The Healer Banished From The Party, In Fact, Is The Strongest - Chapter 46

Persecution Complex

It was some time after I broke away from Narsena that I saw Armia running away somewhere in a hurry.
I couldn’t clearly see her face as she was quite a bit away, but seeing that she looked lively, I smiled involuntarily.

「Narsena, you did well.」

To be honest, Armia before this looked really pitiful.
However, even if I reached out to her, the problem wouldn’t be solved.
I understood because when I was betrayed by the first party I was in, I also fell to the same place as Armia.

…I could tell her I forgive her, or I don’t, regardless, it wouldn’t solve the fundamental problem.

But, as I didn’t know what to do, I gave up, though Narsena was different.

「Can you leave this to me, Onii-san?……… I’ve never been betrayed by someone I admire. But, just imagining it hurts my heart and I can’t stand it. I just…… can’t leave her alone.」

After Zieg-san left, Narsena told me so.
To be honest, I didn’t understand what she was going to do.

Even so, I didn’t hesitate to let her do what she wanted.
It was thanks to Narsena that I was able to recover from the bottom.
I had a premonition that if it was Narsena, she could handle Armia just fine.

And that premonition was right.
I knew that from Armia’s appearance as she ran away.
Now Zieg-san and his party will be relieved.

「……Seriously, Narsena, you’re amazing.」

Thinking so, I muttered those words.
Narsena was different from me, she was an excellent and special existence.
Embracing that feeling anew, I felt proud of my party member.
And then, with a fresh mood, I walked away from this place.

「Found you, finally.」

「It’s good that we believe the guild’s staff’s words……」

「……Huh?」

……However, hearing multiple voices of men, I stopped my leg.

Their voice wasn’t from someone I knew.
However, while feeling an unknown sense of deja vu, I looked back timidly.

「………Uaaa-」

And then, seeing large numbers of adventurers there, my face cramped.
Without realizing the small shriek I leaked, the adventurers began to bow their heads to apologize.

「I’m really sorry for what I’ve done until now!」

…These adventurers were the people I escaped from before, the people whose apologies I ignored.

As the slowly approaching unsavory adventurers began to surround me, the two words making the word runaway disappeared from my head.

「Please! I will even give you all my money! Please, at least spare my life!」

……Seeing the adventurers beg with a desperate expression, I knew running away was impossible.
They would never give up even if I ran away now.
Even if I don’t have a plan to kill them, they wouldn’t know that.

「…Hahh~」

Thinking that, I let out a sigh.
For the time being, I couldn’t leave this place without explaining the misunderstanding of the adventurers in front of me.

「…For the time being, would you guys calm down?」

Having decided so, I raised my voice…

◇ ◆ ◇

「Please! life, at least…」

Even after a dozen or so minutes after I decided I would solve the misunderstanding, the situation didn’t progress at all.
While listening to the adventurers who bowed in front me, with a convulsing face I opened my mouth.

「No, seriously, I never thought about taking your life……」

「N-No! It’s fine! Even if you say that, I know there is no way you tell us!」

「Yes! You will absolutely not tell!」

「That’s why, life……」

…But my words didn’t enter their ears.

I’m not going to take your life, I wasn’t sure anymore how much time I have repeated that.
But, this much I could say, my words never entered these adventurers’ ears.

The adventurers looked at me with unconcealed fear.
Because of that fear, my words were blocked by it.

「…Hahh~ what a bad time…」

Seeing their state, I let out a sigh.
The reason they were so frightened wasn’t just because I ignored them.

Recently, there seemed to be many middle-class adventurers that died in the upper-layer.
Honestly, it wasn’t as often, but the occurrence wasn’t impossible in the labyrinth.
That was why, there wasn’t much fuss.
In fact, that was information I only knew after I was being told by the adventurers in front of me.
In any case, those adventurers probably just unprepared for fighting hobgoblins just because they were in upper-layer.

「I’ll give you all my money! This armor too, take it if you like to! Just please, don’t attack me in the labyrinth!」

…However, these adventurers seemed to think those adventurers’ death was caused by a surprise attack from me.

Of course, it was just their delusion.
I mean, under normal situations, there was no way for these adventurers to misunderstand the situation.

But, these adventurers were afraid the fact that I ignored them in the guild meant that I would do something to them.

Not to mention, some of the adventurers that died in the upper-layer, included people that oppressed me until now, hence why they thought it was me who did it.

「I beg you! This is my lifetime wish!」

「I’m really sorry for whatever I did until now!」

「I beg you, please, have mercy!」

「I will listen to anything!」

That was why, these adventurers that already convinced themselves that I was the criminal, would never take my words at face value.
These adventurers, fearing for their life, teary-eyed and with running nose, clung to me as they beg for me to spare their life.

「Ha, hahaha…」

………I could only let out dry laughter at that time.
No matter how much I tried to prove my innocence, these adventurers wouldn’t listen, but if I took their equipment, different problems would arise.
If I know this will happen, I shouldn’t have ignored them in the guild in the first place, or so the regret I had.

Well, if I listened to every one of them, I would collapse in two, three days, I didn’t know which one was more bothersome.

Still, I was cornered so far I couldn’t correctly judge such a thing…
With weeping unsavory adventurers approaching, it began to gather attention.
And I was thinking about running away, ready to accept the fact they would follow me again in the future.

「………Ah,」

That was when I came up with an idea.
It felt like a miracle for my mind that grew duller to come with that at the last minute.
Now I could disperse these troublesome adventurers and also help those people.

「Then, there are conditions.」

「Huh?」

Having decided that, with a confident smile on my face, I told so to the adventurers.
Seeing the sudden change in my expression, the adventurers looked confused.
However, I ignored their reaction and elaborated.

「For the next three weeks, bring middle-layer material free of charge. I won’t lend you a hand, but if your work is satisfactory, I will reward you. Of course, if you get violent with the people in the city, I will punish you instead.」

What I came up with was to get the adventurers to work for city folks.
This way, the adventurers wouldn’t stalk me while Mary and the others who said they couldn’t buy materials from the guild would be helped.

「H-Hey, isn’t it a good condition if it would save our life?」

「Y-You bet! Alright! I will do it!」

「M-Me too!」

After hearing my condition, these adventurers decided to participate one after another.
While looking at the situation unconcernedly, I praised myself for having that idea.
Really, to be able to make good of such a situation.

「…Maybe I’m actually a capable person too.」

……However, there was a small detail I, who muttered that, forgotten.
It was how wary of adventurers the city folks were.

I had no way of knowing that one hour after this, I would scream as I was buried in the documents for the necessary procedure to get the adventurers to work in the city……