Chapter 2
After leaving the building, I found myself sitting on a bench in the central plaza of Ishtar, gazing at an imposing bronze statue. The plaque at the base of the statue read “Merlin.”
“Is that… Master?” I muttered.
It bore some resemblance to my master, yet something felt off. The statue shared the same name as my master, but the face and physique seemed slightly different. The most striking discrepancy was the chest—it was far more pronounced than my master’s had ever been.
“Hey, are you a fan of Merlin-sama too?” a voice suddenly called out.
While I was staring at the statue, a woman I didn’t know approached me. Apparently, my intense gaze had led her to mistake me for some kind of fan.
“No, that’s not it…”
“Oh, I see…” The woman looked a bit disappointed at my response.
“B-but, you obviously know about Merlin-sama, right?”
“Well… I suppose…” It wasn’t a matter of knowing or not knowing—Merlin was likely the very person who taught me magic. Until I came to this city, I thought of my master as nothing more than a lazy, self-indulgent mage. But apparently, she was quite the celebrity here. Statues of her, with exaggeratedly large chests, were erected all over the city.
“It’s been exactly sixteen years since Merlin-sama disappeared,” the woman murmured, gazing at the statue.
Sixteen years… That matched the timeline. It had been about sixteen years since I, abandoned as a child, was taken in by my master. I was only one at the time, so I have no memory of it, but the dates lined up.
“Sigh… If only I could meet Merlin-sama, even just once…” The woman stared at the statue with a dreamy expression.
In this city, many people expressed a desire to meet my master. In fact, most would say they’d love the chance. But I couldn’t fathom why anyone would willingly want to meet someone like her. Living with her meant being saddled with nearly all the housework and being dragged into her absurd magical experiments. When she declared she’d “create a spell to stop aging,” she used magic to make me immune to sleep and forced me to assist in her research for an entire week. Sure, I learned a lot, but it was like living in hell.
That’s why I escaped to this bustling city—to live freely in a wider world, unbound by my master. She had an almost pathological aversion to crowded places, so I was certain she’d never come here.
“You’re better off not meeting her…” I muttered under my breath, careful not to let the woman, likely a fan, hear me and shatter her idealized image of Merlin.
The woman continued gazing at the statue with that dreamy look for a while, but suddenly, as if remembering something, she panicked. “Oh, right! I can’t be sitting around here like this…”
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Well, yesterday, our party’s White Mage fell ill. We’re planning to take on a quest, but it’s pretty far away, and we need to leave by tomorrow. So, I’ve been looking for a freelance White Mage.”
A quest, huh? She must be an adventurer. I wondered what she was doing in the middle of the day, but it seemed she was searching for a replacement White Mage.
“Well, I’m a White Mage myself…” I said.
“What, really!?” she exclaimed.
“Y-yeah…”
“I haven’t seen you around… You’re not an adventurer, are you?”
“That’s right. I’m freelance… or rather…” I couldn’t bring myself to say “unemployed.”
But the woman seemed satisfied with my response and smiled brightly. However…
“No, I… I don’t think I can fill in for someone like that,” I said. Just hours ago, I was kicked out of a party for being “inadequate.” I wasn’t foolish enough to repeat the same mistake. In party battles, understanding your teammates is crucial, and I doubted I could replace someone they relied on. Besides, this woman was probably a highly skilled adventurer.
“Well, yeah… That quest is pretty tough…” she admitted.
As expected, I’d only drag them down if I joined. “Sorry, you should find someone else—”
“No, it’s fine! Come with me for a bit, okay?” she interrupted, grabbing my arm with surprising strength.
“Huh?” I let out a strange yelp, caught off guard.
“This way!” she said, dragging me along.
“W-wait, what!?”
◇
As expected, she hauled me straight to the Adventurer’s Guild. “I’m back!” she announced, bursting through the guild’s doors. The adventurers inside turned their attention to her.
“Hey, Yui, that was quick,” said a large man carrying a massive shield, approaching the woman who’d dragged me here. So, her name was Yui. He was tall—easily over 180 centimeters.
“There’s no way you found a freelance White Mage in this city, right?” the man said, sounding exasperated.
“Nope, I found one!” Yui replied.
“Yeah, as if—wait, what?” The man’s jaw dropped.
“You’re serious? You actually found a freelance White Mage?” he asked, incredulous.
“Yup, that’s what I’m saying!” Yui confirmed.
His reaction was a bit dramatic, but not unwarranted. White Mages, as support roles specializing in healing and assistive magic, rarely operated alone. While they could use attack magic, their firepower was limited. They could handle weak monsters, but stronger ones were tough to defeat solo. Most White Mages joined parties to focus on support. Some might become merchants or farmers, but those types wouldn’t be sitting in a plaza, moping in the middle of the day.
“Let me introduce him. I found him lazing around in the plaza… Uh, what’s your name?” Yui turned to me.
Right, I hadn’t introduced myself. “I’m Lloyd. My class is White Mage, but…” I trailed off, anxiety creeping in. Was this really okay? The man with the shield was likely part of Yui’s party, and behind him were a man with a bow and a woman with a staff—probably party members too. All three were staring at me with exasperated expressions.
“Hey, Yui, let’s just cancel the quest,” the bowman said, stepping forward.
“What? Why? I found a White Mage, didn’t I?” Yui protested.
“Well, yeah, but… a Rank A quest without him? That’s impossible,” the man replied.
He was right. Working with unfamiliar members could be deadly. I shouldn’t join this party. And why was the conversation even heading in that direction? I hadn’t agreed to anything.
“Hey, I never said I’d join—” I started.
“But if we abandon this quest, what happens to the client? Their fields will be completely ruined!” Yui pleaded with the others. If that happened, many people would suffer.
Meanwhile, there was someone suffering right here—me—but Yui and her party continued their discussion, ignoring me.
“Yui, without him, it’s just…” the shield-bearer began.
“Yeah, I can’t see this guy replacing Klum,” the bowman added.
Klum… That must be the support member who was supposed to join this quest but fell ill.
“I agree. Yui, I know how you feel, but we should skip this one,” the woman with the staff said, gripping it tightly. The others looked frustrated too. They clearly wanted to help the client but knew they couldn’t.
If a quest fails too many times, its difficulty increases—especially if there are casualties. Higher difficulty means higher rewards, which the client might not be able to afford, potentially forcing them to withdraw the quest. That would leave the adventurers unable to help. Some might think the Hero’s Party could step in, but ordinary people couldn’t request their aid without significant reason.
Yui’s party clearly understood this, which is why they couldn’t agree to take the quest lightly.
“How about passing it to another party?” I suggested. There was no need for Yui’s group to take it.
But the woman with the staff shook her head, her expression dark. “That’s not possible…”
“Why not?” I asked.
“This quest is Rank A, and it requires a party. That means only a party with at least Rank A adventurers can accept it,” she explained.
“There’s no other party in this guild that can take it. Accepting a quest above your rank gets you harsh penalties from the guild,” Yui added.
“I see…” I considered suggesting they borrow someone from another party, but apparently, parties were restricted to registered members, and breaking that rule also carried penalties. That’s why they were looking for a freelance White Mage—someone unbound by guild rules. It explained why Yui approached me.
The other adventurers in the guild grew somber as they overheard our conversation. The atmosphere had become incredibly awkward. I wanted to help if I could, but I didn’t have the skill. From their talk, Yui’s party was clearly high-ranking—far beyond my capabilities.
I decided to say something and leave. But just as I opened my mouth—
“Hey, so as long as he can use magic at Klum’s level, it’s fine, right?” Yui asked her teammates.
“Well, maybe we could complete the quest then, but…” the shield-bearer replied.
“Yui, that’s impossible. There’s no White Mage in this city who matches Klum’s skill. If there were, we’d have heard rumors,” the woman with the staff said.
Klum must be an exceptional White Mage. Even if I memorized the party’s details now, I couldn’t possibly match someone like that. And I hadn’t even agreed to fill in!
“Look, I can’t possibly replace—” I began.
“Oh, fine, I get it!” Yui suddenly shouted, cutting me off.
Phew. She’s finally giving up…
“Lloyd, all you need to do is use magic at Klum’s level, right? Come on, show Daggus and the others what you can do!” Yui declared, grabbing my arm with force.
“Huh?” I yelped, startled by her sudden enthusiasm.
“Come on, Daggus, you guys too! Let’s go!” Yui called out.
“W-what?” the three others replied in unison, looking like deer caught in headlights.
Yui dragged me toward a nearby forest, apparently intending to test my skills as a White Mage. I hadn’t agreed to anything, but my protests were ignored. I’d hoped the other party members would stop her, but they followed, muttering, “If this makes Yui give up…”
I see. Yui doesn’t listen to anyone.
“Sigh…” How did it come to this?
“Come on, Lloyd! Let’s see your support magic skills!” Yui said, her eyes sparkling with expectation.
In contrast, Daggus and the others looked at me with pity.
“Look, it’s not like I can just ‘show’ you…” I said. On the way here, I learned that Yui’s entire party consisted of S-Rank adventurers—the highest rank, if I recalled correctly. Klum was likely S-Rank too. Could I really use magic at the level of someone like that?
No way. There was no chance I could match an S-Rank adventurer’s magic. I couldn’t meet Yui’s expectations. But with her so enthusiastic, it was hard to say that now.
“Sigh…” Why did it turn out like this?
Regret and guilt for letting her hopes rise gnawed at me. Plus, I was nervous. What kind of difficult task would Yui demand?
I swallowed hard.
“Alright, for starters… cast a buff spell on everyone! At the same time, got it? No casting on each person individually. The type of buff doesn’t matter,” Yui instructed.
“…Huh?” I let out a strange sound, caught off guard by both surprise and confusion.
Why was I confused? Because what Yui asked for was far too simple. Casting a buff spell on multiple people at once was something even I could do easily.
What’s going on? What was Yui really after?
Bewildered, I glanced at Daggus and the others. “Hey, that’s impossible for a regular White Mage…” one of them said.
No, it’s not that hard…
“Look at his reaction. He’s totally lost,” another remarked.
“Yui… let’s just wait for Klum to recover,” the third added.
All three looked at me with pity, as if I were some poor soul. Their expressions only deepened my confusion. What exactly were they expecting?
“Uh, Lloyd… you can’t do it?” Yui asked, looking worried.
“No, I can do it, but…” I replied. For some reason, I was being tested to see if I could join a party of S-Rank adventurers. Normally, they’d demand something incredibly difficult. But Yui’s request was so basic that most White Mages could probably pass. If it was that easy, I could—
No, wait. They must be expecting something more. There’s no way it’s this simple.
“Hey, stop pretending you can do it. You’re just getting Yui’s hopes up,” Daggus said, glaring at me.
“Yeah, if you can’t do it, just say so,” the bowman, Cross, added.
“I agree,” the mage, Silica, chimed in.
“Uh…” I wasn’t sure what they meant, but they seemed to want me to hurry up. Fine. I activated my storage magic and pulled out a staff as tall as I was.
“Huh? Wait, was that…?” Yui exclaimed.
“Here goes…” Ignoring her surprise, I cast the buff spells on all four of them. I applied five buffs—my maximum was six, but that would consume too much mana, so I held back. I’d probably fail this test anyway, so there was no need to waste energy.
This also made me realize something. “Phew… I’ve still got a long way to go,” I muttered. I hadn’t improved much since before joining the Hero’s Party. I hadn’t slacked off, but I hadn’t progressed either. At this rate, I’d only drag down any party I joined. I needed to train harder.
As I pondered this, Yui approached me. “Hey, Lloyd… where did you pull that staff from? It looked like it appeared out of nowhere…”
“I just used storage magic,” I replied. It wasn’t anything impressive. More importantly, I wanted to get this over with and leave. “So, how was it? I cast the buff spells, but…”
“What, you already cast them!? But you didn’t chant… I do feel lighter, though,” Yui said, moving her body as if testing something. She was probably checking what buffs I’d applied.
“Oh, hold on a sec!” Yui grabbed the sword at her waist and swung it at a nearby tree. With a clean slash, the tree was cut in half.
“Whoa, no way…” she gasped.
Well, that’s about what my buffs can do.
“This is…” Yui muttered, staring at her sword.
“I cast five buffs on everyone here: physical enhancement, magic power boost, mana cost reduction, defense boost, and status ailment resistance. I chose different types to make them easier to distinguish,” I explained. Stacking the same buff would’ve been less clear.
This wasn’t good. They weren’t reacting the way I’d hoped. Compared to someone like Klum, my buffs were probably so weak they were speechless. As expected, I had no place in this party. I felt bad for Yui, but I couldn’t help her.
“So, yeah… Yui, I can’t be this party’s White Mage. I’m just not skilled enough. Sorry for getting your hopes up,” I said, storing my staff and turning to head back to the city.
“Wait, hold on!” Yui grabbed my shoulder firmly. She was probably angry for letting her down.
“I know I let you down, Yui, but you got your hopes up on your own—”
“Hey, Lloyd. If you’re okay with it, would you join our party?” she asked.
“Huh?” I couldn’t process the words she’d just said.
Did she just… invite me to join? No, that’s impossible. There’s no way someone like me would be invited to a party of S-Rank adventurers. It must be a mistake. I must be tired.
“Uh, I mean, it’d really help if you’d officially join our party…” Yui clarified.
Scratch that. It wasn’t a mistake. But why? My buffs couldn’t have been impressive enough to earn me a spot. Were they so desperate they’d take any White Mage? If so, I shouldn’t join—for their sake and mine.
“Yui, I’d only hold you back. And even if you’re fine with it, the others might not be,” I said.
“No, with your skills, you wouldn’t hold us back. Anyone who saw that would agree,” Yui replied, glancing at Daggus and the others.
“Hey, Lloyd, can you cast those buffs again?” Daggus asked, approaching me.
“Sure, I don’t mind,” I said. No reason to refuse. I took out my staff and cast the same five buffs: physical enhancement, magic power boost, mana cost reduction, defense boost, and status ailment resistance.
“Done,” I said.
“Thanks. Alright, let’s see…” Daggus stepped back, swinging his massive shield and moving his body to test the effects. Nearby, Cross and Silica were also testing the buffs.
After a while, they returned. “So, what do you think?” Yui asked.
“Yui, I’m in favor of him joining,” Daggus said.
“I’m in too,” Cross added.
“I agree,” Silica said.
All three approved of me joining. I’d thought Daggus and the others, unlike the impulsive Yui, would object, but…
“Hey, Lloyd, was it? Why’s a White Mage like you in a place like this?” Daggus asked, tilting his head.
“Well, you see…” I figured there was no need to hide it, so I told them what had happened. “Until this morning, I was part of the Hero’s Party, but…”
“W-w-w-what!? The Hero’s Party? The one led by one of the four Heroes in the world!?” Cross exclaimed, eyes wide.
His reaction was a bit over-the-top, but the Hero’s Party was famous and prestigious. Joining it wasn’t easy. When I joined, Allen wasn’t as renowned as the other three Heroes, and there happened to be no standout support candidates, so I got in. But given Allen’s current fame, Cross’s reaction made sense.
That was all in the past, though. I was no longer part of the Hero’s Party. Now, I was an unemployed, homeless, penniless White Mage.
“This morning, I was kicked out of the Hero’s Party. The reason? Lack of skill,” I explained.
“No way… If this is lack of skill, then what…?” Cross muttered.
“I’ve never seen a White Mage as skilled as Lloyd-san,” Silica added.
“I’m sure there are tons of White Mages better than me,” I said. My support magic couldn’t even compare to my master, who specialized in attack magic. If she outdid me, there were surely countless White Mages on this continent who were better.
“Besides, don’t you already have Klum? Even if I fill in this time, there’s no need for me to join permanently, right? One support member per party is enough,” I pointed out.
“Well, yeah, that’s true…” Yui’s expression darkened.
Did I say something wrong? Daggus and the others looked similarly grim.
“Did I say something bad? If so, I’m sor—” I started.
Yui shook her head. “No, you’re right. A party doesn’t need two support members. But… the thing is…” She went on to explain.
They wanted me to join permanently to replace Klum, who was caring for a sick younger sister. Klum’s recent illness was due to overexertion, a recurring issue that had worsened lately. Yui and the others wanted Klum to focus on her sister, but Klum refused to leave, worried she’d burden the party. So, they’d been searching for a White Mage to take her place, and that’s when I appeared.
“I see… That’s the situation,” I said.
“Yeah. Sorry for dragging you into this,” Yui said, bowing her head.
It didn’t seem like they were just looking for any White Mage, which eased my concerns. Still…
“This is tricky,” I muttered. I wanted to help Yui’s party if I could. Plus, I needed a job soon—financially, I couldn’t afford to be picky. If there was a place that needed me, regardless of the reason, maybe I should take it.
“If… if someone like me is okay, I’d like to join your party,” I mumbled.
Anxiety dominated my thoughts. Could I really handle this? Negative thoughts swirled in my head.
“Really? You mean it!?” Yui’s face lit up, a stark contrast to my hesitation.
“Well, if someone like me is fine…” I said.
“Yay! I can’t believe someone as amazing as Lloyd is joining us!” Yui exclaimed, grabbing my right hand firmly. “Lloyd, here’s to working together!”
“Y-yeah, likewise,” I replied.
And so, I joined Yui’s party and agreed to take part in their quest. I wasn’t an official member yet—we’d decide that after seeing how we worked together on this quest.
“Well, the sun’s setting, so let’s head back. And we need to hold a welcome party for Lloyd!” Yui announced.
“A welcome party? That’s not necessary…” I protested.
Yui glared at me. “Lloyd, don’t say that! A welcome party is absolutely necessary!”
“I-Is it?” I stammered.
“Yes! Plus, we’ll have a strategy meeting. The welcome party is non-negotiable, got it?” she insisted.
“Y-Yes…” I replied.
In this short time, I’d learned one thing clearly: Yui didn’t take no for an answer. Refusal wasn’t an option—not now, and probably not ever.
Resigning myself to having no say in the matter, I gave up resisting and let Yui lead me to our destination.
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