The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

EP7. At the End of Darkness

Ainzel continued walking with his hood pulled over his head. Beatrice was next to him as well. The two of them did not say a word.

If the elders of the Senate had planned to trap Beatrice from the beginning and had done this, they decided to hide their identity for the time being because they could not know what kind of threat would appear.

The path they walked was filled with countless corpses. And there were just as many people walking with corpse-like complexions.

“Do you see this sight?”

“They say that Grandis created this spectacle with just one gesture.”

The soldiers talked among themselves about how desperate their situation was.

“Fuck, why would I fight with these monsters? Aren’t they all retards?”

“They say the saint came here… What good does it do if the saint saves tens or hundreds? Grandis alone just kills thousands.”

There was no longer any formation, and the soldiers were simply running away from the demon army.

Ainzel and Beatrice walked along, trying hard to ignore the words the soldiers were spouting off. Even if they heard such words, nothing would change.

“Okay, I want to go home and eat some freshly baked bread. This was a losing battle from the start, and now all this fuss has just ended in this mess.”

“It was a fight we were going to retreat from anyway, so why are you making such a fuss?”

“They say the commander was deeply impressed by the news of the saint’s arrival. He said he came to boost the morale of the soldiers, but what if the commander loses his concentration? It’s only the privates who lose their concentration and charge forward. It’s not like they lost the time to retreat because the commander was talking nonsense.”

“Damn, what on earth is the saint doing here? She should have gone to another front when this front is pushed back. Or she should have just stayed by the warrior’s side and continued to do what she’s been doing. You came here for nothing, gave us false hope, and now the damage has only gotten worse!”

“Still, I heard that many people survived thanks to the saint.”

“There are more comrades around me who have fallen after hearing the commander’s absurd words because of the saint than those who were healed and saved by the saint! What the hell, what can you do with people who were saved? Why are you talking nonsense? I don’t understand. The warrior actually tried his best to stop the saint.”

The soldiers gradually began to curse the saint who had shown them ‘false hope’. They were too powerful to curse the demons who had directly taken their comrades away.

Ainzel and Beatrice just kept walking even after hearing those words. They continued on, heading towards the capital of the empire.

Ainzel and Beatrice finally reached the main road leading to the capital. Getting to the capital was a breeze, as long as they followed the main road.

Beatrice didn’t say much on the way back to the capital. It must have been because of the shock in her heart. Ainzel thought about going back in time several times, but when he saw her, his heart became weak and he couldn’t bear to turn away from her in the present.

As soon as Beatrice arrived at the street, she spoke to Ainzel.

“…Is it right to return to the capital?”

Ainzel looked at her. There was a deep wound in his crystal-colored eyes.

“I don’t even know what to do when I return to the capital. I’ve spent my whole life looking only at faith, but what if my faith was really wrong? All the soldiers cursed at me. They said, “Why did I come here when I couldn’t win and only increased the number of casualties?” When I went there, I thought it was the right thing to do, but in reality, I couldn’t do anything. What can I do when I return to the capital?”

“well.”

Beatrice bit her lip at Ainzel’s words.

“Those who followed me died just because they followed me… I was so irresponsible. I vaguely knew that they wanted something like this, but I didn’t expect this to happen… .”

Beatrice burst into tears. Ainzel simply held her in his arms, allowing her to let out her pain along with her tears.

“I… I… .”

Beatrice continued speaking in a hushed tone.

And then, Beatrice suddenly raised her head and put up a shield.

“…You are truly a saint, even when you are emotionally agitated, and you notice us. How wonderful.”

Several people were heard. Beatrice looked at them with a face still tear-stained.

“Who are you?”

“…This is the Twilight Brotherhood, an organization under the Senate, my lady. They were sent by the Senate to eliminate you.”

“Why?”

Beatrice asked with a look of genuine shock on her face.

“…That’s because I thought it would be more beneficial for the cause if the Saintess died. The same goes for you, Warrior. I apologize to you both, but I hope you think of it as an inevitable choice for the sake of humanity.”

Beatrice looked at them with wavering eyes.

“Why… is it better for us to die? Why on earth?”

“Because the saints and warriors are interpreted separately from the religious order.”

“What does that mean?”

When Ainzel asked them, they continued to speak in a pitiful tone.

“The two of you have done great things, but because of that, your influence has grown more than that of the sect in people’s memories. It would have been nice if you could have united people like that… but as individuals, you have inevitably limited yourself. You can never unite humanity. The sect’s Senate has concluded that if you don’t unite humanity, you will never be able to stand against the Demons.”

“…That means.”

“I know how much you two have dedicated yourselves to humanity, but unfortunately, I have concluded that the Pope is better than the Saintess in terms of uniting not only the Empire but also the religious orders of other nations. Uniting the power of humanity to fight against the Demon King is the purpose of the Senate and the faith.”

Beatrice looked at them with shocked eyes.

“So, you killed those who followed me for their faith? Even though you knew that the corruption in the Vatican was worse?”

“Saint.”

They looked at the saint with pitying eyes and said:

“The right people and the necessary people are different. Those who followed the saint were upright and just, but they ended up being obstacles to uniting humanity. On the contrary, the people in the Vatican were corrupt and dishonest, but they were absolutely necessary to unite humanity. It’s ironic.”

“that….”

“There is a difference between what is right and what is necessary. The saint chose the right path, and that is why she went all over Calethion despite her obvious intentions. However, we, the Senate, have decided to do what is necessary for humanity, the greatest blessing of God, rather than what is right. Please understand.”

“…”

Beatrice continued to look at them.

“…So, are you trying to kill us?”

“Yes. There is no other way. It is for the unity of humanity.”

They bowed their heads with eyes that showed genuine apology.

“However, there is a way that will not harm you two. You two can live a peaceful life without being noticed by anyone. We would like you to choose this method. We do not want to kill the heroes.”

“Hide your traces.”

“Yes. If you disappear, you two will be considered dead throughout Calethion. It has already been reported in the capital. If you two decide to come forward, we will have no choice but to fight an all-out war. I do not want to fight a hero with a sword that should be used to fight the demons.”

Ainzel looked at Beatrice.

Beatrice bit her lip.

“The two of you will be remembered as heroes who bravely went to the front lines and died in battle. And the Pope and the Saintess, the two factions of the church, will become one again and actively fight against the demons. Not only the Empire, but all countries will come forward and wage war against the demons.”

They looked as if they were about to cry.

“Please, I beg you. Please disappear as a hero.”

Beatrice nodded.

“…So, fortunately, the warrior and the saint accepted those words?”

“Yes, elders.”

“That’s fortunate. The saint was like a granddaughter to all of us, and we treated her so cruelly. It’s really fortunate that there was no need to kill her.”

“Yes. Then, can we now consider it as the final stage of coordination with other kingdoms?”

“That’s right. Not only humans, but fairies too decided to join in the fight against the demons. In the end, they realized that this fight wasn’t just a fight against the demon lords we’ve seen before, but a fight that would determine the fate of humanity.”

“…may God be with you.”