Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 15
I wanted to coldly abandon Kakaros and head back, but I didn’t know the way, so I stayed put and quietly waited until he finished catching the fish.
Awkwardly squatting near the waterfall, I watched Kakaros catch fish. Even in the dark, he splashed skillfully and reeled them in. The sight was impressive enough to make me want to clap, but I held it in.
When we awkwardly returned to the campsite after Kakaros had finished hand-fishing, Elonen had already lit a fire and was preparing to cook.
“Oh, that’s quite a lot for such a short time.”
Elonen let out an impressed sound as he looked at the six fish in the basket. I figured the reason there were more fish than people was probably because Kakaros wanted to eat more himself.
Kyle was beside Elonen, spreading out blankets on the dirt floor to make sleeping arrangements. Gerard was nowhere to be seen, but no one seemed to care, as if that was normal.
“Shall we start cleaning the fish first?”
After finishing his prayers, Elonen pulled out a dagger. Then, with practiced ease, he spun the dagger in his hand and began cleaning the fish without hesitation.
Just like a skilled chef, he cut off the heads and cleaned out the innards, placing them neatly into a basket.
“Are we having grilled fish skewers tonight?”
At some point, Gerard had returned and was leaning sloppily against a tree, sniffing the air.
“Gerard, take care of this trash later, will you?”
“Got it. I picked some mushrooms and berries from the forest. Eat them if you want.”
He said casually, dropping a basket in front of Elonen as if tossing it. It seemed he had gone to gather food while Kakaros and I were at the river.
“They’re not contaminated with miasma, so don’t worry.”
Gerard said to me as I stared at the basket. Unsure how to respond, I simply nodded once.
“Looks like they’re all grilled now, so grab one.”
Elonen handed out the skewered fish, roasted directly over the campfire.
It was clearly a barbaric dish I was eating for the first time, and the appearance was grotesque, so I wasn’t expecting much.
But the moment I took a bite, the crispy texture of the scorched skin hit first. Then came a strangely salty, fishy, yet savory flavor that filled my mouth and left me pleasantly surprised.
“Elonen, you’re quite skilled.”
“Oh, not at all. I just added some seasoning and grilled it.”
Elonen waved his hand in modest denial, but I could see the tips of his ears turning red.
“By the way, is it okay that you didn’t bring any wood back?”
Even in this situation, Elonen seemed concerned about my supposed logging business.
“It’s fine. I didn’t have an axe anyway. Just surviving is good enough.”
I said indifferently, pushing my leftover skewer and bones into the basket with the fish guts. At this rate, they were seriously going to load me up with wood and make me carry it back.
“If you change your mind by tomorrow morning and decide to quit being a woodcutter, let me know.”
Kyle said, looking at me with a strangely regretful expression. I had no idea what he had to feel regretful about.
I was just a shady guy they met in a miasma-filled forest. Why would parting with me be sad?
If anything, they should be thankful to be rid of a nuisance.
“Oh, I didn’t mean quitting entirely—just taking a break. This is a good time to explore your paths, you know.”
What even is a “good time” to explore a path? I looked at Kyle with an expression that clearly asked for clarification, but he just pressed his lips shut, like he’d only said it on a whim.
“What are you even bringing him for? Can he do anything?”
Right then, Gerard asked in a flat tone.
I could technically use a little magic I’d learned from the magic book, but I was still only barely able to follow along with it while reading. And sharing the same role as Gerard, the mage, made things awkward too.
I could never reveal that I could breathe fire or emit miasma. I had no intention of putting myself forward and risking exposure.
“…Nothing really.”
I replied with a careless shake of my head, and Gerard clicked his tongue as if to say, “See?”
“Bringing along someone this useless will only get in the way.”
I should’ve felt insulted by Gerard’s sharp criticism, but I didn’t. In fact, I was grateful that he said something so convincing to dissuade Kyle.
“I guess I should just go back to cutting wood.” I muttered, staring blankly out at the forest.
At this point, becoming a real woodcutter didn’t sound so bad.
I hadn’t firmly decided what I wanted to do yet, but one thing was certain: I had no desire to be part of the hero’s party.
But despite that firm resolve, things started going strangely the next evening, just as we were about to leave the forest.
