The more you praise someone at the start, the greater the damage when the last sentence falls.
There’s no need to say more—right now, Liz’s face is so dark it’s practically dripping.
Fortunately, she’s had a noble’s education and knows that in a public setting like this, it’s best not to say much.
“Indeed, Red has already left.”
She stood up and admitted it openly.
“His abilities couldn’t keep up with our team’s pace, so his departure was inevitable.”
Once she finished speaking, Liz sat back down.
On stage, the host, Lauren, felt extremely awkward as well.
He was from out of town and had no idea that Red had already left Dawn’s Edge.
And Otto hadn’t told him about it either…
“Ahem!”
Even so, Lauren forced himself to stay calm.
He still had to promote the products.
He cleared his throat.
“I’m very sorry, that was my oversight.”
Lauren gave a slight bow to show his apology, and his eyes swept the hall.
He quickly spotted Red’s location.
The spotlight followed, and everyone’s eyes turned to Red.
They were a bit curious—how would Red react to what Liz had just said?
After all, it was pretty much saying outright that Red wasn’t strong enough, so Dawn’s Edge let him go.
Would there be a fight in a moment?
Under those piercing stares, Litt returned a warm smile and said nothing.
As for Red, the man slowly stood up, his face as calm as still water.
When he straightened his back, he nodded slightly to Lauren on stage and spoke in a gentle tone.
“Chairman Lauren, you speak too highly of me. You’ve traveled a long way and are surely exhausted, so it’s normal not to know such minor matters,”
His tone was completely relaxed, as if that awkward scene a moment ago had never happened.
“I left Dawn’s Edge simply to pursue a different path. It had nothing to do with the team’s strength. Liz’s words just now were for the future development of their group, and I can fully understand that.”
That simple explanation instantly eased the tense atmosphere in the hall.
At that moment, Brian, who sat next to Red, also spoke up.
“Exactly! Everyone has their own ambitions! Dawn’s Edge is now a model for all women—a shining example for every female adventurer in Nightfall Town,”
Brian had no idea where this line originally came from, but he was a quick study and immediately started bragging about it to the crowd.
“It’s said that they’ll continue as an all-female team from now on—relying on no outside help, dependent on no man, forging ahead as an example for all women!”
Everyone exchanged looks—Brian was right.
All-female teams were rare on the entire continent, and a Hero’s Party composed solely of women was even rarer.
“You two make a good point. We shouldn’t get caught up in these matters. Tonight’s real star isn’t any one person, but the mechanical creation in my hand…”
Red and Brian sat back down, and Lauren quickly took charge of the conversation again, starting to praise the spider in his hand.
Meanwhile, Brian drained his cup and said with great satisfaction,
“Whoever came up with that little gem—using it for Dawn’s Edge, it’s just brilliant!”
Litt hugged her juice glass and nodded.
That line, on the surface, sounded like flattery, but if you thought about it carefully, something felt off.
Without Red and relying on no outside help, that meant losing their brain.
Now, whenever they needed a battle plan, they had to pay Red for help—and even offer him a White Silk Photo, or else he might not be willing to lend a hand.
Worse yet, saying that in this sort of setting basically cut off Dawn’s Edge from ever recruiting new members.
No wonder, in the original story, she and Liz’s party ended up dying on the twenty-fifth floor.
That was praise turned into a weapon—killing with kindness.
And there was another point…
Litt set down her empty glass and looked up at the second-floor window.
It was obvious Otto had purposely not told Lauren that Red had already left Dawn’s Edge.
That led to Lauren spilling everything in public and making things so awkward.
But Otto wasn’t like herself—he didn’t stir up trouble just for fun most of the time.
So the question was, what was his purpose for doing this?
***
As the banquet drew to a close, despite that minor incident, it still ended smoothly.
As the stars of the night, Red and Litt actually hadn’t shown themselves much.
Litt might be putting on the act of a well-behaved girl now, but in truth, she was still a lazybones.
Red, too, was not the showy type, so keeping a low profile suited him just fine.
The two walked down the street.
Litt looked up at the high, full moon, her mind replaying that vividly real scene again and again.
The script was still moving forward, and her fate didn’t seem to have changed.
At this thought, Litt couldn’t help but sigh.
“Sometimes… I really envy you, Red.”
This was Litt’s true feeling.
The man before her was a bona fide “left the party” web novel protagonist—his life path was destined to be extraordinary.
If she hadn’t meddled halfway through, Tessaia had probably already fallen for Red by now.
Maybe more original heroines would be drawn to Red later.
Who wouldn’t be envious of that?
“What’s there to envy?”
Red shrugged.
Looking back on his past, honestly, there was nothing worth longing for.
In response, Litt extended her index finger and tapped lightly, as if counting.
“~You really have no self-awareness at all.”
“Take a good look at yourself, Red,”
“You’re far more dazzling than you think,”
“Honestly, I don’t even know why Dawn’s Edge would let you go…”
Litt’s words, one after another, actually made Red a bit embarrassed, and he hurriedly cut her off.
“Please, I’m just an ordinary artificer—my little tricks don’t amount to much.”
“Hmph~”
Litt gave a light snort—how could she not see through Red’s little thoughts?
He must be secretly delighted right now.
“I don’t know what Dawn’s Edge is thinking, but…”
Litt suddenly took a step forward.
As she passed by Red, she whispered in an almost inaudible voice, “Still, this… works out for me…”
Her voice was soft, but it was almost as if she’d meant for Red to catch just a little, yet not the whole thing.
To confirm, he could only ask,
“What did you just say?”
“Hehe…”
At Red’s question, Litt let out a mischievous giggle.
She turned around to face Red, walking backward, and pressed her finger to her lips.
“That’s a secret.”