Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 42
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“My ear feels weirdly itchy.”
As I ate, I felt an intense itch and rubbed my ear canal with my palm for no reason.
“They’re probably talking about you, all those people gathered out there.”
Kyle said nonchalantly, pointing to the crowd gathered outside the inn.
When I turned my head to follow his gaze, the chattering people suddenly went silent.
“It seems you’re not used to being the center of attention, Lysian.”
Kyle stated the obvious. Most people weren’t used to being watched by others. I had no intention of getting used to it, either.
“They’re just here to see the famous hero’s party, so don’t worry about it.”
Elonen soothed me with a gentle smile.
“If anything, this is a good reaction. Sometimes people glare at us like they want to kill us, or even outright refuse to let us enter the village at all.”
Gerard clicked his tongue.
“Why would they refuse to let you in?”
“They say we’re unlucky, or that since we fight monsters, we’re cursed, that we attract monsters, that we’re scammers… there are all sorts of things people say.”
I remembered reading something similar in the original story. People naturally tended to reject unknown and mysterious beings.
No matter how famous the hero’s party was, until people saw their feats with their own eyes, it made sense they’d have a hard time believing.
“Everyone, eat before it gets cold. It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper meal.”
Though calling it a proper meal was generous. The inn’s food was nothing to write home about.
A sticky red soup, origins unknown, a lump of bread so hard it might have been baked days ago, and something made of potatoes that was so overcooked it tasted burnt.
“Elonen’s cooking tastes better.”
Kakaros said honestly, setting his spoon down. Thanks to him, I could put my spoon down too.
“Kakaros, how much farther until we reach the north?”
“We still have about three days to go.”
In response to Elonen’s question, Kakaros answered. He always seemed to be able to find his way easily, even on roads he’d never traveled before, without looking at a map. It was impressive.
“Hey, take out the map.”
Gerard said with his arms crossed and a sullen tone, which almost made me snap. He really did seem to think I was his personal attendant.
I held back, telling myself it was just the hazing any last-joined member had to endure. I dug into my bag and took out the map.
“We’re right here.”
Kakaros said, placing his finger on the map.
“The Caindel Barony. For all the rush, we haven’t come that far.”
Elonen said.
“Then we shouldn’t stay here tonight. Let’s just keep going. If we need to, we can rent horses or a carriage.”
While everyone was looking at the map and planning our route, I heard some men in the back, already drinking heavily even though it was midday, start shouting loudly.
“They let the Black Flame Dragon get away? All that talk about being the hero’s party… I knew this would happen.”
His voice was so loud, I couldn’t help but hear it clearly, even though I didn’t want to.
“Right? If they were just going to let it escape, they should’ve stayed put. I’m sure His Highness the Crown Prince would’ve taken care of it on his own.”
“All they ever do is get in the Crown Prince’s way. Hero’s party, my foot—they’re just a bunch of useless fools who only know how to run around in a pack.”
At this point, they might as well have just said it to our faces. I almost wondered why they were bothering to whisper behind our backs.
Under the table, I saw Kyle’s fist trembling. His expression was blank, but it was clear something was bothering him.
Kyle couldn’t step forward in situations like this. As the party leader, he couldn’t afford to do anything that would tarnish their name.
But I was different. I didn’t feel much sense of belonging to this party, and I had no honor to protect anyway.
So I suddenly stood up and spoke to the men.
“Hey, are you saying that so we can hear you?”
“Lysian, don’t. Just ignore them.”
Clearly surprised I’d react that way, Kyle grabbed my wrist and tried to smile it off.
Honestly, I didn’t really care if people badmouthed Kyle. But now that I was a member of the party, I didn’t want to just let it go.
“If the Crown Prince’s subjugation force had found the Black Flame Dragon first, they would’ve been completely eviscerated.”
Even Elonen, who was always smiling, muttered a small protest, apparently frustrated. Clearly, the others wanted to object too, but they were holding back for Kyle’s sake.
I shook off Kyle’s hand and walked over to the men’s table. Then I slammed my palm down with a loud bang!
The once-noisy inn instantly fell silent at the commotion.
“If you’ve got a problem, say it to our faces. Don’t talk behind our backs.”
The men who had been speaking so loudly were suddenly at a loss for words, too startled to say anything. One of them was so shocked he even hiccuped.
“S-Sorry…!”
Without another word, the men quickly got up, tossed down some money, and practically ran out of the inn.
It was the first time my scary face had come in handy, and I felt secretly triumphant.
“Wow, Lysian. That was really charismatic just now.”
Elonen said, clasping his hands together as I returned to our table.
I was starting to feel proud from Elonen’s praise, but Gerard’s scolding made me wilt again.
“Charismatic? We’re already attracting enough attention. Why stir up more trouble like that?”
Still, it wasn’t like I’d hit anyone. I felt a little wronged, thinking nothing bad would really come of it.
“Everyone, freeze!”
