Chapter 13: Extra: A New Companion and Anxiety

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The Trad Ruins, an expanse of ruins that preserved traces of an ancient civilization. Many relics of that civilization still remained here, along with magical weapons and rare magical materials, and numerous treasure hunters continued to visit the place even now. However, much of the area was still unexplored, and powerful monsters and lingering traps existed throughout. It was said that many who aimed for the deepest reaches died with their dreams unfulfilled.

Aiming for the very depths of such a place, the Hero’s Party walked down a dim, damp stone-paved corridor. Naturally, the one who had insisted on coming here was the hero, Julius.

Julius had wanted to visit the Trad Ruins for some time, but Lloyd had strongly opposed it, saying it was dangerous with their current strength. Elena and Fran had agreed, and that had resolved the matter… But this time, Lloyd was not here. Elena had opposed it again, though half-heartedly, but Julius simply told her, “We’re the party that defeated the Red Dragon, right? With our current strength, there’s no problem,” and refused to listen.

The one who had driven off the Red Dragon had been none other than Lloyd, whom Julius had expelled, but it seemed that Julius’s memory conveniently rewrote anything that didn’t suit him. A very convenient brain he had.

The air was chilly and cold, and droplets of water dripped from the moss-covered walls, occasionally hitting the floor with a soft plink.

What a creepy place…

Elena held her staff in one hand as she walked, carefully watching their surroundings.

At the front stood the newly added front-line warrior—Garo Dottsun. He was said to have once served as the captain of the Royal Guard Knights. His build was a size larger than Lloyd’s, and he held a rugged battle-axe with ease. Indeed, his ability as a warrior was genuine, and as a front-liner, he was likely excellent. In fact, his stamina alone was impressive, he did not falter from enemy attacks, and he crushed monsters with ease.

But he was different from Lloyd in some way. Their paces did not match, he overlooked parts of the route, and his timing when encountering enemies was off. Small discrepancies kept piling up.

“There’s a split in the path up ahead on the left. Be careful.”

Even when Elena used magic detection and offered that advice, Garo merely nodded and made no attempt to check.

Is this guy really okay…?

A twinge of unease passed through her mind. Fran beside her also looked uneasy. Garo and Julius seemed to be old acquaintances, and Julius appeared very comfortable with him. Perhaps because he trusted Garo, he had left the entire lead position to him. He had been so nitpicky and loud with Lloyd, and yet now he acted completely different. That attitude only fueled her irritation.

Lloyd Valt… Just who exactly was he?

Elena suddenly recalled the moment when she had reported Lloyd’s death in battle to the king. His Majesty had listened quietly at first. But the moment she mentioned Lloyd’s death, his expression had clearly changed.

“A member of the Valt household died in battle? That’s impossible.”

The king muttered that in a trembling voice. He had looked as though he genuinely could not believe it. He was quite literally shaken to the core. Valt—if she remembered correctly, that had been Lloyd’s surname. For His Majesty to refer to him not as Lloyd, but as a person of the Valt household, meant there must have been some connection between the king and Lloyd’s lineage, not just Lloyd himself.

Could it be… He was from a bloodline close to the royal family?

Such suspicions spread in Elena’s chest. Of course, she had brought it up to Julius—

“Whatever relationship His Majesty and Lloyd had is irrelevant. It doesn’t change the fact that he was a useless person.”

—and he dismissed it outright.

She had expected that, but needless to say, the remark had disgusted her to the core.

This man probably becomes blind to anything inconvenient for him.

Certainly, Julius might have had the qualities of a hero, and maybe he had strength. He likely had a good combat instinct. Perhaps he could become a great hero someday. But right now, he was little more than a fledgling with a bit of fluff. Relying too much on his supposed talent and tackling adventures beyond his level was undeniably dangerous.

Only now did she truly understand Lloyd’s hardships. Controlling this spoiled child, protecting him, handling his scolding and sarcasm, and still carrying out daily chores. It definitely required extraordinary mental endurance. This expedition into the ruins reminded her painfully of Lloyd’s absence.

“Hey, Garo! Watch your step!”

Since Garo was walking without caution and nearly stepped on a trap, Fran shouted in a panic. That was close. Had she not noticed, they might have been dragged into another needless battle or danger.

“Oh… You’re right. By the way… Is this even the right way?”

Garo looked down at his feet in surprise—though Elena felt he lacked a sense of tension—and turned to ask.

“It is the right way. I said that earlier.”

Fran’s sharp reply made Garo frown, but since she had saved him from the trap, he didn’t complain. Fran trusted Garo even less than Elena did, and her words were harsher. No, it was likely because she couldn’t help comparing him to Lloyd that she found his unreliability so irritating. Elena understood the feeling. She felt the same, even if she was trying to control it.

Fran walked beside her and whispered.

“Hey. That guy definitely doesn’t know the way, right?”

“No doubt about it.”

Elena whispered back. She couldn’t think otherwise after watching him.

“If it were Lloyd, he would’ve memorized the map, and he would’ve read the flow of magic around us in situations like this…”

“Exactly. Only now do we realize how much he supported us.”

As they traded such complaints…

“Hey, quiet. What are you two whispering about? Focus. We don’t know what enemies might appear.”

Julius’s reprimand came flying. Fran and Elena exchanged looks, shrugged, and fell silent. The moment they said a little complaint, it turned into this. They weren’t even allowed to complain. It felt like they weren’t allowed to voice any opinion at all.

In fact, when Lloyd had been around, they would have taken a short rest already. He would have avoided enemy spawn points and ensured they conserved stamina and magic as much as possible. But now, they were simply wandering forward aimlessly. Fights were unnecessarily frequent, and magic consumption was high. They still had stamina and recovery items, so it was fine for now, but continuing at this pace was frankly exhausting.

Will we even make it back safely?

Such doubts settled deep in her chest. The future for Elena and the others did not look bright.

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