The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

52 – EP4. Crossroads of Life and Death

“Damn it.”

Angel muttered silently. He had barely found the catalyst, but in this surrounded state, he couldn’t think of a way to escape.

It was a situation that called for a fight.

But cold sweat began to run down his back.

He wasn’t afraid of his own death even now.

What he was afraid of was that the current situation might change with the memories that only he possessed.

What would happen if he died like this?

When would he go back to? To the time when he came here to find the catalyst? Or to the time when he had confessed to Peria that he had died several times already? If not, perhaps back to the day before Carven Theodore’s death, yet again?

“I can’t do that.”

When he was trying to rescue Sain, he didn’t pay attention to what’s happening right now. He was focused solely on the fear of death, the fear of pain, and finding a way to succeed at any cost.

But now? The situation with Sain is different. He had met Sain briefly only a few times and fought alongside him on the second encounter. Yet, he couldn’t forget the Sain from that night.

However, after being together for over a month, he wasn’t sure if he could handle Perrya forgetting all these memories.

He bit his lip. If he could have faced a complete death, none of this would have happened. But he couldn’t find complete rest, and all he could do was ponder over these matters. The thought of someone close to him completely forgetting their memories, vanishing without a trace, seemed unbearable.

So, what should he do?

What should he do to avoid experiencing something he couldn’t bear?

His lips twisted.

There was one thing he had to do from the beginning.

Live. Survive.

Survive to ensure that no one could bury his memories in the sands.

Soldiers began to converge on him. There were countless soldiers charging at him with their spears, and Perrya was drained of her magical power.

He gripped his sword.

Gripping the sword tightly, he charged forward.

“Ughhhhh!”

A familiar sensation ran through his fingertips.

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As if his holy blood painted the colorless air with red paint.

He enclosed his own body with divine power.

The soldiers’ attacks did not touch him.

However, he swung his sword without using magic.

The reason was simple. His catalyst within was continuously draining his magical power. He could barely hold on for now, but he couldn’t be certain of what would happen when his magical power ran out. He decided to conserve it as much as possible.

But his blade gradually grew dull, and his protective shield, created with divine power, also began to weaken.

Then he saw the soldiers aiming for Perrya from behind.

“No!”

It was instinctive. Instinctively, he blocked the spear aimed at Perrya, and the divine power barrier shattered.

It wasn’t a deep wound, but it felt like a burning sensation where he was pierced. But it didn’t matter. With such a minor injury, they couldn’t stop him.

He swung his sword and killed that soldier. Soon, there were hardly any guards left.

The problem was that his protective shield had shattered, and he was injured. By his standards, his injuries were minor, but objectively, he had reached the point where he could bleed profusely if he continued the fight. He couldn’t hide his anxiety.

The only thought racing through his mind was to defeat the enemy quickly and escape.

After the last remaining guard tried to stab him with a spear, he grabbed the blade. Blood flowed, but he paid it no mind.

Then, finally, he slit the guard’s throat.

Angel took a deep breath.

“Hurry, run!” he said.

Angel quickly ran with Feria. The fact that his wounds were soaking with blood didn’t matter. What mattered was that if more guards were deployed, there would be no turning back.

Angel finally left the palace and started moving away from it.

As blood dripped, Feria anxiously exclaimed, “We need to stop the bleeding quickly!”

“There’s no time for that!”

But Angel refused in a rough voice. When he glanced back, the guards were chasing him.

“Dammit!”

Feria and Angel ran and ran. Angel realized there was something wrong with his body. It was probably because of the catalyst.

Damn it. This thing has been useless from the beginning to the end.

He thought to himself.

In his heart, he just wanted to throw away the catalyst, but he couldn’t do that.

Feria began using magic, squeezing out the last of her recovered magical power.

Through invisibility, Angel and Feria barely managed to escape their pursuers.

Meanwhile, when the soldiers reported what they had seen, Count Serindel immediately realized the situation. The fact that the imperial heir, who had suddenly turned the palace upside down, was the next Tower Master and a sorcerer and warrior meant he was about to be captured by the Emperor.

“…It seems luck is on my side.”

Count Serindel smiled and said.

Then he called his personal rangers and mounted his horse.

“Surely the warrior shed blood, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did!”

Seeing the soldiers with determined faces, Count Deboss Serindel smiled.

“Good, let’s go quickly!”

Count Serindel first headed towards the palace of Amutenas and then discovered the trail of the blood.

“hehehehe, since the blood is still connected, tracking should be easy, shouldn’t it, rangers?”

“Yes, it should!”

The rangers immediately began tracking the warrior through his blood.

And when they reached the village, the traces of their presence seemed to have vanished.

“Oh, it seems like the little rats have been hiding in the empire’s countryside, don’t they?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

As the magician belonging to the rangers muttered a spell, a bright light appeared, revealing a path.

“That’s the path the hero took.”

It was a magic that continued the trail of blood.

As Deboss Serindel dismounted and began to ride, the rangers followed.

And at last, Deboss Serindel and the rangers found the end of the trail of blood.

A plain wall with no discernible patterns or traces.

Count Deboss Serindel stroked his mustache and cocked his head.

“…Is this really the right place?”

“The tracks indicate that this is the right place.”

“I see. It doesn’t look like there’s a hidden sanctuary here, no matter how you look at it… But I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

Next, he gripped his sword and infused it with magic. It wasn’t a sword strength spell. He stopped at the level of creating a sword detector since he didn’t feel the need to invest so much just to break through one wall.

“Breaking it should reveal the truth.”

Kwaaang!

With a resounding crash, the wall collapsed. And where the wall had been, there was clearly a building that had not been there before.

“We’ve found it.”

Count Serindel stroked his mustache and began to enter the building.

“You…”

“Welcome, hero. I am Deboss Serindel.”

Ainzel stared at him coldly. The memories of the torment he had endured at the author’s command were still vivid.

“How…?”

“Your blood stains were quite noticeable to the hero.”

“…Zegiral.”

Ainzel hung his head in despair.

“hahahaha, it’s not your fault, hero. It’s just that the ranger team is too capable. I wouldn’t have found you without them. So, did you enjoy your time rebelling against the empire?”

“…Shut up.”

“hahahahaha, saying that doesn’t make me the least bit afraid.”

“…I think I know why you’re targeting Peria.”

“..Is that so? How can this be? I have no idea why I, myself, am aiming for that magician, except for the fact that it’s because of that ring….”

Debors Sirendel stopped speaking when he saw an object.

“…Catalyst, I see.”

“Yes.”

“Did you go to Amutenas’ palace to find this? I have no words but to express my gratitude. Now, I can take care of the supplies ordered by His Majesty and the catalyst at once.”

He licked his lips with a look of ecstasy in his eyes.

“Quiet.”

Ainzel grabbed his holy sword.

“…Are you thinking of fighting? With me? It seems like you’ve forgotten how vast the gap between a hero and yourself is.”

Debors Sirendel’s sword started glowing.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. If you really want to die, then there’s nothing I can do. I’ll just send you off with as much courtesy as possible.”

In an instant.

In just one moment, Ainzel realized that his stomach had been pierced by the sword.

“Then, farewell.”

Ainzel felt time slowing down as he faced the death he had desperately tried to avoid.