Jack of All Trades, Party of None

After the three who had wiped out the dragon herd left, another trio stood in that place.

Among them was the girl in red, Lueria Inglot—nicknamed Ruera—skillfully swinging her longsword, slicing apart the massive boulders before her.

The cut boulders crumbled with a sound, stirring up dust clouds around them.

“That trio was insanely strong, huh? If I had faced them, I’d have died instantly. Thanks for your help, Ms. Philly,”

Frederick Inglot—Fred for short—a red-clad boy who looked just like Lueria, spoke to Philly Carpenter, the last person present, in a drawn-out tone as he watched Lueria clearing the boulders.

“No need to thank me. This situation happened to have benefits for me as well,” Philly replied.

As Frederick and Philly chatted,

“Wow, that was a big help, Ruera... And this scene is incredible. In a way, it’s almost surreal.”

From within the dust appeared a man in tattered clothes, unscathed—Oswell MacLeod.

Oswell looked around at the many craters and frozen ground left as scars from the battle between Orun and the dragon herd, letting out a voice filled with admiration.

Lueria approached Oswell and handed him a new red garment.

“Thank you. So, have those three gone somewhere?”

Oswell asked Lueria as he draped the red cloak over himself.

“Yes. Thanks to Philly, none of the three will be coming back here, Doctor.”

Hearing Lueria call him “Doctor,” Oswell turned toward Philly with a surprised expression.

Catching sight of Philly, Oswell opened his mouth.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the guide. Sorry for the trouble...”

Orun and the others had forgotten Oswell’s presence after finishing their battle with the dragon herd...

That was due to Philly’s supernatural ability, cognitive alteration.

While Orun and the others were exterminating the dragon herd, Philly had been using her ability to gradually divert their thoughts away from Oswell.

As a result, Orun and the others left Oswell behind and each moved on to their next destination.

Understanding this instantly, Oswell apologized to Philly.

“No worries. This was just a valuable rehearsal, after all. Helping you was just a side benefit.”

“You always have to talk back like that. I think it’s a waste of character.”

“…You’re annoying.”

“Anyway, leaving that aside, I already knew from six months ago—killing Orun Dura, the king of supernatural abilities, physically is nearly impossible. Shouldn’t we have killed him then?”

“It was that person’s decision to keep him alive. Do you intend to deny their will?”

“I don’t care what happens to Belia. I’m just lending my strength for my own goals.”

Philly frowned at Oswell’s casual attitude.

“Hah... You haven’t changed at all.”

“Well, whatever. But seriously, what are we going to do? He’s basically a cult obstacle now.”

“…Even if he can’t be killed physically, there are things that can destroy him. And you must have some ideas yourself, right?”

“Oh, you can tell? Actually, I do. Since physically killing him is nearly impossible, it means it’s not impossible. Challenging the impossible really fires me up. Yeah, yeah.”

“I don’t understand that feeling at all, but I want to hear about that plan later. For now, let’s go back. It’s not impossible they might return for some reason, and we also need to correct the small errors this time caused.”

“That’s true. Ruera and Fred will go back too. Please escort us.”

“Got it~”

Frederick, who had been silently listening to Philly and Oswell’s conversation, responded in his usual drawn-out voice when addressed.

“Understood. —Hey, Doctor.”

Lueria also gave a similar reply and then spoke to Oswell.

“Yes?”

“Well, what if, just what if, Caroline, who was supposed to be disposed of, is still alive? What would you do then?”

“…Hmm, I suppose I wouldn’t do anything. She’s useless now.”

“…I see.”

Lueria spoke softly in a quiet voice, trying to maintain a blank expression after hearing Oswell’s answer.