The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

EP8. The Coming Doom

Ainzel saw a child running around. Whenever he saw a bright smile, he smiled too.

The longing for the past that he had lost appeared in the form of a child and showed a longed-for landscape.

He too had times like that.

There was a time when every day was filled with meaningless joy and blessings, when tomorrow was something to look forward to, and when happiness was as easy to obtain as a snack that could be taken out and eaten at any time.

Now, those days had disappeared without a trace, but at least he felt good just being able to recall that happiness.

Ainzel looked at the child who approached him with a pure white smile and remembered why he had to fight.

Yes. Isn’t protecting the image of this child smiling so brightly the reason I became a warrior?

With that thought in mind, Ainzel prepared to face the commander.

He had a large number of soldiers following him, and as the one who commanded them, he had to take responsibility. His goal was to save as many of them as possible, who held precious things in their hands, like the bright memories of their childhood as a girl, and to return them to the arms of those who cherish them.

He set his sights on a goal and prepared for the battle ahead, enjoying a brief period of leisure and excitement.

When he looked at the girl, he too was reminded of his hometown and the many memories associated with it.

Someday, when my mission as a warrior is over and I return home, I will find peace.

He thought so.

…

A few days passed. The operation was about to begin, and Ainzel sent letters to coordinate with other units. If the operation went as planned, the day after tomorrow, the corps commander would be attacked.

For that reason, Ainzel deliberately made his soldiers rest. He couldn’t allow any physical problems to arise during the operation.

Since this operation involved entering the enemy’s stronghold and fighting, even the slightest opening could have caused major problems.

That’s why Ainzel felt anxious inside.

“What are you doing, oppa?”

A girl who had become familiar to him approached him and spoke to him. Ainzel stroked the girl’s hair a few times and then spoke.

“Yeah, it’s nothing. My brother came here because he had something to do, and he’s going to do it.”

“Then, Oppa, are you going?”

“…Yeah, I guess that’s how it will be.”

“I see…”

The girl pouts and kicks the dirt with her feet.

Ainzel laughed at the sight of the child.

The letter will soon reach the other units, and then the fighting will begin.

We don’t know how many people will die. Maybe most of them won’t survive.

But he will make it so that there are as few deaths as possible. He may not be able to save everyone, but it is his job to save as many of his followers as possible. Even if he has to die several times in the process.

Ainzel decided to enjoy his last moments of leisure.

…

“The messenger has returned!”

The messenger returned a day later. When Ainzel opened the letter the messenger brought, he heard that preparations were being made there as planned.

Ainzel began preparing for battle in earnest.

It was then that a trumpet sound suddenly rang out.

And it wasn’t just a trumpet sound, it was multiple trumpets sounded before the start of a battle.

The sudden sound made not only Ainzel but also the other soldiers panic, and Ainzel hurriedly checked what was going on.

The demon army was surrounding the village.

“What, what is this…!”

Ainzel quickly came to his senses and shouted.

“Battle stance! Battle stance! The demons are invading!”

At the sound of Ainzel’s voice, the soldiers took up their battle stance, holding their weapons and donning their armor.

Why are there so many demons in this small town? Ainzel gritted his teeth.

Information leaked out.

He grabbed his sword and rushed into the front lines. Using everything he could – swordsmanship, magic, archery, and even miracles – he went wild.

A certain demon stopped Ainzel from running wild like that.

He was a demon who rode on a black horse and had flashy armor and a sword that clearly distinguished him from other demons.

Ainzel knew right away that he was the commander’s direct subordinate.

That was enough to know.

As soon as they faced each other, the two swung their swords.

The two swords clashed at once. The two continued to swing their swords madly.

In the midst of the continued clash, Ainzel was the first to be stabbed in the neck by the enemy.

He is dead.

He came to his senses. What he saw before his eyes was the same demon from before.

That is to say, this situation was a manageable one.

Was this a situation that could be dealt with? Ainzel frowned.

It was obvious that they were being pushed back. The soldiers were being ambushed and were in disarray, and the enemy force was quite numerous, and even the corps commander’s direct subordinates had appeared.

Is this situation really something that can be dealt with?

But Ainzel had no time to think about such things. There was no point in complaining anyway. He had no other answer than to fight with his sword in hand.

Ainzel immediately fired his magic as soon as he encountered the demon again, and when the enemy showed signs of being confused by the magic, he began to attack him.

The demon tribe continued to take the sword strikes that continued to strike.

Ainzel stopped his continuous sword strikes for a moment.

While the demon was flustered and unable to react, Ainzel shot a fireball and took away his timing. It was obvious that the opponent who had completely lost his timing would lose.

Ainzel wiped the sweat off his face as he turned away from the enemy he had just defeated.

The situation was still turning against them.

Numerous demons were attacking indiscriminately, whether they were soldiers or ordinary people living in the village.

Ainzel finally found some breathing room after defeating the commander.

Ainzel began to think deeply.

Where did the information come from?

He kept all the soldiers under his watch. Not a single soldier was out of his sight.

… No, there was one. Just one soldier who was out of sight.

Ainzel hardened his face and went to find where the messenger was.

“It’s you.”

This is what Ainzel shouted as soon as he saw the messenger.

“Huh? What do you mean-“

Before he could finish speaking, Ainzel kicked him and knocked him down.

The messenger fell over, grinned, and then said:

“Damn, I got caught.”

Ainzel breathed divine power into the messenger.

White hair, red eyes, and even a tattoo.

It was the appearance of a demon worshipper.

“You deliberately took the messenger position, created a situation where I couldn’t see you, and then stole information during that time?”

Even now, countless people are dying at the hands of demons. If the demon worshippers hadn’t betrayed them, none of this would have happened.

Ainzel knew it and was furious at the demon worshippers.

But the demon cult member just laughed and said.

“Yes, that’s what I did.”

Ainzel’s hair seemed to be turning white.

Anger consumed my body, and when I came to my senses, the demon worshipper’s head had already been cut off.

Ainzel started heading somewhere else.

It was when Ainzel lifted the commander’s neck and screamed that the demons realized they had lost their commander.

“Your commander is dead! Here is his head!”

It was Ainzel’s own attempt to break the enemy’s morale. It was common for an army that lost its commander to lose morale.

However, the demons were different from the normal, ordinary army.

Unlike ordinary armies, they had no fear or regret over the death of their commanders unless they were truly loyal to them.

Rather, they ran wilder. This was because they saw this as an opportunity to build up their reputation and take the commander’s place after the commander who had been confining them within the framework of strategy died.

That’s why the demons started to run wild and run wild, giving in to their instinct to kill.

Ainzel was confused, but he started to clean up the demons one by one.

Blood spurted. Flesh spurted.

The once peaceful village turned into hell in an instant.

All because of one warlock.

Ainzel ground his teeth.

And then, at that moment, he remembered.

The girl who came to me and put a garland on me.

Will that girl be able to survive in this hell?

Ainzel felt dizzy and ran away.

Ainzel discovered the girl when he saw her being held captive by an axe-wielding demon.

The girl was crying, trembling with fear, feeling the murderous intent approaching her directly.

Ainzel ran to the girl.

But, it was far away. I had already used up most of my magic power. I couldn’t even cast magic.

The demon smirked with a face soaked in blood.

Soon the axe blade began to fall.

Ainzel shouted.

“no!”

Blood spurted onto Ainzel’s face.

The girl was cut in two by an axe blade.

He wiped the blood from his cheek with a trembling hand and looked at it.

It looked so vivid red.

It felt like something in my head snapped.