I Became a Burden to the Conscienceless Party

‘What the fuck?’

Space magic, which is said to be used by less than ten people even in the Demon King’s army.
This was the first time I learned that Milia could use it.
As a spy for the Demon King’s army, there was no more important information than this, but right now, that wasn’t important to Jim.

‘What the hell is happening before my eyes?’

Jim wanted to deny reality.
What on earth is this? What were all his efforts for?

“My efforts were…?”

How hard had it been to pull this baggage cart? Crossing mountains and valleys, he had led the cart thinking of the horses pulling the carts as family.
Even after losing all the horses to an unfortunate accident, he didn’t despair and ran solely for this one purpose.
The pride of a baggage carrier.
Yes, Jim had that.
Even if it was a disguise for spying, he had never been insincere about this job.
He is a baggage carrier. A person with high pride in transporting baggage.
But…

“Then what’s that?”
“I don’t know, must be an attention seeker.”
“I think I heard rumors about there being a freeloader in the hero’s party…”

Now he had become a crazy attention-seeking bastard who stupidly pulled the cart by hand even though they were just moving baggage with space magic.
The murmurs of the gathered soldiers hurt Jim’s heart even more.
What’s even sadder is the fact that even Jim himself can’t deny it.

“Ah! No… that’s not it. We filled Mr. Jim’s cart with special items that couldn’t be moved with space magic.”
“Ah… I-I see.”

The supply officer, who had been looking at Jim with half-closed eyes, nodded at Esmeralda’s desperate excuse.
As it happened, when they checked the supplies in the cart Jim had pulled, they were all weapons engraved with magic.

“They say magic can interfere with each other, so I guess that’s possible.”

Only then did the surrounding soldiers start nodding.
But Jim’s heart had already been torn to shreds long ago.
They say magic weapons, but normally there’s no reason for Jim to be there, right?
Usually, the weapons used by the hero’s party are all owned by each member except for Esmeralda’s sword.
So it means that all the baggage needed from now on can be stuffed into space magic. That would be more convenient for moving and also for preparing for contingencies.

“Hero, I don’t think I’m needed…”
“Mr. Jim, you’re an indispensable talent for our party, so no.”
“I haven’t even finished speaking yet.”
“Anyway, no. You’re probably going to try to quit again while feeling self-loathing, saying something like ‘Sob sob, I don’t think I should be in this party!’, right?”
“…”

Jim was at a loss for words at Esmeralda’s rebuttal, which seemed to have read his mind.

‘Wow, I really thought she was reading my mind. Surprising.’

Jim lowered his head in misery. He became certain that this vicious hero party would never let him go, even if he wasn’t a baggage carrier.

“Jim.”
“…Lady Milia. Since when have you been able to use this kind of magic?”
“You said you wanted to quit because it was hard last time, right? So when I went to the Magic Tower this time, I worked hard and learned it.”
“I see…”

Indeed, the joint successor of the seven Magic Towers.
For a moment, I thought it was nothing special because she spoke as if she had just bought a snack while out shopping.
More than that, isn’t the direction of her effort a bit strange? Jim silently shed tears at Milia’s misplaced sentiment.

“This should reduce your burden, right?”

And Milia, the one who had made Jim miserable, was smiling faintly as if asking for praise.
For Milia, who had no friends other than Jim, it was the most precious gift.

“Yes… thank you.”

It was the perfect gift for a demon spy bastard.

The officer of the fortress city Senova, Felheim Senova, was coldly looking at the hero party approaching from afar, causing a commotion.
No, to be precise, at the baggage carrier of the hero party, Jim, who was mixed in with the group.

‘Weak, worthless. A guy not even worth using as a common soldier.’

She doesn’t underestimate the hero party. Although she’s only heard rumors about them, she doesn’t think those rumors are exaggerated at all.
That’s what heroes are like.
What does it matter if it’s just rumors? They are already people who have proven themselves.
The hero received God’s choice and obtained the holy sword, and the saint is called the representative of the order just by being herself.
The magician is the most talented prodigy even in the Magic Tower, and isn’t the archaeologist from the Eye of Truth?
But not the baggage carrier following them. Just a survivor of a destroyed village who arrogantly joined the hero party.

“He can’t even fulfill his role.”

Look at him now, sweating profusely while dragging a single baggage cart.
From the start, he’s a being that doesn’t even suit the position of a baggage carrier.
Moreover, what about the space magic Milia just showed?
Does such a party that has reached that level really need such a novice?
Felheim Senova knows.

“I should help cut off the attachments.”

That all of it is attachment.
The hero party’s attachment to the baggage carrier.
And the baggage carrier’s attachment to the hero party. It would be a hundred times better to cut such things off long ago.
Because the front ahead is where demons and humans divide territories and fight.
That would be good for both sides.

Felheim Senova.
The veteran of the frontline who bothers our demons. The emotion I felt when I first encountered her was fear.

“Hmm…”

A neat and angular posture.
One eye that seems to be appraising.
The veteran who had survived countless battlefields was looking us over as if evaluating.
Just that was enough to make me, a demon spy, cower in advance.
Although I was standing stiffly to hide it as much as possible, I couldn’t hide the cold sweat running down my cheeks.

‘Ah, what’s with that expression. It’s fucking scary.’

As Felheim slowly looked us over like that, she finally opened her mouth.

“What are you so afraid of that you’re trembling?”
‘Ah, could I have been caught?’

What should I do? Already, my life is flashing before my eyes.
My beginnings and when I enlisted in the army. And up to this moment.

‘Fuck, I can only remember 7 years’ worth!’

Was that all there was to the valuable part of my life?
Now, when I’m being threatened with my life every night after being drafted into this dangerous mission while just slaving away in the army?
Is this life?

“Y-y-your, your expression looks so scary.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Miss Tina. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

While I was calculating about 26 escape routes in my head, I heard those words. Only then did I glance to the side and saw Tina trembling like a wet dog.
She acts so smug usually, but she’s more chicken-hearted than I thought.
No, depending on the type, might her chest be smaller than a chicken’s?

“When you live on the front lines like this, frowning becomes a habit. So it seems I look like this even normally… I’m sorry.”

Felheim Senova smiled gently and handed Tina a candy.
That old hag doesn’t know anything.
How much our girl hates being treated like a child?
I’ve tried to appease her by giving her candies and snacks, trying to coax her, but it didn’t work.

“Wow! Peppermint candy! Delicious!”

No, was it just a difference in taste?
Was the ‘child’ who said not to treat her like a child perhaps meaning this?
I should prepare yokan next time.
…No, I don’t want there to be a next time.
I’m going to quit this damned hero party as soon as possible!
So I won’t think about next time.
As I was urging myself with a resolute mindset, Felheim Senova’s gaze finally reached me.

“And you are… Hmm, the baggage carrier who was moving the baggage.”
“Ah, please call me Jim who is a baggage carrier, not the baggage carrier who was moving the baggage. Many people still get confused!”
“I-I see. …Does the hero call her companion baggage? Perhaps my thoughts were wrong.”
“No, it’s not that my character is the problem, but that Mr. Jim’s name is Mr. Jim. He’s definitely not baggage.”
“Uh… um, ahem! I see. I understand. It seems I made a mistake in speaking.”

The hero’s unnecessary correction.
Her composure in not getting nervous even in this situation is admirable.
Although she looks like a lunatic. Still, thanks to that behavior, the tension could be somewhat relieved.
Could she have deliberately made a joke to ease the tension? No, the hero is too stupid to know such things.

“Hmph.”

For a moment, the hero’s gaze turned to me. It was a stupid-looking smile.
At the same time, I thought I heard a sound like teeth grinding, but it’s probably just Tina eating the peppermint candy.

“But are you still having a hard time? Seeing you sweat, I was thoughtless. I should turn on some cooling magic.”
“…It’s fine. It’s right to think of the condition of those on the front lines first, rather than someone like me.”
“Is that so? Your consideration is appreciated.”

Felheim said that and started adjusting the temperature control device. Soon, cool air started coming out, and Felheim shrugged and sat down in the chair, saying:

“The weather is hot. It would be more comfortable for this old body if it’s a bit cooler.”

No, I said it’s fine?
The sweat I’m dripping now isn’t because I’m hot.
I don’t need such consideration from an adult!
But I can’t say such things directly. In the end, the temperature control device that Felheim Senova turned on started to make the room temperature cool.

“Hmm? Are you still hot?”

I’m still dripping cold sweat. If it had been left as it was earlier, it might have stopped, but now that the temperature is being adjusted like this, I’m only more embarrassed, feeling like my tail is being stepped on.

“Huh… Now that I look closely, it doesn’t seem like you’re sweating because of the heat?”

Even so, the temperature has become cool enough to give me goosebumps.
Unless Felheim Senova is an idiot, she should know that the sweat I’m dripping isn’t because of the heat.

“Are you perhaps…”

Ah, this seems to have gone bad.
Just as Felheim Senova started glaring at me with a cold gaze.

“By the way, we’re tired, so would it be okay if we report later?”

The hero cut in.
The timing was truly exquisite.
Someone might think she cut in to defend me.
But Felheim Senova seemed to feel some weight in the hero’s words, as she smiled and answered:

“Ah, of course. This old woman was holding up young people again. Go rest for now. We’ll talk later.”

Fortunately, it seems we’ve passed the crisis.
Of course, I still think it’s gone bad, but at least for now.