I Was the Scout for the Hero’s Party

Following the hero to a spot slightly away from my companions, I found the other hero party members, including Maya, sitting blankly, seemingly exhausted from battle.

The fragments of Living Armors scattered and piled around showed that intense fighting had taken place until just moments ago.

“…You’ve really destroyed those Living Armors. Such strength.”

I turned my gaze toward them, who were glancing at me sideways, while putting on a nonchalant act.

Adrienne and Gracey looked somewhat displeased… but that was to be expected since they seemed to dislike me as a person from the beginning.

In fact, those two are the worst of them. Vicious women.

“Maya, move away a bit. It’s uncomfortable to sit.”

“…No.”

“Ah, please. Really.”

As I forcibly pushed away Maya who had stuck close to me, I turned my head toward Isabel and saw an unfamiliar boy lying with his eyes closed, receiving treatment from her.

“Hey. Who’s that kid?”

“……”

“…Why no answer? Don’t embarrass the person who asked.”

As they mysteriously avoided my gaze without answering my question, I continued with increasing curiosity.

“By the way, I heard you recruited a new scout… But I don’t see them anywhere. What, did they go scouting or something?”

Despite my efforts to break the awkward silence by initiating conversation, upon hearing my question, they not only failed to answer but simply lowered their heads and kept their mouths shut.

“…Don’t want to answer?”

“……”

…What is wrong with these crazy women.

Did someone stuff barley bread in their mouths? They dragged me here saying they wanted to talk, but now there’s no sign their tongues will move.

“Hey, you said you wanted to talk. Do you want a physical conversation instead? Damn it, what kind of hospitality is this?”

As I raised my voice with feigned irritation, instead of the hero sitting across from me who was mumbling, Maya opened her mouth.

“…That boy… is our party’s, new… scout.”

“Huh? Who?”

At least she’s answering now.

I turned my gaze to where Maya’s finger was pointing with a broad smile…

“…Hey. Does this new scout have some invisibility ability? I only see that kid and Isabel over there.”

Surely not… No way…

…Of course, knowing these women, such a thing wouldn’t happen even if a log went up their nostrils.

If by chance… if they even took a young child like that and used him as a scout and made him do chores, I… I really couldn’t stand it.

“…The child lying next to Isabel… is our new… scout.”

However, contrary to my hopes, the words from Maya’s mouth, who was sitting to my right, were enough to make me blanch.

“W-What? Did I hear wrong? What did you say?”

“…That child is our party’s… new scout.”

The hero and her minions, whom I was meeting after quite a long time, were carrying around a young child who looked about 15 years old at most, calling him a scout.

“…You people are complete lunatics.”

“Ugh… ah… where am I…?”

Due to the dazzling light that filled my vision with a flash, I reflexively frowned and raised my hand to cover my eyes.

Fighting with armors that moved without people inside them… living armors, was the last scene I remembered.

…The warm, reddish light that passed through my hand gave some comfort to my anxious mind.

So absorbed in that warm color and atmosphere, I simply lay there blankly, unable to lower the hand covering my eyes.

…The flashing blade of the living armor that had fiercely charged at me, which was the last thing I saw.

Is this… the afterlife?

“…I’m… dead.”

I had so many things I still wanted to do… I wanted to apologize to the hero for lying, for being a burden to the party.

If I had known I would die like this… I should have seen my mom and dad at least once more.

“Who’s dead? Stop saying unlucky things and get up, kid.”

Startled by the sudden human voice during such contemplation, I bolted upright.

After squinting at the bright light for a moment, the first thing that came into my gradually clearing vision was… the face of an unknown man who looked somewhat disheveled, crouching next to where I was lying and looking down at me with contemptuous eyes.

“…Who are… you…?”

I carefully asked the man who was still crouching and staring at me.

“Um… excuse me…”

“……”

Silence.

…Somehow, he seems like someone I shouldn’t get involved with.

But wanting to know my current situation, I opened my mouth again toward the unknown man.

“…Um… sir… excuse me, but who… are you…?”

“……”

Due to the man’s attitude, still maintaining silence and looking down at me, I started to get slightly annoyed.

Is this man… deaf…?

…No. He just heard me and retorted, asking who died and told me to get up.

For some reason, feeling anger in the eyes of the man who was still staring at me intently, I curled up even more and barely opened my mouth.

“Um… excuse me… who are you…”

“…You little shit, how long are you going to keep this up? I’ve been watching quietly, but.”

Shocked by the sudden curse that hit my ears, I stared blankly at the face of the unknown man.

“You tiny bastard… Hey, do I look like an old man to you? Huh?”

“Y-Yes…?! Um, what do you mean…”

What is he saying…?

Unable to understand what the man in front of me was saying, my already dizzy mind became completely jumbled.

The bristly, rough-looking beard that stuck out here and there, and the somewhat sunken eyes… The light brown hair and blue eyes that were disheveled in all directions, from who knows what he had been doing until just now.

“…You are an old man though…?”

“I’m twenty-one. You should call me ‘brother,’ not old man… Are you mocking me right now?”

“Ah… no…!! I’m sorry, old m— I mean, brother…”

“…Damn it, this sucks. Is it because I haven’t been able to shave for over a week…”

While watching the expression of the old ma— the unknown brother who somehow looked wronged, I slightly raised my head and looked around to survey the situation.

The hero and her companions… they’re safe.

Judging by the scattered armor fragments around, fortunately, it seems they defeated the living armors.

“Who exactly… are you, brother?”

Although he seems somewhat displeased, he doesn’t seem like a bad person, so I mustered courage one last time to ask a question.

Now that I called him ‘brother’ instead of ‘old man,’ the unnamed brother finally seemed willing to answer, getting up and dusting off his bottom as he opened his mouth.

“…Your predecessor.”

After expressing my anger with a flushed face, the startled hero and party members tried hard to hold me back and calm me down.

Thanks to that, my anger subsided a bit, but the fact that they brought such a young child to a dangerous place still remained unchanged.

“Um… uh… Austin brother…?”

After I berated him for calling me an old man, Max, whose attitude had suddenly become very polite, carefully addressed me.

“Uh, what?”

“I… um… should I sit here…?”

At Max’s hesitant attitude, I pointed to where my companions were resting and said:

“…Would you mind going over there for a bit? There’ll be a strange priest there, just tell him Austin brother sent you.”

“Um… okay…”

The conversation we’re about to have is a dark adult conversation that’s too early for a child to hear. I don’t think there’s any need to let him hear it.

After sending Max away temporarily, I hardened my face and turned toward the hero and the party members.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

With the matter of Max temporarily settled, the hero now seemed ready to speak.

“…I wanted to have an open-hearted conversation… like before.”

“Don’t you feel guilty about bringing that up, considering how you treated me?”

As if struck to the core by my words, the hero mumbled for a moment before simply lowering her head deeply.

“…I’m sorry.”

“…I did my best for you all. I cooked, did laundry, even gave massages. I sincerely tried to maintain a smiling face no matter how much you insulted me or what I did.”

“……That…… yes…”

“Of course, it’s not that I don’t understand you at all. You must have been tired of the battle with the Demon King’s army that dragged on for three years. I can understand to some extent that I was the target for releasing that stress.”

Yes. After three years of killing something and seeing blood every day without fail, I understand to some extent that one’s mind and body would become devastated.

Isn’t there a saying that pain is reduced when shared?

“Yeah… I understand to some extent. But still…”

I, too, once dreamed of what might seem like a reckless dream of defeating the Demon King.

Defeating the Demon King with the hero and party members, saving the world.
What an exciting heroic tale this is.

There was a time when Hero Yoo-jung truly was righteous and kind, just like a hero from a fairy tale.

Always helping others, not ignoring injustice, and always standing at the forefront proclaiming justice—a hero.

I thought that the hero’s benevolent path would last forever.

What a joke. How could someone remain sane after slaughtering monsters like pigs every day for three years without rest?

A constant battle where blood and flesh fly, incomparable to the simple hunting and dungeon exploration of ordinary adventurers.

Because she was the hero, she always stood at the forefront, and because she was the hero, she was always thrown into the most dangerous places.

Yes. She probably became mentally exhausted and tired of killing things.
She must have been afraid of the threat to her life, that she might die at any moment.

…But you know what.

“…You shouldn’t have done that to me.”

Wouldn’t I have been the same?

“You fucking bitches.”