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Translator: uly
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Former Hero Party
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At the base of some remote mountain, six men and women were gasping for breath.
An irregular gender ratio of four women to two men. In normal circumstances, the guys might have been thrilled to find themselves in a flower garden. But not now. Not in this situation.
─Chase them!! They couldn't have gotten far!
!!!?
In the midst of a life-or-death pursuit, who had time to think about flower gardens!
The pounding footsteps of their pursuers shook the mountain. The six fugitives bolted in panic, moving as swiftly as they could.
But even running had its limits. Months on the run had worn down even their formidable stamina.
"…Damn it! What the hell did we do wrong!"
"We did plenty wrong. The sin of stupidity. Or maybe the sin of letting our dicks do the thinking."
"…I didn't say anything, so why the sudden teamkill?"
"Just 'cause I feel like it."
"Teamkill? What's that?"
"It's something Luke used to say. He was always telling me not to teamkill… Hmm."
"Ah…."
The name Luke hung in the air, and the group's mood darkened instantly.
A former comrade from their old party.
But had they truly seen each other as comrades? Luke, and them?
"…If Luke were here, would things be different?"
A handsome blond young man muttered, and a beautiful black-haired, blue-eyed woman replied bitterly.
"He always helped us avoid stupid choices. Things might've turned out better than this."
"Tch! Stop bringing up that bastard! You're so damn annoying!"
"What! You just—!"
"What'd I say that's wrong! Even if Luke were here, you think he'd help us? Hell, if it were me, I'd kill you all myself instead of helping. Right, snobby bitch?"
"…Don't call me that."
"Heh, Luke's got balls. Living every day with an arrow aimed at his head. If it were me, I'd have smashed her skull in ages ago."
"I could kill you right now."
"Try it."
"Enough, already…! Huh?"
"It's here!!"
"Yes!!"
As if their bickering had never happened, they erupted in joy.
They knew what the halo shining above the black-haired woman's head meant!
'The gods haven't abandoned us yet!'
They gazed at her expectantly for just a moment before the goddess's gentle voice emanated from her mouth.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [My children. Trust in me and leap from the cliff.]
"!!?"
"W-What? What does that mean!?"
"Leap from the cliff? Y-You mean jump off the Kalfs Mountains? That's suicide!"
"Damn it! The goddess is telling us to come to Valhalla or something!"
"Ugh…!!"
"Hey, is the goddess saying anything else?"
"…No more revelations."
"Shit…!!"
Despair gripped them all.
Who would be happy about being told to kill themselves?
However…
"…Let's go."
"What?"
"Huh?"
"You're insane!"
"I'm not. That's why I'm saying let's go. Think about it the other way. Dying by following the goddess's word, or getting captured and dying. Which sounds better?"
"...."
"If we get caught, we won't just die. We'll endure every torment a living person can suffer before they let us go. I don't want that. So if we're dying, let's at least go out clean."
"...Hoo, fine. Let's do it. What's the worst that can happen—we die!"
"…You lunatics."
Curses born of having no choice.
In the end, they stood atop the treacherous cliff.
The tallest, most foreboding precipice in all of Midgard.
No matter how strong your magic, this cliff promised impartial death.
They never imagined they'd willingly climb to their deaths here. Trembling, the cat-eared girl couldn't hide her shakes as she spoke.
"I-If… If we d-die…. L-Let's never meet again in the next life…!"
"…Agreed."
"I don't want to see any of you ever again."
"Same."
"…Yeah. Let's never meet again."
"...Let's go."
Faces twisted in grief, they hurled themselves off the cliff one after another.
Into the endless abyss where the bottom was nowhere in sight!
Whoosh!!
A fierce gale enveloped the six who had squeezed their eyes shut, and with it, they vanished into the darkness of the pit.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Did they really die… just like that?"
The pursuit captain furrowed his brow in disbelief.
But this was the cliff of the Kalfs Mountains, no less.
It could only be seen as suicide by any observer. In the end, the captain had no choice but to accept their deaths.
"Tch. Maybe that was the right choice for you. There's no place left in the world for 'you' anyway."
Facing the pathetic end of those once called the 'Hero Party'—heroes in their own right—the captain let out a sigh of pity.
"Captain, what now? Should we check the bottom?"
"…Send down a few squads to investigate. We should at least look for the bodies."
"Yes, sir!!"
However, days later…
No matter how thoroughly they searched the base of the cliff, no trace of the Hero Party remained.
…
…
…
…
•
"W-Where… is this?"
"Wh-What is this place?"
"...."
The six had definitely fallen from the cliff.
Yet here they were, alive and unharmed. They couldn't make sense of it.
Or could it be…!
"Is this Valhalla?"
"Are we already dead?"
"B-But there was no pain…?"
Questions piled upon questions, deepening their confusion, until footsteps approached.
"Who's there!!"
"Who else? Fuckin' hell."
"...."
Everyone's breathing stopped.
It was that shocking—a person they never thought they'd see again in their lifetime stood there.
"This is fucked. Totally fucked. Io. You really…!!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [I'm sorry, my child.]
Luke.
Their former comrade glared at them with savage eyes.