I - the wizard, Magnus - chanted a spell.

"Fran-e-Len-el...!

　At the end of the old oak staff, five balls of flame appeared.
　They flew like arrows and exploded at the demon.
　But it didn't work.
　The giant, heaven-pounding wooden monster - the bark of Destrent's bark couldn't even put a single scorch mark on it, and it bounced back.

'No, Eugene!　After all, fire magic won't work on this guy!

　I've got no choice but to insist to the party leader, the brave man, Eugene.
　But Eugene is a stupid boy who just happens to have been chosen by the spirit of Tigon.

"Shut up, you idiot!　Stop complaining about your incompetence by shelving your incompetence!

　I can't hide my poor upbringing, I dismiss it with a foul-mouthed word.
　Eugene is two years younger than me, sixteen. He's still a child.
　I told myself and continued to patiently persuade him.

'I'm not trying to complain. I'm just saying that we should try some other attribute of attack magic.
So shut up!　Of course a fire attack is the most effective against plant demons, right!
'It's only logic. When logic and reality are different, it's the logic that's wrong.
You're a hero, and you're doing what I tell you to do!　I'm the leader!

　Eugene ranted, "Let me order!
　I didn't have a choice, so I fired the Fire III that I had used earlier.
　But no matter how many times I hit it, it didn't work on the destrent.

That's why wizards are useless!　The magic you guys can use really doesn't work at all on boss monsters.

　Eugene grumbles in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
　He slashes at Destrent with his sword and hits him back with a branch that looks like a wild arm.
　It's not long before party member Hilde, a monk, uses a recovery spell on Eugene, "That's right, unlike Magnus," she says.

"That's right, unlike Magnus, Hilde can use it!
'Thank you, my brave friend. But it is only right that I should support you.
Whoo-hoo!

　Hilde is a beautiful girl who is blindingly beautiful. She gave her an angelic smile and Eugene soared even though he was in the middle of a battle.
　Eugene, who is only a stupid kid, can't see the s*xual and selfish nature that hides beneath Hilde's pretty face.

　The only reason why Hilde has been cheating on Eugene is because he is a brave man.
　Because she is a monk, she has faith in the spirit of Tygon, the Goddess of Destiny.
　The spirit of Tygon has entrusted the brave Eugene with the destiny of eventually defeating the Demon King Morl-Fi and saving the world.
　To Hilde, supporting that destiny is the greatest proof of faith.
　He would cajole Eugene as much as he could to get him to climb a tree, and he would not hesitate to flick a woman's weapon at him.
　If a fickle tigon said tomorrow, "I knew it, I'd make a dwarf rat a hero! And if he insinuated the oracle, Hilde would kick and dump Eugene and then go into the ditch herself and start flirting with the rats.
　Eugene doesn't even notice that, he's always stretching his nose in the air.

'You guys, don't flirt with me in the middle of battle!

　The last member of the party - the female "warrior" Misha - spoke up in a hushed tone, but she was right.
　She bravely wielded the Steel Axe, which was thought to be effective against the Destrent, and repeatedly carved large cuts into the boss monster's bark.
　In the end, Misha was the most active and was able to defeat the Destrent.
　My didn't work even once.

　　　　◇◆◆◆◆◆.

　We returned to Rakustaia, the capital of the Rakusta Kingdom.
　We spread out our loot in the tavern that doubles as an inn, which we've been using as a base for the past two weeks.
　The boss monster, Destrent, dropped a large number of items. Precious berries that have the ability to increase one's "status" by simply eating them.
　These apple-like fruits are piled up in a pile on the table and everyone in the party breaks bread with each other.

''First, the Fruit of Power, the Fruit of Dexterity and the Fruit of Perception are for Misha, right?

　Both are important to her status as a warrior.
　Nowhere do you hear any objections.

Well, then, feel free to take it!　Mmmmeh!　This is so good!

　As soon as Misha took a bite, he was ecstatic.
　Apparently, not only does it raise your "status", but it also tastes good.
　I can't wait to try it.
Next, the "Fruit of Hardness," "Fruit of Speed," and "Fruit of Life" are for me, the leader, okay?

　All of them are important for survival, so it's only natural.
I'm not sure I'm going to be able to say this, but I'm sure I'll be able to say it.
　You can't help but feel that you are a coward, Eugene.

The Fruits of Divine Power and the Fruits of Spirit are yours to give to Hilde.
Thank you, Mr. Brave. I'm honored.

　Hilde smiled at me again, and Eugene stretched out under his nose with a delirious smile.
　To be honest, I wanted the 【Spiritual Fruit】, which relates to the number of times you use magic, too.
　I've been thinking that it would be fine to share it with Hilde.
　But it's no exaggeration to say that Hilde's recovery magic is the lifeline of our party. I'm sure that Eugene's idea is not necessarily wrong, so I didn't tell him.
　It's a good idea to get the rest of the "magic fruit".
　However.

As for the rest of the magical fruit, I'll take it.
Why would that be, Eugene?

　And as expected, I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

I'm not going to be able to say anything about it. I'm not much of a magician, but I can at least use magic.　I'm the only one in the world who can use it, and I'm the only one in the world who can use it.
''You're right, heroic-sama. In fact, Magnus's magic didn't help you at all today. Even if you gave the Fruit of Magic to Magnus, it would be just another waste.

　Hilde said bitterly.
　There was a hint of superiority on her face.

The 'wizards' of the academy have been saying a lot lately. I'm sure you've heard all the wizards in the academy talking about how their research has advanced magic and made people's lives more convenient. To put it bluntly, it's a step up. The only thing that is making life easier for people is the miraculous magic used by our monks in the church.

　For the past twenty years or so, the decadent church has been abandoned by the people and has lost its former authority.
　On the other hand, the reputation of the academy I grew up in is ebbing and flowing. It's a form of taking away church power.
　That's why Hilde is so frustrated that she can't help but speak out against the "wizard" in me.

I agree with Eugene. If you don't work, you can't eat.

　When even Misha said that, I had no choice but to pull back.

　The bad thing is that it's Eugene who stuck to the fire magic. If I had tried other attributes, I could have been an asset to the fight.

　I thought that, but I didn't say it.
　It was like an excuse, and my pride didn't allow me to claim such an embarrassing thing.
　I just felt awkward, and then I felt awkward.

''I mean, maybe it was a mistake to let Magnus into the party. He graduated from the Royal Academy at only fifteen years of age and has a reputation as a genius, so I included him in the party.
I believe you were the first to decipher the sacred scrolls, the Word of God, right?　Oh, well, well, blasphemy at its finest. So, what did you find useful?　God's will is so profound that just because we can decipher His word, how can we possibly get it right?
Well, I guess the Wizard, no matter how high he is, was just a waste of time to begin with, wasn't he?
''Even a fight is more effective if you hit them with physics, like the heroes and Misha-san.
Magnus, why don't you get out of this party? I'll have a female martial artist for you.

　Eugene and Hilde took over and laughed at me, and I couldn't listen to them anymore.
　Without a second thought, I got up from my seat.

'Are you okay with that?'

　Misha turned to the day after tomorrow and asked bluntly.

'Didn't you hear me?　I've just received a notice that I'm no longer a member of the force. I've heard that the orders of the Brave Men are absolute in this party.
Hmm. --gutless.
Whatever.

　I turned on my heel and hobbled away from the tavern.
　Behind my back, with the taunts of Eugene and Hilde.
　I was frustrated. It wasn't frustrating.

　And it was empty..... I wonder what I'll do starting tomorrow........

　Should I return to my hometown, the academy city?
　However, I was unable to face my peers, who cheered me on and told me to go with a brave man to defeat the Demon King.
　It's a good thing that you can't get away with it.

"huh...

　I stumble down the street at night, sighing.
　Then I'm called out from behind.

'Wizard-dono!　Wait, you there, Master Wizard!

　When I turned around, I saw a well-dressed man who looked like a merchant chasing after me in a great hurry.
　When I was in the tavern earlier, he was eating at a table near me.
　I have an ingrained habit of watching and observing my surroundings extensively because of my profession. That's why I recognized him.

'What do you want?'
''Yes, sir. Knowing that you are all members of the Brave Lord's party, I was listening, though I felt bad, to see if there was anything that could lead to a profitable story...
And you found a way to make money for me?
'Yes!　Do you think the Lord Wizard can decipher the sacred inscriptions?
'Yeah, but...'
Then would you be willing to buy the book?　I got it from a wizard in need of money to pay off his debts, but I was having trouble selling it at all.

　After saying that, the man showed a book as thick as a dictionary.
　On the cover, indeed, the text was spelled out in sacred carved letters.

''Complete information on everything until the defeat of the Demon King Morl-Fi!
　I'm fine!　It's a God-awareness (Kamito's) strategy book!

　Honestly, it was an intriguing incentive.
　If this wasn't written in sacred carved letters, it would raise eyebrows, but only God himself and his servants, the divine spirits, could handle God's letters (and only me, who successfully deciphered them).
　It doesn't seem to be something to be suspicious of.

I'll buy it. How much is it?
I can't sell it anyway, so it's just a thought. Even if it's just a piece of gold. Or two.

　I spent ten nights at the tavern and inn earlier, and that's just about a gold coin.
　I generously handed over three gold coins.
　Then I asked for a new place to sleep for the night and pulled up the "strategy book" in my room.

"Look at this--

　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.

　Three days later.
　I chanted a spell at Destrent.

'Tilt-ha-un-del-e-ren!

　A huge bolt of lightning descends from the sky and falls on the giant tree monster.
　Eugene and the others finally defeated the boss monster, which took practically three people to defeat - I alone slaughtered it.

''Great......... This guy is real........!

　I couldn't help but shiver with excitement as I held the "strategy book" in my hands.