Chapter 1: A Matter of Ingredients

From the moment I transmigrated into this body five years ago, I had one unwavering belief:

Never get involved with the hero’s party.

The protagonists of the novel, they were, and would continue to be, entangled in countless incidents. Each incident alone was enough to exhaust one’s body and mind, and yet they occurred one after another.

As someone who preferred staying comfortably indoors rather than wandering around outside, both in my past and present life, this was a rule I would never break.

However, unfortunately, living comfortably required a suitable amount of money. And to earn that money, I needed rare magic ingredients.

Ultimately…

“I want to join the party.”

“Huh?”

A handsome man with sharp features and uncommon black hair.

The protagonist of this world, the leader of the hero’s party, the man destined to defeat the Demon King and save the world.

I spoke to the hero, Aswell. I told him I wanted to join his party.

The hero, who was contemplating accepting a quest at the Adventurer’s Guild, stared at me with bewildered eyes.

“Uh… are you perhaps undera…”

“I’m not underage. I’m a mage.”

Even if I was short, being mistaken for a minor was too much. As I reacted with a cold stare, the hero hurriedly corrected himself.

“Ah, oh! I see. Um, you’re a mage?”

“Yes.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Aswell, though I’ve been undeservedly given the title of hero. Shall we sit down and talk?”

Despite my sudden appearance, the hero treated me kindly. He led me to a seating area in a corner of the guild.

I sipped the drink the hero offered me and observed him.

“Do you live around here?”

“No. I was near the capital.”

“Really? You made it here well.”

“The hero’s party’s movements are known everywhere. Can we get to the main point?”

“Ah, yes.”

Currently, the hero’s party consisted of four members.

The hero, Aswell, the leader, in charge of attack and defense. The saintess, who strengthened the party with healing and buffs. The archer, who attacked and supported from the rear. And finally, the knight, who was in charge of frontline attacks alongside the hero while also protecting the two in the rear.

Of course, the three members besides Aswell were heroines. From the current situation, it might seem like the archer could handle ranged attacks, but mages and archers played different roles.

The archer, practically a ranged assassin, specialized in small-scale combat. On the other hand, the basic image of a mage was someone who could dominate large-scale battles.

The current hero’s party lacked a heroine, or rather, a person, who could handle such large-scale firepower, so the hero needed a mage.

“I certainly feel the absence of a mage. However…”

“I understand your concerns.”

“Huh?”

“I haven’t shown you my skills yet, and considering what you’ve been through in the past year, it’s understandable that you can’t easily accept a new companion.”

The hero’s party’s exploits were heard throughout the empire. Their skills were well-known, but they knew nothing about me.

“First of all, I’m not a combat mage.”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t provide the large-scale firepower the hero desired. Something similar was possible, but the role I had in mind was different.

“Haven’t you been feeling like your equipment is lacking lately?”

“…It’s not unusable, but I can’t say it’s perfect.”

The hero honestly confessed their situation. Over the past year, they had grown to the point where the word ‘dramatic’ could be used.

While their growth couldn’t be measured with specific numbers, it could be seen as roughly a level up.

For a mage, it was like going from second circle to third or fourth circle. With increased power, their weapons and armor, their “clothes,” wouldn’t fit properly, which must be quite uncomfortable.

“I can take care of that part.”

“Equipment? Uh… are you a blacksmith by any chance, and I misheard?”

“No, I’m a mage.”

As proof, I extended my hand and cast a simple spell. The hero, though his eyes were filled with questions, nodded in acknowledgment.

“Well, let me show you briefly.”

I waved my hand, opening a rift in space, and took out a glove from within.

“W-wait, what did you just…”

“These are gloves with protective magic. I mainly enchant equipment like this or create magic tools.”

The witch heroine would handle the large-scale firepower anyway.

I just needed to utilize my specialty and support the hero’s party. And my specialty was research and technological development.

“So, if you allow me to join, I can repair and upgrade the equipment the party is currently using, or even make new ones.”

I could make enough for four people.

I showed the hero the piles of prototype equipment beyond the spatial rift. The hero’s eyes seemed to waver.

“Uh, um…”

“If this isn’t enough to convince you, I can use large-scale magic, though I don’t prefer it…”

“Oh, no! It’s not that I don’t believe you. Well, I do have some doubts, but…”

The hero, with a flustered expression, stopped me as I tried to stand up. He asked me to close the space first, so I closed the rift.

“Um… why do you want to join our party?”

“Huh?”

“…Shall I be honest?”

“I would appreciate it.”

“To get ingredients.”

“Ingredients?”

“Yes. I thought I could obtain various rare magic ingredients through the hero’s party’s journey.”

It would be nice to earn some money as well. That was my only goal. I had no desire to become personally close with the hero’s party.

“Then couldn’t you just request us to get them in exchange for equipment?”

“I need to see and select them myself, or even dismantle them.”

That way, the freshness of the ingredients could be maintained, maximizing their original effectiveness.

At my words, the hero seemed to ponder for a moment.

“Hmm… To be honest, as the leader of the party, this is a very good offer. However, I think it’s unfair that you would receive so little in return for what we get.”

Wow.

Look at his heart. As expected of a hero, refusing an unfair contract that would benefit him.

He was truly a good person. I could vaguely understand why so many people, heroines aside, liked him.

“So, rather than joining the party…”

“Then just listen to one more thing.”

“What is it…?”

“Exclude me from night watch and cooking duty. I’m terrible at both.”

For the hero’s party, who spent most of their journey outdoors, these two activities took up a significant portion of their time.

So, to be excluded from both duties? Even I thought I was asking for a lot.

“Is that truly all you want…?”

“Yes. I only need the ingredients.”

“Hmm… Alright. If you don’t need to stop anywhere else, would you like to come to the inn where we’re staying?”

So, I passed.

I breathed a sigh of relief, unbeknownst to the hero, and stood up to follow him.

“I’ve already packed my luggage, so I can go right away.”

I wasn’t the type to leave my things behind, so I could go as I was.

“Ah… subspace… I understand. This way.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, by the way, may I know your name? We’ll be working together from now on, so I think it would be easier to communicate if I knew.”

“…Call me Rui.”

“Rui. Alright.”

“You don’t have to be so formal. I’m younger than you.”

“…Okay, Rui. You can drop the formalities with me too.”

“I’m more comfortable this way.”

After a short while, we arrived at the inn where the hero’s party was staying. Perhaps because they were directly supported by the imperial family, there seemed to be no other guests at the inn.

Creak.

The door opened, and I followed the hero, who was taller than me, inside.

“Everyone! We have a new member joining the party! Everyone, listen up!”

One from the stairs, one from the dining table, and one from the door connected to the training grounds. Three gazes were directed at me.

“…I’m Rui, the new mage. Pleased to meet you.”

I bowed slightly with my greeting, feeling a bit stiff after not having done so for a while. Then, I slowly raised my head and observed the three people looking at me.

Just like the illustrations in the original novel.

A human saintess with gentle features and blonde hair, dressed in clothes that truly embodied the presence of a cleric. An elf archer with long, pointed ears and green hair, unlike the saintess. And finally, a human knight with sky-blue hair, equipped with a sword and armor like the hero.

They all possessed faces and figures worthy of being heroines. Whether in the modern world or this one, these three, who would likely receive the affection and love of many men, had their hearts set on the hero standing right in front of me.

And the gazes they, who loved the hero so much, directed at me, who had come with him, held one common emotion:

Wariness.

But I wanted to tell the heroines:

Don’t worry. That will absolutely never happen. You don’t need to be wary of me. On the contrary, I will help you end up with the hero.

I guarantee, I will be the only person in the hero’s party who doesn’t marry the hero.

“Wait, Aswell. A new companion?”

And so it began. The interest in the new companion.

It started with the green-haired elf archer.