episode_0004

“Hurry, faster.”

I urged the carriage forward.

It was a battle against time.

Even as night fell, I didn’t rest and continued driving the carriage.

If bandits or monsters attacked, it would be a matter of life and death.

The monsters were not weak enough for two aspiring heroes to easily defeat.

The same applied to the bandits.

Although they had gained a body resilience that could withstand lightning strikes, they were unaware of the ways of the world.

They didn’t know if they would encounter bandits who had awakened abilities.

If they encountered either of them, it would be a matter of life and death.

If luck was against them, they might encounter both.

“Halt! Who are you?”

We survived. The silhouette of the city wall was faintly visible.

The soldiers guarding the gate appeared, their spears at the ready.

“We are aspiring heroes! We were attacked while traveling and lost our escort!”

“Aspiring heroes?”

The soldiers murmured among themselves.

It was rare for aspiring heroes to be attacked, even noted in historical records.

“The insignia is clear. They have scars.”

The head of the guard confirmed the scar engraved on my hand.

Only then did they relax their wary expressions.

“What misdeeds have you committed to be attacked?”

“I am curious as well.”

I wondered what enemies they had made for a fellow hero to come to kill them.

I wanted to ask, but I refrained from touching on Freya’s emotions.

“It’s fortunate. We have aspiring heroes gathered in our city.”

The city I arrived at was a well-known metropolis in the region.

Thanks to the mayor’s policies, it had grown from a small town to a major city in twenty years.

It was a hub where the empire’s wealth gathered before spreading throughout the continent.

Due to this, the nearby area had become a hub where aspiring heroes from the region gathered before moving on.

I followed the head of the guard.

We crossed the city center.

“This is it. Rest here.”

We arrived in front of the city hall building.

More specifically, it was a building adjacent to the city hall.

“Hmm? Aspiring heroes arriving at this hour?”

A woman sitting in front of the building suddenly stood up.

“Marcyta? Was she my fellow trainee?”

The wolf guarding the north.

The one who fought against demons until the end.

Marcyta Ironmaiden approached me.

I knew she was around the same age as me, but I didn’t know we were fellow trainees.

“Is this a good thing?”

If I raised Marcyta well, we could gain the upper hand even against demons.

“No, I must bring about destruction. I shouldn’t raise her.”

But a different thought crossed my mind.

I was a hero destined to bring about destruction.

I shouldn’t raise her.

“Hmm? Was there someone inside?”

Marcyta approached the carriage.

“Freya? Could it be Freya?”

She noticed the frozen Freya.

It seemed they knew each other.

“Yes… that’s me. I’m Freya.”

Freya replied with a dying voice.

“What happened… no, let’s go inside and talk in detail.”

Marcyta held Freya close and disappeared.

I put the carriage into the stable.

“The other heroes are discussing in the dining hall. Hero.”

I asked a passing maid where the heroes were gathering.

To earn a substantial amount of money and support my parents and Uncle Hans, I needed to make connections.

“Oh… it seems like this isn’t my place.”

After sitting in the dining hall for 30 minutes, I realized.

This wasn’t my place.

They had already formed their own league.

I quietly got up from my seat.

I returned to my room and lay on the bed.

“It’s bitter.”

I had returned. I thought I was the protagonist.

But what I was actually given was the role of the demon who would bring about destruction.

To think that what I had obtained by praying to the gods was a demon that would bring about destruction.

In that case, there was no difference from my past life.

“Still, if I perform well on the entrance exam, the evaluation will change, right?”

I recalled the knowledge of the future.

Soon, during the classroom assignment test, the villains would attack.

The Necromancer faction appeared at the academy exam site.

If I could make a difference there, I could seize fame, honor, and even the opportunity for success.

“Yeah, I’ll enjoy myself to the fullest for the next 10 years.”

I firmly resolved. I would enjoy myself to the fullest for the next 10 years before departing to the afterlife.

No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed difficult for me to bring about the destruction of this world with my own hands.

Whenever God had a fit, I would gently soothe him and buy time.

“Bring about the destruction of this world.”

Again.

A divine revelation came down from the sky.

I heard that some people receive divine revelations twice, but I received them from time to time.

…Should I pretend to be asleep?

Maybe they wouldn’t know if I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.

“Bring about the destruction of this world.”

Rumble.

Thunder roared from the sky.

“Understood! I’ll do it. That’s all I have to do!”

I immediately got up from the bed.

Smoke didn’t work in front of God.

I opened the wardrobe door and got ready to go out.

“…But who should I kill?”

I suddenly had a dilemma.

I couldn’t figure out who to kill in this city.

It was right to kill the powerful head of security.

But I didn’t want to kill the kind head of security who treated me well.

The death of a pet was sad, but the death of a faceless person was not so sad.

“Yeah, I’ll kill the mayor.”

If it was the mayor, I could ask for a favor from God.

Thanks to the mayor’s actions in my past life, this city had endured the demon attacks for quite a long time.

If the mayor were gone, the destruction would accelerate even faster.

“Let’s go.”

The mayor’s residence was nearby.

There was not a single guard at the entrance between the dormitory and the mayor’s residence, maybe the aspiring heroes thought they would kill me.

I entered the mayor’s residence without a fight.

The mayor’s residence was filled with darkness.

I really couldn’t see anything.

“Should I go back? I can’t see anything.”

But not being able to see a little in front of me wouldn’t deter me.

A divine punishment would come down from the sky.

I didn’t want to be struck by lightning from the sky.

“Which way is the mayor’s office?”

I walked down the corridor.

A problem arose.

I didn’t know where the mayor was.

I didn’t know where his bedroom was.

“I’ll just look for a room with the lights on.”

The mayor was known to work late into the night.

I just had to enter the room with the lights on.

Relying on the moonlight that had just come up, I walked down the corridor.

It didn’t take long for me to find the place.

“You make a lot of money. It’s stable.”

Inside the room with the lights on.

A voice could be heard from the room.

I quietly surveyed the room.

A middle-aged man with red hair and a somewhat friendly face was smiling while looking at a piece of paper.

“Is that him?”

I had never met the mayor.

Even though he was the eldest son of a noble family.

“I have no choice. I just have to go in.”

I assessed the opponent’s skills.

Weak. Barely at the level of an ordinary person.

It was easy to subdue him before being appointed as a hero.

I waited behind the door for the middle-aged man to come out.

About an hour later, the middle-aged man finished organizing the documents and came out.

“Ugh.”

I covered the man’s mouth.

“Are you the mayor?”

I modulated my voice with magic.

It was important not to leave any traces to live in the world after the destruction.

I learned voice modulation back then.

“Ugh. Ugh.”

He nodded his head.

“Then where is the mayor? Point in the direction with your finger and move.”

The middle-aged man did not speak, only pointed with his hand.

Calling for guards loudly would be troublesome.

Just pointing with his finger was enough to find the way.

“Is it here?”

He nodded. He nodded.

The middle-aged man nodded his head.

I looked ahead.

“The market is here? Why?”

The place I arrived at was the basement.

A basement where not a single ray of light entered.

Inside the basement, a huge iron door blocked the way.

I peeked through the bars quietly.

“There he is. The market.”

The market was wandering around in the basement.

I didn’t recognize his face, but I remembered the brooch hanging on his left chest.

It was a token given directly by the emperor to the market.

“Haah, haah, you’re here to save me, right?”

“No.”

“Cough.”

I used the guide of death.

With suppressed groans, the middle-aged man collapsed.

“I’m sorry. I had no choice.”

I offered an apology to the middle-aged man.

If he were to survive and call the guards, it would be troublesome for me.

“Should I go in?”

I loosened up. There was only one market.

Killing civilians was as easy as biting a child’s wrist.

After preparing myself mentally, I entered the basement.

The market had left his seat unattended.

I hid nearby and waited for the market to return.

“Oh, this place is a prison for sinners.”

Bars were lined up.

It was a prison for imprisoning sinners.

But there were no sinners inside who should have been there.

Sometimes, there were prisons built under important facilities.

These were for those like heinous criminals who were scheduled for execution.

“Why is she here?”

I spotted a familiar face.

It was the woman who had been known as a villain before her regression.

A lunatic.

A woman who killed people without hesitation and solely indulged in bloodshed.

But her power was real.

Even skilled warriors couldn’t defeat her in battle.

I barely managed to escape from her.

“Ignore her. Ignore.”

This was indeed a prison. I was certain of it.

“Hey, you there, I don’t know how you got out, but get me out quickly.”

It seemed she had seen me.

I kept my distance and ignored her.

“Before that lunatic comes back!”

She must be referring to herself.

No, not a lunatic, but a woman.

I completely ignored her words.

“Oh, are you a lost hero candidate?”

I turned around at the voice coming from behind.

The market I had been desperately searching for had returned.

I looked at the market’s face.

It was an ordinary face. Other than being over 2m tall, resembling a giant, there was nothing remarkable about him.

He was a father of a child and a guardian protecting the city.

I had to kill such a person now.

“I’m sorry.”

I silently apologized to the market.

“Let’s go home now, shall we? You didn’t see inside, did you? If you did, you’ll be in trouble.”

The market reached out his hand.

He touched his head.

“I’m sorry.”

I apologized to him in my heart.

I didn’t want to utter hypocritical words.

“May you go to the side of God.”

God will protect you.

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more.

I grabbed the market’s arm.

As a saint, he would find rest in the arms of God.

I activated the guide of death.

Thud.

The market’s body fell backward.

“Rest in peace. May you find comfort in heaven.”

Guilt and pity flooded my heart.

I closed his eyes, swallowing back tears.