(Seraphina POV)
"I'm breaking our engagement, Hero Saber!"
Seeing Aria slap Saber after he tries to take her away from the party, I couldn't help but avert my eyes.
I know that I don't have the rights to feel bad for him since I'm one of the people that betrayed his trust, but I couldn't help but feel hurt when I see him like this.
Saber had been a great friend.
But...
He was a hero.
It should have been better since he has that title. If only he has qualities of a good hero, that is...
Even though he was a hero, Saber was not a good leader. It was Sylvia who had been leading us, making plans during every subjugation quest, and many more.
She was more like the brain while Saber was the brawl... Well, not exactly, since he can only fend off few goblins.
Plus, out of all the other heroes from this and other country, Saber had always been deemed as the weakest. He can't use magic and has only two abilities - Teleportation and Enhancement.
His Teleportation was not so great either. He can only travel at a short distance, limiting within a few meters or a couple of city blocks, and drain a good portion of his stamina.
As for his Enhancement, although it was stackable, it only enhance his body by 0.20% each minute and his body has to keep up with the enhancement, if not, many fiber of his body might get reap off and cause him permanent injures... Which eventually becomes almost useless in each fight.
The only upside of this limitation is that he can also enhance his weapon with his enhancement power, making his sword sharper, shield sturdier, and other equipment more formidable. This ability to infuse his gear with his power adds a tactical advantage, as he can surprise opponents with sudden improvements in his weaponry during combat.
However, the side effects of enhancing his equipment mirror are almost entirely similar to how he enhances his body. As the enhancement of the weapon stacks up, the possibility of it shattering increases, especially if it's a sword or another type of weapon that experiences significant stress. This makes the decision to enhance his gear a delicate balance, as pushing it too far could result in a valuable weapon disintegrating at a critical moment. So, Saber must carefully assess the risk versus the reward before utilizing this aspect of his enhancement ability before he starts using it.
"Did you actually hear what I said? Hero Saber, I want to annul our engagement and leave the party to join Hero Maximus on his journey."
This girl... Why does she even want to annul their engagement even though it wasn't needed? She can still join the other hero while being engaged with Saber. Is she an idiot? Or is there something she is hiding....?
As I pondered about her reasons, I heaved out a deep but short sigh. I know that it wasn't a good time for this, since he just had an annulment with his fiancee, but if I don't personally do it now, I'm sure that the others would be the one who will mention this and start insulting him more for being weak... Why does he even pick up girls each time we left to go save another village?
He, Sylvia and I had been a good party of three... Not until he added more, that is!
Because of his habit, Saber picked up "something" that shouldn't have been picked up and ended up becoming engaged!
This guy... How can he be so dense and not realize that his first party member, his only childhood friend, Sylvia, was in love with him!?
I know that he has good intentions when picking up unnecessary "things", but does he not know that you can't just agree to let any strangers join your party unless you get to know that person first?
I fought myself internally, clutching the side of my dress in order to prevent myself from saying something unnecessary. I'm the servant of the Goddess of Light, a Great Saintess. I'm also the eldest one of the party. So, I should act like one and don't let myself get swallowed up with the desire to smack someone else's head, let alone, this stupid hero who was chosen by the Goddess of Light herself!
As soon as I was done calming down, I fidgeted my fingers and got back to my original topic. "I-I-I know that this is all sudden, but..."
Why can't I even speak properly even after all of that, damn it...
"All of us would also like to disband our party and join the other heroes..."
Finally, I was able to say it... I shouldn't feel bad about this. This is only for his and the world's own good.
I can only reassure myself.
"Seraphina..."
Upon hearing him call out my name, I yelped in surprise as my body became tense. I tried to look at Saber straight in the eyes, but somehow, I couldn't.
"Wait, what do you mean disband the party? You guys are not going to leave me too, aren't you?" I noticed him stammering, his shoulders beginning to start quiver probably because of the emotions of shocks and other more.
I took a deep breath, my eyes finally meeting at his'. "We've been discussing it for a while," I admitted truthfully, with my voice that was barely above a whisper. "We don't think our current party dynamics are working well, and we believe joining forces with the other heroes might give us a better chance at defeating the impending darkness."
I'm the one who suggested this in the first place, so why am I... No, why should I be the one to feel sad?
"Are you saying that all of you want to abandon our quest...? I thought we all made a promise together to remain as a party until we fully defeat those monsters that have been coming out off the portals."
Upon hearing him say this, I quickly gave a response after noticing the disappointment hidden inside his eyes. "N-No, it's not that. We just think there's a better way to achieve our goals. We still believe in the cause."
Sorry Saber, but I... we had to. This was the only way I could think of so that you can develop yourself.
I'm fine with you getting angry or wanting to seek out your revenge in the future. I'll even gladly take on with your fury if all of us survive the catastrophe that is heading towards our way.
"I-I-I-I... Alright," He says with a voice tinged with resignation. "If this is what everyone truly believes is best... Then I won't stand in your way."
Of all things I have expected, from hearing his insult to readying myself to receive his strong slap, what he does next was something unexpected.
He started crying.
-Look at that poor guy... He's crying.
-He deserve it for being weak. He's not even training to get strong. Instead, he waste his time on doing some unnecessary stuff like helping an old lady to get her cat off a tree.
-Still... Doesn't he look pitiful? Out of the heroes that exists, Hero Saber is the most kindest there is.
-Stuff like kindness is unnecessary if the world is on the verge of falling apart due to the almost neverending waves.
I could hear whispers such as insults and pity towards Saber. Even though I wanted to say something to stop them, I had to refrain from doing so because of a specific reason.
If I were to start defending him, these nobles including the other heroes might start to misunderstood things between us. Such things like me liking him, or many other unpleasant rumor that might escalate. Since Saber's engagement with Aria had been annulled, that means Sylvia could finally make a move on him! Or maybe, she'll even stay by his side and continue on their adventure together!
That should be a good ending, right?
Breaking me from this thoughts, Saber finally speaks up. "But know this – I'm not giving up on changing the course of this story, even if it means going my own path."
When I heard this, my eyes softened. I nodded and smiled while saying, "Thank you for understanding."
Thank the Goddess that he didn't cause havoc even after all that. I internally felt relief as I notice his eyes that was full of determination.... This was the same Saber I know.
Saber gave his former party a last glance. I noticed that some of them looked at him in disgust while others averted their eyes. But even this, he only gave them the same casual smile he always show us.
Before Saber was about to turn around and leave, I nudged Sylvia slightly on her wrist go get her attention. She looks at me, as I gave her the look of "Go get him".
She nods, as if fully understanding what my gaze meant, but... It was clear to me that she might have misunderstood this.
"Saber, I'm sorry for not fulfilling our promise to remain in the same team..." She says regrettably. Okay this is fine, but can you confess now?
She continues, "It's just... We can't really remain playing around while the whole world is in danger."
Girl! Do you not know that you just wasted a lifetime opportunity to confess? Hurry up and comfort him already!
"If I remained with you--" Before she could even finish what she was about to say, the hero of the Granpillar Kingdom, Prince Maximus Avalonshire, cut her short by patting her shoulder... Great, this narcissistic guy just took your time. What a waste of opportunity.
"There's no need to explain everything to a weakling. I'm sure that he probably understand why all of you are leaving him." He grinned with a smug expression. This guy... He clearly deserves to get hit by a wine towards his face.
"....?"
And so, what I wished did happen.
"Oops! My bad!" Saber says in his casual innocent tone. He then proceeds to clap his hands one time, as the guests and heroes stared at him with utter shock.
"Sylvia, you can't just make assumptions just because of someone's outward kindness. You should heed my warning. That bastard that you are joining is not a good person as he seem to be." As he says this, he turns around as he ran towards the window.
"Thanks for everything, everyone! Gotta go!"
"Saber, just outside that window is a--"
By the time I was able to recover from shock and warn him, it was already too late.
Did this guy seriously just committed a suicide?