What have I done?

　Rock has been with us since we were little.



　He was always able to do everything and lead us.

　But that all changed when we were 12 years old.



　When he told me about the right job, our relationship changed little by little.

　We all thought that this party was really going to be the best in the world.



　But Locke's vocation as a sacred beast master meant that he had to be able to catch sacred beasts.

　No, actually, now that I think about it, Locke was doing very well, but we looked down on him because he was not showing his strength in the right profession.



　But we ignored all his efforts because of the lack of holy beasts.

　The fact that Locke had always been able to do everything made us feel superior.

　It's so stupid that he could do everything better than us, and yet he was always so kind and supportive.



　Somewhere deep down, we all knew we were no match for him.

　Locke could wield a sword better than Isaac, he could do magic better than Emmy. And as much as I hate to admit it, he was the reason I grew up.



　We grew up in a small rural village where our parents compared us to each other and we were afraid of what others would think.

　I know it's too late to say this, but I think all three of us know somewhere in our hearts that Locke was still as good as ever.



　That's why we stayed together even though this party was called "S class" and there was no talk of firing Locke until now.



　However, the whole situation changed when the brave man joined the party.

　A brave man was one of the few professions recognized by the government. If a brave man joined our party, our party would become a first-class one.



　In this situation, a beastman without a sacred beast was nothing more than a liability.

　In this world, being in the right profession is often considered valuable.



　In a job that is not the right job, no matter how good you are, you will only get a mediocre reputation.



　To satisfy our small egos, we discussed the idea of leaving Locke out of our party without him.



　And this dungeon was to be our last adventure with Locke, proving that we had become one of the best parties in the country.



　I always said that we would be able to clear this dungeon as if it was a given, but inside I was filled with anxiety.



　Because all I could do was to support everyone, but in reality I was only a degraded version of Locke. There is a lot of debate about whether being in the right profession makes you more skilled than someone who is not in the right profession, but as far as I am concerned with Locke, I believe that it depends on your effort.



　But we have tried not to look at that fact as well.

　We started to ignore Locke's story and no one took him seriously anymore.



　We were in deep trouble because of it.

　It is said that no one has ever descended to the tenth level of this dungeon.



　We should have been more cautious when going to a place where we had no information.

　There is no doubt that somewhere there was optimism.



　Somehow we got the feeling of being able to do anything, and without a doubt we made legends, but we never thought there would be such a monster on the 10th level.



　That was no ordinary monster. It was intimidating, even with a light bark. I was trying to escape even before Isaac told me to run away, but I was too weak to move.



　It was Locke who saved me.

　He carried me on his head and ran.



　He could have left me there in the middle of all that exhaustion, but he didn't.

　I was such an idiot.



　I was worried about my dress when Locke helped me out like that.

　And then we cut him off.

　Some part of me thought that Locke would come after us.



　No matter how strong Locke was, he could never beat that monster.

　Locke, I'm so sorry.



　And I was wrong.

　What I didn't realize was that the weakest would be cut down and it would be my turn next.



　We had managed to make it up to the fifth level despite our struggles, but we were getting slower and slower, not knowing that Locke had actually given us the power to do so.



　No, not that we didn't know. We just didn't listen to Locke.

　Once you reach the fourth level, the dungeon becomes much less difficult. But just before we reached the fifth level, we ran into a swarm of orange antes.



　Orange Ant is a troublesome monster that calls its friends one after another.

　It was doubtful that we would be able to break through the crowd while we were defeating them.



　They don't know we're here. Kid's got a message for you.



"Saint. Heal them all. Isaac will lead, then the wizard, then the saint, and I'll be the leader. Then we'll go through in a single bound. Once we get through this floor, the rest will be a lot easier.



　Kid suggests and I heal everyone.

　We're almost out of magic. I can do it three more times. We can't heal everyone.



"Let's go!"



　the Kid calls out, and we run through in turn. The orange-ant will see us coming, but at this distance, we should all be able to get away. Don't worry. I'm one of the S-class adventurers. As I think this, my back suddenly feels hot. My robe turns bright red.



"I guess I'll have to sacrifice the people who are slowing me down. I can't die here. And from here on out, I don't need a recovery or anything."



"Oh, ......."



　I fall face first to the ground. Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch.

　The Kid runs past me as I'm falling.



　Isaac hears me, looks behind him, and runs right through.

　Only Emmy hesitated for a moment and tried to give me her hand, but I squeezed her hand and ran and never looked back.






"Hey, you're all lying. Please help me, don't leave me."



　My voice doesn't reach the three of them, but instead the orange-antes notice me. They come around me as if reacting to the smell of my blood.



　I can't go on like this. I have to run. I've been a saint in my own way.

　Suddenly, I feel a surge of strength in my body. I manage to reach the wall.



　My recovery magic is not very effective, but it can at least stop the bleeding.

　I deploy a Holy Spirit Warding spell around me so that I can buy some time from the orange-ant.



　This will buy you some time.

　But what do you do with the time you buy?　No one will come to help me if I buy time.



　The orange-ant will chip away at my warding. The bigger my wards are, the longer I can stay away, but the longer I can stay away, the longer I can't stay away.



　It was very uncomfortable to see Orange Ant's face at such a close distance.

　But I had to think it through. I would not be able to beat him with my magical power if I wanted to survive.



　Gradually, the Orange Ant's attacks are chipping away at my warding magic.

　I'm going to lose more and more, but there's nothing I can do.



　Locke, I am so sorry. I know what I did to you is unforgivable. But I am truly sorry.



　If I see you again, I will never betray you again.

　I've tried to be more of a girl than a saint because of all the fancy clothes in the city, but I'll train in magic too.



　So I'm sorry. I know I'll never see you again, but rock ...... help me.



　The eyes of the orange-ant who had been crunching away at the wards in front of her turn from black to red.

　Oh ...... I'm done. I've been declared a complete enemy.



　I close my eyes tightly and let go of my consciousness as I hear Orange Ant's deafening warning sound.