“I’m coming in.”

Starchis knocked once or twice before entering the Aide Party’s base.

Inside, all the Aide Party members were seated. They each greeted Starchis in their own way.

Boyle, the party’s tank and vanguard, raised his hand high.

“You’re here?!”

“Hello, Boyle Hyung.”

Spearman Fioren also waved his fingers.

“Hey, Starchis.”

“Hello, Noona... huh?”

Next to Fioren was Luss.

“Starchis!”

She ran up and stood in front of Starchis.

“Luss...? What are you doing here?”

Starchis was both happy and confused by Luss’ appearance. He wondered if there was any connection between Luss and the Aide Party.

“I called you to explain that, Starchis.”

His brother, Stion, appeared and spoke.

“Come on, find a seat anywhere.”

As Stion gestured, Seira went to get something to drink.

.

.

.

.

Starchis sat comfortably in any available seat. Stion sat across from him, and Luss sat next to Starchis.

Stion looked at Luss as if to say, “Why are you sitting there?” There were plenty of other seats available.

Luss subtly turned her head, pretending not to notice.

The other Aide Party members smiled contentedly from behind.

“So, Hyung. Why is Luss here?”

“You’re in a hurry, Starchis. Take it slow. How’s your hand?”

Before starting the conversation, Stion asked about his condition.

“Is your rehab going well?”

“Hyung! Yes. I can feel the mana. Wait a moment...”

Starchis excitedly began to explain what had happened today.

“Really?”

“Is that true, Chis?”

Stion smiled, and Luss was as happy as if it were her own news.

“It’s true. Just wait a moment. Let me see if I can feel it now.”

Starchis closed his eyes and pressed his lips together.

‘So cute...’

Luss thought as she watched him.

Starchis tried to feel the mana crawling through his body. Even after Lily’s body fell away, he could feel it for a while. Now, he wasn’t sure since he hadn’t been focusing.

And soon, he felt that sensation again.

Even without Lily, he could now feel it. The slightly embarrassing actions with Lily had paid off handsomely.

“I can feel it now, too. It really doesn’t seem like there’s much time left.”

Starchis opened his eyes and shared the good news.

“Take it slow. Even after rehab, it’ll take a lot of effort to get used to it. Fighting while continuously channeling mana into your hand won’t be easy.”

“I’ll work hard. Anyway, being able to move is a good thing, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Hyung, so why is Luss here?”

“Well, about that...”

Stion rubbed his hands together and pointed at Luss.

“She’s going to be following us around for a while.”

Starchis looked at his brother, then followed his finger to the person it was pointing at.

“...Luss?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you mean by following us?”

Starchis had an inkling of what Stion meant, but he asked for confirmation. His expression gradually hardened.

“She’ll be participating in our gathering activities, what else?”

“Why? No, more importantly, you’re an A-rank party. How can she follow you when it’s so dangerous?”

“She came to me and said she wanted to do it.”

Starchis frowned and asked Luss.

“Is that true?”

“...It’s true. Chis, are you angry? Your expression is scary.”

“No, it’s not that I’m angry... It’s just too dangerous.”

Starchis was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe his brother had allowed this.

“Hyung, why did you permit this? You’re the one who always says life is important.”

“...Listen, I-”

“-No. I can’t allow this.”

Starchis scowled and glared coldly at Stion. It was a rare expression for him, indicating just how angry he was, especially since the person he was addressing was his brother.

“It’s too dangerous. We need to grow at our own pace. A sudden change like this is poison.”

“Sometimes, you need to change when it’s necessary.”

“Hyung! That’s for the leader to decide! Do you know why I hesitated for so long to challenge B-rank?”

“Calm down, Starchis. That’s why I called you. To discuss this.”

Stion patted Starchis on the arm.

“Calm down.”

The cool-headed Stion helped cool down the increasingly heated Starchis.

His patting also played a part.

Luss couldn’t lift her head. It had been a long time since she’d seen Starchis this angry.

She was touched that he was so worried about her, but at the same time, she was anxious that she might have unnecessarily provoked him.

“...Hoo... Who brought this up first?”

Luss flinched. In a barely audible voice, she replied. If she hadn’t been sitting right next to him, he wouldn’t have heard her.

“...I did.”

“Why?”

Despite calming down, there was still an edge in Starchis’ voice.

“...Because I feel like I’m not helping the party.”

“Who said that?”

“...I myself did.”

After letting out a deep sigh, Starchis slightly turned towards Luss. His voice softened compared to when he was talking to his brother.

“...Is it because of me?”

“...”

“My injury was entirely my fault. There was nothing you could’ve done in that situation.”

“...”

“We can grow slowly, Luss..! Don’t you know Rushing can get you hurt?”

But Luss couldn’t help feeling anxious. Being by Starchis’ side was becoming more and more embarrassing.

She felt like hiding in a hole whenever he thanked and praised her.

She wished she could improve her skills to help him achieve his dream. And selfishly, she hoped he would notice her through that.

Before he became closer to Elza, she wanted to show that there was always someone by his side, devoted to him.

This was just a step towards that goal. Risking her life to enter dangerous places and hone her skills was a simple task if it was for him.

Hadn’t Starchis risked his life for her? An eye for an eye. This was just repaying him.

Luss steeled her resolve.

“...Chis. Isn’t our dream to become an A-rank party?”

“...What?”

“It’s something we have to do eventually anyway. I’ll gain the experience first.”

“Luss...!”

“This is a rare opportunity. When else will I have the chance to complete quests under the protection of an A-rank party?”

Luss cautiously held the back of Starchis’ hand.

“...Thank you for worrying about me. But I don’t want to lose you again. Think about it, if I had been the one who fell like you, would you have stayed put?”

“...”

“...Right? I feel the same way.”

“Wow... youth- mmph!”

Boyle tried to chime in from behind, but Fioren covered his mouth.

“...It’s still not okay. If we were a B-rank party, and before challenging A-rank, maybe. But we’re not even officially a B-rank party yet. Following A-rank quests is too fast.”

“...Advancing to a B-rank party is just a matter of time. Isn’t it just paperwork now?”

“Luss, even so, does it make sense for someone who just got into B-rank to challenge A-rank? The gap between B-rank and A-rank is much larger than between C-rank and B-rank..!”

“...Do we look that weak?”

Stion interjected with a harmless question.

“We will keep focusing on Luss, but it doesn’t matter how she performs.”

Stion spoke confidently.

“To put it bluntly, even if she can’t do anything, it’s fine. One of our main tasks is rescue missions, right? Do you think bringing along an injured person will be a problem?”

To the pondering Starchis, Stion made a promise.

“Starchis, your party member. I’ll always bring her back safely. Don’t worry.”

Though he told Luss to survive on her own, it wasn’t how he truly felt. Just because he disliked her didn’t mean he wished for her death.

After all, she was Starchis’s friend of six years. If she gained a lot of experience, Starchis would be safer too.

Since he decided to take her along, he planned to teach her properly.

Boyle, having removed Fioren’s hand from his mouth, shouted.

“Ah, youth! When I was like you ten years ago— oof!”

Turning around, Fioren was hitting Boyle in the solar plexus.

Seira, who had approached unnoticed, handed tea to Starchis and said,

“Starchis, don’t underestimate your brother. He’s the part of an A-rank party.”

It was something he’d heard before.

Starchis felt himself swaying to Seira’s words. He made one last desperate condition.

“...Fine. If the sword-fighting monkeys we encountered this time are evaluated as A-rank monsters, I’ll allow it.”

“Chis..! Even if that’s not the case—”

“—If not, then no. If they are assessed as B-rank monsters, I won’t allow it. Consider this discussion over. It doesn’t matter what my brother says, the answer is no.”

Starchis made it clear. On such important decisions, he was unwavering. Luss realized she couldn’t persuade him further. She simply nodded.

Stion also respected his decision.

“Alright. We’ll do it that way.”

“Then the discussion is over?”

Feeling conflicted, Starchis wanted to leave quickly. He got up, supporting himself with his knees.

“Oh, Starchis. Come back here again tomorrow.”

Luss’ heart leapt once. Seeing him again tomorrow... It was an unexpected reward.

Tomorrow... She thought she might be able to calm his anger.

“Tomorrow? When?”

“Around the evening? Come a bit early.”

Moreover, it was in the evening. Luss wondered if they might have dinner together.

“...But why?”

“Oh, didn’t I mention? Rose...”

As soon as Rose’s name was mentioned, Starchis’ eyes widened. He glanced at Luss and then shook his head vigorously behind her back.

Stion glanced at Starchis.

-‘Elza!!’

He silently mouthed, urging Stion not to mention Rose’s name. Stion glanced at Luss and then corrected himself, having understood the situation after reading the letter.

“...We’re going to meet Elza’s family.”

Luss’ face turned pale.

Starchis sighed deeply, relieved yet pondering Stion’s words.

‘Why Lady Rose...?’

He thought he wouldn’t see her for a while... The moment he called her a bitch flashed through his mind.

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