The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits - Chapter 222



EP10. The Falling Twilight

I went out onto the terrace and looked at the night sky. It was a particularly moonlit night. The cold night air touched my skin and I felt like it would turn into a small piece of ice at any moment.

With this, all my work is done.

The Demon King was dead, the gods could no longer interfere with this world, and the Holy Sword had been returned, so there was nothing left for me to consider as a landmark.

There was a time in the past when the Holy Sword broke and I ended up in a similar situation to now (in fact, most people wouldn’t even consider it similar, but at least that’s how I felt in essence), but at that time, I had at least one goal: to get myself back.

Right now, I am like a raft without a sail. I am being tossed here and there by the sea wind and waves, and I just end up going somewhere without even knowing where I am going.

Where should I go? Where am I going? The place I arrive at after being swept away by the waves may be a paradise. However, it may be an uninhabited island where no one is present, or I may end up sinking without even arriving anywhere.

Like the wind that passes through the night sky, like a meteor that passes through the Milky Way, like time that passes through the world. I am passing by somewhere.

I don’t think this life will continue. I don’t think that where I stand now is my final destination. I have a premonition that I will definitely go somewhere to my final destination, and that something important will happen along the way.

You could almost say it was instinctive. I thought that there would be some kind of transformation.

… Of course, my premonition could have been wrong. Maybe I would have drifted forever in the beautiful, shining sea without ever reaching anywhere, without ever meeting any waves or storms. But at least I thought that there would be a definite end to my life.

While I was lost in such thoughts, there was a knock at the door. I opened the door and soon realized that it was Feria standing in front of my room. She ordered one of her servants to hold a glass, and she herself was holding a bottle of wine.

She came into my room smiling, placed the bottle and glass on the table, and looked at me.

“What is this?”

Feria smiled, her attitude full of confidence. Whatever she had brought, it was obvious that it had some kind of great meaning to her.

“Congratulations.”

From noble mtl dot com

“Celebratory drink? If it’s a celebratory drink, you already drank it after defeating the Demon King. And if it’s a celebratory drink, you drank it with other people…”

In the past, after killing the Demon King of Wrath, I didn’t really do anything to celebrate. I attended all sorts of celebratory events, but they were just political formalities to reassure people, and I didn’t really celebrate myself. That’s why I drank my first celebratory drink after killing the Demon King of Arrogance.

When I said that, Peria just smiled bashfully, shrugged her shoulders, and said,

“That’s a congratulatory drink after killing the Demon King. This… is a congratulatory drink that means you’ve completed your mission as a warrior.”

“…ah.”

Of course, when the Holy Sword was broken and I was no longer a warrior, I didn’t even do any political formalities. I was put on trial, and people just insulted me and looked at me with hateful eyes. It’s absurd to congratulate me in such a situation.

That’s why Peria’s words made me feel truly new.

Feria must have noticed what I was thinking, so she tried to change the subject.

“Do you know what kind of liquor this is? It’s the only liquor in the empire that is presented exclusively to the emperor. I heard that it’s usually produced around 10 bottles a year? They even say that in years when it’s not in good condition, it’s not presented at all. It would damage the pride of the craftsman. It’s a precious transaction.”

I looked at her in surprise when I heard that.

“Is it okay to bring something like that?”

“Hmm… It’s said that originally it was a drink given to someone who had done something really important, or someone who had done something really amazing… Well, who would say anything when I’m the emperor? And either way, it’s true. It’s a really important moment for me, and it’s true that you’ve done something amazing.”

I burst out laughing when I heard her say that.

“Yeah… yeah, that’s right.”

She smiled at me and opened the bottle of alcohol.

“I don’t know much about alcohol, so I brought the oldest one. Is that okay? The oldest one is the best.”

“hmm…”

Although her words gave me a brief but subtle sense of unease, the wine immediately filled my room with an ecstatic aroma as soon as I uncorked it.

“…and.”

I blurted out an exclamation without thinking. Then, Peria looked at me and giggled.

“Pfft, you sound like a country bumpkin.”

“He’s actually a country bumpkin, so what can I do?”

Her words hinted at the healing of wounds for both me and her. Knowing this, we smiled and poured the liquid red gem into glass cups, clinking the cups together. With a clear sound, the red droplets sloshed inside the cups.

As soon as I took a sip, I was surprised by the taste. I was one of those people who knew almost nothing about alcohol, but at least I could tell what kind of alcohol tasted good. It was an instinct, you could say.

Although Feria was not as knowledgeable about alcohol as I was, her appreciation of it seemed to be no different from mine. She opened her eyes wide and spoke to me.

“it’s good!”

I smiled. Then I answered her.

“I know.”

She gulped down her drink. She didn’t look particularly dignified, but this wasn’t a place where dignity was a concern anyway. I followed her lead and gulped down my drink.

“There was nothing good about becoming emperor. I had no time to study, there was a lot of work to do, and it was annoying. But you know… this liquor is pretty good. It seems to be the only good thing about being emperor.”

She and I continued to chatter and empty our glasses. Then, realizing that the bottle was empty, Feria ordered her servant to bring her a few more bottles.

She and I continued to drink and had conversations filled with laughter.

While we were talking like that, Feria suddenly asked me a question.

“How does a kiss feel?”

I was so embarrassed that I almost spit out my drink, but I tried to think about the price of the drink and pushed it down my throat and said.

“T-Why all of a sudden?”

Feria said with a calm face.

“It’s just academic curiosity. Haven’t you done quite a bit of it?”

Sure, I’ve kissed a few times in my regressed and faded memories… … to my colleagues and to Grandis.

“Come to think of it, you and I have never kissed in the records. That’s why I’m curious. It’s something I’ve never done before. I’m quite curious.”

“No, I mean, a kiss… I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Hmm… Then, think of your most recent memory.”

“The most recent one… I think it was with Lena.”

I’m not sure exactly because my memory is blurred due to the regression.

Feria looked puzzled at those words. It was only then that I realized her reaction. …Since it was a scene that was not recorded, it was only natural that it would be relatively recent from her perspective.

I confessed the truth.

“Grandis got here not long ago. She said she didn’t like the fact that she kept trying to kiss me, so I kissed Lena first….”

It was embarrassing to talk about the kiss experience I had with another woman right in front of Feria. Feria’s face hardened as soon as she heard that. I thought I heard something like, ‘Grandis, that’s… Damn, you asked Lena to kiss you first?’, but I tried to ignore her muttering.

And I didn’t know what effect the drinks she and I had drank in a hurry while chatting could have. The older the drink, the stronger it was.

As it turned out, Feria was completely drunk and asked me questions.

“…Now, what do you plan to do?”

I answered without thinking.

“I’ll go back to my hometown and live like that, without getting involved in any big things. If only I could do that.”

Feria asked me.

“…That means you won’t see me for the rest of your life?”

“…Well, I’m not sure. I don’t think he’ll come to the Empire.”

She made an angry face and picked me up.

And then she pushed me onto my bed. Even though she was weaker than me, I just fell onto the bed without any resistance.

And she climbed on top of me and said,

“That… cannot be tolerated. I will change your priorities.”

As she said that, she started to take off my top. The alluring smell of wine hit me. I didn’t bother to stop Peria’s actions.

… No, to be honest, I didn’t even want to stop it.