That’s why I thought everyone would be happy, that they would be praising me for a job well done!
“Wow, you talk like this was all you,” whispered Nikola. Now that we were foes, it cut deep.
“It wasn’t me! It was all because you three had already done some damage! I just landed the finishing blow! I-It was just a coincidence! All of us are responsible for this victory, and I… I just…”
I didn’t know why I was trying so hard to defend myself. Something strange had clearly happened back there, and while I didn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth, I couldn’t stop them.
I mean, this was the only place I had. Drachenflügel was where I belonged, and I had put so much effort into making sure I wasn’t a nuisance to them. If they kicked me out, then I would—
“Shut up.” As soon as Chronos spoke those words, my feelings were useless. I knew there was nothing else I could do.
A loser like me went and stuck out from the crowd. I was just supposed to be the support. While the others kept it to themselves, we all knew I was at the bottom of the totem pole in Drachenflügel.
A guy like me had accomplished something grand, even if it really was just a coincidence. Of course it hurt their feelings. If I wanted to stay here, I shouldn’t have made even a single mistake. I needed to lie low, avoid causing any trouble, and assist where I could. They were putting up with me. It was the least I could do.
I stared at Chronos in a daze. So, this is what true beauty looks like. “Beauty” felt like a weird word to describe a man, but it fit him. I realized the vast difference between someone like me and a guy like him who had been blessed since birth. Please don’t get all mad at me with that pretty face. It’s scaring me!
I looked at the two girls standing behind him, pleading with them for help. Nikola was a priestess, a calm and collected girl. She deserved to be at Chronos’s side. Her cold attitude made her a bit unapproachable, but my undeserving self thought she had a surprisingly soft side as well.
No, she really must have been kind. It was only me she treated coldly. So, this is what it’s like being her enemy.
Mehlis was a happy-go-lucky sorceress. She had a crush on Chronos, but never admitted it to herself. It was kind of adorable. She would vent to me, and while she sometimes got angry, I had mistakenly come to the conclusion that she trusted me.
However, I was wrong. I wasn’t sure exactly when it started but she hated me. Perhaps she always had. She might have been trying to get rid of me for a while now.
“…Fweh heh heh.” I was so nervous, a lifeless laugh escaped me.
“What the hell’s so funny?!” Chronos slammed his hand on the table. I shuddered. He must have seen his chance with the way I expressed my fear. He lunged forward, grabbed me by the collar, and yanked me into the air.
“Agh!” The air was forced from my throat. I was choking and it hurt, but I couldn’t fight back. He was stronger than me, just as our occupations dictated. I was a support caster who specialized in casting buffs on my allies, while Chronos was a swordsman fit for combat. Our inherent strengths were miles apart; I had no hope of beating him.
“You damn nobody,” spat Chronos. I realized he had seemed quite wary of me until now. He might have been afraid of me for having defeated a boss all on my own.
Once he took hold of me, he realized I was weak. In fact, I was more aware of it than anybody. That victory had been a one-in-a-billion coincidence.
I’m…weak.
When he finally allowed me to breathe, the look in his eyes had grown to that of conviction. I propped myself up on the floor as I caught my breath. Now, they didn’t just look down on me figuratively, but literally.
“Whatever. We’ve already found a replacement. Come on in!”
My vision was closing in on me, though I noticed that everyone had now averted their gazes. It was only after turning my head that I realized they were all looking towards the drawing room, where a tall, beautiful woman stood. She had hair and eyes so verdant you could mistake them for foliage, but her most obvious feature was her pointed ears. She was an elf.
“This is Sophia. She’s here to fill the hole you’ll be leaving.”
Having been introduced, Sophia bowed in response. She must have a thing for Chronos, I thought. He really is popular with the ladies.
“So, get the hell out, Wim. We don’t need you anymore.”
That was that. I held back my trembling voice and got to my feet. “Would you allow me to gather my things?”
“Just hurry.”
I kept my head down and ran for the stairs. “I’m sorry, everyone,” I said, muttering an apology. “For everything.”
The life I had known for years had reached its end. I opened the door to my room, realizing only now that Drachenflügel had been nice enough to offer a loser like me his own space. The days I spent here were suffocating, but my comrades made a good team.
Not that it mattered anymore.
I silently packed my bags, stuffing them as fast as I could with everything I had, save for the documents relating to managing the party. I didn’t want to be subjected to any further humiliation.
I didn’t know what my next step was. Everything I had worked so hard to build had come crashing down. Now, it felt like I had nothing. The path ahead was dark and bleak.
“Fweh heh heh.”
The lifeless laugh—the so-called creepy habit others had begged me to fix over and over—slipped from my lips.