I Became the Hero Who Banished the Protagonist chapter 52

52. warrior (6)

Have you ever realized that adrenaline makes you feel no pain? I lay in my bedroom on the hospital ward and lost myself in those thoughts. After subjugating the giant, my body was in a much more serious state than I thought. It’s safe to say that it was more dangerous than the first time I used twin swords. This time, the recovery power of the holy sword was completely ineffective. After the thrill that flowed through his body in battle disappeared, all that remained were wounds and pain.

“[This is the price to pay for capturing a big shot. After fighting one of the end of the world.]”

grunt Every time I turned to change position, I felt stabbing and crushing pain. I groaned and laid my head on the pillow again. Mana flowed from the holy sword. The pain eased and I let out a sigh of relief. I heard the sound of the holy sword clicking my tongue in my head.

“[We won’t send you this kind of mana every time, so be careful.]”

I nodded and stretched my arms. Bandages were carefully wrapped around the body. The military surgeon at Evernode advised me to refrain from using mana for the time being and to refrain from vigorous outdoor activities. What did they say about blood vessel and internal organs ruptures, partial fractures, compound fractures, and muscle ruptures? Anyway, I had every injury I could think of.

“I just wanted you to come back alive. Even disaster has been defeated.”

“[You are right. Just this time.]”

I turned my head toward the window. There was almost no damage done to Evernode, except that the outer wall of the outer castle collapsed a little, and the monster that had crossed the wall caused a little chaos in the city. The knights and soldiers considered the fact fortunate, but on the other hand, reacted as if they were absurd.

‘No, does it really make sense that our stronghold is safe? Did you fight against that guy? Is it really only that some walls have collapsed and a few houses have disappeared?’

‘Baktins, which is said to have been attacked by the third plague, has completely disappeared, but I’m not sure if it’s okay to be fine like this.’

‘Bastard, good is good, just think it’s okay and pass it on.’

Even after going through so many things, the knights of Evernode were the same as usual. It was kind of pissing me off that everyone stopped by my room every once in a while to say a word to me in a much more friendly manner. I felt like I was a statue of Buddha in a famous tourist spot. It is said that if you touch the head, you will be blessed, and everyone touches the head once in a while.

Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling.

I smiled faintly and raised the holy sword to my lap. However, a pattern that had not been seen before was engraved on the leather belt that wrapped around the hilt of the holy sword. Flowers, leaves and vines? I ran my hand along the pattern and tilted my head.

“I never had anything like this before. Isn’t that right, the holy sword?”

“[…] .]”

There was no answer. It seemed that he was not intending to speak. I raised the corner of my mouth playfully and tried to ask more questions, but stopped when I heard a knock on the door.

“Illroy, can I come in?”

Daphne’s voice. I happily turned my head toward the door.

“of course. come in.”

Daphne wasn’t the only one who opened the door and entered. My whole party was standing by the door, looking at me. I nodded and called for everyone to enter the room. Georg dragged a wooden wheelchair into the center of the room.

“Why did you all come together?”

“If that’s a request, then we should all come and pick it up.”

Georg said with a wry smile. I nodded and asked a question.

“Are the bodies of the dead recovered?”

“yes. The activity of the monsters has also almost stopped, so they say they are carrying the corpses out of the outer castle.”

Georg said that as if he was happy, but I couldn’t hear the news with a smile. those I couldn’t protect. Those whom I could not bear to hold in my hands and place on my shoulders.

“There is a graveyard for the dead at the highest point in Evernode. Soldiers and knights who died fighting during the winter are buried there to honor them.”

“… yes. I need to go see it soon.”

I nodded my head casually. Georg grinned and dragged the wooden wheelchair to the front of the bed and tapped the handle. I looked at the wheelchair Georg was fiddling with with anxious eyes.

“Tara, Illroy. If riding is difficult because you are uncomfortable, I will pick you up and give you a ride.”

“I’ll take care of it, so please don’t go out so aggressively.”

Frightened, I pushed away Georg’s hand and put my hand on the bed railing. Although it was a dizzying pain, I was able to get into the wheelchair somehow, twitching the corners of my mouth. Georg looked at me as if he was pitiful and shook his head.

“If you are in trouble, you should have asked for help.”

“Noisy. Give me a push.”

I groaned and buried myself in the chair. It was a hard chair without a leather seat or backrest, so I thought it would be uncomfortable to sit still.

“Push it right? Why don’t you break the chair while moving?”

I looked back anxiously and said, but Georg didn’t even listen to me. I just seemed excited about the fact that I could move myself freely in a situation where I couldn’t do anything.

“Don’t worry, Illroy. Even if I’m like this, I’ve been transferring patients many times.”

bang.

At the same time, Georg, who was turning the corner, couldn’t maneuver the wheelchair properly and crashed me into the wall. I turned my head to Georg with my head against the wall.

“Well, didn’t the patient who was being transferred ask for help?”

“… What you just did is a mistake. When carrying it on a stretcher, it is moved safely enough to not be defeated by anyone.”

“This isn’t a stretcher, you bastard!!”

someone save me I eagerly turned my head to Daphne and Marianne. Daphne, meanwhile, pushed Georg aside and took hold of the handle. I let out a sigh of relief, and Georg licked his lips regretfully. That bastard, he must have tried to kill me.

The sun was shining. Summer hasn’t passed yet. Daphne pushed the wheelchair slowly, and I looked around the empty, quiet street.

“How are you feeling?”

“It’s not the worst, but it still hurts. I think I need more time to recover.”

The road back to the royal capital must be difficult. It’s going to get hotter the further south you go. It will rain in torrents. It was already unpleasant to think of the humid air that would cling to it.

“How are your injuries?”

I looked at the bandage on Daphne’s arm and asked.

“I wasn’t hurt that badly. Because it was my role to use magic behind the scenes.”

Daphne turned her head towards Georg and Marianne. Georg must have been hurt a lot from receiving attacks from the front, and Marianne will not be fine from close combat.

“Worry about yourself, Illroy. Because I am fine.”

“I’m fine too.”

everything is fine Those who should be treated or treated quietly. I let out a fake laugh. Georg was staring at me like that.

“You are not wrong.”

Georg muttered as if talking to himself.

“What?”

As I frowned, Georg shook his head and smiled.

“It is nothing.”

And we walked the streets of Evernode as if taking a walk in silence. After passing through the complexly placed buildings, I entered an unpaved field. Proudly, the grasses endured the sudden cold wave of the limit line. The wheel of the wheelchair made a rustling sound as it moved across the grass. There was a clean smell of grass and trees.

“That hill.”

I saw a black fence. Graveyard was in a sunny place, overlooking the Evernode. The hill on which the cemeteries were built looked like a huge burial mound. A huge tombstone was erected on top of the hill. It was the name that filled the black tombstone. I looked at the tombstones and carved names into my eyes one by one. Some names you know, some you don’t know.

“What should I say?”

I murmured as I swept the tombstone. The sun was adding light to their names. Behind me, who was staring blankly at this scenery, I felt a new presence.

“You said you saved Evernode, and our stronghold didn’t collapse.”

I turned my head. Archduke Quenore was slowly walking up the hill.

“You can tell me that.”

The Archduke had a splint on his right arm. Dressed in black and light clothing. Archduke Quenore approached the tombstone and raised his left hand on the tombstone.

“You too, this is the place you found as soon as you could get out of bed. Should I say it’s like you, or should I say I’m sorry.”

I shrugged.

“Isn’t that a natural attitude? These are the people who fought together.”

Archduke Quenore let out a short breath. For some reason, that gaze was directed at me and not at the tombstone.

“Those who join the Knights of Evernode always do so knowing that they will die. Winter in the north means war, and fighting monsters. It’s the same for me, and it’s the same for the soldiers who wield spears along with the knights on the front line.”

The Grand Duke tapped the tombstone one last time and let go of his hand.

“Mourning is always there. New people join every year, and people I know leave.”

Archduke Quenor then stroked his sword.

“Our mourning is short-lived. All you have to do is come to the grave and say a word. So did those who went first, and even if I went first, I wouldn’t expect you to hold on to the grave and cry. I want them to be proud of it, and to continue defending Evernode like they did.”

The Archduke looked at me.

“Especially, I wouldn’t want you caught up in death. The one who saved Evernode and the world is none other than the hero, Illroy, because it’s you.”

It didn’t make much sense. I slightly frowned and lowered my head. The Archduke’s gaze followed my falling head down along with it.

“is that so.”

“I don’t offer verbal consolation, Illroy.”

Archduke Quenore came over and grabbed the handle of the wheelchair. Then, using only one hand, he started pushing the wheelchair down the hill. It was pushed with only one hand, but somehow it felt much more stable than Georg holding the handle. I turned my head back and looked at the Archduke.

“Where are you going?”

Archduke Quenore gave a puzzled smile.

“You’ll know when you see it.”

The Archduke led the way, followed by our party. The archduke’s sword and wheelchair occasionally collided and rattled.

“Do you remember when you first arrived at this castle, Illroy?”

The grand duke, who had been walking quietly for a while, opened his mouth.

“Yes, I remember being treated with great hospitality.”

When I said it sarcastically, Archduke Quenor burst out laughing.

“Are you the type of person who has a back end? I didn’t know you would.”

“If you ask me, I’ll just answer honestly.”

“This is Won, I can’t even say anything.”

The Archduke tapped the handle of the wheelchair.

“If I knew how to protect our castle so well, I would have treated you well from the start.”

“You don’t know what people do.”

I answered lightly, and the Archduke laughed again. Rumble, rumble. The wheelchair rocked. We were heading towards the entrance to Evernode’s citadel. I looked at Georg and the Archdukes of Quenore carrying me up the ramparts in bewilderment.

“Do you know what day it is, Illroy?”

Archduke Quenore asked. I tilted my head stupidly, then shook my head. Seeing my reaction, the Grand Duke gave me a deep smile.

“It’s the day when the residents who fled will return to Evernode.”

return day. My expression went blank, and the Archduke and Georg looked at my expression and shook their heads. I came up on top of the wall before I knew it, and the soldiers and knights guarding the wall welcomed me.

“Are you here to watch, hero?”

“Thank you so much for last time!”

There was something bewildering about this kind of hospitality. The Grand Duke pushed the wheelchair and put it in a position where he could see the scenery outside. I looked down at the hill I had ridden up months before. blue I looked at the branches and grass waving with the wind.

There was a sound of breaking through the grass. I could hear the sound of the creek running up and down. I could hear footsteps and people talking. very, very much.

“Look over there, Illroy.”

Through the grass, people came out through the trees. They looked very tired, but they all had smiles on their faces.

“They are the people you saved.”

Some shouted for joy, others wept. There was the sound of the gate opening. people come up Shouting and hugging, they were returning to Evernode and their homes one by one.

“This is the scenery you protected.”

I blinked. The empty streets are starting to come alive again. People’s voices began to be heard. Archduke Quenore’s hand rested on my shoulder.

“Thank you so much, Illroy.”

Quenore’s voice trembled a little.

come and go

Then, I heard the sound of running up the stairs. It was the sound of a child’s footsteps. I could hear my mother’s voice telling me to be careful from behind. Up the stairs, her black hair, tied in two pigtails, was fluttering cutely.

“father!”

I heard Karin’s voice. The Iron-Blooded Princess ran to her father and hugged her with tears running down her face. The Grand Duke brushed Karin’s hair, and Grand Duchess Hela Straw and Luke were coming up the stairs behind them. I watched the family reunion. In the original work, the Grand Duke, who should have died after preventing the disaster, was alive and embracing with his family again.

“[That must also be the scenery you protected. Illroy.]”

The Holy Sword spoke in a soft voice. I took a deep breath, unable to find the words to answer.

“Hero.”

Then, Karin walked towards me. With her eyes stained red again, with a bright smile on her lips. Pok and Karin hugged me, adding weight and warmth to my legs.

“Appointment.”

Karin raised her head and met my eyes. That expression was too dazzling for me to see.

“Thank you for protecting me.”

I bit my lip. No words came out. I just lowered my head and stroked Karin’s hair. Karin was brought back to me, and I listened to the sound as I stroked her endlessly, unaware that time was passing.

Thank you for protecting me.

Karin’s voice that said that continued to linger in my ears.