Chapter 17: The Hero Party
“You’re… Loin Camberas…?”
“Ah, uh… yes, I am…”
What could the Alester Lyos possibly want with me?
Alester glared down at me sharply and said,
“You coward…! Know your shame…!”
“…!?”
What a greeting, especially since this is our first meeting.
What in the world could I have possibly done?
“An unknown rookie like you is the same S-Rank as us!?”
“S-So what if I am…?”
“You might be able to fool everyone else, but you can’t fool this Hero! You used some underhanded trick, didn’t you!”
“H-Huh…!?”
I never thought he’d make such an accusation…
It’s true that my sudden rank-up is unprecedented, and even I can hardly believe it.
But to suddenly say something like this without any proof.
It seems this “Hero” fellow is quite short-tempered.
“We, the Hero Party, achieved this rank because of the combination of us four! There’s no way a solo adventurer like you could reach 5th place!”
“W-Well… even if you tell me that. That’s for the Guild to decide…”
Adventurer Ranks are calculated through the Guild’s strict evaluations and a solid contribution point system.
In other words, cheating is practically impossible.
For him to pick a fight like this despite that, it must be something emotional, like jealousy.
Basically, he’s trying to crush a newcomer.
My existence, having risen from below, is being seen as a threat.
To think there was another troublesome guy like this besides Ghuftok.
This is why I hated standing out.
“W-Wait a moment, please! Loin-san has done nothing wrong! Loin-san has properly performed deeds worthy of his rank, you know!?”
Salina-san said, defending me.
Since the Guild receptionist was saying this, I thought even the Hero would back down, but…
Perhaps it’s because of his position as the Hero, but he didn’t soften his attitude at all.
“Oi, oi, suspicious, aren’t we? You’re in on it too, aren’t you…?”
“Wh-…!?”
To cast suspicion not only on me but even on Salina-san…!
Even I couldn’t help but get a little irritated by this.
“You cheated to aim for the ranking bonus, didn’t you? And then you planned to split it with this woman?”
“That’s right, that’s right! It’s just as Alester says!”
Saying such things, the Hero Party ignited my anger.
I don’t care what they say about me, but I won’t forgive them for speaking to Salina-san like that.
“Hey, take that back…!”
“Huh…?”
Before I knew it, I was glaring at Alester.
He’ll understand that I’m S-Rank once he sees my strength.
“Step outside. It’s a duel. If I beat you, you’ll take back what you just said.”
“…Hah! Are you seriously saying you want to fight me—the number 1 ranked adventurer, the Hero, Alester Lyos…!?”
“That’s right!”
“Hahaha! Don’t get ahead of yourself! Someone like you, who cheated their way up the rankings, is no match for me…!”
Indeed, if I had cheated, that would be true…
But in reality, I’ve come this far on my own merit.
And I earned these points solo.
But these guys are a party of four.
If we fight one-on-one, it’s anyone’s guess who will win.
“Hey! Who do you think you are? Alester, let’s just ignore this guy. There’s no need to bother with him.”
“Yeah, you’re right… There’s no need to accept a fight with such an obvious outcome.”
The Hero Party members were blabbering on.
Are they planning to get away with this by claiming I cheated?
I won’t let them…!
“What’s wrong? Scared…?”
“Huh…?”
“Could it be that you’re afraid of losing, even by some fluke, to me, who supposedly cheated his way to 5th place?”
“You bastard… Say that again. There’s no way I’d lose, not even by a fluke, right? Fine then… Let’s take this outside.”
It seems he took the bait easily.
He must have a lot of confidence and pride in his number 1 spot.
As we headed outside for the duel, a crowd of onlookers quickly gathered behind us.
“Hey, it’s a duel!”
“It’s that mysterious rookie and the Hero!”
“A deathmatch! Alright! Go for it!”
I will absolutely not forgive their disrespectful attitude towards Salina-san.
This 5th place rank is something I earned myself.
I won’t let anyone deny it, or take it away from me…!
My opponent may be the Hero, or whoever—I will absolutely win!