The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 149

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 149. The Consecutive Disappearances of Candidates (3)
Before I could begin investigating the consecutive disappearances of candidates in earnest.
I excused myself by claiming I had something to attend to, leaving Sophia and Berald behind as I made my way toward a particular location.
My destination lay in the most secluded corner of Hero Academy’s sprawling grounds.
It was where a dilapidated Research Building stood, looking as though it might crumble at the slightest touch.
I gazed upon Jade’s Research Laboratory and let out a quiet tsk of regret.
‘I should have come sooner.’
Ever since my relationship with Sophia had first become strained, I’d thought I should visit him one day, but with so many other matters demanding my attention, I was only now making the trip.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve barely been in contact with Professor Jade these past few months.’
Even when I did need to reach out, I’d only exchanged brief pleasantries through Hero Watch. It had been far too long since I’d visited his research laboratory in person like this.
“Professor Jade, are you in?”
Knock, knock.
I rapped lightly on the laboratory door.
Crash!
“Aaah!”
A sound of something colliding came from within, followed by Jade Bastian’s cry of pain.
Startled by the sudden knock, he must have jumped up and struck himself against something.
“Are you alright?”
Alarmed by the cry from inside, I quickly opened the door.
“Ah, I’m, I’m fine!”
Jade Bastian fumbled about, hastily organizing the research materials piled high on the table.
He rubbed the crown of his head where it had struck the bookshelf, letting out a pained groan.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to see how you’ve been doing, Professor. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”
For now, I refrained from mentioning anything about Sophia as I surveyed the cluttered laboratory.
I exhaled softly and shook my head with a wry smile.
“It’s become a complete mess again.”
“Ahem, well, though it may appear disorganized, everything is actually arranged with meticulous calculation and order….”
“I think we need to clean up first.”
I turned away from Jade Bastian’s lame excuses and moved to tidy the scattered laboratory.
“Ah, no! It’s fine! I’ll organize it myself later!”
Like a teenage boy caught with hidden adult magazines, Jade Bastian urgently grabbed my arm.
I paused mid-motion and tilted my head curiously.
“Why are you so startled?”
“Ha ha. Ah, it’s nothing at all.”
“….”
It was obvious he was hiding something.
‘Well, that’s not what matters right now anyway.’
Without pressing him further, I pulled over a nearby chair and sat down.
“Professor, there’s something I’d like to ask you, if you don’t mind?”
“Hmm? Something you wanted to ask?”
“Do you happen to know a Candidate named Sophia Evergreen?”
Since I’d come this far, I decided to cut through the pleasantries and get straight to the point.
“….”
The moment Sophia’s name left my lips, Jade Bastian’s expression hardened like stone.
His eyes, searching for nowhere to land, trembled faintly.
“H-how do you know that name….”
Jade Bastian’s voice wavered as he trailed off.
I shrugged lightly and answered.
“It just happened that our paths crossed. When I spoke briefly with Sophia, it seemed like she knew you… I was curious what your relationship was.”
“….”
Jade Bastian clamped his mouth shut and bowed his head deeply.
His lips pressed tightly together, he opened his mouth with a suppressed voice.
“Do you know what they call me among the Candidates?”
“….”
At least within Hero Academy, it was a title far more infamous than “Heir of the Great Sage.”
“The Disciple Killer, Jade Bastian.”
Two years ago, a Candidate had died in an accident during one of his research experiments, and that nickname was born.
“Well… yes, I’m aware of it.”
I nodded without bothering to speak that name aloud.
Jade ran his weathered face through his hands and released a heavy sigh.
“The Candidate Oscar Kalif who died back then… was Sophia’s biological older brother.”
“…!”
At that bombshell revelation from Jade Bastian’s lips, my eyes widened in shock.
‘Sophia had an older brother?’
In my past life, despite spending ten years together in the same party, I’d never heard this mentioned once.
“Wait, if they were true siblings, wouldn’t they share the same surname?”
“When Sophia’s parents separated, her surname changed. Before that, they both shared the surname Kalif.”
“….”
So Sophia’s former surname had been Kalif.
This too was something I was hearing for the first time.
“…ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped between my lips.
‘I really… knew nothing at all.’
Iris, Yuren, Berald.
I’d thought that after ten years together, I knew everything about each of them.
But now that I’d turned back time, what I believed I knew about them proved to be merely the tip of an iceberg.
“So that’s why Sophia came to resent you, Professor.”
“….”
Jade Bastian nodded heavily.
“How did that Candidate Oscar end up caught in an accident?”
“….”
In that instant.
Jade Bastian’s face hardened like stone.
He clenched his fists until they trembled, biting his lips as he fought to contain the fury boiling within him.
“Oscar was… a terrible Candidate.”
“….”
“Self-righteous, selfish, willful, and utterly self-absorbed.”
Jade Bastian unleashed a torrent of fierce condemnation, as though purging long-suppressed emotions.
“…So the accident happened because of that Candidate Oscar?”
“Yes!”
Jade Bastian nodded with a rigid expression.
“That fool wouldn’t follow my instructions properly and conducted dangerous experiments on his own! And… and!”
Boom!
Jade Bastian swept his hand violently across the table.
Papers scattered like snowflakes.
The words “Artificial Stigma” written on one of them caught my eye.
“Because of that idiot, I lost everything in an instant! The research I poured my entire life into! My reputation! All my achievements!”
Tears streamed down the wrinkles of his eyes.
The suppressed rage erupted like an active volcano.
“I… I…! There was nothing I could do….”
Jade Bastian hung his head, sobbing.
Suddenly.
A conversation I’d had with Lucas Kane long ago surfaced in my mind.
-Do you know what that bastard did in front of Oscar’s grave? He insulted his dead student, calling him an “idiot”—I heard it with my own ears!
‘So that’s what happened.’
If Jade Bastian had lost everything in an instant due to one student’s mistake, his reaction was understandable.
I placed my hand on Jade Bastian’s shoulder as he trembled with agitation.
“Please calm yourself, Professor.”
“Hah… I apologize for my outburst.”
Jade Bastian sighed and shook his head.
“I’m sorry to ask this of you after you’ve come to visit after so long… but could you leave for today?”
Jade Bastian asked with an exhausted expression.
“…Yes, I understand.”
There was no point in continuing the conversation—emotions suppressed for so long couldn’t be resolved all at once anyway.
I nodded and rose to my feet.
Click.
As I opened the laboratory door and stepped outside, I saw a gray sky heavy with dark clouds.
“Ugh.”
I swallowed hard and clicked my tongue.
‘It’s going to be difficult to reconcile Sophia and Professor Jade right now.’
If their rift had stemmed from a misunderstanding, I’d considered stepping in to help bridge the gap, but given the circumstances, rushing forward felt reckless.
‘If I fumble the attempt, I’ll only fan the flames of conflict.’
For now, my priority was finding the culprit behind the Candidate Program serial disappearances.
* * *
The next day.
Berald, Sophia, and I convened a meeting to strategize how to apprehend the perpetrator of the Candidate Program serial disappearances.
“So, have you come up with a method to catch the culprit?”
“I’ve conducted another investigation into the case.”
I handed Sophia a sheet of paper containing an organized list of the victims.
The paper detailed the victims’ personal information, the circumstances of their disappearances, and witness testimonies with meticulous precision.
“…How on earth did you obtain this?”
Sophia’s expression shifted to one of surprise as she examined the neatly compiled documents.
“I have a friend who’s quite capable in this field.”
“What’s his name?”
“Albert, from the Huber Family.”
“The Huber Family? The Empire’s largest information guild?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
When I’d contacted Albert last night asking if he could assist with the investigation, he’d produced a meticulously organized document within a single night.
‘I knew the Huber Family was competent, but I never imagined Albert would prove this invaluable.’
It was an efficiency difficult to reconcile with his usual appearance—that hapless demeanor as he screamed while being forced to drink Professor Lucas Kane’s special health concoction.
“Hmm. You’ve got quite the network, haven’t you?”
Sophia regarded me with eyes that gleamed with intrigue.
But that moment was fleeting.
A chill crept into her gaze as she looked at me.
“Though I suppose entangling yourself with someone utterly worthless to associate with is inevitable.”
“….”
I disregarded her barbed remark and turned my attention to my party members.
“Let’s each review the compiled information and devise a strategy to apprehend the culprit.”
“Understood.”
“Hehe! Leave it to me!”
We each examined the documents, reviewing the details of the Candidate Program disappearance case.
As we divided the documents and scrutinized the victims involved in the incident.
“Gasp…! This, this can’t be!”
Berald’s eyes widened as he suddenly sprang to his feet.
“B-brother! Look at this!”
“Did you discover something?”
“A fourth-year Candidate named Amanda, known as the ‘Iron-Willed Nun,’ was apparently married!”
“You idiot.”
What exactly are you investigating here?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————