The week after Tricia set off for Edinbia with the S-rank adventurer Luke, Eagle and Anetta fled the town that had been their base for so long.
The social pressure was sharper and more biting than they had anticipated. It was the first time they had experienced such isolation since becoming adventurers.
Tricia had been exiled from their party in Vigreda, a city where they had stayed for about half a year. With a demonic forest and a cleared mid-level dungeon1 nearby, it was the perfect place for low-to-mid-tier adventurers to gain steady experience.
"Wait, what!? Tricia got kicked out of the party!?" one adventurer gasped.
"I thought Anetta was the one getting booted?" another whispered.
"I had a feeling this would happen. Anetta's been gunning for Eagle for a while now," a third chimed in.
"Poor Tricia… wonder what she's going to do now," a fourth sighed.
Because Tricia would often provide free treatment to parties lacking a healer, she had many acquaintances. Her care was just as effective as a clinic's, but faster, scar-free, and guaranteed—so she was frequently called upon from all corners. Since she had been kind even to low-rank adventurers, she was well-liked by the newcomers as well.
"I never thought Eagle was that kind of guy," one of them remarked.
"I guess mixed-gender parties are just too high-risk," another agreed.
"But they were such a good combo when it was just the two of them and Tricia, weren't they?" a third questioned.
"A swordsman and a healer making it to C-rank? Thinking about it now, that's actually insane," a fourth pointed out.
Even as the surrounding crowd cast pitying looks her way, Tricia stayed in Vigreda.
(Why on earth should I be the one to leave this town!)
It was her own way of being stubborn. Besides, since she had found herself alone earlier than planned, she wanted time to think carefully about her next move.
"Tricia! Just open a clinic! You'd have customers lining up out the door!" one yelled.
"Let's go grab some food! My treat!" another offered.
Adventurers often called out to her, trying to cheer her up.
"Yay! Thanks!" Tricia cheered.
She played the part of someone completely unbothered, enjoying her time with the other adventurers.
When Eagle and Anetta entered the cafeteria, unaware that Tricia and her friends were there, everyone in the room clicked their tongues. Many were bold enough to voice their disapproval outright.
"To throw away a long-time companion just because you wanted to get cozy… you're a disgrace to the profession."
"People like you are exactly why female adventurers get looked down on. You're such a nuisance."
"Get out! You're ruining my appetite!"
In the end, Eagle and his partner couldn't even get their orders taken and left, looking frustrated.
"Thanks, everyone."
"Don't mention it. If we don't collectively shut that kind of behavior down, the quality of adventurers is just going to plummet."
"And don't sell yourself short just because you're a healer. It's an essential role. Besides, you've contributed plenty to your teams, haven't you?"
The adventurers who knew Tricia's true ability understood her worth perfectly.
Three days after she was exiled, Luke burst into the Adventurer's Guild, breathless. Tricia happened to be at the mission board, looking for an escort quest to the next town. Escort missions usually involved non-combatants, so they often requested a healer in case of injury.
"Tricia! Form a party with me!"
Luke shouted, his opening line cutting through the air.
"No way. An S-rank and a C-rank can't form a party."
Tricia's eyes went wide with surprise at his sudden appearance, but she replied calmly. You could only form a party with someone within one rank of your own. In Tricia's case, she could only form an official party with someone between B-rank and D-rank.
"Why are you still C-rank!?" Luke asked, exasperated.
"Is that supposed to be an insult!?" Tricia snapped back.
Seeing her react just as she always did made Luke's heart ache. He knew she was just putting on a brave face, as always.
The surroundings were abuzz. A man who had climbed to S-rank in the shortest time in history was hovering happily around a healer who had just been kicked out of her party. Moreover, a man famous for being a solo adventurer who refused to work with anyone was complaining loudly about being unable to party up.
"Tricia! You know an S-rank!?" her friends squealed.
Tricia's female adventurer friends crowded around, eyeing Luke. All of them had flushed cheeks as they gazed at him. Behind them, other adventurers who idolized Luke began to swarm as well.
"Are you a friend of Tricia's?" one of them asked Luke.
"Yeah. She's helped me out with a lot of things," Luke answered.
(Things like Anetta. And Anetta. And, well, Anetta.)
In short, they were friends who listened to each other's complaints. She had survived her frustrations by venting to them over drinks.
"Huh. Thanks for being so good to Tricia!"
"Eeeek! It's really nothing!"
The group was moved by the rare smile from the notoriously surly Luke.
"Are you my mother or something!?"
She didn't have memories of a mother in this world, but a memory from long ago surged to the surface nonetheless. Luke didn't like socializing much. Yet, she knew he was putting on a friendly face entirely for her sake.
And that was when Eagle and Anetta came moseying in.
"No way! That's Luke-sama!"
"Hey, Luke! Long time no see."
Eagle spoke up, trying to act as familiar as possible. He was an old acquaintance, too. It was painfully obvious that he wanted the people around them to think he was on good terms with an S-rank. He hadn't shown even a hint of that before, but he was clearly panicking at their current situation. Anetta was captivated by the handsome, high-ranking adventurer. She blushed, her cheeks rosy, and adjusted her clothes to show a bit more cleavage.
"Um, nice to meet you! I'm Anetta!"
She tried to push her way closer to Luke, who was chatting amiably with the other adventurers—unlike his rumors suggested—but he didn't even glance her way.
"Hey, Tricia! Let's head to the Demon Forest right now, shall we? Veil wolves are out, aren't they?"
"I think you've got more than enough healing power without me, don't you?"
A Veil Wolf was an A-rank monster. The town was currently in a bind because there were no adventurers immediately available to handle it.
"Then let's take Tricia's friends too!"
"Is that okay!? But we'd only be dead weight…"
"Everything is a learning experience! I don't betray my friends, so don't worry about it."
Everyone in the room cast a sideways glance at Eagle and Anetta. Once again, they turned bright red and scurried out of the guild.
Luke didn't touch on the subject of the two of them at all, treating them as if they didn't exist. The gathered adventurers felt a quiet, but incredibly intense, anger emanating from him.
After the veil wolf was subjugated, Tricia and Luke traveled to Edinbia together. Eagle and his partner had only a brief moment of relief, as the other adventurers' attitudes toward them never changed.
The couple had no choice but to abandon their comfortable base and move on to a new town.
Summary:
After Tricia is exiled from her party, she remains in the town of Vigreda, where she finds support and camaraderie among the other adventurers. Tricia's former party members, Eagle and Anetta, find themselves social outcasts and are eventually forced to flee. Luke, an S-rank adventurer, unexpectedly arrives and forms a bond with Tricia, publicly shunning her ex-companions. Tricia and Luke then depart for Edinbia together, while the ex-companions are left to face the consequences of their social isolation.
Trivia:
Tricia provided free medical treatment to adventurers, which is why she is so well-liked.
The town of Vigreda has a "demonic forest" and a "mid-level dungeon" near it, explaining its popularity for leveling.
Tricia's exile from the party actually occurred six months after they had been staying in the city.
Luke is the fastest-rising S-rank adventurer in history and is famous for being a solo adventurer.
Veil wolves are classified as A-rank monsters, representing a significant threat.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ Refers to a classic fantasy location often used for leveling; in this context, it is a specific, known location that has already been conquered.
Notes:
• Anetta - A blonde, manipulative adventurer and Sorcerer skilled in offensive and healing magic. Once part of Tricia and Eagle’s party, she used her influence to usurp Tricia’s position as Eagle’s romantic partner, leading to Tricia’s expulsion. Known for her hostility toward Tricia and a nuisance to fellow adventurers, she maintains significant control over the party while showing little regard for others.
• Tricia - A pragmatic C-Rank healer and orphan with dark, shoulder-length hair and obsidian eyes, she hides her exceptional healing expertise and rare "Reset" skill—which reverses physical damage and restores items—to avoid exploitation. After being ousted from her party, she lives in Edinbia, using her memories of a past life to build financial stability and a passive income empire while assisting low-rankers.
• Eagle - A B-rank adventurer and former party member of Tricia, this swordsman has reddish-brown hair and bright, orange-tinted eyes. Growing up with Tricia in an orphanage, he is gentle but easily swayed. Burdened by guilt after betraying Tricia—his long-time companion—to pursue a relationship with Anetta, he maintains a stoic demeanor, though his history with Tricia remains a source of visible discomfort.
• Luke - A silver-haired, blue-eyed S-rank adventurer and noble-born son of a Marquis, he is Tricia's wealthy childhood friend, protector, and mentor. Though notoriously surly and a solo fighter, he maintains a mischievous, carefree persona for her sake. As her confidant and manager, he supports her passive income empire and dungeon ventures, balancing his overwhelming combat power with devoted companionship.