The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 35: The Will (4)

I recalled that day.

The day the sky turned crimson.

I remembered the warmth growing cold as it lay in my arms.

"Why...?"

The battle with the army of the Demon God.

In a battle that had tipped overwhelmingly against us, I realized we could not win and told my comrades to flee, leaving me behind.

It wasn’t some grand gesture of heroic sacrifice, worthy of praise.

After all, I was an immortal being who would soon revive even if I died.

I thought it was the right choice if my life could buy us a way out of that crisis.

Of course, if the Demon God’s army captured me, it wouldn’t just end with the loss of my life.

Unspeakable torture and pain would surely follow.

But, what of it?

Pain doesn’t kill.

Suffering doesn’t bring an end.

Even if my body is torn apart, set ablaze, or scattered as dust.

I do not die.

And so.

I had no complaints about being the one left behind to act as bait.

In fact, I thought it was a wise and intelligent decision.

Until Iris, whom I thought had fled, came back to save me.

"Why... Why did you do it! Why did you come back?!"

I cried out, looking at Iris as she bled, gasping for breath.

I had assumed she had fled with the others, but without my knowing, Iris had returned and used a "miracle" at the cost of her own life.

To save mine, of all people.

Why, why, why, why, why.

Questions filled my mind.

She returned to save my life?

How could that be a reasonable action?

To me, life is like a pebble scattered along the riverside.

Countless in number, something no one would care about if it disappeared, something that could be discarded at any time.

That was the value of my life.

And yet.

She sacrificed her life to save such a worthless pebble?

Why would she make such a meaningless, utterly foolish choice?

"Heh, heh."

She gently stroked my tear-streaked cheek and opened her mouth with great effort.

"I'm... so glad."

"Glad? Glad about what? What could possibly be glad about this?"

There was nothing to be glad about.

She would lose her life due to the aftermath of using the miracle, humanity would lose the hope known as the "Saint," and the Demon God’s army would become even more rampant.

And in exchange, all we gained was my one life.

One life out of thousands, tens of thousands, of deaths.

How could she say she was "glad" in such a situation?

But.

Even so.

"I'm... really... glad."

She said that and smiled brightly.

As if she had no regrets or remorse.

So peacefully.

She closed her eyes.

* * *

A space shrouded in a purple veil.

Within the barrier, even the horrific screams and howls that echoed through the school could not be heard.

With her light pink hair, the Saint of the Seven Stars was gasping for breath, glaring fiercely at the man before her.

"...You bastard."

A curse that one would never expect from the mouth of a saint.

"Oh dear, isn’t it a bit much to say such things to your professor?"

The man with dark brown hair and a gentle demeanor smiled brightly as he looked at the panting saint.

"Shut up! Someone like you isn’t a professor!"

"Ha ha. Please don’t use such harsh words."

Morpheus smirked bitterly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Doesn’t it just make me want to torment you more?"

Snap.

With a flick of Morpheus’s fingers, a purple aura enveloped her body.

"Aaaah!"

A scream burst forth.

Iris felt her entire body being crushed and collapsed to one knee.

"You've been noisy for a while now."

Clicking his tongue, Morpheus shook his head.

"Can’t you be quiet, like Cadet Camilla over there?"

Morpheus’s gaze shifted to where Camilla, the orphanage children, and Priest Antonio lay collapsed on the ground with dazed eyes, as if drugged.

"Ugh."

Iris gritted her teeth, enduring the agony that gripped her body, and glared fiercely at Morpheus.

At that moment.

Iris's eyes, glaring at Morpheus, turned rainbow-colored, and the purple aura that had been wrapping around her body dissipated into smoke.

"Huff, huff!"

Freed from the aura, Iris gasped for breath.

"Ha. Just by 'looking,' you can neutralize my magic... Truly, the power of the Seven Eyes is more astonishing every time I see it."

A deep greed glinted in Morpheus’s eyes.

"You can’t even imagine the efforts I’ve put in to obtain those eyes."

"Ha, and those efforts included unleashing demonic beasts during the festival?"

"No. Originally, this incident wasn’t part of my plan. I don’t particularly like such barbaric methods."

Morpheus sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.

"But some unknown troublemaker has thrown a wrench in my plans. I truly feel sorry for you, Candidate Iris."

"...What do you mean by 'sorry'?"

"I originally planned to slowly take them away without causing any pain, so that you wouldn't even know the cause."

The plan that had been carefully prepared over a long time was shattered in an instant by the sudden appearance of an uninvited guest.

"In the end, I have no choice but to take the 'Seven Eyes' through rather rough means."

"Rough means...?"

"Physical extraction."

Morpheus uttered the most cruel words with the same gentle smile he always wore.

Iris's face turned pale.

"W-What are you saying right now?"

"Hmm? Was that difficult to understand? I meant that I will be taking your eyeballs, Cadet Iris. Look, I even brought the tools."

Morpheus pulled out a round metallic object shaped like a spoon from his pocket.

The tool, which resembled something used to scoop out ice cream, had a sharp blade on the end.

"If you just plunge this in and scoop it up, you can cleanly extract the eyeballs."

"......"

"Compared to absorbing the power magically, there's a significant risk that some of the power within the 'Seven Eyes' will be lost, but... given the situation, there's no choice."

While it was important to fully absorb the power of the 'Seven Eyes,'

what was even more important was erasing the 'Seven Eyes' from this world.

"The power you possess is too much of an obstacle to our cause."

[Translator - Night]

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"...Your cause?"

"Haha, when it comes to a demon's cause, there's only one, isn't there?"

The resurrection of the Demon God, who was sealed away 500 years ago by the five great heroes.

"When the seal is broken, those wretched heroes... and your detestable Seven Gods will disappear from this world."

Morpheus spread his arms, his face alight with a drugged-like excitement.

"How about it? Now do you understand why I'm going to such lengths to obtain your eyes?"

"...You crazy bastard."

Iris glared at Morpheus with fierce eyes.

"Well, curse me all you want. It's not like anything will change because of it."

Morpheus moved forward, still wearing that gentle smile on his lips.

"Don't, don't come any closer!"

"You would be better off staying still. If you try to resist poorly..."

Snap.

Morpheus snapped his fingers once again.

A wide purple demonic energy spread out, covering the bodies of the fallen children and Camilla like a blanket.

"Your precious people will die."

"You, you bastard! If you lay even a finger on Camilla and the kids, I will never let you...!"

"Haha, just joking, just joking. No need to get so angry."

Morpheus chuckled, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"...Joking?"

"That bit about them dying if you resist. Doesn't that sound like something a cheap villain would say? The situation seemed appropriate, so I thought I'd say it, but don't take it too seriously."

"......"

"Even if you don't resist, everyone here will die anyway. Oh, of course. Including you, Cadet Iris."

"What are you saying now...?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Morpheus smiled with gentle eyes.

"Didn't you learn at school? 'Demons must be killed without mercy.' If that's the case, the opposite is also true."

If heroes are the enemies of demons, then demons are the enemies of heroes.

"W-Wait! Then the children have nothing to do with this!"

"Hmm? Now that you mention it, that's true. But is there really any need to bother with such details?"

Morpheus chuckled and took another step forward.

"The fact that they were just unlucky enough to be here today is reason enough to die, isn't it?"

"......"

Iris bit her lip, her face pale and drawn.

Until now, she had only read about demons in books.

But now, the vivid malice of a demon in human form was suffocating her.

"Ah, uh."

Click, click, click.

Trembling with fear that consumed her like poison, her body shook uncontrollably.

'I'm scared.'

Though she was called a saint and worshipped by many, behind that title, she was still just a 20-year-old woman who hadn't even graduated from school.

"P-Please, someone, help me..."

Why was it that, in this moment, it wasn't the face of her professors that came to mind, but that of a fellow cadet?

"Haha, I understand how you feel, but no one will come to help you. The barrier surrounding us is made from literal lifeblood."

Morpheus smiled contentedly as he glanced at the purple curtain around them.

"Made from lifeblood? You don't mean..."

"About 200 people, maybe? Each one of them was a cherished subordinate... what a shame."

Morpheus shrugged nonchalantly.

"You... you're insane."

"Compared to the value of the Seven Eyes, that kind of sacrifice is nothing."

He could offer much more if it meant obtaining the eyes blessed by the Seven Gods.

"Now, let's begin."

Morpheus roughly grabbed Iris by the chin.

"If you struggle, it'll hurt more, so try to endure it, okay?"

Just as the sharp edge of the blade neared her eye,

Thud.

A ripple spread through the purple barrier, as if a drop had fallen into a calm lake.

"Hmm? Has someone found the barrier?"

But what does it matter if they did?

"The 'Veil of Illusion' would take at least an hour for all the professors of the magic department to dispel..."

"An hour, my ass."

Boom!

A white lightning bolt shot through the purple barrier, striking down toward Morpheus.

"Tsk!"

Morpheus clicked his tongue and hastily retreated.

The hand holding the tool was half-severed, blood spurting out.

"...What the!"

Morpheus stared in disbelief, eyes wide.

Standing before Iris, as if shielding her, was a cadet with dark gray hair.

"I finally found you, bastard."

Deep green eyes glared at him.

"There you are."

Dale moved toward Morpheus—or rather, Astaroth—with a fierce grin twisting his lips.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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