Chapter 1

“Lloyd, you’re out of this party.”

The words, abruptly thrown by Allen, the leader of the party I belonged to, didn’t immediately register in my mind.

It was early morning. I was woken up by Allen while still in bed and brought to a room usually used for strategy meetings. When I entered, the other members were already seated, glaring at me with sour expressions.

What are they so angry about? And what’s with this early morning meeting? I wondered.

With those questions swirling in my head, the conversation began—and those were the first words spoken.

I couldn’t process it.

Why?

I searched my memories for a reason, but nothing came to mind.

“Could you tell me the reason?” I asked.

There’s no way I’d be kicked out without cause. There had to be some reason, I thought, and so I questioned Allen.

“Then let me ask you this instead, Lloyd. What’s your reason for staying in this Hero’s Party?” Allen replied, a mocking smirk on his face.

My class is White Mage, a support role specializing in assistive magic. As Allen instructed, I’ve focused entirely on supporting the party in battles. It feels odd to say it myself, but in the year since this Hero’s Party was formed, I believe I’ve fulfilled my duties as a White Mage properly. I can’t think of any reason I’d be sacked.

“I’ve been doing my best to support the party as its support member,” I said.

“What, by just standing in the back all the time? You’re always fiddling around back there, acting all high and mighty, giving orders. Honestly, you’re just a nuisance,” Allen shot back.

At his words, the other party members nodded as if in agreement. It seemed they all found me annoying too.

Amidst this, Lulu spoke up, her expression visibly irritated. “Sure, being a member of the Hero’s Party is prestigious, and the rewards are way better than regular work. But to cling to the Hero’s Party despite lacking the skills? That’s just the lowest kind of guy.”

“...Truly the worst,” Miiya added, nodding in agreement.

They seemed to be saying that it was a nuisance for someone as skill-less as me to stay in the party just for money or fame. I could brush off the talk of money and fame, but as for skill… as much as it pained me, I couldn’t deny it.

The reason was simple: I didn’t know much about the others. Without a basis for comparison, I couldn’t refute their claims.

When I was young, I was taken in by my master and lived in his secluded mountain home. Most of the magic I use was taught to me by him. A year ago, I came to this city for a certain reason. While here, I saw a recruitment poster for the Hero’s Party, took the exam, and became a member. Because of that, I’ve never known what other White Mages are capable of. I wasn’t particularly interested in others, and I rarely had the chance to interact with them anyway.

So… maybe, as Lulu and Miiya said, my skills were indeed insufficient for a support role in the prestigious Hero’s Party.

“I see… you might be right,” I said, nodding at their words, unable to deny them.

“To think you were aware of your own inadequacy and still stayed in the Hero’s Party… Lloyd, I misjudged you,” said Lina, the party’s tank, looking at me as if I were trash.

Then, Sheena spoke up. “What an utterly unpleasant person. The worst. Could you just disappear from our sight already? If this continues, it’ll drag down Allen-sama’s reputation.”

As she spoke, Sheena clung to Allen’s right arm, staring into his eyes.

“Exactly. That guy’s a White Mage, but he leaves all the healing to Sheena, our Saintess. I totally get how you feel, Sheena,” Allen said, gently patting her head.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Lulu exclaimed.

“Sheena, no sneaking ahead!” Miiya protested, both of them jumping to cling to Allen’s left arm.

A saccharine atmosphere filled the room, completely at odds with the gravity of the conversation. Feeling a twinge of irritation but trying to stay calm, I surveyed the situation. Amidst it all, only Lina kept glaring at me.

As expected, Lina was the composed one. Perhaps it was her noble upbringing? Lina was the daughter of the local aristocracy, and I’d heard she volunteered to join the Hero’s Party herself. Apparently, she loved doing things for the sake of others and took the exam for that reason. Quite the contrast to me, who joined because I was strapped for cash.

“Well, that’s how it is, Lloyd. Leave all your money here and get out of this party,” Allen said, tapping the table.

So, he wanted me to leave all my money behind. But there was no reason I should have to pay.

“Why do I have to leave my money?” I asked.

“Huh? Because it’s compensation for the trouble you’ve caused! You’ve been dragging us down, so pay up!” Allen shouted at me.

I didn’t recall causing any particular trouble. I had no obligation to pay. But Allen likely wouldn’t let me leave this three-story building—built exclusively for the Hero’s Party—unless I did. We were on the second floor. Jumping out the window was an option, but that would give them a clear reason to demand payment. If they used the Hero’s authority to put a bounty on me, I’d be in real trouble.

…No choice.

“This is all I have right now,” I said, pulling out my wallet from storage magic and placing its contents on the table.

“Let’s see… about 120,000 G total. Not bad, not bad. With this, we can eat something nice tonight,” Allen said gleefully, counting the money and pocketing it.

“Oh, you can go now. Actually, hurry up and get out. We’ve got a quest coming up, and we need to prepare,” Allen added, gesturing for me to leave.

The cold, sharp glares from the others pierced me. Feeling out of place, I followed Allen’s order and quickly left the room, closing the door with a click.

“Now we’ve finally gotten rid of that nuisance,” I heard someone say.

“Yep, Allen’s the best!” another chimed in.

“...As expected of Allen,” a third voice added.

“Right? Let’s wrap up today’s quest quickly like always and go have some fun!” Allen’s voice rang out.

Through the door, I could hear the lively chatter of the members, minus Lina.

“Was I really that hated…?” I muttered, a wave of sadness washing over me.

When I passed the exam, deemed more capable than the other support candidates, and joined the Hero’s Party, I was thrilled. For the first time, I thought I’d found people I could call comrades. But it seemed I was the only one who felt that way.

“What do I do now…?” I wondered.

In this city, I didn’t have a single friend, not even an acquaintance. I had nowhere to go. And now, I had no money either.

“If I’d known it would come to this, I should’ve asked Master to teach me how to deal with people,” I thought. But no, that wouldn’t have worked. Master only cared about beauty and alcohol, and he lived in the mountains precisely because he was bad with people. Asking him would’ve been pointless.

“For now… I guess I’ll leave,” I decided.

There was no point staying here. Regretting that I’d never studied anything beyond magic, I packed my things and left the building behind.