The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

50 – EP4. Crossroads of Life and Death

“Extermination order?”

Peria asked in confusion. Angel nodded and said,

“Well, they said we disappeared last night so they issued an extermination order, claiming that we colluded with demons.”

Angel hardened his expression and continued,

“…And it seems they did it in other places too.”

“It’s an easy way to apply political pressure. If someone does anything that even slightly displeases them, they’ll accuse that person of colluding with the enemy.”

“Our comrades must be having a hard time.”

“Indeed. Even if Lena isn’t human, Sein and Beatrice… Sein is from a family that belongs to a faction opposing the Emperor, so it’s inevitable that he’ll suffer during this difficult time for the Emperor. And Beatrice, since the Saint is involved in the election, she’ll be politically disadvantaged when I disappear.”

Angel forced a bitter smile.

“We were completely set up. That’s why it felt like the pursuit against us wasn’t as strong as we expected.”

The Emperor was a seasoned politician, and he knew how to make use of the results he wanted, even if they didn’t go his way.

He bit his lip. If only he had sought another solution….

“…Does this mean dying and going back to the past has become necessary?”

From Noble mtl dot com

Angel muttered to himself. Peria furrowed her brows and said,

“No, that won’t work. You’re still alive. You just need to shake off the false charges. You told me not to give up, but now you’re thinking of going back to the past just because the situation isn’t in your favor? You’re the one who clung onto me forcefully.”

Angel’s eyes widened, and he smiled bitterly.

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry. Somehow, I developed a habit of thinking about the next step whenever it seemed impossible. Even if I died many times, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Peria looked at Angel with a strange look in her eyes.

“…Just how many times did you die?”

“Well, I guess I comfortably crossed over dozens of times.”

“Dozens of times… hahahaha, that’s a number that doesn’t even make me laugh.”

Feria tightly wrapped her head with her arms. Angel had called his ability to return to the past after dying a “savior’s power.” That meant that after becoming a savior, he had died in just a few months.

“…It must have been really tough.”

“…It was. It hurt a lot. But slowly, I started building resilience even against pain and fear.”

“…I see.”

“Sorry for rambling.”

Angel stroked his chin.

“But even if dying is a problem for later, there’s too much I need to find out. If there’s more information somewhere… even if it’s related to the Catalyst and that ring, I don’t know the exact connection.”

Angel changed the topic again.

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“…But that Imperial Records thing, it’s like a history book your faction has been writing for generations, so why didn’t they tell you about it? Aren’t you the heir to your faction?”

“I don’t know. Why did my grandfather hide this record from me?”

“Did it contain something he didn’t want to reveal?”

“Maybe… But there wasn’t anything particularly unusual.”

“In the end, we’ll never understand what the dead were thinking.”

Angel shivered.

If he were to return to the past after dying, he might be able to get answers from Caven Theodore.

But that wasn’t an option. He had saved Feria, and that had been almost like a threat to her. It wouldn’t be amusing for a man who had resorted to threats to save others to take his own life.

“Oh, by the way, my grandfather’s book had a gap in the middle.”

“A gap in the middle?”

There was no way he could have forgotten that he was writing it, even if he was a renowned magician. It meant he had given up on recording by his own will.

And while Angel didn’t know much about Caven Theodore, it was clear it wasn’t due to laziness or something like that.

He began to feel skeptical about that fact.

Feria seemed to find it strange as well, but she also didn’t seem to have a clear reason.

For there to be a reason to suddenly break off records that even his disciples didn’t know, there must have been a reason he couldn’t help but stop.

He gazed at the corner of the dusty bookshelf as he pondered.

Wait, why is there dust on the bookshelf in the first place?

Angel became suspicious of that fact. Feria surely had manipulated it to remove the dust, right?

Angel informed Feria of this fact.

“That’s true.”

Feria brushed the dust away and said.

“Why is there so much dust only here?”

Angel picked up the book placed there.

“There’s no title.”

Angel handed the book to Peria, who unfolded it and read.

“Damn it. The royal family has discovered the identity of the Catalyst. They seem to have plans to use the Catalyst. But I won’t let that happen! Despite its grandiose name like the Philosopher’s Stone, it’s an incredibly dangerous item in reality. Planning to use something that is bound to kill countless people, are they out of their minds?

…No, I knew from the beginning that there was no sanity in the royal family. Even the previous emperor was rumored to have been poisoned by his own brother… The Catalyst must never be revealed. It must be kept hidden, in a place where nobody knows, not even Peria, that child. The existence of the Catalyst must remain a secret.”

“…What is this?”

Peria frowned as she read the text in the book and then handed the book back, shaking her head.

“Damn it, I barely managed to hide the Catalyst from the eyes of the royal family. But now, my hatred for the Catalyst has only deepened. Even more so, for the faction that contributed the most to creating the Catalyst, the one that slaughtered people on a massive scale. My masters’ masters didn’t record the fact that they slaughtered people for the production of the Catalyst to serve the imperial ego. What kind of record is it if it omits unfavorable information? The imperial ego means nothing to me now. Breaking the tradition of our faction is regrettable, but records that only exclude unfavorable things have no meaning or value.”

“…What?”

Peria froze upon discovering that her own faction was the one that had slaughtered the most people for the creation of the Catalyst.

Moreover, the shocking revelation that there were no records about the Catalyst because they omitted unfavorable information left her in disbelief.

“This is… unbelievable.”

Peria clutched her head and flipped through the pages again. This time, she focused on the earlier records.

“I started researching the Catalyst. The Catalyst possesses two qualities: mana absorption and amplification. The Catalyst starts operating with a relatively small amount of mana, and once it starts operating, it absorbs the natural mana from the surroundings and amplifies the infused mana at a fixed ratio. However, the initial mana required to activate it is by no means small when viewed objectively.

…An ordinary person would be drained of mana to the point of death. I realized that this item is extremely dangerous. It’s not like the Philosopher’s Stone or a miraculous object; it’s a monster that sucks people’s blood and grants power. I can’t understand those who attempt to create such a thing or those who want to use it.

In reality, the Catalyst invariably requires the sacrifice of an innocent person. Even though it can amplify mana almost twofold, it’s meaningless without the necessary mana to operate it, so it requires the sacrifice of a regular human to activate it. It even gradually weakens anyone in its vicinity by siphoning off their mana, making them frail. This item has no meaning. I intend to keep the Catalyst in minimal research records. Nobody would dare to use it when they see it absorbing mana.”

“…Unbelievable.”

Peria gripped her head.

“…If this record is accurate, the Catalyst is a highly dangerous item.”

“Yes. If such an item truly exists, we must never leave it alone. Damn it, could it be the reason the royal family was after me?”

As Peria clenched her teeth, Angel spoke cautiously.

“…But, is it really because of the Catalyst that the royal family targeted you?”

“Huh?”

“If you think about it, I distinctly remember hearing from Lord Serindel before my death that the reason they were after you was undoubtedly because of that ring. However, we can’t find any connection between that ring and the Catalyst.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“While the royal family may be interested in the Catalyst… it’s not the only reason. There must be another meaning. Definitely.”

Angel said with a confident look in his eyes.

Peria gazed at her ring thoughtfully.

“What on earth is this ring…”