The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 205

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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 205. Traitors (6)
“Huff, huff! Phew… That was close.”
A boy emerged from the crowded streets of Valhalla City and slipped into a narrow alley.
The Pickpocket Boy, with his tousled brown hair and shabby clothes, gazed down at the shopping bag he’d acquired and grinned wickedly.
“Let’s see what’s inside.”
Though I wanted nothing more than to open the bag immediately, returning home took priority.
Lingering near the bustling streets risked drawing pursuit.
“…Let’s go.”
I clicked my tongue and turned toward home.
After winding through the labyrinthine alleys, I arrived at what locals called the “Ant Nest”—a slum district buried within Valhalla City.
The streets were filthy and decrepit, a world entirely removed from the vibrant marketplace I’d just left.
“Ren, I’m back.”
As I entered the crudely constructed tent, a girl in tattered clothes came into view.
“Mm… Big brother’s home?”
Ren, as she was called, stretched and broke into a bright smile.
She tilted her head curiously as she looked at me.
“Who are those people behind you? Your friends?”
“What? Who’s behind me…?”
“Is this your home?”
“…!”
The moment I spun around in shock.
Snap!
“Ow!”
I flicked my finger lightly against the boy’s head.
He yelped and tumbled backward.
The boy rubbed his bruised forehead, tears streaming down his face.
“Who… who are you people!”
“For a kid, you’ve got decent speed.”
“Tch…!”
The boy scrambled to his feet and positioned himself protectively in front of the girl in the tent.
“If you’re going to hit someone, hit me! Ren hasn’t done anything wrong!”
“I didn’t come here to beat you up.”
I suppressed a smirk and shrugged.
The boy glared at me with narrowed eyes.
“Then why did you chase me?”
“I have some questions for you.”
“Questions?”
“First though.”
I approached the boy with a slight smile.
“Let’s work on your manners, shall we?”
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Three consecutive flicks struck the boy’s forehead with merciless precision.
“Aaaaaahhhhh!!!”
The boy writhed on the ground, clutching his forehead.
Though I’d restrained my strength considerably, my body’s inherent power ensured the impact was far from gentle.
“Ugh… you, you bastard…!”
“Oh, still got some backbone in you. Is it because there’s a girl watching?”
Whoosh.
The moment I raised my hand, the boy shrieked and bowed his head desperately.
“I-I’m sorry!”
“…I take back what I said about backbone.”
I suppressed a smirk as I looked down at the boy.
“What’s your name?”
“L-Luka.”
“I’m Ren!!!”
A girl emerged from the tent with a bright smile, waving enthusiastically.
“Your sister?”
“…Yes.”
Luka nodded, biting his lip tightly.
‘Luka and Ren… I feel like I’ve heard those names before….’
I searched my past life’s memories, but nothing came to mind immediately.
‘That’s not important right now anyway.’
I shook my head and turned back to Luka.
“I have a few questions for you.”
“…Yes.”
“You pick pockets regularly around the bustling districts of Valhalla City, don’t you?”
“N-no… this is my first time….”
“Then it’s the bridge of your nose instead of your forehead?”
“H-hyiek! Yes, that’s right! I-I do pick pockets regularly!”
“Good.”
I nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Then you haven’t seen any strange masked people wandering around lately?”
“…Huh?”
Luka’s eyes widened dramatically.
‘Bingo.’
Just as expected of a pickpocket—he must observe his surroundings carefully.
“Th-those people… w-why are you l-looking for them?”
Luka asked in a trembling voice.
His lips had turned pale with fear, and I narrowed my eyes at his reaction.
From this response, it seemed he’d done more than merely ‘see’ these masked figures.
“Tell me everything you know about those people.”
“…No, I can’t.”
“Why? Are you afraid they’ll retaliate if you talk?”
“….”
Luka hung his head in silence without responding.
Hmm.
This was troublesome.
“Yurina. Come here for a moment.”
“What?”
I pulled Yurina aside to a secluded spot.
“Did you bring that with you?”
“That…?”
After I explained what I meant by “that” to Yurina, she nodded and retrieved her Candidate Program credential, producing a golden badge emblazoned with seven stars from within.
Yurina handed me the golden badge—the one known as the “Seven-Star Gold Badge.”
It was a legendary item bearing that name.
A symbol granted only to the top student of each year.
“But what are you planning to use this for?”
“Just wait.”
Taking the badge from her hands, I walked back toward Luka.
“Look at this.”
“This is… huh? I-isn’t this that thing? The Seven-Star Gold Badge that only the top student of Hero Academy can receive! Y-you were a Candidate at Hero Academy?”
“That’s right.”
To the residents of Valhalla City, a Candidate at Hero Academy was an object of admiration.
Especially those who possessed the “Seven-Star Gold Badge”—obtainable only by ranking first in their year—commanded reverence even greater than most S-ranked heroes.
“Right now, I’m conducting a special investigation for the Headmaster, looking into those masked individuals.”
“The Headmaster of Hero Academy… Could it be… the legendary ‘Thunder God’ Raonel Ryu?”
“That’s right.”
“Wow, wow…!”
Luka’s jaw hung open as he continued to gasp in amazement.
The combination of “top student of the year + someone entrusted with a task by the Thunder God” instilled boundless trust in a boy at an age when he yearned for heroes.
“So, can you tell me about those masked people now?”
“Sigh. Understood.”
Luka swallowed hard and opened his mouth.
“Those people wearing strange animal masks… they’re giving ‘errands’ to the homeless and vagrants in Valhalla City.”
“Errands?”
“Yes. They give out lists with people’s faces written on them, and the errand is to contact them immediately if they spot those people anywhere in Valhalla City.”
“….”
I see.
So that explained why their intelligence gathering had been abnormally superior.
“…Are you doing that ‘errand’ as well?”
“….”
Luka’s shoulders trembled slightly.
“I-I had no choice! If I disobeyed those people, they said I’d be dragged away somewhere and killed!”
“….”
Fair enough.
I didn’t know the masked grotesques in detail, but they were certainly not the sort of beings a mere Pickpocket Boy could defy.
“So?”
“…Yes. I’ve received errands from those people before.”
“Have you actually reported on anyone?”
“…Yes.”
Luka nodded heavily.
“I… once found a female Candidate with purple hair and reported her.”
A Candidate with purple hair….
Could it be.
“…This woman?”
I opened the photo album on my Hero Watch and showed Luka one of the thousands of photographs of Lanez (dozens sent each day).
“Ah… y-yes, that’s her.”
“….”
“B-brother, you know her?”
Luka gazed at my hardened expression with anxiety.
I couldn’t help but feel something toward the source of Lanez’s attack by the masked grotesques.
“Sigh… forget it.”
Venting my anger on Luka now wouldn’t solve anything.
“I’m… I’m sorry, brother. If they found out I didn’t report after finding her….”
“I know. You and your sister would both be in danger.”
“Yes, yes! That’s right!”
“But that doesn’t justify what you did. You sold out another person to save yourself.”
“Ugh….”
Luka swallowed hard, his lips trembling.
“What… what happened to that sister?”
“She’s alive.”
“Ah….”
Luka exhaled softly.
He collapsed onto the ground, tears streaming down his face as he shook his head.
“Th… thank goodness.”
“….”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Enough. Your apology doesn’t change what you’ve done.”
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue and narrowed my eyes.
“Instead, if there’s a way to seek forgiveness, even if it’s late, what would you do?”
“I-I’ll do it! Anything!”
“Really?”
I smirked, my lips curling upward.
If Luka cooperated with me, I might be able to get close to those masked bastards.
“But… what’s this method you’re talking about?”
“Report to them again. Tell them you found Lanez on the streets of Valhalla City.”
“…Huh?”
Luka’s pupils trembled slightly.
“So you’re saying… I should make a false report to lure those people out?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s…”
Luka’s face hardened like stone.
He was probably worried that if he made a false report and I ended up dead at those bastards’ hands, he would follow shortly after.
“What? It’s fine to sell someone else’s life, but you’re scared when it comes to risking your own?”
“…”
Had I struck a nerve?
Luka shook his head with a heavy expression.
An awkward silence stretched between us.
Luka opened his mouth, his head still bowed.
“I’ll do it.”
He clenched both fists, his voice trembling as he continued.
“I have no parents, and I’m just a pickpocket who survives by stealing from others’ pockets.”
But still.
Even so.
“If there’s a chance for me to take responsibility for my actions… I want to do that.”
“…”
When Luka lifted his head, his eyes burned with unwavering resolve.
I grinned and nodded.
“Good.”
“B-but! If I end up dying, could you at least protect Ren?”
“Neither of you will die, so don’t worry about it.”
I gently patted Luka’s head as I spoke.
“Once this is all over, I’ll introduce you to the Orphanage.”
“…The Orphanage?”
“Yeah. It’s run by the Holy Kingdom.”
“Isn’t that place only for people from the Holy Kingdom?”
“Well, if I put in a good word, they’ll probably let you and your sister in.”
“R-really…?!”
Sparks of hope ignited in Luka’s eyes.
“I-I’ll do my best to deceive them! I’m confident in my acting skills!”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
I grinned and extended my hand.
Luka grasped my hand and exhaled a forceful breath.
That’s when.
“Um… well… s-sorry to interrupt this nice moment.”
Yurina approached Luka hesitantly.
“So… where did you put my shopping bag?”
“Huh? That one? I left it inside the Tent a while ago…”
When I turned my head to look inside the Tent, what I saw was.
“Wow!”
Ren rummaging through the shopping bag.
“Big brother, big brother! Look at this! There’s some really risqué underwear in here…!”
“Kyaaaaaaah!!!”
Yurina’s scream echoed thunderously throughout the Ant Nest.

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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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