The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

92 – EP6. Great Upheaval

Lena felt confused by what Feria said.

First, why did Angel decide to step in?

He had nothing to gain from going to the front lines. While it seemed like he might be gathering support to seek revenge against the empire, if that were his goal, he wouldn’t have done it without Saein. So, the reason Angel chose to confront the dark sorcerers was at least for self-satisfaction or people’s support, and the real reason he had decided to fight the dark sorcerers remained a mystery.

Furthermore, how was Saein involved with Angel?

Saein went to Angel’s location to deliver a message of apology, but Lena hadn’t heard any news after that.

Suddenly, Angel was fighting the dark sorcerers with Saein, which was hard to understand.

Saein had a strong sense of justice, but if he had intended to fight the dark sorcerers, he would have led his own soldiers from the beginning. However, Saein didn’t do that, and the news indicated that he and Angel were facing the dark sorcerers together. Moreover, considering Saein’s debt to Angel, it didn’t make sense for Saein to push Angel back into battle, so it was clear that Angel had initiated the fight.

But why were they taking on the dark sorcerers together? What had happened that led to this?

At least Saein had not been rejected by Angel or subjected to an attack.

But that was all she could know. Her mind was filled with questions.

“Your Majesty, what makes you and the empire’s government deserving of respect is your duty to protect the people from the hands of the wicked. However, in the current situation, where the people are in distress and turmoil due to the vile dark sorcerers, it is truly lamentable.”

As a nobleman who spoke words implying, “You’re just collecting taxes, what are you doing?” directly in front of him, the Emperor shuddered.

“Your Majesty, if the wicked dark sorcerers have captured Eruin Castle even now, causing the people to suffer a great tragedy, what reasons could there possibly be for not immediately punishing those wicked hordes?”

In response to words that pricked his sensitive areas, the Emperor gnashed his teeth.

“…Because our military strength is still lacking. Soon, when our numbers are replenished and we have sufficient resources, we will reclaim Eruin Castle.”

Normally, the Emperor would have argued back, but now, he couldn’t bring himself to argue. He was in the Imperial Council, after all, and in a situation where unfavorable matters were raised.

“…What devoured their military forces was the unreasonable battle with the legendary warrior, Ainzell. Even if the conflict with Grandis was inevitable, was there a reason to make the core members of the Imperial Army face death by chasing after a warrior so far away from the Empire?”

Now, even the question of why they attacked and destroyed the warrior was being asked. It was an unavoidable situation. In the end, the world is defined by its outcomes, and the pursuit force that the Emperor ambitiously sent out was annihilated by a single warrior. If they had succeeded, they would have been praised, but since they failed, criticism was to be expected.

“…That is.”

The Emperor couldn’t bring himself to speak. He had many things he wanted to say, but there was little he could actually say. In the end, the truth remained that the core members of the Empire’s military were indeed wiped out by the warrior, and despite not knowing why, the black mages were capturing and killing the Empire’s citizens.

“Furthermore, there are rumors that the former warrior whom Your Majesty intended to kill has begun to attack the black mages stirring up trouble in another country alongside Duke Luderan. Can we assume that Duke Luderan and the former warrior are working together?”

The change in Duke Sein Luderan’s mindset was also highly notable. Initially, she tried to protect the warrior, but ultimately realized that he was a criminal and adopted a more stern attitude towards him than anyone else. News of her association with the former warrior, Ainzell, spread like wildfire and caused a tremendous uproar.

At a time when the Empire desperately needed military forces, Sein had the power to completely change the Empire’s power dynamics upon her return. So what if the core members were dying at the hands of the warrior? It was nothing compared to the power of Duke Luderan, the world’s strongest examiner, even if all the combined forces of the pursuit team were to be compared to a drop of her blood.

In such a situation, the nobles of the Empire discreetly watched Duke Luderan’s every move, although she was not even in the Empire. Her return to the Empire could trigger a chaotic situation where riots could erupt at any moment.

On the other hand, the Emperor, who had tried to reject Duke Luderan and promote Count Serindell, suffered a massive loss. Count Serindell quickly died and even spread rumors that he had fallen as a Death Knight of the warrior, causing a significant decline in his status.

The Emperor challenged the Golden Lion to a fight while simultaneously trying to kill the former warrior. However, even though the Golden Lion didn’t move a paw, the dragon instantly vanished.

It was an expected situation for the Emperor to face criticism in the parliament.

“…It has not been confirmed. However, rather than thinking about the forces we have already lost, shouldn’t we focus on what lies ahead? Despite being the Empire’s citizens, the mages of Matop are doing nothing for the Empire. If they step forward, the Empire can easily defeat those vile black mages.”

“It seems difficult to make a move against Matop. Several attempts to send a punitive force have failed.”

Now, even those who advocated for Matop’s defense were coming forward in parliament.

The Emperor laughed bitterly. He could clearly see that the tide had turned completely.

The Emperor tried to defend himself in the parliament, but all he faced were countless criticisms.

Even as a politician, one must not be optimistic based on their current situation. Even the experienced Emperor fell into the illusion of being optimistic about the situation.

And the damage he suffered as a result of this mistake was enough to overthrow him entirely.

The Emperor bit his lip. It felt as if his downfall was approaching.

With anger boiling inside, the Emperor stood up proudly.

“Doesn’t the agreement still stand?”

As a price for tolerating the black mages from the beginning, they had already made a deal. The deal was that they would assist the Emperor in regaining the Empire’s popularity, receive help from them, and once the Emperor sent a punitive force, they would surrender peacefully.

It was an offer that the Emperor could not refuse, as it was exactly what he needed. In the end, the black mages were able to hold the lives of commoners they needed as hostages on the Island of Eruin.

And as time passed, the moment arrived when the people’s sentiments started to gather toward the Emperor, and they promised to surrender once the punitive forces arrived.

Therefore, the Emperor sent the punitive forces, expecting to show their defeat and gain a chance for a comeback through the gathered public sentiments and reactions.

However, the black mages broke their promise.

The black mages, who had completely turned Eruin Island into their stronghold, completely annihilated the punitive forces.

It was an utter defeat that left him speechless. The Emperor could only witness the gathered public sentiments turning into criticism.

The Emperor was bewildered and sent multiple punitive forces. However, the black mages easily killed his soldiers, just as if they were mocking the Emperor, and they even captured and dragged away commoners like they did in Eruin Castle.

In this situation, the Emperor’s position could only be described as utterly ruined.

“Bring me some wine!” the Emperor shouted. It had been a long time since he had refrained from drinking, but he couldn’t bear it any longer.

Of all times, a hero had to reveal themselves in this situation. As a result, even the hero’s popularity began to show faint signs of recovery, and all that remained for the Emperor was a relentless descent.

He downed the wine in one gulp.