The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 89 The Bitterly Blooming Flower of Paradise 2

My name is Yujin.

I think I used to have a last name… but unfortunately, after the first Great Rift on Earth, which led to my reincarnation in another world, I don’t remember it.

Even if I returned, no one would remember me.

My name was recorded as Cheon Yujin or Choi Yujin in the resident registry, but there was no reason to recall my last name now, so I’m simply called Yujin.

Well, let me get to the point.

To be honest, I never wanted to become a hero.

Of course, when I first realized I had arrived in a fantasy world, I couldn’t contain my excitement, overwhelmed by various emotions, including joy.

Reincarnation in another world, something I’d only seen in novels or comics… No, in my case, it was more of a dimensional transfer than reincarnation.

Anyway, anyone who had ever dabbled in subculture or games couldn’t easily give up the fantasy of such a world.

I thought, in this place, I could wield great power and live with authority.

No one would ignore me here.

I would make kind, beautiful, and cool companions or lovers, happily contemplating who I would end up with.

I wouldn’t have to worry about money or treasure.

There was a time when I was lost in such delusions and grand fantasies.

Of course, those fantasies were shattered less than a week after I fell into this world.

While being bestowed with the power of a hero and using an unknown strength was great, could a weak human like me, who had never even fought or killed anything before, suddenly become cruel just because I gained power?

Humans are indeed cruel creatures, but on the other hand, the moral values I had upheld in my life weren’t easily broken.

At first, it wasn’t even a matter of killing people; killing monsters was difficult enough.

The kingdom and its rulers, recognizing my weak human nature, did everything they could to exploit me.

On the surface, they would flatter me with sweet words, but in reality, they used me as a convenient tool… no, more accurately, they treated me like a pathetic fool.

They exploited me with so-called ‘requests,’ not orders, making full use of my abilities.

The power I had as a hero was the ability to materialize beliefs and truths.

It wasn’t an omnipotent power that could do anything, but it was capable of manifesting most things within reason.

With that power, I made the kingdom prosper.

Of course, at the time, I thought that was a good thing.

A beautiful princess praised me by her side.

The kingdom’s people hailed me as a great hero descended from heaven, cheering for me like I was their religion.

Even the king personally commended me, and nobles constantly sought to connect with me through countless meetings that bordered on lavish hospitality.

Just the fact that I lived well without any lack made me oblivious to the cruel realities of the world.

Yes… Back then, the value I had was nothing more than a lucky fool who had stumbled upon power and earned the title of hero.

And yet, I didn’t realize I was being used, and for two years, I became an excellent tool for private retribution.

The moment I realized something was wrong was when I was ordered by the king to drive out a village of demi-human refugees.

I believed the king’s words, that the demi-humans had invaded the kingdom, killing and pillaging innocent citizens, and I, as the hero of justice, drove them out.

What made me realize something was wrong was when I noticed there were no men among those demi-humans.

The demi-humans were made up only of women, children, and elderly people, and they cursed me even as they died.

“Why did you kill us…”

“You devilish bastard!”

“What did we ever do to you!!”

“I hate you more than the Demon King!”

“Give me back my mother!”

It was at that moment that I realized I had made a terrible mistake.

Later, I learned the truth: those demi-humans had not invaded the kingdom.

Their tribe had been devastated by the Demon King’s army.

Rather than help them, the kingdom saw them as a nuisance and left the task of massacring the refugees to me.

While I, the hero meant to face the Demon King, wasted several years as a convenient tool for some selfish rulers, the world had fallen into ruin.

The kingdom that appointed me as the hero turned a blind eye to the global situation.

Since no immediate crisis had come to their land, they only grew in power by backstabbing other nations and races.

Why worry?

They had the hero.

If the Demon King came, the hero would take care of it.

In despair, I left the kingdom.

I finally left to join the frontline against the Demon King’s army.

It was there, at the front, that I met Olgania.

Olgania Eirlanier Veld.

She was a child of the World Tree, blessed by the Great Forest, and yet she had left the forest to fight the Demon King’s army, hoping to join the hero she had foreseen as one of his trusted five companions.

Of course, that hero was off somewhere, living a life of luxury while turning a blind eye to the world, like a pathetic fool.

“Tch, a hero, huh? A mere boy like you? The world’s truly doomed.”

“…..”

“Stop dazing out and come help pitch the tent. Or maybe you should just stay tucked away in some remote village, wasting your life away like you’ve been doing!”

Her first words to me were filled with contempt and mockery.

It wasn’t just Olgania who resented me.

Everyone at the frontlines who had been fighting against the Demon King’s army viewed me with disapproval.

No… perhaps everyone in that world hated me.

And it made sense.

The saintess had clearly said that the hero had descended into the world, but the so-called hero never showed his face on the frontlines against the Demon King’s army.

He abandoned all duties and responsibilities, closing his eyes and ears while living a life of luxury.

In the meantime, humanity hadn’t been exterminated only because countless lives had been sacrificed, desperately holding the line like patching a crumbling dam.

The saintess, Olgania, and my companions… didn’t trust me.

As a hero, I had earned no trust.

Yes, a hero being used as a mere tool… It would have been better for the world if I had died, so a new hero could be born.

But despite arriving late to the frontlines, I fought desperately to prove myself.

For the first time, I understood what it meant to fight without rest in a situation where supplies and resources were scarce, spilling blood and grinding down one’s bones.

I learned what it meant to risk life and death in a genuine, brutal battle, where lives were exchanged.

I came to know the grief and sorrow of losing comrades who had fought back-to-back with me.

I learned how horrifying war and combat truly were.

And it didn’t take long for me to realize that I wasn’t all that remarkable.

Yet still, I fought.

Desperately, I fought, hoping it would at least offer some consolation to those who had died because I abandoned my duty and responsibility.

Fortunately, the saintess was the first to start believing in me.

The wizard taught me new magic.

The knight and the archer showed me how to fight.

And Olgania continued to hurl sharp words at me until the end.

Too slow.

Having power alone doesn’t make you a hero. Your mindset is trash.

Go back.

We can hold this line without you.

You’re just a child, go back.

If I were to gather all the biting words Olgania had thrown at me, it could probably fill several books.

But I stayed on the frontlines.

I fought, fought again.

Back-to-back with comrades.

Trampling over the blood and corpses of allies, we thrust our swords into the Demon King’s army.

Even while we waged life-or-death battles daily, some political powers tried to secretly remove me or lure me away.

The kingdom, the place where I first arrived in this world, tried desperately to reclaim me, no matter what.

Of course, the temptation was sweet.

The frontline against the Demon King was hard, painful, horrifying, sorrowful, and agonizing.

Every day, I found myself wanting to look away and return to the palace, where a soft bed, a beautiful princess, people who adored me, and delicious food and drink awaited.

Before I was a hero, I was just a human named Yujin.

The temptation was effective, and honestly, I came close to giving in.

But I had my comrades.

How could I abandon comrades bound to me by bonds deeper than blood, ties stronger than family, friendship, or love, and go lick the sweet honey?

Especially when Olgania witnessed the royal emissary trying to sway me, she looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“Good for you. Why don’t you go back with them? It’s tough, isn’t it?”

Ha, how could I go?

How could I leave you all behind and go?

At that moment, Olgania’s expression twisted slightly after hearing my words, and it was a sight to see.

Spurred by her words, I didn’t leave the frontlines.

The white dragon of autumn changed the skies.

The torrential rains of summer turned the earth into mud.

In spring, Alraune’s pollen sent both humans and the Demon King’s army into hallucinations without discrimination.

In winter, the ice princesses born from the biting cold simultaneously froze all life.

I endured it all.

I really gave it my all.

I truly believed I fought hard.

That’s how I… managed to bring the frontline to a standstill.

I won and won again.

Though inexperienced at first, I grew adept at using my power, and humanity’s frontlines slowly pushed deeper into the Demon King’s territory.

We secured victories against the Demon King’s lieutenants.

Even the Four Heavenly Kings, who had killed the most humans and scorched the land, were defeated.

There were countless sacrifices, but in the end, we won again and again.

That is, until the Demon King himself descended.

We lost.

Just like that.

We were overwhelmingly defeated.

Why had the Demon King descended so soon?

Why had the Demon King’s arrival come so early…?

The Demon King’s body wasn’t even complete yet.

To complete the Demon King’s body, human lives and malevolent energy were needed.

However, with humanity winning at the frontlines, the supply of souls and life forces required to form the Demon King’s body must have dwindled considerably.

We were confident humanity would win, so how had the Demon King completed his body and descended so much faster than expected?

It was then that I realized the truth.

The ‘kingdom’ I had once stayed in, the kingdom I had made prosperous, had betrayed all of humanity.

They feared being held accountable for neglecting to support the frontlines against the Demon King’s army while stabbing other nations and races in the back to siphon off their resources.

So the kingdom desperately tried to lure me back, and when I ultimately refused, the entire kingdom—its citizens, king, and nobles—pledged allegiance to the Demon King.

With the situation at the frontlines in turmoil, the kingdom set fire to the elves’ Great Forest.

They poisoned the rivers of the beastmen’s lands and detonated a plague bomb they received from the Demon King’s army in the heart of the empire.

That wasn’t enough, so they eventually massacred their own citizens and offered them to the Demon King.

As a result, humanity began to be stabbed from behind.

Once the balance was tipped, the frontlines collapsed.

Ah, it’s because of me.

Because I was a hero, this happened.

Because I was unworthy, this happened.

Because I didn’t finish the fight, because I was sloppy, because I was weak and foolish, this wretched nightmare unfolded!

No matter how much I cried out, the situation didn’t change.

Despite my desperate efforts, the situation grew increasingly dire.

The number of people I could trust dwindled, and my political standing became perilous due to the kingdom’s betrayal.

I had essentially contributed the most to the creation of that traitorous kingdom.

It felt like all my efforts had been in vain, and even my comrades no longer believed in me.

My comrades died, and one by one, my companions fell.

While I was fighting on the frontlines, the Demon King framed the saintess as a traitorous witch, forcing her into hiding.

The wizard was killed in a sudden bombardment by the Demon King’s forces.

The knight returned to his empire, which had been ravaged by the plague, only to succumb to the disease himself, leaving not even a body to be found.

The archer was poisoned by an assassin sent from the damn ‘traitor kingdom.’

Thus, only Olgania and I were left to fight against the Demon King until the end.

And we lost.

Olgania was mortally wounded while protecting me.

The Demon King, as if uninterested in me after our defeat, simply left.

Yeah, of course, he wouldn’t care.

What kind of pathetic hero is this?

He must have left in disgust, thinking how pitiful I was…

“Don’t die… Please. Olga… Olgania. Please…”

But I couldn’t save Olgania, who had been pierced by the Demon King’s greatsword.

No matter how much I used my power, no matter how much I begged, her wounds wouldn’t heal.

God, please, don’t take her from me.

Please, please…

“…I… never liked… you from the beginning…”

“I don’t care if you hate me… Just please. Please, Olgania… Don’t die.”

“A kid like you… Why were you even here in the first place…?”

“……”

It was only then that I realized Olgania had been deliberately pushing me away, speaking to me harshly to keep her distance.

In hindsight, Olgania always criticized and teased me, acting as if she wanted to keep her distance…

But at some point, we had become closer than family, more cherished than lovers, and more reliable than comrades.

I begged her not to die.

Please, don’t take her from me.

She was the last hope I had left.

Just give me a little more time. Please.

“I… am a child of the Mother World Tree… Yujin, when I die… bury me there… and…”

Burn the already tainted World Tree.

“Though the World Tree has been defiled by the Demon King, if you take its power… you’ll…”

With those final words, Olgania breathed no more.

Alright, I understand.

Olgania.

I’ll do it.

I’ll burn the World Tree, absorb its power, and kill the Demon King.

I’ll kill that despicable bastard!!!

And so, I buried Olgania beneath the World Tree.

Even though the Great Forest had been burned by humans, the elves surprisingly opened the path for me without resistance.

Because I was the hero.

Because I had brought Olgania’s body.

Because they trusted me.

The elves probably didn’t even know that the World Tree had already been defiled by the Demon King.

I buried Olgania’s body beneath the World Tree and set it ablaze.

I absorbed its power.

Fearing it might still not be enough, I even went to the northernmost edge to retrieve the terrible cursed sword guarded by the dragons.

This should be enough.

Watch me, Olgania. I’m going to win.

Then, I went to find the Demon King.

We fought.

We fought endlessly.

Forgetting even the flow of time, I fought to the death.

I fought, even if it meant dying here, just to kill him.

As I fought, countless thoughts crossed my mind.

If even one of my comrades were here, I might have won.

If even one of them were here, I wouldn’t have felt so lonely…

Is there anyone out there?

I’m lonely.

But don’t worry.

This time… I’ll defeat that damn Demon King.

I’ll bring peace.

I’m the hero, after all.

[It’s over.]

As I fought for countless days without rest, the Demon King suddenly lowered his sword, and I tilted my head in confusion.

Over? What do you mean by over?

Nothing’s over.

I won’t fall until I kill you.

[The destruction of this world has been completed.]

What?

[Come to think of it, you’re an outsider. In that case, I have no further business with you.]

With those words, the Demon King disappeared.

His army and his castle all vanished as well.

Not understanding the situation, I stepped outside.

Darkness, darkness, darkness.

There was only darkness.

The sun, the sky, the air, and the land—all had rotted and decayed, corrupted by the malevolent energy of the Demon King.

“No… no…”

I walked.

To where the Empire once stood.

To where the Great Forest of the elves had been.

To where the traitor kingdom had once existed.

To the deserts and highlands where the beastmen lived, to the Great Jungle where Alraune pollen drifted in the spring.

I visited the quiet, peaceful countryside and even the sea at the end of the continent.

There was nothing, anywhere.

Not the Demon King, not humans, not beasts, not life, not dragons, not monsters, not insects, not flowers, not trees…

Nothing.

I would have been relieved to find even a corpse, but in a place long since rotted and turned to dust, finding a body was impossible.

Ah, I see.

There really is nothing.

Nothing except me.

Nothing at all.

Only then did I scream.

“Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!”

What kind of hero am I?!?!

What, what, WHAT am I?!?!?!

What kind of worthless fool like me can be called a hero?!?!?

Ah, it’s all a lie! It’s all a damn lie!!!

This is a nightmare, a terrible nightmare! Someone, wake me up!

Olgania!!

Where are you, Olgania!

Aaaah!!

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!

And so, I, Yujin the Hero, returned to Earth.

Yeah, since the world had ended, it was only natural for the hero to be cast out.

Ah, I’m not even a hero.

I’m a liar.

I’m just a hero of lies, who did nothing but deceive.

Just a simple liar…

For a while, I was consumed by despair.

But when I closed my eyes, I could hear the voices of my lost comrades.

Stay strong.

Don’t stop.

Are you going to stay like this?

Olgania’s voice, sharp and impatient, telling me to get up immediately, echoed in my head too.

Thanks to them, I found a bit of strength.

I couldn’t protect the previous world.

But Earth, which I had returned to, was also on the brink of destruction, threatened by the Great Rift and the gates.

So, I thought maybe I had been given another chance, as a hero who had failed to protect a world once.

I fought hard alongside Yeonseo, the first S-rank hunter.

I’d gotten used to giving it my all.

And so, Earth was rebuilt from the brink of destruction.

I, too, adapted once again.

I lived as if everything was fine on the surface.

Until the ‘Great Forest of the Elves’ appeared on Earth again.

Ah, I’m a liar and a sinner.

Olgania, Olgania, have you come to judge me?

Olgania…

But I was a coward.

I couldn’t bring myself to go to the Great Forest.

I should’ve gone, but I kept putting it off.

Even when I received invitations from the Great Forest, I threw them into the fireplace several times.

Olgania… Olgania… I’m sorry, Olgania.

A hero who failed to protect the world… can’t bear to see you again…

“Wow, every word that comes out of your mouth is a lie.”

“What?”

“Your appearance is a lie. Your voice is a lie. Everything you’ve said, except that you’re the leader of the Returnee group and that you’re searching for traces of the Demon King, is a lie. Is your power to tell lies? Did you even earn that S-rank through lies?”

“……..!”

Ah, what a relief.

If it’s the Saintess of the Dead, who succeeded in protecting the world… instead of me, the failed, lying hero…

“As a saintess, there’s one thing I know for sure about you.”

“…….”

“I cannot acknowledge you as a hero.”

I can entrust this to you.