The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

24 – EP2. One Night’s Love

Saein got up and looked for water.

Her body had swiftly cleansed itself of the toxins from the regular drinks, but when it came to potent Fire Whiskey, more than a dozen bottles, things took a different turn.

Fortunately, the hangover wasn’t too severe. She accepted a glass of water from her maidservant and began to move about.

Gradually, vitality returned to her body, and the hangover began to recede.

She intended to check on the Imperial Knights, as she always did, but she decided to give up on that. Her position, to be snatched away by the Countess Serindel, was practically a done deal anyway. What was the use in working hard?

She called for her steward to submit a leave request to the palace. After all, she had been fighting with Grandis and started working as soon as she returned, so she could use some rest.

Not to mention, the nightmare she had dreamed left her in a bad state. She thought the hangover from Fire Whiskey was unbearable.

The hangover had almost disappeared, but in its place, her lower abdomen throbbed painfully. Upon examination, she found blood staining her undergarments.

…Her moon-time had arrived. She had already forgotten about it and it made her feel worse. She had always been annoyed by it when she was younger. She had to get married and have children, that’s what she was reminded of.

Was it her desire to live the way she wanted that allowed her to inherit the crown of Luduran from her father? But even after that, her moon-time continued relentlessly.

It had been over four years since she met the hero, and it had been nearly three and a half years since she had been pressured to get married. But the lethargy and frustration she had felt were still etched in her mind.

And every time she realized that she was a woman, that frustration kept resurfacing.

She still longed for freedom and wanted to find her true path. But the burdens on her shoulders were too heavy.

Her family wanted her to marry a suitable man and solidify the family’s alliances since she had become the head of the household. And her homeland also hoped that she would marry a suitable man and become a wife in the back rooms.

But she couldn’t complain about such things.

The hero had endured and overcome much worse. She had even betrayed herself and killed the Demon King every day.

No, maybe that’s why she crumbled and consorted with the enemy. How disgusting it would be to ask the one who had killed her if she had a good night’s sleep every morning.

Perhaps it was because of her moon-time, her mood did not improve, and she felt somewhat scattered.

It could be because of the scorching sunlight beating down on the ground.

Under the usual circumstances, she wielded her sword skillfully, but today, she was oddly afraid of the sunlight.

Could it be that even stepping out into the sun was considered a sin?

She realized her thoughts were all jumbled up.

She lay back on the bed in the same clothes she was wearing and spent time just breathing.

That way, she rested the entire day, and a few days later, the time came to revisit his story.

…

He had once again returned to the past.

Yes, it was that time when he received another marriage proposal.

He wondered if he had thought too lightly of the consequences, once again facing the judgment that his actions were amiss.

He resolved himself.

The timing of returning to the past was now, of all times. Strangely, when he had agreed to the marriage, the assassin did not appear, but when he refused, the assassin came.

Above all, he couldn’t fathom Master High Expert being just an ordinary assassin. No matter how much he thought about it, it had to be Ludan.

But why? Why was Ludan so fixated on killing him the moment he declined the marriage proposal?

He needed to understand that.

After politely addressing the Count Ludan in front of him, he returned to his quarters.

From the following day, he began investigating everything concerning Ludan’s situation as it unfolded.

Examining Ludan’s political standing, his lineage, he laid out all that he had researched.

Information that might possibly serve as a lifeline glimmered in the candlelight.

And only then did he realize why Ludan had reached out to him.

Ludan was currently in conflict with the imperial family.

Ludan consistently opposed the Emperor’s actions if they even slightly disadvantaged his lineage, while the Emperor, using the fact that Ludan’s lineage was not a direct descendent, slowly exerted political pressure on Ludan.

The Emperor desired a compliant individual like Seryndel to become the military leader.

However, Ludan’s capabilities were not to be underestimated, and due to the lack of justification, the Emperor couldn’t touch Ludan.

Then, he appeared. A warrior who wiped out the enemy’s forces, from the generals down to the foot soldiers in just one day.

The Emperor conferred a title upon the warrior, hoping he would become a new asset.

Ludan proposed marriage to the warrior, hoping to widen the gap between the warrior and Seryndel.

In the end, he had been entangled in a power play from start to finish.

Angel realized it and an intense anger surged through him.

Wasn’t it all insane?

He hadn’t won the battle; it was the strength of Felton Fortress that had won it. And how many variables were there? If the enemy’s general hadn’t been injured, if the enemy’s general hadn’t been blinded by the greed to capture the warrior… An array of variables cluttered, and he had to die dozens of times before winning once.

The Empire was severely underestimating the Demon Army.

Underestimating the enemy while entangled in internal political struggles, and was that the reason for his death?

His face contorted.

He wanted to shatter the board they had set up.

Angel waited for Seryn while sipping his tea at the café.

Soon it would be Seryn’s time to arrive here.

He began to gauge what emotions he harbored for Seryn while waiting for him.

The anger toward the one who killed themselves? Fear? Angel had no idea what her feelings towards herself and Sein were, and how to approach her when they met.

Finally, Sein arrived.

Sein was wearing a glamorous and beautiful dress, almost like a common noblewoman. Perhaps it was a signal from her family that they had forcibly summoned him, thinking it was a good sign. She bit her lip and blushed, probably because she was a stranger.

Angel realized it at that moment.

The emotion she felt for her was not hatred or fear but empathy and sympathy for being in a situation similar to her, like a puppet just like her.

“You’re here?”

“…Yes.”

Even her response was different from her usual bright and cheerful personality.

Angel tried to make eye contact with her.

“How about having a drink first, and can you come to my place for a while?”

“Why to your place?”

“I have something to say.”

He looked at her with a puzzled look, his body slightly trembling.

After they had a drink, they headed to Angel’s place. After they arrived at his place, Angel led her to the sitting room with a table.

Then, he spoke up.

“Do you really want to get married?”

“…What?”

Sein looked at Angel with a vacant gaze. Angel continued.

To be honest, I happened to find out that Luderran needs me. So, I wondered if you were under pressure from your family.”

“Oh, no. I really…”

“Really… really? Are you really willing to marry me? What’s so special about me?”

“Well, I’m just more familiar with you than other men…”

“…”

“…”

Angel stared into Sein’s eyes. Her irises were shaking violently.

“Why, what’s the matter? Arranged marriage isn’t such a bad thing! Are you saying you won’t marry me because you dislike me?”

“I can understand an arranged marriage. But I can’t understand a marriage where you force someone against their will and deceive them even if they don’t want it.”

“…”

“Tell me honestly. Do you really want to get married like this?”

“…What difference does it make if I say I don’t like it?”

She looked at Angel and said,

And Angel responded with a serious gaze.

“Nothing might change, you know. But still, it’s uncertain. If you completely give up just because the possibility is slim, you’ll even lose that small chance.”

She didn’t want to see the expression on her face when she would pierce herself and commit suicide again.

“Are you willing to stake your life on that small chance? Just get married and be done with it!”

“You don’t want that, do you? I know that. Your poker face is terrible. You’ve been determined since the day we first met. Remember when I taught you how to use a sword? It was you who said to keep fighting even if you fall first. Miracles can happen even in the most unlikely of circumstances.”

Saein stared at him, lost for words.

“Don’t make me laugh. There’s no way a miracle like that will happen.”

“No, don’t prematurely assume and give up. Miracles will happen. I’ll help you until we make that miracle come true.”

It was the most sincere thing he could say with emotions. He would break, get hurt, and even die before a miracle happened someday.

“…Really?”

She was starting to cry softly.

“Yeah.”

“Then… please help me.”

Saein held onto his coat collar and said,

“I don’t want to end up being a puppet and regret it… It’s not because I dislike you. I just… I don’t want to live being pushed around by someone else like this…”

Going along with this was an act of betrayal against her past self who craved freedom and against her mother who had encouraged her to live freely.

She couldn’t break free from her mother’s shadow of regret. As she watched herself unable to find herself and longing for freedom, she was confined to the cage and hurt herself by hitting the cage, unable to find herself.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll be your miracle.”

And he believed that saving such a person was the duty of a hero. At least, that’s what he thought.