The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

86 – EP5. Wind Memories

He bit his lip.

He started moving in an instant. Faster than he had anticipated.

“…As expected, a group centered around one person is quick to make judgments.”

A quick judgment is dangerous. Even a correct judgment is dangerous, but based on his experience, he had seen many cases where the right judgment transformed according to the situation or time. In fact, he had also experienced defeat when he reasoned with Genom rationally and resorted to non-violence, but he achieved victory by changing his mindset and pursuing the enemy.

That was the thought Ainz came up with after witnessing the clashes between the fairy soldiers.

They clashed with swords and spears, shot arrows, summoned spirits, and used magic.

He knew it would come to this when he chose this path.

But it was true that he couldn’t help but feel bitter about it.

But there was no time to indulge in such feelings. He had to move faster and more agile, or he might witness this happening again.

He looked up at the sky. The sky was burning red.

“They dare to rebel!”

“Protect the king!”

The soldiers stepped forward and charged.

And at that moment, the soldiers in the rear suddenly stabbed them from behind.

“What… is this!?”

The soldiers in the front were taken aback by the sudden ambush.

“You fools, you do not understand the true path that serves the true fairies!”

“Drive out the incompetent king and establish a new kingdom!”

As their attack endangered the soldiers, Ainzle hurled fireballs at them.

“Ugh!”

“What is that?”

The betrayed soldiers from the rear looked at Ainzle and shouted.

“It’s a human! A human hero attacked us!”

“Anyway, they were our targets, and it worked out well!”

Ainzle blocked the arrows they shot with a protective shield, but there were a few expert-level archers among them, and the arrows were infused with magic, making it difficult to block them with the shield.

Instead of continuing to clash with them alone, Ainzle shouted.

“Now! Right now! Tidy up the front line, fight, or do something quickly!”

The soldiers regained their senses, aimed their spears at the traitorous soldiers, and the rebel forces turned their attention away from the hero who had missed their chance.

Ainzle said to Ann, “Can you shoot some fire here right now?”

“Yes, but as a temporary contractor, you didn’t give me much magical power, so I can’t do much, just enough to get their attention. It’s not that I lack the will, but I don’t have much innate talent…”

Ainzle casually brushed aside the reality of the absence of talent that she faced today. When had she ever fought using her talent?

“It doesn’t matter. Then, please use the fire to draw their attention.”

“Yes, that should be no problem.”

After hearing Ann’s response, Ainzle began to head in a different direction.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t run away, do you not understand honor?”

The soldiers chased after him belatedly, but Ann’s flames blocked their path.

“Hmph, don’t make a fuss. With me here, it’ll be hard for you to catch the temporary contractor.”

“Damn it, that cursed Iverkas…!”

Ann furrowed her brow and spoke.

“When it’s convenient to live as an intermediate-level lifebounder, you curse the spirits. Even though you’re receiving help from spirits yourselves, and you were the ones who betrayed them first. It doesn’t make any sense to say such things, does it? Well, I don’t really care anymore.”

Ann’s eyes glinted.

“You keep complaining like that. It won’t help at all.”

“Damn it, Iverkas, the royal palace has turned into a battlefield already.”

Ainzle cursed.

The fact that various places in the royal palace were already burning seemed like the work of Iverkas, who had gone wild.

“Where are the king and Iverkas?”

Angel ran through the burning palace and encountered a fairy there.

“Ah, you must be the brave warrior. Have you come to lend a hand in suppressing the rebel forces?” It was Ricardo. He extended his hand with a smiling face.

Angel felt a chilling sensation from his appearance. If it weren’t for herself who had returned to the past, anyone would have been deceived by his seemingly harmless appearance.

“Yes, I came to stop the rebellion.”

Instead of shaking hands, Angel drew out her sword.

“But why are you drawing out your sword now… Well, never mind. Smoke is unnecessary in this situation,” Ricardo also drew out his sword.

“I am truly sorry that you, a hero and ally of our kingdom, have to fight.”

“I feel the same regret… But wouldn’t it have been better if you hadn’t started this in the first place?”

“You already know that I am a troublemaker. Unfortunately I cannot disclose the reason.”

Angel gave up on further words and swung her sword.

“Huup!”

Ricardo easily caught her swing and began to counterattack.

Angel barely managed to withstand his attack. No, to be precise, it wasn’t accurate to say she withstood. She was just enduring it, even while being out of breath.

Ricardo was a high expert. It was almost impossible to defeat someone much stronger than Angel using her regular techniques.

Angel cast a spell. It was a magic that she gave most of her mana to Ann, a magic that barely regained momentum due to her lack of mana. But Ricardo casually caught it with his sword and swung his sword back at her.

“Didn’t you see that I didn’t analyze your fighting style?”

Mana gradually gathered in Ricardo’s sword. It gathered and created a hazy cluster of light, resembling thin strands of transparent thread.

Swordsmanship. It was the technique of a high expert who handles a sword.

Angel sensed her defeat.

And at that moment, fire flew towards them.

“Kruk!”

Ricardo barely dodged the fire.

“Hey, warrior! You’re here!”

It was Iverkass.

Ricardo frowned.

“Ricardo!? Why is he here…”

Angel shouted.

“He is the troublemaker! He is the mastermind behind this incident!”

When Angel shouted, Ivercas looked at Ricardo with surprised eyes.

“…We’ve been caught. If I were to fight you, I’d surely be defeated, but… I have subordinates, you see.”

Ricardo snapped his fingers.

Immediately, the elite guards of the Royal Knights began to gather.

“This crazy bastard!”

“Each one of them is an expert among experts, and they are even considered the best in the Royal Knights. With dozens of them gathering, you’ll find it difficult to fend them off.”

Angel realized that each of them was equal to or even superior to him.

Ivercas sighed and shouted, “I’ll hold them off here, so go towards the World Tree!”

“The World Tree?” Angel asked, and Ivercas shouted, “There’s a rebellion gathering on the side of the World Tree too! Lena is in the midst of performing a ritual there right now!”

Upon hearing this, Angel regained his senses.

“Yes! In that case, I’ll go there first!”

Angel began to run, and Ricardo didn’t bother to chase him. He knew he couldn’t easily follow the reckless hero.

Even after deploying such a formidable force of elite soldiers, the one standing before him, Ivercas, was the one who couldn’t secure victory.

“…You truly are a black sheep.”

Ivercas said, as if chewing on the words. Ricardo just gazed at him with sad eyes and remained silent.

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“…Prepare for battle.”

Instead, he issued orders in a cold, commanding voice.

“…Jegeral, don’t expect to stand unscathed.”

The flames blazed.

In the royal palace and in the eyes of the two men facing each other.

Angel quickly arrived at the side of the World Tree.

The World Tree, the mother of all trees.

Even in its old age, it continued to be the object of faith and reverence, having protected the fairies in the distant past.

That object of faith now watched as their children spilled each other’s blood.

Everywhere there were flames, screams, and blood, blood, and more blood.

The peaceful paradise of nature had transformed into a hell.

“Jegeral.”

Angel clenched her teeth and began to enter the world tree.

The inside of the world tree was empty, but entering it was firmly blocked. It was a measure to prevent anyone other than those authorized by the world tree from entering and leaving.

As Angel stood in front of it, the barrier disappeared on its own.

Even as she continued the ritual, she knew the world tree inside out, even after placing Lena inside.

It meant that she would soon die because of the fight between her own children.

Lena was crouched down in the empty center of the world tree, seemingly asleep. Perhaps it was consciousness itself. That’s what Angel thought.

“Lena! Wake up! Lena!”

Angel shook her body and woke her up.

“Ugh… what the hell….”

Seeing her wake up, Angel immediately embraced her.

Then, Angel left the world tree.

“Ugh… it’s noisy… huh!? What the hell!”

Realizing that she was being held by Angel, Lena said. Angel left the world tree without saying a word, and Lena didn’t say anything, listening to the screams echoing from all around.

Angel looked back at the world tree.

The magnificent tree was engulfed in flames.