I Was the Scout for the Hero’s Party

“When I returned after receiving treatment from Father Roymen, Austin was gone.

He was just talking with Robin a moment ago… I see Robin sitting over there, so I should ask him.

“Excuse me… Robin. Where did Austin go…?”

“Oh, Lady Alexis! If you’re looking for Senior… he followed the Hero. I think he said he had something to talk about with her.”

“I see…”

Austin… it seems like he has a lot of unresolved issues with the Hero. I hope they can work things out…

“Oh, and… you can just call me Robin! I’m a commoner like Senior… and when you call me ‘Mr. Robin,’ it feels a bit distant…”

Mr. Robin… no, Robin seems to want to get closer to me.

Well… we are party members, so using honorifics might be a bit awkward.

“Yes, Robin. I look forward to working with you. And I’d like it if you called me Orien too.”

It seems Robin also wanted to address me by my name more comfortably.

His visible joy… he’s like a puppy.

“Yeah! Orien, I look forward to working with you too!”

If we return to the capital, I’ll need to prepare for graduation from the Academy, but even after graduation… I want to stay with these people.

I wonder when Austin will return…

“…Hmm…?”

Who is that child?

Suddenly, a boy walked from where Austin and the Hero were talking, looking around nervously. He approached Father Roymen but stopped abruptly.

…I suppose he’s still too young to get used to the smell of blood.

Eventually, after looking around, he hesitantly approached me.

“Um… Austin told me to wait here…”

…It seems they’re having quite a serious conversation.

I suppose we’ll have to wait a bit longer.

“How… how? How could you all do this to me? Not just anyone, but you people?”

“…Austin, pl-please calm down a bit…”

When I spoke with a voice charged with anger, the Hero grabbed my arm with a panicked expression, sweating as she tried to calm me down.

My inner thoughts looking at the Hero were… well, now you care?

“…Anyone else I could understand, but you people shouldn’t have done this to me.”

How could they treat me like that?

Thinking about it now, I’m beyond angry—I’m astonished.

“I did everything I could for all of you… Was the role of scout really that laughable?”

“A-Austin… I’m sorry… so…”

“No? You’re not sorry at all. How worthless and contemptible must you have thought my position was to put some kid in as a scout?”

“N-no…! That’s not it…!!”

I don’t know. Where does this woman’s lies end and the truth begin?

No, maybe it’s all lies from beginning to end.

Now… I don’t know anymore.

I let out a deep sigh that could sink the ground and slumped down heavily.

The concerned looks from Maya and Isabel watching me didn’t feel so bad anymore.

At least, their eyes didn’t contain lies.

I looked into the Hero’s eyes.

In her trembling pupils looking at me, there was desperation and pleading.

Whether there were lies in them, I couldn’t tell anymore.

I can no longer trust anything about this woman.

“…Where did it go wrong?”

How did they change like this?

“A-Austin… please…”

“Was it when I started taking care of you all after every battle when you were exhausted?”

“That’s not… that’s not it…”

“Or was it when I started putting up with all your complaints?”

Just like always, when the day ended and we made camp, we would sit around the campfire in small groups and share our thoughts.

“…Maybe our very first meeting at the royal palace was a bad fate.”

Yes. That’s it.

Without needing to blame anyone. Simply…

“Our meeting itself was a bad fate.”

I finished speaking and stood up without hesitation, dusting off my pants.

“…Austin… I’m sorry. I… I’m sorry…”

“I don’t know what change of heart you’ve had, but I have no intention of accepting your apology.”

Since I didn’t accept Isabel and Maya’s apologies either.

I figured there was no need to accept the Hero’s apology.

As I tried to gently remove the Hero’s hand clutching my pant leg…

Remove…

“Huh!…”

…Why is she so strong?

“…Hero. Let go.”

“No… I won’t let go until you accept my apology.”

“I knew you had the strength of an ox, but you’ve got the stubbornness of one too. Let go already.”

This crazy… how strong is she?

Being the Hero and all, I tried my hardest to pry her fingers from my pant leg, but her grip was so firm that I felt my fingers would break first.

“Damn it… Are you going to let go? Seriously! How can you be this ridiculously strong?!”

“Austin… we’re sorry… please…”

“No, I’m not going back to your party!”

As the Hero held onto my pants and we struggled, Gracey suddenly sighed deeply and spoke up.

“…Sigh… Let’s call it a day and head back to Quiln. The sun is setting soon. Austin, can we talk again next time?”

“No, I don’t want to meet with you all again…”

“I’m sorry, Austin. As a knight who has dedicated her heart to the sword and justice, I sincerely apologize. The other party members also seem to have more to say… Could we talk again another time?”

“…Fine. Come find me if you can.”

I’ll be heading to the capital soon anyway, so what do I care if the Hero and her minions look for me or not?

Finally, after I reluctantly nodded, the Hero released her grip on my pant leg.

“Well then. Good luck defeating the Demon King on your own. Let’s not acknowledge each other if we meet in Quiln.”

With those final words, I turned my back on the Hero’s party and slowly walked to where my companions were waiting.

This is goodbye now.

…It is goodbye, right?

Walking without looking back, I eventually arrived at the clearing where my companions were resting as evening fell and darkness set in.

Seeing the campfire and tents set up, they must have prepared for camping, anticipating I would be late.

Well, I have no desire to return to Quiln laughing and chatting with the Hero’s party either, so camping might be better.

Robin, who was sharpening his dagger with a portable whetstone by the campfire, saw me and ran over.

“Senior! Did things go well with the Hero?”

“Ah… well, it was resolved somehow.”

As I answered Robin halfheartedly while looking around, I noticed Max sitting next to Roymen, engaged in conversation.

“Ah, damn it.”

What am I supposed to do with him?

That kid talking with Roymen is still a child, not even an adult yet.

He’s still too young and inexperienced to take over my position as the scout in the Hero’s party.

I slowly walked over and sat down heavily next to Max.

“Oh… Austin. Did you finish your talk…”

“Hey, Max.”

“Y-yes?”

I felt a kind of responsibility toward Max.

After all, he ended up in this situation because I left the Hero’s party on my own.

Of course, after hearing my outburst, the Hero’s party probably won’t use Max as a scout anymore, but then he’ll have nowhere to go.

Glancing at the short bow slung across Max’s back, I continued speaking.

“…How good are you with that bow?”

“B-bow…?”

“Yeah. That bow on your shoulder. Can you actually use it?”

Typically, using a bow requires a certain amount of strength.

Unlike a crossbow that only needs to be drawn once and locked, a bow requires holding the bowstring while aiming, so a child’s level of strength isn’t enough to continuously use a bow.

“Um… my father was a hunter, so I can shoot reasonably well…”

“…Really?”

I can’t leave him with the Hero’s party, and seeing how clueless he looks, he’s likely to end up in trouble if he continues as an adventurer.

…I haven’t taken in any strays since Robin, but… I can only hope this kid has potential.

I opened the Ranger pouch at my side and took out a small, plainly decorated dagger.

Seeing Max’s confused expression in front of me, I smirked and slightly cut my finger.

“B-brother?!”

Ignoring Max’s shocked expression with wide eyes at my sudden action, I let drops of my blood fall on the blade’s surface, then sheathed the blood-stained dagger into its plain scabbard with a click.

A faint red light seeped through the gap between the scabbard and the dagger, and eventually, a hunting dog-shaped mark appeared on the scabbard. I handed it to Max.

“From now on, you’re my stray dog. Call me Senior from now on. I hope you become a fine hunting dog.”

“S-stray dog…?”

“S-Senior?!!”

When I took in Max as a ‘stray dog,’ Robin, who had been sharpening his dagger nearby, rushed over to me in shock.

“N-no! Senior!! Do you know how hard I worked to become your stray dog?! If you just give it away like this, what does that make me?!”

“…Well, I do feel somewhat responsible for him.”

“What responsibility?! Sigh… what is this… Do you even know how much, how much effort I put in?! This makes me look like a fool!”

“…Well, Max can start putting in effort from now on too, right? I can’t just leave him like this… Other Rangers take in five dogs each, so I’m being quite modest.”

I shook off Robin who was clinging to me and turned my attention to Max, who was still standing there blankly with the dagger in his hand.

“Take that dagger and go to the Ranger training center in the capital. Show them the dagger I gave you, and they’ll probably accept you. What, don’t you want to become a Ranger?”

“M-me… a Ranger…?”

Max too, in 3-4 years, will become a fine Ranger no less capable than Robin… I believe in the kid standing before me.

“Max is… small in build and uses a short bow, so your firepower won’t be that great… so you’ll focus on speed-based combat. Therefore…”

Robin, sticking close by my side, seems a bit displeased, but…

“From now on, your alias is Terrier.”

Today, I took in a new stray dog.