The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

22 – EP2. One Night of Love

He had returned to the past. The series of deaths and rebirths, something he had experienced dozens of times since becoming a warrior, was nothing special now, but the time he had returned to was unexpected.

“When I received the proposal for marriage?”

His guess was that his ability to go back in time took him to the most crucial turning point of his death, so going back a few weeks was quite surprising.

Perhaps, if the turning point that led to his death was in this timeline, getting married in the first place might have been the mistake.

“Yeah, then let me think about it.”

Angel snapped back to reality at the Duke’s words.

“Yes, then…”

He quickly left Ludran’s mansion and got into the carriage.

Maybe he had rushed into the decision too hastily, using his exhaustion as an excuse.

Feeling the carriage jolting on the road, he hardened his expression.

Back at his lodging, he thought about his union with Sane.

First, for some reason, Ludran wanted him and Sane to be engaged.

Second, he wanted something to support himself, so he accepted the proposal, and the union was consummated.

Third, there was some issue with Sane during the process, and she killed him.

Among these, what he didn’t know was why Ludran wanted him and what the problem was with her.

Why did Ludran want him was unknown at this point.

However, he could speculate about the problem with Sane.

She had clearly shown a direction that wasn’t bad when asked about her willingness to be engaged, but she didn’t outright express her enthusiasm.

The problem was her response in the presence of Duke Ludran.

Who was Duke Ludran?

Publicly, he was the military authority of the imperial army and the head of the foremost noble family in the empire.

And there had to be a reason why he held such a position, something he had overlooked.

Duke Ludran was a meticulous person.

He showed meticulousness in his everyday conduct, even in preparing for the wedding ceremony immediately after expressing his acceptance.

Wouldn’t someone like him have demonstrated his characteristic thoroughness when calling his daughter to ask about her intentions?

… Yes, there might have been a reason for Seyn to refuse the marriage proposal, but perhaps he was coerced by Duke Luduran. It was such a significant reason that it led him to choose death for himself after killing him.

And perhaps that reason and emotions accumulated and eventually led to him being killed on the first night of the wedding.

So now, Seyn’s reason for stabbing himself has been revealed. And now it is time to think about what to do.

… Can’t he just refuse?

He felt relieved by the sudden clear answer that came to mind.

Yes, when he thought about it, there was no reason for him to be obedient to Luduran.

He just had to reject the marriage proposal with Luduran, that’s all.

Originally, Seyn was beautiful, and Luduran was an aristocratic family with no one to bow down to. Even without him, there were many who wanted to marry Seyn.

Yes, let’s just refuse.

He began to write the letters on the paper.

Several days passed and he was able to spend them peacefully without any incident.

However, finally in the morning, a letter from Duke Luduran arrived.

Although he knew that such a thing wouldn’t happen, he worried about how Luduran would react if he were to get angry for no reason.

The letter that unfolded contained no special content as expected.

There were only a few words expressing regret, nothing to worry about had happened.

He let out a sigh and lay on the sofa.

Well, it’s good if things turn out like this.

He relaxed and smiled.

And that night, clouds covered the moon in the sky, and a gloomy atmosphere hung in the air.

The hero was reading a book illuminated by candlelight and occasionally glanced back at the gently swaying curtain.

And, as always, when he turned around, he instinctively sensed that something was different.

Silence swallowed the wind.

Like sinking into the depths of the deep sea, an unnatural silence and chilly atmosphere could be felt.

The hero slowly stood up from his chair.

A masked man stood in front of him, holding a sword.

He quickly summoned his holy sword.

The blur of light emanated from the masked man’s sword, creating a thin thread of light that wrapped around the sword.

High Expert.

Among those who reached the realm of experts, there were only a few words that referred to them, and the technology and skills they symbolized.

He finally realized that the person aiming for him was not an ordinary thief, but someone who was targeting only him.

He broke out in a cold sweat.

Though he could barely handle a sword thanks to the teachings of the saint, he was only halfway there in drawing out magical power with the help of the Holy Sword.

Furthermore, his opponent was not just a simple expert, but a high-level expert. Even looking at it optimistically, his chances of winning were less than one in ten.

He sensed death.

…I cannot die like this again.

He had to recall the advantages he had.

What was his advantage over his opponent? Archery may not be available right now, but if it was a simple spell or miracle, he could use it.

He surrounded his body with a protective shield.

Of course, he didn’t think that his shield, compared to the enemy’s skills, could fully block their attacks.

However, he could reduce the intensity of death to near-death, and with the use of holy power, he could even heal that.

He began to charge forward first.

If the masked man was hit by a sword, he would fall. It was better for him to take the initiative and force the opponent to defend.

And then.

Crash!

The sound that came out was not the sound of a sword colliding with flesh but a sound like the clash of metal.

Ainzel’s complexion turned pale.

Divine Shield.

It was a technique that made the durability of his body tough by using the magical power inside him to block the enemy’s attacks. It was a skill that only those standing on the boundary line between high-level experts and swordmasters could use.

His thoughts changed.

He could never, never win.

He panicked and started to run away.

“Futile.”

The man in the mask chased after him quickly.

“Urgh!”

Ainzel tried to ward off the enemy by throwing magic bullets, but realizing that it had no effect on him, he simply started running.

And soon, he was caught by the man in the mask.

Jumping in front of him, the masked man blocked his path, and taking advantage of Ainzel’s confusion, he swiftly cut off his arm through the shield.

“aaah!”

Blood gushed like a fountain.

Not yet. I mustn’t lose my reason just yet.

He splattered the blood from his severed arm to obscure the masked figure’s eyes.

Then, summoning the power that the Holy Sword had absorbed, he swung it, but, cruelly, a single step backward from his opponent only resulted in a superficial cut on the masked figure.

The sword charged toward his heart, and he died.

…

Saein watched the video with a dry expression.

Without a hint of a grimace or a sign of surprise, she calmly observed his death, wearing a somewhat serious expression.

“Hey, I…”

“I’ll be back in a moment.”

As soon as the video ended, Saein promptly left the room where they were.

Afterward, she sat down on the stairs of the tower.

… She had killed him.

When the betrothal ceremony took place, she had thought that there might be some problem.

Maybe, in some direct or indirect way, his death had affected her.

But, but… she hadn’t thought at all that she herself would kill him.

In her memories, she had contemplated being forced into marriage with her father’s involvement, and she had felt like she might go insane.

However, the thought of being able to kill him herself had never crossed her mind.

She had underestimated the anger that she had carried within herself. No, maybe she had forgotten it as something from the past.

Furthermore, she recognized the masked man who appeared at the end of the video, thanks to the burn marks on his chin.

His name was Jacques Lucolsen, the most powerful sword in the Luderon family, and the leader of the Empire’s First Legion.

The person she had known and grown up with, who had become her most trusted subordinate, had to witness a hero being killed.

Her father had severed the hero’s neck with the strongest sword under his command, which had always been a noose around his neck.

She didn’t know what to say.

It felt like there was something she wanted to say, something she wanted to spit out from the depths of her heart, but it seemed blocked and wouldn’t come out.

*Cough, cough.*

She forced a cough to bring something out from within her.

She hadn’t yet dug out her true feelings.

She didn’t even know what emotions she had, or what she wanted to say.

“… She laughed, self-deprecatingly, saying that she really didn’t know anything about herself.

What could he have been thinking as he looked at himself?

What was it like for him to face each morning with the one who had killed him right beside him?

…Perhaps she had resented herself and killed herself a few times in her imagination?

Thinking about it, she somehow felt a bit better.

She considered herself a sinner and carried herself as if she could find forgiveness for her sins through her suffering.

She desperately wished that he had blamed himself deep within his heart.

If he hadn’t blamed himself, what would become of his lost wounds?

Were all that loneliness, pain, and fear buried within his chest, his heart?

She couldn’t bring herself to sacrifice someone to that extent. That was her nature.

She recited a passage she had seen in the Bible.

“He who injures others will also be injured.”

It had to happen that way. Therefore, she had nothing to say even if he resented her.

She had already discarded the thought that he had betrayed her.

It was she who had hurt him first.

She lightly bit her lip and descended the stairs.

She wanted a drink. A very strong drink to forget everything.