I Picked Up the Abandoned Hero

73. Choice and Responsibility

“Oh, if I return my soul to when I was young, my magical power also returns to when I was young…”

“Couldn’t it be better to summon those minions from outside the barrier and then enter the barrier?”

“No, I maintain them all with my magic. “If I go back to my childhood, everything will disappear right away, right?”

Alfred, faced with unexpected optimism, thought deeply about using skeletons as chairs.

“Whatever, I can still use magic. “I will come and kill you quickly, so just wait.”

“Umm…”

Alfred says it doesn’t matter, but Arcel still seems worried.

The Alfred he saw in the past became infamous for his mysterious body and magic that went beyond common sense.

Especially because the tens of thousands of skeletons summoned on the spot are literally like a one-man army.

“What’s wrong? “I can go alone.”

“Wait a moment.”

But what now?

Perhaps because he is in the state of a child, he lacks magical power and his strength is much lower than before.

Honestly, even in that childish state, it still remains a dangerous demon, but compared to its original level, it is safe to say that it has become infinitely insignificant.

“I’ll go with you, because this is to resolve the curse on my body in the first place.”

In that case, Arcel’s judgment is that he cannot be sent alone.

In the first place, leaving everything to Alfred did not suit her temperament.

“Are you out of your mind?! “You want to go back to that horrible hell?!”

Of course, Stella doubted whether Arcel was sane.

Even Stella knows that the most useless worry in the world is Alfred’s worry.

Nevertheless, it is natural for her to be surprised that Arcel would go to such a dangerous place with her.

“Don’t worry, I won’t grab your ankles. Besides, you have to cross another barrier to enter the tomb.”

“Oh, now that I think about it, there was definitely another barrier in that tomb.”

Anyway, the easiest way to break through the barrier in the tomb is to use Arcel’s holy sword.

The Holy Sword Mystel purifies her magical power, allowing her to pass through the barrier without any adverse reactions.

Alfred may have other ways to break through the barrier, but in this situation, quick and convenient is the best.

“…Besides, there are other risk factors there.”

A creepy and ominous high elf.

A girl who resembles herself and uses a holy sword.

Arsel knew that they should never be ignored.

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“If that didn’t work out, I was just going to blow up all of the demon’s lands, right? Then, won’t both problems go away? “There is a barrier to the tomb, so as long as you control the power, you will be safe.”

“Are you sane too?! No, I knew he was crazy from the beginning, but you’re going to blow it all away?!”

Furthermore, Alfred’s words went too far and were not suitable for pushing Stella’s seizure switch.

“Yeah, there’s nothing left anyway, right?”

“Why isn’t there anything left? “The ancestors’ journals, the tombs of the elders, and the World Tree remain underground!”

No matter how much the land of the elves has turned into hell, there are still many legacies that remain there.

In particular, the World Tree, a tree said to have been planted by the ancestors of the elves located in the center, maintains the barrier to the land and at the same time breathes life into it.

If only the World Tree remained, it was not impossible to rebuild the land of the elves someday.

However, the standard of Alfred blowing it up means that there is literally nothing left there.

In the past, didn’t Alfred blow up an entire mountain range and turn it into a flat land, saying he wanted to create an advance route for the Demon King’s army?

I heard that there is a road there now and merchants are using it very well.

That magic was probably one of the magics created by Alfred’s mother, the Witch of Cinder, and if such a thing were to be done in the land of the elves, there would be no way that the World Tree would survive.

Then, of course, reconstruction will also go through the water.

“You crazy demon! “If you do something like that, I will never let you go!”

“Calm down, you idiot, it means that you will do it if the situation goes well.”

Alfred’s words also had other intentions.

In fact, it is the same as using the World Tree as a hostage and threatening Stella to follow him.

In the current situation, the only thing that is okay is Stella.

“Anyway, I’m planning to go because I have some questions about your land, so I won’t leave until I confirm it.”

“I’m curious, what is it?”

Still, Alfred seemed to have his own personal purpose and wanted to go to the land of the elves.

When Arcel asked the reason, Alfred smiled and opened his mouth.

“Grandma said that when you left, she would come and see the truth. She didn’t know what the truth was, so she deliberately prepared a way to get in.”

There was a reason for everything.

I guess Sion thought that Arcel and Stella would come and confirm the truth at the tomb.

Of course, that wasn’t the case in reality.

Perhaps even if that high elf wasn’t there, we might have been able to confirm that what Shion said was true.

“And where is your maternal grandmother?”

“She went out for a drink as usual, because my grandmother was very, very fond of drinking. Of course, it is common for restaurant owners to have trouble because of her appearance.”

“Ah… I understand.”

Arcel nodded her head as if she understood and glanced at Stella.

Sure enough, when Shion’s story came out, his expression got worse again.

The high elf I saw in the tomb at that time also mentioned Zion and tried to kill Stella, so of course his expression couldn’t be good.

“And you won’t have to worry about that zombie earl. “I think it’s probably some kind of defense feature created by ogres.”

“A defense function?”

“Yeah, you saw me resurrect her mother as an undead last time and use her, right? It’s similar to that. “I think it was designed to activate when an outsider invades the land of demons and causes trouble.”

“But there were already battles between elves in my hometown, so why come here now…?”

“That’s right, it’s a problem for ears, so things like that between ears don’t count. And the defense system doesn’t work if one or two people happen to die. “Maybe someone carried out genocide.”

“No way-“

Stella thought of a girl who looked like her.

The girl was holding her holy sword and blowing away all the elves that were attacking her.

Even if they are all already dead, they are still elves, and perhaps this is why one of the elders from the past was resurrected as an undead.

He returned from death for the survival of the elves.

However, the problem is that the condition of the elf who came back was not very good.

“Maybe if we go back now, they won’t pay much attention to us, they’ll both be busy keeping each other in check?”

No matter how high a elf he was, he could not demonstrate his original power in his undead state.

Rather than that, the opponent is a swordsman holding a holy sword.

In fact, considering that he had qualities comparable to those of a warrior, he was by no means an opponent that could be taken lightly.

Alfred says it is good luck for them.

“On the contrary, if time drags on, it will be disadvantageous for us, and it will never be favorable to whichever side wins.”

There is no need to explain the high elf side, and the warrior side is equally bad.

He cut down elves who were his comrades-in-arms, and even humans who were of the same race, without any hesitation.

If it were a girl who resembled Arcel from the past, she would naturally be hostile to Arcel, who was called a witch, Stella, who was attached to Arcel, and Alfred, who was called Satan.

The problem is that there are several holy swords over there that are said to have legendary power.

Even if each individual’s skills are far inferior to Arcel’s, the power of the Holy Sword cannot be ignored.

Right now, Arcel’s had an unreasonable power that could cut down any type of magic.

“Then we should move quickly.”

“That’s it, so what do you want to do, you idiot? “I don’t think the first attempt is difficult, but the second attempt is not.”

“…Do I have a choice?”

“Of course. “All choices are personal, but the responsibility for them is yours to bear.”

Alfred answered with a smile.

What decision will be made in the end is decided from the beginning.

It would be better to think brightly.

The way back was easy as the elves’ attention was drawn to another place, which meant that getting to the destination tomb was not that difficult.

“Okay, I’ll follow you. But make no mistake. “I’m worried about Arcel, so I’m following him this time too.”

“I too would get goosebumps, if a nerd like you were to worry about me.”

“…What on earth are you two doing this for?”

As he looked at those two people, Arcel began to worry about his future.

To be honest, I didn’t understand why the two were fighting like that.

Why are they bickering with each other so much in the first place?

†††

After leaving the forest, Zion headed to the city she often visited.

Still, she thought it was time to clear her head by drenching her mouth and throat with alcohol.

Recently, she couldn’t drink the whole bottle because her only grandchild asked her to help with the s*x, so she decided to drink as much as she wanted, which seemed to be the end of the job.

I told you where the truth was hidden.

It is up to the children who will move into the future to decide how to see the truth and judge it.

There is no need to get involved in the children’s choices.

Whether the choice is right or not, it is purely a personal choice, and responsibility for it is the responsibility of the individual.

She is glad that others are finally aware of the truth that only she knew.

Until now, others have kept it hidden deep down and never opened it because they were afraid of knowing the truth.

But in order to move forward, a certain amount of determination was needed.

That’s why the elves couldn’t move forward.

Until recently, thousands of years later, they could not forget their parents’ embrace and continued to try to remain in that skirt.

“The ancestors whom they praised so much did not make it with that intention…”

Shion muttered while drinking wine at a bar.

It was a regret she had abandoned a long time ago, but as she looked at the sprouts that were just growing, she felt nostalgia for the past.

That’s why she came to empty her head with alcohol.

Suffering needlessly alone will only bother her, so she tries to live comfortably by forgetting about reality with her alcohol.

She has lived like that ever since that day.

“I heard that an elf came into my territory without permission, so I came to check, but…was it you?”

A guest came to Zion.

To be exact, he is the owner of this land who welcomes guests.

“Huh? What business does the Queen of Vampires have with this ghost of the past? “I heard from her grandson that she is busy renovating her house.”

Outside the bar, Clen, the queen of vampires and the owner of the territory, came accompanied by soldiers.

Normally, he would go out alone, but he seems to have brought along at least an escort as his body is not fully healed yet.

Could the reason be that an unauthorized and unidentified elf invaded the territory?

“That’s it. That person is an elf I know, so you guys go away. “At this point, I’m going to have a drink here for the first time in a while.”

Clen bites the soldiers and orders additional snacks and wine for two.

“Has the queen of vampires been a glutton?”

“It was like that in the past, but now I know it is moderation. And this is like a treat given to guests as a host, so join us.”

And then I sit across from Zion and drink the same wine.

“Anyway, looking at it now, I see that my body is quite damaged.”

“An elf’s daughter and grandson both used violence and threats against me.”

Clen speaks with frowning eyes.

“hahahaha, I also got hurt sometimes before, so most of the time I got hurt by my grandson when I came here.”

Shion smiled and poured wine.

The two were already in a relationship.

The wine that Clen drinks is also the wine that Zion likes, and since they have been living together for a very long time, they have quite a bit in common.

Of course, there were differences in the way we lived.

One side has been managing this territory for a long time as a lord, while the other side has abandoned its duty to manage the land and moved far outside.

But the difference makes it easier to talk to each other.

If they are too similar, they may become hostile towards each other, similar to homophobia.

“So, what brought you here this time? And next time, can’t you just get your identity officially verified and come in through the front door? Invading the barrier and going over the castle wall will cause the soldiers to suffer needlessly.”

“Tell the soldiers I’m sorry, but I’m just going to have a quick drink and go, so having to go through immigration is a bit much.”

“Just get to the point, having an elf like you in my territory would attract too much attention.”

“…Is this just a nuisance? It’s such a shame.”

Shion looked at the red wine with a bitter smile.

Next, she holds up a wine glass and projects the moonlight.

The moon shining red was visible in the transparent glass.

“Our vampire queen knows this well, having ruled the people for a long time, so I’d like you to be this old man’s drinking buddy for a while.”

“…Tsk, I guess that’s not a good thing.”

“Nothing special, just about a foolish elf. “It’s the story of a foolish elf who only chased dreams and hopes without being aware of reality.”

It is said that there was a foolish elf in the past in Zion.

The elf followed the words of his great ancestors and tried to make the elf society a better place than it is now, but it seems that the reality was not so easy.