Chapter 32 - Perspective of the Hero, Grathias
"It's just that my compatibility with Behemoth is bad. Against other monsters, there's no doubt that my swordsmanship as a hero remains unrivaled."
"If it's about compatibility, then it's better to fight against creatures other than Behemoth. We don't get to choose, though."
"It's the Guild Master's decision, probably. Whether Grathias attacks or not makes a huge difference in the battle situation. But something has been bothering me. Do you have any concerns?"
Misha said, expressing her curiosity in their conversation.
Is she talking about me?
Or is it something else?
I hope it's something else. I've had enough of talking about myself.
"By any chance, do you think it's a coincidence that you expelled Franz from the party? There was a noticeable change in Grathias' swordsmanship right after he was expelled. It almost seems like the expulsion was the cause of our defeat."
"No way, Misha, stop it. Are you seriously suggesting that we lost because Franz is no longer here? Don't make me laugh. We expelled Franz because he was useless. Misha and Fiinel had the same idea, right?"
Misha said something outrageous.
That utterly useless Franz being the cause of our defeat this time.
It's absolutely impossible.
It was just a coincidence.
There's no point in thinking about anything else.
"Grathias, you're denying it without hesitation."
"Of course."
There's no need to even ask.
"What do you think, Fiinel, about my thoughts?"
"Grathias, before Franz was expelled, you were performing at a level worthy of being called the strongest. After expelling Franz, suddenly there were A-rank and S-rank monsters causing havoc within the country. Behemoth was expelled as well. Then Grathias became weak, and his attacks had almost no effect. It's strange for it to be a coincidence. And when Franz was expelled, he said something like, 'Why am I being expelled? I was useful to the party.' If he was referring to the current anomaly, it makes sense that Franz might have some connection to Grathias' weakness and the outbreak of monsters."
Fiinel said that Franz was the cause of all the recent anomalies, but I don't agree.
A useless adventurer like Franz couldn't possibly possess such power.
It's just a coincidence, a mere coincidence that Franz was expelled on the same day the monsters appeared.
That's what I believe, and it's only logical to think that Franz doesn't have that kind of power.
"Misha and Fiinel are overthinking it. When we fail, we want to find a cause for it. Humans tend to search for some kind of reason when they fail. Blaming it on Franz would make us feel relieved. Let's stop overthinking. Let's focus on what's ahead."