Have you all read those "expelled from the party" stories?

The protagonist is obviously overpowered and ridiculously strong, yet they get kicked out by their teammates like a stray dog by the roadside, only to rise up and show up their old party later.

I quite like them because they're so satisfying to read. However, once my brain takes over, I can't help but put the book down and curse.

The original teammates are usually experienced adventurers, even heroes standing at the world's pinnacle. Yet, they somehow can't tell how strong the protagonist is.

Calling them "lacking vision" feels too mild, "idiots, morons, imbeciles" would be more fitting.

Isn't that just too ridiculous!

Up until I was stabbed by a teammate, that's exactly what I thought. It seems I still underestimated the diversity of human stupidity.

To put it simply, i Sivelle, the swordsman of the hero's party, was betrayed.

After roaring about friendship and bonds or some other nonsense and defeating the Demon King, I was finished off by the two remaining members of the party ruthlessly, without a shred of mercy.

If I hadn’t prepared a backup plan during my lifetime, I wouldn’t even have the chance to sit here and ramble like this.

But seriously… why?

Since reincarnating into this world—which for some reason closely resembles a game I once played—I’ve undergone rigorous training and achieved tremendous growth throughout our journey, in terms of accomplishments, I’ve slain the Demon King’s generals and fought him head-on for a long time, by any measure, my strength should be more than enough!

If we’re talking personal grudges… well, I can recall dozens. Like adding "little accessories" to Teammate A’s soup, swapping room numbers so Teammate B walked into the women’s bath, sharing his secretly hidden "special" booklet with the rest of the team… and a few other incidents of slightly more serious nature.

Okay, maybe that was a bit excessive.

But was it worth this?! A couple of punches would’ve sufficed! Aren’t we supposed to be comrades? What you’ve done now—can you even call yourselves humans, let alone heroes?

Those two bastards probably even set up a tombstone for me, pretending I died in some heroic sacrifice…

By the hand of the Demon King. Just like that, I firmly become a great hero, leaving a legacy that will be remembered forever.

Ah, isn’t that actually pretty cool? I like it.

But letting those two traitors roam free in the world is still too much of a blow to my pride. I can’t rest in peace without settling this grudge.

So, after hesitating for a long time before death, I activated my contingency plan—a one-time-use secret treasure I obtained through my knowledge of the game, granting me a third life.

Why did I hesitate even when resurrection was possible?

Because the new body I received was randomly drawn from the entire pool of humanoid beings—a lousy gacha pool—and it would wither away and die miserably after just one year.

Just look at what I’ve become now.

Delicate, flawless skin, a slender waist so fragile it seems it could be snapped with a touch, and a face so breathtaking you’d need tissues ready before looking in the mirror. Truly the epitome of a top-tier beauty—yet also the most useless kind of “pale, thin, and youthful.”

Lacking any sense of aggression, inherently soft and frail. Easily capable of evoking pity, but almost impossible to command awe. It’s a far cry from my ideal image of a hero—not cool in the slightest.

I could pretend not to notice the gender difference, and a short lifespan is enough for my purposes—but when it comes to temperament, there's just no fooling myself.

What’s even more frustrating is…

“Sylvia, mighty spirit of the forest, I am the one who awakened you! Become part of my family!”

A fat pig... no, a fat pig of a man stands before me, murmuring strange words while holding a suspicious contract. Sorry, I didn’t mean to discriminate against the overweight.

Although he looks like a chuunibyou creep trying to abduct a young girl, I know what he’s really up to.

In this world, humans use magic by combining runes. However, most powerful runes cannot be mastered through study or practice alone.

They must sign expensive contracts with specific “spirits” and complete all sorts of bizarre rituals to gain the right to use certain runes. It seems I’ve been reincarnated as a minor spirit—and judging by the mana, I’m likely of the ice attribute.

Back to the point. This fellow, who appears to be a descendant of some noble family, isn’t actually a pervert he probably just wants to bind me to his family as a generational tool, bound to serve their family for all eternity.

Hmm, that actually sounds worse than just being a creep.

Let me put on a bright, cheerful smile and politely decline now.

“I’ll give you three seconds. Get lost.”

The chubby guy burst out laughing arrogantly.

“Spirit, you should reconsider. In this remote corner of the kingdom, only I hold a contract worthy of you. If you refuse now, you will never be able to leave this forest—doomed to spend your long life among trees and wild beasts!”

Spirits can only survive where magical energy is dense. The moment they step outside such areas, they rapidly weaken until they're not even as capable as a child—utterly useless unless they form a contract with a human. They might as well be called “earthbound spirits.”

From what I can sense, my range of movement probably doesn’t even cover this whole forest—just a dozen or so meters around me.

I’m practically a princess trapped in a tower.

But I don’t need a prince—just a tool who can serve as my ladder.

I channeled magic, strengthening my body as I had in the past, and forged an ice sword with frost magic.

The chubby noble was sharp and immediately called for his guards. I quickly took them down, then had a friendly negotiation with the plump lord, smoothly securing the contract.

He and his guards fled in tears. Adorable, really.

Ah, I forgot to ask him the exact year, month, and location. Oh well—that’s something I can always find out later.

In high spirits, I watched him disappear into the woods, then found a soft patch of grass to lie down on.

Gazing up at the clear, boundless sky, munching on bugs, I started plotting how to attract some gullible... I mean, kind-hearted souls to sign contracts and help this lovely, long-haired princess escape her tower.

Since I could run into such a weak noble, I must be somewhere near a town, not in some remote, uninhabited magical wilderness. I can expect woodcutters, herb gatherers, or hunters to be wandering nearby.

If I use ice magic to create some eye-catching landmarks, curious folks should show up soon enough.

The problem is, how do I turn those curious passersby into stepping stones, making them willing to help me kill someone, or at least not stop me?

Use force to threaten them? I'm a genuine hero, at most I’d rummage through chests in villagers' homes or borrow weapons from passing merchants—I couldn’t do something so tasteless.

It’d be best if I had a chance to do someone a favor.

For example, if a crazed, perverted, cruel, and filthy magical beast chased a delicate, kind-hearted young girl right to me, giving me the chance to play the hero and save her, followed by her offering herself in return, joining me in building a great cause, being abandoned after I got what I wanted, and living with regret for the rest of her life...

Never mind, things like that never happen so conveniently in reality.

"Wah—sniffle—waaahhh!"

The quiet forest erupted with pitiful crying, which was really annoying. Along with it came the heavy scent of blood.

I sat up and saw that it was the plump lord running back, crying.

His woolen coat was stained with blood, turning from a beautiful pure green into a rather questionable mix of red and green. All of the guards who had been surrounding him were nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, a boy with a ferocious expression and blood all over his face appeared, chasing after him while sobbing as he ran.

The reason for their panicked escape was quite simple: a magical beast was hot on their heels.

It stood over three meters tall, its muscles bulging all over—essentially a giant black hound. However, it had human-like eyes and a mouth, and instead of running on all fours, it sprinted upright like a person.

Half of its body was soaked in blood, its mouth agape, with yellowish teeth still clinging to shreds of leftover flesh. The stench was detectable even from several meters away.

Judging by the magical energy radiating from it, this creature was not only hideous in appearance but also of a considerably high level—requiring dozens of soldiers supported by mages to subdue. No wonder the two gentlemen were in such a panic.

The magical beast was incredibly fast. When it first came into view, it was still several meters behind the two, but within just a few breaths, it had closed in right behind them.

Moreover, the boy, in his frantic escape, tripped over a stone and fell hard. By the sound of it, he likely broke a bone.

The magical beast curled its lips into a grin.

In just a few seconds, it would tear the boy to shreds and feast on his remains, no doubt.

This was undeniably a crazed, perverted, cruel, and filthy magical beast.

I channeled magic and raised my ice sword.

sigh... Couldn't the other one have been a young girl instead?