Chapter 1: The Black Swordsman Stripped of Everything and Exiled

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“Swordsman Lloyd Valt. With this, I expel you from the party.”

They were on their way back from defeating the Red Dragon when the cold, clear voice of Hero Julius sharply cut through the forest’s silence.

“…What did you just say?”

The black-haired, red-eyed swordsman—Lloyd—reflexively asked back. But it must have sounded like a foolish reaction. Julius exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders and repeated himself.

“Did you not hear me? ‘Swordsman Lloyd Valt, With this, I expel you from the party’… That’s what I said.”

His tone sounded as if he were reciting lines from a play. A chill ran down Lloyd’s spine. He understood the meaning of the words, but his mind refused to accept them. With a desperate, clinging hope, Lloyd looked around at the other party members. The Mage Elena awkwardly averted her eyes, and the Healer Fran lowered her head with a small murmur, “I’m sorry…”

The reactions of the two he had believed were comrades told him the truth behind Julius’s words. It seemed there were no allies for him here.

“We’ve grown strong enough already. Someone defective like you isn’t needed anymore. Ah, of course, as a starting stepping stone, you were excellent. …But your role is over now, isn’t it?”

Julius said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Black emotions swirled deep in Lloyd’s chest. Anger, sadness, frustration. He couldn’t even tell which it was.

Until now, he had gained almost nothing, and yet he kept risking his life to protect them. Forced into the Hero Party by royal decree, he had supported them until they could actually be called the “Hero Party,” even though they were practically beginners back then. No one but Lloyd had done that. But that was only from Lloyd’s perspective. There were indeed parts he couldn’t refute.

During the fierce battle with the Red Dragon a few days earlier, the Hero Party had fallen into dire straits. It was a situation where they could easily have been wiped out. Lloyd had been forced to activate the Curse Mark—known as Malice Glyph—but as expected, the power had run wild, and the backlash injured Fran.

They managed to defeat the Red Dragon, but he had put a comrade’s life in danger. He couldn’t say he didn’t understand why they blamed him. And the Resonance Skill had never activated even once with anyone.

Regarding that, surely Lloyd was at fault for failing to build trust. He failed to build trust with his comrades, and he failed to be useful. So surely… This was his deserved outcome.

“Leave behind your money and all items in your possession. They aren’t yours. They belong to the party.”

Julius stated it plainly. With those words, the reality finally began catching up to Lloyd.

This bastard… He’s not just kicking me out, he’s planning to strip me of everything?

Lloyd clenched the strap of the bag hanging from his shoulder. Inside were their accumulated rewards, the recovery potions he had gathered himself, and magical tools. Honestly, he hated the idea of handing it over. Actually, if he gave it away, he wouldn’t be able to live. How was he supposed to reach town empty-handed and defenseless?

“Hey, Julius. Isn’t that too cruel?”

“Yeah. Lloyd will die…”

Elena and Fran at least tried to defend him. They understood that this was still unexplored territory with many monsters nearby. But Julius was stubborn and self-centered. He wouldn’t listen. And the two of them still had to defeat the Demon Lord with him. Ruining their relationship with him here wouldn’t be wise.

Lloyd smiled at the two and said, “It’s fine,” before throwing his bag and sword to the ground.

“…Ah, the sword is fine. No one but you can use that sword anyway.”

Julius snorted at the jet-black sword tossed to the ground. The jet-black magic sword Rukuud—its sheath and blade dyed pitch-dark like shadow itself. Only Lloyd’s clan… No, now only Lloyd could wield it. No one else could even draw it from the sheath. A cursed sword. A vile legacy of the “Shadow Clan,” who lived a bloodstained fate. That was this Rukuud.

“The Resonance Skill never activated, and on top of that, you couldn’t control your power and injured your allies. Someone like that is nothing but a freeloading burden. Do you have any objections?”

Julius’s voice even carried a hint of mockery. Lloyd stayed silent for a while, then slowly shook his head.

“…No. I don’t.”

He had no choice but to say it. Because it was true. The one at the center of the party was Julius, appointed Hero by royal decree. His word was absolute, and nothing anyone else said mattered. If he argued here, he would only trouble Elena and Fran. It was better to accept the demands quickly and walk away. At the very least… Elena and Fran were not bad people. They treated even someone like Lloyd properly, as a person.

“Oh, right. Lloyd, I’ll have them believe you died in the battle against the Red Dragon earlier. If they find out I dismissed someone appointed by royal decree, His Majesty the King would dislike me. Could you spend the rest of your life in some small village? Even in a place like this, there should be at least one or two villages.”

Julius spoke with a loud, mocking laugh. As if he were disposing of garbage. Even so, Lloyd couldn’t argue. Julius’s word was absolute in this party. And Julius now had his hand on his sword. His intention was clear.

If Lloyd resisted, Julius would cut him down here. That was the meaning. Honestly, if Lloyd accepted taking a serious wound, he could grab the magic sword from the ground and break through this situation. In swordsmanship alone, he was still superior to Julius. But doing so would make him a traitor who had turned his blade against the country. Being an exile would be the least of it. Death would be inevitable.

Considering that, there was only one option left.

“…Got it. See you.”

Lloyd picked up only the magic sword he had, Rukuud, and turned his back to them. No one stopped him. He only faintly heard Fran softly whispering his name. But that was fine. Lloyd leaving here caused the least disruption.

A cold wind brushed across his cheek. The Malice Glyph on his arm throbbed painfully. Because of this curse, not once in his life had Lloyd been rewarded.

“Damn it. What did I ever do…?”

He muttered his frustration, but no one answered. Did someone like him even have any worth? A life where he connected with no one, and everyone rejected him. In the end, Lloyd was a person with no value, who saved no one, and grasped no one’s hand.

…That was all there was to it.

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