Chapter 2

Limis is narrowing her eyes at me. Could it be because I reacted so badly when she told us her level? “So…what about you?” she asks. “Right…” What to do… This isn’t what I expected. Raising the level of the hero is within the realm of possibility, but for the companions to be low level is no laughing matter. How can we possibly take down the Demon Lord? I manage to avert my attention away from the doubt twisting around in my mind and start talking. “Ares Crown. Reverend of the Church of Ahz Gried. I will function as the priest on this journey. My level is—” I stop. The three of them eye me suspiciously. It’s not a good idea to be honest about it. After all, the average level of all three of them is 15. There’s too much of a gap, and level gaps in parties yield needless friction. The heroes could lose confidence in themselves. Most importantly, if they think they can rely on me in a critical moment, it will be a weakness in their minds. That is something we need to avoid. Fortunately, only priests can measure a person’s level—and in this party, that’s just me. If I want to make something up, I can. Priests don’t often lie, so they wouldn’t suspect a thing. I hesitate for a moment, then decide to reveal just the last digit. “My level is…three.” “Three? Just three?” says Limis. “Hold on, can you even use healing magic at that level?!” …Well, I said what I said and can’t go back on it. Be that as it may, it is annoying to have that pointed out by Limis. “Oh, I can still do all the basics a healer can do: healing, removing status ailments, level measurement. Nothing to worry about.” “Ahhh, so…we should just try not to get hurt then, huh?” I can see in her eyes that she doesn’t completely believe me. Next to me, Toudou is looking at my weapon with curiosity. It’s a metal rod topped with a barbed iron ball. It looks like an ordinary blunt-force weapon, but actually, I had it made with a metal bestowed with holy power, so it’s particularly effective against things that live in darkness. “This is a mace—a priest’s weapon. Priests of Ahz Gried are not permitted to have bladed weapons. I guess you could say it’s like a mage’s staff, in that it amplifies the effects of magic. Try not to think of it as something to be used in close combat.” “I-is that so…? Just what one would expect from a fantasy priest…” Toudou gulps. Maybe he imagined the power of it. I suppose if you judge on appearance alone, it looks more dangerous than a sword. There is a little tension in the air, and Toudou clears his throat as if to close the subject. “Well, in any case, we will work together to defeat the Demon Lord! I’ll need all of your support.” “I will show you the true power of the magic of Friedia, Holy Warrior!” “My sword lacks experience, but I will use all my strength to serve at your side, Great Hero. We will overthrow the Demon Lord.” As I look at each of them, filled with eagerness, I breathe a sigh. At least they appear to be good people. Everyone looks to me, so I speak my closing statement: “I will do as God wills.” Heading out on a journey to defeat the Demon Lord with this completely underqualified party. At that moment, I felt I’d reached the lowest point in my life. Things couldn’t possibly get any worse… I have just one thing left to say: This world’s a bitch.