Quit The Hero Party

*

EP.514 Improvement, On the Way Back (1)

*

The black sky was burning red.

For a thousand years, the dark sky was stained red by a single human. The soot peeled away like old paint, and everywhere the flames passed, the sludge crumbled. The crumbled sludge turned to ash and fell like snow.

Swish.

Under the blazing sky, ash fluttered.

Amidst the swirling ash, Kyle looked up at the sky. The flames had only burned the sludge, leaving no trace of fire on the path he had walked. As the flames spread, the sky began to regain its original color.

A blue sky, warm sunlight pouring down.

After being accustomed to darkness for a while, the sunlight felt strange to Kyle, causing him to frown. With a bemused expression, Kyle smirked, as it meant that the guy had succeeded.

“……..”

Kyle silently lowered his gaze.

In the midst of the ash that had once been the Demon Lord’s true form, there he stood. He gazed up at the sky, looking bittersweet yet somehow relieved.

“…Phew.”

That contemplative expression did not last long.

As if to gather his emotions with a short breath, she slowly lowered her head. With the eyes that had been looking at the sky, she glanced at the ground beneath her and then turned to look at Kyle.

Swish.

A blue sky, a gentle breeze, and sunlight streaming in.

And amidst the fluttering ash, the ashen hair of Rania fluttered. Smirking as she looked at Kyle, she grinned playfully.

“What did I tell you?”

With an air of triumph, she said.

Like throwing a joke, or perhaps, with a touch of sincerity.

“I said it would happen, you little brat.”

That was certainly a line only she could deliver.

Kyle chuckled, as if dumbfounded. After all, wasn’t it a historically significant moment for the Demon Lord, who’d darkened human history for a thousand years, to crumble?

Rather unfit for such a historic moment, the two of them laughed heartily.

Their laughter was no different from the joyous sounds of village children playing; it resembled the innocent laughter of kids chattering about whimsical dreams. Perhaps it was the purest laughter of all.

“Yeah.”

Kyle exhaled deeply.

As he let out a breath, he spoke to his long-time friend.

“You did well, Rania.”

The Demon Lord had been defeated.

The false god met its demise.

The sky shuddered at the death of the god that had reigned over this world for a thousand years. Naturally, the death of a god brings massive repercussions unlike those of a mortal’s.

Crackle.

The providence held by the shadows crumbled.

The curses scattered by the shadows ignited. The cursed earth, the Lake of Curses, the ruins of the darkened ancient kingdom… The lands humanity had yet to purify began to reclaim their original forms one by one.

The change was not limited to the environment.

“Ah…”

Responding to the movements of the Demon Lord, the rampaging beasts, those knights who had stood in their way let out brief sighs. They looked ahead, ceasing to swing their spears and swords.

One by one, the beasts were crumbling.

As if following their master, they turned to dust. The once endless horde of beasts became ash and soared high into the sky.

Clash.

The knights, who had tirelessly wielded their spear and sword against the ceaseless flood of beasts for nearly ten days, were losing steam. Some knights sat down, exhaling long breaths, while others laughed, dropping their weapons.

And then, another knight.

Raising his aching arm, he fumbled with the joints of his helmet. Clank, clank… Struggling to remove the helmet, which had been dented from the beast attacks, he finally lifted his head to look at the sky.

The once dark sky was turning a vivid blue.

The sun rising among the blue sky illuminated the land. The sunlight sparkled off the knight’s armor. Despite being splattered with mud, stained with the beasts’ blood, and ragged, the armor shimmered with sunlight.

The beasts were being dusted away, the blue sky returned, and the sun had risen. This could only mean one thing.

The hero had defeated the Demon Lord.

The knights had no need to shout this fact; the effects of the Demon Lord’s defeat were already evident everywhere.

“It seems you were successful, Senpai.”

In the Royal Guard’s Hound residence.

Kalt, who commanded the Hound squad, was smiling as he gathered information from various regions, except for the Knights Order Leader’s office, which collected information the quickest.

Kalt watched the crystal stone that buzzed incessantly.

All the news was good. Reports of victories were echoing from all corners. The flooding hordes of beasts were diminishing. The polluted waterways were purified. The sky was turning blue. The anomalies that had occurred with the movements of the Demon Lord had been resolved…

Exhaling deeply amidst the endless reports, Kalt felt relief wash over him.

“……..”

Knight Order Leader Heinkel von Zeikhardt silently pressed his brow. Reports of good news resonated from every direction. Leaving behind the cacophony of magical tools, Heinkel stepped outside from his tent.

As he stepped out, Heinkel frowned. Unaccustomed to the light, Heinkel gazed up at the sky.

A blue sky, radiant sunlight pouring down.

And above all else… fresh air.

To some, these were familiar and commonplace things, yet in the battlefield, they felt utterly alien. Heinkel, who had spent a lifetime in battle, instinctively smiled amidst the strangeness.

It seems that friend has pulled it off.

He truly did it.

With a hand on his brow, Heinkel smiled. He was already in his advanced years, nearing old age. Even though he had long surpassed the age to retire from the battlefield, he had endured for years, wishing for just one more day… just one more day.

Sometimes it was pride, sometimes stubbornness, and sometimes…

He remained on the battlefield for countless reasons.

This was stubbornness, and perhaps a compulsion. Or it could have been a wish to witness the end of this long, protracted war with his own eyes.

“Ah…”

Looking at the blue sky, Heinkel let out a long breath, recalling the days of his youth as an apprentice knight, a time when he was still a child. That young knight had dreamed.

He had dreamt of witnessing the end of the long war with his own eyes. Dreamt of standing in the battlefield, watching the end of the war. Dreamt of lifting his head to gaze at the blue sky from the battlefield.

That was a delusion, a fantasy, and something that could never come true. War had been raging for over a thousand years and would undoubtedly continue. But what about now?

The sky is blue.

He stands beneath a blue sky.

That once immature young knight had now become an aged Knight Order Leader. Yet the dreams he had cherished remained unchanged. The old man, who had achieved his dream, looked up at the sky and laughed. He laughed unceremoniously, roughly, like a foolish child.

He had dedicated his life to humanity.

Though he never expected a reward for that dedication…

Standing on the battlefield, witnessing the blue sky with his own eyes was the greatest reward of all. The old man shed tears, feeling as if his decades had finally been recompensed.

The blue sky was beautiful.

More than anything else.

“…Hah.”

Sitting on a rocking chair in his mansion, he let out a long sigh. The crystal stone buzzed loudly with a message. The rising message was brief. Short, yet difficult to believe.

「Rania van Trias, Demon Lord defeated.」

Who is playing tricks with this?

As he twisted the crystal stone, Rosel’s eyes widened. It was a message from the Royal Guard, Hound. Staring at the royal crest floating in the crystal stone, Rosel smiled.

They have defeated the Demon Lord.

That child has really done it.

Standing up from his chair, Rosel opened the window. Tapping the communication stone, a familiar voice resonated in his ear. Though he had heard they were now off duty, the call came from Kalt, the former leader of the Hounds.

『Yes, Lord Rosel. It is indeed true.』

『I thought it appropriate to contact you directly, as you are Rania van Trias’s mentor…』

As Kalt hurriedly explained the situation, Rosel stood and opened the window, gazing at the blue sky.

“Is that so.”

Rosel smiled.

“I see. Thank you for the call.”

Countless memories flooded Rosel’s mind.

The memory of the day when his apprentice threw everything away—title, achievements—and headed to the battlefield to capture the Demon Lord. The memory of reading about his apprentice’s heroics in the newspaper, and the moment he welcomed back the transformed apprentice.

Memories flashed through his mind.

Among them was the image of his apprentice, now turned to ash. Stepping out of the mansion, Rosel walked into the fields that stretched behind the estate. While recalling the farewell with his apprentice, Rosel exhaled deeply.

There lay a small grave marker.

Beneath the grave marker, no one was buried, but Rosel sat beside it, gazing up at the sky.

“Looks like that child has done it.”

Rosel smiled bitterly.

Though he knew little of the details, Rosel understood. Without Raniael’s intervention from the future, Rania would have surely failed.

Knowing this, Rosel said,

“It’s thanks to you. Thank you.”

At that moment, as he spoke, a breeze gently caressed Rosel’s hair. Though there was nothing blowing in the wind, he had the feeling that ash was swirling around him.

The repercussions reached the farthest end of the continent.

Those blessed by starlight… the Watcher, Stella, and the Hero felt the starlight within them flicker. Unconsciously, they realized that the Demon Lord had been defeated. They looked at each other and spoke.

“Did you just…?”

“I felt it too.”

“Me too…”

Then, a whisper reached Belnoa’s ears from his goddess.

The fact that the Demon Lord had been defeated. The false god, which had cursed this world for so long, had been shattered. Belnoa shared that knowledge with the expedition team.

The intuition of the stars merged with the testimony of the goddess.

With the realization of the Demon Lord’s defeat, they all exhaled deeply.

“It’s really all over.”

Ayla sighed and smiled.

They had conquered all four plagues, defeated the First Light, and even taken down the Demon Lord. When they began this final fight, some had braced themselves for death, believing someone would inevitably die.

However, none had fallen.

Everyone reached the conclusion unscathed.

Ayla smiled as she rose to her feet. Pointing toward the edge of the tower, she said,

“Let’s go back.”

To the place where everyone was waiting.

*

“Let’s head back.”

Raniael let out a long breath.

Stretching her sore arms, she turned to Kyle.

“Once we return, there’ll be more than a few tasks to handle. I need to contact Kalt… oh, and I have to reach Tephran too.”

“…Tephran? Who is Tephran?”

“I have a subordinate who’s fond of collecting newspaper articles.”

…Fond of collecting newspaper articles?

As Kyle tilted his head in confusion, Raniael looked up at the sky with her hands behind her back. As Raniael, who had been walking in front, stopped, Kyle halted as well.

“What’s up? You said let’s go back?”

“Hey, do you see that?”

Raniael raised her hand.

She pointed at something hanging in the sky with her fingertip.

“The sky.”

“Not that, above the sky.”

“The constellations?”

“Yeah, the biggest constellation.”

Raniael pointed to the constellation hanging in the sky.

“You’ve got a lot to say to me, don’t you?”

She scoffed.

“Seeing how it’s shining so damn brightly.”

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