The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

82 – EP5. Wind Memory

“What on earth is this nonsense?”

Feria muttered incredulously.

Forcing mages into conscription? It was an absurd idea.

In the current situation, where the Matap and the Imperial Palace were already in opposition, demanding to forcefully make mages their own forces was a complete disregard of the Matap.

“Let’s have an open match, shall we?”

The emperor himself was aware that he was falling behind in legitimacy. Nevertheless, the fact that it turned out this way indicated a corner of belief.

“What corner of belief is making it come out like this? Hm, I don’t know.”

A corner of belief. The only thing the emperor had that surpassed her was public opinion. Those who initially supported Matap began to grow weary over time. She pondered on what card the emperor could play.

And the card the emperor played was surprisingly absurd.

“Hmm, what is this… it’s unbelievable.”

It was a thorough maneuver to turn public opinion completely in her favor.

“Isn’t this too low-level?”

Although it was low-level, it was precisely this aspect that captured people’s hearts even more.

“So… excluding the nobility, recruit all wizards and return them to the country’s service. What exactly does he see wizards as?”

In other words, it meant securing the support of the social circle by simply benefiting the nobility. The nobility pretended not to pursue only benefits outwardly, but in reality, they were brighter than anyone when it came to interests. It was a calculation to unite public opinion on her side by providing benefits, regardless of legitimacy or anything else.

Peria ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

“Damn, it’s a bit difficult to deal with this.”

In terms of legitimacy alone, Matap had the upper hand, but practically, it was difficult for Matap to gain the support of the nobility. Moreover, the external threat was increasing even in terms of legitimacy. To hedge against this, she adopted a justification that would be reasonable enough for the nobility – gathering those who did not follow the country’s orders, despite the external threat, to serve the country as wizards.

Peria pondered with a sigh.

How should she handle this situation?

From Noble mtl dot com

She thought of just relocating Matap to another country altogether, preventing the wizards from setting foot in the empire – but that would lead to a direct confrontation not only with the imperial family but also with the empire. In that case, the empire might defeat Matap and then proceed to dismantle it.

Peria had one idea.

Although her current situation wasn’t great, she calculated that she could definitely overcome it if she provided assistance. She rang a bell enchanted to notify her secretary.

“Um, what’s the matter?”

“I’m going to Lena. Prepare a carriage.”

After watching her secretary rush to prepare, Peria looked up at the sky.

Clouds were gathering. It seemed like rain was imminent.

Come to think of it, the rainy season was approaching. After the scorching heat passed, the rain would fall.

A rain so intense that it could wipe everything away.

Peria arrived at Lena’s residence. Lena’s residence, like the treatment Angel had received in the past, was a mansion given to her as her lodging.

“…Why are you here?”

Lena spoke as if her mind had gone blank.

“I came because I need your help.”

“…I don’t feel like I can do anything right now.”

Lena still had a vacant look in her eyes as she spoke to Peria.

“Well, if you won’t help, then there’s nothing I can do. But I don’t understand the point of doing this when you haven’t even read Ainzell’s records yet.”

Peria closed her eyes and replied.

“…It’s noisy.”

Lena grabbed her head and said,

“I… I’m in a situation where it’s difficult for me to take care of anything properly, so I’m not in a position to help.”

Hearing Lena’s words, Peria spoke.

“I know you’re going through a hard time. But you’re not alone in this.”

Lena glared at Peria and said,

“Yeah, empathy or shared suffering, is that what you want?”

Peria retorted, irritated by Lena’s words.

“It’s not that, I understand that feeling too, but is it really not a little too much to just kneel before that damn Emperor at this rate…?”

“Ha.”

Lena looked at Peria with a grimacing face and said,

“So, it’s ultimately for your own sake, right? If fighting against the royal family was for Ainzell’s sake, you would have gone to find Ainzell. Or if you really wanted revenge on the royal family, you would have blasted the palace with magic. But in the end, you couldn’t do either, so you’re just sitting there. I can’t grant that request because just sitting here makes my head feel like it’s going to explode.”

Peria stared straight into Lena’s eyes. Her appearance was the most lifeless and pathetic out of all the looks she had seen during their journey.

“Yeah, in the end, I’m doing this for myself.”

“Hmm.”

When Lena looked at Peria as if asking for the meaning, Peria continued speaking.

“What you said is right. If I felt the most sorry for Ainzell, I would have gone to find him, or I would have used force to talk about my parents’ revenge or something. But I couldn’t do any of that. I didn’t even have the courage to apologize directly to Ainzell’s face. And yet, I don’t have the courage to burn everything I’ve built up so far for revenge. That’s why I’m asking you for help. Despite being this selfish and cowardly, I don’t want to see the Emperor doing well, at least.”

Lena stared straight at Peria. Their emerald and sapphire eyes met each other’s gazes.

“…To be honest, I don’t like the Emperor either. But… I still don’t know. Isn’t it possible that Korea has developed to this point because of Ainzell? If I use that power, what will happen? Will I be able to spit out such harsh words to him? Moreover, the people of our country…”

She could no longer continue speaking and only uttered gasping sounds. The contrast between the bloodshot eyes and her pale skin was striking.

“I, I…”

Lena’s complexion became pale rapidly. She looked like she was about to vomit at any moment. Still, Peria continued to look at Lena and spoke.

“So, you’re just going to do nothing like this? Yeah, I’m asking for help for myself. But it could be regrettable if you end up not doing anything like this. The Emperor obviously has ambitions to conquer the entire continent. Ainzell was lucky to be stronger than expected, otherwise, we would have been on the brink of a continental conquest. If the magicians are conscripted and the imperial military strength increases, the Emperor will soon turn the entire continent into a sea of fire, and then Ainzell in our hometown could get dragged into it. I don’t want to make him involved in such events, even if I can’t apologize or confess my apologies.”

Lena hardened her expression.

Then, she chewed her lips until blood came out, and said,

“…Fine, let’s give that damn Emperor a taste of humiliation.”

As Lena accepted, Peria started calculating the events that would unfold with a serious expression.

Feria had no particular reason for visiting Lena. It was simply because her kingdom had developed and prospered at an astonishing rate.

Tirantus not only deployed soldiers to various kingdoms but the fairy soldiers, without exception, achieved remarkable feats. As competition for Tirantus’ fairy soldiers intensified, he was able to achieve immense prosperity by profiting from his nation’s bloodshed.

After the war ended, it was only natural for Tirantus’ growth to continue. The reason for this was the elemental mages.

Elemental mages, who summoned and controlled the power of nature through the summoning of spirits, were indispensable in restoring the damage caused by the demon army’s devastation. By sending elemental mages, Tirantus gained tremendous influence in the world’s affairs.

And there was only one successor to Tirantus in the empire.

Among the descendants of the current fairy king, Lena was the only one.

Thus, Lena held significant influence in her hands.

The emperor’s face contorted as he spoke.

“That damn fairy girl, those stupid fairies have grown thanks to the empire, and now they dare defy their master!”

It started to rain.

A great upheaval began.