The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits - Chapter 189



EP9. ■■

“…That means, from the beginning, the warrior…”

“The point is that this isn’t a place to hunt down the Demon King. It’s just that the Demon King is disrupting the balance, so we’re dealing with him.”

“Does that mean the current situation is not unbalanced?”

The girl burst into laughter when she heard that. Then she brought her face, full of laughter, closer and said.

“Why? Why do you think so?”

“That’s… You said it was your role to maintain balance.”

“Ah-no- it’s the role of ‘guarding’ the balance. Think about it. If it were you, would you like it if the person you elected did something completely opposite to your original intentions?”

“So, you’re saying that it’s going to stay broken? It’s clearly out of balance, really?”

“It can’t be helped. In the first place… isn’t that too shameless? A sword that was created to protect the balance is actually helping to destroy the balance. Even the gods wouldn’t want that. That’s why I’m still in a broken state.”

“…I am.”

“Yes. You did nothing. You did nothing wrong. It was just something humans did because they were blinded by greed. But can you be sure that something like that won’t happen again? Really? You already tried to use me once to kill the last remaining demon. Oh, poor Ainzel… Unfortunately, even though I trust you, those around you don’t.”

“That won’t happen.”

“Really? Hmm… So, what does that mean? What do you mean by what you’re saying?”

“what?”

“Even if I were to be fixed, I don’t know what kind of warrior would be the one to handle me. Even though you were weak and untalented, you worked hard and never lost your way until the end, and you were my favorite master. But… can I say that the next warrior will be like you?”

The girl rubbed my chest with her thin, white index finger and poked me.

“A hero is not something I choose on my own. It’s just that, when you consider the person’s personality… their abilities… and everything else, the person who is judged to be the most suitable to protect the balance is given the position of a hero. You may have lacked abilities, but you never lost yourself until the end. That’s why I chose you, the Holy Sword, and gave you those abilities. However… who knows if the next hero will have those qualities. If not, will you become a hero again?”

“that.”

I couldn’t answer that. I… can’t be a warrior. I know that I’m not a human being who can take on the role of a warrior again.

“Look at that. You can’t even give a definite answer.”

The girl who said that turned around. Then, she touched the figures of my colleagues who had stopped. As soon as she did, the figures collapsed.

“And… even if you become a warrior, it wouldn’t mean anything?”

I furrowed my brows, not understanding what he was saying. Then, the girl burst into laughter.

“Why, did you really think your power was unlimited?”

“…What does that mean?”

“The ability to turn back time is an incredible power, even among the powers granted to warriors throughout history. Even if it costs you an incredible amount of pain that would have ruined anyone else long ago, it’s absurd that the power is infinite.”

“So, what’s the big deal?”

“In other words, even if you didn’t know it yourself, there is a clear limit to your power, and since you’re about to reach that limit, it’s meaningless. What I’m saying is that even if you become a warrior again, you won’t be able to normalize this situation. You’ll reach your limit before then.”

“margin…”

“The upper limit of time that can be turned back is 100 years. Even if you become a warrior again, there is only about a year left.”

What I felt when I heard that was a little anger. I thought it was a curse with no end, but it actually had an end, and hearing that the end was not even close was so disappointing. I bit my lip slightly.

Well, it didn’t matter anymore. I had no intention of becoming a warrior again. However, I couldn’t just leave the Holy Sword in that broken state.

“…Even so, someone can become a warrior. Someone better than me…”

“Well, I’ve never seen a greater warrior than you, so is it possible?”

That can’t be. At least, at least, others must be better than me. I must be the worst warrior. Otherwise, there is no way to expect hope.

“…no.”

I frowned and said to the girl.

“Surely, it’s possible. So… tell me how I can bring you back.”

The girl snorted, exhaling once.

“Well… there is only one way to fix me.”

“what?”

“It proves purity.”

“…Pure?”

“Yes. The purity of electing a warrior again to maintain balance. The purity of not abusing the balance again, as was done in the past.”

From noble mtl dot com

“How do you do that?”

“It’s about convincing people.”

I used to think that Grandis was the person who spoke the most incomprehensibly in my life, but I changed my mind just now. It seemed that the Holy Sword had forgotten how to converse because it had existed since ancient times.

I asked patiently.

“…Who?”

“Who would it be? Wouldn’t it be natural to meet and convince the people who created me and gave me my mission?”

“I made you…”

“God.”

God? That was ridiculous. I felt dizzy.

“Oh, don’t worry. We’re not meeting the true form of God. Even Gods have emotions, so it would be difficult for them to completely rule out emotions and operate solely on logic. So… the Gods have made arrangements to prepare for such situations.”

“Arrange…”

“They are god avatars who are completely unaware of the current situation. They have breathed into me their own image, capable of making judgments completely free of emotions.”

“Can I meet them?”

“Well… Only those who have decided to become warriors can meet the gods. Right now, you are not even qualified to meet the gods.”

“So then what can I do?”

“Well, I don’t know. You have to figure it out yourself. But… at least, I truly hope that you’ll be happy in the end.”

“You want me to be happy? You were the one who dragged me into this pit from the beginning!”

“Yeah. That’s why… I know your pain better than anyone else. That’s why I can wish for your happiness. No one else can. I’m the only one who can wish for your happiness.”

“You don’t deserve it.”

The girl smiled sadly.

“…Well, maybe so.”

I felt my consciousness beginning to rise.

“Next time we meet, I hope you’ve decided on an answer.”

I opened my eyes.

…

When I opened my eyes, all I saw was the ceiling. A familiar ceiling. It was my room in the palace.

“Oh, are you awake?”

It was Beatrice. She was sitting next to my bed, holding my hand tightly.

“…yes.”

“What did you see?”

What should I say in response? I took a moment to think about my words, then answered.

“I saw the will of the Holy Sword.”

“Holy Sword.”

Beatrice echoed those words.

“Holy sword, holy sword. Hmm…”

“…why?”

“No, it’s just… Oh, it’s nothing. Can you continue talking?”

“Then… I saw a lot of things. How the Holy Sword was created, why it was broken, and… even what was needed to repair the Holy Sword.”

“I see. Then what exactly do you need?”

“…Well, I don’t know. They say that only those who want to become warriors can get the chance to repair the holy sword…”

“Then, we will have to find someone who will become a warrior ourselves.”

When I heard that, I cried out in shock.

“yes!?”

“What are you so surprised about?”

“that…!”

When I thought about it, what she said made a lot of sense, but it felt like she was crossing the line the moment she did so.

“We don’t want to make Ainzel a hero again.”

Beatrice said so with a straight look in her eyes.

“That’s… the same goes for me, I win though.”

Psik, Beatrice smiled slightly when she heard me say this and then spoke.

“I just had a thought, why do you still only use formal language towards me?”

I was puzzled when I heard that. Why did I do that? From the moment I first met her, and even when I was with her for almost a year, I had always been polite to Beatrice, and I never really felt the need to change.

“Would you like to speak informally to me once?”

A sudden proposal came.