The Matter of My Party Members Being Aware of My Desire to Be Banished - Chapter 11

“Grrr… that useless baggage carrier, Rokuto…”

Well, there’s nothing I can do about being stared at like that.

Looking sideways at my party members, none of them seem to deny it either.

Why not?

Aren’t I supposed to be banished from this party at some point?

Aren’t I supposed to build a harem of beautiful girls after I’m banished?

Actually, the more accurate description would be that I’m just being treated like air while Honoka and Marn-san fawn over Shion!

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Shion-san~. The settlement for the goblin extermination has been completed, so… huh?”

The receptionist seems to have come to call Shion.

However, she quickly notices the strange atmosphere and looks around…

“Huh? Goblin extermination?”

Auto Mille, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly repeats the receptionist’s words.

At that moment, his grim expression turns into a grin…

“Hahaha! Hey, Rokuto! It looks like you can’t take any decent requests because you’re just a burden!”

Baggage carrier and burden. Rokuto and decent.[1]

He’s making some pretty clever puns.

That’s not the point.

During the battles, they have to protect me, the baggage carrier.

That’s why Auto Mille thinks we can only take orders to exterminate goblins…

But today we were actually going to take on a request with a slightly lower level of difficulty.

As if he has found a weakness, Auto Mille becomes talkative.

“Can you believe that a party ranked in the top three of this adventuring guild is taking on a job as lame as exterminating goblins? It’s unbelievable!”

Auto Mille’s loud proclamation caught the attention of the guild’s adventurers, who began to gather around him.

“What’s going on~?”

“Is Rokuto the baggage carrier getting bothered again?”

“Well, if you say they’re not a good match, then I guess they’re not…”

“But why is he so fixated on this guy? There are plenty of other people he could be bothering.”

I can hear such voices from the people around me.

Well, I can’t deny it…

“Auto, that’s enough.”

Shion stands in front of me and looks directly at Auto Mille.

“Hmph…”

Auto Mille makes a blatantly displeased face.

“I’m the one who suggested taking on the goblin extermination request this time. If you have a problem with that, take it up with me, the leader.”

Ever since Shion had stepped in, Auto Mille had only made a sour face.

“And you. You said that goblin extermination is lame these days, right?”

“W-What is your point!? Isn’t it true!? Goblin extermination is a request for low-ranked adventurers!”

Goblin extermination is a request that novice adventurers must complete first, but that doesn’t mean that taking on such a request is a sign that you’re a low-rank adventurer.

This kind of arbitrary image is probably one of the reasons why goblin extermination isn’t popular.

“Thank you very much!”[2]

There are still many people who are troubled by this.

“Seriously… You always look down on everything, and that’s why you’ll never get stronger.”

“W-What did you say!?”

Even though Auto Mille stares at him with a sharp look, Shion continues calmly.

“It’s your choice which request you accept. There are different levels of difficulty for the requests. But there’s no such thing as big or small when it comes to the damage they cause. For us adventurers, defeating goblins may be easy, but for the villagers, they are a considerable threat. The number of requests posted on the bulletin board shows the extent of the damage. If there are people in need, we should help them. That’s what adventurers are for, right? Don’t ever forget that.”

Shion said confidently.

The adventurers watching from a distance nod their heads in agreement, some even clapping their hands.

I can even hear a few voices saying that they are going to take on a goblin extermination request today.

In any case, Auto Mille has just made a fool of himself even more.

“Tsk, Shion…”

Auto Mille grits his teeth, his face turning bright red.

“Well then, let’s get going, everyone.”

Shion flicks his hair back with a triumphant expression.

Not only is Shion’s strength impressive, but he’s also adept at verbal confrontation.

“Shion took all the good points~”

“Fufu, he is our leader. We should give him the spotlight.”

I stand up and follow Shion.

Just when I thought it was over…

“Hey, baggage carrier, let’s have a fight! I’ll prove that you’re not worthy of that party!”

Auto Mille seemed like he couldn’t let it end with him being embarrassed.

And then…

Without hesitation, he quickly drew the sword he had been carrying on his back.

“Is this guy crazy?”

“Hey, hey, he’s going to get himself killed…”

“Dude, that’s messed up…”

Despite the voices of restraint from the people around him, Auto Mille doesn’t lower his sword in his agitated state.

“An adventurer is worthless if he can’t fight! You’re just a baggage carrier! You’re worthless!”

I’m well aware of that…

But even so, I can’t remember doing anything to deserve such treatment.

Is this also something unique to the banishment fantasy world?

“What, is that? Can I cut him up?”

“Killing him would be a crime, so leave the healing to me.”

“…Haa, seriously. Just when I thought I had ended it so coolly…”

Looking ahead, the eyes of Shion and the others seem to have changed color–

“–What are you doing?”

The dignified voice can still be heard in the noisy Adventurer’s Guild.

The owner of that voice is a woman with fiery red hair who has just come down the stairs from the second floor of the Adventurer’s Guild.

She’s not just any woman.

“G-Guild Master…!”

Someone said in a panicked tone.

Everyone in the room waits with tense faces for her next words.

“Hmm. Someone causing trouble in my guild… I wonder what kind of strong person they are.”

The Guild Master stops halfway between me and Auto Mille.

She looks back and forth between me and Auto Mille.

Just being looked at is enough to make me feel an immense pressure, as if my heart is being squeezed.

Finally she turns to Auto Mille and opens her mouth.

“Hey, Auto. Are you strong enough or important enough to decide the value of others?”

“N-no, I mean…”

“I asked if you’re strong enough or important enough to decide the value of others.”

The Guild Master’s voice echoes in the silence.

“I-I am neither strong nor important…”

Auto Mille, who had been so boastful, simply admits it.

“I see. Then go and complete your requests without complaining!”

The Guild Master swings her hand and strikes Auto Mille in the back with a violent slap.

“Ouch! Damn it, Rokuto the baggage carrier, remember this!”

With tears in his eyes and a pitiful voice, Auto Mille runs away.

“Hey, you too! My Adventurers’ Guild is swamped with requests. There’s no time to lose! Hurry up and accept some requests!”

The Guild Master claps her hands and urges them on.

At her signal, the assembled adventurers scatter towards the notice board and the reception desk.

Our Guild Master is usually cool and stern, but when she opens her mouth, she becomes even more so.

“The Guild Master is as scary as ever.”

“She may be strict, but she often tells the truth, so I can’t hate that type of person. I even like that type of person~”

“Well, to avoid being scolded, let’s make two more requests.”

“Before that, everyone must be hungry, right? I made some sandwiches for lunch, so let’s go eat them somewhere.”

“Agreed! Let’s eat quickly~!”

“Ahem.”

“Hm?”

The Guild Master overtakes us and stands in front of us.

“Shion, Marn, Honoka, Rokuto. I have something to tell you. Come with me to my room.”

I have a bad feeling, but we can’t ignore the Guild Master when she says something like that.

We go to the second floor, where the Guild Master’s room is.

And five minutes later…

“I have news for you all – there is a proposal for you to become the Hero Party’s candidate.”

“Huh?”

“””We decline.”””

Except for me, who didn’t quite understand the term “Hero Party”, the three of them immediately refused with smiles on their faces.

TL note:

[1] 荷物持ちとお荷物。ロクトとロクな。or “Nimotsu-mochi to o nimotsu. Rokuto to Roku na.” in romaji. I don’t know how to localize the pun, so I’ll leave it as it is.

[2] Written in different quotation marks in the raw, perhaps what the village chief said in the previous chapter.