3 bar menu

153 Pride

「I can’t trust you. Have you already forgotten what you did to us?」

「Even if you haven’t forgotten, I’m still telling you to do it.」

「Ah, so we’re going with the ‘Invincible Logic’ now.」

「Trust or not, it’s impossible. Sure, you could probably recover most of your strength from your S-rank party days. But Altora, a Dungeon Break isn’t something you can handle with just that. You know that much, don’t you?」

「Maybe I do… but still!」

「And on top of that, you don’t even have Tina to heal your wounds anymore. What are you planning to do, running out to the front lines like this?」

What Angelina and I were saying was objectively correct. Even if Altora’s group in their prime were here, it’d be questionable whether they could turn the tide. With all the holes in their lineup now, it was even more unlikely.

Altora almost fell silent—then forced out his words.

「I just can’t give up!」

「Can’t give up? On what?」

「…The bar. Fancy Mina. If we do it your way, even if I make it out alive, the bar’s gone.」

He stared at his trembling hands. Not the hands that had once gripped a sword and swung it until they were blistered during his adventuring days, but hands now rough from dishwashing and carefully maintained for customer service.

Gordon and Eria looked at their own hands, too.

「My whole life came from [Sword Saint]. Ever since that Unique Skill awakened, money, status, and fame all came rolling in. And it felt natural. So when I lost the skill, I lost everything.」

But then, he clenched his fists.

「That bar’s different! I didn’t get it from a skill, or luck, or praying to some god—I worked for it! I wracked my brain, moved my hands, ran myself ragged until my legs gave out, and I earned that place! At first, I thought it was a dump. But when it came time to abandon it and run, I couldn’t move. That place—just that place—I refuse to give up on it!! So Marge, give me back [Sword Saint]—no, wait, no!」

Altora dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor.

「Lend it to me! I swear I’ll give it back! Please, I’m begging you!」

Gordon and Eria followed his lead.

「W-We feel the same! Let us protect the bar!」

「Please, just give us a chance…」

I’d known Altora since we were rookie adventurers. But even so, I had never seen him bow his head to anyone like this.

「Please, Marge. I’m begging you…!」

「Got it. I’ll leave defending the city from monsters and the knights to you three.」

「Shit, so it’s a no after all, huh—…wait, what? You’ll leave it to us?」

「I’ll lend you [Sword Saint], and the support skills like [Hawk’s Eye] and [Slash Enhancement], the whole set. Just hold off the monsters heading to Fathie until I’ve cleared the dungeon. Same goes for you two, Gordon, Eria.」

In battle, there’s something just as important—sometimes even more so—than raw strength.

It’s morale. The will to fight, the reason to fight. It directly impacts the outcome of battles—be it for a single warrior or an entire army. That’s not some pie-in-the-sky spiritualism; it’s sound military strategy.

And as for Altora’s morale?

He could’ve taken Remonde’s bait and killed me. He didn’t. Even after losing everything, wandering in disgrace, he still wouldn’t rely on someone else’s hand to get revenge on me.

That same Altora was now ready to throw away his pride to protect that bar. He’d bow to the ground if it meant getting the strength to fight. I’d be the irrational one if I didn’t believe that resolve.

Although, the one most shocked by the offer was probably Altora himself.

「Wh-Why? Why are you giving me—」

「There’s no time. Don’t waste it with pointless questions. Or are you saying you can’t even stall them? Pretty bold talk from someone who claims he’d never lose to me.」

「…Of course I can! You ever see me lose even once when I was at full power!?」

「Even if I overlook everything after you kicked me out, you guys did take a few losses early on when we first formed Divine Silver Sword.」

「Tch, people who’ve been around from the beginning are always the worst. Fine, watch me—I’ll make you reevaluate everything! Got that, Gordon, Eria!?」

As the fired-up members of Divine Silver Sword burst into action, Angelina looked on with a disgruntled expression.

「Skill Lender-san, are you really okay with this?」

「Yeah. You’re against it?」

「From a tactical standpoint, yes. Even with the skills, they’re just a washed-up adventurer party with dulled instincts. And it’s a huge blow to our side to lose part of your skills.」

「Tactically, you’re probably right.」

「Exactly. Tactically. …But if Gelli’s allowed to speak from the heart…」

Angelina trailed off, then walked over to Eria. Her face as emotionless as ever—but slightly flushed. Then she hugged the former mage.

「Eria-chan, once this is over, let’s go eat again.」

「Suggestion. Come to our shop next time. The meat dishes are phenomenal. You’ll love them.」

「Gelli’ll win and make sure we do. It’s a promise.」

「Then you’ll be welcomed. Promises must be kept.」

If I wanted to make sure Angelina and Eria could keep that promise, we had to win.

I had Koe-san bring out the city maps and pointed to a specific spot.

「Listen up, Altora. The monsters will surge down from the mountains. Based on the terrain, most of them will flood out from this trailhead.」

「Same path we used when coming to Fathie. And they’ll probably head straight for the east side of the city from there.」

「Exactly. Your job is to hold that trail. If you can stop them there, the city damage will be minimal. As for the Narshe army and the knights planning to torch the city, Angelina’s golems will—」

「No, we’ll handle them, too.」

「Don’t be reckless. Even stalling the monsters might be too much.」

「I said we, didn’t I?」

Altora pointed out the window—toward the backstreets.

「The people in the slums don’t have anywhere else to go. That’s why they’ll protect their city. They’ve done it before, and they’ll do it again.」

「…Can you really rely on them?」

「Yeah. We don’t need any high-and-mighty help from some alchemist lord. Take her to the dungeon instead.」

Rely on no one but yourself. That’s just how it is—according to this man, now a dweller of the backstreets.