episode_0007

“Ah, the moon is beautiful tonight.”

Aeris gazed at the moon.

While looking at the moon, he drank his alcohol.

“I never knew I would change like this.”

As he drank, he reminisced about the past.

Back when his vitality was at its peak, he had thoughts of overturning the corrupt world.

Nobles who intentionally created monsters to instill fear.

Ordinary people dying to monsters without knowing anything.

He uncovered the secret related to relics.

The heroes of the present era were not chosen by the gods.

They were fake heroes created at the whim of the nobles.

Relics were artifacts artificially created by humans.

Upon learning the truth, he became enraged.

He raged against this world filled with lies.

He tried to change the world by joining forces with like-minded individuals.

But as time passed, his thoughts changed.

He changed his perspective.

He sided with the nobles. He sucked the blood of the commoners.

Living a comfortable life without having to walk the path of hardship.

“I made the right choice to change my mind.”

Aeris chuckled.

He abandoned his comrades.

He abandoned his friends.

He abandoned his faith.

By giving up everything, he gained everything.

Wealth, honor, and even beautiful women.

Having obtained everything, Aeris was satisfied with his current life.

He was admired by everyone.

Living a life filled with admiration and praise, he would eventually die in his bed.

Although his life was filled with falsehoods, it wasn’t all bad.

“Oh god, if you don’t like me this way, then strike me down.”

He was drunk. He even said things he would never say sober.

He raised his glass towards the sky and taunted the gods.

Since becoming a hero, the gods had never appeared in reality.

The gods were dead.

Or in a state equivalent to that.

Perhaps they were disappointed with the current era and had left far away.

Either way, it was a blessing for him.

If the gods didn’t exist, then hell didn’t exist either.

There was no need to suffer eternal torment in the hottest place in hell.

“Hmm? A presence?”

He felt a presence.

He stiffened his body and turned towards the direction where he felt the presence.

“Oh, hello…”

A hero candidate was behind him.

The guy who suddenly burst into laughter and entered the carriage.

“Hah, I must be getting old. I didn’t even notice a kid approaching me while I was drunk.”

He chuckled and relaxed.

He was just a hero candidate.

Someone he could easily kill with a flick of his hand.

“How did he become a hero, I wonder.”

Aeris stroked his chin.

He had never heard of a hero being chosen from the Brown family.

He wondered who had chosen him, as the news had not reached his ears.

“It doesn’t matter. Let’s ask about his intentions first.”

“Hey, do you have something to say to me?”

He smiled kindly.

“I’m sorry, Aeris Greenwood. I had no choice.”

The kid suddenly apologized.

It was an apology that he didn’t understand the meaning of.

“Hey, what are you talking about?”

“Listen, Aeris Greenwood.”

Before he could finish his sentence, the kid opened a piece of paper.

His tone was stiff. He recited like he was reading a textbook, imitating a theatrical tone poorly.

“Hey, what kind of joke is this? If you keep this up, Grandpa will get mad.”

Kids these days had no respect.

He would have to scold them sharply as the Pope.

But what happened next far exceeded his expectations.

“I have come to kill you as I desired.”

A halo appeared above the kid’s head.

Halo.

The symbol of the forgotten hero.

Aeris’s gaze sank.

“That brat is the hero? That blind fool?”

He wasn’t a fake hero created by humans.

He was a true hero chosen directly by the gods.

An illusion appeared in his eyes.

The burning vision of a hero.

The flames of hell were gradually drawing closer.

“Hahaha. Quite the spectacle. Well, I’ve provoked you, so now I must take responsibility, right?”

A mocking laughter echoed.

It was an auditory hallucination. His mind was pushed to its limits, hearing nonsense.

“Hmm, just a mere child. I can easily defeat him.”

He drew his sword. Retired from active duty, he never skipped a day of training.

He looked at the child with a serious gaze.

The mocking expression from before had disappeared.

The child in front of him was an assassin sent to kill him.

He acknowledged his opponent.

Quietly, he entered a stance.

He tried to gauge the child’s movements, strength, and skill.

“Why can’t I read his moves?”

But he couldn’t read the child’s moves.

It was the clumsy movements of an untrained novice.

“It can’t be. Chosen by the gods. There must be a hidden move.”

He opened his eyes wide, observing the child’s movements.

Too many thoughts plagued his mind.

In the end, he allowed the child to approach.

“If you go to the afterlife, the gods will welcome you!”

The child spread his hands.

The child’s hand touched his body.

“Gah…”

His heart stopped.

He took his last breath.

And fell back behind Eris.

“What just happened?”

His trembling pupils reflected his turmoil.

It was just a touch from the child’s hand.

As soon as the hand touched him, his body stopped responding.

His heart stopped.

His body was dying.

The state he had achieved was delaying his death.

But death was only a matter of time.

“Cough… the ability to kill with just a touch.”

He pieced together the information.

And came to a conclusion.

The power to kill with just a touch was within him.

“That can’t be true…”

Eris denied the conclusion.

Even if he was a god, he didn’t possess that kind of power.

“Eris! Snap out of it! Eris!”

The child shouted, calling out to people with a raised voice.

“What’s going on?”

The voice of the child was heard in the courtyard.

“Eris is dying!”

“You killed him. You madman.”

The child’s casual acting was repulsive.

He wanted to speak the truth.

But his body resisted his will.

“What? Eris is dying? Medic! Where’s the medic?”

The captain called for a medic.

“He’s in cardiac arrest. He’s already…”

The medic shook his head.

Eris was beyond saving.

“What happened?”

The medic asked.

His voice grew fainter.

“I don’t know. He was drinking and suddenly collapsed.”

“Drinking? Seems like you have a habit of enjoying late-night drinking. That’s why your heart couldn’t handle it. It’s common at your age.”

“No. This guy killed me.”

The truth was concealed.

His death was covered up with lies.

“I’ll call Daphne.”

The atmosphere grew somber.

A melancholic atmosphere settled in.

“Grandfather! Grandfather, wake up!”

Daphne arrived.

Their relationship wasn’t bad.

Tears welled up in Daphne’s eyes.

Daphne burst into tears.

Tears fell on Eris’s body.

“It’s okay, it’ll be okay.”

The child who killed him comforted Daphne.

His face was expressionless.

He genuinely mourned Eris’s death.

“You killed me, you bastard.”

His acting sent shivers down his spine.

How many people are there saying, “Daphne, that guy next to you killed me. Kill him.”

He desperately conveyed his feelings.

But his true feelings weren’t conveyed.

Death was approaching.

In the distance, the blazing flames of hell could be seen.

The black hand grabbed hold of his body and dragged him down.

“This can’t be happening. Am I… going to die like this?”

He struggled, but the black hand wouldn’t let go.

“This is the hottest spot in hell prepared just for you.”

God whispered in his ear.

The voice he thought was a hallucination turned out to be God’s voice.

“And we have prepared special guards just for you.”

Figures gesturing from afar could be seen.

His comrades who had betrayed him.

His comrades were waiting with all sorts of torture devices.

“Ugh…”

Eris exerted all her strength to move her arm.

She pointed at the culprit who had killed him.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get along well with Daphne.”

The child approached and took his hand.

The people around them showed moved expressions.

“No… that’s not it.”

His soul was dragged down to the bottom of despair.

The truth was buried like that.

****

“Phew, phew, I hope I wasn’t caught.”

My heart was pounding.

I never expected Eris to squeeze out all her strength and point at me at the last moment.

Eris’s gaze burning into me as she burned in flames seemed like she was seeing a demon from hell.

I turned my eyes around to survey the surroundings.

No one was suspicious of me.

“I improvised well.”

I didn’t think anyone would suspect me of killing Eris.

“Let’s go back now. Eris’s death… will be announced in the next city…”

The captain of the guard’s voice was full of sorrow.

It was a sight that showed how popular Eris was.

His body was carried away.

It was a sudden death.

The funeral was not prepared.

The funeral was hastily arranged.

Eris’s body was laid in the hastily arranged coffin.

I immediately returned to the tent.

I knelt down and asked God.

“Are you satisfied?”

“You did very well. Thanks to you, I am satisfied after a long time.”

God replied in a satisfied voice.

“It seems you truly wish for the world to perish.”

I confirmed God’s will once again.