'Sylvia.'
"Huh...?"
Sylvia, the mage of the 1st Hero Party, awoke from a nightmare.
She was delighted to see the person she missed so dearly, but since it was only a dream and not reality, it had turned into a nightmare.
It was strange.
To miss someone she had driven away with her own hands.
"Haa...?"
An inexplicable headache had been plaguing her for days now.
When she touched her forehead, her fingertips came away wet.
Tears.
Suddenly, her spacious tent came into view.
It was a temporary tent in their campsite, but Ian's touch was evident in every corner.
The furniture arrangement, the color of the lighting, even the herbs that gave off her favorite scent.
And yet, he was no longer here.
His scent lingered everywhere.
The camp was noisy outside, so she started to head out but caught sight of the mirror.
A full-length mirror, hard to come by, had been prepared in each of the four heroes' tents.
Ian had emphasized it repeatedly.
'Heroes must be symbols of hope. Not just in heart, but in appearance too.'
High-end robes and shoes worth the price of a decent house.
A staff made from thousand-year-old ancient wood that even mages from the Magic Tower coveted.
A mysterious pointed hat whose value couldn't even be estimated.
The beggar girl who had once scavenged at eye level with rats had now become a hero praised by all.
Sylvia still remembered the day it all began.
'You hungry?'
Ian had shown up out of nowhere, taken her in, and by the time she grew accustomed to fullness over hunger, she was a hero.
After that, she met her current companions one by one, cleared dungeons, hunted demons, and grew stronger.
And at the end of it all, she had pushed Ian away.
'My chest feels weird...'
It felt like someone was pricking the center of her chest with a needle.
When Penny told her that Ian was leeching off the party, she couldn't believe it.
Even after receiving the ledger and understanding her itemized explanations, the sense of betrayal kept her from sleeping.
She heard he had taken charge of the 1st Hero Party only to use it for his own gain.
And when the moment finally came to ask—no, order—him to leave.
There was a thrill akin to the exhilaration of standing up to someone who had always treated her like a child, and a sense of conquest.
There was also greed for more freedom with the increased salaries.
She was a bit surprised when Ian's face twisted in anger.
No matter how bad the news, he had never gotten mad before.
Bewilderment turned to rage.
How dare he get angry at us after using and leeching off us all this time? Shameless.
When Ian finally left, slumping down with a forlorn expression.
She felt something was wrong.
It was an unease she couldn't put into specific words.
Beatrice had summed up Sylvia's anxiety like this.
'You're still too young for this. You spent the most time with Ian, and you were the one among us who followed him the most. It's just hard to accept reality. What am I gonna do with you and your soft heart?'
Was that really it?
Was she still too young and immature, shaken even by a justified farewell?
Sylvia couldn't be sure.
It felt like she had become a fledgling bird pushed from the nest.
A ridiculous metaphor.
She hadn't been pushed from the nest—she had smashed it with her own hands.
"—!"
A loud laugh from outside the tent snapped Sylvia back to attention.
As usual, Sylvia straightened her clothes and stepped out of the tent.
*
Penny looked at Kaily in front of her with a satisfied smile.
Kaily was smiling similarly, holding a hefty bundle in her hand.
"This is the promised reward. I've deducted Ian's share and unnecessary expenses, then distributed the rest to all of you."
Kaily nodded with a faint smile.
"Looks accurate after counting."
The priestess beside her, Aria, smiled softly as well.
"Now it finally feels like we're getting paid what we're worth."
"Ensuring the rightful get their due. That's my job. I can't stand injustice."
Even Penny's arrogant words kept the atmosphere warm.
By the time Beatrice received her share next, Sylvia emerged from her tent.
"Lady Sylvia. I hope you slept well last night."
"Y-Yeah... Why is everyone out here since morning?"
Sylvia's gaze turned to the other heroes.
More precisely, to the head-sized bundles in their hands.
"I've prepared your share as well, Lady Sylvia."
Penny immediately handed over the bundle she had ready.
Sylvia took it, her eyes darting about uneasily.
"Not to your liking? I'm sorry, but this is the most I can give."
"Ah, no, it's not that. Thank you...?"
The bundle in Sylvia's arms was quite heavy.
Nothing compared to what Ian used to hand out.
Her heart was a mess.
Ian had always calculated and distributed their earnings.
The initial joy and sense of accomplishment from receiving pay had faded over time.
But today, receiving this money.
Thinking of it as the result of driving Ian out herself revived that old sense of achievement.
On the other hand, she felt uneasy.
She wasn't sure if this was truly the right thing to do.
The water was already spilled, soaking into the ground, and Sylvia didn't know what to do about it.
Should she be happy? Sad?
"Finally, I can go buy those earrings without worry."
"Hm. Wonder what accessories would suit my sword..."
"Hey, girls, what do you think of golden arrows?"
Unlike Sylvia, the other three were already excited.
Penny watched them with a pleased smile.
So Sylvia had no choice but to smile along.
She didn't want to, but it felt like it was the only way to ease her mind.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Four days since setting out to find Vivian.
At last, Arke Village came into view in the distance.
"Hmm~ Such a peaceful countryside."
Mercy, perched on my shoulder, took a deep breath.
Kati was buried in the luggage pile, fast asleep.
"As expected, places teeming with life carry a refreshing scent."
"All I smell is livestock dung."
"You have no romance!"
The village was bigger than I expected.
Fences stretched far out, and beyond them, cattle grazed in the fields.
I sat in the driver's seat, watching the cows munch grass as we proceeded.
No coachman knew Arke Village, so I was driving myself.
"It's been ages since I had beef."
"Indeed. In a big city, it'd be nice to get a thick cut."
"...Sometimes I forget you're an elf."
"Means I've adapted well to human society, no?"
"If that eases your mind, sure, let's call it that."
Elves are basically vegetarians.
Not that no elf eats meat, but they try to stick to plants as much as possible.
Mercy is different.
She doesn't care if it's plants or meat.
She wasn't always like that—back when she was imprisoned by humans...
"Hold up."
We had reached the entrance before I knew it, and guards blocked the way.
A big village like this has guards, huh.
Their gear looked a bit shabby, though.
"What's your business?"
"Here to see an aspirant hero."
The two guards' faces twisted into scowls.
Why the reaction?
"You a manager?"
"Yeah."
The two exchanged stiff glances, then ordered me curtly.
"Turn back. No aspirant heroes here."
"But I came after checking the aspirant registry?"
"You must've seen wrong."
That's weird. Why so firm?
I stepped down from the carriage, pondering briefly.
Managers visiting for aspirants are usually welcomed.
Just producing a hero raises a village's value.
So why are these guys like this?
"This Arke Village, right?"
"Yes."
"It was definitely here... At least let me confirm."
"What's the name of that aspirant?"
"The name..."
Even weirder.
They say there's absolutely no such thing, but now they're asking for a name?
"It's been a while, so I don't remember. If I go in and look, I'll know."
"No way—"
"What's going on?"
A burly man strode up from behind.
"Guard captain."
One guard hurried over and whispered the situation.
Sorry, but I can hear everything.
In the previous round, I grew enough to reach the Demon King's castle as an official hero, and my body carried over like that.
"Says he's here for an aspirant. Doesn't remember the name. Probably not Vivian..."
The guard captain scowled upon hearing it.
"Nothing like that here. Get lost."
No, there is.
Should I slip past subtly?
"No choice then. I'll enter as a passing traveler."
"You joking right now?!"
Not working.
The guard captain approached me like he was ready to swing.
I didn't dodge, just met his eyes, and he let out a hollow laugh.
"Managers or whatever, always the same. Hang around heroes and think they're hot stuff, strutting with their noses in the air."
Such managers exist?
What happened internally while I was at the border?
No managers in the second round, so no reference memories.
"Get outta here."
"Hmm..."
A pain. Should I just ignore and go in?
Decent-sized village, but finding an aspirant hero isn't hard.
As I stood there hesitating, the guard captain snapped.
"Guess words won't cut it—"
"That."
The moment he placed his hand on his sword hilt, I spoke.
"Don't draw it."
"What?"
"Don't draw it."
"Ha, hahaha, cheeky bastard."
The sneering guard captain drew his sword.
Ah, he's really drawing it.
I warned him clearly.
Not my problem now.
"You—"
As he opened his mouth.
He tumbled forward.
Face smashed into the ground, arm twisted behind his back.
"Guhk...!"
"Told you not to draw it."
I sighed, looking down at the sprawled man.
Atop him was a long silver-haired woman with her eyes covered in black cloth.
Her hair whipped wildly from the sudden rush.
Her pink lips, matching her fair skin, twisted in fury.
She had subdued the guard captain.
We've traveled together so long, but I still can't get used to it...
More importantly, why the maid outfit? When did she buy that?
Better stop her before it escalates.
"Kati. That's enough."
"...Yes."
The white cat, Kati.
That's her humanized form.
To be precise, she's a demonkin who can polymorph into a cat.
"Master."