The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

56 – EP4. Crossroads of Life and Death

Peria tilted her glass.

It felt like her heart had been emptied without being filled.

Even though it was undoubtedly summer, a wintry wind that gnawed at the flesh passed by her empty chest.

She had always had a good memory, ever since she was a child.

Because of this, unforgettable moments would continuously resurface in one corner of her heart.

The first time she succeeded in magic, when she obtained the next successor’s position, when her mentor died, when she defeated the demon king….

Countless memories still lingered in a corner of her heart.

However, what occupied her heart now was not all those memories, but the retreating figure of the one leaving, Ainzel.

When they last met, she had told him, trapped in prison, that he was no longer a hero.

But she didn’t know that even if he wasn’t a hero, he was a savior to her.

She shivered with a profound sense of emptiness.

To be honest, she was arrogant. Thinking she could understand everything from small clues, she falsely portrayed him as a villain.

She sent sneers to the days when she thought she was wise.

No, where in the world could there be such a fool?

Just by looking at past records, she had turned hostile against the palace.

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Once she began to doubt the emperor, every suspicion came pouring out.

Yes, maybe even records of crimes he committed….

But what could she do about it? Could she prevent the past where the Holy Sword was shattered? Could she make the warrior return to the empire without any evidence that he was innocent?

She searched the world as if she knew everything, but in reality, she knew nothing.

“Heh, hahahahaha….”

She laughed like a madwoman. Her blue hair fluttered, and her sapphire eyes shimmered, creating a beautiful sight, but she keenly felt her own ugliness.

She recalled memories of the past.

The warrior came to her every day and taught her magic. Unable to honestly praise him, she always received scolding from him, yet he smiled and thanked her.

Seeing him like that, she blushed slightly and hurried Angel along, and he silently followed her lead.

She felt a sense of pride secretly, and there was a time when she was more proud to see him grow than her own growth.

That’s why she was even angrier when she heard he had betrayed her, and that’s why she was in so much pain when she realized he had protected her.

Yes, she really knew nothing at all. Not even her own heart.

“…Really going?”

Peria looked at Sain, who was about to leave, and worriedly spoke.

“…Yes. I think I should apologize no matter what.”

Sain had the most refreshing expression in days.

“I made a mistake, so I have to fix it.”

“…What if Angel gets angry with you? We all did the same thing…”

“…There’s no need for forgiveness. No, I don’t even want forgiveness. All I want is to apologize. If Angel were to treat me harshly, it feels like it would relieve some of the pain in my heart.”

Peria felt a suffocating sensation. She didn’t even have the courage to apologize, but with a heart that would apologize even if it was rejected, Peria felt herself shrinking infinitely.

“Are you planning to go to the hero’s hometown?”

Beatrice held Sein’s wrist and spoke. Sein smiled bitterly.

“Yeah, probably. It’s not right to bother someone who’s living in their hometown for no reason, but… at least I want to apologize.”

“…You’ve heard the rumors spreading in the Empire, right?”

“Ah, the rumors about using black magic? It’s fine. I’m sure there were circumstances… Since I couldn’t believe you once, I want to believe you until the end this time.”

Beatrice looked at her with moist eyes and began to give her blessings.

“Yes, the Goddess will always bless you to achieve the result you desire.”

After receiving the blessing, Sein turned his head towards Lena. Lena, who was greatly shocked by the hero’s deteriorating appearance as he continued his journey, frowned and spoke.

“…Tell him I’m sorry too.”

Lena lowered her gaze and said.

Sein looked at her and slightly nodded his head before speaking again.

“…Actually, I’m also scared about what kind of records will come in the future. So… I’ll make sure to say sorry.”

Peria remained silent as she watched him.

With red hair swaying, Sein began his journey to meet her, and Peria watched him until he disappeared from sight.

And finally, when Sein disappeared from her view, she turned around.

Peria began to put even more pressure on the palace. She extracted not only support from the wizards but also the recorded data from the palace’s surveillance system.

And Peria looked at the woman in front of her with a firm expression on her face.

“You, Lady Metapju… You’re staring at me so blatantly… It’s awkward…”

Peria gritted her teeth once.

May. It was undoubtedly the woman who sold her information to the royal family.

Peria did not say any long words.

“It’s you, right?”

“Yes, yes?”

May forcibly used honorifics while looking at herself, who had become Lady Metapju. Peria felt even more annoyed at her sweaty and subservient expression.

“This ring, you recognized it and sold information, right? It’s you, isn’t it?”

May’s eyes widened at the ring, but she soon tried to manage her expression again.

“To be honest. Don’t use that kind of fake expression. …You and I, we sold me as a pincushion to the royal family, right?”

Mae shivered like a willow in the wind, unable to do anything but stare straight ahead.

In that moment, Peria felt her anger rising to the very tips of her hair.

“Speak quickly! Should I use a confession spell?” Peria threatened.

“Oh, no, I’ll talk,” Mae replied.

In the end, Mae surrendered, revealing the truth about her activities as a spy, chosen by the imperial court to extract information from the upcoming tower lord.

“Yeah, I thought as much,” Peria muttered, choosing not to kill her.

“It’s not worth killing you. Get out. If I hear you’ve been seen in the empire again, I’ll issue a death sentence for you.”

Mae left the room, groaning to the last, and Peria tilted her glass.

“Damn traitor… Well, I’ll definitely bring you down, be it the emperor or anyone else.”

Peria had made up her mind to direct all her guilt and anger towards the emperor.

…

I was having another peaceful day today.

To be honest, I found more fulfillment in these days, where I could live each day faithfully, than in my days as a warrior, where I felt like I was running from endless darkness.

I was quite popular in the village. Of course, the adults in the village didn’t know that I was a warrior, but they appreciated my strength and thanked me whenever I helped them.

Patrolling the village, sharing a meal with the villagers, helping the adults with their farm work, or taking the livestock to graze in the fields—all of these tasks were satisfying.

According to my parents, there were quite a few village girls who had their eyes on me, but I had no interest. I had never ventured into romantic relationships, and at my age, I was already past the point of being concerned about such matters.

To be honest, I could easily sense that there were people interested in me. While I wouldn’t call myself a perfect person, I took pride in being a decent individual, and in the rural areas, finding someone as popular as a groom was rare.

Even the lord himself asked me about his daughter, inquiring subtly, and I could only muster an awkward smile.

My goal was to maintain this daily life until the end, and to embrace death as the first time that God had granted humanity life. After dealing with Baron Serindel, I couldn’t think of anyone who would disrupt my peaceful life, and I believed that this life would endure effortlessly.

Yes, until this morning.

While I was once again enjoying helping with the farm work, the villagers gathered and a commotion filled the air.

From the conversations, it was clear that someone had arrived.

The problem was that I hadn’t sensed their arrival.

I felt a sense of dread. The fact that I couldn’t sense their arrival meant that they were at least stronger than me.

I rushed to the villagers, asking who had arrived. They answered:

“Oh, perfect timing. A lady is here looking for you.”

“What kind of lady is she…”

Before the villagers could describe the lady who had come to find me, I quickly asked for her location and ran there.

“Surely, they haven’t bothered the people in the village? Please. We’ve finally found a peaceful everyday life.”

With that thought in mind, I headed towards the square where the woman was, and I was able to find her.

Her hair, which seemed to flicker like flames. The attire, simple in appearance yet made of an indescribably exquisite material. And finally, a black sword hanging at her waist.

“…Sain?”

I blurted out unconsciously.