A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

This is ultimately just a fantasy; it's unknown how many people are still alive in this village.

"The teachers have all been killed... I wonder how many students like me survived." She sighed, her smile masked by sorrow.

The priests who helped the village hide were all wiped out in this angelic attack.

The elders who were once strong and reliable in her eyes were torn to shreds like paper in front of her.

"Anyway, thank you very much." Bray looked at Ryukdo, whose breathing had calmed down, and thanked the girl.

"No, I should be thanking you. Thank you for saving Lord Ryukdo."

Lord Ryukdo is the pillar of the village; if he were to fall, no one would know what to do.

Even now, it is impossible to find a more suitable role to lead the group.

Thiokdo is an essential component.

“That’s right, we should be the ones thanking you.” Ryukdo parted his chapped lips and uttered a weak voice.

Once he regained consciousness, Ryukdo struggled to open his eyes and glanced at Bray.

"She said your life isn't in immediate danger," Bray said casually after seeing Ryuk wake up.

"I heard that. It seems this old bone of mine hasn't reached the end of its life yet," Ryukto said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"So, are you leaving now?" Ryukdo asked, looking at Bray.

The battle is over; the enemy has been defeated.

It seems the passerby is indeed about to leave.

"You want me to stay?" Bray asked.

"Should I leave you here..." A hint of hesitation flashed in the old man's eyes.

This post-war peace is just an illusion; the village will surely face even more disasters afterward.

Because most of the forces that could protect the village have disappeared.

If Bray were here... if Dorothea were here...

Things will become very simple, and everyone will be able to live their lives normally without having to continue to fear the Bronze race.

“No, this place is not suitable for you.” Ryukdo simply shook his head slightly, but he had no intention of trying to persuade Bray to stay.

Although Bray was a formidable fighter, Ryukdo knew there was more for him to do.

"This world is full of places just like ours."

"If you stay, we can certainly rest easy here."

"But what about other places?"

“It’s a mistake to keep someone like you in this place,” he said quietly.

“…” Bray fell silent, simply looking at Ryukdo.

He didn't understand what Ryukdo was thinking.

Perhaps Ryukdo wanted to do something great, but he still didn't understand why Ryukdo would choose to do something great.

Bray always believed that in such desperate times, people should prioritize survival over greatness.

But the truth is quite the opposite.

“Then I’ll be leaving now,” Bray suddenly said.

"Huh?" The girl was stunned. The other person's words came out of nowhere.

"Leaving now? Even earlier than I expected," Ryukdo said with a wry smile.

“Yes, I’d like to see what the other places are like.” Bray nodded.

"Thump-thump-thump—" The wheels of the magic chariot made a strange sound, and then gradually moved away into the distance.

Ryukdo struggled to sit up from the ground.

"Lord Ryukdo, please don't push yourself."

"It's alright, it's just a glance." Ryukto stopped the girl from helping him up.

Ryukdo watched the magic vehicle grow smaller and smaller in his field of vision.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to continue fighting."

"Huh? What... what are you saying?" The girl was stunned again.

"Literally, if given the chance, I really hope to find a new source of inspiration for everyone." Ryukto was well aware of his situation.

He probably won't be able to recover to his peak physical condition and fight like before.

With his aging body, he simply couldn't fight and survive in this dark age.

The village needs another person to step forward.

However, I wonder if the village ever existed at that time?

In this dark age, it wouldn't be surprising if villages were wiped out at any time.

---

"Dorothea, let's go." Bray drove the car back to Dorothea's side.

"They're leaving already?" Dorothea looked at the book in her hand, then at Bray.

"I don't know when I'll be sent away, so why not take it all around?" Bray said.

"You're not wrong either." Dorothea nodded slightly, perhaps one day the two of them would be sent out of this past era.

She stood up and closed the book.

"Hmm... Sister Dorothea?" Melissa opened her sleepy eyes and looked at Dorothea, who had stood up, with a puzzled expression.

Bird was awakened along with Melissa.

"What are you doing..." Bird muttered in dissatisfaction.

"You're awake? That's perfect." Dorothea was still thinking about how to wake Bird up, but she didn't expect Bird to wake up on his own.

"Here's your book back." She tossed the book, which she hadn't finished reading, back to Bird.

This book helped her pass a lot of time.

It's a pity I didn't get to finish watching it.

"!!!!!" Bird hurriedly took the book.

We're leaving.

"Leave?" Melissa and Bird did not yet fully understand the meaning of "leave".

"Sister Dorothea, where are you going?" Melissa noticed Bray driving the magic vehicle and looked up to ask.

“Let’s go explore other places,” Dorothea said.

"Will you come back?" Bird asked nervously.

"I'm not coming back."

"Are you going to be a messenger?"

"A messenger? Probably," Dorothea said in a relaxed tone after smoothing her long hair.

"I want to become a messenger in the future."

“Didn’t Ryukdo say that you can do it if you want to?” Bray glanced at Bird sideways, then stepped on the gas, answering the question for Dorothea.

"And then, goodbye." After saying that, Bray didn't say anything more, and the car started moving.

Seeing that Bray had silently started the car, Dorothea jumped into it.

"Bang!" The car body shook violently a few times.

"Be gentle, this is an antique," Bray muttered. After driving the magic vehicle out of the underground, Bray involuntarily squinted his right eye; the light was a bit too bright.

Outside was terrain ravaged by angels, and the car bounced constantly as it drove on it.

They really left that village and will never go back.

"Dorothea," Bray called out to Dorothea, who was idly sitting in the back seat, as the breeze blew through him.

"If you have something to say, just say it." Dorothea examined her fingernails.

“If we weren’t here, would this village have disappeared?” Bray asked.

“Isn’t this the obvious?” Dorothea glanced at Bray, who was driving.

Bray's words were utter nonsense; without the two of them, the village would have been wiped out in an instant.

Ryukdo is very strong and fearless in dealing with most Bronze-class enemies.

However, no matter how strong Ryukdo is, he cannot defeat someone who is considered strong even among the Bronze-ranked beings.

Even if we take a step back and assume that Ryukdo defeated that third-order angel by relying on luck and willpower.

Before he defeated his opponent, there wasn't a single living person left in the village.

Hiding away from angels is actually a very unreliable strategy.

An angel's senses are not easily hidden; even if you crawl into a pile of rubble, they will be alerted.

The final result was that all the tigers were wiped out, and then Ryukdo was left alone to face the remaining tide of angels.

“In history, this village would not have survived,” Dorothea said softly, resting her chin on her hand.

"No matter what we do here, what has already happened will not change."

"This is not the real past after all."

“I know,” Bray nodded, a statement that Nick Boras had reminded him of from the beginning.

"After we leave, let this village be destroyed."

"Because the angels are still here."

"Hmm," Dorothea responded, looking in the direction Bray was heading, without saying anything more.

Bray is now driving in the same direction that Bird previously blocked them from going.

That is, the huge "sun" at the center.

“There are countless angels there,” Dorothea said to Bray.

“…” Bray remained silent, simply driving quietly.

"Eh~?" Dorothea looked at Bray's back with a meaningful look.

"Are you prepared for blood to stain that place?" she asked.

She believed that Bray was now going to kill all the angels in that place.

However, Dorothea would be very surprised if Bray made such a decision.

Would Blakeras, who doesn't kill indiscriminately, allow a place to be stained with blood?

“What are you talking about?” Bray said, his back to Dorothea.

"I'm just going to chop that sun down."

Bray had no intention of becoming an executioner.

No matter what you kill, as long as you engage in slaughter, you will ultimately be nothing more than a butcher.

Bray knew that what he was saying was a bit shameless, after all, it wasn't like he hadn't killed anything before.

But he still had no intention of becoming a person who would kill others at will.

If it were a very, very long time ago, he would indeed have thought the same as Dorothea: to wipe out all the angels for the sake of that village.

Unfortunately, Bray went through some things that greatly changed his perspective.

When the Bronze Seed is no longer considered a "monster" by itself, killing it becomes difficult.

"Is that all? How boring."

"After that, the village will be wiped out because it will no longer have a guardian."

“No,” Bray said calmly.