The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

EP7. At the End of Darkness

Ainzel crumpled his face.

It is a battlefield where, as anyone can see, the probability of death is higher than the probability of survival.

No human in their right mind would ever think of heading to a battlefield like that.

But can we really say that Beatrice is a sane, or ‘normal’ person?

Being a saint, being a saint, has a similar selection process to being a warrior.

That is, the holy relic selects the one who is most obedient and qualified to God.

There are countless people on the continent who believe in goddesses.

But, is the person who is said to be the most loyal to God among them really normal? No, can he possibly be normal?

It doesn’t mean that she is mentally ill. There has never been a case where a saint or a saint was mentally ill.

However, it is quite possible for a person on the verge of insanity, someone with a ‘different mental system from others’, to become a saint or a saint.

In Ainzel’s view, Beatrice was one of those types of people.

In fact, it is certain that those who go out to the battlefield and fight are somewhat twisted, but Beatrice was particularly bad.

… Of course, if you look at it that way, it’s obvious that he’s mentally ill, so he’s worse than me.

And similar to his thoughts, Beatrice’s mind was actually twisted, unlike that of ordinary people.

A mentality that is not a human mentality, but rather a mentality that observes things below from above.

Being her ‘inferior’ did not mean that she regarded other humans as inferior to herself.

As someone who had dedicated everything to God, or as someone who thought she had, humans, fairies, and all the ‘people’ of this world were God’s most precious creations, and she had a duty to protect them.

Not thinking about one’s own life, not caring about how unfavorable the situation may be, only serving, dedicating oneself, that way of thinking, as if even one’s survival instinct had been sacrificed to God.

Her way of thinking has been this way, stagnant, ever since she was very young.

That is why Beatrice accepted the offer, even though she knew that she would surely die in the battlefield.

I wish you could go all over Calethion.

This was what the Pope and his cardinals had asked of her.

Of course, it was just a request, but in reality, it was no different from pressuring me to go out and die.

But she accepted, not caring what calculations they had in mind to tell her that.

What mattered was whether what they said was outwardly in keeping with her faith and her cause.

No matter how well-intentioned the words may be, if they do not conform to her beliefs, she will not accept them.

She will accept anything, no matter how sinister the intention, as long as it conforms to her beliefs.

That’s why she accepted those words. While it was important to stay by the warrior’s side and help him grow, going to the entire Calethion was more suited to her personality.

Even though she might die there protecting people, or fighting the enemy… for any number of reasons, she didn’t think it would matter.

Even if it means oxidizing, if there is even a small chance of winning, then I would.

If only I could get just one victory against ‘that’ Grandis and Malecidus.

If so, it would certainly be possible to gain the upper hand in the war against the demons.

No, even if that’s not the case, what does it matter?

If the retreat from the front were just a little easier, countless people would be saved.

She thought that the title of saint she wore was a title reserved for the one who moved at the forefront of all priests.

Among the servants of God, the position that must lead people from the front is the position of a saint, she thought.

That is why Beatrice decided to end her journey with the warrior.

…it wasn’t that the warrior didn’t like it.

But the warrior simply thought that it would be okay if he was not there. He strangely always found a solution, so he thought that if he could find another priest, it would not be a big problem for him.

She looked at the holy place where she lived. All white. White. Spaces filled with nothing but white.

She knelt down in the middle and began to recite the scriptures.

“…God sends you suffering to prepare for joy afterward. God sends you pain to prepare for growth afterward. God sends you despair to prepare for glory afterward. God has reserved the best for you.”

And Ainzel arrived in front of the Vatican with his face crumpled.

This is not something.

No matter how much I thought about it, it was obvious that Beatrice would die, so I couldn’t send her away like this.

Ainzel tried to control his expression and then entered the Vatican.

“Ah, it’s nice to see you again, warrior.”

Ainzel smiled at the Pope, who smiled back at him.

“So, have you given it some thought?”

Ainzel spoke to the Pope, still smiling.

“Yes, I’ve thought about it carefully. I definitely think that if Beatrice could go somewhere where she can be active, things would be better than they are now.”

“As expected…! I knew you would make a wise choice!”

“But you know.”

As Ainzel spoke, the Pope seemed to notice that something was going strangely wrong.

“Lady Beatrice said. She said she was going to the entire Calethion.”

The Pope looked uncomfortable.

“I don’t know if it’s a place where Beatrice can fully demonstrate her abilities… but the entire Calesion seems like a place where only those wishing to commit suicide would go.”

The Pope shook his head and said:

“Haha, you’re being harsh, calling it a place where only those who wish to commit suicide go. Of course, it’s true that the entire Calesion is going through a very unfavorable situation, but isn’t that why the saint’s abilities can shine even brighter?”

“Well, if the saint were just a priestess, then yes.”

“….”

“If the Saint were a simple priestess, then the entire Calethion would certainly be the place where she could best demonstrate her abilities, but isn’t the Saint not a simple priestess?”

One of the leaders of the two religious orders. Even in the empire, Saint Beatrice had more influence than the Pope. But it would be useless to lose her so easily.

“…That may be true, but she also agreed to it.”

“Well, it seems to me that Beatrice also sees herself as just a priest.”

“that….”

“She doesn’t know her own influence. If she did, she wouldn’t do something like that. If she were to die alone, not only would it be difficult to operate Paladin, but morale would also decrease. Even if you can present her death as a martyrdom and increase morale in the short term, I don’t think it will help in the long term.”

If she died, the only ones who would benefit would be the Pope and his priests. All the religious orders would be united under the Pope, and the Paladins would also be out of the Saint’s jurisdiction and under the Pope’s control. That’s why Ainzel thought the Pope was deliberately sending the Saint to the death.

“…So, what do you want me to do?”

At the Pope’s words, Ainzel frowned and said.

“That’s only natural. Of course, we should send her to a front where she is safe, where she can truly ‘properly’ use her power. Even if it means being separated from Beatrice, I think we should get that much of a promise.”

“…Even so, is there any guarantee that the saintess’s death will be a loss?”

“What?”

Ainzel looked at the Pope with a look of bewilderment.

The Pope thought it was a do-or-die situation and began to push forward openly.

“Think about it. The one who chose the warrior was Saint Beatrice. So your achievements are naturally included in her name value. Do you think it makes sense that someone else did the trick, but the saint takes the credit for the name value? If there were no saint, you would be able to escape her influence and be evaluated entirely as yourself. And wouldn’t that lead to greater benefits?”

“What!?”

When Ainzel shouted, the Pope hardened his expression and said.

“Listen, warrior. To be honest, the saintess is not qualified to be the leader of the sect. Do you even know what the saintess tried to do!? When you failed to meet her expectations, she tried to get rid of you! She had the priest do it!”

“…What, you say?”

Ainzel said in a panicked voice.

“The Saintess felt that you had no signs of awakening your powers and that your talents were nothing special, so she wanted to kill you and unite the humans under the name of the Goddess Church! That is the true nature of the Saintess!”