--Something's wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this. 　

　Nahato repeated in his mind as he ran away from the cave dungeon.
　We [Red Lotus Fang] were supposed to be the strongest party.
　We laid waste to all kinds of demons with our overwhelming firepower.
　Nothing could stop its attacks, and it was even called invincible. They never knew a struggle, much less a defeat.

　And yet...
　And yet, once again, it turned its back on the enemy and fled in disgrace.
　A pack of demons was chasing me from behind.
　They were giant worm demons--deathworms.
　They had sharp fangs and hard armor.
　The poisonous liquid they spit out is powerful enough to melt not only armor but also bones.
　Haruna, the wizard who was running with them, shouted.

Nahat!　Nacht! The demons will catch up with us if we keep going like this!　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
"......, our shield, please.

　Irene, the archer, entrusts it to me in a light tone.

I'm not a fan.　I'm not sure what to do.　I'm not sure what to make of it.
"Ah!　Nahat's getting away!
"......, you're terrible. You're not a leader.
Shut up!　Don't call yourself a leader just for this kind of situation!　Anyway, why are they after me like this?

　There have been many times when we've faced a pack of demons.
　They were far more powerful than the Deathworms of this time. However, at that time, I was able to overrun them unilaterally without struggling.


　Because the enemy was all over the place.
　At that time, Nacht thought that they felt that way because they were stronger. That the difference in rank made the enemy move slower.

　But...
　Maybe he was wrong.

　Then I remembered.
　They all seemed to be distracted by something.
　Like they were being forced to attack.
　As I recall, it was ....... that was the target of the attack.
　I tried to remember, but I escaped out of the dungeon before I could.

　It was a ...... close call. If I had escaped even a little later, they would have caught up with me. I would have been bait for the Deathworms.

　Nacht and the others barely escaped with their lives back to the Adventurer's Guild.
　Their steps were heavy.
　When the receptionist heard that their mission had not been accomplished, she gave them a look of dismay. There was clearly a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

　Nahato glared at the receptionist.
　But since he had failed in his mission, there was nothing more he could do. He clucked his tongue and turned on his heel to go to the tavern.

　He sat around the table with the other party members.
　Since I had lost the race, it was not the atmosphere of a launch party. However, they had already lost the humility to hold a review party.
　All they could do was blame each other.

"Haruna. If you'd just let off more magic, we wouldn't be in this mess. Don't you have too little magic?
"What? !　It's my fault?　I'm not sure what to make of this.
I can see that at ....... It's the vanguard's fault if they're making the rearguard uncomfortable.



The people of the Red Lotus Fang were venting their anger at each other.
　The adventurers who were seated around them began to gossip and grin as they watched them.

Did you hear that?　Did you hear that the Red Lotus Fang failed in their mission again?
"Again?　How many times has this happened?　They've been failing a lot lately. The strongest party in the world has fallen so far.
Didn't it start to fall after one member left?　That big guy, ......, Zeke, I think he was called?
I'm sure the Red Lotus Fang people fired him, right?　Isn't this Zeke guy actually the key to the party?
You guys!　I'm not sure what to say.　Do you want to be killed? I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's worth it.

　A silence fell over the place.

　Nahato let out a loud cluck of his tongue.
　A scene came to his mind.
　It was the sight of all the demons heading towards Zeke alone.
　Nahat had thought it was because Zeke was being a jerk, but now that he thought about it, it looked like he was trying to get their attention.

No. He was just standing there like a scarecrow. It just happened to look that way.


　Nahato cut him off and said...

"Hey. I'll be taking an A-rank mission next.

　He told the party members.

"What?　What are you talking about?　You failed in the B-rank mission.　You can't expect me to do anything better than this.


"Isn't ...... too much for us now?
"Shut up!　I can't stand to be licked like this!　I'm going to prove to you that Zeke's power doesn't matter!

　I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm not sure what to say. I'm not sure what to make of it.　I'm not sure what to make of it.
If we succeed, there'll be no problem at all.

　Nahat said.

"Not yet, ......!　We're not done yet. ......!　This time, we'll complete the mission and make up for all the mistakes we've made.

　He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails almost broke through his skin.
　He clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails almost broke through his skin.