Ch.5The Party He Left (3)

A day when the sky endlessly shed tears.

Lael woke up to the sound of raindrops tapping against the window.

Her body felt quite stiff from falling asleep on the floor after crying until exhaustion, rather than in bed, but that didn’t matter to her.

With a sigh, she got up and left the room. Then she headed to the room across from hers.

It was the room where Crow had stayed until yesterday.

Lael raised her hand to knock but changed her mind and opened the door.

She entered with a small hope in her heart that he might have returned to collect important items he’d left behind.

But that hope was washed away with the rain falling from the sky.

He wasn’t there—the one who should have been up before anyone else, organizing things needed for their adventures.

He wasn’t there—the one who would always greet her with a bright smile even when she entered without knocking.

No more tears flowed from her eyes.

Only a bitter, hollow laugh escaped her lips.

He had left. Leaving behind so many traces.

Lael began organizing the things he had left behind.

She neatly folded the clothes hanging on the rack and gathered the potions scattered across the floor into one place.

As she was finishing up, a book on the desk caught her attention.

The thick-covered book with “Black Crow” written boldly on it was something he had diligently recorded in after every adventure.

She had once asked him what he wrote in it, but he had shyly refused to answer.

At the time, she wasn’t particularly curious about the contents, so she didn’t press further.

After all, whatever he wrote, the fact that he was by her side wouldn’t change.

But now it was different.

Now she wanted to hold onto even the smallest trace he had left behind.

Lael carefully picked up the thick book and sat on the bed.

Just like those times when they had pleasant conversations together.

When she turned the cover, she found writing in large, beautiful handwriting.

[Memories are bound to be forgotten someday. But writing is eternal. Therefore, my memories are eternal too.]

It felt as if his voice was flowing into her ears, and she was on the verge of tears, but she couldn’t let that happen.

She couldn’t wet this book he had left behind.

Lael carefully turned the pages one by one and read the book.

The book contained records of everything that had happened during his activities as Black Crow.

From the time they challenged a C-rank Labyrinth as a duo and had to flee, to rescuing Elin who was about to be taken by slave traders, to Derin joining the party.

And finally, Franz urgently joining the party the day before they headed to the unexplored Labyrinth.

On the last page he recorded, it was written:

[I hope nothing happens with the priest joining the party.]

Come to think of it, Crow had opposed Franz joining the party.

And the one who pushed it through forcefully was…

Me, the party leader.

Of course, I didn’t recruit a priest without reason.

Until now, we had managed with party coordination and potions, but it was uncertain whether that would be possible in the unexplored Labyrinth.

I just wanted to reduce uncertainty.

But that didn’t justify ignoring his opinion.

I didn’t even try to listen to his reasons for opposing.

Instead, I was petty about him opposing the leader’s opinion.

In fact, he might have been trying to reveal that he was a Warlock and ask for help at that time.

If so, this whole situation was entirely the responsibility of me, the leader.

Lael was so disgusted with herself that her hands trembled.

But now wasn’t the time for this. She put the book in the Magic Pouch at her waist and calmed herself down.

Franz, somehow she needed to persuade that damned priest who threatened Crow.

If that didn’t work, she would kill him if necessary.

Lael gently kissed the pillow on the bed before leaving his room.

Of course, it wasn’t actually his pillow, but Lael had no way of knowing that.

She just thought the smell was a bit strange.

But she dismissed even that as her imagination.

After walking down the creaking hallway, Lael arrived at Franz’s room, naturally.

Since he was a priest who prayed early in the morning, he would surely be awake.

Lael raised her hand and knocked on the door.

She knocked a bit harder due to her emotions, but she didn’t particularly care.

Well, let him make an issue of it if he wants. What could a mere priest do to a duke’s daughter?

Finding it convenient to be a duke’s daughter at times like this, Lael knocked on the door again when there was no response.

Of course, more forcefully than before.

Just as it seemed the door might break from the sound echoing through the hallway, a door opened.

The door to the adjacent room.

Derin, still half-asleep, poked her head out and looked at Lael standing in front of Franz’s room.

Her face was so swollen that her eyes had shrunk to the size of knotholes, making her look quite comical.

But given the atmosphere, laughing would genuinely anger her, so Lael controlled her emotions and somehow managed to hold back.

It was the second most difficult moment since she started working as a thief.

The first was when she saw Crow bathing.

She had bitten her finger trying to hold back from running away then.

Anyway, if left like this, the red-haired warrior seemed like she might destroy the door, so Derin needed to say something.

But she was debating whether to tell the truth or not.

If she told the truth, it would be great from Lael’s perspective. But it would be disadvantageous for herself.

It would provide an opportunity for Lael and Elin to go straight to find Crow without worrying about Franz.

If she lied, Lael would probably do whatever it took to find Franz. Whether to kill or persuade him, she needed to find him first.

During that time, Derin could go straight to Crow, but that didn’t feel right either.

She wasn’t even sure where Crow had gone.

In the end, the honest thief’s scale tipped toward the truth.

She had grown somewhat attached to the party and didn’t want to end things with a muddy catfight.

“I killed Franz.”

“Huh…?”

At Derin’s words, Lael inwardly rejoiced.

She had needed to deal with him somehow, and the situation had resolved itself without her having to lift a finger.

But more than that, she felt puzzled.

Why on earth would Derin have killed Franz?

Seeing Lael’s furrowed brow, Derin added:

“Franz came into my room last night… and tried to give me an aphrodisiac…”

“A-aphrodisiac?!”

Lael was startled.

An aphrodisiac—a potion that makes one lose consciousness and fall into pleasure.

No matter how crazy Franz was as a priest, it was hard to believe that someone affiliated with the Church would do such a thing.

But Derin’s trembling voice and wandering eyes proved her words were true, so Lael took her side over her own suspicions.

It was natural for a party leader to trust her party members.

Of course, with Crow gone, she no longer wanted to be the leader.

“The body?”

“I… I dumped it in the river before it started raining, so it probably hasn’t flowed too far.”

“I see… Alright. It must be hard for you, get some rest.”

“You too, don’t just stay like that, eat something and take care of yourself.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

After confirming that Lael had turned and walked away, Derin closed the door and lay back down on the bed.

Aphrodisiac—to be honest, she didn’t know if it was true or not.

But somehow it seemed like something that guy would do, so it was a story she made up.

The dead don’t speak, so the truth would never come to light.

Derin hugged the pillow filled with his scent and quietly closed her eyes. Then she drifted back to sleep, using the sound of rain outside as a lullaby.

* * * * *

Lael didn’t return to her room but knocked on Elin’s door.

As Derin said, nothing would come of staying like this.

Franz was already dead, so they needed to eat, regain their strength, and somehow find Crow.

There was movement behind the door, and soon it opened with a creak.

“Lael? What’s wrong…?”

Elin, as Lael saw her, looked quite emaciated.

Her eyelids were red from crying all night, and her usually moist skin had become dry.

While talking with Derin, Lael had thought she was alone in her sadness, but apparently not.

Feeling a sense of kinship with Elin, Lael couldn’t leave her be.

She was surely in the same state, so if Elin’s condition improved, her own would likely improve as well.

“Food, let’s eat.”

“I don’t want to. I have no appetite.”

“No, eat. Would Crow like to see you in this state if you met him?”

Elin swallowed hard at the mention of Crow.

Lael’s words were certainly true.

Her current appearance was so ugly, hardly different from a goblin, that if he saw her, his love—no, even his existing affection—would fade.

Though she had no appetite, she needed to eat to maintain even the smallest bit of affection he might still have for her.

“…Let’s go. Let’s eat.”

“Good, but before that, would you like to wash your face? You look really bad.”

“Who are you saying that to? Lael, you should go wash your face too. You look completely like a goblin.”

The two continued their conversation, somehow suppressing their hearts that felt like they might collapse.

What had happened had happened, and dwelling on the past would only lead to an endless abyss.

So they had no choice but to move forward.

Whether it was a path of thorns or a fiery hell.

For the sake of finding him, they would sacrifice anything.

So the two washed their faces briefly in their respective rooms and met again in the dining hall.

And there, Elin heard shocking news from Lael.

“F-Franz is dead?!”

Serves him right. That piece of trash.