The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

33 – EP3. Falling Glory

Sein finally stepped down from the position of the Empire’s supreme commander.

The reason was simple. She exerted her will by refusing to go to work, and Emperor Huang allowed her to step down because there was no point in holding onto her any longer, considering her faults.

And so, the strongest inspector in the Empire, no, in the world, became just a mere savage trapped inside her mansion without any incidents.

For her, the only remaining task was to delve into the records of the warrior.

However, there was one problem in the process of her stepping down from the position of the Empire’s supreme commander.

“…Then, let’s appoint Jacques Lecoulson as the acting commander-in-chief for now….”

The Emperor naturally tried to appoint Jacques Lecoulson, who had been a close aide to Ludaran, as the acting commander-in-chief. In the Emperor’s position, it was a given. Even without steps to resign, if he appointed someone from his faction as the acting commander-in-chief, the golden lion could do something unpredictable. However, there was one variable – Sein no longer trusted Jacques Lecoulson.

No, to be exact, she did trust him, but ever since she saw him kill the warrior, she felt disgusted. He had become a catalyst that reminded her of what the warrior had gone through just by looking at his face. That’s why the Emperor tried to appoint Jacques Lecoulson as the acting commander-in-chief, and faced Sein’s opposition.

“No, I object.”

“Why?”

The Emperor asked, genuinely bewildered. No, what could be the complaint when he was going to appoint him as the acting commander-in-chief in place of his own family member? What kind of dirty golden lion was planning something again? What was it? Was he not being more proactive towards the Emperor now?

The Emperor thought through various calculations in his head. However, no matter how much he thought, no answer came to him. While the Emperor was trying to deduce the political message subtly inserted by the red duchess in front of him, Sein spoke without hesitation.

“Why not appoint Michael Fiona as the Empire’s supreme commander?”

Except for Deboss Serindel, who was currently on a mission to capture the warrior as the commander of the third division of the Empire and who was essentially Ludaran’s servant, he was the closest person to Sein, essentially the third highest-ranking officer in the army. He wasn’t an Emperor faction, and he wasn’t particularly close to Ludaran. His name sounded quite unfamiliar to the Emperor.

“Why do you recommend him?”

“To be honest, isn’t he more justified?”

Certainly, the justification was not bad at all. Comparatively, he was ageless and his career didn’t lag behind Jacques Lucolson. Besides, as a neutral, he had the most impeccable justification.

“That may be true, but…”

The Emperor seriously contemplated whether Luderan had formed a deep connection with Michael Fiona. Of course, such things were unknown to Sein. He simply didn’t want to appoint Jacques Lucolson as the Supreme Commander, but at the same time, he didn’t want to pass the position to Serindel, with whom he had quarreled over various matters.

“I am in a position to leave the military, and I only thought that it might be better for the military not to have any influence.”

Saying so, Sein turned and walked away, flapping his long coat. The Emperor didn’t think Luderan’s temper had improved, but he began to dissect every detail of what might be going on.

Sein finished his business and started riding a carriage to the Holy Land with a heavy heart.

Even though it was in the heart of the Imperial capital, there were various traces of the wilderness around.

She suddenly noticed the path she was traveling. It was the very place where he had died at the hands of the ogres.

She couldn’t help but mock herself. She had put on all kinds of airs, but she couldn’t even stand up due to guilt…

She arrived at the central tower of the Holy Land and began to climb the steps one by one.

As always, it was a dry, pure white space. Pure white stairs, pure white walls, pure white ceiling…

She suddenly felt uncomfortable.

Too bright.

She felt impure being in such a bright place. But there was no other way.

She had to see his story through to the end. She couldn’t turn away from her guilt.

Finally, she climbed all the stairs and arrived at the gathering place for her comrades. Feria was there.

“Yes, you’re here.”

She swept her shimmering silvery hair aside and cast a spell on Sein. A spell to increase cognitive speed. In other words, it meant that everything in the world would appear to move more slowly. It was a necessary spell to quickly review the records of the heroes.

Eventually, all the comrades gathered, and the crystal began to emit light. With a spell heavier than ever, she began to look at his records.

From Noble mtl dot com

…

“So, out of the blue, Barren Fortress was captured?”

Ainz looked at the man delivering the news with a bewildered expression. The man spoke with a grim expression.

“Yes. It was captured in just one day by the Demon Lord Commander Grandis and her legion.”

“What kind of antics led to the fortress being captured in just one day!?”

Ainz couldn’t believe it. What? Captured in just one day? The fortress?

In principle, Suseong’s position was much stronger than the siege’s. Knowing this, the Gnomes attacked recklessly, and Ainz used the fact that he was killed several times to kill the Gnome.

But what? Suseong was breached in just one day?

Ainz felt as if he had heard a bad joke.

“…Unfortunately, there were no actions that would be tactically problematic. It’s just… the enemy commander was just too strong.”

The Empire had a tendency to underestimate the Demon King’s army. It was only natural. After all, the Empire had always emerged victorious against the Demon King’s forces without a single failure. Most of the victories were due to the assassination of the Demon King by the Empire’s heroes, but there was one occasion when the Empire’s army simply pushed back the Demon King’s army as a whole.

Therefore, this defeat hit the overconfident Empire even harder. What kind of commander could allow a fortress to be captured in one fell swoop?

“…The enemy’s commander destroyed the fortress wall with a single dark magic spell.”

Ainzel’s complexion turned pale. What? They blew away the heavily fortified walls with just one strike?

“…And now they are ordering me to recapture it…”

Ainzel seriously considered punching the man in front of him. Even though Genome had created opportunities by provoking him into fighting, if that commander just wiped out the area, wouldn’t he die? The ability to revive after death was excruciatingly painful, but if there was even a slight possibility, they could find a way to victory. However, this time, it seemed like there was no possibility at all. Attacking a monster who could obliterate fortress walls with one strike would only result in endless suicide.

“No, no, no, that’s not it. Absolutely not. There’s no way I’m going to ask the heroes to face such a monster.”

“Is that so?”

Ainzel inwardly sighed with relief. What could a half-baked expert do against such a monstrous force?

“What I’m asking of the heroes is simply to rescue the fleeing soldiers.”

As Ainzel listened to the story, it seemed that the retreating soldiers from the Barren Fortress were being pursued by the enemy, and all they had to do was rescue them.

Ainzel asked gravely, “Are the enemy’s commanders also pursuing them?”

If that was the case, recapturing the fortress seriously meant nothing. Escaping from such a monster was simply impossible.

“No, they say the enemy’s commander, Grandis, captured the fortress and is holed up inside.”

“Well, then, that’s a relief.”

Ainzel breathed a sigh of relief. He was alive.

“But Grandis’s undead forces continue to pursue them.”

“Are you kidding me!?”

Ainzel couldn’t help but shout. What? Escape from the undead?

Ainzel wasn’t very knowledgeable about rural matters, but since becoming a hero, he had studied undead creatures. Undead might be a little slow, but they never tired out, giving them an absolute advantage in pursuit. Fleeing from such an opponent was no different from asking them to eliminate all the undead.

“However, among your fellow heroes, there is the Holy Maiden, isn’t there?”

The Holy Maiden. A priest who had reached the realm of the Master. She undoubtedly displayed absolute power against the undead.

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“Although there are rumors of a Death Knight among the enemy’s forces…”

“Damn it!”

Ainzel punched the man in front of him.