The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

74 – EP5. Wind Memories

“Surely, as the hero who saved our kingdom, you cannot be without alcohol. Bring me some alcohol!”

Magnus brought out the alcohol. Angel had heard it from Everalcas, but he couldn’t keep up with the speed at which Magnus brought out more alcohol than he expected.

In the end, Angel drank the alcohol as it was given to him, but he couldn’t keep up with the speed.

While the honey wine and grape wine of the fairies tasted good, beyond a certain level, his stomach began to feel uneasy.

“Yes, you have made a great contribution by facing the Titan. I bless the hero once again in this gathering.”

“I knew the hero had a profound sense of justice, but to be honest, your courage played a bigger role in defeating the Titan than expected. Even if there were those stronger than the hero, it might have been an impossible task to climb onto the Titan’s shoulder and put your arm in its beak.”

Ricardo said, and Angel sipped the alcohol with a reserved expression.

“In that sense, Beatrice, I am also grateful to you. It is truly amazing that the saint of the humans sent an angel for our people.”

Magnus said with a happy expression, and Beatrice also smiled.

“The Goddess shows mercy to everyone. I merely followed her will.”

“While we fairies do not believe in gods, we are grateful for their mercy.”

Everyone had a smile on their faces because they had defeated the Titan.

Externally, Angel smiled, but he felt like he was detached from that atmosphere.

He should have been happy, but he wasn’t happy at all.

Angel gently bit his lip.

Why, even after enduring so much suffering to achieve victory, do I feel nothing?

Shortly after becoming a hero, I felt fear when I triumphed after numerous deaths.

I couldn’t find joy even in victory, I only writhed in pain and fear, dreading the death I was experiencing and the death I had yet to face.

Then, after some time had passed, I started to feel joy after experiencing death and achieving victory.

I was happy to know I could accomplish something even if I died. Pain became just an inert feeling about death, and what truly frightened me was the burial of happy memories and the past. I began to lose a significant impression of death itself.

And time passed once more.

He couldn’t feel any fear, pain, joy, or sense of accomplishment, and he was simply numb.

Surely, as he ate, drank, laughed, and lived, he felt his soul decaying.

…Oh, Lord, will you even save a soul as corrupted as mine? Or do you think such a soul is too filthy and despicable to accept?

At the end of the story that this decaying soul, accepting the mission you have given, will finally face, does salvation exist?

Angel asked a question for which there would be no answer. Even if he asked such a question in his mind, it would only echo as an empty reverberation.

Angel drank his wine.

“The Empire says it’s okay to stay here a bit longer, but what will you do?”

Angel read the letter and asked.

“Well, the fairies will welcome you for sure.”

Sain shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m going back for now. There’s a lot of work to do.”

Feria said. Feria had recently become a Marquess and had many tasks left to become the next Marquess. Specifically, she had to satisfy the elders.

“I’m going back too. I heard there’s a lot to do within the Order these days.”

Beatrice said.

“Hmm… Feria and Beatrice… In that case, I’ll just go back too. Even if the Elven Kingdom is comfortable, I have to take care of my home, you know? I also have to look after my little brother.”

Sain said.

“…Then Lena… I don’t know what she’s doing right now, so let’s assume she’s not here, and I’m the only one left. Should I just go back to the Empire…”

“Oh, there’s a postscript here. It says that the hero must definitely stay. The Empire will send envoys to Tyrentus, and they want the hero to mediate.”

Beatrice said, and Angel furrowed his brow.

“Why would the Empire send envoys here?”

“Well, isn’t it because of defeating the Titan?”

“The Titan?”

“Even though we were sent here, they still have the strength to defeat one of the three great calamities on the continent. With the recent intensification of battles with the demons, wouldn’t they be seeking support from the Elven Kingdom?”

Angel nodded. It was true that Tyrentus’s elven soldiers were of a higher caliber compared to humans. In the human nations, these elite soldiers would be treated as generals wherever they went, but in Tyrentus, they were treated as regular soldiers.

“In short, the fairies want to spill blood instead of the empire, isn’t that right?”

“That’s why we asked for the hero’s mediation. It might involve providing conveniences to the Fairy Kingdom or asking them to act as a shield for us, but it’s not an easy task to openly ask them to sacrifice themselves.”

Ainzel bit her tongue inwardly. She couldn’t believe she was being used like this.

“…What a despicable act.”

“Well, there’s nothing else we can do. The Demon King’s army is stronger than we initially thought.”

The Demon King’s army was gaining momentum.

“And those ashen soldiers are said to be extremely dangerous, aren’t they?”

The ashen soldiers, who had previously brought nightmares to Ainzel, had now changed their target to the entire empire, bringing nightmares upon them. They never grew tired, each one stronger than a human, and had no clear weaknesses.

Ainzel nodded her head.

“I thought that since fairies are sensitive to magic, there might be an advantage in dealing with those ashen soldiers.”

Indeed, those who were sensitive to magic had to find some advantage against the ashen soldiers.

Ainzel bowed her head and let out a deep sigh.

No matter how she thought about it, the hero’s actions were unacceptable.

From Noble mtl dot com

After a few weeks had passed, the empire’s messengers finally arrived.

The messengers, adorned in various ornate decorations, seemed to exude an overwhelming aura that they intended to kill.

The fairies were starting to be astonished by the empire’s luxurious power.

Ainzel inwardly sighed with annoyance as she took a sip of wine.

“Our Emperor hopes to establish a good relationship with Tirenthos, not only for humans but for the entire world, because of the hardships caused by the Demon King’s army.”

“…I understand. I also hope for a good relationship with the empire.”

Magnus inwardly felt frustrated by the reality of having to send his subjects far away but still managed to speak. It was unavoidable. To make the empire pay more attention to Tirenthos and further develop it, the citizens had to shed blood.

The shedding of blood had already been established when Magnus accepted the empire’s messengers. The remaining issue was how much blood money they could receive.

And at that moment…

“The damn king is trying to sell our citizens to filthy and despicable humans!”

Ainzel turned her head towards the direction of the voice. It was the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards.

“Why should we bow down to inferior humans? Let’s kill all the humans and overthrow the king!”

As the deputy commander spoke, the Imperial Guards swarmed in.

Magnus seemed to have lost his mind due to the unexpected situation.

“What the hell is going on all of a sudden!”

Ainzel attempted to draw her bow, but it was not present at the banquet hall, so she murmured an incantation and summoned her holy sword.

And in that instant, one of the Imperial Guards was hit by an arrow and it pierced Magnus’ chest.

“Cough!”

It was such a sudden situation that Magnus couldn’t even defend himself and was struck by the arrow, while the members of the royal guard drew their swords and spears and began to slaughter the assassins.

“Those damn elf bastards!”

The captain of the royal guard, who came with the escort troops of the assassins, said, but he too was hit by an arrow shot by the deputy commander of the royal guard and died in vain.

“…What is this nonsense?”

Ainzel said.

The deputy commander grimaced and said,

“Well, it seems you didn’t hear what I said. It’s exactly as it sounds. The king has decided to sell our kingdom’s people to the empire, who are short-lived and know nothing but foolishness, and as people who used to serve the king, we have decided not to follow that.”

“But does that mean we have to kill even the assassins like this? There’s going to be a war.”

“Hmph, humans aren’t afraid at all. We will rebuild this country to the time when the fairies were the true owners of this continent. We shall abandon the weak king!”

“He’s completely lost it.”

Ainzel had to seriously consider whether the elf in front of him had gone crazy.

“Well, I came here to support this country and fight for it. But does that mean generalizing all humans?”

“It’s a problem that you came to support this country. How much does the empire have to disregard this country that they send only a few people as support and pretend to care? There’s nothing more to say. Die!”

Ainzel thought that this was absurd and helpless as he was hit by an arrow.