"f*ck!

　In the dense forest, the brave Arios clicked his tongue.

　A week had passed since he began to attack the "Lost Forest".
　However, he still hadn't been able to defeat the boss.

　To be more precise, he couldn't reach the boss.

　As the name implies, the "Forest of Lostness" is a maze-like place that confuses adventurers.
　It is even said that if you set foot in it casually, you will never be able to get out and will just rot away.

　Normally I would ignore such a place, but....
　Arios and his group had a reason for not being able to do so.

　The boss here possesses the 'Shield of Truth', the legendary armor needed to fight the Demon King.
　Hence, we started to attack the 'Lost Forest' but........

What is the meaning of this forest?　No matter where I look for it, it doesn't lead to the right path... really, is there a legendary armor here?
I'm sure of it. I'm sure of it, and I'm getting it from someone I trust.
'd*mn, I can't believe I have to spend a week in a forest like this...'
But I'm tired. I need a bath.
'Leanne. Don't be selfish. We are on a noble journey to save the world.
I know, but come on, but it's been a week, okay?　As expected, aren't you getting sick of it?
It's...

　Lean's frustration was understood by Mina.
　This is because Mina herself is fed up with the unreasonable difficulty of attacking the 'Lost Forest'.

　She has been progressing while creating a map, but this is useless.
　As time passes, the path changes and the destination gets further away from me.
　I was unable to proceed properly because of the repetition of such things.


That guy?　Agus, who is that?
'You know as well as I do Arios.　It's about Rain.
Huh.

　Arios bit his lip evasively.

'With Rain's abilities, we could explore every inch of this forest. From above, we might be able to find a new path. It was useless but that's the only use I had in mind for it.
'Don't be stupid!　Do we really need the help of such incompetence?　I can't approve of that kind of bullshit.
Yes. I'm against it. I was dying to get rid of that little worm. You didn't do anything wrong by banishing them in there.
Well I don't want you to be a parasite like that and I agree with Leanne.
'Indeed. I can't argue with your decision to banish Rayne. But don't you think that was poor timing?
Gulp.

　Arios is at a loss for words.
　Inwardly, he approves of Aggus' words.

　No matter how powerful Arios and the others are, there is no point in this Forest of Lostness.
　Because if they can't choose the right path and reach the back, then nothing is meaningful.

　And the only person who could do that........was Rain.

　Rain is certainly not powerful.
　He was a liability when fighting the enemy.

　However, he was very good at supporting the Beast Tamer by using his abilities.

　For example, letting animals carry their loads.
　By taming a bear or other animal, it could carry dozens of times more than a human hand could carry.
　This was a skill that was more than useful to adventurers.
　If they could carry a lot of luggage, they could make their expeditions farther.
　They could fight to the fullest without running out of water and food.

　Rain was able to support the supply line all by himself.
　Arios and his group had thrown him out without realizing it.

　Now I realize the importance of Rain, but....
　Arios refuses to admit that.
　No, he doesn't want to admit it.

　Who can admit that the man they banished as useless was actually an important part of the party?

　Arios has developed a bad habit.
　Because he has been called a brave man and has received a lot of respect from people, he sometimes lacks consideration for others.
　The case of Rain this time is just that.

'Isn't it strange that that trash worm is so useful?　He said it was absolutely crazy.

　Lean was just like Arios.
　A master of more than a thousand magics, she had been hailed as a genius from an early age..........................and she was self-deluded.
　It was impossible for me, a genius, to care for an ordinary.......or even lesser person.
　I'm seriously thinking about that.

'Maybe we're lacking in our efforts. Such as not being able to attack without someone like that........''

　Mina was the same kind of person as the two of them.
　She was educated to become one of the brave and came to believe that her mission was to save the world.
　Unable to fight properly, Rain is just a hindrance to Mina's noble mission.

'I know what you two are trying to say. I also understand what Arios is trying to say. But ... isn't there any other way?

　Aggus' words were heavy and pierced the three of them.

　For a week, they tried to attack.
　However, instead of defeating the boss, they couldn't even move forward properly.

　If this was the case, their journey to defeat the Demon King would stall here.
　And in a sense, it would be inscribed with the perception that they had failed because Rain was not there.
　That's the only thing I can't tolerate.

　Arios slammed his fist against a nearby tree in frustration.

'How about we use him for once?　We're not bringing you back to the party. We're just hiring you as a guide here. That's about as close to a compromise as you can get, don't you think?

　Aggus's words silenced the three of them.

'But hey, do you think they'll come back now?'
'Well I've said all those things.
I don't see a problem with that.
Yeah.

　Arios agrees with Aggus' words.

'He's such a goody-two-shoes that he's a fool. I'm sorry at the time, I didn't mean it.................or whatever the hell you want to call it, and he'll be right back. So, once you've conquered the 'Lost Forest', you can throw it away again.
Wow. It's so tight.
So, Leanne wants to stay with you?
Mashaka. I don't want to be with that garbage maniac. I'm sick of the thought of them coming back just once.
'It can't be helped. It's hard to do without him it's only one time. We must be patient.
So, we have a deal, then.
Yeah. I'm going to pull Lane back in. Once we do that, we're good to go. Let's get ready to vacate the premises.

　Arios, who said that, had no feelings of apology or repentance for Rain or anything like that.
　Use him.
　That's all he could think about.

　Thus, Arios and his group would return to Horizon........
　They, they hadn't realized it.

　That they had been given up on, even by Rain, who was a bottom-feeding softie.

　That Rain had already gained a true companion in Kanade.