The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 199

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 199. Intermission – A Warm Winter (2)
Bang!
The solid wooden table in the Professor’s Office shook as though it might shatter.
Lucas Kane’s expression twisted into something savage, as if he might tear me apart on the spot.
“You…! You’re calling that a solution?!”
“A solution? I merely stated the facts as they are.”
I shrugged with composure.
Lucas Kane ground his teeth, his eyes narrowing.
“Who would believe that? Huh? Everyone at the Academy knows you’ve been glued to Lanez from the Candidate Program lately!”
“Then let’s say I kept her nearby to torment her.”
“You…!”
“After all, what actually happened doesn’t really matter, does it?”
That’s right.
The truth was never truly important.
Only what appeared to be the truth mattered.
….
Lucas Kane’s gaze grew distant and heavy.
“You’ll face disciplinary action instead.”
“I understand.”
“Your reputation will suffer among those who don’t know the circumstances.”
“Is there any reputation left for me to lose?”
“…I can prevent expulsion, but you’ll receive quite severe disciplinary measures.”
“It’s not my first time facing such things.”
….
Lucas Kane pressed his forehead with his palm, as though my composed response was giving him a headache.
“You’ll face at least two simultaneous disciplinary actions… which means you’ll receive a zero for this semester’s grade regardless of your test scores.”
“Ah.”
That was somewhat troublesome.
‘I thought I had one more chance left even if I faced discipline this time.’
Given the nature of the incident, it seemed a single disciplinary action wouldn’t suffice.
“Well… I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Honestly, I desperately wanted to escape this miserable bottom rank.
But I couldn’t simply stand by and watch Lanez face expulsion.
“Sigh. You really are….”
Lucas Kane exhaled a deep breath.
“So, will you help me?”
Of course, taking someone else’s disciplinary punishment in their stead wasn’t as simple as it sounded.
‘Someone else made me do it’ – if such an excuse could easily evade punishment, the potential for abuse would be far too great.
However.
If Lucas Kane himself stepped forward as a witness, that changed everything.
“….”
Lucas Kane continued his thoughts with his eyes firmly shut.
He clicked his tongue and opened the desk drawer.
Lucas Kane withdrew a single sheet of paper and handed it over.
“A statement. Prepare and submit it by tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
“That’s all. I don’t want to see your face, so get out.”
Lucas Kane waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away an insect.
I stifled a laugh, took the statement, and turned to leave.
“Dale.”
“Yes?”
“…Do your best to ensure this matter doesn’t leak outside.”
Lucas Kane spoke with a fierce expression reminiscent of a starving beast,
I barely suppressed the laughter threatening to burst forth as I walked away.
‘Anyway.’
His appearance and his personality are completely at odds.
* * *
Several days after Lanez’s unauthorized withdrawal incident.
Lanez and I headed toward the School Back Mountain where we usually trained.
“Huu.”
Lanez extended her hand with a tense expression.
Whoooosh!
A fierce blizzard gathered into her palm.
Swirling snowflakes.
Within the freezing earth, a pristine white snow flower bloomed.
“Freeze!”
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
With a clear cry, the pure white snow flower blossomed fully, scattering snowflakes around her.
Though it appeared chaotic at first glance, each snowflake she scattered struck only its intended target, freezing it solid.
“H-how is it…?”
Lanez turned to me with an anxious expression.
I nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Perfect.”
Her control over her blessing had improved dramatically compared to before—it was almost embarrassing to compare.
‘The power of her blessing is still weaker than what I witnessed in my past life.’
Yet the near-perfect control she demonstrated was far superior to that previous existence.
Back then, she froze everything indiscriminately—enemy and ally alike.
“Hehe. Thank goodness….”
Lanez smiled brightly, clearly noticing the difference in herself compared to before.
“If this continues… I won’t become the Witch of Night, will I?”
“Of course.”
I offered a faint smile and nodded.
“And if Gaho ever loses control again, I’ll be there to help you through it.”
“…Yes. Thank you, Dale.”
Lanez nodded in acknowledgment.
“Well then, shall we continue with the training?”
“Oh, wait, just a moment. Before that… here.”
Lanez extended a neatly folded white shirt toward me.
“That thing you said you’d wash for me before….”
“Oh, right.”
I’d completely forgotten about it.
“Wow… how many times did you wash this? It looks brand new.”
“I-I washed it really hard! It’s because I did something wrong!”
“You didn’t do anything wrong over a little soup splash.”
I stifled a chuckle and accepted the shirt from her.
“Um… Dale.”
Lanez clenched her fists tightly as she continued speaking.
“Yes?”
“I… won’t run away anymore. No matter how difficult or painful things become… I won’t run away from now on.”
Lanez spoke each word deliberately, her eyes burning with unwavering resolve.
“So you don’t have to match my training pace anymore.”
“…Lanez.”
“I can do this without you, Dale.”
“….”
The memory of when I first met her surfaced in my mind.
She had been trembling in the cold, her body curled up like a frightened child.
That girl who had desperately yearned for the warmth of others had now grown strong enough to stand alone on her own strength.
“….”
This must be how a parent feels when their child, who had been wasting away in their room, finally lands a job.
An indescribable sense of emotion filled my chest to the brim.
“That said… something feels off.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the Academy hasn’t said anything about it. I thought I’d be in serious trouble.”
Lanez tilted her head in confusion.
“Maybe they just let it slide since I came back in a day?”
“I suppose?”
“Don’t worry about that stuff—let’s just finish the training.”
I hurriedly changed the subject and tried to resume our session.
“Oh, Dale. Sorry, but could I head back a bit early today?”
“Huh? Why?”
“I, I just have some business to attend to.”
Lanez scratched her cheek, offering an awkward smile.
I wasn’t entirely sure what kind of business she meant.
“Well, alright then. Let’s wrap up early today.”
I nodded and returned to the Academy with Lanez.
“Th-then I’ll head out first!”
The moment we arrived at the Academy, Lanez dashed off somewhere in a hurry.
I watched her retreating figure and shrugged my shoulders.
“Well, I suppose things turned out for the best?”
Through this incident, Lanez had gained the ability to wield the Blessing of Harsh Winter on her own, and we’d obtained some information about the hero collaborating with Mephistopheles.
‘I’m sure Lanez has gained confidence in herself now.’
I recalled how she’d attempted to control the blessing’s power with her own strength alone, without relying on my assistance at the end.
It was something the old Lanez could never have imagined doing.
Remembering how she’d managed to control the blessing with only her own power, even as both her arms turned blue with necrosis, a smile naturally spread across my face.
‘With this, maybe she’ll overcome that excessive obsession with me.’
With such thoughts, I made my way toward the Dormitory.
* * *
Click.
Lanez closed the door behind her and placed the envelope she’d been carrying on the table.
“Phew. Ehehe.”
Lanez stared at the envelope with a vacant, blissful smile.
“Let’s see….”
She carefully removed the contents from the envelope as though handling treasure.
Inside was a photograph of Dale printed on premium paper.
“Kyaaaaaaa!”
Lanez spread the photograph across the table and let out a delighted shriek.
“Y-yes, it really does feel completely different seeing it like this compared to on Hero Watch.”
Having carefully selected and curated only the finest photographs from her ‘Dale Collection,’ she couldn’t have been more satisfied.
“Now then….”
Lanez carefully picked up a photograph and approached the wall.
“Hmm, hmm~♬”
She hummed as she affixed the photograph to the wall.
No—the walls alone weren’t enough; she covered the ceiling and floor with photographs as well.
“Ehehe. Dale… I love you so much….”
There were photographs of Dale smiling, eating, chatting, and more.
Many different photographs.
“Sigh. Yes… this is the one.”
But her favorite was the photograph of Dale drying his hair after coming out of the Hot Spring.
The towel draped around his neck and his half-wet hair.
And the toned chest muscles visible through the loosely worn robe.
*Gulp.*
Lanez caressed Dale’s chest in the photograph as though entranced, her hand tracing the image with reverent tenderness.
Why was that?
Even knowing it was merely a photograph, I could swear I felt Dale’s warmth radiating through my fingertips.
“Hehe. I’m so glad I kept this.”
Deep in my heart, I offered silent gratitude to Iris.
“And finally….”
I retrieved the shirt Dale had been wearing.
There were faint traces of soup splattered across it, but such trivial imperfections hardly mattered.
*Whoosh.*
I draped the shirt around an extra pillow.
And when I carefully affixed Dale’s photograph to the end of the pillow….
“Perfect!”
Gazing upon my makeshift Dale doll, I let out another delighted squeal.
“Ah… s-seeing it like this is so embarrassing, Dale….”
I writhed and twisted before my pillow creation in bashful delight, then suddenly bolted toward the Shower Room.
“I-I’ll be back soon, Dale!”
*Splash.*
After meticulously washing every inch of myself, I changed into my pajamas and settled into bed.
“*Sigh*… ahh.”
Burying my face deep in the shirt and breathing in slowly, Dale’s scent enveloped me entirely, as though wrapping around my whole being.
*Squirm.*
Lying in bed, my body moved with restless anticipation.
“Ahh….”
Breathless sighs escaped my lips, filling the cold room with warmth.
A warm winter night.

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