6. She Who Disappeared
“What do you mean, Lexia’s gone?”
A short time after Lexia’s disappearance, Meik, who had returned, turned her sharp gaze on Act. Act, on the other hand, responded calmly, showing no signs of agitation.
“I don’t know. When I came back from my patrol, she was gone.”
Despite having disposed of Lexia with his own hands, Act remains calm.
“There are no signs of any monsters approaching. That’s why we went to the trouble of choosing a safe place. So why would Lexia disappear? There’s no way she would act alone…”
“I don’t know about that. She’s been having a rough time lately, hasn’t she?”
“…… What do you mean by that?”
“So I’m just saying, maybe she went home alone.”
“What are you talking about?”
At Act’s words, Meik’s expression becomes grim.
Clearly frustrated – Eddie stepped in to mediate between them.
“What’s the point of us fighting each other? It’s true that Lexia is gone. If there are no signs that she was attacked by a monster, at least that means she acted on her own.”
“I agree. Well, it’s too early to decide that she’s gone home.”
Ritoa agrees with Eddie. Unlike Meik, the two are adults– they would not immediately panic over the disappearance of one of their party members.
But Meik was different.
“There’s no way Lexia would leave without saying anything to me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. She was pushing herself too hard… Fortunately, with the route we’ve secured, it shouldn’t be too difficult for her to get back on her own.”
“But that doesn’t mean it’s safe, even though Lexia doesn’t have the strength to fight alone.”
“Yes, I think that’s why she disappeared.”
“……? What do you mean?”
“She… Lexia was a liability at our party. I think we all understand that, don’t we? So—”
“ACT”
Meik calls out Act’s name. Then, for the first time, Act looked slightly agitated.
Because Meik’s look was mixed with murderous intent.
“You, are getting a little annoying. Lexia was a liability? That’s not true.”
“…… You didn’t think so, huh?”
“Of course not. I’m not going to repeat myself. I’m about to get…… really angry.”
“Calm down, both of you. We need to decide what to do first.”
“I agree. Lexia was the healer in our party.”
“But our party hardly had any injuries. Covering them with potions was enough. However, I am really worried that she is not here. So—”
“I’m gonna look for Lexia.”
“…… What did you say?”
“I said, I’m looking for Lexia. If she’s gone back alone, she’ll still be nearby. I can catch up with her from here.”
Meik’s expression was serious. She hasn’t given up on Lexia at all.
Act clicked his tongue at that attitude.
――Even though she’s no longer in this world, Act knows that it’s pointless to search for someone who doesn’t exist.
“What will you do when you find her? Will you bring her back against her will?”
“You don’t know if she doesn’t like it or not.”
“I know. Just by looking at how much pain she’s in.”
“That’s… tte?”
For the first time, Meik is at a loss for words. The truth is that she herself understands this.
Lexia isn’t fit to be here ――and it would be strange to bring her here just because ‘she’s a friend’.
“She must have left for your sake. In that case, should you go after her?”
“……”
Meik doesn’t answer Act’s question.
After a few moments of silence, Meik answers with a determined look on his face:
“I’m going to find Lexia. That’s my decision. If you have a problem with it, we can disband here.”
“…… haha, you’re such a hard case.”
“If Meik decides so, I’ll follow.”
“Me too. The leader of this party is Meik.”
“If you insist that much, I’ll comply. In return, may I add a …… condition?”
“…… Condition?”
“It’s simple. Three days――If you can’t find Lexia after three days, give up on her. Then I want you to take a new healer into the party. Someone who is strong and capable of fighting.”
Meik’s eyes hardened at Act’s words. Giving up was not an option for her.
However, the other members of the group nodded in agreement with Act’s words.
“Certainly, we can’t search endlessly. Our goal is to defeat Lochness and reclaim this land.”
“Exactly. Meik, as Act said, why don’t we set a deadline of three days?”
“…… Well, okay. In three days, I’ll find Lexia.”
As expected, Meik nodded in agreement with Eddie and Ritoa.
They were by no means a party for a short period of time.
Meik herself seemed to have confidence in these two. The only one she seems to be low in trust is Act, but Act himself understands that.
(I don’t need you to trust me. But Meik… you are a capable Hero. As long as you forget about trash like Lexia, this party can become stronger. That’s enough to make me a hero.)
For Act, the party members were of no importance.
He wanted to create a party that was stronger than anyone else’s and become a hero ――that was his goal.
Sads Translates 
Jeez I knew Act was bad but good lord, for personal gain you’d go and kill Lexia. Hope she gets out of the abyss fast enough.
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