I Quit the Hero’s Party Chapter 393

Life is a series of choices.

This one-line sentence is a famous proverb, and it is the first sentence that comes to Raniel’s mind right now.

“An unidentified spell appeared, and most of the special forces were killed in the process of escaping the hero Chloe from the spell. Belnoa, who was caught up in the spell because he remained at the scene until the end, is currently missing…”

Tefran’s voice rang hollow.

The loudly ringing crystal ball, the communication magic tool worn in my ear, and letters connected to key points in various places spewed out information along with a loud noise.

“The disappearance of the madman, Kelhalm.”

“The barrier that appeared in Artia is presumed to be the same type as the barrier that appeared in the center of the royal capital four years ago…”

“There is a huge amount of mana inside the barrier…”

Loud beep.

“The 6th Legion is destroyed.”

“A wyvern unit led by dragon slayer Asterio raided the base, and the base was attacked…”

“Hero, Chloe is seriously injured.”

“Special forces destroyed, commander Belnoa disappears.”

“Testimony that an unidentified entity made of old objects intervened, currently…”

Information flooding in.

A list of information fills your eyes.

“······.”

Raniel closed his eyes.

She wiped the corners of her eyes, looking away from the warning sound ringing in her ears and the information that came to her mind. Raniel, one step away from the chaos, assesses the situation.

Kelhalm trapped in Artea.

The madman’s barrier surrounding Artia.

Mana running wild inside Artia.

Is there anyone who can solve this problem? In her opinion, there was no one suitable. In order to lift the madman’s barrier, one had to have advanced magical knowledge as well as prior information about ‘Shadow’.

Moreover, after lifting the barrier, there was a possibility that he would have to fight the first madman inside Artea.

To summarize the situation:

A being who can fight against an opponent of the level of an archmage, has prior knowledge of the shadows, and is capable of completing the operation quickly. There can be no two such beings.

‘···I have to go.’

It is a mission you must take on.

But for now, it is still a controllable variable. So, Raniel thought that if we react quickly, we can solve the problem without much damage.

I thought about it.

Now another variable has occurred.

‘The disappearance of Belnoa.’

It is also the first madman who is involved in that variable. Given the circumstances, this also requires Raniel’s intervention.

“under···.”

Raniel gritted his teeth. Her hand that brushed her face fell with a helpless thud. Raniel let out a laugh.

“It’s going to spin, really.”

Two choices.

Choosing one means abandoning the other. It’s a damn situation that puts you at a crossroads and forces you to make a choice. Indeed, this is something that damn shadow would do.

It feels like the sound of a madman’s laughter is echoing in my ears.

Raniel lowered his head, listening to unpleasant auditory hallucinations that seemed to pierce his eardrums. A situation where you have to choose something. A situation where you have to throw something away.

The shadow was forcing her to make a choice.

Who will you save?

And, who will you let die?

2.

Chloe felt a light sparkle in her blurred consciousness. Also, a loud voice ringing in my ears.

“···supply! Let’s start by supplying mana and solving the symptoms of mana exhaustion first…”

Warm light and the smell of drugs.

Even in her hazy consciousness, Chloe realized that she was currently receiving treatment. As she gradually regained consciousness, her whole body throbbed. Her mind felt fuzzy and her open wound tingled.

“···Cluck, kek!.”

Chloe coughed dryly and spit out a handful of dark red blood. He spat out the blood stuck in his neck and Chloe slowly raised his upper body.

“No, hero!”

“My physical condition…”

The priests standing around shouted that they should not stand up, but their voices did not reach Chloe’s ears.

“Go, do it.”

Blood dripped from her nose and mouth and soaked Chloe’s clothes. Chloe stood up, blinking her red, bloodshot eyes several times.

“Gyaa… do it.”

Chloe staggered down from the bed.

However, the moment she tried to take a step forward, her legs gave out and Chloe fell to the floor. The priests who barely caught Chloe as she fell cried out in her ear.

You need to relax.

The condition is serious.

First of all, bleeding…

Chloe felt as if the voice was coming from very far away. They said she needed to get treatment and rest, but Chloe couldn’t afford that. Chloe muttered, feeling impatient.

I have to go, he said.

Chloe recalled the memory just before she lost consciousness.

「Horon.」

A huge circuit that fills the sky.

Knights caught in a circuit and falling down, vomiting blood.

“I’ll take care of Chloe, Horon.”

The back of Horon starting to run while carrying himself, and Belnoa walking away while being carried by Horon. The moment the huge circuit spread out in the sky fell to the ground, Belle Noah looked behind her.

Belnoir smiled bitterly as he watched himself moving away.

I couldn’t hear the voice because of the distance, but even if I didn’t hear it, I knew what Belnoa was trying to say at that moment. Immediately after, the circuit that fell to the ground collided with the storm set off by Belnoa, and a flash of light appeared.

A blinding flash of light.

Chloe lost consciousness amid the rushing shock waves.

When I came to my senses, it was now.

The person who lost consciousness must have been moved to a nearby base. Chloe pursed her lips. The corners of his red, bloodshot eyes trembled.

‘Why why···.’

No matter how hard I try, I can’t get up.

Chloe opened her trembling lips and spoke while glaring at her weak legs.

“I have to go, why…”

The priests who had gathered to treat her are at a loss. The door to the treatment room, which had been tightly closed, opened. The moment the door opened, the priest, who had been shouting in a nervous voice that he was not allowed to come in, immediately silenced himself when he saw the person standing in front of the door.

“omg···.”

While the priest was out of breath, someone approached Chloe with the sound of footsteps. The footsteps stopped in front of Chloe.

“Chloe.”

Chloe, who was looking down at the floor when she heard a voice calling her, slowly raised her head. The first thing you see is a platinum-colored uniform like the symbol of a hero. Next, flowing gray hair and blue eyes came into view.

Champion, Rania Van Trias.

The moment Chloe looked at her standing in front of me, her eyes fluttered. Chloe said in a trembling voice as she sat down on the floor.

“Belnoa, Belnoa…”

“know.”

Rania answered briefly.

“I already know everything, so there’s no need to explain.”

* * *

Rania waited by Chloe’s side until she could barely stand up. After some time passed and Chloe came to her senses, Rania began to tell her story.

“I heard the story. “Everything, including that Belnoir was caught up in a spell and went missing.”

Chloe lowered her head. She looked at her tightly clenched fists and muttered in a trembling voice.

“···It was a situation where everyone had won, but all of a sudden, foul language poured out from all directions. “It was a trap from the beginning.”

“I guess so.”

Because that’s his way.

Rania let out a long sigh. Chloe slowly turned her head and looked at Rania. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her face, but she hasn’t changed at all from three years ago.

I’m sitting there just as I remember.

The same person who always helped me.

Chloe felt a little disgust at the fact that Rania was here now, and at herself for inadvertently feeling relieved even though nothing had been resolved.

“···Seniors.”

I felt it though.

“Belnoa was caught up in a spell while trying to save me. “She was swallowed up by the spell, all alone.”

Nevertheless, Chloe opened her mouth and spoke.

It had to be that way. Now that the warrior himself was feeling helpless, the only person he could ask for help was that person sitting in front of him.

Therefore, Chloe spoke as if pleading.

“Please do me a favor.”

“Please,” Chloe said, extending her hand to Rania. Chloe opened her trembling lips while holding Rania’s wrist.

“Can you save Belnoa, save Belnoa…”

“Chloe.”

Rania cut Chloe off.

A cool voice. Chloe slowly raised her head and looked at Rania. She had unusually cool blue eyes looking at her.

“Calm down and listen.”

“yes···?”

“At the same time that Belnoa went missing, a large-scale barrier occurred in Artia. “The actions of the shadow you encountered in the royal capital four years ago.”

Rania said calmly.

“Within the barrier, mana is running wild, and the shadow is plotting ‘something’ with the mana that is converging. “I don’t know exactly, but I’m sure it needs to be dealt with quickly.”

“Well, what…”

“and.”

she added.

“Kelhalm is trapped inside that barrier.”

Chloe, who was about to say something, closed her mouth.

Rania didn’t explain at length, but it was enough for Chloe to understand the situation. Chloe knows too. How huge that shadow is.

In order to dismantle that barrier.

In order to engage in unexpected combat there.

And, in order to rescue Kelhalm.

Chloe realizes that the intervention of the warrior Rania Van Trias is essential. Also, what that fact means.

“that···.”

Chloe has performed several operations on the battlefield.

She is no longer a child who does not know anything about the world. We know that when a hero appears in the world, like in a fairy tale, not everything is resolved neatly.

“······.”

Chloe closes her mouth.

Because she realized it too.

To save one side, you have to give up the other side. Saying ‘Please save Belnoa’ to the hero in front of me right now…

Let Kelhalm die.

Chloe realizes that saying that is the same thing. Chloe’s eyes shook wildly. His slightly parted lips moved slightly, but no proper words came out of his mouth.

Still, please save Belnoa.

I’d like to say that, but Chloe knows. Galahal, the most heroic warrior, would never say such selfish things. He carries on his wishes, and Chloe knows that she shouldn’t say such things.

“still···.”

I understand it in my head, but I keep saying things I shouldn’t say out of my mouth. In the end, she covered her mouth with her hand.

A suppressed sigh escaped between my fingers.

The girl who was buried by the hero who saved her was ultimately unable to say anything out of her mouth.

3.

[Open your eyes.]

Blurry consciousness.

A throbbing body.

[Open your eyes, hurry.]

A voice echoing in my ears.

Belnoa slowly opened his eyes to the voice that continued to be heard. Her eyelids were heavy. His body was a little heavier than that. Belle Noah blinked her eyes and slowly raised her head.

[You finally woke up, contractor.]

The stone rock he was leaning against.

The goddess sitting on the stone rock, looking down at herself and smiling bitterly, came into Belnoa’s field of vision.

“···Ugh.”

Belnoa, who was about to say something, groaned.

Pain like sparks flying in the eyes. Belle Noah slowly placed her hand where she felt pain. There was a deep gash on her side.

This is the scar that Asterio carved at the last moment.

Belnoa applied first aid even in a hazy state of mind, pressing down on the bleeding wound with his palm. She took a potion bottle from her robes, poured half of it into her mouth, sprinkled the remaining half on the wound, tore off her clothes, and tied it up.

“Ugh…”

How much had I lost my mind?

Belnoir frowned as he looked at the fluid leaking out from between the clothes that were tied up with the wound. Her consciousness was hazy as a lot of her blood had been lost. She spilled the potion, but when she looked through her robes, she found that most of her potion had been shattered.

“Whoa…”

Belnoir let out a long sigh and relaxed his body. Leaning against her stone rock, Belle Noah closed her eyes.

[Is it not very good?]

“It hurts a little.”

[Your complexion is very pale.]

Belnoa laughed bitterly at the goddess’s voice.

“so.”

I slowly opened my closed eyes.

What you see before your eyes is a strangely distorted forest.

“Where are we…?”

He already had some idea of ​​what the answer would be, but to be sure, Belnoa asked a question to the goddess who was watching the situation.

[A place where starlight does not reach. The land of the abandoned.]

The goddess answered the question.

[It must be a place you call the Demon World.]

Is that also the case?

Belnoa muttered and raised his head.

The sky visible through a gap in bizarrely twisted tree branches. Come to think of it, did they say that when you enter the demonic realm, you can tell how deep you have come by looking at the sky?

I don’t remember the distinction exactly, but I still remember one thing clearly.

‘If the black sky is rolling like waves, and if the red moon can be seen beyond the rolling waves, that is the heart of the devil.’

Belnoa, who was looking up at the sky, let out a laugh.

“···The moon is red.”

The red moon was rising.

A place far away from the front lines, deep in the dark. A place called the very center, or deepest place.

That was the location where Belnoa fell.

fantasy,