Idle Chatter: Envy
 

 
Crunch. The bundle of papers in my grip crumpled mercilessly, the sound echoing through the room.
 
The once neatly stacked papers, the penholder filled with quills, and the other items on the desk scattered onto the floor from the force of my outburst. The bottle of ink’s lid popped open, staining the pristine white carpet with growing black splotches.
 
“No… No, this isn’t right. It’s all wrong. Start over, start over, start over, start over–“
 
I muttered the words countless times, running my hands through my hair in frustration.
 
How long had I been at this? … Read the rest

“Why indeed!? Why are you disbanding the party without my permission!? If you’re going to do that, get my permission first or bring another hero! “
 
While saying something too overbearing, Maya grabs Lucas. Lucas is terribly flustered.
 
“Just go to another hero if you want.”
 
“Ugh, seriously? Is your head rotten or something!? Why the hell do I have to leave voluntarily? And do you even understand? I got fired by you, you know? No other hero party would want me because they see me as a ‘white mage who got fired’! Sure, I may have … Read the rest

Letty spoke softly in a small, delicate voice.
 
“Shishou”
 
“Hmm?”
 
“I did my best.”
 
“…Yeah”
 
Her hand, grabbing onto my clothes, tightened slightly.
 
“It was scary, but I did my best.”
 
“Yeah”
 
“Am I amazing? Am I brave?”
 
“Yeah”
 
There was a sniffle, followed by a sucking sound.
 
“Even if I’m weak, even if I cry, is that okay?”
 
Her voice, mixed with sobs, trembled weakly.
 
I answered. The tone of my voice was surprisingly gentle, even to myself.
 
“Yeah. –You did well, Letty.”
 
///… Read the rest

Epilogue: Back to Everyday Life
 

 
“Hey, are you awake?”
 
There was a gentle knock on the door, accompanied by a voice calling out.
 
“Yeah, I’m up!”
 
A young voice responded from inside, and I swung the door open with a creak.
 
This was a room in the inn I had rented just a few days ago. Taking a quick glance around the spacious room, I noticed the neat closet and comfortable sofa, along with other convenient furniture for daily living. The windows sparkled, the floor gleamed, and the walls were pristine.
 
The inn, … Read the rest

 
I grabs Seft by the hair and pulls him up by force. Seft tried to gather some magic power in his right hand, as if he still had some energy left to resist.
 
“Apologize.”
 
Before he could activate it, I twisted and tore off his right arm. Seft writhed in pain.
 
Despite his body being covered in multiple layers of strong protective magic, my magic—enhanced by reinforcement—seemed slightly superior.
 
Soon, he was screaming and thrashing around instead of simply healing with recovery magic or reapplying protective spells. He probably hadn’t experienced much pain before.
 
Having powerful abilities meant nothing if … Read the rest

 
Our swords clash. Sparks fly before my eyes, and the clash of swords rings out repeatedly. There’s no beautiful sword dance or masterful technique. Just rough swordsmanship, clashing our strengths against each other.
 
Eventually, the eternal duel ends when Lucas steps back.
 
“Why?”
 
“Huh?”
 
“Why are you trying to help her?”
 
I pause for a moment to think about that question. Why am I helping Letty? Honestly, I don’t fully understand yet. That’s why I’m here, standing here, to find that answer.
 
On my way here, I thought about it while pounding the ground. … Read the rest

“…Funny, I found you unpleasant too. It’s strange for a lowly D-rank adventurer like yourself to wield such excessive power.”
 
“You’re such a pain in the ass, seriously. Always beating around the bush. If you wanted help, you should have said so from the beginning.”
 
“What are you talking about?”
 
“It’s been bothering me for a while. When we entered Rivulhilo, you tried to stop us. You spouted some nonsense about not allowing the weak to enter.”
 
Connecting various pieces of information, I finally understood.
 
Why he didn’t want to let us enter, why he … Read the rest

Slowly moving to a corner of the space while holding Letty, I retrieved a blanket from “Spatial Storage.” I laid it on the hard rocky ground and carefully placed Letty on it.
 
Placing my hands against her eyes, I gently closed them. Her childlike peaceful expression made her look like she was just sleeping.
 
“Are you feeling better?”
 
I turned my body and looked towards the voice. Lucas was directing his emotionless gaze towards me.
 
“How did you get here? It takes hours to get from the surface to the deepest part.”
 
“You can see it if you look up. … Read the rest

 
Two lights intersect. The holy swords clash, making a fierce sound of battle.
 
“Ugh…!?”
 
A crack appears in Lucas’s holy sword. Immediately, he summons another holy sword to counterattack.
 
Fast, heavy. With each blow from that long sword, Lucas’s arm creaks and goes numb. It felt as if a massive hammer were being swung down with all its force.
 
The sword dance too fast to see leaves no room for a counterattack. A relentless assault reminiscent of a large beast. Any lapse in concentration would result in being overwhelmed and forced to retreat.
 
The … Read the rest

Chapter 4: Awakening
 

 
Sometimes, I think about strange things.
 

 
What if my older sister were still here, and we could stay as we were back then?
 
What if I chose not to become a hero?
 
What if I hadn’t met Shishou at that time?
 
There are no answers no matter how much I think about it, but for some reason, I can’t help but think about it.
 
Every time, I feel like I’m about to cry a little.
 

 
It’s because I’m still not strong.
 

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READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT … Read the rest