"Hahaha, look at him, still so stubborn and letting his younger sibling die because of his actions," Renji said.
"That's right, he was given a chance to join but still refuses, how stubborn," Claire added.
Hearing this, Mira clenched her fists tightly.
Meanwhile, Arata, who witnessed their cruel treatment toward Mira, finally stood up from his seat.
"Hey, where are you going?" Ryuka asked.
"I'm going to teach some people a lesson," Arata replied.
"Huh? Are you going to fight them?" Yuna questioned.
"Fight? No, I'm just going to give them a little lesson," Arata answered.
Arata headed toward Renji and the others to teach them a lesson.
"Yo, this looks interesting. Mind if I join?" Arata said.
Hearing Arata's voice, they all turned to look.
"Arata, what are you doing here? Don't think we'll take you back," Renji said.
"Of course, I'm here to take a mission," Arata replied.
Upon hearing that Arata was taking a mission, he was mocked by his former teammates.
"Hahaha, someone like you will definitely be taking a D-rank mission just to survive," Renji laughed.
"That's right, there's no way you'd take a C-rank mission by yourself," Claire added.
"Yeah, stay out of our business," Dason said.
Hearing their insults, Arata laughed at their ignorance.
"Hahahaha, you guys never fail to be so sharp with your tongues. Alright, since you're so ignorant, let me tell you something," Arata said.
"Tch, you probably want to say you failed, right?" Renji mocked.
"Oi, oi, don't assume, idiot. What I want to tell you is that I'm not the same as you," Arata said.
"Not the same? What do you mean?" Renji asked.
"I completed an S-rank mission by myself, and you guys? Pfft, you couldn't even finish a C-rank mission," Arata boasted.
Upon hearing Arata's claim, they stubbornly refused to believe that the person they once mocked could be above them.
"Hahaha, if you're going to joke, don't do it here. You? An A-rank completing an S-rank mission alone? Impossible," Renji laughed.
"Yeah, someone like you completing an S-rank mission alone is a real joke," Claire said.
"And if you actually completed an S-rank mission alone, then we can do an SS-rank mission too," Dason added.
"You still don't believe me? Fine, let me prove it to you," Arata said.
Arata then pulled out his guild card, where it clearly stated that his rank was S.
They stared at the card in disbelief, unable to accept what they were seeing.
"Is that even possible? How?" Renji stammered.
"Yeah, there's no way your rank is above ours," Claire said.
"You must have forged your rank, right?" Dason said.
Seeing their foolishness, Arata sighed.
"(Sighs) Fine, that's your problem whether you believe it or not. The important thing is that I want to talk to Mira," Arata said.
Mira, who had been watching their argument, was taken aback when Arata said he wanted to talk to her.
"M-me? Why are you calling me?" Mira stammered.
"Don't be nervous. I just want to ask, what's wrong with your younger sibling?" Arata asked.
Mira was surprised by Arata's question about her younger sibling's illness.
"My younger sibling has a mysterious illness," Mira said.
"A mysterious illness? What kind of illness is it?" Arata asked.
"I don't know, but every night my sibling screams in pain, and as the older sibling, I don't know what to do," Mira replied.
"Have you taken them to see a doctor?" Arata asked.
"Of course, but because we are very poor, we've been rejected by the doctors in this town," Mira explained.
"Ah, no wonder. There are so few people here who are kind," Arata said.
Mira then asked Arata why he was asking about her younger sibling.
"Why are you asking me this?" Mira asked.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking if I could heal your sibling or not," Arata said.
"Huh? Are you a doctor?" Mira asked.
"I'm not a doctor, I'm just a swordsman. But when it comes to healing, I've learned a lot from my mother," Arata explained.
"Your mother? Was she a doctor?" Mira asked.
"No, my mother was a saintess. She could heal any kind of illness, from the mildest to the most serious," Arata said.
"Ah, I see," Mira said.
Arata then asked Mira if she would allow him to visit her house and try to heal her sibling.
"So, would you let me try to heal your sibling? I won't force you, as you're the older sibling, you should make the decision," Arata said.
"Wait a moment, let me think about it," Mira said.
Mira thought about whether it was the right thing to bring Arata to heal her sibling, but she saw a glimmer of hope in his words.
"Alright, I trust you. If you can heal my sibling, I'll do whatever you want, even if you want to… play with my body," Mira said.
Upon hearing that Mira would do anything, including her body, a chill suddenly ran down Arata's spine.
"Brrr, calm down Ryuka, there's no way I'd do that, right?" Arata said.
"Hmph, good, if you know that," Ryutaro said.
Yuna, noticing Ryuka's behavior, decided to tease her.
"Hoo, looks like someone's jealous," Yuna said.
"W-what do you mean? It's just a natural reflex," Ryuka stammered.
"There's no such thing as a natural reflex when someone releases their aura like that, unless they're jealous," Yuna teased.
Ryuka fell silent, hearing Yuna's words.
Meanwhile, Renji, seeing that Arata wanted to help Mira, mocked her again.
"Hahaha, so she believes in this liar," Renji said.
"Yeah, his mother was supposedly a saintess? Maybe his mother was actually a prostitute who hung out with rich old men," Claire added.
"Yeah, maybe his dad was one of those rich old men," Dason said.
Hearing them insult both his parents, Arata instantly drew his sword and pointed it at Claire's neck, while Ryuka prepared to cast her magic.
"Go ahead, insult me again, I want to see whether my sword or your insults will be faster," Arata said.
"Don't you know that I'm from the Vortemiris family?" Claire said.
"Oh, you think I'll be scared just because you're from the Vortemiris family?" Arata said.
"Y-you're not scared?" Claire stammered.
"Of course, I'm not scared. No matter if you're a king's child, I won't fear them if they insult my parents," Arata said.
Hearing Arata's words, they were all terrified, as if this wasn't the same Arata they knew.
Seeing them afraid, Arata sheathed his sword.
"(Sheathing the sword) Fine, I'm done dealing with you guys," Arata said.
They sighed in relief, but Ryuka cast a bit of magic, freezing them momentarily.
"Enough, Ryuka, don't waste your mana on them," Arata said.
"Hmph, I don't like it when they insult you. Since you said that, fine," Ryuka said.
Ryuka withdrew her magic, and they were freed from the ice.
Ryuka then gave them a cold warning.
"You're lucky because Arata told me to stop. But remember this: if you insult Arata again, don't think you can get away from me, even if Arata tells me to stop," Ryuka threatened.
They all fell silent, terrified by Ryuka's warning.
"So, let's go to your sibling's place," Arata said.
"O-okay," Mira said.
"Stop being so nervous," Arata said.
"Alright, I'll try not to be nervous anymore," Mira said.
They all headed to Mira's house to check on her younger sibling.
What happened to Mira's sibling? What illness do they have? Can Arata heal them? And what will Arata's former team do after insulting him? Stay tuned for the next chapter!
*If I made any minor mistakes that might be distracting, I sincerely apologize. I have done my best for this novel, and if you enjoy it, please consider giving it a like and sharing your feedback, suggestions, or criticism so I can learn and improve. Thank you for reading, and see you in the next chapter!*