The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason

26 – Strategy for the Gathering of Loyalty (8)

Every human possesses their own Persona.

It’s too harsh for society to reveal one’s true self as it is, so we all package our personalities to some extent.

This is why we hide our selfish side, conceal our sadness, and bury our darker selves behind an active facade.

These crafted Personas allow for some level of communication, even in uncomfortable relationships, just like now.

“Monsters are up ahead.”

“I’ll cast a darkness shield around us, so attack them all at once.”

It had been a week since we learned dark magic and fought with our party members.

During this time, we were getting along more amicably than I had expected.

It’s like… maintaining a business partnership.

We don’t share personal emotions, but we work together for a common goal, putting aside any discomforting feelings.

Lately, the unconditional hostility has lessened.

Maybe it’s because I lost my temper once. The girls realized I had thorns too, so they were a bit more cautious.

Of course, I don’t know what will happen after we leave the Gathering of Loyalty and more time passes…

But for now, that’s how it is.

We’re mutually uncomfortable, but we don’t express it openly; that kind of atmosphere.

*Sigh*

As anyone who’s experienced group living would know, this is the most uncomfortable atmosphere of all.

“It’s frustrating…”

I’d almost prefer a heated argument to this.

At least when you argue, you can understand each other’s emotions somewhat. Right now, we can’t even do that.

While I briefly entertained such thoughts, I decided to push them aside.

Ah, forget it.

What’s the use of thinking like this? It’s better to have more constructive thoughts at times like these.

Despite our relationship with the team members becoming more strained, personal growth was going quite well.

I even leveled up recently, and the dark magic itself was progressing steadily due to the practice of skills.

“Warrior, ahead!”

“Yes.”

Camila shouted, and when I looked up, I saw a monster charging towards me. A scorpion-like monster twice the size of my body.

With paralysis venom and an exoskeleton harder than most plate armor, it was a formidable opponent, faster than I had anticipated.

As soon as I spotted it, I activated a skill.

[Activating Blood Rush!]

[Temporarily increases strength, speed, and spellcasting speed!]

Named, Second Gear.

A skill that pumps the blood in the body to maximize physical abilities temporarily. Unfortunately, my body didn’t turn red or emit any smoke.

Instead, it put a strain on my body after use, but ‘Regeneration’ would take care of that.

Thump, thump!

As I activated the skill, my heart began to beat faster. The tumultuous heart pumped blood wildly throughout my body.

A slight excitement enveloped me, making me feel capable of anything.

Adding the mana blade to my sword, I swung down.

Swoosh!

A chilling sound echoed as one of the scorpion’s claws was cut off. Due to its size, it was impractical to cut the creature in half.

Shiiing!

As one of its arms was severed, a surge of pain seemed to wash over it. It thrashed around wildly. The narrow corridor reverberated with the noise.

“aaargh! Bugs are falling from the ceiling!”

“Clean it up quickly! Ugh! They’ll be attracted by the commotion!”

Lily waved her hand above my head, brushing off the bugs.

Camila, who was dispatching monsters in the corridor, shouted urgently.

I nodded briefly and reached out to the creature’s body. Then, I activated the skill.

[Initiating Blood Absorption!]

All living beings with movement have blood in their bodies. This applied even to insects and bugs.

Even if the color of our blood may be different, it exists somewhere in our bodies.

And now, I could absorb it.

Shiiiik… Shiiiik…

As I cast the skill, the creature gradually began to calm down.

I felt the blood gradually evaporating beyond my palm.

Among the skills in Blood Magic, it was the skill that I found most useful.

Just as the guy seemed to have calmed down to some extent, I brought down my sword again.

Swoosh!

At the same time, the guy’s neck was severed.

Afterwards, I slaughtered the monsters indiscriminately using “Blood Acceleration.”

Fortunately, I was able to easily deal with the monsters that rushed at me this time.

Originally, the battle would have taken another 30 minutes, but it definitely felt faster after learning the skill. That’s why characters need to choose their occupations. Battles become easier.

Of course, there were a few regrets. This wasn’t the advantage of a self-destructive dark mage.

“You have to get hurt a little for your true worth to be shown…”

The character I chose was a warrior of the class that grows stronger the more they get hurt. But recently, there haven’t been many occasions where I got hurt.

It was because of the characteristic of “toughness.”

The monsters that rushed at me forcefully were definitely troublesome, but not dangerous.

The progress of my skills wasn’t going as well as I had thought.

Thanks to that, I was only improving in the useless skills of “Multicasting” and “Fireball.”

“Sigh…”

“…”

Anyway, while I was thinking about that and wiping away the sweat, I felt strange gazes from somewhere.

When I turned my head, I saw the girls looking at me with some annoyed looks. It was as if they had seen something unpleasant.

…Every time I used black magic, that was the reaction they showed.

I didn’t say anything, but it seemed like those unconscious reactions were unavoidable.

“Sigh… You worked pretty hard today too… How about taking a break now?”

Fortunately, there were not only negative changes.

“…No. Let’s continue a little more.”

As I wiped away the sweat flowing down my body, Camilla calmed her breathing and spoke.

We had already been in combat and exploration for over 8 hours.

Usually, around this time, everyone would naturally disperse.

Fighting continuously for 8 hours was exhausting, and rest was more important than anything in this harsh environment.

“…Alright, then.”

However, these days, the exploration period had noticeably extended.

Even if my words didn’t sit well with them, they must have sensed something. They had realized that they couldn’t stay in this state any longer.

Perhaps, they had shattered the illusion that they could win in some way.

Anyway, it was good news for me.

My body was a bit weary, but my growth had certainly accelerated.

I had less free time, but that was fine; I could fill it with sleep if needed.

And so, we continued hunting for hours afterward.

*

“It’s your task. Please.”

Thud!

After a day’s work, Camilla tossed something at me.

It was the carcass of the monster I had defeated earlier.

After the battle, it was the first time in a while that disassembly work had come my way.

Well, I hadn’t been doing much disassembly work lately…

The discarded monster bodies from the past were enough to easily afford a mansion.

Especially this time, the monster we caught seemed valuable, so it might have been worth disassembling.

But still, I couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

“Darn it.”

In the end, it was all my responsibility to disassemble it.

I never expected they would make me do this kind of dirty work.

They couldn’t say anything to my face, so they found ways to assign me troublesome tasks like this.

“I wanted to rest…”

Complaints escaped my lips, but I had no choice but to pick up the dagger. If I refused, I would be the only narrow-minded person here.

Having no allies means you often end up with tasks like this.

So, when you enter a company, make sure to navigate office politics well.

“This time, it’s armored monsters.”

As I gripped the dagger and examined the joint angles, I noticed a complicating factor. Some of the creatures were covered in chitinous shells.

This meant that disassembling them would be incredibly challenging.

The blade doesn’t easily cut through. It’s hard to find the joints.

Even the ones we just killed are so fresh that the innards won’t separate easily.

They are a bunch of f*cking assholes in many ways.

Just like my party members.

But what can I do. I have to do it···.

So, I started the disassembly work. Still, the quantity is moderate, so I can finish it before going to sleep.

While I was thinking like that, someone came to my side.

“I’ll help you.”

It was the saint.

Wearing a filthy nun’s habit covered in dust, she sat next to me and held a dagger.

“Let’s see··· It’s my first time disassembling, how should I handle it?”

“······.”

I could only be flustered.

I have repeated too many times lately why she is acting like this··· to the point it has become tiresome.

If I were to choose the person in my party who is most difficult to understand psychologically, I would undoubtedly choose her.

Even if I receive her kindness, I can’t help but feel uncomfortable because I don’t know her underlying intentions.

For now, I decided to refuse once.

It was too bothersome to explain, and it was better to do it alone than in an uncomfor

Silence settled for a moment.

On the dark corridor, the only sounds that resonated were the sound of bugs moving and disintegrating.

The saint, while working, seemed to be deep in thought as she alternated between looking at me and the corpses.

What on earth is she doing…

It bothered me, but I decided to ignore it. Ignoring is usually the answer in situations like this.

“…Uh.”

And then, in that moment,

The saint suddenly opened her mouth while looking at me.

“Please don’t hate the children too much.”

I was taken aback and could only ask, “What sudden words are these?”

“Well, a few days ago, there was a fight with the children. It was related to dark magic… Because of that, they’re in an emotionally fragile state. Please don’t hate them too much. They have their own values as well…”

For a moment, I was speechless.

Why did she come here all of a sudden? Was it to say this?

“Well, it’s fine. I also have my faults… Since I learned dark magic, this kind of response is to be expected.”

I don’t hate them. Probably.

Although I often get angry when I’m constantly belittled… But that’s ultimately the result of my curse.

There is enough reason to be considerate.

What’s unusual is that it’s her instead.

So, I decided to ask her something I was curious about.

“Aren’t you bothered, Saint?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about dark magic. It’s certainly not a path that can be deemed right…”

In the game, she particularly disliked dark magic. But why is her attitude suddenly changing now? I still couldn’t understand.

It’s not just that.

There are countless curses attached to my body. Just by looking at them, they instill fear, disgust, annoyance, and distrust.

But is she completely unaffected?

Does the blessing of the gods grant immunity even to something like that? Or is it purely because of her disposition?

Or… is it because she has some hidden intention?

I am still curious. I hope I can satisfy that curiosity even a little during this moment.

The words she said after waiting for a while were:

“You said it was a necessary choice.”

“······.”

It was a moment that made me momentarily emotional.

“I believe in you, Hero. Even if I don’t fully understand. There must be a reason why you made that choice. Right?”

She says it with a compassionate smile.

Her eyes, resembling sapphires, shone so warmly that it felt like receiving healing for a moment.

“······.”

I wished for this kind of understanding.

I don’t need the envy of others, the fame that will be remembered in history, or the recognition of the high and mighty.

I just wanted a small word like this.

At least, the belief that there is someone supporting the path I walk.

I guess, without even realizing it, I’ve been hoping for something like that.

“Well, I see···.”

After giving a vague answer, I turned my head again.

It was difficult to keep looking because tears would well up if I did.

······ I still don’t know if those words were sincere or not.

Empty comfort is something anyone can give, and expressions are easy to adorn. It’s possible that there are different thoughts inside.

But what does it matter?

At least, I was moved by those words.

I felt a small part of my heart healing.

And moreover, she even confronted the other party members to defend me.

I wasn’t so foolish as to not realize that she had shown consideration for me all this time.

So maybe, just a little bit··· can’t I trust her? Isn’t it okay to be optimistic that there is someone supporting me?

“······.”

That’s how we started focusing on disassembling again.

Just like before, a heavy silence enveloped the surroundings, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as before.

Rather, it felt comforting.

After working for a while, it was when I glanced at her.

‘Ah.’

I see a small bug sticking to the back of her soft neck. It was a common occurrence for bugs to cling to Insectia Chung Hoe-sung.

Usually, she would notice it as soon as it stuck to her body.

“Are you too focused to notice?”

If that’s the case, I should remove it.

I don’t know if it’s poisonous or not, but there’s no way the bug would feel good being stuck to her body.

So I cautiously started to reach my hand towards the back of her neck. Without any particular thoughts…

And…

-Thunk!!

I was rejected.

In clear view, I saw her hand forcefully brush mine away.

In her startled eyes, there was an unmistakable sense of displeasure.

Her kind smile, which was filled with compassion, instantly turned into a frown, and for a moment, rough breath escaped from her throat.

I couldn’t help but be surprised by her rough rejection.

At the end of that momentary silence.

Her eyes and mine met.

“Ah…”

“…Huh?”

Her eyes, which had grasped the situation, started shaking uncontrollably.