Chapter one:
**My name is Est.**
Currently, I am fighting a demon in an intermediate-level dungeon alongside my former party members. The party leader, Athena, is my childhood friend and the girl I used to love. On her side is Mirialia, the party's mage and an elf.
They expelled me a month ago, so why am I helping them? There's a reason for that. Let's start from the day I was banished from the party, Stardust.
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**A Month Ago**
"Est, you are banished from the party," Athena said.
"Eh?" I replied, taken aback.
"But why? Oh, now I understand! This is a joke. Even for a joke, this isn't very pleasant! You two..." I stammered.
"This is not a joke. I am serious as the party leader. I decided we don't need you. In this party, there is no role you can fulfill because you're weak," Athena continued.
I know I'm weak. As a supporter, I can enchant their stamina, strength, and endurance, and enhance their spells, but I can't use my magic on myself. Because of that, every time we fight in a dungeon, Athena or Daru, our swordsman, has to protect me. This often hinders their fighting capability, and we frequently have to leave the dungeon halfway through. I help them by picking up magic stones from the monsters they defeat, carrying their luggage, and doing house chores to lessen their burden. However, I knew that with the speed at which Athena was growing, there would come a time when she wouldn't need my enchantments anymore. I thought she wouldn't abandon me and would help me overcome my limitations, but—
"What about our promise, Athena? We promised each other that we would become the strongest adventurers together. Don't tell me you forgot about it," I pleaded.
"I haven't forgotten our promise, but you can't defend yourself. How will you become strong?" she replied.
"B-but..." I stuttered.
"There's nothing more to say. You are banished from now on. Here's the money you earned from all the dungeon travels. Take it and leave," Athena said coldly.
"I don't need your money. Fine then," I said, angrily storming out.
I slammed the door behind me, furious that the person I loved and trusted had betrayed me like that. I will prove to them that I can get stronger on my own. If they don't need me, then I don't need them either. I know what I must do now.
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**Meanwhile, Somewhere in the City**
**Daru's POV**
I am currently buying goods for our party. Usually, Est handles this, but I decided to take this opportunity. I didn't realize how tough this work would be. I just bought a loaf of bread for 1 gold coin, but an old lady saved me by telling me that the bread was about to rot and that the normal price for a loaf is 5 silver coins. If she hadn't helped me, I would have become a joke at our party. The oldest member didn't even know the prices of goods and couldn't differentiate between rotten and freshly baked bread—Est certainly knows his way around this.
He and Athena are young, but they are both growing at a tremendous speed. I know Est can't use his magic on himself, but his enchantment magic is the best in the city. If he learns how to use it on himself, he could easily solo a beginner or intermediate-level dungeon.
After buying the goods, I returned to the apartment where I lived with my party members. When I entered, I saw Athena sitting on the sofa with a gloomy expression unlike hers.
"Hi, Athena. Where's Est? I brought the goods he asked for to make breakfast," I said.
"......" She didn't respond.
"What happened? Where is he?" I pressed.
Just then, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I thought Est was coming down, but it was Mirialia, also looking gloomy.
"What happened, Mirialia? Why do you look so upset? And where the hell did Est go?" I asked.
"We... we banished him from the party, but we did it for his own good," Mirialia said hesitantly.
"Hey, that's a horrible joke! Athena wouldn't do this, right?" I said, turning to her.
She didn't meet my eyes; her head hung low.
"Hey, Athena, answer me. This is a joke. You can't do this. You can't betray Est," I urged.
"I banished him from our party because—" Athena began, but before she could finish, I grabbed her arm and pulled her toward me.
"No! You can't do this! Why did you exile Est? I know he can't protect himself, but he is your childhood friend, and you made a promise to him. Did you forget about that? His enchantment magic is the most powerful in this city. Why did you do this?" I demanded.
"Hey, Daru, let go of her arm. You're gripping her too tightly; you might break her hand. We'll explain why Athena made this decision, but first, just calm down." (Mirialia)
After calming down, I released Athena's hand and sat on the sofa. They sat across from me but didn't look my way, their expressions still gloomy.
"I made this decision for Est's safety. If he recklessly dives into dungeons, there will come a time when you, Mirialia, and I won't be there to protect him, and he could die if we can't reach him in time. That's why I exiled him from the party." (Athena)
"Did you think you saved him?" (Daru)
"What do you mean? I did all this to save him." (Athena)
At those words, my mind went blank. I was so angry that I felt like slapping her, but I managed to control myself. It wasn't right to let my emotions take over. She was completely unaware of her best friend's efforts.
"No, you did everything wrong. Do you honestly think he would just stop? He's probably heading to the dungeon alone to prove himself. He has the potential to become the strongest enchanter in history. Do you even know where he was going last evening? He was secretly trying to improve himself on his own time. Even though he's exhausted from all his work, he trains every day. How can you not understand him, especially as his childhood friend? He's still striving to fulfill the dream you both shared. How can you be so oblivious to his efforts?" (Daru)
"N-no, I don't want that. I don't want Est to die. I'm such a fool. I didn't realize his efforts. How can I call myself his best friend if I don't understand his feelings? I betrayed him. I broke our promise." (Athena)
Tears began to flow from her eyes. She had realized her mistake, but this wasn't the time for regrets. If we didn't hurry, Est might be in danger.
"Control yourself, Athena. This isn't the time to wallow in remorse. If we hurry, we can find Est and apologize to him for what you did and why you did it. I'm sure he will listen to you, and everything can return to normal. Now, stand up, and let's go." (Daru)
We began to prepare to head to the dungeon, picking up our weapons and getting ready to leave, when I heard a familiar voice.
"W-Wait! I'll come too." (Mirialia)
When I turned back, I saw Mirialia with teary eyes. She was standing there, looking down, her fists clenched so tightly that blood began to drip from her small hands. Then she spoke to me.
"T-That's my fault too. I supported Athena without considering Est's feelings. If I had wanted to, I could have stopped her, but I also believed what she said was right. I need to apologize to Est. So, please take me with you." (Mirialia)
This was the first time I had seen Mirialia cry. Every time Est approached her or helped her, she would respond with cold words like "I didn't ask for your help" or "Don't come near me." She never showed her emotions, yet now she realized her mistake. There was nothing wrong with letting her come with us, and I had no right to stop her. She regretted her actions and wanted to apologize. Perhaps she thought I would leave her behind because of my anger.
"Sure, let's go." (Daru)