Chapter 53
I returned to the guild and reported what had happened with my former party.
Now that they’d been enslaved, some of my anger over their betrayal had faded.
But the problems I was dealing with hadn’t been solved.
As long as I had this Gift, they never would be.
When I was at a loss, Rento-san reached out and invited me along.
“I was kicked out of my party just recently, too...”
Huh? Why?
How could someone as strong as Rento-san have been kicked out?
I couldn’t understand it at all.
Maybe that was why.
I accepted Rento-san’s invitation, and we headed to a nearby restaurant.
It was an upscale place that my former D-rank party never could have gone to.
The delicious aroma of the food they brought out filled my nostrils.
At the same time, my stomach growled.
I always got hungry after using First Blade.
My mood was at rock bottom, but my body was honest.
“For now, let’s eat.”
Rento-san’s voice was bright.
I could feel how considerate he was being.
His words gave me a push, and I reached for the food.
“What do you want to do from here on out, Rinka?”
What did I want to do...?
I wanted to throw everything away and run.
That was the truth.
“Honestly, what happened this time broke my spirit. Just like my sword...”
If I could run away, how easy things would be.
But I couldn’t run away.
My Gift wouldn’t let me.
“But... even so, I can’t quit.”
Unique Gift: Ashura Path.
This is my curse, my Gift.
My Gift, my curse, binds me.
It commands me to always keep myself in battle.
I’d thought about running away so many times.
But it was pointless.
“My Gift won’t let me...”
If I went two or three days without doing anything, my head would start to throb as if it were splitting apart.
A voice that wasn’t a voice would begin whispering inside my mind.
――Take up your sword.
――Face powerful enemies.
――Dye your sword with blood.
Even with my ears covered, I could still hear that voice.
It was impossible to escape that voice.
“I am fated to keep fighting until I die――that is my destiny.”
The path I walk is stained with blood.
It has been that way in the past, and it will be from now on...
This is my curse, my Gift.
Rento-san was the first person I’d told about my cursed Gift.
I never thought anyone would understand, even if I told them, so I’d never been able to tell anyone.
I told Rento-san because I thought he might understand.
Maybe it was because I was weak after being abandoned just moments ago.
The response I got was unexpected.
“I’ve had my share of trouble with my Gift, too.”
I caught my breath.
I stared intently at Rento-san’s face.
For the first time, I really looked at Rento-san’s face.
I caught a glimpse of the unfathomably deep shadow lurking beneath his smile.
“Would you like to join my party?”
He said it with a smile.
Those were the words I’d wanted to hear.
More than anything, they were the words I’d wanted to hear.
And yet, I still hesitated.
I tried to cobble together an excuse.
I was afraid, after all.
I was afraid to trust other people.
But Rento-san addressed my excuses one by one.
He didn’t lash out at me or issue orders in a domineering tone.
He spoke to me gently, with sincerity.
“I’m not asking you to trust me right away. Why don’t you give it a try for just one day?”
Just one day.
Hearing him say that made my heart waver.
If it didn’t work out, that was okay.
He made sure I had a way out.
That must be Rento-san’s kindness.
I was lonely on my own.
I didn’t want to look at myself covered in blood all alone anymore.
“...I understand.”
I clung to Rento-san’s kindness.