The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

29 – EP2. One Night’s Love

He pressed on, blood flowing. Even with a hazy mind and the imminent presence of death, he supported her and moved forward.

“Now, all we have to do is go outside that door,” he said.

“Yes,” she said.

Einzel and Sein finally made it outside, their bodies soaked in blood. It was night when they emerged, and the sky was filled with shining stars.

“Look over there. It’s the Navigator’s Star.”

“Yes, it’s beautiful.”

Sein pointed to the brightest star.

The Navigator’s Star, Polaris.

It was the guiding star for navigators embarking on adventures.

If one got close to the Navigator’s Star, they would reach the northernmost tip of the world, and beyond that, they could embark on a journey into space, according to legend.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

“Yes.”

She looked up at the sky even as blood flowed from her mouth.

Was this beauty and the shining sky the landscape her mother saw?

Was her mother captivated by this beauty and lived a lifetime of regret?

She laughed. Her body trembled, but it was still not her time. She desperately pushed away the death that cloaked her from behind. She could not die just yet.

Polaris cast its light on the navigators from far away, and the Milky Way held a festival of light in the sky. She tried to capture a glimpse of that scenery as much as possible.

It felt like her heart was being pierced. Even though her ship was already sinking.

In the end, it turned out like this,” she said. Both he and she were just moments away from death.

“…I’m sorry, I promised to save you but couldn’t.”

Angel said.

“No. You have already been a miracle and salvation to me.”

Sein said, and Angel smirked.

“Well, I’m glad. That’s what heroes fight for after all.”

“hahahaha…”

They laughed while trying to make jokes, but eventually, they lost their laughter bit by bit.

Sein fell. Angel lowered her body close to her.

Sein began to tremble.

“I’m sorry. It’s all because of me.”

Sein said so.

“No, it’s not your fault.”

Angel said.

Sein wiped his tears away from his cheek and said.

“Thank you. Thank you for fighting so hard for just me.”

“It’s okay. I can fight like this a hundred more times.”

“Silly.”

She said with a smile.

To say such words after helping her and dying…

“I have something I want to say. I want to tell you while my mind is still a bit clearer.”

“Go ahead.”

She hugged him warmly with a bright smile.

Now, he felt like he could say it.

“Thank you.”

She wrapped her arms and legs around his body tenderly.

“I love you.”

She kissed him.

“I really wanted to say that.”

She said. Blood was flowing from her abdomen.

“Oh, my mind is getting… hazy.”

She squeezed out one last smile.

“But still, I’m happy that I get to see you at the end.”

“hahahaha, when did you start liking me so much?”

He smiled weakly.

“It doesn’t take a long time to fall in love with a human. Look at me, I fell for you in an instant.”

“… That’s quite an impressive feat.”

“If there is a next life… then…”

Her voice trailed off.

Even as tears streamed down her face, she simply smiled.

She swallowed her last words.

Thanks to you, I was happy in the end.

She laid herself to rest, enveloped in crimson blood and using her sword as a tombstone.

He laughed brightly, yet bitterly.

In the end, it turned out like this.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be even better next time, so rest.”

He chuckled. Blood flowed from his entire body.

His consciousness faded.

He thought about how he would momentarily swim in the peaceful sea of rest before returning to the battlefield.

“I will definitely save you this time.”

He lay down beside her.

And thus, he faced death.

Angel smiled. The Duke Luderan, who thought she had positively accepted his intentions, hesitated and spoke.

“Well, then, give it some thought.”

Angel returned to her lodgings and lay down on her bed. Then, she fell asleep. Right now, she just wanted to rest for a moment.

The next day, he woke up and visited the Matop. There, he saw Peria.

“What’s going on here? I was just about to find a clue to my research. Don’t disturb me.”

Then, the voices of the wizards downstairs arguing and insulting each other reached his ears, and Angel shrugged.

Peria sighed, and Angel laughed cheerfully. Perhaps Peria’s cynical temperament was not learned here; Angel briefly had another thought.

“Never mind, why did you come here?”

“I wanted to learn a magic spell that conceals the body.”

“Of course there is. It may not be meaningful to high-level people… but why?”

“I want to learn it. It seems like it would be useful on the battlefield. When I fought with Genome last time, I hid my body with a dust storm. I thought it would be possible to use it in conjunction with that.”

“… Do as you please.”

And so, Angel learned the concealment magic from her.

And a few days later, when he infiltrated the underground chamber of the Luderan mansion with Sain on the day the Duke Luderan was absent, he headed towards the Luderan mansion.

He infiltrated the Luderan mansion in secret, incapacitating the guards at the basement door and then concealed himself with a hiding spell as he made his way to where Jacob Luderan’s plans were hidden.

In the end, he managed to steal Jacob Luderan’s plans and escaped the mansion without being noticed.

Afterwards, he summoned Beatrice to his quarters and offered her hospitality.

“Why did you call for me, sir? Is there something you need?”

“Ah, it’s nothing major… I’m on my way to meet Count Luderan, so if I don’t return by tomorrow, please deliver this to the palace. Don’t show it to anyone until I come back.”

“Yes.”

Beatrice accepted, curious about the situation. Ainzel, on the other hand, headed back to the Luderan mansion, this time as an official visitor.

“Ah, greetings. I might have been neglectful in my hospitality. Please understand, something big has come up…”

“I see.”

Ainzel chuckled as he sipped his tea.

Jacob Luderan looked at him.

“…Could it be, you?”

“Perhaps?”

Jacob Luderan began to reveal signs of life. Although his skin felt numb, it didn’t resonate with him as someone who had once died.

“…You’re not insane, and yet you willingly walked into the lion’s den.”

As Jacob Luderan pressured him, Ainzel calmly smiled and replied.

“I’m not insane. If I had to put it in words, I’d say I’ve come here to hunt the lion.”

Jacob Luderan began to break out in a cold sweat.

“Bluntly speaking, it is currently in the possession of the Holy Maiden. If I don’t return to the palace tonight, she plans to deliver it. Surely you wouldn’t be so foolish as to attack the Holy Maiden?”

Luderan couldn’t attack the Holy Maiden. The reason being, besides the fact that he couldn’t kill and bury her, was simply because she was too powerful. The Holy Maiden was strong. Even Duke Luderan, a Swordmaster himself, couldn’t guarantee victory if he were to face her head-on.

“…What do you want?”

“What do I want? Don’t try to manipulate Sainte and me into marriage, just confine yourself to the territory until she assumes her rightful position. Or else, your entire lineage will be doomed.”

“…I may not know what it is, but I understand enough to know what I should do about it.”

“Yes, you could choose to let your lineage perish-“

“What are you saying? Fine. I’ll go down to the territory.”

Ainzel looked at him with a surprised expression.

“I may just be one person, but the name Luderan is history itself. If I, the one who has become the guardian of Luderan, tarnish that glorious history, how will the spirits of my ancestors see me? If you wanted, you could’ve offered up your neck, but fortunately, that’s not the case.”

Ainzel looked at him. The expression seemed to say, “What kind of lunatic are you?”

“Sigh, what a bother… You should go catch Rufus. He has made a pact with the demons.”

“…I don’t know how you found out about that… but thank you.”

Angel never forgot her revenge against Rufoos, the one who killed her.

“By the way, your attitude changed in an instant?”

“…Even if they are lions, it’s only natural not to mess with dragons. If the opponent is unbeatable, there’s no choice but to comply.”

A few days later, Rufoos Luderan was executed and the Luderan Duke descended to his territory, using his deteriorating health as an excuse. The temporary replacement for the Luderan Duke was Jacques Lucolson.

And finally, Angel was able to meet Seine again. The engagement story was no longer mentioned.

He looked at Seine with complicated eyes because she resembled the past her.

“…Why are you staring at me like that? Father’s health deteriorated, so there won’t be any talk of engagement?”

Upon hearing those words, Angel realized the present moment.

Yeah, that became an event that never happened.

The vivid image of them fighting together, still remaining in a corner of his heart, had now disappeared and was buried in the ground. The current Seine was no longer the Seine of that time. He had to remember that.

Even if his memories would become forgotten and buried, he had to keep moving forward. Leaving behind their love affair as a memory of one night.

He said,

“No, it’s nothing.”