Chapter 10: The Laughing Enchanter


TL: Scaramochi


***


[Est's POV]


I am Est. I am an enchanter.


One month ago, I was expelled from the Stardust party I belonged to.


The reason for my expulsion was that I was weak, and my presence was a hindrance to their future career.


And it was my childhood friend Athena, whom I had a crush on, who sentenced me to banishment.


It's terrible, isn't it? We promised to become the best adventurers in the world together.


We made a party together, worked hard together, and just as we were about to move up to the silver rank, she gave me money and left me in the lurch.


I was very hurt.


Athena and the others didn't realize how much I had contributed to the party.


I was the one who found the good party house, picked up the drop items, gathered information, carried the luggage, and took care of all the chores in the labyrinth, not to mention the magic I was given.


I did everything but the fighting.


Despite all my contributions, they expelled me just because I was weak.


But I became stronger.


Within a day of my banishment, I was stronger than Athena.


When I entered the labyrinth alone and was almost killed by a monster, I awakened.


I could now enchant myself a magic that I could only give to others, and I could also use many more powerful and useful enchant magic.


With this power, the stronger I am, I can do well in Stardust again.


I can become the best adventurer in the world, as I promised Athena.


I returned to the party house to report it. It was foolish of me to return.


Incredibly, Dale had pushed Athena down.


And Athena didn't seem to mind.


The moment I saw that scene, I knew that my emotions were rapidly cooling down.


I believed that Athena also liked me, but I was the only one who had a crush on her.


Dale had told me that he would support me, but it was a outright lie.


In fact, they were together, and they both ridiculed me.


I can't forgive...... I won't forgive them!


They expelled me from Stardust not because I was weak, but because I was an obstacle!


I vowed to myself that I would take my revenge, make me a virtual person, and make them regret their decision to expel me from Stardust.


From the next day onward, I immersed myself in the labyrinth.


The monsters in the beginner level labyrinth were small fry. In no time at all, I reached the lowest level, and I even can kicked a labyrinth master ass without a second thought.


I had no idea that the master of the Labyrinth, who had scared me so much the first time I fought him, was so weak.


No,...... it's not that the master of the labyrinth is weak.


I've become too strong.


The labyrinth master is not a weak creatures.


My dynamic vision and reflexes have been enhanced, and monsters seem to move slower. Even if I am being attacked, it does not hurt at all, and if the damage is slight, I heal instantly and automatically.


My body has become lighter and I can run across the ground like a gale, slaughtering even highly defensive monsters with a single blow.


I get a great sense of pleasure from being able to defeat monsters with my own hands. It's so unfair, isn't it, everyone doing such a fun thing?


I felt like a hero in a story.

　Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!


I can't stop laughing, that's what I'm saying.


I have become stronger. Now I'm no match for Athena. No, I'm stronger than the best adventurer in this city.


When I took the drop to the guild to redeem it after defeating a beginner level labyrinth master, the receptionist was very surprised.


She didn't say it out loud, but thr thought, "What? You defeated them all by yourself?　That Est? I can't believe it......." was written right on her face.


The moment I saw that face, I had a feeling of satisfaction like I've never had before.


No, it wasn't just the receptionist.


It soon became known among the adventurers that I had been expelled from Stardust. Sure enough, they laughed at me and said, "Finally, the goldfish has been kicked out."


But as soon as they learned that I had defeated a labyrinth master and conquered an intermediate level labyrinth all by myself, their opinion of me changed completely.


At first, many people looked at me with suspicion, but as more and more people saw me conquering the labyrinth alone, they began to understand that I was telling the truth.


Est, being the lackey of Stardust, was not weak.


In fact, he was stronger than any of the members.


Stardust was a fool for not knowing this and kicking Est out.


Rumors like that spread among the adventurers.


Every time I heard it, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction.


Of course, I felt annoyed at the fact that they had made fun of me for so long, and now they were trying to turn the tables on me, but adventurers are a meritocracy, for better or for worse.


They sell their love to the strong and beat the weak mercilessly.


That is what it means to be an adventurer.


So, although I was annoyed at the flip-flop, I was very happy to know that I had been recognized by the adventurers.


And as my reputation rose like a nod, Stardust's reputation rapidly declined.


Athena apparently added Frey, a dragoness, to Stardust to replace me.


I know Frey, too. She is the ace attacker of the Dragon Heads, and is so powerful that she is nicknamed the "Violent Dragon," but she has a problem with her character, is selfish, and has a bad behavior.


I never heard good things about her.


Shortly before I was kicked out of Stardust, Frey was kicked out of Dragon Head. She went to sell herself to a party of gold ranks, but they all turned her down.


When she was at her wit's end, Athena approached her.


She asked her to replace me.


Stardust added Frey to the party.


The adventurers had high hopes that she would soon rise to the gold rank, but she stalled in the face of their expectations.


Not only was she unable to conquer the advanced labyrinth, but even the intermediate level monsters seemed to be giving them a hard time.


That's true.


Because they don't have my capable enchant magic.


Athena, in particular, had rarely fought without my enchant magic, so she would have a hard time with the gap when I had it.


And, as expected, she didn't seem to be getting along with Frey, who is a problem child.


I don't know why Athena, who knows how to weigh the pros and cons, would bring such a minefield of a woman into the party, but she must have had the gall to think she could tame her anyway.


It was a stupid choice.


I can't believe she would banish me, a capable person, and bring such a mine of a woman into the party.


I saw Athena and her friends fighting once in the intermediate labyrinth, and it was hard to contain my laughter.


Athena was clearly less physically fit than I was, Frey was selfish and out of sync, Mirialia was slacking off, and Dale was doing the same chores I was doing.


It was obvious that the party was not going well.


It wasn't just me, but the other adventurers as well.


Stardust, with Frey added, was not going to go up to gold, not even to silver.


Stardust has fallen.


Without Est, Athena is weak. Frey is still self-centered. The other mobs don't do their job.


What's with the promising new star party?


What's with the "Golden Flower", don't make me laugh.


The adventurers were scathing in their criticism of Stardust.


Every time I heard Stardust's abuse, I was filled with a sense of fulfillment.


And I finally defeated an intermediate level labyrinth master by myself.


That was the moment when my reputation and Stardust's completely reversed.


"Hey, it's Est!"


"I heard that you just recently conquered an intermediate level labyrinth all by yourself. The sister at the reception desk told me."


When I returned to the guild, the adventurers immediately turned their attention to me and started talking.


Of course, Stardust was part of that conversation, and although I didn't show it on my face, I was inwardly pleased.


But there was something more interesting going on.


"......Est."


As I was about to redeem it, I ran into Athena and her friends who had redeemed it earlier.


Athena, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, was a shadow of her beautiful self, covered in dirt and looking like an unattractive new adventurer.


(She's so ugly....... I wonder why I was so obsessed with this woman.)


It was strange that I had been so in love with her, but now Athena didn't appeal to me.


I must have been longing for the strong, noble and beautiful Athena.


But now, that feeling has vanished without a trace.


Perhaps it is because I have become stronger than Athena.


Our gazes crossed.


"I hear things are going well. I'm relieved."


Huh?


What kind of a joke is this woman playing?


What does she mean by "relieved" after she kicked me out of the house herself? How long are you going to keep looking down on me?


My gut churned up, I glared at her and spat out my venom.


"Relieved? What is the person who kicked me out saying? Why don't you worry about yourselves instead of worrying about me? Fallen Stardust."


"--!"


Athena's eyes widen.


She must have been shocked that she was verbally abused by me like this. From my point of view, I don't think there's any way she wouldn't have said it.


Don't act like a good girl.


I will never go back to Stardust, even if you flirt with me now.


"I'm telling you, it's too late for you to ask me to come back now. You'll regret kicking me out at best."


When I said this, Athena looked like she was about to cry.


Oh, yes, yes, I wanted to see this face.


I've always wanted to see a face like this, the kind of face that makes you regret kicking me out.


When I was so happy that my brain was crushed, Athena left without saying anything back. I thought Dale had said something at that point, but it didn't matter because I was so wrapped up in the euphoria.


"Um, can you put us in Est's party?"


"Please. We'll definitely be useful to you!"


As I finished my redemption, the two girls approached me.


I know these two girls.


They are Sora and Fuu, from the beastman tribe. Rumor has it that they are the bigwigs of the beastman nation.


Although they are just starting out, they are already good enough to have broken through a beginner's labyrinth, and they have a lot of potential.


Also, they are both very pretty. They were more graceful than Athena, a country girl.


I smiled kindly at them and said


"Well, I was thinking of having a party soon. But I'm trying to be the best in the world. Can you keep up with that goal?"


"Yes!"


"You should have a goal that big!"


"I like your enthusiasm. I'm looking forward to working with you from now on."


"Yes!"


I was just about to gather a group of friends.


I'm strong on my own, but I'm an enchanter. The essence of a enchanter is to make his companions stronger, right?


With me, you two will be strong in no time.


Thus, I formed a new party called "Starlight."


The meaning of the word "Starlight" is to become the brightest star.


I will shine so brightly that you won't see a speck of stardust in my eyes.


As I gazed up at the starry sky, I said the words of my determination.


"I'll run up so high that Stardust can't catch up with me."



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