Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

"As of today, you are no longer part of our party."

Those words drifted and hung heavily in the air, plunging the room into total silence. The young, handsome blonde man speaking them wore a tiara and golden armor like a high-tier adventurer. He stood with hands on his hips, wearing an arrogant smirk.

To his left and right stood a middle-aged male mage, a heavily armored vanguard carrying a massive shield, and a beautiful blonde woman dressed like a priestess. They were an S-rank adventurer party, renowned for clearing countless dungeons and putting down legendary monster threats.

The blonde leader stared down smugly at the youth standing in front of his desk. The youth wore a face mask and all-black clothes, his body lean and fit though not heavily muscled. A pair of chakrams hung at his waist. A dark hood obscured most of his face, and he carried an oversized backpack.

Upon hearing the declaration, the youth remained entirely silent. His eyes showed no emotion whatsoever as he let the words hang unanswered. The heroic blonde leader stared into his eyes, blinked, and lost his composure for two full seconds. He clearly hadn’t expected such total indifference.

Finally, the hero snapped, "Hey. Say something."

The masked youth raised his head. Naturally, this irritated the hero even more, because even behind the mask, he could tell the youth’s eyes were practically sparkling with joy.

"Alright. Thanks a lot, Rene," the youth replied cheerfully.

Rene blinked again. His composure cracked for a split second before he forced his arrogant sneer back into place. He thrust his chin up, pushing his chest out.

"Don’t bother complaining, and don’t try bringing up that we’re childhood friends. Dion, you’re completely useless... During battles, you just linger in the back doing nothing. We don’t need dead weight who won’t work..."

Thud.

Hearing something heavy hit the floor, Rene suddenly realized he had just been thanked. The rest of his speech died in his throat. When he looked across the desk, all that remained was the massive backpack lying on the floor. Dion was nowhere to be seen.

Slam!

The front door slammed shut, leaving the room in dead silence once again.

Rene’s stunned expression darkened, quickly turning bright red. His jaw clenched so hard it looked like his teeth might shatter.

Slam!

He slammed both palms onto the desk.

"Easy, Rene," the shielder said, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Don’t let him get to you. We all know how Dion is," the middle-aged mage added softly.

"Damn it... Dion has gone way too far," Rene growled, struggling to swallow his rage.

Then, the sound of clicking high heels echoed through the room. Rene’s eyes widened. He raised his head and saw the priestess in pure white robes, carrying her staff, walking straight toward the exit.

"Hey, Luna! Where are you going?" Rene called out.

Luna paused and turned around. She looked at Rene, whose face was still flushed red, and noticed he was staring at her position by the door.

The mage stepped forward. "Is something wrong, Luna?"

Luna stayed silent for a moment, lost in thought. Her emerald-green eyes narrowed seriously, her brow furrowed. Then she looked back at Rene. This time, her gaze was razor-sharp and furious, even as a sweet smile bloomed across her gorgeous face.

"I’m leaving the party too. I’m going with Dion," Luna announced loudly.

Rene’s expression collapsed completely. The flush on his face drained away, leaving him pale and terrified.

"Huh...? What are you talking about? We’ve been together since we were kids... the three of us with Dion! Why are you abandoning me now?! Isn’t it... you and me...?"

Luna raised a hand to cut him off. A visible shudder ran through her as she held the door handle.

"Whoa... don’t get the wrong idea, Rene. Ever since we were kids, the only one in my heart has been Dion, not you. Even when you unlocked the Sword Saint class and Dion got that weird class... I still chose Dion. You fired him because you have zero clue what he actually did for us, or why we were able to wipe out S-rank monsters so easily. So stop thinking you’re more important than him. Bye-bye, Rene!" Luna said cheerfully.

Rene froze in shock. Tears welled up in his eyes, his heart feeling completely torn apart by her words, which cut through him like blades. The two men beside him tried to comfort him, but Luna simply turned around and stepped toward the door with a light, cheerful bounce.

Click.

She opened the door and was about to step out when Rene yelled, pointing a finger at her.

"Luna... you...! Without me, you never would have reached S-rank, and no party would ever want you! You’re just as useless as Dion! And all this time, I gave you everything and loved you with all my heart!"

Luna didn’t even care. She kept walking out with her staff. But right before closing the door, she popped her head back inside and smiled at Rene.

"Oh, right... with Dion gone, I strongly advise you not to take any A-rank or S-rank quests. You’ll literally die if you try, and I really don’t want to bring news of your death back home to our city... Bye!" Luna winked, flashed one last smile, and pulled back.

Slam!

The door shut tight behind her.

Rene stood completely frozen. Meanwhile, the armored warrior and the middle-aged mage turned to stare at him.

"Rene... what did Luna mean by saying we shouldn’t take A-rank or S-rank quests without Dion?" the warrior asked carefully.

"Hmm... come to think of it..." the mage stroked his chin. "When we took that S-rank quest to slay the Earth Dragon, our greatest achievement, the dragon’s head was mysteriously already sitting in our camp when we woke up. Did you kill that dragon, or was it someone else? No other adventurers could get close to that zone besides us. Was it Dion? All this time, I assumed you slipped out quietly, killed the dragon, and brought its head back. Was I wrong?"

Rene went dead silent. His head dropped, his blonde hair falling over his face toward the desk. His mind flashed back to that exact event. He had been fast asleep at that time.

Slam!

Rene slammed the desk again, this time with both hands, leaving his arms trembling against the wood.

"Damn it... Curse you, Dion! I’m an S-rank hero! Now that you’re fired, why is my party falling apart?! Even Luna ran off after you! I utterly despise you, Dion!" Rene raged silently in his mind.

Seeing his outburst, the warrior and the mage exchanged a deep, uncomfortable look. The way they viewed their leader had just shifted entirely.

***

Meanwhile, outside the inn and tavern, Dion was strolling leisurely down the street. His face was bright and full of life. His green eyes took in his surroundings, and he pulled down his mask, revealing a handsome face with a wide, beaming smile. His steps were long and light.

"Morning, ma’am! Beautiful day, isn’t it?"

"Oh, Dion! Did something good happen? You look thrilled!"

"It sure did! Today is an absolutely wonderful day! See you around!"

He greeted everyone he passed with a charming smile. His messy black hair fluttered in the wind as he practically skipped down the road in pure bliss.

"Finally... after two long years of being an adventurer... I can finally go back to my territory... and live a peaceful, relaxed life... unbound by anything... Man, I could cry," he thought to himself.

He felt like his ultimate goal was finally within arm’s reach. A long wait spanning across lives had finally brought his dream right in front of him. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he briefly remembered all the struggles he had endured back when he still lived on Earth.

Just as he approached the town gates, a voice shattered the silence.

"Diooooon!"

Dion paused and turned around. The bright, energetic look on his face instantly melted into pure, exhausted despair.

He saw Luna, gorgeous, clad in her pristine white robes without her hood, carrying her bag and staff, running toward him with a radiant smile.

Before he could react,

Thud!

Luna launched herself through the air, tackling Dion into a full-body hug.

"Gah!"

The force knocked the wind right out of Dion. His face contorted, a bit of drool escaped his mouth, and he slammed flat on his back onto the dirt with Luna landing right on top of him.

"Oops, sorry!" Luna giggled, sitting up on his chest with a sweet grin.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I’m fragile! Why do you always tackle me like that?!" Dion groaned in frustration.

"Hehehe... my bad! I officially quit the party, so now I’m coming with you!" Luna said, leaning down to wrap her arms around him as he lay spread-eagled on the ground.

"Wait... what?! What about Rene?" Dion asked in pure shock.

"Who cares about him? It’s his own fault for firing you so recklessly... hmph!" Luna pouted.

"How... how did it end up like this...? All I wanted was to go home and live a quiet, peaceful life... completely alone... ugh," Dion cried internally, covering his face in sudden, immense stress.