The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

62 – EP5. Memory of the Wind

After firmly fixing his face, Angel looked at the Emperor.

“…Say something. Wasn’t our original destination Tirenthus? Why would you suddenly change our destination like this?”

“…I have nothing to say about that matter. However, Dethren is diplomatically important, so it couldn’t be helped.”

“Didn’t the Titans say that the situation was serious and that they were the ones who invaded? But now, you’re saying we should go to Dethren for diplomatic reasons?”

Angel had an incredulous expression.

“No, I don’t need any explanations. It’s just that you wanted to use me politically in Dethren, isn’t it?”

The Emperor bit his lip in response to Angel’s words.

“Maybe Dethren requested support later on. It’s not like they suffered unbearable losses, but they wanted to minimize their own losses.”

The Emperor was at a loss for words. He just stared at the warrior.

“And you just wanted to use me for political purposes in Dethren. Tirenthus doesn’t hold a strong diplomatic position, so it was pushed to the back, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Even if Tirenthus is in danger, it’s not on the same level as Dethren’s request.”

Now Angel understood why the Emperor was hesitant to send troops to Tirenthus.

It wasn’t because they didn’t have the resources left, but because they didn’t want to overcommit to Tirenthus.

“So why do I have to go to Dethren then?”

“What?”

“You clearly said that the reason I’m going to Tirenthus is ‘because it’s my comrade’s hometown.’ But if that’s not the reason, why should I go?”

The Emperor felt that the warrior was slipping out of his control. Was this it? Was this the true ability of the warrior that had even brought the Duke of Luderen down to a vassal territory?

The Emperor’s gaze on the warrior changed over time. He no longer saw him as a “trivial existence that didn’t need attention” or a “dangerous entity that had found his weaknesses,” but rather as a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.

If he had only considered him as a dangerous entity that had found his weaknesses, he would have been cautious not to provoke him. However, the warrior’s unpredictable actions only heightened his anxiety when he remained silent.

He had to find a way to eliminate this threat, even if it meant using any means necessary. The Emperor felt the thought digging into his mind.

“…No reason.”

But the Emperor was smart enough to realize that he had no immediate way to eliminate or confront the warrior. Handling it would have to wait for another time.

“Alright, I have no reason to go to Dethren. I will go to Tirenthus, just as you originally said.”

The Emperor nodded slowly and said, “I understand. But it will take some time to handle the matter.”

Angel replied, “I understand.”

“What is it?”

“We’ve already sent a letter to Tirenthus saying that heroes cannot go there. We need to send a letter saying that heroes can go.”

“…The letter doesn’t matter. Whatever, it’s fine. But since we’re going anyway, let’s go as soon as possible.”

Angele said.

And a few days later, Angele and his colleagues were confirmed to be going to Tirenthus. While camping on the way to Tirenthus, Lena looked at him and spoke.

“…So that damn human allowed you to go to our hometown. If I had tried to send myself alone to some strange country, I would have gone straight to my hometown. You’re going to our hometown because you requested it? Thanks, ya.”

Lena tapped Angele’s back a few times. Angele smiled faintly. Well, could that be considered a request?

It was more like a threat rather than a request, but Angele couldn’t find a reason to say that. Instead, he just smiled faintly and said this.

“No, it was nothing much.”

For nothing much, the Emperor, the Empire, and the high-ranking officials weigh countless lives.

For nothing much, he almost went to another kingdom for a very small reason.

Weighing countless lives for a very insignificant reason and then simply giving up.

Angele didn’t like that, so he threatened.

And even though the threat resulted in what he wanted, he was not at ease.

“But still, if it wasn’t for you, our kingdom wouldn’t have received any support. Thank you.”

Lena sighed deeply. It was because of her concern for her hometown.

“…Is our hometown going to be alright?”

Lena had already seen King Rich once and felt his power.

But the thought that the kingdom was being invaded by a being as powerful as King Rich weighed heavily on her.

“…It’ll be alright, probably.”

Angele tried to comfort her.

Of all times, now. Of all times, when Titan had attacked while the Demon Lord was in a state of emergency.

From Noble mtl dot com

The suddenness of the monster’s invasion was not just for a day or two, but the problem was its scale.

“…Yeah, we should hope for that.”

Even the prideful fairies couldn’t give a definite answer to whether they could win or not.

Angele sighed.

The sound of the campfire crackling and the cry of crickets could be heard.

“… We should defeat Titan and whoever else and then defeat the Demon Lord.”

Lena said. Angele nodded his head, and silence fell.

“Oh, don’t we have any alcohol?”

After a prolonged silence, Lena suddenly spoke. Angel paused for a moment, then replied, “Well, it seems like there’s nothing.”

“Damn.”

She gazed up at the sky.

“…Even in this damn situation, the sky is so clear, and the stars are shining.”

Angel almost involuntarily burst into laughter. It was a fact he had felt countless times as well.

“I mean, I hated that damn huge forest.”

Lena continued, “Always acting all stuffy, talking about laws and regulations, and everyone seemed so passionless.”

Angel listened to her words attentively.

“So, I rebelled on purpose, cursed and ranted… I didn’t even need to be a hero’s comrade, but I volunteered.”

Angel smirked.

“It was a homeland I left because I hated it so much. But now, I’m really worried.”

Angel nodded his head. He had felt the same way. He had thought his homeland’s peace was boring, and he considered its simplicity and safety as meager, so he eagerly went to the empire.

How many times had he longed for his homeland after leaving?

Angel clenched his fist.

Yeah, defeating a Titan was nothing; he could do it easily.

“Welcome, hero.”

A handsome man with shining blonde hair appeared. Angel instinctively recognized him.

“…Are you Lena’s family?”

He flashed a bright smile, his emerald-like eyes sparkling.

“Lena… it seems you’ve become quite close. Yes, I’m Lena’s guardian, Ricardo Tirenthus.”

The fairy prince gazed at the hero.

“I heard that in the Empire, we cannot provide support to our kingdom, but…”

“Oh, I was asked by the Emperor to come here. He said he’d send the knights in other directions.”

“Is that so?”

Ricardo smiled after pondering something.

“Well, then let me explain the current situation.”

Ricardo wore a refreshing smile, and Angel watched him as he began to speak.

“Our kingdom is currently experiencing turmoil due to the Titan. Even if we win, the uncertain situation makes it unclear if we can restore what has been lost due to the damages. Therefore, we must minimize the losses and emerge victorious… I have heard of your heroic deeds.”

Ricardo smiled.

“To think that you single-handedly destroyed a legion of the Demon King and made the Demon King and Lich King fight each other, resulting in the annihilation of the Lich King within just a day. I could only be amazed.”

“…It was merely luck.”

“To think that you achieved all that through luck, it’s even more impressive. We are in desperate need of luck now more than ever.”

Ricardo joked with a smile. Angel smiled back at him.

“If you have become close enough with my troublesome little sister to joke like that, then you have surpassed the realm of luck. Well then, should we stop joking here?”

Ricardo clapped his hands a few times, and a few fairies appeared.

“Unfortunately, we cannot afford to spend much time now due to the current state of affairs. You won’t be able to meet our father properly either. The situation is quite urgent.”

Ricardo guided Angel.

“Now, over there… that is the Titan.”

The first thought that crossed Angel’s mind when she saw the Titan for the first time was that it was smaller than expected.

Of course, it was still enormous. It was about two to three times the size of an adult human.

However, it didn’t possess the overwhelming bulk of an ogre. She didn’t feel as if it was as powerful as she had imagined.

And at that moment, when Angel felt that way.

The Titan began to rise.