Banished from the Hero's Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside (真の仲間じゃないと勇者のパーティーを追い出されたので、辺境でスローライフすることにしました)

It's been three years since

the Demon Lord Taraxon invaded Avalon.

Four nations have fallen,

and the Demon Lord now holds half the continent.

But we know the god of our world has not forsaken us.

For Ruti Ragnason, a maiden with

the Divine Blessing of the Hero, is here.

Henbane staunches bleeding and disinfects wounds.

Koku leaves make antidotes.

Yujin mushrooms function as a tonic.

Well, guess that's enough for today.

This is the borderland region of Zoltan.

To the north and the east stands a vast,

unexplored mountain range called the Wall at the World's End.

The rest is ringed by marshland.

This makes Zoltan both difficult to reach

and of no strategic value,

so development has proceeded at a snail's pace.

Even brigands have forsaken this land.

There's just not much worth taking.

The only travelers we see tend to be

fugitives, hermits, or eccentrics.

But I couldn't think of a better place for me to be right now.

Seven pounds of henbane,

four pounds of koku leaves,

and a bag of white berries.

Excellent work once again, Red.

That comes out to a hundred and thirty perills.

Great, thanks, Megria.

Don't mention it! I hope you'll come back in soon!

Red, been out gathering medicinal herbs again?

Yeah, so what?

Happens to be something I do best.

That may be so, but that bronze sword of yours

is just really sad.

At the very least, you should have a steel one.

Hold on now, you're one to talk.

I mean, the one you carry around is for show.

Put a cork in it!

My dream is to open my own apothecary.

I'm not looking for adventure.

Just a quiet life for me, thanks.

There's only one problem.

I don't have the money to open a shop.

Well, not enough, anyway. Not yet.

Hey, Red!

Oh! Hey, what's up?

Helping out at home?

Yeah! I've got the important job of bringing Dad and Gonz lunch!

Really? Proud of you, Tanta.

And guess what?

Gonz said he thinks I'll make a fine carpenter someday!

I still haven't figured out what kind of Blessing I have,

but don't worry, I'm gonna become a carpenter

and build a shop for you no matter what!

Good. I'm counting on it.

Hey, what's your Blessing, anyway?

I've never asked.

Well, I guess there's no tellin', huh?

Go on, your dad and Gonz must be starving.

Aw, you're really not gonna say?

Fine, whatever.

But come by and visit again soon.

I'll give you some advice about opening a shop and all that.

--Done. --See ya!

All living things have a Blessing.

Every one.

Bestowed by the All-Mighty to guide people's lives

and grant them the strength they'll need on their journey.

That's why they're called Divine Blessings.

Blessings grant powers, known as "skills,"

according to their type, such as Warrior or Mage.

So, fighters have great combat skills.

And mages have the ability to

both utilize and defend against magic.

As for me...

You're not a true comrade, Gideon.

If you would excuse me, please.

All right, you wanted to see me, Ares? What's up?

I want you to strike me with that.

What's the problem?

Could it be you're actually afraid

to have to prove your strength, Gideon?

There are many ways, both physical and magical,

to pierce a ward such as this.

And yet, you are totally unable to do so.

If I used Thunderwaker instead of this bronze sword.

Even if you did, that would be Thunderwaker's power

rather than your own, so what would that prove?

We both know that it's a powerful weapon

no matter who wields it.

You're not a true comrade, Gideon.

A true comrade fulfills their allotted role

and is one you can trust to the death and fight alongside.

Are you're saying that I'm not?

Even you must have noticed.

You couldn't pull your own weight,

even in the recent battle with Desmond.

Not only that, but having you along on a quest

meant Ruti had to protect you,

and that gave our enemy a very real advantage.

Frankly, you're a liability,

but what might be even worse is,

you're a dead weight hanging around Ruti's neck.

You have the Divine Blessing of the Guide.

You instinctively lead and protect

the first leg of the Hero's journey.

From the day you were born,

your Blessing made you as formidable as a veteran knight,

a wonder to behold.

And make no mistake,

you've fulfilled that role admirably.

Even I can admit and respect that undeniable truth.

But now, we no longer need you in our party.

You must know Ruti and the rest of the members

have exceeded your level.

To put it bluntly, there's no longer anything

you can do better than us.

But I'm...

I'm trying really hard to do anything I can.

You're trying? What are you, a complete idiot?

I--

Listen, making an effort, even a successful one,

is no excuse for being a liability.

It's the epitome of selfishness to expect us

to forgive you because you're "trying hard."

You simply aren't a comrade and that's all there is to it.

The Hero wouldn't abandon a comrade,

and I doubt she'll ever ask you to leave.

You should consider quitting on your own,

so you'll no longer be a burden to your sister.

I'm second-in-command of the Bahamut Knights.

Returning to the order after being named a liability

would forever stain their honor.

Tell them I was out keeping tabs on the enemy

and just never came back.

Will you please do that for me?

Don't tell them the truth.

Okay, very well.

I suppose we can go with your story.

I'm grateful.

And one more thing.

Make sure to leave your equipment here.

Since we earned it, not you, it's only fitting.

And that was it.

That's when I changed my name to Red

and moved here to Zoltan.

The truth is, Ares was right.

I'm worried about my kid sister, Ruti, but that's silly.

She's so much more formidable than I'll ever be.

There's no glory to be had here,

but I also don't have to risk getting killed in battle

or deal with nerve-wracking intrigue.

That's the path Zoltan offers.

This is the second phase of my life.

My Blessing doesn't have any innate skills,

but it has many common skills that anyone could obtain.

The Survival skill is one.

It keeps me from getting lost in

all but the deepest mountain reaches,

and it allows me to identify most medicinal herbs.

Oh, an owlbear.

Just let it be.

You're not in the Hero's party anymore.

Hey! Red! I'm so glad you're alive and well!

Did something happen here?

How are you acting so casual?

An owlbear was spotted in the mountains.

You're Albert.

I think that's "sir" to you, D rank.

Right, fine, B-rank adventurer Albert, sir.

So, what do you want?

Well, I've heard about you, believe it or not.

Your specialty is gathering herbs,

and you're a mountain expert, right?

Yeah, I do what I can.

I'm about to head out with this party

to put down the owlbear.

But we haven't done much in the way of

herb gathering and all that,

so we don't know the mountains very well.

I see. So you're needing a guide?

We just don't want to waste too much time.

Not on a lowly little owlbear.

Sorry, but I think I'll pass.

What is your problem?

This is your big chance and you're missing it!

It'll look great on your resume.

Think about it, you might even make C rank because of this!

I've got no interest in C rank.

If you must know, my dream is to open an apothecary

and lead a simple life.

Fine, then! We'll look elsewhere!

I wish you'd accept, Red.

It would put our minds at ease having

someone who knows the woods in the party.

I can even guarantee your promotion

to C rank if that helps!

I'm sorry, but I'm really not interested in that.

Huh? All right then, if you're sure!