The golden-haired man, the hero Nord, appeared before me with a smirk as if he were plotting something sinister, claiming he had defeated the Minotaur himself.

“What’s your game, Ike? That’s quite the ungrateful tone for the way you’re talking to the kind leader who let a burden like you join the party, isn’t it?”

“Enough with the nonsense. Just say what you came here for.”

“You…!”

Nord seemed taken aback by my sudden change in attitude, used to me listening obediently up until now.

But he needed to understand—he was speaking as a party leader, and then again as the man who abandoned Flare and me. The way I act around him will obviously change based on which side he’s showing.

“If you’re going to put it that way, then I have something to say to you too. That Minotaur magic stone, wasn’t that from the Minotaur we defeated as a team? You need to stop acting like you took it down by yourself.”

“Nord, you…”

He wanted to claim my accomplishment for the entire party, then. Struck speechless by his outrageous demand, I could only listen as the adventurers around us chimed in.

“What? So, Nord’s team defeated the Minotaur?”

“It would make sense. This town’s only hero party… I guess it’s easier to believe that than a puppet master defeating it solo.”

Listening to them mutter their agreement, I felt the heat drain from my head—I had lost all faith in Nord. Instead of apologizing for nearly costing me my life, he was here to claim my victory. Had I really wasted a year of my life under someone like him?

“Hold on, Nord, that’s too much—”

“Wait! That’s not what you reported! You said Ike had died! What was that about?”

The priestess Ayla interrupted, her voice rising before the warrior Lloyd could speak in my defense.

Nord squinted in annoyance, but a scheming smile soon replaced his frown.

“Oh, yes, I did report that Ike had died. But I had every reason to believe it at the time.”

“Every reason, you say?”

“Of course,” he replied, turning to address the surrounding adventurers, preparing to unleash another unbelievable statement.

“This dead weight, Ike, actually tried to steal the Minotaur’s magic stone for himself after we had all struggled to defeat it! And then, while trying to escape from us, he stumbled into a trap that summoned a horde of monsters!”

Silence fell as the adventurers began looking at me with doubt. Nord, seeming pleased by the atmosphere, continued.

“We had no choice but to leave him there, surrounded by dozens of goblins. You can understand why we assumed he didn’t survive, right?”

Those words sealed it. The adventurers now eyed me with skepticism, and I was left with no illusions about who Nord really was.

“Wait, Nord! That story pins all the blame on Ike—”

“That’s enough.”

I interrupted the priest Yor’s attempt to defend me, speaking softly. Yet, just that was enough to quiet the room. Lloyd and Yun looked at me with worry in their eyes, perhaps hoping to side with me.

But it didn’t matter now. They had abandoned me and Flare. I had no place in this party anymore. And so, regardless of how bitter this became, I had to say it.

“I’m surprised, Nord, that you would say such a shameful thing yourself.”

“What?”

“Think about it. By your own words, you four fled a foe you couldn’t handle. And yet, here I am, alive and well. If what you’re saying is true, then that means I survived a monster that overwhelmed all of you. Doesn’t that just make you look ridiculous?”

“You…!”

It seems Nord’s temper was shorter than I expected. He charged at me in a rage, his face flushed. But—

“Too slow.”

“What?!”

Perhaps the Minotaur battle had sharpened my reflexes because Nord’s attack seemed sluggish. I sidestepped his fist, grabbed his arm and neck, and threw him. Nord’s body flew and crashed to the ground.

“Ugh!”

“Nord.”

I looked down at him with a hard gaze and said what needed to be said.

“I won’t party with you ever again. As of now, I’m leaving this party.”

The adventurers around us each reacted differently to my decision to sever ties with the hero party.

“Look at that, Nord, taken down by a puppet master, and he didn’t even use his puppet.”

“I wonder whose story is true… well, I guess it doesn’t matter. We should get going ourselves.”

The mocking laughter only made Nord’s face turn even redder.

“Damn it, Ike!”

Nord stood, reaching for his holy sword, clearly ready to escalate this. But Ayla’s panicked voice interrupted.

“Please stop! Fighting in the guild is forbidden. If you continue, I’ll have to report this to the Royal Guild!”

“Tch…”

Nord withdrew his hand from his sword, casting a glare before turning to leave.

“Leave the party? Fine! But don’t think anyone will want a deadweight like you as an ally. Just get yourself killed by monsters already!”

“Nord!”

Ignoring Lloyd’s protests, Nord stormed out, followed by Yun and, reluctantly, Lloyd and Yor.

“It was like a storm…” Ayla murmured as we finally faced each other.

Exhausted from the ordeal, I only wanted to wrap up my business and leave.

“Oh, right, Ike. Would you like to renew this job submission? Since it was marked as unfulfilled, you can reapply. It would mean more reward for you, and it’d help the guild and the client.”

“Please do that, then.”

I sold the remaining Minotaur stone and magical crystals, keeping only five for myself.

I ended up with six large gold coins and five small ones—far more than I’d earned in the past year with Nord’s party.