Quit The Hero Party

EP.7 Period (Prologue Completed)

Restriction.

I gathered the fainted soldiers and the white-haired captain and bound them with a spell before rising from my spot. Rather than releasing a pre-stored spell, it took some time to weave the circuit right there.

“Ugh.”

As I straightened my back, crack, crack, sounds echoed.

My whole body ached. It was only natural since I compensated for my lacking physical abilities with spells. Whether it was acceleration or strength enhancement, those spells burden the body on which they are based.

Rotating my creaking shoulders, I stepped outside the partially destroyed building. Puff. Dust fell off with every move I made.

“…”

Finally, I noticed the barrier the monsters had been chattering about. A thin, opaque veil surrounding the area around the wrecked building.

Vision distortion.

Recognition distortion.

Two spells were readable in my sight.

The spells were woven so intricately that, despite the chaos inside, everything outside the barrier remained peaceful. Although there were some gazes peering beyond the barrier, they quickly turned away.

What an astonishingly intricate spell.

That craftsmanship gave me confidence.

‘That must be them.’

This was indeed the magic of that skull-headed guy. No one else could weave a barrier at this level.

‘I have no idea what they’re plotting, but…’

Honestly, I didn’t want to get involved any further.

Ever since retiring from the hero party, I seemed to be more exhausted.

“Ugh.”

I let out a sigh and drew up my mana. Then, I casually poked the barrier.

-Crack, crinkle.

As intricately woven as it was, breaking through was simple once I found a gap. I only sent a little magic into the barrier, and it shattered.

-Pop!

Black dust scattered in the air.

Soon, the stagnant magical air trapped inside the barrier was released.

“Ugh!”

“What’s that smell…? Huh? That building over there!”

“Screech!”

As the barrier fell, the street plunged into chaos. I sat at the starting point of the barrier, waiting for the guards to arrive.

“What’s going on?”

“Over here, building!”

“This must be magical! Get the knights…!”

I approached the guard who seemed to have a higher rank who then glanced at me with confusion.

“Excuse me.”

“…Who are you?”

“That thing over there.”

I pointed to the debris of the building.

“There’s a monster inside, okay? I’ve bound it, so please take it away to the knights.”

“…What?”

“More details… Hmm, there should be a guy in black armor among the bound ones? He’ll listen to you, so just ask him….”

The guard frowned.

Then he interrupted me.

“No, miss. We’re kind of busy and…you know, playing around isn’t…”

“It’s not a game.”

I pulled something out from my robe.

Then I dangled it in front of the guard.

“…!”

The guard froze, eyes wide as he darted back and forth between me and the token in my hand.

A crest engraved with the royal family’s emblem.

What I showed the guard was a sort of proof. A certification for recognized mages from the royal family. It was given to me when I was appointed as the next Master of the Ashen Tower.

‘This should confirm my identity.’

Finally, the guard lowered his head, having gone pale.

“I apologize, I’m honored to meet the royal mage!”

“Whatever, about what I said earlier?”

“Y-yes!”

“Handle it properly and thoroughly.”

“Understood.”

The guard gestured to his comrades and hurriedly ran off in the direction I pointed. I watched them for a moment before leaving.

*

I returned to the tavern I visited yesterday.

As expected, the innkeeper didn’t recognize me, so I booked a room again and had to ask him for the same errand once more.

“Phew.”

Once inside my room, I tossed my blood-soaked robe aside. The shirt I wore under it was also caked with dark red blood.

‘What a mess.’

I took off the shirt too and soaked it along with the robe in the basin. I washed the blood matting my hair and wiped my body down with a wet towel.

“…”

After finishing the series of tasks, I suddenly glanced into the mirror. For the first time, I confronted my changed body. I had anticipated it, but seeing it with my own eyes didn’t feel nice.

Ashen hair cascading down to my lower back.

Pale blue eyes tinged with a slight red.

My originally sharp gaze seemed to have softened a bit, replaced by thick eyelashes.

And what about my body?

A snow-white complexion, smooth skin without a single callus, didn’t feel like my own. Looking at the gentle curves of my body only made me sigh.

Anti-Spell.

Just in case, I brought up the spell, but there was no change in my body. It felt as if this was always my body — my mana sensed nothing wrong with this flesh.

So, breaking the curse was impossible as well.

It didn’t even seem like I recognized this as a curse in the first place.

‘What on earth is this?’

It didn’t make sense logically…

But considering the medium that cast this curse, it became understandable.

‘Black fog.’

The Demon Lord’s physical form, a part of that curse.

Its very existence was beyond logic, a part of a monster transcending understanding itself.

Yet, questions still lingered.

‘Why did it have to be a physical change?’

I remembered the spell that the black fog used to engulf Refe and shot it towards me.

Physical transformation, mental corruption, and something I couldn’t comprehend.

Thinking back, it seemed strange.

If it wanted to kill me, there would have been easier methods. Just casting the low-level spell Smite that I often used would have turned my body into mush.

‘So why go through all this trouble?’

I had no answers.

No conclusions would come from pondering over it.

“Ugh.”

What’s the use of overthinking?

I sighed and rose from the bed. I then sat on the chair placed in the room, placing my hands on the table to get started on what I had postponed.

What I pulled out was luxurious parchment, an envelope to contain it, and a pen that didn’t release any ink.

I infused the tip of the pen with mana.

The ashen mana dripped, transforming into ink. I pressed hard to write the words.

-Resignation Letter.

A word made up of just three characters.

As I looked down at the phrase stamped on the paper, I couldn’t help but chuckle. How much time had I taken to get to this simple word?

‘Feeling a bit peculiar.’

My feelings were a bit strange.

Every day I’d mutter about quitting, about giving it all up…

But seeing it written down suddenly brought a sense of weight.

‘I wish I could just write ‘I quit because it sucks’ in one sentence and send it off…’

But I shouldn’t.

I twirled the pen, organizing the words I needed to write. There were many things I could write if I wanted to.

Kyle’s corruption.

Sara and Refe’s extravagance.

And if I were to write about getting fed up with all those things, I could easily churn out dozens of pages.

But I shouldn’t.

I didn’t want to do that.

It wasn’t that I cared about those bastards. I was just worried about the aftershock that would hit me if I wrote the resignation letter instead of a complaint.

‘Sara’s zealots, Refe’s Elf clan, the countless knights idolizing Kyle.’

It was terrifying just to think about receiving dozens of petitions from them.

Sure, it would be fine if they flew toward me, but considering they had no idea where I was, those letters would inevitably reach my Master.

‘What a nuisance that would be.’

I didn’t want that.

Moreover, I didn’t want to reveal the insides of the hero party to that old man…

“So, I need to package this appropriately…”

I recalled where to send this letter. To the stronghold of the knights governing the adventurers, the mercenaries fighting against the Demon Lord, and the hero party.

And the person receiving this letter would likely be the Knights’ Order Leader. For now, since it was a letter accepted as a member of the hero party.

‘What all did that old man know?’

He likely knew that we encountered the Demon Lord. The Order Leader would certainly be aware of that. And the fact that we had fled as well.

-…This can’t be made public.
-You are the hope of humanity. The news of you fleeing from the Demon Lord cannot leak. I am sorry. Please keep this secret.

It was the Order Leader who had decided to conceal that fact.

However, the Order Leader didn’t know the fine details.

That I used Balance to escape from the Demon Lord and paid half of my lifespan to the Star.

I didn’t say it on purpose.

How could I tell someone who smiled at us, calling us the hope of humanity?

The Order Leader devoted himself to humanity more than anyone else. He spent his whole life fighting the beast, the monsters, and the Demon Lord’s army. I didn’t want to bring despair to such a person.

So, I guess I’d just have to hide it while knowing it was a deception.

‘The fact that I have little lifespan left, and that Kyle has corrupted…’

Still, I needed an excuse.

If I announced my resignation from the hero party, that old man would be the first to come looking for me. He’d try to persuade me, and if that failed, he’d probably try to enlist me in the knights.

‘No matter how I’ve turned into this.’

But I didn’t want that.

So I needed to attach a suitable reason.

-In the past, I made a deal with the Star to escape from the Demon Lord. I used Balance.
-Of course, the cost of the deal wasn’t great.
-Not great, but due to the side effects right after, I couldn’t fully escape from the Demon Lord. The curse etched by the Demon Lord remains inside my heart.

I mixed a few lies with the truth.

Creating suitable reasons centered around that incident.

-We encountered the Succubus Queen in Kaynak City.
-The Succubus Queen summoned a fragment of the Demon Lord through some means. You may reference the crystal ball and report enclosed for details.

After hesitating for a moment, I moved the pen again.

-The fragment of the Demon Lord summoned by the Succubus Queen activated the curse in my heart. I judge that I can no longer continue my adventures.

And I wrote the final sentences.

-Thus, I, Raniel, announce my withdrawal from the battlefield.
-I will return the emblem proving my membership in the hero party and the order of the knights.

I placed the emblem inside the letter.

Carefully folded the letter, put it in the envelope, and sealed it with mana.

“…”

Holding the letter, I remained silent for quite some time. Countless thoughts raced through my head.

It took a long time.

It truly took a long time to write this letter.

‘I hoped I wouldn’t have to write it.’

I had thought that if I left the battlefield, it would either be by beheading the Demon Lord or because I was dead.

“Ah.”

The laughter that slipped out felt bitter.

It was both a mockery of my situation and a ridicule of Kyle who had pushed me aside.

The edge of the letter got crumpled between my fingers.

“It’s really over now.”

Muttering such, I flicked my fingers lightly. The spell inscribed on the letter reacted to my mana.

-Flame!

The letter was enveloped in ashen flames. The ashes didn’t fall. Feeling that the letter had properly been sent, I gently closed my eyes.

-…Hey, Raniel.
-Our village burned down. My parents died. The village chief died too. What are we going to do now?
-I… plan to become a noble’s slave. At least I’d be able to eat and live.
-You’ve had talent in magic, right?
-…I’m envious.

“…”

-It was tough. I wonder what that pig thought of me.
-I really hate nobles.
-…Why are you giving me your money? Don’t. It feels gross. You are you and I am me. I don’t want to borrow money even from my only hometown friend.
-Don’t make me feel miserable, Raniel.

That’s how it was.

-Hey, Raniel.
-I became a hero. I think I was chosen by the Star. Look. This is the Holy Sword.
-Let’s go together, Raniel. Let’s take down the Demon Lord. So none can dismiss us, let’s build our achievements and laugh at those nobles who looked down on our origins!

That’s how it began.

-I did it, I really did!
-Finally, I took the head of the Black Dragon! We… we defeated the Four Heavenly Kings, Raniel!
-Without your magic, it would have been impossible, Raniel! You… you’re amazing. How could you bind a dragon’s foot…!
-Raniel, you are the best mage!

And we moved forward.

-…
-Let’s stop, Raniel.

So it went.

-I can’t do this anymore.
-I can’t… can’t keep doing this, Raniel.
-I’m sorry. I feel sorry for you, but I… can’t do this anymore. I don’t believe I can defeat that monster. I… I…

It all fell apart.

-Yep.
-You always are like that.
-You shine brightly, and only you. It hurts to watch you.

“Sorry for always being like that, you bastard.”

Is working hard a crime, you piece of shit?

“…Take care and live well.”

You bastard.

Unlike the spiteful words I had spat back then, my voice now lacked strength.

I bitterly smiled at that truth and stood up.

Thus, I placed a period on my five-year journey.

There were no lingering attachments left.

Five years was far too long to have any lingering feelings.

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