Chapter 95

It was past noon, and it was decided that they would have lunch...

"Leisha! It's lunchtime!"

"Y-Yes!"

The armor and the other companions designated Leisha to serve the lunch. They acted so superior, as if it were a matter of course. The Shield translated for me, but I didn't like the way it was phrased.

"Can't you serve it yourself?"

"What are you talking about? Leisha is the newest among us, and serving is her job."

"Huh...!?"

I was speechless.

What? The newest?

Huh?

If the hero hiring companions sounds like a company, isn't something wrong here?

Leisha served lunch to the companions. However, she carefully examined the food and recited their names in order before distributing it. As for me, I brought my own, so it was fine, but the companions' meals became less substantial as Leisha served them.

The first was the flashy armor, with a bone-in meat and a large meat sandwich.

The second was the warrior, with a sandwich and grilled fish.

The third was...

And so on.

Leisha started eating the fruit from the remaining bag.

What is this? Aren't we supposed to eat the same thing?

This is...

"Is there some kind of hierarchy?"

My question was met with a nod from the companions, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Our status is determined by how much we are trusted by Itsuki-sama and how much we contribute. Isn't that right? I will take my time to tell you about Itsuki-sama's wonderful qualities, Shield Hero."

"No, I don't want to hear it!"

"Don't say that. First, let me tell you about how we met Itsuki-sama and how we awakened to justice—"

From then on, the armor and the companions continued to praise the great deeds of Itsuki. The content was not worth remembering. Most of it was about how they went around defeating those who did evil deeds in secret. It seemed that these guys came to believe that Itsuki was the hero who would save the world.

Is this some kind of religion?

It's practically the Itsuki Sect now.

And... this is my analysis.

Since Itsuki always defeats the bad guys, they delude themselves into thinking they are the good guys.

Eventually, they start to think that anyone who opposes them is evil, leading to a tyrannical attitude.

I'm sure... there's a name for this kind of mental state.

A mental illness named after a foreign police officer in a movie who was inspired to fight evil.

A disease that police officers often suffer from.

I can't remember the name, but it was derived from the title of the movie...

They start saying that criminals don't deserve to live and try to make them pay with their lives, even for minor crimes.

They kill people for resisting.

The actual police officer in the movie didn't do such things, but the image took precedence.

It felt similar to this.

"I'm tired..."

The companions continued to talk about Itsuki's great deeds even after we returned to the inn after the hunt.

We didn't level up much...

Despite being able to coordinate, their attacks were often half-hearted due to the hierarchy.

It's a bad trend.

Even in the bath, they kept boasting about Itsuki, and I was getting fed up.

"Phew..."

I explored outside lightly after the bath.

Actually... if I stay in the room, they keep trying to recruit me into the Itsuki Sect.

I decided to hide until they calm down, taking a walk to cool off.

As I was thinking this, I heard footsteps and turned to see where they were coming from.

There, Leisha was coming back from the island's grocery store with something in hand.

"Ah, Shield Hero-sama."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Well, I was asked to go shopping."

"I see..."

Is it because she's at the bottom of the hierarchy?

She endures such a bullying-like environment well.

She's treated like a lackey. She was almost left out during the introductions.

It seems to be a typical clique with Itsuki at the top. There's always one person like this.

I've been through a lot of unpleasant experiences, so I can understand and am interested.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"Why are you in such a party?"

It must be uncomfortable, being with a group that will do anything to enforce their justice. I'm not telling you to join my party, but I think it would be better if you went to Genkou or Ren.

"It can't be helped... I just joined."

"No, why can't you leave even though you're treated like that?"

"Well... it's because Itsuki-sama saved me."

"Is that so?"

"Yes..."

Leisha began to explain how she joined Itsuki's party.

In short, Leisha is the daughter of a fallen noble family.

Her family had no money and lived a meager life.

The neighboring territory was ruled by a corrupt noble who interfered with the land her parents managed.

The money ran out quickly, and the villagers couldn't complain about the corruption and had to endure it.

Then, the corrupt noble proposed to take Leisha as a hostage in exchange for financial support and forcibly took her away.

It's the kind of situation that Itsuki would jump into.

After that, as expected, Itsuki and his companions rushed to the scene, used the hero's authority to punish the corrupt noble, and saved Leisha.

Feeling a strong sense of gratitude, Leisha joined Itsuki's companions, leaving her family behind.

It's a typical love story.

"I... want to repay this kindness."

To me, the charity work Itsuki does seems pointless, but to Leisha, it must be the hero's great deed.

I could hear the gratitude in Leisha's voice as she spoke.

It wasn't as annoying to listen to as the armor's boasting.

"I see... That's tough."

"Yes, but it's not going well."

"From what I can see, you seem more suited to a support role."

She was told to move to the front when she was casting spells in the back, and when she moved to the front, she was told to move back.

Honestly, the companions are bad. If someone can use swords, magic, and healing, there should be a way to do it.

This is due to the large number of party members and their lack of understanding.

"I've never been very talented, and I'm clumsy... I'm better at magic, but Itsuki-sama said it would be better if I could handle the front, so I upgraded my close combat abilities."

"..."

She eliminated her strengths and tried to make up for her weaknesses. That's why she ended up in such a half-hearted position.

While it's true that having more front-line fighters is better for Itsuki's strategy, it's meaningless if it makes the battles harder.

"Well, keep trying. Instead of being clumsy, aim to be versatile."

"Yes!"

She seems weak, but her heart is strong, so she'll be fine.

I've been at the bottom before, but I found my own way and am here now.

I think Leisha can be useful to Itsuki if she keeps trying.

"Sorry, I made you talk for so long. I'll go with you so you don't get in trouble."

"Thank you."

That night, the armor and the others tried to scold Leisha, so I stopped them and the situation calmed down.

The next day was a headache.

Other adventurers were causing trouble. The companions, who had heard rumors about a fraudulent merchant's past misdeeds, started to cause a commotion.

I explained as much as possible that I had already dealt with the fraudulent merchant and that he had changed his ways, so things were somewhat under control.

They didn't believe me, but Shadow backed me up, so it was fine.

He explained that he had started a new business, and it was hard to call him evil, so they accepted it.

"Really..."

The hunt was just enough to defeat the Karmarabbit Familia in the deeper part of the island.

They weren't very strong, but they weren't weak either.

Since I was holding them back, it wasn't hard to defeat them, but the companions' attacks were below expectations.

They were used to a defense and evasion-focused strategy centered around Itsuki's attacks, so their offensive capabilities were lacking.

With Raphatalia and Filo, it would have taken only a few minutes.

The Karmarabbit Familia Shield condition has been unlocked.

Karmarabbit Familia Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, detection range (small)

Eventually, the armor left the party, seemingly annoyed by my constant reminders.

I couldn't say anything because Raphatalia and Filo were doing the same, but he was a troublesome guy until the end.

After the armor left, the warrior's attitude changed, and he started acting superior. When I reminded him, he also left.

In the end, only Leisha was left.

Naturally, Leisha's workload increased, but we finished the hunt without any major issues and boarded the ship back to the main island.

It's not that I care, but the armor and the others, who had boycotted the group, were on the same ship.

I don't know if they were afraid of being scolded by Itsuki, but they stayed at the inn.

It's too much trouble to remind them. I'll just look at the sea and rest.

It was the worst two days.

I didn't get much information about Itsuki, and I couldn't verify anything.

But finally, the troublesome personnel changes are over...

As I gazed at the sea, I remembered this morning.

By the way... Leisha gave me a mineral this morning.

As a thank you for listening to her last night.

At the time, I thought she was a well-mannered child, even though her family had fallen, and I took it without showing any reaction, but now I think her behavior was a bit odd.

"It's a mineral that Itsuki-sama often buys. I don't know what it's used for, but I hope it will be useful."

That's what she said.

At first, I thought it was a mineral for unlocking weapons, but since she said he buys it often, it must be something he uses frequently.

When I get back, there will be a meeting.

I'll ask Genkou and Ren about it then.

By the way, the name of the mental condition is Dirty Harry Syndrome.

I'm not mentioning the movie title.