Once the Curse of Reversed Likability Was Lifted, My Party Members Became Unbearably Heavy
A room in the royal castle bathed in morning mist.
The room once used as a base by the hero’s party during their activities in the capital was now filled with a luxurious dining table and bedding for five.
About a week had passed since the night they reunited with the three.
They were gradually regaining their former brightness and inner strength, albeit slowly.
However, their affection for Ren had grown even stronger, taking on a distorted form.
The three—the Saint, the Knight Commander, and the Court Mage—were officially resting due to illness, yet for this entire week, they had remained constantly by Ren’s side, or rather, clung to him.
Breakfast was carefully laid out on the table.
Freshly baked bread, herb soup, and beautifully browned rolled omelette.
Celia carefully ladled the steaming soup into bowls.
“Ren sama, please open your mouth.”
At the gentle voice, Ren smiled slightly, looking a bit troubled.
“No, it’s fine. I can eat by myself.”
“…But I cannot trouble Ren sama with such things.”
Celia bowed her head slightly.
Ren’s arm—one of them was gone.
To her, that wound ached as if it were her own.
Rina chuckled softly and handed over a napkin.
“It’s not just Celia. I’ll help too. …Wouldn’t want any spilled, now.”
“You two… You don’t have to be so overprotective.”
“This isn’t ‘overprotective’ at all. Haven’t I always said we’ll help Ren with everything—eating, bathing, using the toilet?”
Facing those eyes, utterly serious and incapable of joking, Ren responded with a forced smile.
“Hahaha… I’ve told you so many times, it’s really okay, you don’t need to go that far.”
Noel was brewing tea a short distance away.
Her white fingers trembled, spilling a little hot water.
“…Don’t say it’s unnecessary. Please, please let me stay by your side.”
Her voice was calm, yet it carried a desperate, pleading urgency.
Ren’s face twisted again, a bitter smile forming.
“You guys are so stubborn. Seriously, I don’t care anymore. Let’s just be cheerful like before!”
“Even if Ren sama says he doesn’t care, I’ll spend my entire life atoning for my sins. Being by Ren sama’s side is my greatest happiness! I can’t bear a life without Ren sama by my side anymore!!”
“I can’t do anything without Ren either. Even when I open my eyes or hear a voice, I feel like Ren might disappear again… It’s awful, isn’t it, feeling like this?”
Beside a speechless Ren, Iris—who had grown accustomed to the three girls over the past week—quietly reached out.
“…Ren-san, your soup will get cold.”
Her gentle voice eased the tension in the air slightly.
For this past week, Iris had been a symbol of solace not just for Ren, but for all three girls.
“Thank you, Iris.”
“No… Everyone, please, really, calm down.”
At her smile, the three girls exchanged glances for just an instant. In each pair of eyes, regret mingled with a touch of jealousy and fear.
A week ago, introducing Iris to the three had been quite a struggle.
“Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Iris, who’s been traveling with me for the past month.”
“E-everyone, nice to meet you. My name is Iris. Ren-san saved me, and I’ve been accompanying him.”
At first, Iris was incredibly nervous around the three girls, whose titles alone—Holy Maiden, Knight Commander, Court Magician—placed them in positions of immense status.
“I see… Ren-sama, so you already have someone who properly stays by your side.”
“…Celia?”
Ren called her name, but Celia quietly shook her head.
“No. It’s fine. Rather… I’m truly glad. It would be unforgivable for tainted hands like ours to touch Ren sama any further.”
Noel spoke softly. Yet beneath her words lay thorns too sharp for speech.
“I know it’s because you’re here… that Ren has been able to get through this past month. …Even so, though. I can’t help but feel a little jealous of you.”
“Right, we’re no longer needed. Uh, ugh… I wanted to be by Ren’s side too…”
Rina spoke between sobs, tears streaming down her face.
To Iris, the three of them—their love was so overwhelmingly strong it was painful to witness.
“I… I never meant to blame you all—”
Noel laughed at the strained voice. A terribly quiet laugh, with a broken resonance.
“It’s okay. I understand. For you too, Ren is your ‘salvation,’ isn’t he? We are… unnecessary.”
“Noel, don’t say things like that.”
“Because if Ren is taken away… our very reason for existing disappears.”
“…Um, I… I understand you’re not bad people. In fact, I think it’s amazing. That you could… care for Ren so deeply.”
At those words, Celia’s lips trembled slightly. Rina lowered her face, and Noel’s shoulders shook softly.
Iris continued.
“I… I’m not strong. But I want to support Ren. I’m sure you all feel the same way.”
After that, Iris and the three of them started talking often.
When Iris shared her memories of Ren from the past month, the three of them made sour faces, suppressing their jealousy. But Ren, seeing their expressions, just seemed content, thinking it was good they were getting along.