The night of the banquet, Allen and his party were not in Ishtar’s plaza, but gathered in a room inside the building that had been constructed just for them. In the room was a round table, and around it six chairs. But now, three of those were empty—the ones that once belonged to Mia, Rina, and Lloyd.
“Damn it! Why...?” muttered Allen, looking quite upset. Of course, Mia leaving weighed heavily on him, but that wasn’t the current cause of his displeasure. Once he had exited the Adventurer’s Guild and calmed down, he had finally remembered that this had been an emergency request, which was compulsory for Heroes. But after what Allen had said, they had lost their ability to participate.
This was bad...
That’s when Allen suddenly remembered something. He didn’t have to go back to see them; he only had to wait for the adventurers and knights to come to him. It’d be impossible to defend Ishtar from this giant monster horde without the Hero’s aid. They’d certainly come to him eventually and beg for his help. Then, he’d force the adventurers and knights to apologize for being so rude to him and swoop in to save the day.
At least, that’s what Allen had thought. Lulu and Sheena had thought the same, and so, the three resolved to wait until the adventurers and knights came to plead for their assistance.
But no matter how long they waited, those knights and adventurers never came.
Then, a few hours later—just as the sun was setting in the sky—news that they had succeeded in defending the town began to spread through Ishtar. Despite this being an emergency request—and despite Allen and his party’s absence—Ishtar had been saved.
“Allen... Things aren’t looking good for us, are they?” asked Lulu, looking awfully worried. Sheena remained silent, but it was clear from her expression that she shared Lulu’s concern.
“Nope. They’re not,” said Allen, his expression still as it was.
Lulu grew angry at his lack of panic and raised her voice. “Hey, Allen! Do you not understand what—?!”
“Of course, I understand!” he screamed back, his eyes trained on Lulu. But within them wasn’t panic, but fury. They were bloodshot, his anger clear.
“S-So then what are we gonna do...? We’ll be chased out of the city at this rate.” Lulu was right. They wouldn’t be able to stay in this building. It had been constructed for use by the Hero’s party, but it belonged to the state and was built using taxpayer money. Someone who had lost the title of “Hero” wouldn’t be able to stay there forever.
That didn’t mean they’d suddenly be chased out, but it still was just a matter of time. That must have been why Lulu and Sheena were so on edge.
But not Allen. Instead, he was just furious. “Lulu, Sheena... Let’s get out of here.”
“Huh? We’re leaving?” asked Sheena.
“Yup. Hurry and pack your bags.”
“Allen, I don’t think there’s any need to rush so—” started Lulu.
But she was cut off by Allen slamming his fists on the table. “This town treats that piece of crap Lloyd like he’s some savior! This is his fault! He must have tricked them! But this town’s crazy for falling for his tricks! I’ve got no intention of staying here! We’re leaving tonight!” said Allen before rushing out of the room, probably to pack his bags.
For a moment, all was silent except for the sound of Allen’s fading footsteps. “Um, what do you plan to do, Lulu?” asked Sheena once they were sure Allen was gone.
“Hmm... I think I’ll go with him,” she answered after taking a moment to think.
“Why?”
“I mean, even if I stay here, the people in town aren’t going to be too happy with me. That’s why I think it’s best I stay with him for now. What about you, Sheena?”
“I shall accompany Lord Allen as well.” Apparently, Sheena planned on staying with Allen, though the look in her eyes was not the same that she used to view him with. They seemed to lack confidence as she stared at his now empty seat. Perhaps she felt she was responsible for failing to save Rina and ruining Allen’s reputation, as her healing magic wasn’t as strong as it once was.
“Right! Allen will figure this out somehow! He’s a Hero, after all...” said Lulu, smiling in an attempt to assuage Sheena’s fears. “Then we’ve got to get ready too.”
“Indeed.”
The three packed their bags and secretly left the city.