'It's not worth listening to people who look down on others'
That's what I call double standard. They should remember what they said to Est before they kicked him out of the party because of their "good intentions". Applying the same logic, Est could keep them at distance because his quests are far too dangerous for this weak party. But I forgot, Est is the bad guy and they are the good guys ... Did the author intentionally write his characters that stupid or didn't he get it himself?
Daru really never misses a chance to show what a lowlife he is. Now he even badmouths Est, his former comrade, even though he knows the whole truth. I think at this point even his last defenders should realize what kind of person he is.
Honestly, I was just skipping this chapter. I omit reading something that makes me feel bad or angry (like all the other chapters of this manga). A whole chapter of Daru (mastermind behind Est's expulsion) an Athena getting closer to each other, no thanks.
Seriously, how could this crap get a lightnovel and a manga?! Was the reception in Japan that different? I read in another thread that the webnovel already got a bad rating, then the lightnovel and finally the manga.
The scanlation group's work is great but they should drop this manga and pick up one of the numerous better mangas who got dropped by other scanlation groups.
Edit: I understand that you want to finish something once you started it (probably the sole reason most people continue reading this manga) but I think that it's important to not waste your energy on something so frustrating.