The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

9 – EP1. Dawn Breaks

Monsters poured in endlessly.

I let out an exasperated sigh at the unbelievable sight.

“Why the hell is all this nonsense happening where I am…?”

This was the city of Vertinus in the Kingdom of Pheon.

The city was under attack by monsters.

I thought about the situation I found myself in.

I had arrived in the city, unpacked my belongings, rested at an inn for a night, and suddenly, I was surrounded by goblins and orcs…?

No, what’s going on here?

Alright, I have absolutely no idea.

I gave up thinking about it neatly.

“Wizard! Do we have a wizard here?”

“We need a priest!”

I lightly bit my lip.

Yeah, this is my thing. As a hero, finishing my journey and starting the second act of my life wasn’t such a bad idea.

I looked at my hands.

If only I had a sword or a bow, or even a club, it would have been nice, but unfortunately, my hands were empty.

“Damn it.”

The monsters began to approach one by one.

I created a massive iron club with divine power and swung it to crush their heads.

Orcs, goblins, and various other creatures.

I thought as I flicked my fingers.

Flames ignited.

I created arrows from the flames and shot them at the monsters.

A lot of them.

The monsters burned to a crisp on the outside and inside due to the flames that had penetrated their bodies.

“Magician!”

People shouted.

I approached those who looked like soldiers.

“Until yesterday, everything was normal. What’s going on?”

“Well, we don’t know either. Suddenly, monsters, especially goblins and orcs, humanoid monsters, went on a rampage.”

Damn, a huge sacrifice without knowing the cause. It’s so annoying.

I helped treat the wounded for now.

“You can use both divine power and magic?”

Surprised voices came from all around. Usually, it’s either magic or divine power, not both.

I didn’t mention that I could also use dark magic. No need to complicate things unnecessarily.

“Well, if that’s the case, please help us a little. If you can use divine power to heal people, you don’t even need to use magic. Just a little… People are in danger.”

“Yes, I’ll help. I plan to protect people while moving freely. Is that okay?”

“Yes, of course!”

So, I distanced myself from the soldiers and started scanning for places that needed protection.

In the square, an elderly man was being held captive by an ogre, his face filled with resignation.

Oh, damn, it’s been a while, ogre.

How many times has that giant brute killed me without me being able to do anything? How many times has my skull been crushed to pieces by those teeth?

I clenched my head at the memories that resurfaced and prepared my magic.

The ogre was split in half by the axe made of magic.

Hmm, how refreshing. The death from the past didn’t have much impact on me.

The old man kneeled in front of me and spoke.

“T-Thank you. I thought I was going to die without even moving….”

“It’s nothing. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“M-My legs are weak, I can’t get up.”

I used magic to send the old man to where the soldiers were.

Then, I started walking again.

A considerable amount of time had passed, and despite piling up the bodies of the monsters, their numbers didn’t seem to decrease.

Damn, this is irritating. Both my magic and divine power are diminishing.

Considering that using both magic and divine power doubled the available strength, the result was unsatisfactory.

I wasted so much time on this.

“Um, Magic Master, if your magic is running out, would you like to take a break? Our mages have already taken their rest.”

Perhaps the situation in the Vertinus city is not so good. The mages have already collapsed, and the soldiers are trying to rely on me after realizing that I have some power left.

But I can’t rest. How would I know how many would die while I rest?

I took the sword from one of the soldiers.

“W-What is this?”

The soldier whose sword was taken looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Without a word, I rushed towards the monsters and lightly cut them with my sword.

Of course, I could finish them off with one blow, but it would take a long time to deal with them one by one, so I infused the sword with dark magic.

The dark magic corroded their bodies, and after a few minutes, one by one, the monsters fell.

I used my command magic to turn the fallen monsters into undead. I wanted to conserve dark magic as much as possible, but there was no choice.

The undead orcs and goblins tore apart the approaching orcs and goblins without any hesitation, and that’s how my undead army began to grow.

“What’s happening with these guys? They’re fighting amongst themselves!”

I made my undead appear as if the monsters were fighting amongst themselves, and the monsters fighting the undead were exhausted and defeated by the soldiers.

In this way, a massive army of the undead was born, and the undead began to tear apart the remaining monsters.

And I kept producing more undead using the corpses.

And finally, when there were no monsters left in the city except for the undead, I moved the monsters to be gradually surrounded.

And finally, the undead were completely surrounded in one place.

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“Phew, finally they’re surrounded, Magic Master.”

One of the soldiers approached me, and I nodded in response.

“Step aside. We’re going to deal with those guys all at once.”

…It’s a bit strange to burn them after I created them. Well, the teacher did say that undead are disposable from the beginning.

I directed my magic towards the huddled group of creatures, squeezing out my magical power to the very end, and released a fireball.

The huddled masses of flesh were instantly engulfed in flames and disappeared without a trace.

Farewell, undead. Reincarnate as humans in your next lives.

Then, a person with striking reddish-brown beard and impressive armor approached me.

“Greetings. I am Beltran Callidus, the lord of this city. I heard that you’re the mage who greatly contributed to the extermination of monsters this time. Is that correct?”

“Oh, yes.”

“On behalf of our city, I express our gratitude. Since Grandis achieved victory against the Imperial army, there have been more and more monster disturbances, but an incident of this magnitude has never occurred before.”

I felt embarrassed as I was one of the reasons for Grandis’s defeat, but I managed to regain my composure and nodded.

“We would like to do something for our benefactor, but unfortunately, there is nothing we can offer you at this moment.”

The lord spoke to me. It’s not like I expected anything.

“Ah! We have some renowned blacksmiths in our city. How about asking them to craft whatever items you desire?”

I nodded. Getting anything is fortunate in itself.

So, I requested a set of armor and a sword.

A few days later, a soldier came to the inn where I was staying.

“Uh, the lord requests your presence at the blacksmith’s shop to guide you.”

“Yes, I’ll go right away.”

Is the armor and sword already prepared?

I followed the soldier’s lead while pondering.

They wouldn’t give me shoddily made equipment, would they?

The blacksmith’s shop was filled with the sound of hammering on metal and the heat of the furnace. As I entered, a blast of heat hit me, and I felt a subtle unease.

…Memories of being roasted alive inside my armor after taking a direct hit from a dragon’s breath came to mind.

I shook off the unpleasant memory and asked, “Where should I go to receive my armor and sword?”

No response. The blacksmith, who had spent all day listening to the pounding of metal, often had poor hearing. Not to mention their eyesight, which was worn down from staring at flames all day.

I took a deep breath and shouted again, louder this time.

“Where do I go to receive my armor and sword?!”

At that, the blacksmiths turned to look at me, and a stern-looking man with a face like a cast-iron pot approached me.

And then… He tapped my back.

“Your brother contributed to saving our city as a magician, right? Follow me!”

He said so and started to lead the way, and I followed him.

Where the blacksmith stopped, there was an elderly man who looked strong and stubborn, holding a stick.

“Oh, you must be the owner. Take it.”

As the old man nodded, the blacksmith who had guided me naturally left, and I looked at the items in front of the old man.

A suit of plate armor, a helmet, and a sword. It was exactly as I had requested, and the craftsmanship seemed flawless.

However, they were all… entirely black.

“It’s made of black iron. Lightweight, but not to be underestimated in strength. I used it to make armor and a sword, so it’ll be incredibly durable. I guarantee it.”

Black iron? It was a rare and precious mineral.

I held the sword and infused it with my magical energy. The sword responded perfectly, without too much or too little.

Hmm, I was satisfied. With this, I shouldn’t have any trouble, I thought.

“You’re lucky. I happened to be commissioned by Lord Ouyi to create my magnum opus using black iron, so I’ll just hand it over to you as part of the commission. It’s not easy to come by something like this, you know?”

Saying that, the old man looked at my finely spread magic.

“Well… if a sword of this caliber is used by a novice like me, it wouldn’t be a waste of my life’s work. You sound young from your voice, but you seem quite talented. Of course, it won’t be suitable for the Empire’s Red Duke.”

The old man chuckled and said.

“No, that woman is said to be the best in the world from the beginning, so it’s not appropriate for comparison. It was a slip of the tongue. You said you’re a magician, right? It seems you’re skilled at handling a sword as well.”

…Outside the Empire, it seemed that Sein was also recognized as the strongest. Well, Sein was a true genius from the beginning.

“Alright, that’s it then. Let’s go now.”

I walked out, my heart strangely elated.