“Hero Victor Evans. I hereby banish you from the Renal Empire.”
It had come.
I had actually expected it.
After all, I’d already embarked on over 20 expeditions, only to return with no meaningful results each time.
And this time, as soon as I returned, they bound me with ropes.
I was wondering if I’d be executed, but fortunately, it seems my life has been spared.
Kneeling while still bound by the ropes, I looked up at Emperor Carlos on the throne and spoke.
“May I ask a few questions, Your Majesty?”
“Hmph… Go ahead. But I will not entertain any requests to reconsider your banishment.”
“That is not my intention. I had expected this day to come. However, please spare my companions from this fate. They are capable individuals.”
“I am well aware of that. The only incompetent one here is you, the Hero. I’ve been informed of your failures through reports. You’re useless… What was the point of summoning you with such a high cost?”
Well… if you’re going to put it that way, I have a few things to say in my defense.
It wasn’t like I wanted to be summoned.
I just cleared a game, and suddenly, the monitor lit up and I was sucked into a flash of light—that’s the kind of story it was.
To be honest, I was just an average person back on Earth, struggling with part-time jobs, so I had no real attachment to going back.
However, I did know how much people here expected from a Hero, and I simply wanted to meet those expectations.
Renal Empire.
As the only great power capable of facing the continent of Madai, this empire selects Heroes and supports their parties.
It’s only natural that if the Hero, supported by taxes, turns out to be a useless failure, anger will spread from the Emperor to the common folk.
I was one such case.
Heroes are said to be summoned with special powers, but the Imperial General, who could see everything in the world with his eyes, took one look at me and said, “This Hero has no special abilities.”
And he was right—I was useless and powerless.
Wizard Cynthia.
Elf Tiffany.
Knight Jeanne.
While my three companions were growing stronger, I stayed stagnant, unable to improve.
To be honest, I had no excuses.
Being banished was inevitable.
It would be better and cheaper for the Empire to expel a useless Hero like me and summon a new one.
“I understand, Your Majesty. As long as my companions are safe, I have no further requests. But may I speak with them one last time?”
“Do as you wish. They are present here as well.”
This place, of course, was the significant venue where the Hero’s dismissal was to be carried out.
The throne room was packed with people, and in a corner were my three companions gathered, taught by the Emperor himself.
They noticed my gaze and stepped forward.
“Cynthia. Tiffany. Jeanne. It’s come to this. I’m sorry, but… this is where we part ways.”
It had already been over a year since we traveled together.
I had grown quite attached to them.
But from their perspective, it seemed they weren’t too disappointed to see a useless Hero like me go.
“Hmph! Just leave already. I can’t count how many times your presence in battle was a hindrance. I couldn’t focus on the fight, worrying whether you’d die.”
“Whoever the next Hero is, they’ll be better than you. Just leave. It’ll be better for you too.”
“It seems we’ll never meet again.”
Cynthia, Tiffany, and Jeanne each coldly said their goodbyes.
It was the reaction I had expected.
I lowered my head slightly and scoffed.
I knew very well that clinging to them was pointless.
None of the people here would speak up for me.
Everyone was probably hoping for my expulsion as a useless Hero.
“Now, Court Mages. Draw the banishment circle. Let us banish the useless Hero, Victor Evans, beyond the Empire.”
At the Emperor’s command, mages in robes appeared from either side and began to draw a circle around me.
The banishment circle.
This was how I was being cast out of the Empire.
I had no choice but to accept my fate.
I closed my eyes and waited for the time to pass, thinking that was all I could do.
But then, unexpectedly, someone began to defend me.
“Please, wait a moment, Your Majesty.”
After the Emperor, the second most powerful person in the Empire, General Zero, spoke up with strange words.
“Although this one is incompetent, he has dedicated much to the Empire over a long period of time. What if we retract the banishment order and allow him to remain with the Hero party?”
?
What is General Zero saying?
What would keeping a useless person like me in the party accomplish?
Even the Emperor looked taken aback.
“Enough of this nonsense, General Zero. I never expected someone as competent as you to say something so foolish. A Hero like him is nothing but a waste of money, time, and effort.”
“How about keeping him in the party as a porter? Even someone as useless as him could carry some burdens.”
“What do you think the image of the Hero Party would be if we kept such a person? Think logically, General Zero.”
“But… Your Majesty, please reconsider.”
“No. That’s a worthless suggestion. What are the mages doing? Finish the banishment circle.”
“Your Majesty… Your Majesty… Please, this can’t be.”
General Zero’s gaze shifted ominously between the completing banishment circle and the Emperor’s unyielding face.
I couldn’t understand why General Zero was acting this way.
Although we’d met a few times during my time as a Hero, he had always shown me coldness.
“You’re utterly useless, don’t forget that,” or “Don’t fool yourself into thinking the Hero Party is sustained because of you,” were the types of things he used to say to lower my spirits.
So why, now, was he defending me? There was no time to question it, as the banishment circle was almost complete.
“Well, the banishment circle is finished. As the Emperor of the Renal Empire, I now issue my command. Useless Hero Victor Evans, be gone!”
Suddenly, light began to shine from all directions.
Just before the banishment circle took effect, I glanced around.
Cynthia, who wouldn’t even look at me; Tiffany, praying with her eyes closed; Jeanne, glaring at me confidently; and…
General Zero, sweating in surprise.
I locked their expressions into my memory and, swept up by the banishment circle, I vanished.
I would be flying somewhere beyond the Empire. I could only hope that it wasn’t the Madai continent.
‘No… I shouldn’t be doing this.’
General Zero stared at the spot where the Hero had disappeared, sinking into despair.
While everyone else was cheering that the thorn in their side was gone, Zero recalled the moment Victor Evans first appeared.
‘How… how could this be…?’
A Hero…
No, people possess magical talents that are ranked and categorized by an eye that can perceive such abilities.
This power, known as the “Status Eye” in the world, had been passed down through generations in General Zero’s family.
He could instantly discern the nature of any hidden power within a person.
Thanks to this, every time a new Hero was summoned, Zero’s family would attend to assess the Hero’s potential.
Zero himself had been present when Victor was summoned.
And the moment he saw Victor emerge from the summoning circle, Zero broke into a cold sweat.
‘How many S-ranks does he have?’
Even with just an S-rank talent, one could be considered a top-tier figure in the Empire, but Victor’s potential was far beyond that, overwhelming in comparison.
<Once the party disbands, the buff’s effects are revoked>
<The power lost when the buff is revoked is absorbed by the buff’s owner>
It was an unimaginable power.
Normally, buffs would ease tension or heal wounds, but this power could make someone stronger just by standing still—it was an absurd and overpowered effect.
Moreover, if the party disbanded, the one who granted the buffs could absorb all the power granted—an ability that could easily be exploited!
Fearing that Victor might use this power against him, General Zero lied.
“He’s useless.”
“He doesn’t have any skills.”
Each time he met Victor, he reminded him of this, making sure he didn’t entertain any other thoughts.
However…
Now that Victor had been banished, Zero’s scheming had all become meaningless.
Why? Because now that the party had disbanded, the buffs were undone, and all that remained was for Victor to grow stronger.
Though it was unknown where exactly Victor had been banished, any nation that took him in would be like winning the lottery.