The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 235

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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 235. Interlude – The Empress’s Sigh
The following morning.
Sunlight streaming through the window illuminated the rumpled bed sheets and the quilt crumpled across the floor.
“I did ask you to be forceful about it….”
Elisha massaged her aching lower back, casting a sidelong glance.
“…Dale certainly handles women too roughly.”
“No.”
She was the one who asked me to do it that way!
I only did what she requested, so why does she look at me like I’m garbage?!
“Hmm. Are you really trying to shift the blame onto your professor right now?”
“Using your position as a shield when things get inconvenient?”
“Hehe. An ancient habit of mankind.”
….
Faced with such shameless composure, I pressed my lips firmly shut.
Elisha leaned against me with a mischievous smile playing at her lips.
Skin meeting skin.
Though not quite as impressive as Iris’s, two peaks that far exceeded the average gently wrapped around my arm.
“I was joking.”
Elisha playfully tapped the bridge of my nose with her fingertips.
She gazed at the vivid rope marks etched across both her wrists, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
“It was truly the most wonderful first experience. Enough to completely erase my regret about not giving Dale my first kiss.”
“…Are your wrists alright?”
“Hehe. Are you concerned? After treating me so violently yesterday?”
“No, that’s just….”
“Hahaha! I can’t believe you’re the same person from yesterday.”
This contrast was absolutely irresistible.
Surrendering to the surging impulse, Elisha pulled Dale’s neck down and pressed her lips against his.
The memories of last night surfaced naturally.
‘It was incredible.’
Once Dale caught the mood, he descended upon her like a starving beast.
With her limbs bound tight.
Unable to move even an inch, restrained by webbing (though she could have dissolved it whenever she wished), she experienced Dale’s rough handling.
“Mmph….”
Recalling that sensation, a tingling thrill rippled down her spine.
After finishing their kiss, Elisha gently caressed his chest.
The sensation of firm muscle transmitted through her fingertips.
Each time her hand brushed a sensitive area, she felt Dale’s body flinch in response.
‘To think that same man is now so embarrassed he doesn’t know what to do with himself.’
It must feel like this when you take a full bite of something that’s both sweet and savory.
The contrast between Dale’s roughness from last night and his gentleness now created an indescribable, fluffy happiness.
“…This is quite the predicament.”
“What is?”
“I thought I’d already loved you beyond the point of loving any further. But it seems I was mistaken.”
“….”
“Hehe. It looks like I won’t be able to live without Dale anymore, so I hope you’ll take full responsibility until the very end.”
Elisha spoke those words and leaned in for another kiss.
Not a passionate kiss born of mutual desire, but a gentle peck—like a bird pecking at seeds.
That ticklish sensation only stoked the flames of desire higher.
“Ahem. Anyway, since we’ve finished our business here, we can leave today, right?”
I desperately changed the subject, barely suppressing the rising tide of want.
“Hmm. That might be difficult today. We’ll need to stay here for at least a few more days.”
“Huh? A few days?”
The Eternal Order had fled, and I’d captured the Apostles of Destruction who’d plotted to assassinate Camelia. What reason remained to linger in the Imperial Palace?
There shouldn’t be any.
“It’s a significant incident, after all. And even if it was to prevent an assassination attempt, now that you’ve learned the location of the secret passages used exclusively by the imperial family, various procedures to ensure discretion will be necessary.”
“Ugh.”
“Is it because of your other lovers?”
“That’s….”
As I trailed off with a flustered expression, Elisha let out a soft chuckle.
“You don’t need to be so cautious. I’m well aware that Dale can’t devote himself to me alone.”
“…I’m sorry.”
No matter what she said, worrying about other lovers in front of Elisha, who’d only just experienced her first night with me, was hardly appropriate.
As I hung my head under the weight of guilt, Elisha smiled softly and gently stroked my cheek.
“Don’t apologize. It was I who chose to be with Dale, knowing full well.”
And in that choice, there was not a shred of regret.
“…Elisha.”
“Well. Since I’m trapped here anyway, I might as well enjoy having you all to myself until we leave.”
Elisha grinned wickedly and gave my chest a gentle push, toppling me onto the bed.
Sssslither.
Elisha slithered beneath the blankets like a serpent.
From beneath the blanket, which rose in a telltale peak, Elisha poked her head out slightly.
“Since Dale worked so hard last night, today I’ll serve you in return.”
Elisha spoke those words and opened her mouth wide.
Rustle, rustle.
Webbing I hadn’t even noticed being spun wrapped tightly around both my wrists.
I looked down at my wrists bound in silk and swallowed a hollow laugh.
‘So that’s her preference, is it….’
She could switch roles too?
* * *
After spending several more days under investigation at the Imperial Palace, Elisha and I were finally able to return to the Academy about a week later.
“Are you leaving today?”
Camelia appeared in our room as I was packing my belongings.
Seeing her for the first time in a week, she approached Elisha and me with her usual unhurried gait, as if nothing particular had occurred.
As I hastily moved to kneel on one knee, Camelia shook her head.
“Spare me the formalities.”
“…Yes.”
“….”
Perhaps because of what had happened before, an awkward tension hung in the air.
Camelia exhaled a short sigh and continued speaking.
“So, when do you plan to depart?”
“Once I finish packing, I intend to leave immediately.”
“Is that so?”
Camelia withdrew a rainbow-hued jewel from her bosom and extended it toward me.
“What is this…?”
“It is a gem called the ‘Sevenfold Stone,’ crafted through my imperial blessing. Should you channel mana into it, you may summon me once, regardless of where or when you find yourself.”
A sort of summoning stone, then.
“…Why are you giving this to me…?”
“Did you not save my life once? Should you ever find yourself in peril, I too shall repay that debt by saving yours. This gem is my token of that promise.”
A jewel that granted me one unconditional favor from the Empress herself.
In a sense, it was the most precious object within this vast Empire.
“And….”
Camelia turned her gaze toward Elisha and extended a wooden box that gleamed with obvious refinement.
She offered it to Elisha.
“…What is this?”
“The ‘Blessing of the Sovereign.'”
“The, the Blessing of the Sovereign?!”
Elisha’s eyes widened as she received the wooden box.
The Blessing of the Sovereign.
An elixir that only the imperial bloodline could consume across generations—a precious draught said to elevate mana and even transform the very bones and sinews themselves.
For someone of Elisha’s origins, born in an unnamed village, it was a treasure she could scarcely have dreamed of in her lifetime.
Elisha stammered in a manner most unlike her as she asked.
“Why would you bestow something so precious…?”
“Was your contribution not considerable in apprehending the traitor lurking within the Imperial Palace? My life is worth more than any treasure in this world. Since you aided in my salvation, you are most certainly deserving of a reward befitting that service.”
“….”
Elisha trembled faintly as she held the wooden box containing the elixir.
It was precisely what she needed most—she had been troubled by the gap between herself and Dale, one that had grown impossibly wide.
“…And.”
Camelia bowed her head slightly toward Elisha.
“I was blinded by a feeling I had never experienced before, and thus I made an error in judgment.”
“Your Majesty…?”
“I apologize for my discourteous words and actions toward you.”
“….”
A sincere apology following her oath.
Elisha’s mouth fell open as if she couldn’t tell whether she was dreaming.
“Ah… well….”
“Will you accept my apology?”
“…Of course.”
Elisha nodded without hesitation.
She had never truly considered the Empress’s words discourteous in the first place, so there was no reason to refuse her apology.
“Then, go carefully on your way.”
Camelia turned and walked away as if all her business was concluded.
“….”
“….”
Elisha and I watched Camelia’s retreating figure in stunned silence, as if a whirlwind had just swept past us.
* * *
Unlike the Reception Hall brimming with ornate artwork, Camelia’s room was surprisingly modest for one bearing the title of Empress.
“Phew.”
Upon entering her room, Camelia exhaled a relieved sigh and pressed a hand to her chest.
‘It seems I’ve managed to recover from the blunder to some degree.’
Judging by Dale and Elisha’s considerably softened expressions, her gift offensive strategy(?) had worked perfectly.
“Hehe. Now that they’ve fallen for my scheme, it’s only a matter of time before Dale becomes mine.”
Camelia let out a triumphant snort with a smug expression.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
“Enter.”
The knight who had guided Dale and Elisha to the Imperial Palace stepped inside.
“Have you completed the investigation?”
“Yes. As you commanded, I’ve investigated Dale Han’s reputation and relationships within the Hero Academy.”
“Well done.”
She had learned through recent events that Dale and Elisha Baldwin shared a bond too deep to sever.
‘Just because a wall surrounds a castle doesn’t mean one cannot breach it, does it?’
Camelia’s lips curved into a sly smile as she pictured Elisha’s face.
‘Hehe. Just wait and see… What I desire shall ultimately become mine!’
As Camelia clenched her fist with eager determination.
“Um… but there’s a problem.”
“A problem?”
As she tilted her head and looked at the knight, he opened his mouth with an awkward expression.
“Through the Huber Family, I confirmed that Dale Han is also in a romantic relationship with the Saint of Holy Kingdom.”
“…What?”
“And we’ve also confirmed that he maintains quite an intimate relationship with a fourth-year female candidate named Raneez Malam.”
“….”
Three walls? Not just one?

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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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