know what she was going to say, it surely wasn't anything good.
Megumin: "I want to hunt a One-Hit Bear."
"No."
Darkness: "I want to raise a Mimic Vine."
"No."
Aqua: "Hey, I want to—"
"No."
"I haven't even finished speaking!"
After that, they made many more requests, such as taking on high-difficulty quests, raising various monsters, or holding lavish parties, but no matter the request, it was met with a clean, sharp rejection.
At this point, everyone finally realized something was wrong.
Kobayashi, in the main seat, was like a ruthless tyrant on his throne, allowing no dissent. A terrifying low pressure emanated from him, freezing the air. His sharp eyes, glowing with a fearsome light redder than Megumin's, scanned the people sitting below him as if they were a group of noisy, rebellious subjects.
"ANYONE ELSE—!!!"
"..." x4
The four of them fell silent instantly. This was completely different from his gentle demeanor just moments ago!
Satou Kazuma was reminded of the fear of being dominated by his cold, unfeeling mother and couldn't help but shiver.
What about democracy? Where's the democracy you promised?
Does democracy mean that the four of us 'demos' have to bow to this ruthless tyrant?!
"Heh, democracy."
"Did you say something, Kazuma-kun?"
"No, no, I didn't say anything!"
Satou Kazuma fearfully lowered his head and shook it, not daring to meet Kobayashi's crimson eyes. Knowing when to back down was one of his greater virtues.
After a while, there were no more dissenting voices in the party. The atmosphere that had just been stirred up was instantly extinguished, and the previous laughter and joy seemed like an illusion.
Thus, the opinions of the group were (forcibly) unified.
Satou Kazuma's heart was bitter. Is a party like this really going to be okay? He was deeply concerned about the party's future.
However, he would soon understand that in this party, only Kobayashi-senpai was truly trustworthy, and he would also soon understand the good intentions behind Kobayashi's actions.
"Since we've formed a party, let's go do a quest. This is to clearly understand each member's abilities and prevent fumbling around in battle."
"O-okay~~" x4
The four of them don't seem very enthusiastic. Hmm, it must be my imagination. Look, they're trembling with excitement.
(End of Chapter)