Chapter 0 – Exile and Corruption

000

“Cleon. You’re out.”

A blond-haired man who is the leader and central axis of the party.

The hero ‘Albein’ opened his mouth.

The sound of clinking glasses.

The sound of boasting each other’s dance.

A roaring voice calling for an employee and the sound of an answer.

Surrounded by various sounds that change every moment, this place was the inside of an adventurer’s guild on the edge of the continent.

The decorations on the wall were decorated with the supply and demand of various monsters.

On the bulletin board, from trivial requests at the level of errands to grandiose guys whose fate depended on a village.

In the restaurant, which is combined with the area where the receptionist’s desk is located,

The winners who returned from today’s quest safely

Each of them occupied a table and tilted a bottle to relieve their hard work.

But Cleon’s party couldn’t do that.

What I did today was a regular dungeon cleaning request.

To prevent monsters from leaking into the field

It is a daily mission to reduce the number of monsters by periodically dispatching adventurers inside.

Difficulty varies from time to time

It was a quest that could be solved without any problems with the average level of the party.

Depending on whether you can properly carry out this quest,

It was a quest where the evaluation of the party was decided by the guild.

Cleon opened his mouth to protest against Alvein who resents him.

“Now, hold on.”

“Sleep for a while. It’s because of you that the request failed today.”

As if interrupting Cleon’s words, everyone in the party except for Cleon nodded at the words of the red-haired sorceress ‘Lyla’ standing next to Alvein.

As Lila just said, Cleon’s party failed to complete the quest today.

The reason was that the monsters in the dungeon were stronger than I thought.

And thanks to the power of the dark magic realm that occurred inside the dungeon, the biggest thing would be that the power of recovery spells was halved.

However, since the spells of attack-type magic became stronger, it was rather a good news for magicians like Layla.

It’s a multi-faceted story that the avant-garde endured well.

“Since Layla’s magic has become stronger, it was Alvein’s idea to deal with several of them at once!”

When Cleon protests like that, Alvein bangs! And hit the table.

“So, are you saying I was wrong?”

Okay! Another party member before Cleon could answer.

‘Quon’, a priest with emerald-colored hair, opened his mouth.

“Stop it. Cleon. The problem is that my recovery magic has weakened, there is nothing wrong with Alvein.”

“Kuh…”

Except for Cleon, among the three party members, there was no one who took his side of her.

I know why.

It’s because both Quon and Lyla are aiming for Alvein’s love.

Alban is a warrior. He is a being chosen by the holy sword.

There is not one hero in this world, but the number is absolutely small.

The only class that can take full charge of attack, defense, and recovery alone.

Because it is under the protection of God, the party of the warrior always has applicants.

In addition, the nation treats warriors as an important force and supports them, so it is a class that cannot be popular.

In addition, Alvein was born with a tall, blonde hair, and the unique appearance of an aristocrat.

It seems that he was probably the illegitimate son of a noble somewhere, so he was a human who had concentrated elements that women would like.

──In contrast, Cleon. He is the complete opposite of that Alvein.

Cleon is a magic swordsman.

It is a job that can take on various roles with a hero, but it is different from a hero who uses a holy sword.

The warrior advances in harmony with everyone in the form of assisting and strengthening the surroundings.

However, the magic swordsman completes everything within himself.

It is impossible to restore others, and it is impossible to strengthen them.

In addition, even in the growth curve, the magic swordsman lags behind the hero.

The more the hero succeeds in the adventure, the more he grows based on the positive emotions such as achievement, joy, joy, and friendship.

The stronger the party, the steeper the growth curve.

However, magic swordsmen grow into negative emotions such as anger, sadness, hatred, and fear.

Ironically, the more enjoyable the adventure, the weaker the magic swordsman.

In addition, the magic sword absorbs the experience gained by the magic swordsman at will, and the level also falls behind.

That is now,

It was the reason why Cleon was treated as a lump of luggage at the party.

He was rejected for his unusual appearance of pale skin, black hair, and black eyes, and was chosen by the demonic sword.

He was intoxicated by the bonds he had made during his adventures with his friends over the past few years.

Of course, I knew that two women from the same party had feelings for Alvein, but

He didn’t care

‘Alvein’, a prospect chosen by the holy sword

A genius wizard from the academy, ‘Lyla’

The hero’s partner and a candidate for a saint, ‘Quon’

Just being able to go on an adventure with them was something Cleon was proud of.

“Cleon. What level are you now?”

“…It’s 9.”

Cleon hesitantly answered Alvein’s question.

And then Albain let out a big sigh and snorted.

“We’re 14 now. Can you tell the difference?”

Know.

If you think about the effort required to raise one level, the difference of 5 levels is about the difference between an adult and a child.

Because I know that, I keep it a secret from everyone, and I don’t lose effort to keep up with the level by hunting monsters by myself.

But something like that.

It meant nothing to them.

No, I don’t even want to know in the first place.

Even for Alban,

Even for Lyla and Quon.

Cleon was a ‘lump of baggage’.

“It’s already been 3 years since I’ve had a party with you. During that time, I watched it out of affection, but… It’s impossible now.”

Alban…

“Sorry, Cleon. We want to go a little further.”

Quon…

“In the first place, the job itself as a magic swordsman is a problem.”

Lila…

“You, you guys…”

“That’s it. Cleon.”

With those words, Alvein stood up from his seat.

Cleon couldn’t stand it and grabbed Alvein’s shoulder.

“You guys! It’s thanks to me that I survived today!”

As Cleon shouted, the eyes of the people around him focused on the party.

Alvein, as well as Quon and Lyla, all frowned.

“Even after all of you fainted, I managed to defeat the demons that Albain had brought! Of course, I used up all of your consumables! It was me who brought the three people back to the village!”

“Somehow. They could have been hiding and brought us back after the monsters disappeared. The monsters in the dungeon basically leave the fainted adventurers behind.”

Cleon, who lost his sense of humor at Albain’s words, clenched his molars tightly, and Lyla’s face turned pale.

“Wait, we used up our consumables? So, you mean we searched our bodies?”

“What?”

When Cleon reacted to Layla’s words, she shot Cleon with a more ferocious expression.

“That’s right! Put something like a potion on the belt on your thigh!”

“…Th-Come to think of it. My chest is also open…”

“Ku, kuon…?”

Quon, who seems shocked, clings to Alvein with tears in his eyes.

Cleon stiffened for a moment when he saw Quon, who had not directly blamed himself until now. The next action could not be taken.

“Hey, trash bastard!”

That’s why, after being hit by Alvein’s fist, I fell backwards.

If the level difference was 5, there were few people who could get hit by the hero’s punch and remain sane.

Cleon was shocked to the point of losing consciousness for a moment as the damage was added to mental and physical fatigue.

But I could stare straight into their faces.

The gaze that seems to be looking at something contemptible and hideous somewhere

It was similar to that of the past that had been buried.

001

3 years ago. Cleon, a fledgling adventurer, was one of the guild’s promising players who could solve requests by himself with the power of a magic sword.

At first, the guide of the guild, who was wary of him with his rare appearance his, gradually treated him kindly as Cleon continued to produce results.

The dark horse of the periphery. It’s very brief, but there was a time when it was called that.

“Cleon-san…?”

The ones who spoke to Cleon were the boy swordsman and the girl priest who had just finished registering for the guild and approached you.

About the same age as Cleon, they came from the countryside more than from the outskirts of the city.

Hearing the rumors of Cleon, he was asked to make a party with them.

Cleon, who always went alone, wondered if he could get along with them.

Soon after, he accepted the proposal of the two people who looked like people and started going on adventures together.

The adventures of the three people continued without failure after that.

Cleon learned the joy of living with people.

1 year later.

The boy was chosen by the holy sword and became a hero in the swordsmanship.

As he grew taller, he overtook Cleon.

In order to support such a boy, the girl prayed all night and consulted Cleon about her feelings.

Again one year later.

The boy has already outgrown Cleon.

The level was also overtaken.

There was no longer any need for counseling from the girl as before.

The academy’s chief wizard girl came to the party after hearing about the hero’s rumors.

It bothered her a little that she hadn’t memorized Cleon’s name properly for half a year, but it wasn’t anything special.

And one year later.

Cleon is alone again.

When I opened my eyes in the back alley of the adventurer’s guild in the rain, my face hurt.

The area hit by the boy-Albein swelled up and stung whenever it rained.

“Kuh, ugh…”

As I stumbled and grabbed the wall to stand up, the demonic sword hanging from my waist fell.

Magic Sword – Galatea.

Although this guy didn’t say anything to Cleon.

He was the only partner to his childhood self, who was hated by everyone.

And again, causality goes around and around.

Only Galatea was left to Cleon.

It was only that he had returned to the past, but now various emotions swirled inside him.

“Uh…Uhhhhh!”

To spit it all out.

Cleon howled.

It was rain that rode the ball down.

But it didn’t fall from the sky.

Even if I shouted at the gloomy gray sky, the dark clouds in my heart did not disappear.

I didn’t want this.

I didn’t get involved with people because I wanted this.

If it was going to be like this, I wish I had been alone from the beginning.

It’s all my fault-.

“No, no. Why is it your fault? Stupid Cleon.”

As if denying Cleon’s thoughts.

A woman’s voice was heard.

It’s like hearing it for the first time, but it’s a fascinating voice that I’ve heard somewhere before.

Looking back, ‘it’ was standing there.

Light brown skin.

Blue-green hair down to her waist.

A woman with an overbearing impression with raised eyebrows.

The color of her eyes is a violet that gives off a somewhat dangerous feeling.

Inside the pupil was engraved a black crest of a pentagram that seemed to prove that it was not human.

Naturally, Cleon’s gaze follows the direction of the rain and goes down his neck.

The water droplets that ran down her face hit her chest and exploded once.

The highly exposed clothing covering the chest, waist, and private parts was made of a black material that did not know if it was leather or rubber.

“──You…”

Who is cleon? The moment you ask,

The woman came closer and put her index finger to Cleon’s mouth.

“You know?”

“Galatea…”

It was strange and natural for him to realize that the woman in front of him was his demonic sword.

Because we are connected at the fundamental part of the soul.

“Galatea… Why…?”

“Should I say that it’s because your despair has reached its peak?”

Galatea pretended to be sad and wiped Cleon’s face with the palm of her hand.

The coldness he felt was telling her that she was not a human being.

However, Galatea’s mouth her was smiling.

It was like a seductive woman who seemed to be enjoying her master’s weakness of her.

“It’s not your fault that you became like this. It’s the fault of those people who didn’t know grace and fell into lust.”

Galatea whispered in Cleon’s ear her.

“Don’t be sad, Cleon. Be angry. Use despair as your driving force. You deserve it.”

Like, the devil’s whisper.

For Cleon, who has lived a life harmless to others, it was an impulse to release the lid of what he had suppressed until now.

“It makes you stronger. It makes me stronger… And eventually. It will give you the strength to get what you want.”

Gradually.

“If you want, Quondo and Layla too. No, even more attractive and stronger than those women——”

Gradually.

“Maybe. Everything in this world.”

When Galatea said that, Cleon was already at his limit her.

Little. Very little. Surely if someone pushes your back.

Cleon will be reborn here.

Galatea, so convinced, left Cleon.

“Previously.”

Galatea laughs and snaps her fingers.

Then, the back alley where it rained turned into a quarantine space full of dark magic due to her barrier her.

It is an inviolable small area where no interference from the outside to the inside is possible.

Cleon exhaled and inhaled deeply, seeking an outlet for the emotions bubbling within him.

“Should we take the first step? Master. To conquer and subdue this arrogant woman.”

Galatea fell backwards on a large waterbed made of magic and twisted her body.

Her body and hair her, which had been soaked in the rain, were already dry, and as a result, the color of her flushed skin her could be seen a little better.

“Liberate your desires.”

Cleon is corrupted here.