“Noctiluca, why did you leave me😭!”
“Alright, stop it. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were dumped by that massive Labyrinth Boss.”
The bartender patted Gray’s shoulder while signaling him with a look: your Miss Angel is still watching, don’t be so pathetic.
“It’s… it’s fine. Guys need to vent their emotions once in a while.”
Katy gave a forced laugh, using her glass to hide the slightly stiff, distorted expression on her face.
What a mess.
She had originally just wanted to comfort a stray dog she met by the roadside, only to discover this dog was someone she had once sent flying with a single kick.
If any other member of the Demon Race were here, they would probably just think Gray got what he deserved, but she wouldn’t.
Before coming to this world, she knew the principle that if you lacked talent, you had to repeat the effort.
As the mastermind behind it all, she could say she had seen all of Gray’s hard work and sweat.
From the initial clumsiness of entering the labyrinth for the first time to being able to navigate the path to her with ease, it took him half a year.
While it certainly couldn’t be called efficient, one had to remember that unlike other Hero parties, Gray was a complete Lone Wolf.
This meant that gathering intelligence, preparing supplies, and replenishing consumables—tasks originally shared by an entire party—all had to be handled by him alone.
Despite the double debuff of fighting a lone battle and the insane difficulty of The 13th Dungeon, he still became the Hero closest to successfully conquering Noctiluca, nearly draining both of her health bars and triggering a Special CG.
So, even though Katy felt Gray might be missing a gear or two in his head, she couldn’t deny that deep down, she didn’t dislike someone who worked as hard as he did.
How should she put it?
It was like seeing a boy constantly practicing the high jump on the playground every day after school; even if he always failed, you would hope that just once he could… wait, no, she was getting sidetracked.
Her feelings toward Gray were definitely just a tiny bit of guilt, and the rest was admiration.
Yes, admiration.
“Mr. Gray, please don’t be so sad.”
Katy cleared her throat, her tone gentle.
“Maybe that boss called Noctiluca actually feels it’s a pity too? A pity that she couldn’t truly settle the score with Mr. Gray or something.”
Gray turned his head.
In his eyes, the girl seemed to be surrounded by a soft golden glow.
That was close.
Facing that infinitely tender smile, he almost impulsively called out “Mama” again.
Even if Katy the Angel would forgive him, the bartender nearby certainly wouldn’t.
If that guy heard it, tomorrow every regular in this tavern would probably know that Gray was a pathetic fellow who liked calling a girl clearly younger than him “Mama.”
“Miss Katy, please don’t comfort me. Why would that person remember a loser who failed time and time again?”
To suppress the complex emotions surging in his heart, Gray downed half a mug of beer in one go.
The bitterness of the alcohol, however, could not mask the bitterness he had suppressed in his heart for an entire year.
“My whole life has been ruined by Noctiluca, sigh…”
“Mr. Gray, how old are you this year?”
Faced with this sudden question, Gray didn’t quite react, but he still answered honestly.
“Twenty-one… no, I’ll be twenty-two soon.”
“In that case, you still have at least twenty or thirty years to be on the front lines of exploring labyrinths, right?”
Gray didn’t respond.
He just stared blankly as Katy put down her glass of milk wine, placed her hands on her knees, and looked at him with a serious expression.
“Even if the first twenty-one years of your life were ruined by that Labyrinth Boss called Noctiluca, Mr. Gray, you still have plenty of time ahead in your life as an adventurer.”
“But I am the Weakest Winless—”
“So what?”
Using the momentum from the alcohol, the girl decisively interrupted his self-pity.
“Even if everyone else thinks you are The Weakest Winless A-Rank Hero, I believe you are definitely not the trash people say you are.”
Katy stared into his eyes.
Those azure eyes seemed to reflect all the blood and sweat of his past year.
“Before becoming an A-rank, you must have conquered many labyrinths and completed many difficult requests, right? Have those really been erased by the name Noctiluca?”
Gray opened his mouth but found nothing to say.
Memories he had long forgotten flickered before his eyes like a revolving lantern.
“I… I can’t remember clearly.”
“Mr. Gray, please look into my eyes.”
Gray, who had been looking at the beer in his wooden mug to avoid eye contact, trembled.
He then slowly turned his head to look at the girl beside him.
“The Weakest Winless A-Rank Hero, Mr. Gray, whose first twenty-one years of life were ruined by Noctiluca—”
“Are you willing to give the rest of your life to me?”
Katy reached out her hand to Gray, like an Angel pulling a sinner out of the mire.
“Or rather, are you willing to give me the right to twist your life?”
Not just Gray, but even the bartender nearby, who had been pretending to wipe glasses while eavesdropping, was stunned.
This girl was definitely not a creature of the mortal realm.
Could she really be an Angel descended from heaven?
Hajirey, you bastard.
You obsessed over one dungeon and had a run of terrible luck that ruined your reputation, but now your luck has turned.
To think you’d encounter a divine blessing of this level?
As for Gray himself, his nose felt stinging.
He quickly buried his head in his beer mug before any pathetic tears could escape his eyes.
In his peripheral vision, he saw a face leaning in, the shadow drawing closer.
“Are you actually crying?”
It was the bartender.
“Screw off, I’m not crying! The air quality in your bar is terrible; some sand blew into my eyes!”
Gray’s voice was a bit dry as he argued.
The bartender chuckled and tactfully went to wipe another table.
“Miss Katy, what do you mean by this?”
He hesitated to take the hand the girl offered, while Katy stubbornly kept her hand suspended in the air, refusing to lower it.
“Please let me join your party, Mr. Gray.”
“…I’m a Lone Wolf. I don’t have a party,” Gray mumbled.
“Mumu. In that case, please join my party, Mr. Gray. I’ll be your leader!”
The girl thought for a moment, tilted her head, and smiled.
When a beautiful girl had put it that way, refusing her would make him seem like there was something wrong with his head.
So, Gray took a deep breath and reached out to grasp her hand.
The girl’s hand was small.
Compared to his, which had held a blade for years, her skin was as delicate and soft as the finest silk.
The fair back of her hand brushed against the calluses on his palm, making Gray’s heart flutter for a moment.
“Alright, then… A-rank Hero Gray, reporting for duty, Leader.”
For the second time in his life, Gray grasped the hand of a girl, leaving his status as a Lone Wolf behind.
He sincerely hoped that this time, the end of this party wouldn’t be as regrettable as the last one.
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