After all, every job requires a sense of ‘fulfilment.’
The satisfaction, exhilaration, and pride that rush in after completing a task are the very essence of motivation and purpose.
And to feel such fulfilment, ‘recognition’ is necessary.
Only when people acknowledge you can you feel a sense of fulfilment yourself.
Of course, there may be some peculiar individuals who don’t care for recognition.
But at least that wasn’t the case for the Hero.
Rather, the hero was filled with a desire for recognition.
Perhaps there was a childish aspect to it.
“I wonder if this would have any effect if I gave it to the hero?”
“Heheh, these folks. A day…? Heheh…”
If it’s long, it could be two days, and if it’s short, just one day.
Considering the hero’s magic resistance, even a day might be quite long.
It’s a feasible figure since it’s made by the mage.
“If I give this to the hero, would it prevent the hero from motivation?”
Up until now, I had only been thinking about ‘myself’ being kicked out of the party, but in reality, the hero was the centre of the hero party.
If no one acknowledges or appreciates anything she does…
“I don’t want to go on adventures where no one appreciates me! I quit being a hero!”
The problem is whether the hero’s mental state can hold up for that one day…
Maybe a day would be okay? After all, she is still a hero.
I put in the resentment potion in food myself.
As usual, the hero finished her meal happily and even chuckled.
“Thanks again today, Rogue!”
“Yeah, was it at least somewhat tasty?”
“Yeah!”
Soon, the effects of the resentment potion would kick in, and the likability of the hero would decrease.
It was a bit of a mean thing to do…
But I could always comfort her later.
Do I really need to?
Can’t I just let it be?
“Oh, so this is the effect.”
Suddenly, everything about the Hero began to feel annoying.
Her breath, scent, gestures… everything felt repulsive and difficult to bear.
Interacting with the hero felt incredibly unpleasant.
The effect is quite potent.
“…Hero, please leave.”
“Huh?”
“I’m feeling a bit tired… No, just stay away from me.”
“Why? What’s wrong, Rogue…? Are you hurt somewhere?”
Even after breaking through the hero’s magic resistance, the effect was this strong.
If I had taken it myself, others probably wouldn’t have stopped at just feeling this uncomfortable.
Maybe I would have ended up getting stabbed with a knife as I passed by.
As others began to add their own remarks, it became clear that the effects were being felt by more than just myself.
“Hero, don’t bother Rogue too much. Aren’t you always causing too much trouble for the Rogue?”
“Yeah…? Elf…?”
“The Goddess asked us to take good care of the Hero. Why does the hero pester the Rogue so much?”
“Saint? What’s gotten into you…?”
“Heheh.”
“Haha, the Hero is so childish… Maybe she should learn a bit more about maturity…?”
“…Hng.”
It didn’t seem much different from usual.
Come to think of it, they’re not the kind of people who would overtly change their attitude just because they dislike someone a bit more.
Despite being scolded a bit more than usual, their advice was no different from the usual concerns.
Thanks to the subtle nuance of the difference, the Hero seemed a bit more dejected than usual, but… so far, she seemed fine.
“Should we give up on the Great Labyrinth and just head back to the village for now?”
“Okay…”
But this was just the beginning.
The effects haven’t completely worn off yet, and there were still people in the village.
As we arrived at the village, people began to whisper about the hero.
“Hero… aren’t you a bit too mischievous?”
“Yeah. I heard you threw a frog at Tommy last time!”
What’s this all about?
“Hero… did you really throw a frog at a kid?”
“But Tommy threw one first!”
“Still, you should consider your age…”
“Tch…”
People started murmuring about each of the hero’s wrongdoings.
But the contents seemed oddly trivial, so it was difficult to call it criticism.
“Hero, why did you break the dart board?”
“I didn’t break it on purpose! I just threw it lightly, but it broke!”
“You should pay attention to controlling your strength…”
It seemed that the hero’s magic resistance was greater than imagined, so the effects weren’t quite as effective as expected.
Even so, the Hero who continued to receive scolding was choking up, so perhaps there was some achievement to be recognized.
“Sob… Rogue, you’re being too much today! I didn’t mean to do that on purpose…”
“Even if you didn’t mean to, wrong is still wrong.”
“Do you hate me, Rogue?”
“Huh?”
“Uh…?”
“To be honest, it’s bothersome and burdensome… I want to stop being part of the Hero party… I don’t want to travel with you anymore.”
No, the greatest achievement of the potion wasn’t that.
The greatest achievement was that I could be a little more honest with myself.
I became firm, and I didn’t even feel a hint of sympathy for the Hero’s choking.
Instead, I was feeling a bit triumphant or satisfied.
It’s a strange feeling.
“Why, why are you saying it like that…? I, I did wrong… sniff… so please don’t say it like that…”
“What did you do wrong?”
“…Everything.”
The Hero probably didn’t know what she did wrong.
No, she didn’t even know herself.
What wrong could she recognize, someone so immature that she couldn’t even hold any malice or hatred? She’s just being honest.
Honest with her emotions, her sticky loneliness, honest.
She didnt know about her mistakes like a Child.
That was the sin of innocence.
“In my opinion, it doesn’t seem like you’re reflecting at all, Hero.”
“…”
Knowing the Hero’s situation, I couldn’t be cruel to her.
That’s why I gladly accepted the effect of this potion.
I knew how deeply sad the Hero would feel, so I couldn’t be mean to her.
The Hero choked up.
Tears streamed down her face and overflowed onto the ground.
I gently stroked the Hero’s head.
I still hated the Hero, but when I thought about it, I always hated the Hero when she stopped me from being expelled.
I wasn’t even such an emotionally honest person to begin with.
“And, that hatred isn’t as big of a deal as I thought, so I want to reconcile. Maybe by tomorrow.”
“Why? Can’t we reconcile now?”
“I want you to regret, feel sad, and reflect for a day.”
“I, I don’t know what to reflect on. I just… want to be with the Rogue… want to adventure together, play together, live together for a long time, see each other every day… Is that wrong…?”
“Hero.”
“…”
“I like reading quietly in my room. Sometimes I want to spend time quietly farming in the countryside, and I feel comfortable wasting time staring at the ceiling alone. I get tired easily from doing things together, and I feel stifled when I’m too involved in something.”
“Shall I tell you about the other comrades too? The elf likes old stories. She likes stories that have become childish fairy tales to tell to children at bedtime, rather than stories from her own memories of history. Sometimes she gets excited. She may seem rough on the outside, but in fact, she easily panics and rushes in unexpected situations.”
“The saint takes every step as a divine command, but in reality, she doesn’t just hear the voice of the goddess. She has keen ears, always enjoying listening to everything we say one step ahead. Just as she is obedient to the goddess, she is also obedient to the people. Her gentleness is so sincere that sometimes she’s unaware of the fact that she exists. She prefers listening over speaking.”
“The Doctor…?”
“Is sensitive to beauty. In the scent of flowers, the sound of the wind brushing against petals, the sweetness of flower nectar, and the freshness of petals, she perceives beauty. The more time she spends observing slowly, the more beauty overlaps and spreads, turning the entire world into a vast garden. The sense of beauty permeates the soul before any other emotion, becoming an unforgettable peace even amidst any turmoil.”
“…?”
The Hero couldn’t speak.
She’s desperate.
Blinded by impulse that no one can stop.
“Hero. We don’t need to part ways for forever, but we don’t need to be together in every moment either. You world won’t end just because we hate you. Our world won’t end, and it’s not an irreversible relationship.”
“So let me hate you for a while. And let’s each take a moment to relax alone.”
“When you find your relaxation, I’ll remember that too. And let’s occasionally distinguish each other’s time so we can fully enjoy that relaxation.”
“My request to hate you, Hero.”
“…Got it.”
A day and a half passed, and the effects of the potion disappeared.
“Rogue…?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you hugging me…?”
“Just, let me be like this for a moment.”
Due to the recoil of the potion, my affection for the Hero increased significantly.
It doesn’t seem like a potion that should be used often.
“I, thought about what you said, Rogue.”
“Really? Well done. You’re our Hero after all.”
“Hehe. I thought about it, and I think it would be nice to have vacations.”
“Vacations?”
“Yeah! Just taking a break if you want to, taking a few days off from adventuring!”
The results were completely different from what was initially thought when using the potion… but this is a significant improvement nonetheless.
I was so touched that I kept petting the Hero. “You thought so hard. Well done. You’re so kind.”
“Hehehe…”
Unable to stop praising the Hero, I ended up praising her all day long.
After all, every job requires a sense of ‘fulfilment.’
The satisfaction, exhilaration, and pride that rush in after completing a task are the very essence of motivation and purpose.
And to feel such fulfilment, ‘recognition’ is necessary.
Only when people acknowledge you can you feel a sense of fulfilment yourself.
Of course, there may be some peculiar individuals who don’t care for recognition.
But at least that wasn’t the case for the Hero.
Rather, the hero was filled with a desire for recognition.
Perhaps there was a childish aspect to it.
“I wonder if this would have any effect if I gave it to the hero?”
“Heheh, these folks. A day…? Heheh…”
If it’s long, it could be two days, and if it’s short, just one day.
Considering the hero’s magic resistance, even a day might be quite long.
It’s a feasible figure since it’s made by the mage.
“If I give this to the hero, would it prevent the hero from motivation?”
Up until now, I had only been thinking about ‘myself’ being kicked out of the party, but in reality, the hero was the centre of the hero party.
If no one acknowledges or appreciates anything she does…
“I don’t want to go on adventures where no one appreciates me! I quit being a hero!”
The problem is whether the hero’s mental state can hold up for that one day…
Maybe a day would be okay? After all, she is still a hero.
I put in the resentment potion in food myself.
As usual, the hero finished her meal happily and even chuckled.
“Thanks again today, Rogue!”
“Yeah, was it at least somewhat tasty?”
“Yeah!”
Soon, the effects of the resentment potion would kick in, and the likability of the hero would decrease.
It was a bit of a mean thing to do…
But I could always comfort her later.
Do I really need to?
Can’t I just let it be?
“Oh, so this is the effect.”
Suddenly, everything about the Hero began to feel annoying.
Her breath, scent, gestures… everything felt repulsive and difficult to bear.
Interacting with the hero felt incredibly unpleasant.
The effect is quite potent.
“…Hero, please leave.”
“Huh?”
“I’m feeling a bit tired… No, just stay away from me.”
“Why? What’s wrong, Rogue…? Are you hurt somewhere?”
Even after breaking through the hero’s magic resistance, the effect was this strong.
If I had taken it myself, others probably wouldn’t have stopped at just feeling this uncomfortable.
Maybe I would have ended up getting stabbed with a knife as I passed by.
As others began to add their own remarks, it became clear that the effects were being felt by more than just myself.
“Hero, don’t bother Rogue too much. Aren’t you always causing too much trouble for the Rogue?”
“Yeah…? Elf…?”
“The Goddess asked us to take good care of the Hero. Why does the hero pester the Rogue so much?”
“Saint? What’s gotten into you…?”
“Heheh.”
“Haha, the Hero is so childish… Maybe she should learn a bit more about maturity…?”
“…Hng.”
It didn’t seem much different from usual.
Come to think of it, they’re not the kind of people who would overtly change their attitude just because they dislike someone a bit more.
Despite being scolded a bit more than usual, their advice was no different from the usual concerns.
Thanks to the subtle nuance of the difference, the Hero seemed a bit more dejected than usual, but… so far, she seemed fine.
“Should we give up on the Great Labyrinth and just head back to the village for now?”
“Okay…”
But this was just the beginning.
The effects haven’t completely worn off yet, and there were still people in the village.
As we arrived at the village, people began to whisper about the hero.
“Hero… aren’t you a bit too mischievous?”
“Yeah. I heard you threw a frog at Tommy last time!”
What’s this all about?
“Hero… did you really throw a frog at a kid?”
“But Tommy threw one first!”
“Still, you should consider your age…”
“Tch…”
People started murmuring about each of the hero’s wrongdoings.
But the contents seemed oddly trivial, so it was difficult to call it criticism.
“Hero, why did you break the dart board?”
“I didn’t break it on purpose! I just threw it lightly, but it broke!”
“You should pay attention to controlling your strength…”
It seemed that the hero’s magic resistance was greater than imagined, so the effects weren’t quite as effective as expected.
Even so, the Hero who continued to receive scolding was choking up, so perhaps there was some achievement to be recognized.
“Sob… Rogue, you’re being too much today! I didn’t mean to do that on purpose…”
“Even if you didn’t mean to, wrong is still wrong.”
“Do you hate me, Rogue?”
“Huh?”
“Uh…?”
“To be honest, it’s bothersome and burdensome… I want to stop being part of the Hero party… I don’t want to travel with you anymore.”
No, the greatest achievement of the potion wasn’t that.
The greatest achievement was that I could be a little more honest with myself.
I became firm, and I didn’t even feel a hint of sympathy for the Hero’s choking.
Instead, I was feeling a bit triumphant or satisfied.
It’s a strange feeling.
“Why, why are you saying it like that…? I, I did wrong… sniff… so please don’t say it like that…”
“What did you do wrong?”
“…Everything.”
The Hero probably didn’t know what she did wrong.
No, she didn’t even know herself.
What wrong could she recognize, someone so immature that she couldn’t even hold any malice or hatred? She’s just being honest.
Honest with her emotions, her sticky loneliness, honest.
She didnt know about her mistakes like a Child.
That was the sin of innocence.
“In my opinion, it doesn’t seem like you’re reflecting at all, Hero.”
“…”
Knowing the Hero’s situation, I couldn’t be cruel to her.
That’s why I gladly accepted the effect of this potion.
I knew how deeply sad the Hero would feel, so I couldn’t be mean to her.
The Hero choked up.
Tears streamed down her face and overflowed onto the ground.
I gently stroked the Hero’s head.
I still hated the Hero, but when I thought about it, I always hated the Hero when she stopped me from being expelled.
I wasn’t even such an emotionally honest person to begin with.
“And, that hatred isn’t as big of a deal as I thought, so I want to reconcile. Maybe by tomorrow.”
“Why? Can’t we reconcile now?”
“I want you to regret, feel sad, and reflect for a day.”
“I, I don’t know what to reflect on. I just… want to be with the Rogue… want to adventure together, play together, live together for a long time, see each other every day… Is that wrong…?”
“Hero.”
“…”
“I like reading quietly in my room. Sometimes I want to spend time quietly farming in the countryside, and I feel comfortable wasting time staring at the ceiling alone. I get tired easily from doing things together, and I feel stifled when I’m too involved in something.”
“Shall I tell you about the other comrades too? The elf likes old stories. She likes stories that have become childish fairy tales to tell to children at bedtime, rather than stories from her own memories of history. Sometimes she gets excited. She may seem rough on the outside, but in fact, she easily panics and rushes in unexpected situations.”
“The saint takes every step as a divine command, but in reality, she doesn’t just hear the voice of the goddess. She has keen ears, always enjoying listening to everything we say one step ahead. Just as she is obedient to the goddess, she is also obedient to the people. Her gentleness is so sincere that sometimes she’s unaware of the fact that she exists. She prefers listening over speaking.”
“The Doctor…?”
“Is sensitive to beauty. In the scent of flowers, the sound of the wind brushing against petals, the sweetness of flower nectar, and the freshness of petals, she perceives beauty. The more time she spends observing slowly, the more beauty overlaps and spreads, turning the entire world into a vast garden. The sense of beauty permeates the soul before any other emotion, becoming an unforgettable peace even amidst any turmoil.”
“…?”
The Hero couldn’t speak.
She’s desperate.
Blinded by impulse that no one can stop.
“Hero. We don’t need to part ways for forever, but we don’t need to be together in every moment either. You world won’t end just because we hate you. Our world won’t end, and it’s not an irreversible relationship.”
“So let me hate you for a while. And let’s each take a moment to relax alone.”
“When you find your relaxation, I’ll remember that too. And let’s occasionally distinguish each other’s time so we can fully enjoy that relaxation.”
“My request to hate you, Hero.”
“…Got it.”
A day and a half passed, and the effects of the potion disappeared.
“Rogue…?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you hugging me…?”
“Just, let me be like this for a moment.”
Due to the recoil of the potion, my affection for the Hero increased significantly.
It doesn’t seem like a potion that should be used often.
“I, thought about what you said, Rogue.”
“Really? Well done. You’re our Hero after all.”
“Hehe. I thought about it, and I think it would be nice to have vacations.”
“Vacations?”
“Yeah! Just taking a break if you want to, taking a few days off from adventuring!”
The results were completely different from what was initially thought when using the potion… but this is a significant improvement nonetheless.
I was so touched that I kept petting the Hero. “You thought so hard. Well done. You’re so kind.”
“Hehehe…”
Unable to stop praising the Hero, I ended up praising her all day long.
