Chapter 2: You're Out of This Party Today
"Theo. You're out of this party starting today."
When the leader, Bald-san, said that in front of the guild bulletin board, I thought for a second it was some kind of joke.
"…Huh?"
"Didn't hear me? I said we don't need you anymore."
My heart thudded hard in my chest.
"W-wait, please. Why all of a sudden…?"
"It's not sudden. We've been thinking about this for a while. Face it, your only redeeming quality is Curse Breaking, right?"
"Well… yes, that's true, but…"
"Let me ask you this. How many times have you actually used that skill in the past six months?"
The words hit me like a slap, and my mouth shut tight.
"…Zero."
"See? Exactly."
"But! That's not because I was slacking off. No one got cursed, so—"
"That just proves we don't need you at all."
"That's not true! Even one curse could wipe out the whole party. That's why having me as insurance—"
"Insurance that costs too damn much."
Bald snorted through his nose, and the rest of the party joined in with mocking laughs.
"Besides, curses are super rare anyway, right?"
"Look at other parties. Who the hell drags a curse breaker around? Because it's pointless. Pointless."
I bit my lip hard, frustration burning in my throat.
Sure, monsters or traps that inflict curses are extremely uncommon. Minor curses can be handled with church purification potions. But there are curses potions can't touch. If you run into one of those, it's game over. That's exactly why curse breakers exist. Even if we're few in number, even if we don't stand out.
And yet.
"Hey, who even suggested letting this guy join in the first place?"
"Not me."
"Wasn't it Mina?"
"Huh? Stop it. I was against it from the start!"
"Newbies get guild subsidies, right? That's the only reason, isn't it, Bald?"
"Hey, shut up with the unnecessary crap! That doesn't matter anymore!"
Bald barked at them.
"What matters is… I'm not kind enough to keep feeding a freeloader."
Those words squeezed something painful deep in my chest.
"I'm not… freeloading."
I barely managed to force the words out.
"I've been maintaining weapons, organizing luggage, doing all the chores… trying to be useful in any way I could…"
"Anyone can do that stuff, though?"
The retort came instantly, cutting me down.
"A guy who's useless in combat acting all proud because he does chores? Seriously lame."
"Well, at least we'll give you points for effort. Haha."
Laughter erupted around me. Their stares felt heavy. Painful.
"Anyway, you're fired. Pack your shit and get lost."
"Be grateful we're not confiscating anything, parasite."
No one stopped them. No one defended me. I just bit my lip and gave a quiet nod.
"…Understood. Thank you for everything until now."
I pushed open the guild door. The moment I stepped out, cheers and laughter exploded behind me like a final blow.
The sky outside was blindingly bright. But in my eyes, everything looked gray and clouded over.