Quit The Hero Party

EP.53 Resti Elenoa (4)

Tracker, Kalt.

He is a knight who has experienced the battlefield.

It might be misleading to say that he simply has experience. Kalt has fought alongside top knights at the front lines.

He assisted the Knights Order Leader Heinkel.

He supported elite mages from the former Master of the Tower.

His main role was assistance, but no one questioned Kalt’s necessity. No one underestimated him just because he was a commoner.

Kalt stood by them solely based on his abilities. In the front lines, there is no room to worry about status. There, soldiers are managed based on usefulness.

And Kalt was a good soldier.

Thud, thud!

He is sharp-minded.

He is quick-witted and decisive. He possesses all the virtues needed on the battlefield. His talent as a tracker is also outstanding.

Talented individuals tend to stand out no matter where they are. Especially in the deadly battlefield.

-Kalt, I have a proposal for you.

It was only natural for an opportunity to be presented to Kalt.

-It’s not a demand. There will be no disadvantage if you refuse. This is merely a suggestion.

An opportunity handed directly by the Knights Order Leader, Heinkel. There was no reason to refuse. Kalt accepted the proposal.

-Alright, then I shall explain right away.

-You’ll be assisting a somewhat special unit. In fact, it’s hardly a unit as there are only two members.

And.

-The Wise One Raniel and the Hero Kyle.

-Assisting those two will be your job moving forward.

In that place, Kalt met the mage.

“Come in.”

As Heinkel gestured, someone entered the tent. The man’s hair is ashen. His piercing eyes reveal blue irises.

“Oh.”

The mage smiles.

“So you’re the knight called ‘The Dog’s Nose’? Nice to meet you.”

He then boldly steps forward and extends his hand.

“Just call me Raniel.”

That was the first encounter between the Ashen Mage, Raniel van Trias, and Kalt.

“… Dog’s Nose?”

“That’s what the knights call you.”

“Hm.”

At that time, Kalt was quite fearless.

“So you’re the virgin mage, right?”

“What the f*?!”

That day.

Kalt was beaten until not a speck of dust was left on his dirty leather armor.

It was a stormy night when the rain fell heavily.

2.

“Ugh…”

Kalt rubbed his side. Today it felt particularly sore around his waist.

“… I realized for the first time that getting beaten in the rain meant exactly what it said back then.”

It was a day of new realizations.

Sniff, cough.

Kalt rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.

Is it because he’s been honing his senses for so long? His nose felt sore.

Hah…

He briefly exhaled.

The breath he released gathered at the bottom of the dark underground sewer. Kalt slowly rose from his position.

“Ugh, ugh.”

The mage crouching on the ground groaned.

True to a life of resilience, the Betrayer is tough. Kalt plunged his hooked dagger into the Betrayer’s nape.

‘No need to annoy myself by casting spells.’

He twisted the hilt of the dagger slightly.

He pulled the chain embedded in the hilt and wrapped it around his hand. Then, he tugged the chain as if pulling a leash.

Clank, clank!

The chain jingled as it swung.

The engraved spell on the chain activated.

Silence.

Lightweight.

As expected of Hound-exclusive gear, its performance is top-notch. Not even the sound of dragging along the ground can be heard. Kalt pulled the chain and moved his steps forward.

‘Is this the last location?’

Kalt took out the sealing magical tool from his pocket.

He contained the altar he just seized from the Betrayer into the magical tool. So far, he has gathered a total of four altars.

Two were given by his former superior, and Kalt gathered two by putting in the effort. He attempted to connect them into one.

There was just one empty slot remaining.

The location of that last piece cannot be found.

This was originally designed this way.

Moreover, with just four, Kalt could recognize the symbol. It was a symbol that he could never forget.

‘Thank goodness that person is in the Royal Capital.’

That thought struck him anew.

If the Ashen Mage hadn’t been in the Royal Capital, if all of this had been left unattended, if the altar had been completed…

Kalt imagined that scenario.

The scenario wasn’t difficult to conceive. For knights who have experienced the frontlines, it’d be an encounter they’d have once.

What if it were to be opened at the center of the Royal Capital, complete?

“…”

Kalt tightened his grip on the chain.

“… I should send a message.”

In any case, as long as the Ashen Mage is in the Royal Capital, a response can be made to any situation that arises. Kalt has no doubts about that person’s abilities.

However, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.

Kalt took out a sheet of letter paper from his pocket.

If you were a knight under the Knights Order Leader, Heinkel, you would have at least one letter like this.

Scratch!

Kalt inscribed letters with mana.

As soon as he completed a sentence, the letters began to disappear one by one from the first letter onward, signaling that the recipient had read the message.

Scratch, scratch.

He continued to inscribe letters for a while.

After a brief moment, all the letters melted away like snow.

-I’ve confirmed it.

The reply on the blank paper was concise.

-I will send support.

Immediately, a name came to mind.

Kalt confirmed that name.

-Hero, Kyle Toven.

That was the only name written on the letter.

Yet, he felt no lack.

“That’s enough.”

Kalt murmured like that.

2.

The facilities at the Central Academy are well maintained.

The bed linens are always dry as if they were aired in sunlight, and there’s hardly a chance for dust to gather, thanks to the caretakers who clean every morning.

Among those rooms, one is overly neat. The room owner ventilates to the point it feels pathological, leaving no trace of odor at all.

A room devoid of any signs of life.

An excessively orderly room.

The owner of that room, a girl, gazes at the clock.

Tick, tick.

Only the ticking of the hour hand can be heard in the silence.

That sound rings loudly in the quiet room, yet Resti cannot hear it.

-I will watch and decide for myself.

It is because another voice echoes in her ears.

-Whether they are a fitting mage for that position or not.

Someone’s voice continuously resonates beside her ear.

A firm voice reverberates in her ears.

‘… This feels strange.’

Something was odd.

That phrase was not necessarily a compliment toward her. She clearly stated that she’d watch and decide.

Depending on that decision, she could lose everything. If that person decided she “doesn’t fit”…

‘So, if I accept that recommendation…’

Resti imagined what would happen next.

No one would doubt that person’s qualifications. Unlike herself, that person would possess the qualification to be so.

That person resembles the Ashen Mage.

With just the achievements they accomplished in the last month, it would be sufficient to prove their prowess.

If that person were to set their mind to it.

They could take the position of the next Master of the Tower, the Castle of Elenoa, and everything that constitutes Resti Elenoa from her.

So.

She should feel a sense of urgency at that person’s words, “I will watch and decide.”

“Yet, why…”

Does that phrase sound pleasant to me?

She couldn’t figure out the reason.

Only the pleasant thumping in her chest remained.

Actually, she had a rough idea.

It was just a bit embarrassing to accept that thought.

“…”

Resti gazed at the pen resting on the edge of her desk. It was the pen she always carried around.

-You can do it, right?

The voice of that person came to her mind as they picked up the pen that had fallen on the floor and handed it to her.

She recalls the gaze filled with anticipation.

That gaze was exceedingly unfamiliar to Resti.

… Resti has endured countless gazes over the past three years. Since taking the position of the next Master of the Tower, many came to see Resti.

Each time, Resti showcased her magic.

She demonstrated the summoning magic shown to the Elder and gazed at them with hopeful eyes.

But they looked down upon Resti with disappointed gazes. Resti’s summoning magic wasn’t lacking. Her magic was not shabby either.

It was just that.

-“It’s not much compared to that person.”

-“I thought since they were following that person, they must possess the qualifications…”

They were looking for traces of someone else in Resti. No one saw her.

They expected too much and were disappointingly let down.

With each encounter, Resti gradually lost her expression.

She lost interest in magic little by little.

No matter what she did, she was only compared to others.

“…”

No one saw her.

Everyone sought the Ashen Mage in her. She suffered so much from those gazes that now merely seeing them makes her nauseous.

However.

‘That person…’

That person was different.

-I feel like I could do this much.

Resti recalls the blue eyes that gazed at her.

-I could unravel this, right?

They were different.

-That’s impressive.

That person always saw only her.

They didn’t search for the Ashen Mage in her. They smiled with interest and praised her with surprise.

It felt strange.

Strange and nostalgic, to the point she was smiling before she noticed.

“…”

Resti touched the corners of her mouth.

Her lips were curling up.

… It’s a funny thing when she thinks about it.

For the past three years, she had faced cold gazes. She had heard insults directed at her. She had been told that the position wasn’t hers.

‘But now.’

Just because she heard a single word, she feels motivated.

Even Resti finds it strange.

Moreover, that one word is not even close to words of encouragement. It’s just a phrase saying they’ll decide from now on.

It’s not encouragement.

It’s not praise.

It’s not acknowledgment.

It’s just a mere statement of intention to watch.

“…”

Yet.

“That’s enough.”

For Resti, that is enough.

She has endured the past three years for just one Elder who would watch over her.

Now, with just one more gaze, it is enough.

Grip.

Resti reached out and grabbed the pen.

She stood from the bed and sat in her chair.

She lit the magical lamp. She looked at the research report placed on her desk. She lightly dusted off the dirt on the report.

She checked the clock.

It was late at night.

Sleep wouldn’t come.

Scratch.

The sound of the pen tip sliding on the paper swallowed the ticking of the clock.

Scratch, scratch.

That sound continued until dawn broke.

A word from the author (Author’s Note)

P.S. The virgin mage is a nickname spread by Sara and Remia. They’ve been spreading rumors among the knights about being ripped apart by Raniel!