I Was the Scout for the Hero’s Party

While hiding in the smoke, slowly circling around Depal and looking for an opening, I began to hear a vicious sound that seemed to tear through the air.

“…That’s a whip.”

Has Roymen joined in?

I needed to cut off Depal’s breath as quickly as possible, as he was likely running out of strength.

I lowered my gaze to check the condition of my short sword, which I had used excessively for a short period.

“Tsk…”

I couldn’t help clicking my tongue upon seeing my short sword, its blade quite damaged from violently clashing with Depal’s spear.

It would be too risky to continue using the short sword.

Having quickly made my decision, I put the short sword back into the sheath at my waist and drew the dagger attached to my thigh.

“Robin.”

As I quietly opened my mouth while staring at the direction where the whip was still lashing, Robin silently emerged through the fog.

“…Senior.”

“We should end this soon. Depal’s strength has sufficiently drained, and Roymen has joined in. Can you do it?”

“Yes.”

After confirming that Robin had disappeared back into the fog, I gripped the dagger with a normal grip rather than a reverse grip.

Because it’s quicker to respond when an attack is blocked when stabbing from bottom to top rather than from top to bottom.

I silently walked with quiet steps, erasing any sound and presence, toward where the smell of blood was spreading thickly.

Not far ahead, I saw Roymen swinging his thorny whip and flail, tearing through the thick smoke, and Depal frantically blocking Roymen’s attacks while still bearing unhealed wounds.

Since I might get hit by the whip being swung by that crazy bastard Roymen if I recklessly rushed in with the dagger, I unhesitatingly put the dagger away and loaded a bolt into my crossbow, my eternal friend.

With difficult-to-handle weapons like whips, it’s better to think that they don’t have eyes.

“Hah…”

The power of the orihalcon bolt tip and the string made of mithril fiber is a precise and violent weapon that needs no introduction.

It’s best not to hope for the optimistic scenario of ending with just a shallow wound when a vital point is hit.

Slowly. I narrow my vision to the tip of the bolt and steady my breath.
The target is around Depal’s neck, moving back and forth.

The moment just before the tip of the bolt and the back of Depal’s neck intersect.

“……Got you.”

Thwoong!

The bolt, leaving the mithril-twisted string, flew quickly toward Depal’s neck at an incredible speed invisible to the eye.

Even at the moment the bolt was fired, Depal noticed the bolt flying toward him and tried to avoid it, but with his wounded body from dodging Roymen’s whip and flail, he couldn’t avoid my bolt as well.

“Khaaaak…!! Gurgle…”

As Depal, with the bolt lodged in his neck, made a dying sound, Robin’s dagger sprang from the right and violently bit into Depal’s side, and Roymen’s steel whip, as if it had been waiting, wrapped around Depal’s leg and pulled.

The cornered prey dropped his spear and fell flat on his back, and I immediately rushed forward, kicked Depal’s spear far away, then shouted toward Maya, who would still be containing the smoke.

“Maya! You can stop now!”

As my voice, loudly shouted since it was difficult to gauge Maya’s position, echoed, the gathered smoke soon began to disperse in all directions with a whoosh.

“Khaak…!!! Gurgle… hack…”

As the smoke cleared, the hunt was over.

After seeing Roymen pull the bolt from Depal and shine a healing light on him, I let out a deep sigh, relaxed my body which was tense from the intense battle, and turned my gaze toward Lady Alexis and the hero’s party.

When I made eye contact with them, sitting down wearily and catching their breath amidst the debris of the Living Armors scattered around, I frowned without hiding my displeasure.

“…What are you staring at, you fucking bitches.”

When I frowned, Adrienne and Gracey glared at me with furrowed brows as if not to be outdone, making me think perhaps I shouldn’t have saved them.

Maybe I should have just grabbed Roymen and run away.
…No, seriously.

As I continued this staring contest with them for a while, Lady Alexis, covered in dirt, approached me.

“Austin…! I was really worried about you. Are you injured?”

At Lady Alexis’s concern for my well-being despite her armor being dirty with soil, I smirked and opened my mouth.

“Yes. Thanks to you protecting those bitches… I mean, the hero’s party and Roymen, I was able to fight without worry.”

“I’m glad. By the way, is Priest Roymen alright… he seemed badly injured…”

At Lady Alexis’s worried inquiry, Roymen paused from healing Depal’s throat just enough to keep him alive and turned toward us.

“I am fine. This is also a trial given by Him to guide this world to the right path with righteous light. Such wounds are easily overcome with a strong spirit…”

“Okay, enough. That’s it. What the hell have you done right to be bragging?”

“Senior! That guy’s spear looks quite expensive, doesn’t it? Let’s take it and sell it, then have a drink when we get back!”

In the midst of the warm atmosphere with my party members, I turned my back on the hero’s party with a genuinely delighted smile.

This is it.
This is the camaraderie I wanted with companions, the normal communication I dreamed of with ideal party members.

“By the way…”

What should we do with that bastard Depal?
According to the request, we should kill him, but Roymen seemed to want to taxidermy him alive after cutting off his limbs.

…Really, Roymen’s crazy tendencies are something else.

“Roymen, step aside for a moment.”

“…Brother. I’m sorry, but cutting off the limbs is my duty…”

“Ah, please. I’m not trying to do that. You know me, right?”

I pushed Roymen aside and crouched down next to Depal, who was tied up and unconscious.

A full-body armor of a peculiar color, a blue that gave the feeling of being drawn in, and strangely, a sallet helmet without the beaver part that protects the mouth.

“The armor… how should I put it, it’s oddly shaped. What’s with this color? And where did he sell the beaver part?”

“It is certainly a strange color… Senior, should we strip off this armor and sell it? It seems like it would fetch a good price…”

As I was chatting with Robin while rubbing Depal’s armor with my fingers, suddenly a shadow fell over me from behind.

“Austin. Let’s talk.”

Those without tact really don’t know how to time their interventions.

Without even responding to Adrienne, who had awkwardly approached me, I continued my conversation with Robin.

“Should we? Indeed, if we sell this bastard’s armor, we could make a tidy sum.”

“How about presenting it to the lord? Although it’s damaged in places…”

“By the way, that bastard Argyle is just sitting there while his henchman is dying. This one is really pitiful.”

“…After the hunt, the hunting dog gets boiled in the pot.”

Robin’s face, as she said this, seemed somewhat melancholic.

“…Sorry. I brought up a needless topic.”

“No, it’s fine… I’ve left the Rangers now.”

Meanwhile, as I continued my conversation with Robin without even looking back, completely ignoring her, Adrienne approached me again with a voice that seemed to be suppressing irritation.

“…Austin. Can we just talk for a moment, okay? The hero also has something to say to you…”

Damn it, even when the other person is clearly showing they don’t want to talk, she keeps approaching without any tact.

I spat out dry saliva and turned around.

“Excuse me, but who are you?”

“…Don’t be like that, it’ll just take a moment.”

Perhaps because it wasn’t the frowning expression and sneering attitude I always showed when I was in the hero’s party—so severe that I worried about wrinkles forming—Adrienne’s attitude felt very awkward to me.

“No, moment or not, who are you?”

“Austin…! I didn’t come here to play word games…!”

“What word games? That’s ridiculous.”

Seeing Adrienne’s face turning increasingly red, it seemed that the hot-tempered Adrienne was trying to contain her rising irritation.

“I’m sorry but… Actually, I’m not sorry at all, I don’t know people like you anymore. So could you please not talk to me?”

“Austin. Please… even if it’s just for a moment, let’s talk…”

…Damn it, the more I hear.

“Hey. Before that, don’t you have something to say to me?”

“Uh, um…? Something to say, what do you mean…”

“Before saying things like ‘let’s have a conversation’ or ‘let’s talk for a bit,’ I mean. Don’t you have something you should say?”

This arrogant bitch still hadn’t apologized.

Whether sincere or not, at least Isabel and Maya had come to apologize without me bringing it up.

Adrienne seemed to know she should apologize too, as she briefly chewed her lips hesitantly before finally opening her mouth.

“……I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“That’s… Ah! Forget it, just talk with me for a moment!!!”

“What, have you returned to your usual ill-mannered Adrienne?”

“…Y-Yikes…!!”

“In the first place, should I come running when you call? This is ridiculous. Who do you think I am, a servant?”

As I maintained a sneering attitude like the usual Adrienne, she finally glared at me with a face flushed bright red, panting for a while, then stomped her feet and returned to where the hero was.

As I looked at the hero’s party with contemptuous eyes, this time the hero herself began to approach.

“Ah, please. Damn it, don’t come.”

The hero, regardless of my expression souring, came and sat next to me.

“…Austin. Can we talk for a moment? Everyone really has something they want to say. It’ll really just take a moment…”

“You… no, never mind.”

When I was about to curse directly in the hero’s face, somehow the hero’s eyes looked sad.

“Robin, I’m going to talk with them for a bit.”

“…Senior. Are you sure?”

“I’m fine… No, honestly, I’m not fine, but I should end this definitively.”

I asked for understanding from Robin and the others, then got up and began to follow the hero who was walking ahead.

“You guys are really persistent. Where was this when you were mistreating me? What face do you have to hold onto me now?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Damn it…”

Let’s hear what they want to talk about.