I Picked Up the Abandoned Hero

140. A true warrior

Since her sacrifice, Arcel has seen fragments of her holy sword’s memories of suffering and justice.

-They say there is a shortage of food, so if they steal something from a civilian village, they will use it. Until supplies arrive, those who are quick on their feet are divided into groups and go hunting.-

-Heroes should not be treated by individuals for personal reasons. Noble, I am not your sword, but the sword of the world. So give up appeasement and accept punishment sweetly. With the authority of a warrior, I will execute you for collaborating with the demons. –

They were also warriors.

Although he has the power to easily control the fate of a country, he never falls into self-interest and truly wields his sword only for the good of the world.

And finally, the holy sword left on the head.

‘This is the last holy sword.’

There were a total of two holy swords on his head, and Arcel cut off the holy sword containing the power of faith near his neck.

-The hero will definitely save us.-

Amid waves of countless monsters, the princess of the kingdom, who was as dangerous as a lantern in the wind, trusted the warrior who went out to fight alone.

-So please trust the hero.-

Calming the people who were trembling with fear, the princess prayed to the warrior, not to God.

Please save them.

Even when the end of fate approached where every last person had fallen, the warrior saved the people even by burning himself to repay their faith and trust.

A total of six pieces with this.

Excluding the Holy Sword of Morian and the Demon King, which formed the skeleton of the giant, we have now succeeded in liberating all the Holy Swords.

-Courage-

-Hope-

-Mercy-

-Nobility-

-Definition-

-Faith-

The power of these six holy swords entered Arcel’s holy sword.

“Hmm, wasn’t this a bit simpler than I thought?”

The Queen may not have expected this, but she looked a little embarrassed.

Currently, Arcel has stronger power and magical power than ever before.

The six holy swords that the queen used to strengthen the giant actually contributed to making Arcel’s power beyond its prime.

“It’s over. “I will no longer allow you to mock their will.”

“What do you mean by their will?”

“Even for the sake of the past warriors that your Hermod ancestors served under, and the demon kings who turned them into evil for all people in order to protect a false peace.”

Arsel no longer responded to the queen’s words.

I don’t know if the queen’s words were not heard, or if she felt that it was no longer worth answering.

“Of course, all of this is not your fault. It’s our fault. “We forced them to make sacrifices and handed over our future to them just because they were warriors.”

Arcel, standing in front of the giant, holds the holy sword nobly.

“I don’t feel like this is fair either. But I will make you pay for this. “Even though you knew this false truth, you ignored it and instead abused it to bring about the present.”

Definitely, as the Queen said, there was a common enemy called the Demon King, and except for the area where the Demon King’s army directly encountered, there was no significant damage from the war anywhere else.

Furthermore, they knew that if they fought among themselves, the Demon King’s army would attack them, so no major disputes could arise.

If you only look at the results, that might have been the best.

In fact, if there had been no Demon King, humans would have turned all their efforts against the Demons onto each other.

However.

“Even though all these mistakes can be stopped…”

Even if that was really true, he forced the warrior to make every sacrifice and eventually turned him into a demon king and made him kill those he wanted to protect.

It should never have happened that way.

“…Instead of putting an end to the wrongdoing, it has continued to be abused.”

Even if this reduced the number of deaths from 1 million to 500,000, that would be wrong.

We should have found a way to prevent 1 million people from dying, and unilaterally sacrificing 500,000 people to prevent 1 million people from dying was something that should not have been done.

This means that even though a better method can be found, one should not only want the easiest method at hand.

“Don’t be ridiculous. No matter how brave a warrior he is, he cannot just sit back and listen to Hermod insulting his ancestors. Hero, why do you think there was another way? “Don’t you ever think about why we had to do that?”

The queen, who was listening to Arcel, frowned in response.

There must have been a reason for them to make that choice.

For example, you may have received revelation from God.

The world was devastated by human war, and eventually everyone was destined to perish…

Maybe that really was the best choice.

At least for Hermod’s royal family.

“I am not criticizing your actions. What is wrong is false peace. “It was just your simple choice that continued that peace.”

Arcel imbues her holy sword with her magic.

The holy sword had a more beautiful light than ever before.

This is the light that contains the wishes and determination of past warriors.

It was once the eternity of noble people who sacrificed themselves to save the world.

“…This is the result of that choice.”

Arcel finished her last words and swung her holy sword.

Flash!

The blue light soon became a huge meteor and engulfed the giant.

All the land is enveloped in bright light.

For a moment, the sound and time of the entire world seemed to stop, and when the light dispersed, Arcel was the only one standing.

†††

As the light faded, Arcel, who was standing alone on the ground, looked up at the sky blankly.

Is this all over?

That’s not true.

There are still demons remaining, and the relationship between humans and demons is still difficult.

We have been killing each other for thousands of years, but that relationship cannot be improved overnight.

“It’s finally over? “That queen… she seemed more persistent than a real demon lord.”

“…You are the devil and queen, and I will definitely not leave you alone.”

“Why don’t you calm down, Grandmother Clen? We’re both tired, right? But Grandma Clen looks like she’s having a hard time even standing up. Do you still have the strength to say that?”

“If it’s as good as you… I will definitely bite off the back of your neck even if only my head remains.”

“Hey, don’t be scared. “This side is also quite persistent.”

Alfred came over and helped Clen, who was about to collapse from exhaustion.

Clen was in a state of complete disrepair, and her legs were shaking as if it was difficult for her to even stand properly.

Until Arcel released all of her holy swords, she stood alone against the giant, so she deserved it.

Because demons and holy swords are not compatible with each other.

“So, how do you feel, warrior?”

“…I don’t know. I don’t feel any special inspiration. “I’m just thinking about what to do next and where to go.”

“Why are you worrying so much, hero? Now you just have to do whatever you want. Is there a need to worry so much? There is no longer a demon lord. If there is no Demon King, there is no need for heroes. In other words, you are now free.”

“Oh, I was going to say that line! “It’s not manners to suddenly hit a player there, Grandma Clen!”

“Are you seriously telling me about your manners?”

As Alfred and Clen snarled at each other, baring their fangs, Arcel looked up at the sky again.

“Freedom, is it…”

That’s right.

Now that the Demon King has fallen, there will no longer be a false peace that continues.

Of course, there is no guarantee that this will bring a better future.

Perhaps, as the Queen said, the situation may become worse than before.

“Then I will think about it slowly. If possible, I hope that one day there will be a world where demons, humans, and even elves can live together.”

“Now I see it’s not because you’re a warrior, it’s just your nature, right? “At this point, being obsessed with peace is at the level of a disease.”

“To be honest, I think almost all warriors have mental illness. “I learned this by looking into their memories, but they did not hesitate at all to make choices that no normal human being could ever make.”

“…For a hero to say something like that directly, the only demon lords, heroes, and other weirdos there are. I’m sick of it. “I’m really going back now.”

“Can you go alone if you can’t even walk? “I’ll take you there slowly later, so just wait.”

“rrr…”

“Can I be a wolf instead of a vampire? “Why are you growling all of a sudden?”

But it’s okay.

It is no longer enough to follow a predetermined fate.

The hero chosen by the Holy Sword defeats the Demon King who is trying to destroy the world.

It is time for such trite stories to end.

Furthermore, the person with the greatest influence among the demons currently is Clen, so even if it is not peace, there will not be a war where people kill and kill each other like in the old days of the demon kings.

“I think this situation is very funny. “If it were me in the past, even if I couldn’t win, I would have fought desperately to defeat you here and now, but I can’t believe we can talk quietly like this.”

Arsel chuckled as he looked at the two people.

“Stop being creepy, me and Grandma Clen are really exhausted now, aren’t we? “But the fact that you’re attacking me while you’re more powerful than the demon lord is terrible.”

“…Please take me to the territory quickly. “It’s already way past bedtime.”

Alfred shook his head and looked very disgusted.

It may not happen, but if Arcel were to attack them here, he couldn’t do anything worse than that.

Fortunately, there was no way he would have done something like that unless Arcel suddenly went crazy.

“Okay, okay, I’m old, so I’ll understand. “It’s hard for me to fly right now, so let’s take a breather…”

Pajik!

“No way-“

But, isn’t it completely over yet?

At the unexpected sight, Arcel grabbed the holy sword again.

“Wow, at that level, a cockroach would have both hands and legs, as well as antennae…?”

Alfred also frowned in admiration.

“Ha… I almost died just now…”

The queen reappeared in perfect condition.

“And it hasn’t disappeared yet…!”

“No, I really almost disappeared. “This too has barely any form left, so it has no strength left anymore.”

“… It’s true, the queen can hardly feel her magic anymore and there is no remnant of her demon lord. “Maybe that figure will disappear soon.”

The good news is that, as Alfred said, the queen was no longer able to act like a giant like before.

“What Satan said is correct. “I don’t even have the slightest energy left.”

“Then it will disappear, but for what reason did it appear?”

So she had no idea what trick the queen was planning to do this time.

Arcel planned to cut off her queen’s head the moment she saw even the slightest movement.

“The reason I came out like this, even to the point of losing face, was to let you know that my thoughts were wrong.”

The queen shook her head with a sad expression.

“What does that mean? Are you now admitting that your false peace was just a delusion?”

“No? What I think is wrong is something else. After all, no matter how well it is made, a fake is still a fake. I can’t keep up with a real hero at all. “If that child had been even half as good as the hero, the world would have already become peaceful.”

What the queen was talking about was Morrigan.

“That child could not accept the power of other holy swords like the hero. “If it were possible, he could have become a stronger warrior than anyone else like you.”

“…Morian was just used by your chess horse. “If you’re going to insult that kid any further-“

“No, I’m not insulting you, I’m just saying I was stupid for trying to make peace with something like that. So, it would be better to use the real product rather than the fake product.”

And the queen smiled benevolently.

“…!”

“So, please ask me a favor, warrior.”

Arsel, who instinctively sensed what that smile meant, rushed forward to decapitate the queen.

Luckily it wasn’t too late.

Like then, you can cut her throat before she says ‘that’.

Originally, it was something I couldn’t remember, but the simple words of asking brought back memories of the past.

He was the only one who saved the princess from Alfred. At that time, the late King Hermod left only one word to Arcel right before he died.

Click!

‘No…’

That is how the holy sword was broken.

Arcel’s holy sword, which attempted to decapitate her queen, was blocked by the 7th holy sword symbolizing immortality that she had summoned before decapitating her queen.

“Alfred! “Run away now!”

“What? Why all of a sudden?”

Arcel, who realized that it was already too late, even showed her tears and shouted at them to run away.

She knows what will happen to her next.

“Please, run away from me! Please…!”

The queen’s benevolent smile turned into a creepy smile as she said the same words as before.

“Please, will you save our Kingdom of Hermod?”

Snap!

Eventually, before Arcel could even finish what she was saying, the life in her eyes disappeared.

My body froze, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

But it wasn’t that the doll’s string was broken, it was that the broken string was reconnected…

This was the method by which the Kingdom of Hermod used the Demon King to create false peace, and it allowed us to understand why it visited the warriors from childhood and brainwashed them directly.

“…Huh?”

The ‘Hero’ In the true sense of the legend pointed the holy sword at Alfred.