Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Failure-5
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Guard Lina had thought that, up until this morning, today would be a peaceful day.
Working as an imperial palace guard meant encountering all sorts of people. Most nobles invited here were arrogant types, but the baron she'd met this time stood out as genuinely kind.
His face was always so stern that she constantly worried something might be bothering him, but whenever he spoke to her, he'd force a smile.
He was kind to those beneath him. When the elves attacked or other knights picked fights, the guards were utterly powerless, yet he'd escaped those crises on his own.
She and her comrades, facing punishment, had been stunned to hear there would be no disciplinary action.
Sometimes nobles whined for heads to roll, and at the very least, since imperial guards had failed, some formal reprimand was expected.
Word came from the silver-haired maid that he'd strongly opposed it every time. She couldn't speak to him when their paths crossed, but every guard was grateful.
Yet he wandered in and out of the library with a hollow expression, then lay in bed staring blankly at the ceiling.
She felt a twinge of pity for him.
And today was the day she'd seen him smile for real, the only genuine one.
Playing pranks he usually ignored, trembling with anticipation, advancing with light steps—she thought how fortunate that was.
Regrettable as it was, as a soldier escorting VIPs, meetings and partings were inevitable. She couldn't even joke about staying a few more days for a baron she liked that much.
She'd sent him off like that.
-All available forces, assemble! Everyone, regardless of numbers, condition, or unit—gather now! Sir Reinhardt is already fighting!
At the sudden call to arms, soldiers rushed together. No time to ask who attacked or what battle raged.
They could only imagine something dire from the battered state of the soldier being escorted out of the basement.
"Baron... sir?"
But she never imagined he'd be at the center of the chaos.
"Why... why are you doing this?"
He grimaced briefly and stood still. His tightly bitten lip suggested he was holding something back.
"It's complicated to explain, but the short version... I was chosen as the Hero. I was promised I could go home, and that promise was broken. That's the answer."
"The Hero?"
Sir Reinhardt cut in urgently.
He'd sensed something off too. This man had beaten the Princess, elf, and mage half to death, yet when their swords clashed, he'd been oddly passive.
As if telling unrelated parties to back off, he'd hinted they should just withdraw.
Demons or rampaging dragons can't easily distinguish small human faces. If violent toward one, they're violent toward all nearby; if gentle to one, gentle to all.
No deaths, no killing intent or zeal in his sword—it all made sense now.
"Ridiculous. Such a..."
Above all, the easiest way to explain how Elenor, empowered by the Hero's strength, fell was to shatter that premise.
Easier than claiming some overwhelmingly strong entity suddenly appeared to defeat the Hero.
"Would this count as proof?"
A blue light flickered chaotically from his sword before scattering.
It wasn't vivid or sustained.
But beyond the holy sword's inherent power, as he channeled his own, motes of light swirled around him. Even a dim soldier knew touching them wouldn't end well.
He was the Hero. Or at least, he'd wielded the Hero's power.
"Even so, you can't just take their lives..."
Yet a sliver of doubt crept into the old knight's mind.
He'd come to understand, even slightly, the massive demon he'd had no intention of excusing or respecting.
The Hero's power couldn't be forcibly stripped or transferred to someone the Goddess hadn't chosen.
He might be faking it with some similar force, but that blue glow too closely resembled the Hero's power pouring from a sword tip.
Doubt one side, and you must doubt the other.
"For now, my apologies. If you're truly the Hero, it means everyone—including my men—hid it."
Sir Reinhardt bowed his head deeply, missing how the man's hands trembled with inexplicable rage.
"But can you guarantee a fake's life? At least until trial. I want to hear Elenor's side. And even if she's guilty... I believe she should pay in life, not escape through death."
That was the utmost compromise Reinhardt could offer. As a knight sworn to the imperial family, it bordered on betrayal.
But this was the man who hadn't struck down Enel, who showed no intent to attack until now. If peaceful resolution was possible, compromise was right.
"I can't promise that."
"Then... forgive me. It might not be right, but... I owe the Empire too much."
"No choice, then. In that case..."
Enel paused mid-sentence, glaring at some point as if ignoring him entirely.
All followed his gaze, but there was nothing but empty air at its end.
"I'll do it."
After a moment of silence, he murmured lowly.
Before others could react, rage poured from him like rapid fire.
"I'll do it—I'll handle it! Kill them, spare them, revenge, forgive—I'll decide! Who the hell are you to interfere?!"
"W-Whatever that..."
"Shut up! What gives you the right to butt in?!"
He hurled the holy sword viciously to the ground. The Hero's companion, the Goddess's gift, bounced and sprawled ignobly.
"If you love traveling so much, just grab some suckers and get lost!"
Panting roughly, he turned back to the others with a hollow face once more.
/////
I just... couldn't take it anymore.
The moment I realized I couldn't go home, I snapped.
I let emotions sweep me and knocked out the mage.
I felled the archer just for being by my side, pride be damned.
I downed the Princess and beat her mercilessly until her body nearly broke.
I thought if they died, so be it. The Princess might already be gone.
But these people were different. Innocent, clueless folk loyal only to the Empire.
What blocked me even harder, though, were the disgusting voices whispering in my ears.
Urging me to kill them, to avenge. The red light became a mass of emotion, murmuring at my ear.
The holy sword's bright voice shouting for adventure amid my gloom was just as repulsive.
I absolutely refused to dance to their tune.
"If you block me, you might die."
My eyes met the guard's. A spirited, bright woman—memorable.
"I-I truly thought you were a good man, Baron, and I don't have much connection to the Princess, but..."
As if resigned, the guard gave a faint smile.
"There are too many friends here."
I nodded.
Even if I killed all remaining Hero party members, how many would hold grudges against me? Vengeful pursuers might come.
Killing endless innocents would just follow that red voice's desires.
And even if fulfilled, the path home was already gone.
No turning back.
"...Kinda felt like it'd end this way from the start."
I rummaged and picked up the holy sword.
-Here we go, here we go! Right? Can't do without me, huh?
"Can you shut up for a bit?"
-Smash 'em all and let's hit the road! You wrecked the Empire anyway—time for wandering life?
"This is enough."
Channeling power into the holy sword wasn't clean. Amateurish compared to Elenor's precise aura.
It rippled like a living thing, like surging waves.
But its cutting edge was undeniable. I gripped the sword inverted and drew my final breath.
To leave for a world without them, I didn't need that magic circle.
No need to hunt down those who'd returned, killing innocents along the way.
From the start, all it took to be alone was one sword and my resolve.
Just before the blazing aura pierced my gut, a familiar scream rang out.
"No!"
A woman in a nun's habit with white hair. The Saintess. Her body glowed with massive holy power. A long-prepared divine spell was on the verge of activation.
I couldn't fathom why she appeared before me or why she stopped my suicide.
"...Why?"