The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

54 – EP4. Crossroads of Life and Death

He probably realized it when he found the catalyst.

To be precise, was it when he deciphered the code left by Kaven Theodore?

Kaven Theodore had said, ‘Who is the owner of Teckamuel here?’

Tecamuel. A term in ancient North language referring to a palace or a hall.

And that term was clearly inscribed on the ring.

He interpreted it as ‘hall.’ But what if it wasn’t? What if Tecamuel meant not a hall, but a palace in the sense of what it meant?

He looked up ‘Amutenas’ in the ancient North language dictionary.

A word meaning ‘young phoenix,’ yet in his haste to find Tecamuel, he had casually overlooked its meaning. It wasn’t until he saw the cipher left by Caven Siodore that he realized.

Amutenas’ palace was the one used by the Crown Prince.

It meant that Amutenas, signifying the young phoenix, was a term for the Crown Prince, in other words, the heir of the empire.

Thus, Tecamuel would have been a word denoting Amutenas’ palace.

“To the young phoenix, infinite glory. To the young phoenix, blessings of the future. To the young phoenix, the will of the heavens. From the heights of Tecamuel.”

“To the heir of the empire, infinite glory. To the heir of the empire, blessings of the future. To the heir of the empire, the will of the heavens. From the top floor of Amutenas’ palace.”

The mention of Tecamuel’s heights referred to a place where the Catalyst was hidden, a place where the empire’s sorcerers conducted their research.

Returning, he read books related to the empire’s artifacts before Count Serindel could chase him.

The ring of the young phoenix, an emblem used for the heir of the empire since ancient times, a ring dedicated by the sorcerers of the Phoenix Empire to the great Crown Prince.

Moreover, there were no records of the ring being lost or damaged anywhere.

Usually, when a royal artifact is lost or damaged, there is a record. However, there was no mention of the ring of the young phoenix being lost. On the contrary, it was stated to still be in use.

“…How dare you blabber such nonsense! Just because you’re a warrior doesn’t mean you can speak nonsense like that!”

“Well then, why does the ring of the young phoenix exist with Feria?”

“Hmph! That’s merely a stolen item, and it has nothing to do with the nonsensical things you’re saying!”

“Well, ignoring whether there’s a big thief coming to steal from the palace… merely attempting to kill Feria while risking danger on the Tower and the race to the throne already seems beyond the realm of nonsense, doesn’t it?”

“…I don’t know where you’ve heard that from, but…”

“After all, didn’t you poison the former emperor?”

“….”

The Emperor stared blankly at Ainzel, an expression as if he were looking at an incomprehensible monster.

“You, how could you…”

“You killed the previous emperor, and his empress secretly took only her illegitimate daughter, hiding her identity and heading towards the Tower. If you were Caven Siodore, you thought you could protect the child even from you.”

“…This, you…”

“Let’s be honest, where in what I said was wrong?”

“…Alright, let’s say you’re right. So what? What can you do?”

“It’s simple. I’m threatening. I’ll threaten the Emperor that if it doesn’t work out, I’ll hand this fact over to Lord Luderon, who I’ve sent to his estate. It would be quite amusing if this country became Luderon’s.”

“What…!”

“If we have the right reason, and no interference, Luduran can swallow this country right now. You know that, don’t you?”

“Yes, and you’re so arrogant that I might have to teach you a lesson. Killing you here wouldn’t go unnoticed, would it?”

“Oh, sadly, that would be quite difficult.”

Ainzel smiled.

To achieve this situation, Kaben Theodore’s final legacy was needed.

“…Do you know about Testament Magic?”

“…What?”

“It’s magic that literally allows you to leave a testament. It enables you to leave a message right before you die.”

Kaben Theodore probably created this magic for those who couldn’t even bid farewell to their families from far away, but for Ainzel, it was merely a means to salvage the situation.

“If you can’t believe it, you can verify it.”

When the Emperor summoned a magician, the magician analyzed the magic script structure on Ainzel’s body and spoke up.

“…What you say is true.”

“See? Can you argue with that?”

The Emperor grabbed his head and staggered toward the magician, but Ainzel approached him with a smile.

“So, would you like to test how many thoughts a person can have before they die? If the gamble fails, you’ll be in a pretty tight spot. Beatrice, who will receive my testament, won’t accept that her chosen hero died due to politics.”

“…What do you want?”

Ainzel smiled and said, “Now you understand the basics of negotiation. Well, I have only one request. Don’t touch Feria. You probably don’t even know what that ring is.”

With a smile, Ainzel walked through the corridors of the palace. It was a satisfying result, although the process to reach it was far from pleasant.

Ainzel suddenly felt irritated and didn’t notice his own voice escaping.

“I want to strangle you, Emperor.”

He said that and closed his mouth.

It was a slip of the tongue. He couldn’t control himself, driven by hidden resentment.

But what could he do? One thing was certain, even if the royal family would try to hinder him from behind, they couldn’t openly resort to tricks.

Ainzel’s face turned bitter as he said, “I’m sorry, I wanted to save you earlier, but now I’m finally saving you.”

With a somewhat dejected expression, he left the palace.

…

“…Escape, Empress,” the ailing Emperor said to the Empress in the sickroom.

“I can no longer protect myself. Given the circumstances, my younger brother will surely kill me and our daughter. So please, run away now. You haven’t made many public appearances, so there must be a way.”

“But… what about Your Majesty?”

“My brother will definitely kill me. He gathered those who are loyal to him under the condition of killing me and becoming the Emperor. And our daughter will also be killed. I cannot bear to see that. So please, take Peria and escape quickly. Although she is just a newborn, my cruel fate demands that I bid her farewell.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

The Empress replied with a determined expression.

“May I hold her for a moment?”

“Yes.”

“Oh Lord, please bless this poor little child.”

With that, the Empress secretly took only the young phoenix ring, which was the heir’s seal, and the baby, and disappeared from the palace. A few days later, the Emperor drank poisoned tea and died.

“What about this child…?”

And the one who was entrusted with the child, Carven Seadoor, could only wear a bewildered expression.

“…I cannot explain the circumstances, but please take care of this child. If there is anything you desire…”

Carven Seadoor spoke with a troubled expression. Judging from his offer to fulfill any wishes, it seemed that the child, despite her noble status, was involved in political struggles.

“No, there is no need for such things.”

Master Matap laughed. He was more interested in the extreme form of magic than material possessions.

And when he tried to refuse and briefly touched the child’s hand,

“Oh…”

He discovered it. This small child possessed tremendous talent.

“…What an extraordinary talent. With this level…”

How much had he regretted not being able to learn magic since his younger years, his childhood! This child, who hadn’t even been properly trained, radiated a brilliant light. What would happen if he trained this child from her early years?

Carven Seadoor could not simply pass by such a brilliant talent.

“…I understand. I will take care of her. This child has the potential to become the greatest magician on the continent.”

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Smiling happily at Carven Seadoor’s words, she handed him a ring after a while.

“…What is this?”

When Carven Seadoor asked, the woman smiled and replied.

“…It’s an heirloom that our couple is leaving for the child. Can you give it to her later, not now?”

“…Of course, it’s not a problem. Well, then since I will train this child to become the greatest magician, don’t worry and leave her to me.”

Carven Seadoor smiled. Then, realizing that he had forgotten something, he said.

“What is this child’s name?”

“Peria.”

“Peria, Peria…”

Caben Theodore mulled over the name for a while.