Chapter 1: I’ve Never Enjoyed Being in This Party

Irene stood beneath the crystal chandelier in the guild hall, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt.

At her feet lay a faded adventurer’s pack, filled with the “proof” of her years spent as a freeloader in the party—

An autographed photo of the entire S-rank team, a commemorative wine glass from a celebration banquet, and the recently stolen underwear—still warm—from her teammates.

“I want to leave the party.”

Her voice was as soft as a feather falling to the ground.

The girls, who were cheerfully drinking and celebrating their successful subjugation of the transcendent-class monster—the Lion Warlock—choked violently on their drinks, breaking into fits of coughing.

“W-What kind of nonsense are you saying? Are you drunk!?”

The one who spoke was Serena, the red twin-tailed girl who led the party.

She pounded her chest, trying to recover from the alcohol that had gone down the wrong pipe, as she fixed her blazing eyes on Irene, utterly baffled.

Serena was Irene’s childhood friend and heir to the family of Sword Saints—renowned for generations.

Irene shook her head slowly and looked at each of her teammates as she spoke.

“I’m not drunk. This is a decision I’ve made after thinking it over for a long time.”

She lowered her gaze slightly and bit down on her lower lip.

“We’ve been adventurers together for two and a half years now. You’re all S-rank adventurers, and I’m still F-rank. I’ve never leveled up—not even once!”

“But Irene, no one ever held that against you.”

That gentle voice came from Helga, the party’s mage—a girl with soft lavender curls.

She set down her wooden cup of milk, her eyes downcast as she spoke cautiously.

The S-rank adventurer’s crystal medallion hanging on her chest seemed to burn into Irene’s eyes.

“But I hold it against me! I don’t deserve to be with you all!”

Her voice cracked into silence. The four girls exchanged awkward glances.

Irene pressed on, her golden eyes burning with deep frustration.

“…Captain Serena, heir of the Sword Saints, has already surpassed all who came before her. She’s hailed as the strongest Sword Saint in history—her offensive power exceeds others of her class by more than 50%.”

“She even serves as our scout, thanks to her exceptional sensory abilities.”

Irene turned to the mage who had just spoken.

“Helga—an S-rank mage, a genius astrologer hailed by the Astrologers’ Association as a once-in-a-century prodigy. Even at such a young age, you’ve unraveled the mysteries of the stars. You almost never fail, even when casting ultra-magic with only a 10% success rate.”

Then, her gaze shifted to the golden-haired cleric.

“Rosweisse, beloved daughter of the Goddess of Light, next in line to be the Holy Maiden—known as the ‘Gospel of Revelation.’

Even those who’ve just died can sometimes be resurrected by your divine spell ‘Raise Dead,’ though it has an incredibly low success rate…”

“And lastly—” Irene looked to the final member of the party, a female paladin.

“Regeliff, the ‘Unfallen Fortress,’ humanity’s strongest shield, and the one who buffs the entire party. When you’re at low health, your Unyielding Spirit procs so often it’s like you’re literally unkillable…”

As she spoke, Irene’s eyes welled with tears of frustration.

“Compared to all of you—what am I?!”

“I’ve fought beside you for two and a half years, and I’m still F-rank trash. In battle, all I do is yell encouragement, throw a few magic support items, and act as a walking supply pack with all inventory slots unlocked!”

“Just avoiding the Lion Warlock’s AOE magic in our last battle pushed me to my limits. Someone like me—this weak—how could I possibly stay in ‘Rainbow Covenant,’ an S-rank party, without feeling like I’m just leeching off you?!”

Her outburst left the party in heavy silence.

Of course, they all knew Irene’s abilities hadn’t kept up with the rest of the group.

But they enjoyed having her around—so no one had ever brought it up.

“That’s why… I’m leaving the party.”

Just as Irene turned to go, Serena slammed her mug down and shouted,

“Wait!”

Irene froze in place.

“You promised to adventure with me for life! Did you forget what you said to me?”

“…I’m sorry. Being an adventurer isn’t for me. I can’t keep living inside someone else’s dream. I have my own life to live too.”

Irene’s soft lips parted as the words fell like a sigh.

Some things you only understand after you try them.

Over these two and a half years, she had worked harder than anyone—but her one and only innate skill was the passive trait “Miracle Weaver.”

It remained a greyed-out passive.

It had never leveled up.

Always stuck at LV1.

Permanently unchangeable.

She couldn’t get stronger.

Even slimes gave her a hard time.

Goblins were already an impassable wall, no matter how hard she tried.

She didn’t want to drag the others down anymore.

“But, Irene-chan, I’ve always felt like my luck got way better ever since you joined us. You’re like our party’s good luck charm!”

“Hah. A good luck charm. So that’s what I am to you? Just a decorative trinket that brings fortune, right?”

That’s right.

She was just a lucky mascot who shouted “good job!” from the sidelines.

No one had ever really treated her like a proper teammate.

All the supply runs and logistics work were handed to her.

And every time she walked through town, she’d overhear other adventurers gossiping about Rainbow Covenant.

In their mouths, the S-rank party Rainbow Covenant always had only four members.

And her?

Heh… Just like Regeliff said earlier—she was only the mascot.

Whether she was there or not made no difference at all.

“Goodbye, everyone. I…”

Irene paused briefly, bit her lip, then forced the words out—

“I’ve never once enjoyed being in this party.”

With that, Irene turned and walked away.

Crack!

Serena crushed the wooden mug in her hand with a loud snap, then shouted, “Get lost! And don’t ever come back! If it weren’t for our childhood friendship, I would’ve kicked you out a long time ago!”

“In battle, you don’t do a damn thing! You just stand way in the back tossing a few support items—do you even know how much those cost?! You burned through our entire budget!”

“Popcorn’s good, huh? Bet it’s fun watching us bust our asses fighting monsters, right?”

“You always insist on staying in the most expensive rooms—what, the precious little marquis’ daughter wanted to experience adventurer life?”

Serena was getting more and more worked up.

“And you’re a damn perverted lesbian too! Every time someone’s underwear went missing after bath time, it was you, wasn’t it?! During camping, you always claimed to be scared and begged to sleep in someone else’s tent—then your hands would start wandering while we slept—”

“I’ve had enough of you!”

She slammed her palm down on the table with a loud bang, turning her back on Irene.

“Serena, what the hell are you saying?!”

“Captain?! Don’t—don’t be like this…”

“Wait, Irene-chan! Don’t take this to heart, she’s just mad—please don’t leave! We still need you!”

“No… you don’t need me.”

Irene’s golden eyes dulled.

That must’ve been how Serena truly felt.

Carrying a dead weight like her must have been a burden for the captain all this time.

As her silver hair fluttered behind her, glimmering tears spilled into the air.

Irene grabbed her suitcase and walked into the curtain of rain outside—without looking back.

You’ll find a better support.

One who can give this party the bright future it deserves.

That’s what Irene believed.

Serena’s chest rose and fell sharply, her breath shaky, and tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.

‘Idiot… why don’t you realize just how much you mean to all of us?’

(This is a brand-new novel—please bookmark and follow →_→ I promise there are no unpleasant surprises!)

Irene Edelon