Chapter 1: The Day Ryan Left Dawn

“So… you mean I’ve been kicked out?”

In a small base in Ilid, a frontier town in the Shattered Lands, Ryan stopped writing his mission report.

The tip of his quill left a tiny blot of ink on the white paper, as abrupt as the silence that had fallen over the room.

He stared straight at the pink-haired, golden-eyed girl sitting at the head of the table.

Her name was Camuanna, the captain of the adventurer party “Dawn,” and Ryan’s childhood friend whom he had grown up with.

“What do the others think?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Ryan laughed at himself.

Aside from Ryan and Anna, there were only two other members in the party.

One of them was Camuanna’s older sister, and the two sisters naturally stood together, so there was no need to ask.

The other girl had never exactly been fond of him, either.

Come to think of it, perhaps the others’ opinions weren’t all that important.

He shook his head with a bitter smile.

“Then what’s the reason?”

“Because I rejected your plan again?”

Irritation appeared on the girl’s face.

“You knew perfectly well that route would take us straight to the center of the ruins, so why didn’t you tell me?!”

Ryan explained, “Because that route isn’t safe. We haven’t scouted it beforehand, so we don’t even know whether there are any traps.”

“But apart from us, the Aeolia Kingdom, there are adventurers from all sorts of other countries keeping an eye on these ruins! Do you have any idea?!”

Ryan thought for a moment.

“I know… But compared to that, I’m more worried about your safe—”

“Slap!”

“That’s enough!”

Camuanna slammed her palm onto the meeting table, and several cracks immediately spread across its surface.

Camuanna was on the verge of losing her temper.

“It’s always like this!

“Why do you insist on going against me all the time?! What would it hurt to listen to me just once?!”

“Who exactly is the captain of this party, you or me?!”

****

“…”

“…”

Silence lingered for a moment.

“Phew…”

After calming herself down, Camuanna pulled out a document and abruptly tossed it across the table.

“Those are only part of the reasons.”

The document slid across the smooth tabletop before stopping beside Ryan’s hand.

“The most important reason is this, the ruins exploration plan for this joint operation between the three kingdoms has already been delayed for far too long.”

“Someone else has already beaten us to the exploration of the first floor. So when it comes to breaking through the second floor, we have to show results.”

“Whether Dawn can be promoted to an A-rank adventurer party depends on this operation. And all these years, you’ve done nothing but lock yourself in your room and study all those useless old documents. You’re only LV9. You can’t provide the party with much of a boost in combat power at all. So, do you understand now?”

Her voice grew quieter toward the end, but Ryan knew exactly what she meant.

She needed a teammate who was more useful.

And stronger.

Ryan lowered his head and stared at the “Personnel Transfer Application” in his hands, speechless for a moment.

Camuanna planted both hands on the table and looked down at Ryan, trying to make herself appear more imposing.

“Sign it.”

“I’ve already picked out your replacement. I can have the guild transfer you to a logistics position. That would suit you better. And you… you’d have more time to do the things you actually want to do.”

The things he wanted to do…

Memories surged uncontrollably into his mind.

****

“Are you Ryan Nyx? My name is Camuanna. You’re interested in adventuring too, right? Let’s do it together!”

The girl’s earnest promise still seemed to echo in his ears.

Because of that promise, he had accepted her invitation and joined her in forming the original “Dawn.”

They had once been partners who worked together seamlessly, companions who could entrust their backs to one another.

It was true that Ryan had things he wanted to do.

And when he had first joined the party, it hadn’t been merely to accompany his childhood friend.

But when those words came from her mouth, they somehow sounded like charity.

Like pity.

When had the girl standing before him become so different from the one in his memories?

She had devoted more and more of her time to training the party and exploring ruins, constantly talking about “honor” and “reputation.”

Her methods had grown increasingly aggressive and impulsive, and as a result, she and Ryan had gotten into arguments countless times.

They also had fewer and fewer things to talk about.

“If that’s the case…”

Ryan raised his head and finally made up his mind.

“Then there’s no need to make things so complicated.”

Seeing Ryan give in, the tension in Camuanna’s body eased slightly.

However, what happened next was completely beyond her expectations.

The tip of Ryan’s pen did not fall on the transfer section of the personnel form.

Instead, at the very bottom, he smoothly signed his name on the line that read, “Voluntary Withdrawal from the Party.”

Ryan Nyx.

His handwriting was clear and unmistakable.

Yet those few small words stabbed into Camuanna’s heart like a needle.

“You… What do you mean by this? Don’t pull something like this on me. Do you think I’m going to feel sorry for you just because you do this? It’s just intelligence work! It’s not important at all! I can manage perfectly well without you!”

Those casually spoken words completely disappointed Ryan.

What he did was far more than mere intelligence work.

Aside from gathering information before expeditions and planning their operations, he was also responsible for handling the aftermath and coordinating and negotiating with the Adventurer’s Guild.

During the party’s rise, their achievements had been so dazzling that they had gradually become potential targets for everyone else.

Ryan had been the one to step forward and settle all of those problems.

These were battles far removed from the actual battlefield, yet no less bloody.

Ryan had silently shouldered all of it for the party.

And now, all of it had been dismissed as “not important at all.”

Ryan wasn’t particularly surprised that this day had finally arrived.

He had already anticipated such a scene after his very first argument with Camuanna.

He had, once again…

Been abandoned.

Utterly disheartened, Ryan no longer wanted to say anything else.

He pushed the signed document back across the table, then stood up and casually gathered his belongings.

“I’m a little tired. I think I’ll take some time off.”

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in his movements.

He was serious.

Camuanna began to panic.

She had imagined that Ryan might object, or even get into a huge fight with her.

Although the two of them were no longer as close as they once had been, she had never imagined that Ryan would make such a choice.

So decisive.

So utterly without room for negotiation.

But now that things had come this far, she couldn’t bring herself to take back her words.

Camuanna’s voice suddenly became hysterical.

“Ten years! It’s been almost ten years! I’ve been with you for all this time! You’ve always cared only about yourself! Have you ever thought about how I feel?!”

Ryan’s footsteps paused, but he didn’t turn around.

“We left Aeolia together. We left our home and came to this place known as paradise for adventurers. I’ve been with you for all this time too…”

His voice was soft, yet it carried clearly into Camuanna’s ears.

“But you were the one who abandoned me first, weren’t you?”

The door gently closed, and the meeting room fell into darkness once more, leaving only the candle flames hanging on either side to flicker faintly.

Only then did Camuanna realize…

He was really gone.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH—!”

Camuanna could no longer control her emotions and slammed her fist onto the table once again.

The poor meeting table finally gave out and collapsed into a pile of wreckage.

****

After closing the meeting-room door behind him, Ryan let out a somewhat helpless laugh.

He even felt a little relieved, as though he had finally cast off a burden he had carried for years.

Just as he opened the door on the first floor, he saw a small hand raised high in preparation to knock.

“Ah! Sorry!”

Fortunately, the girl noticed what was happening in time and avoided knocking Ryan on the forehead.

Ryan took a closer look.

Standing before him was a petite girl.

She had long, silky light-gray hair, neatly tied into a ponytail at the back, while the rest of her hair fell naturally around her shoulders, swaying gently in the breeze.

She wore a brand-new uniform that fit her perfectly, stretching tautly across her chest.

Her long, slender legs were clad in black stockings, and her knee-high boots were polished to a brilliant shine.

Her entire appearance exuded a sharp, almost piercing aura.

Most striking of all were her pink eyes, so pure that they seemed completely devoid of impurity.

“Excuse me… Is this the base of the Dawn party?”

Her voice was distinctive, carrying the soft warmth unique to a young girl, yet possessing a firmness far beyond her age.

Ryan immediately guessed her identity.

So this was the person who had come to replace him.

Unexpectedly, she seemed pretty… impressive.

Although the girl before him was petite, she looked nothing like the weak and delicate person her appearance might suggest.

Even though Ryan was a full head taller than her, he faintly felt as though her presence was overpowering his own.

Camuanna had always had a good eye, whether when choosing missions or choosing people.

Anyone she took a liking to was bound to be someone as outstanding as herself.

An indescribable sense of self-mockery welled up inside him.

He had only just been kicked out, and the person replacing him was already standing at the door.

It seemed Camuanna had hated him even more than he had imagined.

Ryan smiled helplessly.

He raised a hand and pointed toward the beautiful little Western-style house behind him.

“Yes, this is the place. But I’d recommend waiting a little while before going in.”

“Huh?”

A hint of confusion appeared on Olivia’s face.

Ryan shrugged and reminded her in the tone of someone speaking from experience.

“Miss Anna probably isn’t in the best mood right now. She’s busy tearing the place apart inside. If you go in now, there’s a good chance you’ll become her punching bag.”

“Eh?”

At the words “tearing the place apart,” Olivia’s eyes widened.

The sharp aura around her collapsed like a balloon punctured by a needle.

She seemed to have trouble imagining what the scene inside could possibly look like.

But she quickly recovered and gave Ryan a slight bow in thanks.

“Thank you for the warning. I understand.”

She paused, then proactively extended her hand.

The white glove covering it was spotless.

“My name is Olivia Nozia. May I ask if you’re also a member of the Dawn party?”

Ryan did not take her hand.

He merely gave the building one last look—the building that had carried so many years of his youth.

Then he turned around and walked toward the other end of the street without looking back.

He didn’t turn around.

He simply waved his hand casually over his shoulder.

“Not anymore.”

Those few light words completely severed the last thread connecting him to the Dawn party.

Olivia’s outstretched hand froze in midair as she stared blankly at the figure walking farther and farther away.

She murmured softly, “What a strange person…”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Desert Island Romance

Boys LoveComedyModern Setting

Read Now →
Not interested