The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 201

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

Chapter 201. Traitors (2)
Disciplinary Committee ruling.
One month suspension extended. Government funding reduced.
Well, I didn’t really need that pittance of government support from the Republic anyway.
‘It doesn’t even feel like I’m attending school anymore.’
After two weeks of suspension followed by another month, it genuinely felt like I’d dropped out entirely.
“Sigh.”
The sun hung high in the sky.
I lay sprawled across my bed, exhaling languidly.
At least until recently, I’d had something to do—assisting Lanez with her blessing control training—but now, during actual class hours, I had nothing whatsoever, and I was experiencing the bitter reality of unemployment alone in my room.
‘Even training has its limits.’
The newly acquired “Dread Flame” drained my mana like a bottomless pit with each use, making continuous training impossible.
As for basic martial arts or swordsmanship, I’d already surpassed the stage where training could elevate my level further.
In other words.
To put it bluntly.
‘I have nothing to do.’
That was it.
Nothing at all.
Painfully so.
“…Oh, right. Has the holy relic been completed?”
The holy relic that Grace’s soul had left behind when it vanished.
I’d discreetly handed it to Jade Bastian and asked him to craft it into an artifact.
Since I had nothing else to do anyway, I sent Jade Bastian a message right away.
[It seems I’ll need more time.]
His reply came back—more time was needed.
[I’m crafting it as discreetly as you requested, so it’s difficult to procure the necessary materials.]
“Ugh.”
There was no helping it.
I was already facing discipline for illegally entering Grace’s Tomb, and if it were discovered that I possessed Grace’s holy relic, I’d be branded as an enemy of the Holy Kingdom.
[Understood. Please take your time with the crafting.]
[Leave it to me.]
[Thank you as always.]
[What’s there to thank me for? A holy relic brimming with divine power like this is my first time—it’s quite fascinating to research.]
I wished he’d prioritize artifact crafting over research.
I was about to close the message window with a wry smile when—
Ding.
A clear chime rang out.
I thought it might be another message from Jade Bastian, but there was no new message from him.
“Iris?”
A message had arrived—not from Jade Bastian, but from Iris.
“Have you had lunch?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then would you like to eat together? I’m at the Central Plaza right now.”
“I’ll be right there.”
It was welcome news to hear.
I quickly rose from my seat, changed clothes, and headed toward the Central Plaza.
“Hahaha!”
“So? What happened?”
“Do you want to go to Valhalla City this weekend?”
“Oh my~ That sounds wonderful, senior!”
As I arrived near the Central Plaza, I could see pairs of Candidates seated together, their clear laughter filling the air as they chatted.
“Ugh.”
Right.
This was what the Central Plaza was like during lunch hour.
I’d forgotten because I usually stuck to the Student Cafeteria.
‘The place with the most couples in the Academy.’
Where Candidates gathered to venture outside the perfectly adequate Candidate Cafeteria and engage in embarrassingly public displays of affection.
That was the Central Plaza during lunch hour.
‘In my past life, they seemed like people from a different world.’
Perhaps this was how the people from the Republic who arrived from another world five hundred years ago felt.
The sight of the Central Plaza—whether they came to eat or to cling to each other and mark their territory—felt so alien that I questioned whether I was really attending the same Hero Academy.
‘But.’
Watching from a distance and swallowing my resentment was a story from my past life.
Now….
“Ah, here you are, Dale!”
Iris waved her hand with a radiant smile.
The moment I saw her sitting on a mat spread across the grass beside the Central Plaza, a smile naturally bloomed across my face.
“How was class?”
“Oh, pretty much the same as usual.”
Iris offered me a sandwich from the basket with a gentle smile.
As I reached out to take it.
“Dale.”
“Hmm?”
“Say ‘ah.'”
Instead of handing the sandwich to my hand, Iris brought it directly to my mouth.
As I bit into the sandwich she offered, my hands clenched into fists.
‘Yes, this is it.’
In my past life, I’d complained about the couples gathered in the Central Plaza—what business did Candidates who would become heroes and bear responsibility for the Continent’s future have with romance, who did they think they were to monopolize public space—but.
To be honest, I was desperately envious.
Back then, I had neither the leisure nor the ability to enjoy my youth.
“Does it taste good?”
“Yeah.”
“Hehe. I’m glad it suits your palate.”
Watching Iris smile brightly, all the regrets from my past life seemed to wash away.
“By the way…”
I asked, looking down at the mat spread across the grass.
“Isn’t this mat a bit too large?”
“Oh, Yurina and Lanez are supposed to come in a little while.”
“I see. You invited them both.”
“…Well, to be precise, they found out.”
“Found out?”
“Sigh. It’s complicated if I explain.”
Iris sighed and shook her head with a wry smile.
Well, I didn’t know the exact circumstances.
But it meant Yurina and Lanez would be arriving soon.
“There you are.”
“Ah, Iris… you’re so mean…!”
Yurina and Lanez arrived before the sentence could even finish.
Whatever had happened, Lanez had her cheeks puffed out in a sullen expression.
“Let’s eat first before we talk about that.”
We huddled together on the mat and ate the sandwiches Iris had prepared.
Yurina in Yuren’s form, Iris, and Lanez.
‘Looking at it this way, it almost seems like we’re on a double date as couples.’
Of course, the reality was far from such a heartwarming scene of couples on a double date—it was a fierce battleground where everyone was competing over a single prize.
“Hmm. I prepared it in a fairly large size, but with four of us sitting, it’s still a bit cramped. Please come closer to my side, Dale.”
“No, come over to my side.”
“Hmm… I’m small, so wouldn’t it be okay if I sat on Dale’s lap?”
The fierce competition continued.
As I swallowed a bitter smile at the excessive gap between my past and present lives, something happened.
“Oh my!”
“Kyaa!”
“A-are they insane?”
The Central Plaza suddenly became noisy.
When I turned my head, I saw a couple kissing passionately in front of everyone.
Even in the Central Plaza, famous for couples gathering to display embarrassing affection, such bold physical contact in public was rare.
“Um. Th-that’s quite bold.”
“D-don’t they feel embarrassed doing that in front of everyone?”
“E-envious…”
Iris, Yurina, and Lanez also added their own comments while watching the kissing couple.
“Hehe. Should we kiss too, Dale?”
“If you pull a stunt like that, Camilla will throw a fit later, won’t she?”
“Oh, come on. It’s just a kiss.”
Iris shrugged with a leisurely expression.
At her casual demeanor, Yuren’s eyes narrowed.
“Just a kiss? Do you have any idea how significant a kiss is?”
“My, Yurina… I mean, Yuren, you’ve done it plenty of times, so why are you being like this?”
“I haven’t done it!”
Yuren cried out, his face flushing crimson.
Iris widened her eyes in surprise and asked back.
“…You haven’t? Not even once?”
“What. Do you have a problem with that?”
Yuren puffed out his cheeks with a sulky expression.
“No… I just… I naturally assumed you would have by now.”
Iris wore a flustered expression, clearly never having imagined that Yuren had never experienced a kiss before.
“I’m different from Iris, you know? Listen carefully. It doesn’t matter who did it first or how many times. What matters is how beautiful the experience was.”
Yuren continued, composing himself with a dignified expression.
“Just as they say a first impression determines over 90% of how you perceive someone, a first kiss plays the most crucial role in the future of a romantic relationship!”
“….”
Did she know?
That my first kiss was when I was drunk, and the moment our lips touched, I bolted to the restroom and threw up.
‘I’m glad I didn’t mention that back then.’
I let out an inward sigh of relief as I watched the bickering between Iris and Yurina.
“Hmm. Well… to me, it just sounds like the pathetic excuse of an inexperienced virgin with no kiss experience whatsoever.”
“P-Pathetic…! Are you calling me pathetic right now?”
“No~ not pathetic exactly… hmm, how should I put it… ridiculous? That’s the feeling.”
“Ugh…!”
Yurina’s clenched fists trembled.
Watching Iris tease Yurina with sparkling eyes and the most delighted expression, I stifled a laugh.
‘She really shows her true colors once she gets close to someone.’
Back when they weren’t close, she used to call Yurina “Yurina” and maintained the utmost propriety.
But after becoming friends, just like with Camilla, she revealed her true nature.
“I naturally assumed you and Yurina had kissed ages ago~ Who would have thought you still hadn’t done it?”
“Y-You…!”
“Hehe. That’s right~ just keep watching for opportunities your whole life, why don’t you?”
Iris was in high spirits while Yurina trembled, biting her lips.
“H-Hmph! Just you wait. I’ll have such a romantic first kiss that Dale will never forget it for the rest of his life!”
With her fist clenched and her resolve set, Yurina suddenly turned her head to look at Lanez, who was munching on a sandwich.
“Lanez, don’t just sit there. Say something sharp to her.”
“U-Uh? Me?”
“Yes. You haven’t kissed Dale yet either, have you?”
“I… well, that’s…”
Lanez’s cheeks flushed as she averted her gaze.
The peculiar atmosphere emanating from her made Yurina’s eyes widen.
“S-Senior… surely not…?”
“Uuugh…”
Lanez let out a whimper, her head bowed in embarrassment.
“…What?”
Yurina’s face drained of color.
Iris had shared her first kiss with Dale long ago, even setting aside the matter of her previous life.
Elisha had experienced her first kiss with Dale even before Iris did.
‘If Senior Lanez kissed him too…’
In other words.
“S-So… everyone but me… already did?”
Yurina’s voice trembled thinly.

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