Nord turned his gaze toward Lloyd, Yun, and Yor with hope.

But the expressions on their faces were far from what he had expected.

Lloyd was the first to speak, his tone resigned.

"Nord... let’s give it up already. We can’t keep going like this."

"Wha—"

"Back then, when we abandoned Ike, it was already over for us. Deep down, you know it too, don’t you? The reason we could thrive as a B-rank party was all thanks to Ike."

Nord couldn’t bring himself to nod in agreement with Lloyd’s words.

As he stood frozen in place, Yor spoke next.

"I feel the same as Lloyd. There were times before when I wondered why someone with Ike’s skill as a Puppeteer would always focus on dodging during battles, which seemed so unusual. But now that he’s gone, I finally understand. He supported this party from the shadows, covering for all our weaknesses."

"………………"

"I believe that disbanding the party is a fitting outcome for those of us who abandoned him to save ourselves when fleeing the Minotaur."

Nord couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

He had assumed that Lloyd and Yor also thought of Ike as a burden, just as he had.

Ever since Ike left the party, Nord had repeatedly criticized him, and neither Lloyd nor Yor had ever disagreed.

But hearing their words now, it became clear to Nord how wrong his perception had been.

They hadn’t stayed silent because they believed Ike was useless.

They had stayed silent because their guilt over abandoning him made them feel unworthy of defending him.

Now abandoned by his comrades, Nord found himself cornered.

If things continued like this, their rank would truly be demoted.

As a hero, that was an outcome he absolutely had to avoid.

Desperate, Nord turned to Yun for help.

She had always joined him in criticizing Ike.

If anyone would stand with him to resist this situation, it had to be her.

At least, that’s what Nord believed. But—

"………"

"Wha—"

The moment their eyes met, Yun averted her gaze awkwardly, as if pleading not to be dragged into the matter.

No, that wasn’t just an impression—it was the truth.

Yun had only ever supported those in power.

For a time, that had been Nord. But now that this was no longer the case, she had no intention of siding with him.

In that moment of realization, Nord felt the last of his strength drain away.

In the past, he would have believed himself to be in the right and fought with all his might to resist the demotion.

But now, he no longer had the will to do so.

With the agreement of the three remaining party members, the group was officially disbanded.

And so, Nord’s once-bright future as a hero disappeared into darkness with surprising ease.