After being banished by the hero, I decided to join another party – the revival of the legendary hero's team! However, the seductive heroine in her thirties clad in a bikini armor has a mysterious reason why she can't fight! - Episode 17

Just as the guild receptionist had warned, inconveniences kept piling up.

In the end, we couldn’t find any food in this town that tasted like what Fudra used to make.

There were dishes with the same names, sure, but the flavors were always just slightly off.

Fudra’s cooking was simply better.

On top of that, when we paid someone to draft up documents, they complained:

“Provide us with more accurate information.”

“We can’t write a proper report with this.”

The adventurers we hired kept saying things like that.

Fudra was undeniably very useful.

I had to admit it.

“Hey, what if we brought Fudra back?”

The words slipped out while we were resting at the inn.

But it was probably impossible.

He wouldn’t come back. He’d found his freedom and his girl; it was a life he wouldn’t want to give up.

Still, I couldn’t help feeling that I needed him.

“Dolman, that’s impossible now…”

“Yeah, it’s far too late for that.”

“It’s too late, Dolman…”

Why were they all looking so grim?

“No, it hasn’t been that long since Fudra left. If we ride after him, we could catch up quickly!”

“Dolman, that’s not the issue here! It’s not about time—it’s about our relationship with Fudra.”

“Elza, what are you trying to say!?”

“Think about it, Dolman. If you weren’t the Hero, you’d only be allowed to marry one person, right? You’d have to choose one of us, and one of the other two might have ended up with Fudra. That’s the life we were headed for.”

“And what about it?”

“Think carefully! If not all of us had chosen you, then Fudra might have been able to find someone in this party to be with. But the moment we all chose you, Fudra no longer had any reason to stay in this group, don’t you think?”

“That has nothing to do with this!”

“Dolman, then what was Fudra’s purpose in this party? He earned his own living expenses and took care of all the grunt work… Wasn’t he the only one who kept losing out?”

“Because he’s a childhood friend!”

“Yes, a childhood friend! That’s why he followed along and helped us. But there had to be more to it. Maybe he hoped to be with one of us. Cecilia, Isabelle, what do you think?”

“Maybe so. He lost his parents young, and he didn’t have many other connections. It’s plausible.”

“Right, we were always together as a group of five. It wouldn’t be strange for him to have feelings for someone here. And, with how long the Demon King subjugation journey takes, realistically, he could only pick a partner from the three of us. If I had to guess… maybe he was hoping it’d be me?”

“Is that really it?”

“Exactly! Dolman, when you decided to make all three of us your women, Fudra had no one left. Even if the village chief or his parents had asked him, there’s no way he’d agree to come on such a difficult journey for free unless he had feelings for one of us. Don’t you think the only reason he came along was because he liked one of us?”

“Now that you mention it, that does seem likely…”

It was hard to think of another reason.

Unlike us, Fudra didn’t receive financial support. Why had he followed us in the first place?

It was likely that Elza was right.

If I hadn’t made a move on Isabelle, it might have been possible.

But now… after involving all three of them, what am I supposed to do?

“See? That’s why Fudra isn’t coming back.”

“Exactly! There’s no way he’d work for free after having all his childhood friends taken away by his best friend.”

“Yeah, that makes sense…”

“Then what if we just paid him?”

“Dolman… Fudra may not be as strong as us, but he’s still an A-rank adventurer. If you wanted to hire him at the standard rate, it would cost a fortune. And, honestly, Dolman, would you come back if the roles were reversed? Would you return to a party where all your childhood friends were taken by someone else? If it were me, I wouldn’t want to go back.”

“There’s no way I’d go back either,” another agreed.

No matter how I looked at it, there was no way Fudra would rejoin this “harem party” I had created.

◆◆◆

They were absolutely right, but one idea came to mind.

What if Fudra had to choose—between the woman he’s with now and the three of us who were his childhood friends?

We’ve spent so much time together since we were little.

If it came down to it, wouldn’t the three of us still have a chance to win?

That’s how I felt.

After all, until recently, we were always together.

Even if he has a new woman now, I feel like his feelings for the three of us would still win out.

So… what should I do?

If I gave those three back to Fudra, would he come back?

What should I do? I guess there’s no choice but to discuss it.

◆◆◆

“It seems the first stage of the plan worked,” Elza said confidently.

“Yes, it did,” Isabelle agreed.

“Absolutely,” Cecilia added.

The strategy the three of us devised was simple.

The idea was to make Dolman believe that Fudra left because he involved all three of us.

This way, we could pin the blame for Fudra’s departure entirely on Dolman.

From here, we’d push the narrative that for Fudra to return, Dolman would have to give the three of us back to him.

If we could make him believe that, we’d move to the next phase—meeting Fudra.

And after that, it would be a one-on-one battle.

A competition to win Fudra’s heart.

This is a battle we cannot afford to lose.

But before that, we’d need to part ways with Dolman peacefully.

Once that was settled… we’d make our way back to Fudra.

We have to make this plan succeed.