Volume 1


Chapter 1: Exile


TL: Akabane


 TL: This story is unique in that it takes the point of view of the banisher and witnesses the success of the person they banished.


***


"Est, you're out of Stardust."


Athena, the leader of the party "Stardust," announces the banishment of her fellow member, Est.


"What ...... I'm supposed to leave Stardust ...... me?　Oh no, haha, what a joke ...... Athena?"


Est, who was suddenly sentenced to banishment by Athena, stuttered in disbelief.


It's no wonder he's surprised. He never thought he would be asked to leave the party.


It was from Athena herself, a childhood friend who had grown up with him since they were small children.


"I'm sorry, but this is no joke, this is a decision made by the entire party."


"That ...... is a lie. Hey, Mirialia, is it true?"


Est asks party member Mirialia fearfully.


He wants her to say he's joking. She wants him to say it's a lie.


But Mirialia answered lazily, not even turning her head toward Est.


"Yes."


"Yeah means ....... Hey Dal, it's a lie, right?　It's some kind of joke, right?　You're all making fun of me, aren't you?"


Est asked me with a clinging look in her eyes.


I didn't say much, either, but learned myriad and replied shortly.


"I'm sorry, Est, but it's true."


"--!!!"


Est, shocked and his complexion stained with despair, asks me why, as if shouting.


"It's a lie!　It can't be true!　You've been doing well so far!　Stardust has moved up to the silver class and is about to do even better, so why should I be expelled from the party!"


That's a fair question.


No one would agree to be suddenly asked to leave the party.


The reason for banning Est.....


Before I explain that, let me first look back at last night.


***


I had been invited by Athena, the party leader, to visit a tavern.


I looked around the restaurant and saw that Athena and the member, Milliaria, were already at the table.


I wondered if Est had arrived yet.......


I went over to Athena and called out to her before taking a seat.


"It's rare that you ask me out for a drink."


"......I have something I wanted to discuss with you."


"What's this? I thought we could have a good time drinking, but it doesn't seem like it. Est is not here yet?"


"I didn't invite Est."


I give a dubious "Heh" in response.


That's unusual, Athena wanting to talk without her childhood friend Est.


With a questioning look on my face, I ask the waitress for a drink.


Drinking the ale she quickly brought me, I urged the dark-faced leader to talk.


"So, what kind of consultation is this?"


"I'm thinking of expelling Est from the party."


"Burst!"


"Dull dirty. Next time you try that on me, I'm going to roast you whole."


"Oh, oh ...... sorry."


I was so surprised by what came out of Athena's mouth that I spilled a mouthful of alcohol on Mirialia.


This guy doesn't joke around much, so the next time I do that, she's going to get seriously roasted whole.


I don't really care about that.


What do they mean they're banning Est from the party?


It's too sudden.


"Give me a reason. Don't tell me it's a love affair or something."


"......"


"I'm just kidding."


Athena took one look at me with a deadly glare, so I hurriedly made a light-hearted remark to cover it up.


Well, from my point of view, it's never a joke.


Athena and Est have been childhood friends since they were a little, and from the moment I met them, they seem to have been close and bonded.


Est in particular was easy to understand and seemed to like Athena.


So I wondered if Est finally confessed his feelings to Athena and was crushed.


Otherwise, she and her childhood friend wouldn't have said anything about banishment.


It's not uncommon for parties to break up or dissolve due to romantic disputes between members.


So I assumed that there was some kind of romantic problem between the two of them, but it seems I was wrong.


"Don't just shut up and talk to me."


"Stardust has finally been promoted to the silver rank. We don't want to settle for that, we want to aim higher."


"Yeah, that's right. Your goal is to become the world's best adventurers, right?"


Our party, Stardust, was made up of Athena, Est, Mirialia, and myself.


At first, Athena and Est started with two people, then they added Mirialia to the group, and finally I joined.


When the four of us were exploring more and more, Athena and Est asked us to officially form a party.


I agreed and so did Milliaria.


We conquered the labyrinths with success, and only recently have we been promoted to the Silver rank.


Stardust's name has become well known and respected in the adventuring community.


But our goal ...... or rather Athena's and Est's goal, is to become the best in the world, so we are not getting carried away and are aiming even higher.


That's why I can't understand it.


Why are we talking about banishing Est when we are about to get things going?


Athena, who could see the confusion on my face, continued the conversation.


"Est, an enchanter, can cast enchant on us, but not on himself. The battle will be much tougher from now on. If we don't do this, we will let Est die. In fact, during the recent attack, Est was in danger. We have covered for him so far, but there is no guarantee that we will be able to protect him in the future. The monsters are going to get stronger."


(I see, that way.......)


Athena's story convinced me in my heart.


Est, the enchanter, has no way to fight. As the battle raged on, he, who had no means of self-defense, was surely the most likely to die in the party.


Athena's concern for the death of her precious friend may have led her to exile Est.


Athena's concern for the death of her beloved childhood friend, with whom she had promised to become the best in the world together, led her to expel Est.


It seems that Athena has no intention of getting along with Est.


She does not intend to grow steadily, dropping down to a level that Est can safely exploit.


Even if she is alone in chasing her dream, she intends to run up the shortest distance.


It is a convincing reason.


It is a reasonable decision for Est to pursue his own dream.


So, as a party member, let me say this.


"I'm sorry to say this, but I think it's time for Esto to peel off his skin. So I think it's okay to wait a little longer and not kick him out."


This was just a hunch with no basis in fact.


But somehow, I have a feeling that he's on to something. Even now, he's struggling desperately.


"I thought so too. That's what I hoped for. But how long do we wait for Est to get stronger?　A month?　A year?　Or a lifetime?　What if Est dies in the meantime? If Est dies, I won't be able to repent for it."


I guess I said something unnecessary.


There was no one but her who wished the most for Est to become stronger.


Athena believes in Est more than anyone else.


I couldn't say anything now that I had heard her thoughts.


So I asked the other member of the group, Milliaria.


"Milliaria, what do you think about it?"


"Nothing, I don't need an Est. I can get by without the enchanting jutsu, and when I'm done applying it, I'll just stand there. It's a hassle to protect him, and even if he's there, he's in the way. If that's the case, it would be more efficient to add another attacker."


That's not a wrong thing to say.


That's the image of the art of giving. Est knows this himself, so he does all the troublesome stuff like carrying luggage and picking up items.


Well, I know how useful it is, so I don't think anything of it.


I mean, Est is capable of doing the enchanting technique alone.


"Besides, Est is always making eyes at Athena. Frankly, it was annoying. Athena belongs to me."


One word is superfluous, les elf.


It seems that Mirialia joined the party because she fell in love with Athena. That's why she doesn't think well of Est, who is after Athena.

[TL: Hmm, i think Mirialia is girl, but idk.]


I don't care about this guy's colorful love life, but I agree with you that he's annoying.


He's been flirting with her since the beginning, and it's natural for a man to want to get the girl he likes.


But lately, he's been "flirting" rather than flirting.


He was taking care of things that didn't matter to him so that his owner wouldn't abandon him.


I felt sorry for Athena, even though I was watching her from the outside.


"I'm going to ask you one last time, are you sure about this?"


When I asked that in a serious voice, Athena nodded quietly.


"Yes. I'm going to have Est leave the party."


"I see. The leader made the decision, I have no complaints."


***


This is the reason why Est was expelled from Stardust.


The leader, Athena, informs them of this.


The battle with monsters will intensify in the future.


She said that Est was useless in this battle.


She did not say why she did not want Est to die.


Probably because she wanted to protect Est's pride and because she thought he would be taken advantage of if she spoke sweetly.


When Est learned the reason for his banishment, he wet his eyelids and bit his back teeth.


"You mean I'm being ostracized?"


"Yes."


"......!　Athena, did you lie to me when you promised that we would become the world's greatest adventurer together!"


"It wasn't a lie. I wanted to become the best adventurer in the world together with Est. But with you, it's impossible."


Athena coldly shuts him down.


She maintains a blank expression on her face, but I can understand what's in her heart, and it's painful to listen to.


I feel like I'm going to throw up.


"I see ..... I understand!　I'll get out of this party!


"Please take your luggage and money. Take Est's stuff."


When Athena tried to hand over a small bag containing a large amount of money, Est slammed it down and said,


"I don't need that kind of money!　I don't care if you regret banishing me later!"


With a vindictive cry, Est left the party house with a thud.



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