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Beast Tamer Who Got Kicked Out From the Hero’s Party Chapter 46 Part 2

CHAPTER 46: FOOTSTEPS OF COLLAPSE PART 2

「Mina. Can you call the next one up?」

「Well, that was actually the last candidate.」

Mina, who was conducting the interview alongside Arios, said so awkwardly.

「You mean, there is no one else? We have gone through all candidates without finding at least one suitable person……?」

「Um, if I may be so bold…… Isn’t that only because your selection criteria are so tough, Arios-sama?」

Mina said, unable to look Arios straight in the eyes.

At first, she agreed with Arios.

But when he flunked all of the dozens of applicants just like that, as expected, there was no way that Mina would not want to say a word or two in order to comment on that.

「…… Mina, do you think that my decision was wrong?　Is that what you’re trying to say?」

「No, no. Of course not. It’s not like that. It’s just……」

Mina then froze up in place. The way in which Arios was staring at her was like that of a snake looking down on a fat and delicious frog.

She could clearly sense that Arios was boiling with anger right now.

Before, this wouldn’t have been the case at all.

Mina was confused as to why that was.

And she hadn’t even realized it herself.

That before, Rein had been acting as a lightning rod, catching Arios’ unreasonable anger most of the time.

Now that Rein was not around, to whom would Arios’ anger fall instead?

Who was going to take it instead of Rein?

「I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I spoke out of line. I think that you made the right decision, Arios-sama.」

Fearing that she would be the next one to whom Arios would direct his unreasonable anger, Mina chose to flee.

She blindly followed Arios’s every word and action as if he was always right.

She would direct at him formal, empty words, with little to no substance behind them.

And so, what this created was… … Absolutely nothing.

Mina might have looked fine on the outside, but she was all empty and void on the inside.

What little Party ties there might have been between, those were slowly starting to disappear.

Of course, both Mina and Arios were completely oblivious to that fact.

「Oh well, I guess it cannot really be helped. We are going to stay in this city for a while longer, I guess. Who knows? Maybe Aggath and Rin, who are acting separately for now, will be able to find someone suitable for our needs.」

「However, this will only delay our journey even further. Not to mention the already long delay……」

「We have been through a lot lately. We need to rest our bodies once in a while, or else we wouldn’t last. Don’t you think so, too?」

「Well, umm…… I’m sorry. I have spoken out of line once again. You’ve been really looking out for us all this time, haven’t you, Arios-sama?」

「Of course. After all, we are on the same side, aren’t we?　It’s only natural to care about your fellow Party members.」

There is nothing more empty than words that are not accompanied by substance behind them.

Was he perhaps aware of that fact? Or was he perhaps completely oblivious to it?

Arios smiled as if he was concerned for his companions’ well-being.

「Mina should also take some time off, you know? You must be tired from having to conduct all those interviews.」

「Well, I mean…… Yes, you are right. I think I will do just that.」

「Yes, no problem. Take as much rest as you want. Take your time.」

「What about you, Arios-sama?」

「Me? Oh, I have some things that I would like to take care of while I still have the chance to do it.」

「Just please make sure that you are not pushing yourself too hard. You are the Hero, Arios-sama, and if you happen to collapse due to overworking yourself. the fate of the entire world might be at risk. And I mean it quite literally, not figuratively.」

Even though Mina avoided looking at Arios directly, there was at least some trace of concern in her voice just now.

But she was not concerned about Arios personally, but about the existence of the ‘Hero’ in general.

In a way, she didn’t care about Arios in the slightest.

It’s as if she was worried about the institution that this individual represented, but she didn’t concern herself with the individual in the slightest.

So in a sense, that exchange of words just now was entirely void of meaning.

Had Rein been here, he might have raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

「Yes, thank you. I promise that I am going to be more careful about my health.」

Was he aware of the meaning behind Mina’s words, or did he dare to pretend he didn’t notice them at all?

Arios responded normally and looked away from Mina as she left the room.

「……………」’

Once he was alone, Arios took out his tool bag.

From the inside of it, he picked up a ring with a malevolently colored gemstone framed in it.

It was an item that he managed to obtain through a certain underground channel when he ventured into town on his own.

Its price was an astonishing fifty gold coins.

From the point of view of the average person, it was an astronomical number.

The gold Arios had in his possession was entrusted to him by the state.

In other words, it was something that was collected as a tax on the people of this land.

But still, Arios bought this ring without hesitation.

Not with his own money, but rather the money entrusted to him by the state?

A tax on the people?

None of that really mattered to him.

It was a necessity.

It was essential for a certain purpose.

That’s why he bought it.

There was no such thing as a waste of money for a purpose as grand as the one that he had in his mind.

Rather, he wanted the people to be happy that they were able to be useful to a great Hero such as him.

Arios was seriously thinking about such things in his mind.

「……..If I use this thing…….」

That ring was not just an ornament.

It was a Magic Item, and it had a certain effect inscribed on it.

And there was something more.

If its wearer was caught up in an influx of negative emotions, it could lead to a terribly horrible and dangerous situation to befall them.

In a sense, this ring itself was like a natural enemy of all of humanity as a collective whole.

Using it would be like an act that could put innocent people in danger.

Arios was of course aware of all of this.

Using it was completely unbecoming for a Hero…… No, using it was something unbecoming for a human being in general, but that didn’t really matter to him.
　
At the current moment he was willing to do whatever it takes just so that he could simply achieve his own goals.

「Even though I would like to use it right away…… But now, I cannot do that. I cannot be the one to use it myself. It would ruin my entire reputation. And getting that back would be way too much of a drag. So, do I force Aggath to use it, instead? The last time, even if it was meant to be a joke, he suggested taking Rein in back to the Party……」

Aggath was supposed to be one of his companions, but he said something so unnecessary and without Arios’s permission at that.

This was a manifestation of Arios’ current state of mind.

Aggath and the others might at least still think of themselves as members of the Hero’s Party, bonded by the common goal.

But as for Arios…….

「…… No, let’s not do that. It will still be a mess when it turns out that some of my people were involved in something like this. My reputation will be tarnished either way.」

Arios gave a dark and gloomy look at the ring that he was rolling in his hands.

「Now then, I wonder if there is some good and disposable tool around here somewhere? Someone who I could conveniently use in order to make Rein disappear for good……?」