I Quit the Hero’s Party Chapter 409

Inside the store, left alone after Raniel left, Cardi looked at the table in silence. The letter Raniel left was still on the table.

Old letter paper and an envelope with the warrior’s seal.

Looking at the two letters, Cardi remembered what happened a little while ago. Raniel’s voice lingered in my ears.

“I have a favor to ask of you.”

“I won’t talk for a long time. Check it out yourself.”

She spoke in a different voice than usual.

The voice was a warning and a consideration, so Cardi felt it. The moment you open this letter, you will make a choice one way or another.

“I’ll come back in a few days, so think about it until then. Whatever you choose is fine. “The choice is up to you.”

She left without forcing any choice. There is only a letter she left on her table.

“···Phew.”

Cardi let out a long breath.

The envelope with the hero’s seal was given by Raniel, and the one remaining letter… Even though Raniel did not provide any explanation, I was able to figure out what it was.

Cardi reached into the depths of the shelf.

There was a box containing the letters exchanged with her. An old box covered in dust. When I opened the box, ignoring the creaking sound of the rusty hinges, there were dozens of letters piled up inside.

“When is the next class, Armiel?”

“Well, today I treated someone properly for the first time. As Armiel said, I put the bones together properly, as expected. “This time, the patient’s screams were reduced by half.”

Starting with letters from when I taught her.

“Stop smoking cigarettes. You know that because I threw away everything I had accumulated in the lab, right? Why are you writing this in a letter? “Well, if I say it in front of you, you’ll get angry.”

“Armiel.”

“I guess you’re busy these days? Isn’t it too much to say that you’re doing research and not let you in? “After all this, I, the representative of the church, came to visit.”

Letters sent by the woman who became a symbol of the church with a mischievous expression on her face.

“I hope I can see your face tomorrow.”

Even if he didn’t open it, Cardi remembered everything inside. It wasn’t just because of the characteristics of the elf race, which has a good memory.

Just because I read it again and again.

Because I had to reminisce at least with something like this.

Cardi took the letter out of the box and put it down next to the letter Raniel had left behind. As expected, it was the same letter paper. It seemed like he was embarrassed to show it to others and had all kinds of magic tricks on him.

“···Really.”

Cardi let out a laugh.

Cardi, unable to bear to touch the letter, stroked her face. If you just stretch out your hand, the letter is within reach. There is a letter she left that became her disaster.

I was afraid to open it.

That’s because I don’t know what she wrote down. Cardi could hardly reach for the letter, fearing that it would be full of curses and words of resentment towards herself.

I’m scared, really, to the point where I feel ugly.

Does he hope that she will not blame him even after coming to Lee Ji-kyung? On a topic where I couldn’t keep my promise, on a topic where I couldn’t choose either this or that, do I dare hope for that? No, that wasn’t it.

Because there is something more scary than that.

He is just afraid of seeing how different she is from the Gleria he remembers and of recalling the sight of her in Arcadia that day when it collapsed.

For a moment Cardi looked at the letter.

After a long time, Cardi reached for the letter. Because no matter what sentence was written inside the letter, he had an obligation to face it directly.

Squeak, squeak…

Letters sealed in a way that has not changed at all from hundreds of years ago. Tracing old memories, Cardi dismantled the sealing circuit surrounding the letter.

And then, click.

The circuit was released and the letter unfolded.

Cardi let out a long breath and shifted his gaze to the first line of the letter. Be prepared to accept whatever is written…

“···ah.”

However, the moment he saw the first line of the letter, Cardi could not even breathe. Because what was written there was completely different from what Cardi had expected.

『Armiel, to you, my beloved.』

The first sentence of the letter began like this.

2.

Raniel walked the familiar path and arrived at the mansion.

A mansion located on a hill.

After gazing at the field sparkling in the setting sun for a while, Raniel knocked on the door of the mansion. After some time passed, the door opened.

“What is it, Raniel?”

Roselle van Trias.

The man, who looked a little older than Raniel remembered, grinned while holding the doorknob.

“You’re coming here without any contact.”

“First of all, I’m going back and forth in secret.”

Without saying anything, Roselle stretched out her hand and tapped Raniel’s head. In the world, he is a disciple who is called with grandiose nicknames such as a magician who can reach the level of a god, as he is the strongest force in mankind…

“Come in.”

In front of Roselle, I will always be just a child.

“It’s cold.”

It is difficult to maintain a solemn expression even in front of a child who has been visiting for the first time in a long time. Roselle smiled with a relaxed expression. If someone who knew Roselle was around, it was an expression that would make me doubt my own eyes.

“It’s almost summer, Master.”

“…Do you really have to hold your tongue like that? And even in summer, it is cold in the evenings. “I just wanted to do that…”

“I’m a warrior so I don’t get cold.”

“······.”

You definitely hit the candle.

“Tsk,” Rosell briefly clicked his tongue and shook his head. Raniel grinned and walked as Rosell entered the mansion.

* * *

“Hasn’t the mansion become a bit more dazzling?”

Raniel blinked.

The mansion was bigger than she remembered, and the lab that had been remodeled in a corner of the mansion to a reasonable size had now expanded to the point where it rivaled the labs of most magic towers.

“No, this is a magic tool made by the Blue Magic Tower…”

A very expensive magic tool.

While Raniel could not believe his eyes as he looked at the facilities in the lab, Roselle shrugged his shoulders.

“I didn’t buy anything. “Did people who say they are magic tower lords or court wizards come and expand the building as they please?”

“···yes? “Why those people?”

“Why would you do that, you guy?”

Roselle pointed down the hallway.

The hallway, which had been completely converted into a show window, was filled with all kinds of plaques and medals. These are all things that came to Raniel and Rania.

“It’s because everyone is busy looking at you.”

“Are you aware of me?”

“People who felt that they felt even the slightest bit offended or had been rude to you came to me with things like that, asking me to ‘talk to them carefully.’”

This was especially true for the blue horse tower, Rossell added. His complexion turned pale, and he bowed his head, throwing away even the majesty of the Magic Tower Lord.

“The white magic tower lord who came next to him with a gift was teasing the blue magic tower lord so much…”

“So you should have chosen where to stand in line carefully, Puheup!”

“I am already like a chair sister to him. He’s like an older sister or younger brother. Are you jealous? He’s so jealous he’s dying, right? Our Blue Horse Tower Lord, what should I do if my stomach hurts?”

“It wasn’t something worth seeing.”

“I think so.”

Chair sisters? What does that mean?

While Raniel tilted his head and admired the research facilities and medals, Roselle watched Raniel with happy eyes.

“You have no idea how much you are praised.”

Raniel’s shoulders trembled.

This is Raniel, who read the newspaper published by Tefran avidly until he came here.

“Oh, I know…”

“Is there any way the news could travel that far away? Come here. “I thought you might like it, so I saved it separately.”

Read it carefully while eating.

Rossell said so, and it happened.

“Wow, wow…”

Raniel had to reread the newspaper he had read while eating, which was never a pleasant experience. Because he had to show an appropriate response to Rossel, who was looking at him as he read the newspaper and expecting a reaction.

Raniel, who had finished eating with his teacher after such a long time, had to rub the corners of his mouth that were twitching for a while as he tried to force a smile.

“So, you’re going to stay for about three days and then go back?”

“Yes, because it’s difficult to leave the front line empty for a long time.”

“It’s something that can’t be helped, but it’s unfortunate.”

“I will visit you often when I can.”

Is there any way I can afford it?

Roselle smiled bitterly and sipped her coffee.

“Anyway, get some rest and go.”

“Yes, I plan to do so.”

Raniel laughed while sprawled out on the sofa.

When I suddenly looked out the window, it was dark. Late at night. Raniel thought as he looked outside where the stars were twinkling.

Cardi, he’s probably read the letter by now.

He must have thought about the letter for a long time, but the old elf that Raniel knew was someone he could never just ignore. Even though you were afraid, you probably opened the letter.

‘That guy must have thought that the apostate would blame him…’

In Raniel’s opinion, that couldn’t have been possible.

Because the apostate was always missing Cardi. It was neither hatred nor love-hate. So, the content written in the letter is probably…

3.

『Perhaps I won’t be able to meet you anymore.

I know. That I am not qualified.

I know that I shouldn’t meet you, and that meeting you would only be detrimental to both of us. I am no longer a saint, and you are no longer a great sage. Moreover, I am not even the Gleria you miss.

My name is Gletus.

It is a heresy called apostate.

Not the saintly Clare you were trying to protect, but the terrible disaster, Cletus. Sometimes I come back to my senses, but every time I realize something. It’s already too late to go back. I can never be Gleria.

Actually, I know.

That you can’t keep your promises.

I have already come too far to go back. I know that even if a miracle happens to me, it shouldn’t be allowed. I know, but I can’t help it. When I close my eyes, the only thing that comes to mind is the glorious past.

Oh, it was really fun.

I just miss the adventures I had with Ganicalt, the days when I played with children with Belial, and all the times I spent with you, Armiel. It would be better if everyone forgot about it.

Do you too?

I’ve given you a terrible role.

Because you have to remember everything completely and sanely. It would be mean to complain to you like that, right? I’m sorry, Armiel.

…It’s not easy to write a letter little by little.

You know what? I don’t know how many times I’ve rewritten this letter. I write letters only when I come to my senses… but when I close my eyes and open them, the letters are a mess. So I keep rewriting it, and the sentences are a bit messy.

Still, I wanted to say this much.

No matter what kind of gruesome death you face.

Even if the salvation I hope for is broken.

Even if you lose everything.

Until the end, I don’t blame you.』

Shaky handwriting.

Letters with scratched ink and sometimes blurred letters.

A sentence full of traces of being rewritten several times.

“······.”

It didn’t take long for Cardi to read the letter, which must have taken a long time to complete. Cardi read the last sentence and put the letter down without saying a word.

Cardi covered her eyes with her hands.

Until the end, there were no words of resentment.

There were no words of curse, no resentment, no rebuke, nothing. What was left in the letter was the opposite. Saying that I will not hold any grudges until the end.

I couldn’t keep my promise.

I couldn’t choose any of them.

Still, she speaks. She is not the Gleria you know. So there is no need to save him or keep his promise. Cardi gritted his teeth after rereading that sentence several times.

Miracles cannot happen.

Because we have come too far for a miracle to occur.

Kyle’s case suggests the possibility that disaster can return to human form, but such a miracle is not possible in her case and should not be possible.

Because she went too far.

You can make the choice to turn her back into a human and live her life once again, but you shouldn’t. Because she herself doesn’t want it.

『I miss you, Armiel.』

Bottom of the letter.

A one-line sentence written in small letters. Cardi looked at that sentence for a while with wide eyes. Cardi realizes that it is rather painful because there are no words of resentment.

…Raniel, what did he want?

What did you hope for by sending me this letter?

You will probably find out the reason when you open the remaining letter. Cardi opened the envelope with the warrior’s symbol on it. Contained in it is a strategy book. However, the plan is a bit different from the plan written by Raniel with his help earlier.

This is the last page.

A page that has not been shown to anyone.

Cardi saw what was written on the page.

At some point, light returned to Cardi’s eyes as she read the sentence with glazed eyes. The more he read the densely packed sentences, the more Cardi’s gaze wavered, and his fingertips trembled as he held the paper.

What catches the eye is possibility.

The last chance given to Cardi.

『This is the final stage of the operation, shared only by you and me. I know it shouldn’t be like this. She knows that everything must be taken from her and trampled upon thoroughly. I know, but…』

Last of the page.

Cardi saw the letter Raniel left.

『This is not for apostates.』

『It is a final greeting to a hero who once tried to protect the world, and a courtesy shown to a senior.』

she was talking

『You have the right to do that.』

I will trample everything about the apostate Gletus.

However, I will not take everything away from Saint Clare. That is a tribute to the heroes of the past.

『It would be a cruel request.』

『The choice is yours, Cardi.』

Take your pick. Because the choice is yours.

“···aha.”

Cardi laughed.

Is this a cruel request?

Cardi smiled as she wiped her face. It was absurd, and I laughed at the fact that this damn junior had planned this behind my back and had prepared something like this.

It wasn’t a cruel request.

This was Cardi’s last chance.

Will you seize that opportunity?

Or will we choose nothing again and live in regret for another hundred years? Or, will he kill himself out of regret?

The answer was almost certain.

fantasy,