The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

EP8. The Coming Doom

[This ordeal is about dealing with the world around you, or in other words, the thing you have to overcome the most.]

Ainzel thought that it was a little more helpful to tell him what to do than last time.

It felt like I had spent several years looking at nothing but a pure white landscape. It would not have been strange for someone with a weak mind to have gone crazy by now. After that, I was quite happy that the first landscape I saw was my hometown.

But what does it mean that the first thing you have to do when you see your hometown is fight?

His hometown was nothing to deal with. In his opinion, the only things he could overcome were his enemies, namely, the demons and the black magicians.

At least I could tell that this space itself had different thoughts about things like overcoming oneself.

“Hey, what on earth are you telling me to overcome? Even the vague talk about understanding myself was ambiguous. I barely managed to find the answer and escape… .”

As Ainzel spoke, a voice rang in his head.

[You will know it when you face its existence directly. And that is not the answer to understanding yourself.]

Ainzel frowned at those words and said.

“That… what does that mean? If it’s not the answer, then how did I get out of it…?”

[To be exact, understanding oneself is close to being an answerless question. Since different criteria are applied depending on the level of understanding of oneself, the warrior met the condition by only understanding his own body, that is, a part of himself.]

“So, does that mean that those who know themselves better than I do… those who are of a higher level have set different standards?”

[Yes.]

Even if he didn’t know them well, it was obvious that his colleagues who had reached the highest level would know more about him than he did.

Ainzel frowned at those words.

Am I taking too much risk?

If your colleagues are having problems because of you, what should you do?

He chuckled as he thought about that.

If that’s the case, then just die.

Anyway, I’ve gained a lot from this place. If my colleagues have a problem, I can solve it by dying and turning back time.

Of course, it would be best if that never happened, but if something were to go wrong with my colleagues, I could make it seem like I never even came here.

He came here to kill the Demon King, and on his way to that, causing trouble for his comrades was far more important than simply becoming stronger himself.

He knew it was a somewhat irresponsible thought, but he couldn’t help it. For now, all he could do was hope that his colleagues would be okay.

Ainzel continued walking, looking at the scenery of his hometown that he had not seen in years – it felt like more than ten years. He thought it was not bad to see the scenery he had dreamed of right before his eyes.

The only strange thing was that there were no people in sight.

No, it’s not just people’s problem. You can’t hear any insects or birds chirping. It’s as if all living things have disappeared from this land.

What on earth happened?

He moved his feet, feeling strange. Deep down, he already knew where to go.

He finally looked at his hometown.

Clearly there was nothing.

This place perfectly reflected his hometown, but clearly there was no human, no living thing.

However, when he finally headed home, following his instincts and rational judgment, he found a completely different scenery than he had ever seen before.

“Aren’t you sick of living in a rural area like this!?”

It was a boy’s voice.

A boy with black hair and black eyes. The boy had a beautiful appearance that no one would disagree with, but in his eyes, there was a desire close to madness.

“The countryside? This is our hometown. Your father, and your grandfather’s grandfather, they all lived here. So what’s the big deal about living here that you’re making a fuss about? Think about it. Do you really think you’ll be successful if you go to the Empire?”

The boy’s father spoke to the boy, but the boy showed no sign of listening to his father.

Someone said that Man-yong is a blessing for the young.

The ability to surrender to seemingly unlikely possibilities and to think that you are different from others is the very symbol of youth.

If so, the boy must be enjoying his youth more than anyone else.

Ainzel grabbed his head as he looked at the spirited boy in front of him.

His past appearance was visible.

As soon as that scene ended, the sky began to rotate.

It was not a different meaning, but a literal one. The sun, which had been shining down on the earth from the highest point, began to disappear beyond the horizon, and in an instant, twilight passed and countless stars decorated the sky.

The boy secretly packed his bags and sneaked out of the house.

He was thinking of going to the empire. He was thinking of going to the empire and definitely achieving success.

To the boy, everything he had been born and raised in seemed cramped and stuffy. The peaceful rural scenery seemed boring to him, and the simple appearance seemed shabby to him.

Even the neighboring village had developed tremendously just by the slight influx of imperial culture. Thinking of the splendid sights that were incomparable to this life, the boy could not bear to continue living there.

The setting began to change again. In an instant, the peaceful countryside transformed into a splendid urban landscape, and Ainzel walked slowly through the city.

“So that’s how it was. That’s why there was no need for other life forms.”

He walked into the back alleys of the buildings.

The boy squatted in an alley and counted the coins he had received as daily wages.

“Haa… How long do I have to live like this?”

The boy sighed. He had headed to the empire with great hopes of success, but when he arrived at the capital, life there was quite different from what he had imagined.

He had no money and no background. All he could do was do odd jobs, and even that was barely enough to make ends meet.

The boy was tired of that kind of life. The boy had come to the empire because he wanted to succeed, not because he had these things in mind.

Ainzel approached the boy. He looked like a boy paying the price for his tyranny.

Even without that, the economy had suddenly gotten worse recently. The Demon King had appeared, and a warrior had been chosen, so there was a lot of talk, but to him, it was just issues that didn’t interest him.

The boy’s only concern was his financial situation, which was the driving force that got him through each day.

No, to be exact, he was interested in the idea of ​​being a hero. The boy wanted to be a hero, and a hero was above all heroes. In addition, the boy, who was naturally good, also thought about helping others.

And then a bright flash of light began to appear before the boy’s eyes.

It was a sword. No, at least it was something that had the shape of a sword.

It was not steel, but a sword. It was, above all, a brilliant light, and at the same time, above all, a deep darkness, and above all, a strange chaos.

The sword spoke, shining light in front of the boy.

[Would you like to become a warrior?]

That question of whether you will become a warrior.

Those words seemed so brilliant to the boy.

What should I do?

It was so unrealistic that I couldn’t even point out how a sword suddenly appeared and told me to become a warrior.

No, I didn’t feel like pointing it out. The energy that the sword gave off was more than enough to overwhelm the boy.

The boy reached for the sword.

[Once you become a warrior, there is no turning back. Can you bear it?]

Ainzel looked at the sight.

“no…”

He said absentmindedly.

I wanted to shout, “Don’t pick up that sword,” but nothing changed.

The boy’s hand finally reached the sword.

[Welcome to this year’s champion.]

The boy became a warrior and took up the holy sword.

And as soon as the boy took hold of the holy sword, he looked at Ainzel and said.

“What… are you saying it’s not possible?”

Ainzel looked at the boy.

“…Yes. You, my past self, were the one I had to overcome.”

The boy chuckled at Ainzel’s words.

“Yeah, that’s right. What you have to overcome are your past selves… in other words, the decisions you regretted. But what if you knew that?”

Yes. Even if Ainzel knew that, he didn’t know how to overcome it, so he couldn’t even bring himself to fight.

He frowned.