Volume 1 Chapter 1 No More Trainer
"Aroze, we don't need you anymore, so just get out quickly."
This was right after I returned from a monster-hunting request.
I was suddenly called into a room at the inn, thinking we were going to discuss tomorrow's hunting request.
But then, the hero Dahlia declared that I was fired.
"We reached our level cap in today's adventure, and we don't need a [Trainer] who can only help others grow anymore. We're planning to seriously fight the Demon Lord's army from now on, and we can't afford to have you dragging us down."
The other party members, who were listening to this, nodded in agreement with Dahlia.
Yes, after today's adventure, all the members of this party have finally reached their level cap.
As a Trainer, whose job is to help others grow, I'm basically useless now.
It was sudden, but I had a feeling this would happen since my party members had been acting cold towards me lately.
"...It's true that without my Trainer abilities, I might just be a burden. My combat ability is low compared to everyone else, and I don't have any special talents. But I can support in battles with support magic, and I can also do scouting..."
"We're already at level 50, which is said to be the cap, right? We don't need support magic at this point. You're not worth the trouble of bringing along."
Job class.
A power granted by the gods at birth.
When someone possesses a job class, they can wield supernatural powers like "skills" and "magic."
At the same time, in addition to their natural physical abilities, they also gain a power called "divine blessings."
The only power said to be able to fight against the monsters is the one that uses the power of a "Job," and those who go on quests to defeat these beasts are called "Adventurers."
And my Job is a Trainer.
My combat ability is low, but instead, I have a rare power to help others grow and assist in battles.
In contrast, the 4 main members of the hero party in front of me have high-ranking Jobs known for their extremely high combat abilities.
Sword Saint Dahlia, Saintess Iris, Sage Grisine, and Holy Knight Jostum.
Especially Sword Saint Dahlia, who rose to become a high-ranking Adventurer at the youngest age, was honored with the title of "Hero." That's why this party led by Dahlia is called the Hero Party.
Compared to them, my combat ability feels lacking.
Even if I can assist in battles with support magic and auxiliary skills, those are unnecessary for this already well-rounded party.
But...
"We promised to defeat the Demon Lord together when we formed this party, right?"
"I don't remember that promise. Besides, do you really think you can keep up with us in the upcoming battles with your skills? Just so you know, if you get into trouble, we have no intention of helping you at all."
"...That's fine by me. You don't have to help me. I'll handle my own enemies, and I'll still support you guys and do the chores. So..."
I desperately try to convince them, but at that moment, a giant with green hair cuts in.
It's Holy Knight Jostum.
"Hah! You're just trying to let us do all the fighting while you sit back and enjoy the spoils, aren't you?"
"Eh?"
"You think just because you've already fulfilled your role as a Trainer, you won't participate in the fights and will let the stronger ones like us do all the work? And then, when we defeat the Demon Lord, you plan to take credit as if you were one of us, right?"
"Take credit as if I were one of you...?"
It's true that the main force of this party is the 4 of them, not me.
I can only provide support, so naturally, they'll be the ones fighting.
But honestly, I believe that the reason these 4 have grown this much is, not to sound rude, but because of my power as a Trainer.
[Support] Level 10
- Effects apply to nearby people
- Divine growth point acquisition rate 5 times
The biggest strength of a Trainer is the 'support' skill.
When someone nearby defeats a monster, they can earn 5 times the usual 'divine growth point.'
Divine growth point is the growth fuel given by the gods based on the results of defeating monsters.
To put it simply, gaining divine growth point means leveling up and getting stronger.
Thanks to this support skill, the hero party grew explosively, reaching the highest level in just 3 years from being beginners.
Dahlia, the youngest, even said that she was able to become a first-class adventurer and earn the title of 'Hero' because of the trainer's power.
So, if we manage to defeat the Demon Lord, I don't plan to take all the credit, but I think it's fair to get a little share for helping the heroes grow.
That's what I thought inside, but it seems I was the only one thinking that way.
The saint Iris, who is obsessed with Dahlia, and the sage Grisine are both looking at me with hostile eyes.
It seems I have no allies here.
"...Okay, I get it. I'll just leave then."
Realizing that continuing this argument was a waste of time, I decided to give up.
Indeed, now that everyone has reached their level cap, there's hardly anything I can do to help.
If I'm just going to be a burden from now on, it's easier to just step away.
More than anything, with this atmosphere, I can't imagine we'll be able to share joys and sorrows as comrades anymore.
"You're quick to understand. I thought you'd start begging."
"...I wouldn't do that."
I really want to, though.
I still have things I want to do with the hero party.
My goal was to defeat one of the Demon Lords, Dragon King Dorane, and wipe out the Dragon King's army.
I thought the best way to achieve that goal was to act as a member of the hero party, but now that it's come to this, there's no helping it.
As the party members looked at me coldly, I started to pack my things.
"Oh, and leave all the equipment and tools you're wearing. Those belong to our hero party."
"...Got it."
I resigned myself and left behind all the equipment and tools that weren't my own.
To be honest, I feel like I should get something as a reward for doing my job as a trainer.
Like, "I perfectly helped the hero party grow!" So maybe a nice bag of gold or something.
But in this atmosphere, I can't bring myself to say something so bold.
"Well then, I'm off."
After finishing my preparations, I was about to leave the room.
But just as I opened the door, I suddenly turned back to look at Dahlia and the others.
"Before that, I just want to say something, head's up, okay?"
"Huh? What is it?"
"It seems like you're planning to head into the Forest King's territory, but you should probably hold off on that. Sure, you guys have gotten stronger, but you've grown too fast, and your battle experience is still..."
"What do you know about us? The hero party is going to invade the Forest King's territory on the next expedition. That's already decided. Just because you helped us grow doesn't mean you know everything, so don't act like you do."
"..."
With that cold attitude, I was pushed away, and I left the room without saying anything more.
Well, maybe I was just worrying too much, or maybe it was none of my business.
Dahlia and the others have high-ranking skills and are at max level.
They've already defeated countless strong enemies, so they should be fine against the Demon Lord's army as they are now.
But I feel like they've grown a bit too fast, and I wanted them to gain a little more real battle experience before facing the Demon Lord's army.
"...Nah, it's not my concern anymore."
I'm no longer a part of the hero party.
I've been kicked out of the adventurer party led by the Eastern hero, Dahlia──'Peace Sign.'
Worrying about it doesn't mean anything.
Realizing that a bit too late, I tried to shut off my thoughts, but then I remembered something and stopped in my tracks.
"Oh, the adventurer's notebook!"
I had left my adventurer's notebook in the tool bag I returned to Dahlia and the others.
Without that, I can't take on requests at the adventurer's guild.
I'll need it going forward, and while I can get a reissue, the process is a hassle.
Feeling super awkward about it, I decided to go back to the room.
With heavy steps, I reached the door and steeled myself to go back inside when...
"I never thought you could convince him with such a half-hearted argument."
From behind the door, I could hear Jostum's voice.
It sounded like they were talking about me.
"That guy isn't as useless as they say, but Dahlia started her ridiculous convincing and I almost laughed."
"Shut up. I had no choice but to kick him out, okay?"
Now I could hear the cold voice of Saint Iris.
"About Aroze... you could have pushed him a bit harder, don't you think?"
"No way, Iris. We're about to seriously invade the Demon Lord's territory, and if we manage to defeat them and our share gets smaller, that would be a problem. More than that, because he's here, no matter how much we shine, all the credit could go to him. That's just infuriating."
"If Dahlia says so, maybe it's true."
Getting my credit stolen.
If there's a trainer in the party who raised the heroes, every time they shine, the trainer's reputation goes up too.
If they get all the credit for my work, Dahlia and the others wouldn't like that at all.
Was this the "real reason" they kicked me out?
I always thought they had high pride, but is it really that annoying for them to share the spotlight with me?
Now I could hear the voice of Sage Grisine from behind the door.
"Well, considering how much we've grown, wouldn't it have been nice to give him a retirement bonus or something?"
"That's not happening. It would be infuriating to see him strut around after leaving this party, so kicking him out was the best option. I mean, this is the proper 'use' of a trainer, right?"
"..."
After hearing that mocking line, I ran away from the door as if escaping.
They used my power and then tossed me aside once they matured.
It's a cold opinion, but it's definitely the smart way to go.
The more they shine, the more credit flows to the trainer who raised them.
For someone as proud as Dahlia, they would absolutely not allow that.
Cutting me off first is the right way to use a trainer.
"...damn it."
Getting kicked out of the party isn't something new for me.
I've had similar experiences before.
For a little while, I was allowed to join the party, but there were many times when my friends grew stronger or got kicked out.
Before I joined the hero party, I was useless and couldn't even support in battles.
I spent my days getting kicked out after only being able to help others grow, and it frustrated me, so I trained hard to be able to help in fights.
With my newfound strength, 3 years ago, I caught the attention of Dahlia and the others, who were still just starting out, and they let me join their party, but...
'Loan us your power. In return, we'll help you take down the Demon Lord's army.'
That promise turned out to be empty, and in the end, I was kicked out of the party like this.
I had a chance to take down the hated enemy who killed the Dragon King Dorane... my parents.
My parents have already passed away.
Dad and Mom were adventurers in their time.
They were among the few high-ranking adventurers, strong enough to be counted as one of the most powerful parties back then.
But they lost their lives fighting against the Dragon King army, one of the Demon Lord's forces.
I heard that the one who directly killed my parents was the Dragon King Dorane, one of the Demon Lords.
"...Nah, it's fine now."
I wanted to take revenge with my own hands if possible.
That's why I aspired to be an adventurer, but if someone else ends up wiping out the Dragon King army, that's okay too.
Surely, the hero party or someone else will defeat the Dragon King Doran.
I'm just so tired now.
I thought I was doing my best supporting the hero party with my weak skills, but all that effort ended up being in vain.
I never want to feel like this again.
"...I'm going home."
I thought about what to do next, but for now, I decided to return to my hometown, "Hyamars."
There's the house my parents left behind, and I've neglected their graves for too long.
Plus, I think I can live a peaceful life there.
Hyamars, the town where beginner adventurers gather.
At least when I lived there, it was far from the Demon Lord's territory and had good security.
It's a familiar town, so I'm used to living there, and the guild has plenty of low-level requests.
From now on, I'll mix in with the beginner adventurers and start my activities little by little.
I'm done being used or made a fool of by anyone.
I got kicked out of the hero party, so I decided to head back to my hometown, a little adventurer town.
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