The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
In a certain mansion, there was a small room.
A statue modeled after a god had been erected there, and an altar had been prepared as well.
Kneeling in front of it and offering her prayers was a woman… Mina.
“……”
Three times a day.
At fixed times, Mina would offer prayers to God.
Aggas and Lin had died.
Not only that, but just as they had once done to Rain, they themselves had now been expelled from the royal capital.
To make matters worse, they had even been placed on the wanted list.
How had things ended up like this?
They were supposed to be the Hero’s party.
They were supposed to carry the noble mission of defeating the Demon King.
And yet, what was this situation?
Wasn’t it unfair, unequal… unreasonable?
“Please tell me, O God…”
Mina asked God for an answer, but none came.
Silence.
That was all.
After finishing her prayer, Mina slowly stood up.
She walked over to the window and quietly looked up at the sky.
The sky was heavily overcast, as though it might begin raining at any moment.
“What… will become of us from now on?”
Thanks to Monica, they had somehow managed to escape.
But that was all.
There was not the slightest prospect of rebuilding, and they had no idea what they should do next.
Mina felt anxious.
They had to reclaim the title of Hero as soon as possible.
And then they had to resume their journey to defeat the Demon King.
“Otherwise… what was it all for…?”
Mina was an orphan.
By the time she became aware of the world, her parents were already gone, and she had been taken in and raised by the church.
She had heard that her parents had died after being attacked by monsters.
Perhaps that was why.
Mina began to dream of a peaceful world without monsters, and more than anyone else, she devoted herself to praying to God.
There wasn’t much she herself could do.
But at the very least, she could offer prayers.
Believing that one day those prayers would reach God…
Day after day after day, she continued to pray.
Before she knew it, she had become the person with the strongest magical power in the entire church.
Offering prayers was similar to training one’s magic…
And because Mina prayed more fervently than anyone else, she had inadvertently gained great power.
Then Mina’s life reached a turning point.
The church told her to begin training in order to become a companion to the Hero.
Should she remain in the church and continue offering prayers?
Or should she become a member of the Hero’s party and set out on a journey to save the world?
Mina hesitated over which to choose…
But in the end, she decided to follow the church’s wishes and aim to join the Hero’s party.
After that, every day was nothing but training.
She didn’t have even a single minute of free time.
Aside from eating and sleeping, nearly all her time was devoted to training.
There were times when she thought it was painful.
However, the stronger she became, the more the church placed its expectations on her.
It was like a child being praised by their parents and trying even harder.
For Mina, who had no parents, the church filled that same role.
Without complaining, Mina continued her harsh training…
And eventually, she acquired power said to be the greatest in the history of the church.
She was even able to join the Hero’s party.
However… somewhere along the way, her ideals had been distorted.
“With my power, I will support Arios, bring peace to the world… and prosperity to the church.”
When she was young, she had wished only for world peace.
But through the church’s influence, that pure wish had been twisted.
If someone from the church joined the Hero’s party, the church’s status would rise even further.
They would gain great honor and wealth.
Those shallow people thought only of such things, while publicly claiming it was all for world peace…
They turned Mina into a convenient pawn for their own purposes.
Without realizing it, without becoming aware of it, Mina simply kept moving forward.
Without looking back, without looking to either side…
As a priestess representing the church, she resolved to fulfill her duty as a member of the Hero’s party.
With determination and fervor, she pressed on.
And yet, this was the result.
“What… should I do…?”
She had traveled in accordance with the mission given to her by the church.
But now, that connection with the church was gone.
She had to think for herself and act on her own…
But Mina had never done such a thing before, and she had absolutely no idea what to do.
She was like a lost child.
All she could do was panic, tremble, and grow flustered.
As long as she remained lost, she could not arrive at the right answer.
She had obeyed the church without question…
And as a result, she had abandoned thinking for herself.
“I… I…”
“Excuse me.”
Suddenly, the door opened and Monica appeared.
Mina forcibly calmed her shaken heart and turned around as if nothing had happened.
“Ms. Monica, what is it?”
“There’s something I must inform Lord Arios and you about… Where is Lord Arios?”
“I heard he went out for a short walk… What is it about?”
“I see. Then perhaps I should tell you first, Ms. Mina. Actually…”
Monica wore a serious expression.
However, she was smiling inside as she spoke.
“It seems that a new Hero has been appointed… not Lord Arios.”
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