The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

8 – EP1. Dawn Breaks

Lying in bed, Angel seemed to have found a rare moment of mental tranquility.

His body had been through a lot, but for the past few days, there had been no attempts on his life, and the sensations of stabbing the priest who had killed him and the one he had killed were slowly fading as he began to learn how to use the sword properly.

Now, he wondered if there would be no more ambushes, no more moments of killing or being killed.

And with that thought, he drifted into sleep.

When he woke up, he found himself standing in front of his bedroom door.

His face turned pale as he realized the situation. The time had rolled back to when he returned to his room after finishing his work and having a meal.

Someone had killed him while he slept.

Angel felt a wave of terror.

He had initially thought it was a case of someone particularly disliking him and acting alone. But even after he killed the priest who had killed him and incinerated the body, someone had attacked him.

The straightforward fighting method Sein had taught him was forgotten. Someone had attacked him without any intention of facing him directly, leaving him with no chance to fight back.

He did not know who killed him, nor when he was attacked.

He started staying up all night again.

And then, he heard the sound of the door opening.

He got out of bed and picked up his sword.

Again. Another person dressed as a priest came to attack him.

“…I didn’t know you would still be awake.”

The man with the dagger said.

Ainzil said.

“Why are you attacking me? And not just… one person? Who are you guys?”

The man with the dagger said.

“Humanity can only unite if you die.”

Ainzil looked at him with eyes that showed he couldn’t understand.

“…Humanity will unite if I die?”

“People lack vigilance. Even though they know how powerful the Demon King is, they still think they can kill him with just one hero. Honestly, tell me. Do you think you alone can defeat the Demon King?”

“No, it’s… not.”

“Sain Rudran, Peria, and even the saint, Beatrice. They are the ones who have accepted this absurd gamble that they can kill the Demon King with the help of their comrades. And given enough time, they can become the best fortress for humanity.

Just because heroes have defeated the Demon King before, do you think they can kill the Demon King in his stronghold this time? Everyone is forgetting reality.

And the leaders of humanity are trying to take another gamble, thinking that their previous successes will continue. Even if it’s a gamble that has succeeded hundreds of times, if it fails just once, humanity will be done for.”

“…So, what difference does it make if you kill me?”

“The best elites of humanity can stop the fading light that entranced them with just the name of a hero. It can also give a sense of urgency to these selfish pigs who are already thinking about their own gains after winning this absurd gamble. Isn’t the value of one hero’s life not cheap?”

“So, is there any guarantee that my death will lead to a better outcome?”

“If you die, everyone will prostrate themselves before the name of God and fight as one.”

“Isn’t that just another assumption? The fact that I cannot kill the Demon King is already an assumption. Can you be certain that the assumption of assumptions, a gamble within a gamble, has a higher probability of success than me killing the Demon King?”

Ainzil picked up his sword. Communication was meaningless now.

Ainzil lightly thrust his sword towards him.

“If I have longer reach than my opponent, there is no need to engage in a frontal battle. Just a quick and light attack is enough to exhaust the enemy.”

The man with the dagger responded by stepping back from the thrust.

“There are three ways to respond to an enemy’s attack. Evading is the best option, blocking is the second, and stepping back is the last.”

Ainzil swung his sword at the man.

“Slashing is to keep the initiative. Especially if the opponent has a shorter range than me, a light swing is enough.”

The man barely parried the sword with his short blade. The sword’s edge was dangerously close to his face.

The man formed a defensive barrier.

Ainzel swung her sword.

“The principle of a shield is not to bounce off your opponent’s weapon like a real shield would. It’s about minimizing the kinetic energy of the enemy’s weapon. If you attack from a distance farther than your opponent’s defenses, you naturally reverse the situation, causing the weapon to break or bend under the strain. But don’t worry, the Holy Sword doesn’t have to concern itself with such worries. So, think about how you’re going to fight and keep that in mind.”

The Holy Sword’s speed had decreased, but it continued to move within the protective barrier, cutting through steadily. It felt like wielding a sword underwater.

The man deftly parried the Holy Sword with his short blade, and the clash continued with sparks flying as the steel clashed.

However, Ainzel still held the initiative. The advantage of reach was a powerful force in close combat, and the man couldn’t wrest control away from the Holy Sword, which was essentially a longsword, using a short blade.

In the end, the man gave up on defending with his barrier and charged toward Ainzel.

Impulsive decisions were always detrimental.

Ainzel not only seized the initiative, but also instinctively knew what a foe with no chance of regaining control would do. As the man rushed at her, she kicked him in the leg.

The kick to the knee slowed him down with pain, and before he could react, the Holy Sword swiftly ended him.

With a rolling thud, the man’s head fell.

Ainzel looked upon her second kill with an unfeeling gaze. The corpse, once a man, was now oozing blood. His lifeless eyes stared at the heroic figure with an empty, vacant expression.

Ainzel set the man’s corpse on fire. She then removed her bloodied clothes, wiped away the blood from the floor, and incinerated her attire.

The next day, Ainzel requested new clothes, explaining that she had accidentally set her old ones on fire. Her request was granted.

…

Beatrice clenched her fists, biting her lips. Blood was flowing from her fists and lips.

“The priest… attacking the hero…”

Even though she saw it, she couldn’t believe it, and it was beyond her comprehension, but she had to believe it.

Even if it was confirmed that the hero was involved with the enemy, it still didn’t make sense for the priest to attack. Moreover, hearing that the priest had killed the hero several times made Beatrice nauseous.

“…Teaching me to use a sword and then killing someone with the very sword they taught me.”

Sain gazed at his sword.

“…Using the sword with a life on our first meeting was for this, I guess.”

Feria spoke with her face contorted.

“I just thought I wasn’t concentrating enough, but could this really be the reason…”

Feria clutched her forehead.

“I never knew that my instability made me unable to sleep…”

Lena, who hadn’t appeared in this excerpt, could see Ainzel’s perspective more objectively.

“…Is that why you betrayed us?”

Beatrice looked at Lena with a face on the brink of tears.

“…Yes?”

“We’re in a position to fight alongside the demon lord… and even some of our comrades disagreed and wanted to kill him, even though he’s our priest. So, did everyone just get tired of it?”

Beatrice opened her mouth and then gave up. Certainly, if that was the case, there was some justification.

“I don’t like the disagreements… and I don’t like the demons either, so I’m willing to do all sorts of wicked things and collaborate with the enemy, as long as we kill the demon lord. Because I hate them all.”

“…Are you saying that the hero came to hate the world?”

“That’s right. Deliberately collaborating with Grandis and even conspiring to bring down the demon lord and still despising us for going into battle… so I can’t help but think that he intentionally caused a disaster like that.”

Sein barely regained his composure and said, “For now, it’s all in the realm of speculation. We haven’t seen even one-tenth of what happened… Peria, please try a little harder, even if it’s difficult.”

Peria replied, swaying, and then disappeared.

Beatrice said, “I really don’t know anymore. The hero I thought was exemplary turned out to be in league with the enemy and committed all sorts of atrocities. But it turns out there’s a lot we don’t know. I, I don’t have the confidence to face the truth anymore.”

The Crystal continued to shine.

Even in the brightest light, they were still in darkness.

And at that moment, Angel… was defeating monsters with his bare hands.

“This is effing ridiculous!”