Chapter 4

Translated by AmaLynne

by AmaLynne

『 Hello. This is Ares, my beloved friend. How are you?

I’ve arranged for this letter to be found in Sofia’s bag when my mana disappears.

I’m sure you’re tempted to tear it up now that it’s from me, but please bear with me and read it. I don’t care how many times you tear it up afterward.

However, don’t tear the enclosed paper. That’s absolute.

Now, there are many things I want to write about, but let’s start with this.

Thank you for sticking with a bastard like me until now. I’m insanely grateful――― 』

“―――!”

The moment she read that far, Martina forgot to breathe for a moment.

As she read further, she found that the letter was filled with apologies for her past misconduct, and a brief explanation of why she had done what she had done.

There were also words of gratitude to Martina, Sofia, and Touka, filling up the lines as much as the apologies.

『 I don’t know if you’ll believe me now that I’ve sent you these words.

In fact, I think it would have been better if I had just written what I wanted to say and left this letter behind.

But still, I couldn’t express it in words, so I wrote it here. Please forgive me.

Also, enclosed is a letter of recommendation from me, which is necessary for Martina to become the Knight Commander of the Royal Capital and Sofia to become the Librarian of the Library of Magic. I’ve asked the king to stamp it with his seal.

And with her achievements in saving the world, she’ll definitely be able to become a Knight Commander and Librarian.

I’ve also set up a personal bank account for you, Touka. The money the king gave me for the trip, I’m giving it all to you. If you use it, it should help you rebuild your family house. I’ve also asked the king to give you a gift when you save the world.

Well, as long as you have a foil that you were one of the heroes who saved the world, you should have no problem rebuilding. Good luck.

Lastly, I’m proud to have traveled with you guys.

If it wasn’t for you guys, I probably wouldn’t have been able to make it to the final battle.

So, I’m extremely grateful.

Thank you for everything.

Well then, live well. See you later.

From Ares, the worst of the worst. 』

That was the end of the letter.

Martina took out two pieces of paper and a note from the envelope.

It’s definitely the letter of recommendation that had been in the letter, recommending Martina and Sofia for the position of Knight Commander and Head Librarian of the Library of Magic.

Sofia, who is a wise woman, said that the mana she felt from the royal seal was definitely real.

And on a small note, there was a PIN number for an account prepared for Touka.

“What’s that…? This… you don’t want us to get involved, so you’re going to take on Demiurge alone… And for that, you’re going to be hated by us… You’re an idiot.”

“Ma-Martina-san, um…”

Sofia was worried about Martina’s downcast look and tried to call out to her.

Martina jumped up and looked at her.

“No! We can’t do this!”

Martina clutched the letter tightly and turned to leave the diner.

The owner of the diner and other patrons looked annoyed at the three of them, but Martina and her friends had no time to worry about it.

“Wa? Martina, where are you going!?”

“Of course! It’s his place! I’ve got to find out what the hell he’s doing sending me all these letters!”

Martina was about to leave the cafeteria when Sofia suddenly spoke up.

“It’s already too late, Martina. Did you read the letter… properly?”

“I did read it! That’s why I’m doing this!”

“Then! You already know that he’s『 dead 』, don’t you?”

“What?”

Sofia shouted, unusually loudly.

The people around her were looking at her even more piercingly, but she couldn’t care less.

“This letter had magic on the envelope… This is the kind of magic often used to send wills.”

A spell that puts your own magic power into an envelope and makes it invisible.

This is called testament magic, and it is designed to reveal itself when the mana of the person who cast the spell disappears.

Moreover, it is difficult for even the most skilled wizard to recognize the existence of this letter, and in most cases, it cannot be found while it is hidden.

“If the letter was enchanted and it appeared before us, it means that… Ares-san has already…”

There is only one thing in this world that can mean the disappearance of mana…

It’s just a matter of time before it’s too late.

“It’s a lie… a lie, a lie, a lie!　He’s not the kind of guy who can do something this auspicious! This letter must be some kind of prank!　I’m sure he’s hiding in plain sight somewhere, watching our reactions and laughing! Yes, of course, he is! We’re going to find him and we’re going to beat him up!”

“Martina… that’s enough. He’s already…”

“That can’t be true! He’s an asshole, not the kind of guy who writes letters like this, that’s why… that’s why…”

Martina remembers how Ares looked when she first met him.

He was a straightforward man who had been entrusted with a mission by the king and was bent on carrying it out.

Somewhere along the line, he became arrogant, a rough spender, a drunkard, and a quarrelsome brawler.

However, in hindsight, the change was too drastic and somewhat deliberate.

The first time I met him, my impression of him and the impressions I had of him so far didn’t mesh.

Was it all because he was acting?

Was he playing the role of a hated person to keep us from the final battle… and the result of death?

“―――…We’re going back to the glaive.”

“Martina, my dear.”

“Martina-san.”

“I’ll never trust a letter until I see his corpse with my own eyes.”

With that, Martina and the others left the restaurant and headed back to the Cemetery Glaive as fast as they could.

After arriving in the glaive, the group set out for the center where the dimensional rift was said to be located.

Despite being blinded by the blowing sandstorm, they managed to find a place that seemed to be their destination.

However, there is no dimensional rift there, but instead, there is,

“Lies… What the hell is this?”

What the three of them saw was a crater gouged deep into the ground.

It looked like an explosion zone.

It tells them that there was some kind of big explosion here.

The evidence of this was the small fires still smoldering in many places, and the intense heat that was being released.

And there was something left behind at the site of the explosion.

“Oh, no… that’s not… that.”

Martina’s voice trembled.

Sofia also put her hand over her mouth, and Touka turned her face away to avoid looking at it.

The only thing left in their gaze was a sword that was unmistakably… the favorite of the hero Ares.

“No… no… ―――NOOOOOOOOO―――!!!!!!!!!!!!”

In the uninhabited wilderness, Martina’s cries echoed.

She fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands.

Behind her, Sofia stood dumbfounded, while Touka pounded her fist repeatedly against a protruding rock.

Today, on this day.

The threat of the demon god Demiurge is gone from the world.

The world has regained its peace after the life-threatening battle of a single hero.

It would be some time from now before the world would know this fact.

TN: End of Prologue, next chapter will be the main story -w-