Beyond the Hero’s Death – 47 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 47: A small miscellaneous afterword-like note of Chapter 4

Thank you for reading my humble work thus far. I am Sadogawa, the author.
I've successfully made it to Chapter 4. This is all thanks to everyone who has followed along with us this far. Thank you.
Due to physical reasons, and also because Setsu-chan was a character I particularly loved myself, I couldn't bring myself to kill her off, so the first draft ended up feeling clumsy. As was the case with Luqur, it's a tragic death for a character who did nothing wrong. Even while writing, it grinds away at my mental strength. I'm currently making revisions bit by bit……

・Emperor
A person who pulled all sorts of triggers.
Unlike previous subjects of observation, he was genuinely competent. Yet it was precisely his birthplace and education that hardened his values, making him the very person who brought about his own tragic downfall.
This person's determination to label the hero as evil from the start, as a lifelong ambition and mission passed down through generations, was the beginning of the end. Had they not made that mistake, things would never have come to this.
Regarding memories passed down through generations, I feel it would be in poor taste to attempt to determine here how much of it is true, so I think it best to leave that to the imagination of our readers.
Just because one waves the banner of justice or a noble cause doesn't mean anything they do is permissible―that's certainly not the case. But this person happened to possess all the necessary talent, capability, national power, and position, so no one could stop them. In the end, they charged forward under that banner.
He should have been used to being humanity's savior, yet he pulled off a war criminal move.

If we're talking hypothetically, had this emperor possessed a broader perspective and judged matters more fairly, and had he not immediately moved to eliminate the hero after the demon king's defeat, there is a possibility that Al would have stopped at merely experiencing his childhood friend's infidelity and heartbreak. Even if deeply wounded, he might not have gone on to commit suicide.
In that case, the calamities would have reappeared before the hero's suicide, so whatever noticed the hero's death throes would have been aware of the changed situation.
If so, this person would have taken action against the church as well, so the church's position might have been different from what it is now... The people who perished and the nations that fell during this journey might have had different paths as well. Yet only Roger is morally corrupt, so he would be purged after the airship's completion. No matter how hard you struggle, it's purging for you, Roger.

・Roger
He was a hopeless bastard who thought he was some big shot mastermind, only to die from his own arrogance. Getting easily taken down and then dying in a pathetic manner―a textbook example of a small-time player's move. As for what he did, he was such a lowlife he deserved to die even more gruesomely, but since making it too gory would be a bit much, he exited the scene as if he were worse off than minced meat blown to bits.
He was blown to bits without ever accepting his own standing, but if Roger had possessed a more decent humanity, the Emperor might have valued him more or at least not abandoned him.
Although he had the hero party thoroughly beaten, his despicable character meant that even if he was competent, he ended up being the kind of person you'd want to eliminate once you were done with him.
With his military achievements, he judged those who bore grudges against the empire, and lived a life of debauchery with concubines treated as slaves. He must have enjoyed himself right up until his dying breath.
However, it's also true that if it had only been Raoul and Falty, they would have been completely shut down by the mansion's traps—it was only because of unexpected forces like the devil and Setsu that he was easily defeated.
He was good at accurately gauging others' abilities and then ensnaring them—he simply lacked flexibility and the ability to respond to unexpected events.
To be clear, without Roger, the airship would never have been completed, so he truly was a genius.

Calamities
The various things that appeared all over the world―the original source material for the homages―is a certain game I was absolutely obsessed with back in my youth. You can probably guess what it is. After utterly annihilating the empire, they once again dispersed to all corners of the world.

So, to reiterate, the next installment will be the final chapter. I would be grateful if you could accompany me a little longer until the end of Raoul's journey. Also, if you could bookmark or give a star, it would really boost my motivation, so I'd be very grateful if you could do so……!
Well then, I hope to see you again in the final chapter.