Chapter 25 - Ralma’s Plan (1/2)

—Morzeral—

「Gahhh!」

Kicked at the abdomen by Raust, I, who couldn’t react at all, felt pain on my abdomen.

From that pain, I remembered the hellish pain I tasted once before.

「I will never let you escape.」

Raust was laughing at me.

With no intention to hide the anger in his eyes.

… I felt an intense dread when I saw Raust’s smile.

The memory of old crossed my mind, it was the memory of when I was over-confidence with my ability, challenge the lower-layer, and came close to dying.

The dread I felt from Raust was incomparable from that time.

However, it was too late to just notice now.

I was convinced that Raust could go to the lower-layer because he was lucky.

But, that was a mistake.

It was true that Raust was a defect as a healer, but he wasn’t incompetent.

No, on the contrary, I now realized that he had enough strength to stand side by side with first-class adventurers.

「Why… How!」

… However, I was boiled with anger when I realized that.

「Don’t screw with me! Why the fuck a small fry like you so strong! I’m more talented than you!」

It was a scream of my soul, a soul of someone who stuck at the middle-layer of the labyrinth and couldn’t proceed to become a first-class adventurer even after several years.

At first, my reason to bully Raust was to vent my anger.

… That changed when Raust could go to the lower-layer.

Knowing that someone who was said to be untalented like Raust was capable of going to the lower-layer, what I felt was unbearable jealousy.

The best party in the middle-layer, precisely because we spread the word like it was a compliment that those words had a good impression now.

… But, even now, I still had a complex with those words that gave an illusion that I stopped at the middle-layer even after trying for several years.

「Why you can go to the lower-layer while I cant!」

That was why I directed my anger toward Raust.

… While exposing the jealousy I felt.

Those words only serve to bring me more anger.

「Why, you said? That’s my line!」

「Gahck!」

And then, I was beaten by the woman who was Raust’s party member.

「Why can’t all of you see the result Onii-san achieved! Why all of you can’t see Onii-san’s effort! Onii-san’s hardship… even after that much hardship, why can’t all of you admit his desperate effort to do his best!」

I lost my words hearing the woman’s shout while teary-eyed.

I didn’t quite understand what the woman was trying to say, only that I knew she was getting emotional.

「I will definitely never forgive all of you!」

And then, the woman, leaving herself to her emotion, prepared to swing her skill ladened fist.

「Hyii!」

…… Remembering the effect of her skill when it hit me before, I involuntarily screamed as I covered my head and curled my body.

At that time, I took those action spontaneously because my heart was overtaken by fear.

I should have come with my companion here to humiliate Raust, never did I imagine I would be in this situation.

In this state, I had no mental capacity to receive the woman’s attack.

「… Aarrghh, please spare me」

…… However, for the people around, they wouldn’t understand that.

Suddenly, the voice of other adventurers entered my ears, roused by those voices, I realized I was being ridiculed at.

I was dumbfounded by those voices for a while until I realized our fight had gathered people around.

「Eek!」

And the woman, maybe noticed that too, stopped her attack.

…… However, I wasn’t in a position to be glad for that.

「A-Aaaa, Ahhhhhhhh!」

After all, the people that gathered all looking at me with scorning eyes while laughing at me.

Among those people were some adventurers under the umbrella of Wolf of Calamity, when I noticed them, I let out my voice while in a daze.

At that time, I felt like everything I build up till now fell apart.

「Whoaa… I’m disillusioned.」

「What a shameful adventurer, right…」

「I don’t know what to say…」

It was crumbling like sand.

「Waaaaaaaa!」

When I understood that, I began to run to the woman with my fist ready impulsively.

There was nothing for me anymore.

Even if I ran away from here, I was finished.

At that time, I remembered my anger toward this woman…

「Shut it.」

「Gahh」