The expression on the four people's faces made it seem like I wasn’t going to be kicked out, at least for now.

I felt like I had slept longer than expected, so I summoned my clock and saw that about 15 minutes had passed.

I had just taken a much-needed, deep nap after a long journey.

“Louis, I'll say it again. Please join our party. I'm Aswell, the hero and the leader of this party."

Starting with the hero, the remaining three also introduced themselves.

“I’m Aria. I’ve been entrusted with the mission of defeating the Demon Lord along with the Hero. Although they call me a saintess, I don’t think I’m worthy of that title yet…”

The saintess, Aria, had the typical appearance you’d expect from a character in a cliché. Her slightly wavy blonde hair, gentle eyes, a soft personality, and... an impressive chest.

“I’m Serlin Kint. Aswell’s mentor and a knight by title. Pleased to meet you.”

Next was a female knight with striking blue hair like the deep sea. Compared to the titles of Elf Princess and Saintess, it might seem like a step down, but in reality, it wasn’t.

She had a title the other heroines didn’t possess—the Hero’s Mentor. And like Aria, she too carried the burden of having a chest that even pacifists might call violent.

“Lafiré. I’m an archer. Whether or not I’ll trust you… I’ll decide after watching.”

Lastly, an elf with green hair resembling a forest. Unlike Aria, she broke the typical trope that “elves have small chests.”

With that, the three introductions were over. In fact, having read the original work multiple times, I already knew all of their names and characteristics, but there was no reason to reveal that, so I simply listened quietly.

Hearing the introductions that the other heroines made in the novel brought about a strange feeling. It was like hearing a famous catchphrase from a TV celebrity in real life.

‘Although I’m not a heroine, anyway.’

I canceled all the spells marked as [Operation Complete] and bowed my head.

“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Louis. In the party, I’ll be handling overall support.”

To be honest, I hadn’t come up with an exact title for the role I’d be taking on. My current thinking was that I’d be supporting with equipment, buffs, and other conveniences.

‘Hmm, maybe “Supporter”? Or “Enchanter”?’

It felt closer to “Supporter,” but with a more mixed role. So I just summed it up as "support."

Although I joined the party, that wasn’t the end. Due to the hero's conviction and appearance, the noise around me was minimized, but it hadn't disappeared entirely.

Didn’t Lafiré just say something along those lines?

In other words, for me to be accepted as a true companion, I had two major tasks to accomplish.

First, I needed to prove my usefulness as a party member. This wasn’t just to convince the hero, who had vouched for me, but also to reaffirm my value.

No matter what, I couldn’t disgrace the person who believed in me. Fortunately, I had enough skill to avoid making a fool of myself.

The second... didn’t apply to the hero. It was about letting the three heroines know...

‘I’m not a heroine.’

I had to make it absolutely clear to the hero that I wasn’t harboring any romantic feelings toward him. In fact, the second task felt even more important than the first.

While the first could naturally resolve over time, the second could linger even after repeated denials and explanations. I was prepared to do anything to dispel their suspicion completely.

“Louis, your room is on the far left of the second floor. I’m in the room next to yours, so if anything comes up…”

“What? The room right next to the hero’s?”

“Yeah. I figured it’d be easier to show you around and explain things if we were nearby.”

“...I wouldn’t mind a different empty room.”

“Hmm, sorry, but the other rooms haven’t been cleaned yet. I cleared that room for my training, so it’s tidy. Oh, am I making you uncomfortable?”

The hero asked with a sheepish smile.

‘It’s not about you, though.’

I glanced sideways. Three pairs of cold eyes, each with their own shade of iciness, were piercing into me.

Maybe I could swap rooms with one of them instead? But that inner plea never reached the hero.

“Phew…”

Having endured the cold stares, I entered the room the hero had assigned to me. Compared to the other rooms that looked like storage spaces, this one was surprisingly clean, a testament to the hero’s neat habits.

‘Not that it matters.’

I was here to advance my magic research, after all. That was my main goal.

Click.

Once the door was closed, I grabbed a handle that appeared in the air.

Creak.

A different, antique-looking door slowly opened, revealing a familiar sight.

“Of course, this place feels comfortable…”

Beyond the door lay my laboratory. The hero’s party journey wasn’t going to end in just a month or two.

So I had brought everything with me, literally packing all my belongings.

“It wasn’t something a normal person would do…”

Storing the laboratory in a subspace wasn’t something I ever wanted to do again. It delayed my joining the hero’s party by quite a bit.

At least I made it in before meeting the Witch Heroine.

“Let’s store these results away for now…”

I placed the finished experimental results in a drawer as I waited for the party’s meeting. If my prediction was right, the party would be leaving this village soon.

For now, instead of continuing my research, I focused on checking if I’d made any mistakes.

Scratch, scratch.

After jotting down a few notes in my journal, I closed the lab door. Then I took out four magical tools from another subspace.

They were gloves, each with a different design and color—my first gift to the hero’s party.

“They’re prototypes, but they’ll do.”

Trial and error was for amateurs. I, on the other hand, meticulously crafted them to be ready for use right away.

“Hmm, Aria’s movements are more flexible and slower than expected, so…”

I took out a pen again and began inscribing runes onto the gloves. There was a big difference between making something based on rough guesses and making it after observing it firsthand.

Just from watching Aria’s movements and physique, I had already adjusted fourteen different enchantments. This method was far more stable than crafting it on the spot.

After finishing the processing for Aria’s gloves, I completed the same for the other three. By the time I had finished, the sun had started to set, and I was dozing off after completing the enchantments.

Knock, knock.

“Huh?”

“Louis, are you inside?”

It was the hero’s voice.

“Sigh, yes.”

“May I come in?”

Why was he so polite about everything? That’s just like him, though.

“Yes, come in.”

“Thanks. We’re going out for dinner now. Do you want to join, Louis…?”

I yawned as the hero entered, but something felt off in the way he was looking at me. When I looked at him with a puzzled expression, he suddenly averted his gaze, as if he had realized something.

‘What now?’

“Uh, Louis, sorry, but your clothes…”

Clothes?

‘What about my clothes?’

Glancing down, I realized it.

‘Ah.’

I had completely forgotten. I had changed clothes the moment I entered the room, not into something casual but into soft pajamas. And because I had tossed and turned in my sleep… several buttons on the front were undone.

‘Oh no.’

At least only my shoulders and stomach were exposed. But it was the first time this had happened, and I froze.

“S-sorry. Uh, we’re heading out to eat, so if you want to join us, come down. If not, I can bring you something. A-anyway, I’ll head out.”

The hero hastily exited the room, leaving an awkward silence in his wake.

‘I just met him today, though…’

To think I had to face him like this right after meeting him. I cursed my past self for not fixing my bad habits.

But regret or not, I still needed to eat dinner. Plus, I had to give the gloves to the four of them.

It definitely wasn’t because I felt embarrassed about facing the hero. Definitely not.

I made a mistake.

I should have realized that Louis had just woken up from a nap. But I ignored that and went in, leading to disaster.

‘I’ll have to apologize.’

No matter how you look at it, she's still a woman. Even if it was a mistake, some things are simply unacceptable.

Aswell sat downstairs, feeling a growing sense of guilt.

“Hero? What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing.”

Aria noticed something was off, but Aswell couldn’t bring himself to respond normally. The more he tried to forget, the more the image from earlier kept resurfacing in his mind.

‘If Louis gets upset and decides to leave…’

What should he do then? The hero who had handled countless incidents with wisdom over the past year was at a loss for ideas this time.

It was then that…

Creak, creak.

Footsteps sounded from the second floor. Other than Aswell, there were already three people downstairs, meaning there was only one person who could be coming down.

“Good evening, everyone.”

Louis descended with an indifferent expression. In her hands were four bags that no one recognized.

“Well, we’re all here. Shall we go?”

“I’m still a bit awkward with Louis, but… I’m sure we’ll get to know each other over dinner!”

“Hmph.”

The three began walking ahead, with the hero and Louis trailing behind. Aswell normally walked in front, but this time he had something to say to her.

“Uh, Louis… about earlier…”

Just as he began to apologize, the shorter mage interrupted him.

“It’s fine. It could happen to anyone. It was my fault for not paying attention.”

“...But still.”

“I should be the one apologizing. Sorry for the inappropriate sight.”

“Inappropriate sight?”

Without realizing it, Aswell was already inwardly rejecting that idea.

Even though the lights had been off, the brief glimpse of her body had been…

‘What the heck.’

“Still, I’m sorry. If you need anything from me later, just let me know. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Well, alright then.”

“Hero! We’re here!”

And with that, their conversation ended. The five of them entered a renowned restaurant in town.

The restaurant’s reputation seemed well-deserved, as it was quite large and bustling with people.

The group was led into a private room, where they ordered food and sat in brief silence. It was Louis who broke the silence, the mage who had just joined today.

“Everyone, please take these.”

With purpose, she handed each of them a designated bag. Everyone took out the items inside and examined them.

“These are…”

“Gloves?”

“They look pretty high-quality…”

“What is this, Louis?”

The hero asked, and Louis answered.

“These are the first magical tools I’m providing for you all. I’ve enchanted them based on each of your traits and combat styles.”

They looked like simple gloves made by a skilled artisan.

Wait… "based on each of our traits," "appropriate enchantments"?

A moment of silence fell over the group. Understandable, since they had just met her today.