Alfred Westen.
A 17-year-old swordsman, or Saber, by profession.
Currently, he leads the renowned adventurer party representing the Rumirio Kingdom, The Holy Sword of Heroes, as its young captain.
The Holy Sword of Heroes is a group-based clan with a total of 30 members, and Alfred is widely expected to become the next hero.
Indeed, with his powerful unique skill, God's Acceleration (God Axel), and his natural charisma and leadership, he seemed to be the perfect candidate for such a role.
But all of that was only possible thanks to Rogue, the Enchanter.
Rogue's unique skill, Grant, allowed him to permanently enhance the abilities and equipment of the entire party. Not only that, but he could lend skill experience points to his allies, even enabling them to evolve their unique abilities.
However, once Rogue was expelled and their contract was broken, all of these benefits were stripped away, and the skill experience points he had shared were reclaimed by him.
Thus, a year after Rogue's exile, the party lost all the abilities and skill experience points he had granted, leading to their downfall.
Meanwhile, Rogue, having absorbed all those points, rapidly rose in strength, becoming the most powerful existence.
You might be wondering, why didn't Rogue explain all of this to Alfred and his party before empowering them?
If he had, surely, they would have valued him more, rather than bullying and eventually exiling him, right?
Yeah, I think the same.
When I entered the dining hall, most of the core members had already gathered and were seated.
However, only the senior members were allowed to dine with me, the leader.
As the leader of a large clan, The Holy Sword of Heroes, maintaining rank and social decorum was necessary.
I could understand that having been a corporate slave in my past life.
"You're late, Alf. We almost started without you," boomed a voice.
The one who greeted me first was a massive man clad in heavy, menacing armor.
This was Gaizen Simon, the sub-leader of the party. A 24-year-old tank, specializing in defense.
He always wore a demon-faced helmet, never revealing his true face. If I recall correctly, he's married and has a wife and young daughter back in his hometown.
"Good morning, Alf," a soft voice chimed in.
The speaker was a small, childlike girl.
Pearl Fillisin, age 10.
She's a sorcerer, typically wearing a wide-brimmed, pointed hat and a cloak, looking every bit the witch.
With short chestnut hair and big green eyes, she was a beautiful young girl. According to her backstory, she's a war orphan. Alfred found her when she was 8, and ever since, she's adored him like an older brother.
"Good morning, Alfred," came another voice, much more reserved.
This was Shannon Flem, 15 years old.
A talented young priest, admired by everyone around her. She's dressed in flowing, pure white robes.
Her long, light blue hair and stunning azure eyes complemented her snow-white skin. She was not only beautiful but had an incredible figure to boot.
Shannon also happens to be Rogue's childhood friend, but in the original story, she's destined to be stolen away by Alfred.
Right.
The three senior members here are the ones who will meet their tragic end with Alfred after Rogue's expulsion. They're the ones who will get their comeuppance, their "Zama" moment.
And yes, they look just like they did in the manga adaptation.
"Good morning, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting," I said, taking my seat.
They all looked at me strangely.
"What's up, Alf? Usually, you'd brush us off with an 'Oh, shut up!' or something," Gaizen asked, curious.
By the way, his helmet had a clever mechanism that allowed him to open just the mouth section, so he could eat without taking the whole thing off.
"...It's nothing. Let's eat," I said, hoping to avoid suspicion.
"Before that, Alfred," Shannon interrupted coldly, "shouldn't we offer a prayer to God?"
Shannon was always cold towards Alfred. Before she was taken by him, she often neglected and mistreated Rogue, which was why she harbored some dissatisfaction toward Alfred.
That icy attitude of hers only added to Alfred's desire to take her away.
"Of course, Shannon. Let's all pray together," I replied.
"Really, Alf? Normally, you'd laugh it off and say, 'There's no such thing as God!' Hahaha!" Pearl chimed in, surprised.
Ugh, Alfred really is the worst.
I forced a smile in Pearl's direction.
"For a priest, faith is a source of magic power. We can't rely on Rogue's enchantments forever, can we?"
"What do you mean by that?" Shannon's sharp eyes narrowed. "Are you saying Rogue is no longer necessary..."
"No! That's not what I meant, Shannon! Please, let's not jump to conclusions. Let's eat first!"
Flustered, I quickly tried to smooth things over. Shannon muttered, "Very well, then..." and began her prayer, folding her hands. The rest of us followed suit.
Close call. I almost triggered my own expulsion flag right there.
Just changing my tone, a little made them suspicious. Alfred must have been a real piece of work before I got here.
As soon as we finished eating, Gaizen spoke up.
"So, are you really bringing Rogue on the quest three days from now?"
"Huh? Three days... Oh yeah, the one about the Demon Lord's lieutenant hiding in the ancient ruins, right?"
I searched Alfred's memory for the details.
In this world, the Demon Lord has been terrorizing humanity for centuries. Countless adventurers have risen as heroes to challenge him, but all have been defeated so far.
The Holy Sword of Heroes has been commissioned by the Adventurer's Guild to undertake this mission. If we succeed, we'll receive a hefty reward and be promoted to the highest rank, Platinum Class. I'll even be granted the title of hero.
Honestly, I couldn't care less.
I mean, even if I become a hero, I'll fall from grace soon after, anyway.
But I can't turn it down.
So, I'd better respond the way Alfred would.
"Rogue may be useful as a lackey. Besides, his enchantments are still better than nothing."
"That's right. If he's useful, use him. That's the way you roll," Gaizen said with a nod.
"Alf, that's totally fair," Pearl added.
"You're treating Rogue like an object again," Shannon muttered. "I almost reconsidered my opinion of you earlier, but no-you're still the same Alfred."
While Gaizen and Pearl agreed, Shannon remained visibly displeased.
Hmph, should I try to win her favor, or should I just let things play out?
To break the affair, she has with Alfred in the original story, maybe I should keep playing the villain.
As I finished my meal, I glanced toward the other dining area.
That was where the lower-ranked members ate.
The atmosphere there wasn't formal, more like a rowdy student dorm.
"Oi, Rogue! This is our spot! Get lost, you filthy mongrel!"
"You're worthless, nobody! How dare you show your face here?!"
"Disgusting beggar, you have no right to be here. Why don't you drink Alfred's bathwater while you're at it, you joke?"
Wow.
It looks like Rogue's already being bullied by the others.