"Alfred, this is the power of my unique skill, 'Grant Ability!"
"Oh! Not only can you permanently enhance physical abilities, but you can also upgrade equipment and weapons! And on top of that, my unique skill, 'Accelerate,' evolved? Rogue, you're amazing!"
"Yes! Let's make our group, The Holy Swords of Heroes, stronger with this skill!"
"Absolutely! We'll power up every member and create the strongest party ever! I'm counting on you, Rogue!"
That was a conversation from five years ago.
Rogue and Alfred had this exchange back then.
Even now, Rogue is diligently boosting every member who joins the party.
And he's been doing it all without anyone's permission.
Seriously, why does he keep doing this without telling anyone? That's just too much.
Because of this, everyone mistakenly believes their strength is due to their own efforts. They start thinking, "Wait, have I gotten stronger somehow?" They don't even realize Rogue's the reason behind it all and treat him like a useless errand boy.
So yeah, Rogue's at fault too. It's not like anyone told him to keep it a secret.
From what I gathered after reading the original story, I even suspect he's doing it on purpose.
But Alfred-who completely forgot about Rogue until he kicked him out is the real idiot here.
And yeah, Alfred is me... I hate this.
"From now on, I want to grow stronger on my own, without relying on anyone else. That's why I'm training," I explain to Kanade, a fencer in our group.
To be honest, I don't trust this sloppy, alternate-world scenario written by Tanaka Daichi one bit.
Even if I avoid Rogue's expulsion, I feel like there's some trap waiting for me.
That's why I've spent the past year smashing through any potential death flags while preparing myself for whatever might happen.
Step one: get stronger without relying on Rogue's abilities.
I used to have a unique skill called 'Accelerate,' which let me move two to three times faster than normal. But now it's evolved into 'Godspeed,' a much stronger version.
With this new skill, I can move faster than the speed of sound for about 10 seconds.
However, there's a catch-it only works within a 30-meter radius. If I try to move or attack beyond that, the skill forcibly ends, and I need a 60-second cooldown before I can use it again.
As I interpret it, it's more of a spatial ability that turns the 30-meter radius into a slow-motion zone rather than just a speed-boost skill.
In any case...
If I fail to prevent Rogue's expulsion, all of my stats and experience points tied to skills will be stripped away, rendering me powerless.
So, I have to prepare for that possibility by training on my own.
"I see. I'm impressed by your resolve. But all that fooling around before was that just to deceive the enemy?" Kanade asked, smiling knowingly.
"Well, yeah, something like that..."
I'm not exactly lying, but it's not entirely true either. Somehow, I feel conflicted about this.
Alfred really is a fool, and I'm just trying to avoid repeating his mistakes.
"Then, Captain Alfred, shall we spar? It will help us both improve."
"Yeah, Kanade. Don't hold back."
And so, I began my sword training with the one person I truly admire.
Honestly, it's so much fun... I'm even starting to think about leaving the party and teaming up with her instead.
After training, I head to the library.
Despite the poorly thought-out world setting, I need to gather knowledge about this world.
The original Alfred did absolutely nothing.
If he's aiming to be a hero, he should at least know some self-enhancement spells.
The one managing the library is Pearl, one of the party's leaders. Even though she's only 10 years old, she's a talented sorceress known as the 'Prodigy Witch.'
As expected, Pearl was there.
Standing next to her was Gaizen, a tank who has no relation to magic, for some reason.
"Alf, it's rare to see you here." Pearl greets me with a bright smile, her face lighting up like a puppy happy to see its owner.
"And Gaizen, what brings you here? You're a tank, not a mage."
"Ah, me? I'm just helping Pearl out she needed someone to reach the books on the higher shelves."
Gaizen has always been fond of Pearl. He often says she reminds him of the young daughter he left behind in his home village.
But in the original story, Gaizen's fate was tragic. After he fell from grace, his wife cheated on him with a younger postman, took their daughter, and disappeared.
This memory always makes me tear up. From a reader's perspective, it's a'serves him right' situation. But now, seeing it through the eyes of a fellow comrade, it just makes me sad.
"Alf, are you crying?" Gaizen asks, noticing my red eyes.
"No, it's nothing. I just want to learn some self-enhancement magic."
"Enhancement? Why not just leave that to Rogue? Come to think of it, I've never actually seen that guy use any magic, even though he's supposed to be an enchanter."
"Rogue may be useless to you, but not to me."
To these two, Rogue is just my lackey.
In reality, Rogue's been using his 'Grant Ability' skill during every battle to boost our stats and abilities, but his contribution is so subtle no one notices. They just treat him like a glorified errand boy, tasked with carrying gear and scouting.
Well, that's probably Torimaki's sloppy writing.
"That's not really the point (even though it kinda is)... Also, Rogue isn't as useless as you think."
Honestly, I should be the one spilling the beans, but at this point, no one would believe me.
That's why I'm planning to take Rogue on quests to prove just how broken his protagonist perks are.
And maybe then everyone will realize just how psycho it is that he's been secretly boosting us without permission.
"Alf, you've been acting strange since this morning. What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, Pearl. By the way, do you have any books that could help me learn some spells?"
"I'll find something for you, Alf! I'll try my best!"
She refers to herself as 'Pal.' Apparently, it's what her parents used to call her when she was younger.
This earnest little witch, too, meets a tragic end in the original story. And yeah, it's mostly my fault.
No! Technically, it's Alfred's fault!
After losing everything, Alfred sold Pearl, who had become powerless, into slavery to line his own pockets.
This adorable little girl who looks up to me... He sold her like that... Ugh, Alfred is a real scumbag.
I want to punch him so badly! But, yeah, it's my face, so no thanks.
"How unusual, seeing you all gathered in one place like this," a voice calls from the entrance.
It was Shannon passing by.
In the original story, she and Alfred fall into darkness and end up being executed, their bodies displayed in the royal capital for days.
But now, as the holy maiden, she's nowhere near that point yet.
"I was just thinking of studying some magic," I respond.
"I see... Alfred, may I speak with you for a moment?"
"With me? Sure."
Shannon gestures for me to step outside, and we find ourselves alone in the corridor. For some reason, I feel a little nervous.
"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?"
Without warning, Shannon bows deeply, leaving me wondering what's coming next.