Chapter 1:
The Girl Who Wanted to be Boring
“YOU THINK A LITTLE RUNT like you could defeat the Demon Lord? Not a chance.” The legendary mage glared deep into the trembling girl’s eyes as she dangled in the air, suspended by the collar of her shirt.
She knew it was all true, too. She’d been completely useless in their last demon encounter—worse, she’d needed the party to protect her as well. But she hadn’t had the fortitude to keep a stiff upper lip when she was being called useless. She’d tried to soften the blow by cracking a joke, by pushing back.
And that was how she ended up here.
Flum Apricot forced a smile, though tears burned at the corners of her eyes. The man gave a derisive snort before making his exit. She stood there for some time, gazing down at her feet, before finally dragging her sleeve across her wet eyes.
Her voice trembled as she spoke aloud to no one in particular. “I never really wanted to be here in the first place, you know…”
It had been foretold by Origin, the Divine Creator, that Flum would be one of the brave heroes who felled the Demon Lord. But the other heroes were worlds apart from Flum. The man who had threatened her moments ago was Jean Inteige, the brooding sage who could control the four elements of fire, water, wind, and earth. Then there was Linus Radiant, the eagle-eyed archer who could hit a target from miles away. Maria Affenjenz was a merciful and affectionate holy woman who could heal ailments of the body and mind. Gadhio Lathcutt was armed with a massive blade that he wielded one-handed, carving through even S-Rank monsters with ease. Eterna Rinebow, known in some circles as the timeless witch, wielded such powerful magic that she could send her foes straight to the bottom of the sea. And finally, there was Cyrill Sweechka, a young woman who exuded bravery and was said to be the savior born to rid the world of the Demon Lord.
They were each so famous in their own right that even a country bumpkin like Flum had heard of them. It seemed like fate that they would join forces to destroy the Demon Lord once and for all. And it was just as obvious that a small-town girl like Flum didn’t belong in such impressive company. The only thing she brought to the table was “Reversal,” a bizarre status effect that even she didn’t quite understand. Its only apparent effect was that it automatically turned all her stats to zero.
When Cyrill told her that she was foretold to be one of the great heroes, Flum had had no achievements to her name other than leading a quiet life in her village. She did her best to support the party however she could outside of combat, working harder than anyone else on the team. But even when Flum put her life on the line to protect another member of the party, taking injuries in the process, they just said it wasn’t worth wasting their magic to heal her.
And yet, she persisted.
When she did manage to be of some help, her party members just brushed her off and told her to stay out of their way.
And yet, she persisted.
When she fixed up some snacks to keep the party fed on their journey, they wouldn’t deign her food worthy of eating unless she practically begged them to.
And yet, even so, she persisted.
Looking back, Flum had to admit she might have had something of a victim complex. But be that as it may, it was undeniable that the other heroes treated her like a second-class citizen. She couldn’t understand how she’d ended up in this position or why she worked so hard for nothing. She tried to tell herself that she’d done her best, but in the back of her mind, she knew that the day would finally come when she hit her limit.
Flum suddenly felt as if someone was watching her. For a second, she entertained the thought that one of the others had come to try and cheer her up, but it was just Cyrill, silently gazing at her.
Cyrill was short—shorter than Flum, in fact—with loose blonde hair that dangled past her ears. However, there was a power deep within her that would make even the toughest demons tremble in fear.
Cyrill Sweechka was the textbook definition of a hero.
Flum couldn’t quite gauge what the other girl was thinking, but it was clear that it wasn’t anything positive. She decided to try and break the tension. “H-hey, Cyrill…”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than Cyrill spun on her heel and began walking away.
Flum felt a knot tighten in her chest and tears well up in her eyes. She bit down hard on her lip to stop herself from crying.
She had been completely abandoned.
When they first began their journey, Flum and Cyrill had been quite close. Not only were they both from small towns, but they were even close in age. However, as Flum’s uselessness became more and more apparent, a rift began to form between the two young women. Cyrill stopped trying to cheer her up, as if she didn’t want to acknowledge Flum’s existence.
Under any normal circumstances, Flum would never have agreed to join a party like this. But it had been foretold by Origin, and the decision wasn’t hers to make. The people of her village had been so excited that there was a hero in their midst. How could she have backed out?
She couldn’t help but wonder just what her friends and family would think of her now—the young girl they had invested all their hopes and dreams in, now useless and wallowing in self-pity, without a single ally to her name. Just the thought of all of her friends and loved ones giving her the cold shoulder like Cyrill sent Flum sinking further into despair. But giving up wasn’t an option. Even if she didn’t want to do this, she still had a duty to see her job through.
Dragging a fist across her eyes to wipe away the tears, Flum took off at a jog after the party. No matter how the rest of the party treated her, she knew she had little choice but to rely on them.
She felt alone in the world, without a single person she could truly call a friend.