I Became the Hero Who Banished the Protagonist

*** Arjen’s POV ***
“So, you’re the legendary mercenary?”
“Yup, I am that mercenary.”
         
From the start, Arjen didn’t like the Hero. Perhaps the Hero who greeted him felt the same way. They both knew it. The Hero was unreasonable and impulsive, and I could not stand it. It wasn’t until they had defeated the Third Disaster and returned to the Capital in high spirits that their conflict reached its climax.
        
“Arjen, leave the party.”
“What?”
“I thought about it during our last expedition. I’ve concluded that this party can function well enough without you.”
         
He was telling me to leave. Did I hear that correctly? He sounded arrogant. Well, he wasn’t only vain, as I would have been angry if that were the case. There was a hint of anxiety in the Hero’s voice as he glared at me, his dull turquoise eyes wavering. As usual, the Hero’s office was unlit and dark. I barked out a hollow laugh.
         
“Right, right, let’s hear it for a reason.”
         
Had he let his guard down after defeating the Third Disaster? Did he think he’d single-handedly defeated the creature just because he’d struck the final blow? He glared into the Hero’s eyes with the eyes of a beast.
         
“You’re so selfish. Don’t you realize you will tear our entire party apart if you don’t submit to my control?”
“Why are you like this? Even since the beginning, you have been like this.”
         
Arjen said with anger felt in every word. Still, as if he still had any pride left, the so-called Hero gritted his teeth, contorting every facial muscle he could.
        
“That’s what I want to say. Explain why you never obeyed a single order, not once, from beginning to end?”
“If you deserved obedience, then I would have. You’re an incompetent asshole.”
“And you’re the one judging my worthiness?”
         
Crack
         
The floor I stood on shattered. The torrent of mana surged with uncontrollable force, and the Hero drew upon his own mana to meet it. At first, we seemed evenly matched, but my momentum grew stronger, threatening to consume the Hero.

“You have eyes but refuse to see, so you must be blind.”
“Then you must be deaf, for you have ears and refuse to hear.”
         
The tension increased as if to burst the room. I wanted to pour out more mana, raising my output, but I realized there was no reason to stay in the party, so I pulled back. I had no sense of duty in the first place. I didn’t have much affection for this world, and I hated having to travel the world with this bastard all the time.
         
“Well, good luck with that.”
         
I said farewell and turned away. It seemed a waste of time to say more. The Hero had driven me out, and he would be the one to bear all the blame. I had done nothing wrong. I grasped the doorknob and looked back at the Hero. ‘I wonder how long you can keep those arrogant eyes for.’
         
“I’m not sure how long your confidence will last.”
         
I paused as he opened the door. After throwing everything out there, one thing still held me back. Iris. The Saintess who had stood with me against the Hero with his head in the flowers, a man who knew nothing of the real world, and a comrade-in-arms who had suffered more.
         
Iris.
         
I gritted my teeth again as I remembered her eyes and her smile. It bothered me that I had to leave her behind, but it would be better if I didn’t say anything, lest it put her in an awkward position.
         
“At least, don’t bother the rest of the party.”
         
Bang
         
I left a note behind, packed my things, and hopped into a night carriage. No matter what, I wanted to leave the kingdom and the country that had taken my life of freedom and forced me to serve that rat-haired Hero.
       
“I won’t be a mercenary again for a while.”
         
Inside the rattling wagon, Arjen rolled his eyes. At the edge of the starry night sky, the lights of the royal road glowed faintly. I cast a hateful glance toward the city, then closed my eyes.
         
“Let’s be adventurers for a while.”
         
I pushed the image of Iris’s face out of my mind. At least I left a note, so she knows what happened.

*** Iris’ POV ***
I was the first member of the Hero Party. Before Elroy was chosen by the Holy Sword and given the title of Hero, I was already fulfilling my duties as the Saintess. Knowing nothing of destructive magic or swords, all I needed to become a Saintess was mana with healing properties.

“Ah…, Saintess, thank you… thank you!”
“I thought I would be a one-armed man for the rest of my life… Thank you….”
         
Broken bones, a hole in the stomach spilling out entrails, severed limbs, gouged-out eyeballs. My magic could heal it all as long as it wasn’t a decapitation. As soon as the Holy State realized my talent, they made me the face of the church and gave me the unflattering nickname of Saintess. Despite the title, I was very proud of my duties.
         
“… I’m going to defeat the Disasters?”
         
The narrow-eyed bishop, who always had a benevolent smile, nodded.
         
“This was decided at the meeting between the Kingdom of Kairos and the Holy Land. The chosen one has appeared, and the people of the realm already call him the Hero.”
         
My blue eyes widened at the word ‘Hero.’ The bishop gave a small chuckle at my reaction. The dull glow of the candlelight blurred the bishop’s smile. The bishop sighed softly, turning his head toward the relief on the wall where my shadow was growing.
        
“It had to be done at some point, even in the Holy Land… or, more accurately, in our Church. The fact that the Kingdom of Kairos, which holds the Holy Sword, made the first offer was welcome. In this case, the Holy Land will recommend you, Iris, to assist the Hero.”
         
I had always lived for duty, so this was nothing special. I nodded confidently. I doubt anyone would have a stronger sense of duty than I do. Even if it was the Hero chosen by the Holy Sword.
        
“So, I’ll be traveling alone with him?”
“Not a chance. The Kingdom of Kairos will mobilize all its forces to support this expedition. Once they realize our cause, other countries will also roll up their sleeves and help.”
         
Despite the bishop’s reassurances, I couldn’t help but worry about the support of other nations; I doubted that they would understand the meaning of the expedition and support it properly.
         
Well, no one could have known what would have happened next. The one that put the party at the most risk was the Hero themself.
         
“I’ll go first.”
“No, you go in the back. I’ll go first.”
         
The Hero was self-righteous and selfish. He never listened to the opinions of his party, and whenever there was a problem, he always drew his vaunted holy sword. He has a short temper, and more than once, he put the party in danger by charging at monsters.
         
“Stay out of it.”
         
The Hero was not weak. But he was weaker than even the mercenaries who had joined them along the way. Worst of all, the mercenary made him feel entitled and inferior. The Hero’s party’s journey to defeat the Third Disaster could be summarized as a battle of egos between the Hero and the mercenary, with the only difference being that the Hero had his own ego to protect, and the mercenary had no ego to protect.
         
It was only natural that the Saintess would rely on the mercenary more than the Hero.
         
My resentment toward the Hero grew as I wondered, ‘Why did such a weak man become a hero, and wouldn’t the journey have been easier without him?’ All the while, he continued to express his fondness for me openly, thinking he was being smooth. In fact, this was one of the hardest things to bear.
        
Still, if Arjen were there, it would be bearable.
         
And only a few days after they repelled the Third Disaster, I received the news from Georg that was like thunder ringing in the middle of blue skies.
         
“He kicked him out? Arjen?”
         
It was a no-brainer. I hurried to the Hero’s home with Georg in hot pursuit. Opening the door, I unleashed a torrent of complaints on the Hero. No, it wasn’t a complaint; it was the reality of this party. His face suddenly became blank as he listened to my words.
         
“Okay, if you’re just going to sit there like that, stupid and not explain anything, then I’m going to leave this damn party because I’d much rather be working for Arjen than you.”
         
I decided to leave to find Arjen. The Holy Sword and its owner were useless. If I were to continue her journey to save the world, I’d be far better off convincing Arjen to let me join than being stuck next to this damned Hero.
         
“Who says you can just walk out of this party?”
         
The Hero still seemed to think he was in control of the situation.         

“Ha! Who cares what you think? I can do as I please. You can’t keep me here, and you know it.”
“Wait-“
“That’s it; I don’t want to hear from you anymore. Unless you want to cause friction with the Holy Land, don’t chase or even look for me from now on.”

I know the Holy Kingdom would stand by my side. The failure of the Hero’s party without Arjen was inevitable. I would listen to any orders from the Kingdom of Kairos, except for staying by the Hero’s side again. Well, they have also given up on the Hero, so I doubt that will happen.
         
With that thought, I left.
         
***
         
Two weeks passed.
       
By now, Isis looked more like the average female adventurer than the Saintess. Wrapped in a cloak to hide from prying eyes, I sat in a tavern in a backwater town.
         
“…Wait, I’ll be right there.”
         
In my hand was a note from Arjen. In it, he briefly described his feud with the Hero, why he had left the party, and where he planned to go. I folded the note, stuffed it into my pocket, and sighed heavily.
         
“Oh, so you are from the kingdom?”
         
Just then, my ears picked up a conversation between the barkeep and a patron. I listened carefully to hear what they were talking about.
         
“Aye, sir. I’m not an adventurer, just arrived here today on a brief mission.”
“Anything interesting going on in the Capital lately? Is the Hero Party doing well?”
         
Hero party.
      
My blue eyes narrowed. I didn’t want to know, but it was information I needed to know.
       
The guest glanced around, then spoke in a lowered voice.
         
“Apparently, there’s been a major change in the members of the hero party this time. They said the Saintess and the Mercenary left.”
“Is that true? Why on earth would they….”
         
The customer gestured with a finger to his mouth, silencing the barkeep.
         
“Shhh. You’re the only one who should know about this, you know? I know about this because I work for the Royal Palace. It’s not something you can tell just anyone.”
“You know what, pick whatever you want to drink. I need to hear the story.”
         
I couldn’t help but giggle at her guest’s following words.
         
“Aside from those things, the Hero’s Party is having a lot of trouble this time, so they’re holding a hearing at the Palace.”