Iiiiiiooooooos! Long Time No See!

After awakening the mysterious goat head—

Grail, who had fainted, woke up in the adventurers’ guild’s break room.

“…What the hell, what happened!?”

His head pounded. He felt sick too. It was the worst awakening.

Grail tried to remember.

What had happened to him at that time?

Defense power that couldn’t be pierced even when he struck it with the firepower of his Swordsmanship skill—attack power that sent Grail flying with a single blow—Grail crawling along the ground to escape—the goat head chasing after him—

And then, Grail was grabbed by his right arm.

His memory ended there. From there, the images rapidly faded. He felt like the goat head had said something to him, but he couldn’t remember those words.

(…Damn it! What a disgusting experience!)

Grail was irritated.

Then, facts that irritated Grail even further piled on top of that.

After returning to the inn, Grail took a bath and noticed the bruise on his right arm.

“What the heeeeeell is thiiiiiiis!?”

Grail shouted without thinking.

On his right forearm, around the middle between his wrist and elbow, there was a black bruise like a tattoo. Grail had no memory of any tattoo, so he scrubbed it with a towel over and over, but it wouldn’t disappear.

His right arm—

The part that had been grabbed by the goat head—

That bruise looked like a hand. As if the goat head’s hand, which had gripped Grail’s right arm, had been burned into it.

“Hey, what the hell is this!”

Grail became emotional and slammed his right arm into the wall.

“That hurts!”

Grail was feeling irritated by other things too.

The adventurers’ mockery.

It seemed the matter of him being thoroughly beaten by the handsome man and the others had already spread. Even when he tried to form a party, nobody would listen. Just being in the guild made contemptuous gazes turn toward him.

(Daaaaamn iiiiiit! Damn it! Damn it!)

Grail’s heart was dyed with fury.

(Every last one of them!)

He cursed the reality that wouldn’t go his way.

Enraged, Grail decided to hunt gray ghosts. A miracle of obtaining an alchemy stone and venting his frustration by hunting small fry. The key point was that he could enjoy both.

Though alchemy stones didn’t come out that easily.

As he spent several days like that, one day—

Grail noticed that there was someone already at the hunting ground.

It was a warrior-like man.

That in itself wasn’t anything much, but the problem was his back. It looked similar.

To the childhood friend he had expelled.

The perfectly ordinary broadsword at his waist and the dull chainmail that had dirt visible here and there too.

From the hairstyle to the way he stood, Grail remembered it perfectly.

That dull back was unmistakably—

(Ios! Is that you!?)

What a pathetic state. A mass-produced warrior who could be found anywhere. He didn’t resemble the warrior wearing that Blue Firebird Chainmail at all. The air rising from him was on a different level!

The lonely and weak Ios was defeating small-fry gray ghosts to earn experience—

That fact delighted Grail’s heart.

Grail’s sadistic heart swelled up.

His mouth loosened.

(Kukukukuku! What a coincidence to meet you here! Useless Ios-kuuuun! I just happened to have stress piled uuuuup! How about becoming my punching baaaaaag!)

Grail called out.

“Iiiiiiooooooos! Long time no see!”

Ios’s body flinched.

Then, he turned around with movements like a puppet. His eyes were shaking like those of a herbivore that had seen a carnivore.

“Grail…!”

A dazed voice spilled from his mouth.

(…Ah, that reaction. That reaction!)

Grail grew excited.

It was because there were people below that people above could shine. Because there was a clear inferior called Ios—a hopeless garbage skill holder—the light called Grail shone.

“Iiiiiiooooooos… To think you came to Piptat too…”

“Well, yeah.”

Ios answered briefly and averted his eyes.

That attitude heated Grail’s heart yet again.

(…Hahahahaha! Are you ashamed that I saw you looking so shabby, Ios-chaaaan!?)

In that case, Grail thought he would tell him of his own splendid achievements and knock Ios even further into hell.

“Hey, Ios. Were you hunting gray ghosts?”

“…It’s my daily routine.”

“Daily routine!”

After saying that, Grail burst out laughing. Daily routine! Defeating gray ghosts was his daily routine! What had this guy been doing after parting with him! Had he just been slowly and steadily defeating gray ghosts on the F Layer all this time!

“Ahahahaha! Sorry, Ios! I just laughed!”

Grail continued, showing no remorse at all.

“That’s right! I’ve got some good information for you, since you love gray ghosts so much! Want to know?”

“…Not really.”

“Don’t say that! We’re close, you and I! I’ll tell you specially!”

Grail said with his nostrils flaring.

“Listen up, gray ghosts drop alchemy stones! These sell for 100,000 at the guild! But they’re rare, so they’re hard to get. Well, for an unlucky guy like you who grabbed a trash skill, it’s something you’ll never have a connection with for your whole life!”

Ios swayed his body as if troubled. His hand stretched out and stroked his own pocket.

Grail continued talking without paying any attention to that.

“But, you know, I’m different.”

And then, he said this.

“I found an alchemy stone!”

Remembering his own good fortune, he laughed loudly again.

Meanwhile, Ios was silent.

Grail interpreted that silence as embarrassment over not having obtained one yet.

(Kukukuku! That’s right, that’s good, Ios!)

Grail felt good.

“How’s that for my luck! The amount of luck we were born with is different, Ios!”

“…I see… Well, that’s good for you, I guess…”

Ios gave an indifferent reply.

That made Grail feel even better again.

(That’s right! You’re frustrated, aren’t you! You wouldn’t be able to bear it unless you took that kind of attitude!)

Feeling good, Grail decided to make his second revelation.

A destination Ios could never reach—

Because the fact that he was there felt far too good.

“Hey, Ios… What the hell is with that equipment of yours…? Do you even have any motivation? Nothing has changed since you parted ways with me… An ordinary sword and an ordinary shield—”

Grail put his hand to his own mouth and laughed with a pfft.

“You’re still at a standstill as always! But I’m different!”

Smack, Grail struck the sword at his waist.

“A high-quality sword!”

Then, he thrust his shield toward Ios.

“And a high-quality shield!”

Ios’s eyes—fixed intently on the shield. Those eyes narrowed suspiciously. He tilted his head in wonder.

(Can’t accept it, can you! The reality that I have a high-quality large shield! Of course you can’t!)

Grail’s mouth loosened.

Ios’s seemingly troubled face was so funny he couldn’t stand it.

(Hahhyoo!)

Grail felt excitement for the umpteenth time.

The sight of Ios enduring humiliation was comical. He was striking a punching bag that couldn’t say anything back. That fact made Grail excited.

And then—

He savored his own excellence. Grail was convinced that he really was a capable man. Until now, the stars had just happened to be badly aligned. By rights, he was a man who ought to be in a much more shining place!

(…Ah, Ios, you really are the best. Thanks to you, I was able to recover my energy…!)

I need Ios.

A man who will become a stepping stone that makes my existence shine.

That was why Grail decided to make this proposal.

“Iiiiiooooos… You’re as pitiful as ever.”

“…”

“That’s why, your childhood friend, me, will help you! Because I’m so, so kind, I can’t just abandon you when you’re all aloooone…!”

Grail held out his right hand and said this.

“Come back to me, Ios!”