The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

chapter 121



EP7. At the End of Darkness

The end of the world. It was no wonder that those words came to Beatrice’s mind.

The Allied Forces were defeated by the Demon King in the final battle that was virtually a matter of life and death for humanity.

The destruction of humanity was rapidly becoming apparent. There was now no chance left for humanity.

There was a high probability that the entire human species would perish with the final resistance.

Many people began preparing to evacuate.

To a place beyond the reach of the Demon King. More, more, more.

But even if you say that there are only three places that the Demon King can’t reach, even if you’re not the Demon King, there’s a high chance of death in those places.

The three ends of the continent. A kind of sanctuary called that. It was a place ruled by the most powerful dragon kings among the mighty dragons.

The northernmost part of the continent and the sanctuary of the Blue Dragon King, the Nephlen Snowfields.

The westernmost point of the continent and the sanctuary of the Green Dragon King, the Arifen Plateau.

Finally, the Elquis Desert, the southernmost point of the continent and the sanctuary of the Red Dragon King.

Those three sanctuaries were places that could not be visited by humans, so humans tried their best to avoid the eyes of the demons and escape to nearby places.

Beatrice felt unsure of what to do.

The humans were still too weak to fight back, and there was a high chance that they would die if they helped them.

So, should I run away? Should I continue my wandering life with Ainzel, not knowing when it will end? If I choose that, the chances of dying will be much lower. And it’s not so bad.

On the other hand, if you fight alongside other humans in the final battle, you will definitely die. Needless to say, your chances of winning are slim.

Beatrice still felt her heart waver for some reason.

Why is it? Why do I have a subtle feeling that I am not helping the Senate, the Order, and the Union in their fight, which abandoned the safe path and myself?

Beatrice sighed.

She couldn’t fall asleep yet and looked up at the sky. Even in the midst of the gloomy situation where people were gripped by fear and the surrounding villagers were evacuating one by one, the stars in the sky were shining brightly.

Rather than struggling to find sleep, Beatrice decided to go see Ainzel.

If so, then he can give himself the answer.

Beatrice, who was thinking like that, was suddenly very surprised at her own appearance.

‘Since when have I become so dependent on Ainzel?’

At this point, it seemed difficult to even call her a priest who believed in God, let alone a saint.

To think that she would depend on him to make a decision that would be a major turning point in her life…

Beatrice felt her face burn and put her hand to her chest.

I felt a slight shaking along with a squishy texture, but that didn’t really matter.

The important thing was that the weight Ainzel occupied in her heart had grown to this extent.

“Ugh…”

Beatrice tried to cool down her flushed face by fanning it, then gulped down some water.

Then, she mustered up her courage and entered Ainzel’s room.

Ainzel woke up and greeted Beatrice. Beatrice had a dark face.

“I guess you have some worries since you came to my room this night.”

“Yes… Do you see those people outside?”

“…You mean people running away from the demons?”

“Right now, humanity is on the verge of destruction after being defeated by the Demon Tribe.”

“Yes… So, what is your concern?”

“Should I… help those who are trying to fight back for the last time? I myself can’t decide.”

Beatrice said so and sat down on Ainzel’s bed.

“If I run away now, I can definitely survive. And maybe I can live a peaceful and comfortable life. However, if I help the Allied Forces who are trying to fight back, the chances of winning are slim, and the chances of winning are not high. So, should I help them?”

Ainzel did not respond to Beatrice’s words.

“…Well, I don’t know. There is no perfect answer in this world. Even the choices that you thought were the best at the time always leave you with regrets later.”

“…So what do you want me to do? Are you telling me to keep thinking and make the best choice?”

“No, you will always have regrets anyway, so I’m telling you to choose the option that will leave you with the least amount of regrets.”

“…Is that as easy as it sounds? In fact, I don’t know why I’m still considering this choice. I don’t want to die, but I’m scared of dying, so it’s funny to consider a choice that will obviously lead to death. As a saint, it’s too selfish to blame it on faith.”

“It’s not selfish.”

“Huh? It looks funny to me, but how would Ainzel see it? You don’t have to say it so nicely… .”

“Everyone is like that. They are bound to have conflicts between their ideals and their instincts.”

Ainzel said so and waited for a moment before continuing.

“You are afraid of death now. … But there must be a reason why you are so conflicted. Perhaps it is your ideal, even if you do not know the reason. It is not strange to choose either ideal or instinct, and I will respect your decision. Whatever you choose.”

“…Once I choose something, what will you do?”

“I will follow you. Perhaps… to the ends of the earth.”

“Until the end of this world.”

Beatrice smiled at those words.

“Even if it’s just empty words, it feels good.”

Beatrice didn’t know that those words were not empty words.

Ainzel didn’t bother to point it out, and Beatrice realized something after hearing Ainzel say that he would accept whatever choice she made.

Why did he want to help those who were fighting recklessly?

Why did he want to help the people in the slums, why did he want to help the father who wanted to heal his child?

Why did she decide to become a saint?

Putting aside the shell of faith and duty, the ideal she had conceived, the reason she had been so madly troubled now, was her own fundamental… goodness, though very small, very fragile, yet sacred, and innocent.

From the beginning, there was no need for any reason such as faith or duty to help others.

Only then was she able to face her own heart.

She just wanted to help.

Pure goodwill, helping people simply because you want to help them, without the need to embellish it with other words.

In a corner of her heart, that feeling that even she had forgotten was still alive and breathing.

Beatrice hugged Ainzel.

“…I want to go to the battlefield. I want to go and help people.”

Ainzel nodded and said.

“As much as you want.”

“…I guess it’s safe to say there’s no hope now…”

Cardinal Bentham said with a dejected look.

“Where did it go wrong? If we weren’t going to win from the start, we shouldn’t have treated the warrior and the saint like that.”

Cardinal Bentham clenched his fists, and blood flowed from his hands.

“I don’t have the confidence to meet God after death. It was all… it was all my… our arrogance. We ignored the warrior God had given us, and believed that humanity could defeat the Demon King. And so… it shouldn’t have been that way.”

Cardinal Bentam took out a silver sword.

“May my soul suffer in hell for eternity. This sinner… This sinner has committed a sin that cannot be washed away… .”

It was at this moment that Cardinal Bentham, in despair, was about to stab himself in the neck.

Someone came into his tent.

“…Who is it? I told you not to let anyone in.”

“I came to help in this fight.”

“This isn’t something that can be done with just one or two people. You guys, don’t lose your lives in vain and run away…”

In front of Cardinal Bentham, Beatrice, who was wearing a hood, took off her hood.

“…Bea, Tris.”

“…I didn’t really know what to say to you. You were so kind to me… You killed those who followed me… There was so much going on that I didn’t know what to say. But now I know.”

While Cardinal Bentham was speechless and unable to say anything, Beatrice spoke with her blue eyes sparkling.

“I have come to help. In the final battle against the demons.”

“…Why?”

Cardinal Bentham spoke with an expression on his face almost tearful.

“There’s no chance of survival. The chances of winning are almost zero. And… we haven’t treated you well. Why did you come here without finding a way to survive?”

Beatrice responded with a hard look in her eyes to Cardinal Bentham’s words.

“People don’t need reasons to help others.”


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.