I’m tired now

From the beginning, the expectations that were on the ground made me wonder if I could be more disappointed here.

And as if mocking my thoughts, they were putting on a spectacular show.

“Ah! Why do you keep standing there! Move to the side!”

“Ahh! Cecilia, are you crazy?! Why are you casting magic missile at me instead of the monster!”

“Ugh, I’m sorry. Today’s just not my day…”

The two warriors in charge of the front, Elinet and Judy, stumbled over each other’s feet, causing their positions to crumble.

This one incident caused the entire formation to collapse, showing signs of chaotic teamwork.

The archer, Chloe, was shooting inaccurately and hitting allies. The mage, Cecilia, was mistakenly casting healing spells that were causing harm to her allies.

Truly a dysfunctional party. A chaotic situation where there was nowhere to turn.

“Damn. The moment I start missing those guys has come.”

Lost in useless contemplation, I tried to comfort myself.

“Evan!”

Judy, who had been standing silently, finally spoke to me.

“Why do you keep spacing out! Because you’re not focused, we’re all in this mess!”

“Hehe.”

“Help us quickly!”

Reluctantly, I moved as it seemed like someone would fall if I didn’t actually help.

An adventurer party must work together to defeat monsters.

But this party was just a group of people, not a real team. Therefore, I decided to stick to solo play without any briefing.

Swish! Clang!

My transformed body was still unfamiliar.

Due to an indescribable sense of alienation, I made a few mistakes.

But as time passed, things gradually improved.

“My strength is a bit lacking. I might miss my sword if I make a mistake.”

Despite my weak physique compared to before, my body still had its uses.

I could easily handle about ten Giant Hogs. Of course, this was largely due to my inner strength.

Along with the swordsmanship I had learned during my time as Meyer, my unique combat sense was also a factor.

These were my greatest weapons at the moment.

Every time I swung my sword, I focused on all my senses.

Thanks to this sensory integration, it didn’t take long for me to completely adapt.

After 10 minutes, I could swing my sword without any discomfort.

*Splurt!*

*Keek!*

The spurting blood followed the path of my sword.

At the same time, the monsters’ death cries echoed.

I heaved a sigh at the sound of those cries and continued to move forward.

As I carried out the slaughter, one of the Giant Hogs charged towards me.

Anticipating it, I easily dodged. But it seemed Chloe behind me couldn’t do the same.

“Ugh!”

Following a thud, she let out a groan.

Can’t she dodge that one thing? I glanced at her briefly before focusing on hunting again.

“Evan! Are you crazy!”

Judy’s loud voice interrupted my concentration.

Turning to look at Judy, she seemed annoyed about something.

“What if I dodge that! Because of you, Chloe got hurt!”

“I-I’m fine, Judy…”

“And you’ve been leaving the formation since earlier! You should be marking the monsters at the front!”

“Me?”

“Yes! You!”

Judy’s words made sense.

If it had been Evan before, he wouldn’t have dodged to protect Chloe at the back.

Knowing this, Chloe just stood there, aware of the situation.

“What did they say? If kindness continues, it becomes a right, right?”

The situation had reached this point mainly because of Evan’s actions.

Honestly, that’s how it is. If Evan does everything for everyone, how will the party progress?

Ugh. I’m the one suffering because of Evan’s accumulated mistakes.

“Evan. I’m really okay….”

Cloey looked up at me with a bitter expression.

The rest of the party members pitied Cloey, but I didn’t feel any sympathy. I actually found it pathetic.

“Tsk. Move a bit. Don’t just stand there.”

“Huh, what?”

“Hey! Evan!”

Judy, who was standing next to me, exclaimed sharply.

She looked at me with her hands on her hips, and anyone would think I did something wrong.

“Why are you talking like that? Cloey is already upset!”

“It’s, it’s okay, Judy. It’s not Evan’s fault.”

“But still, you’re being too harsh! Can’t you at least comfort her if you can’t apologize?”

Is this asking for empathy or what? Just shut up and empathize?

Are these really adventurers?

I sighed deeply and focused on hunting again, ignoring the voice calling me from behind.

It’s not worth listening to anyway.

#

“Why is he acting like this lately? It’s not like he’s a teenager.”

Judy, with fiery red short hair, spat out irritably.

She was not pleased with Evan’s sudden change in behavior.

“Yeah. I’ve felt it for a week now, he’s not the same as before.”

Cecilia, the blonde-haired wizard, echoed Judy’s words.

Normally, he would have apologized and healed Cloey’s wounds.

No? He wouldn’t have hurt Cloey in the first place.

Evan is that kind of man. Even if he has his own faults, he’s the kind of man who protects his comrades.

“I’m not the only one who feels that way, right? On the first day, I thought it was just my mood, but he’s getting more and more cruel, right?”

“Yeah. His actions and voice have become too cold. What happened in just a week?”

Nodding in agreement one after another, the women were empathizing with Illinette.

Her shining white hair swayed as she nodded.

“Lately, he’s been skipping training too. He’s become lazy, unlike Evan.”

Evan is the one who sleeps the latest and wakes up the earliest.

The calluses on his hands are proof of his diligence.

But lately, there was no sign of Evan training.

Illinette, who used to spar with him every time, was especially disappointed.

Can a person change this much? Evan changed in an instant.

“….”

Cloey looked at Evan’s back with slightly disappointed eyes.

She doesn’t resent him. But she couldn’t help feeling hurt.

‘Evan….’

It wasn’t something she couldn’t avoid. She just didn’t avoid it.

Why? Because she was convinced that Evan would protect her this time as he had always done.

The size of the trust she had in him only made her disappointment even greater.

Judy looked at Cloey with a worried expression, then sighed deeply.

“Haah. Is there something that upsets him about us? Why is he acting like this?”

They didn’t know what triggered this change.

Well, deep down, they had their suspicions.

“Maybe it’s because he’s upset with us….”

“Hmm. He might have noticed. Even if Evan knows, it won’t change anything. Sorry, but we have our own reasons too.”

“…That’s true.”

There was no choice but to follow Evan. It was a choice separate from feelings of apology.

After finishing their tasks, the four women returned to their lodging and resumed their normal daily routine.

The only thing different from usual was Evan’s attitude.

“Chicken stew!”

Cecilia approached Evan, who was eating stew at the table.

She already had a spoon in her hand. Evan’s eyebrows furrowed at the sight.

“Evan, Evan! Where’s my plate? I want to eat too!”

“Huh? Why are you asking me to find it? If you’re thinking of stealing it, wake up from your dream.”

“Y-yes? But you know, I really like chicken stew….”

“Then cook it yourself and eat. I don’t have much left, so go away, shoo.”

“…Ah. I can’t cook….”

Cecilia stared blankly between Evan’s face and the stew.

Even if it was just a single bean, Evan gave in.

Cecilia missed Evan’s kindness.

“Evan, the bowstring is broken, can you fix it?”

“Am I a bowyer? You can fix it yourself.”

“Huh? How am I supposed to fix this. You always did it for me.”

“I don’t know. Ask someone else.”

“E-Evan?”

Without a glance, Evan walked away.

In the end, Chloe had no choice but to rely on her own skills to repair the bow.

She fixed the bow with the skills she had learned over Evan’s shoulder, but still.

Twang!

The bowstring snapped off soon after.

Chloe bit her lip as she looked at the broken bow.

“Evan, you’re here. Can you handle the butchering for me? I have a weak stomach.”

“Butchering? Sorry, but I hate that too.”

“Huh? What’s with the sudden change of heart?”

“I’m saying I won’t do it. I can’t stand getting animal blood on my hands. And why are you pushing your tasks onto me. Anyway, I hate it.”

“W-wait! Then what should I do…!”

Irene was the same.

Her normally unresponsive attitude towards Evan felt extremely awkward.

“…Ugh.”

Irene started the dismantling process again, but when the animal’s blood splattered on her face, she dropped the knife she was holding.

And so Irene went hungry for lunch.

#

Three days passed.

The party members who had hoped to reconcile with Evan found their relationships deteriorating instead.

“This is too much….”

“I agree. We made mistakes too, but this is too much even considering that.”

“Hmm. I also concur.”

The main topic of discussion was Evan’s change.

And everyone, without exception, did not welcome Evan’s change.

Evan’s childhood friend, Judy, was on the verge of exploding.

“Seriously, Evan! What’s so hard about tying your bootlaces!”

Judy, Evan’s childhood friend of 15 years.

She knew how to handle Evan very well.

Evan’s character was easy to read, and the foundation built over 15 years was not something to be taken lightly.

But even that was in the past.

“What should we do…. Should we apologize?”

“What? Apologize for what. We didn’t commit such a big sin.”

“Yeah. We’re the ones suffering from Evan’s tantrums. Evan must feel sorry for us.”

At Irene’s words, Judy shook her head.

She had a strange conviction that Evan’s heart had already left.

“If he felt sorry, he would have treated us better a long time ago. Evan’s tantrums only last a day or two, right? Anyway, I can’t take it anymore.”

There was no more guilt. Only a lingering feeling of resentment.

Afterwards, Judy came up with a clever idea.

“We’ve been too passive. Because we’ve been passive, Evan sees us as pushovers and ignores us.”

“…There may be some truth to that.”

“Don’t you all think so too? If we had shown some anger, Evan wouldn’t have gone this far, right?”

“Judy makes a good point. It’s probably true.”

With the agreement of the other party members, Judy went a step further.

She then made a proposal.

“We have to show him. That we’re not just sitting idly by.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying we should confront Evan?”

“Similar. Right now, Evan is treating us like a pushover. We need to show that we’re not okay with it, to the point where it’s not surprising if we get angry.”

She extended her index finger as she spoke.

“So, we’re going to play dirty too, right? For example, because of Evan, we’re going to leave this party.”

“Really?”

“Think about it. If we leave this party, what will Evan do? He’ll definitely come after us. It’s a way to make him change his attitude towards us.”

“Mm, I see.”

“Hmm…”

For a while, only the sound of breathing filled the air.

And then, after a moment, Cloe broke the silence.

“I’m in. I’m tired of catering to Evan.”

Perhaps Cloe’s determined voice gave strength to the others.

Cecilia and Eileen nodded decisively as well.