The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 241

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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 241. Divine Descent (1)
A garden brimming with pristine white flowers.
A dark-haired man in a white mask hummed a tune as he watered the flower beds.
“…You certainly do love those flowers.”
Behind the man, another figure with snow-white hair and a single golden monocle gazed at the masked man and exhaled a deep sigh.
“Well? I don’t exactly grow them because I like them.”
Don’t grow them because I like them, he says.
Mephistopheles turned to observe the pristine white flowers filling the garden beds.
Within the glass garden, larger than the training grounds, only this single variety of flower bloomed in abundance.
“For someone who claims that, you certainly seem to cultivate only these white flowers.”
“Ha ha.”
“What is the name of this flower?”
“It’s a chrysanthemum… Do you know of it?”
“I’m aware that it’s a flower the people of the Republic brought with them when they crossed over from another world.”
“That’s right.”
The masked man walked slowly into the garden filled with chrysanthemums.
Pristine white flowers blooming throughout the garden.
The figure walking above them appeared as though wandering alone through a snow-covered Snowy Wasteland.
“What do you think? Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It is beautiful, but… I think it would be even better if there were other flowers as well.”
“No, that won’t do.”
“Is there a reason?”
“I need nothing but chrysanthemums.”
“…”
Mephistopheles stifled a hollow laugh as he observed the masked man.
After all, it made no sense to cultivate a flower—one that couldn’t hold mana like Seven Star herbs, nor served any medicinal purpose—out of “necessity.”
“Forget the flowers for now. You said you had something to show me?”
“Yes.”
Mephistopheles flicked his hand lightly, and a translucent window materialized in the air.
An image reflected in the translucent window.
A young man with dark gray hair was savagely battling against the Apostles of Ruin.
“This is…?”
“His name is Dale Han. He’s the man who defeated the Apostles of Ruin and extinguished the ‘Ember.'”
“…”
“His status is listed as a Candidate in the Hero Academy, but it’s likely a false identity.”
“…Ha.”
In that instant.
Laughter spilled from the lips of the white-masked man.
“Ha, haha! Hahahaha!”
The white mask trembled as he burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching his sides.
“…Why are you acting like that?”
Mephistopheles narrowed his eyes, observing the White Mask Man’s peculiar behavior.
“Ah, my apologies.”
The White Mask Man stared intently at Dale in the video feed, his mouth twisting into a grin so wide it seemed ready to split his face.
“Finally… finally the ‘seed’ has sprouted.”
Like a man discovering an oasis in an endless desert.
Like a man finding a single ray of light in boundless darkness.
The Eternal Deity spread both arms wide toward Dale.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
Dale Han.
* * *
An old laboratory within the Hero Academy.
I knocked on the door of a dilapidated wooden structure—the kind one might use to house livestock—utterly unbecoming of the Continent’s sole institution for hero education.
Knock, knock.
“Ah, come in.”
Creak.
As I entered through the opened door, I saw Jade Bastian.
“It’s been a while, Professor.”
“Tsk, tsk. So you’ve been enjoying yourself lately and haven’t shown your face in the laboratory once… You’re infuriating.”
“Ha ha. But at least you haven’t been lonely with Sophia around, have you?”
The moment I mentioned Sophia, a smile bloomed across Jade Bastian’s face.
“Indeed. Ah, have you heard the news?”
“That Sophia became your teaching assistant, you mean?”
“That’s right! I never imagined I’d find a student at my age! And a genius like Sophia at that!”
Every word overflowed with joy—it was clear he was delighted to have accepted Sophia as his assistant.
“Congratulations.”
“Ahem. Well, the assistant position isn’t completely filled yet. There’s still one opening left. When you graduate…”
“Ah, about that—I’ve arranged for Berald to take that position instead of me.”
“What?”
Jade Bastian’s face went pale.
“B-Berald? You mean… Berald Ryu, the candidate, right…?”
“Is there another Berald?”
“No, no, no…! That wild boar of a man—absolutely not…!”
Jade Bastian shook his head in horror.
“But if you don’t accept Berald as your assistant, Sophia will quit being one too.”
“Aah! How could…! Why on earth does Sophia chase after that ignorant brute like that?!”
“Well, love doesn’t need a reason, does it?”
“If that man becomes my assistant, my laboratory will be a disaster zone every single day!”
Jade Bastian clutched his head and groaned as if the future was already materializing before his eyes.
“There’s still some time before Berald graduates, so don’t worry.”
“Ugh….”
“By the way, is everything I mentioned before completed?”
“Sigh. It took some time, but it’s finished.”
Jade let out a deep breath and opened the drawer.
What he pulled out was a white necklace engraved with seven stars symbolizing the Seven Star Church.
“It’s an artifact I crafted by processing the sacred relic you provided. Though I made it myself, I’d say it’s a supreme-grade artifact so well-made I’d want to boast about it anywhere.”
“You shouldn’t boast about it.”
If the fact that I’d smuggled out a sacred relic from the Holy Kingdom—specifically Grace’s sacred relic of “Light of Life”—came to light, even Raonel couldn’t cover for me.
“Tsk tsk. Don’t worry, I know better.”
Jade held out the pristine white necklace to me.
“What about payment….”
“Ah, what payment between us?”
“Still, it doesn’t feel right to just receive such an artifact for free.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Jade stroked his gray beard, lost in thought for a moment.
“Are you planning to give that necklace to Iris?”
“Ah, yes. That’s the plan, but….”
“Heh. Youth, such youth.”
Jade let out a quiet sigh and continued with a bitter expression.
“Then let’s do this. It’s not really payment, but… could you listen to my story for a bit?”
“Pardon?”
“When I was young, you see… well, I was rather popular back then….”
And so began Jade’s lengthy reminiscence of his life.
“At that moment! I couldn’t bring myself to confess my feelings to her!”
“….”
No.
I’d rather you just take money, you bastard.
* * *
After that lengthy life reminiscence stretched nearly four hours,
I finally escaped and dragged my exhausted body toward the Party House.
‘I’ll give her the necklace tomorrow.’
I’d originally planned to meet Iris today and hand it over immediately, but Jade had drained me so thoroughly that the thought vanished.
As I climbed toward the Rest Room to catch my breath,
“Lanez became Dale’s exclusive maid?”
“Y-yeah! I wake Dale up every morning!”
“…Don’t tell me you’re living together?”
“No… well, I wanted to, but… Dale said that wasn’t possible, so now I’m living in a room that Professor Elisha arranged for me.”
Whispered chatter drifted from beyond the Rest Room door.
“Still, even Lanez is wearing a maid outfit now… so everyone except Professor Elisha has worn one at least once?”
“Hmm. Should I get one too?”
“No. I’ve worn the maid outfit too many times already… Is there anything else?”
“Well… I asked Juliet about it before, and she said there was something like this. What did she call it… Oh, a bunny girl outfit. She called it a bunny girl costume.”
“I-isn’t this too revealing?”
“Hmm. I think Dale would like it.”
What were they all doing gathered in the Rest Room?
I stifled a hollow laugh and opened the door to the Rest Room.
“Eek!”
“D-Dale?”
“Uh… weren’t you supposed to be at Jade’s laboratory?”
“C-cough!”
Iris, Yurina, Elisha, and Lanez, who had been huddled together at the Rest Room table, flinched and stared at me with trembling shoulders.
“…What are you all doing gathered here?”
As I narrowed my eyes and looked at the four women, each of them averted their gaze, feigning innocence.
“W-well, it’s nothing special. A strategy meeting… no, that’s not it. Ah, a-a social gathering! We were having a social gathering!”
“Y-yes! We’re all your lovers, right? S-so… that.”
“We were discussing how we could… we could… m-mmph!”
A web of silk covered Lanez’s mouth.
Elisha crossed her legs and took a leisurely sip of coffee with an untroubled expression.
“We occasionally gather like this to share updates about our lives and strengthen the bonds of sisterhood among us women, so you need not concern yourself, Dale.”
“….”
I really shouldn’t be concerned about this?
“Sigh.”
I exhaled a short breath.
“…Huh?”
Iris’s gaze turned toward my uniform pocket.
“Dale… what’s inside that pocket…?”
Had she sensed the aura of a sacred relic?
Iris rose from her seat and approached me.
“Mm….”
I had originally planned to give it to her tomorrow in private.
But since Iris had already noticed it, there was no need to wait until tomorrow.
“Iris, remember when I told you about meeting Grace’s lingering spirit during the school trip?”
“Ah, yes.”
“When Grace’s spirit disappeared, it left behind a sacred relic.”
I pulled out a pure white necklace from my pocket and handed it to Iris.
“This is an artifact made from that sacred relic.”
“…From Lady Grace’s sacred relic?”
“Yes. I asked Jade to process it separately into an artifact. If we used it as is, there was a risk the Holy Kingdom would find out.”
“Ah….”
Iris accepted the necklace with trembling hands.
The moment she donned the necklace inscribed with seven-colored stars.
A resonant hum filled the air.
Brilliant rainbow light exploded outward, enveloping Iris’s body.
“What is this…?”
As I squinted against the sudden phenomenon.
The rainbow light that erupted gathered in the empty space, coalescing into the translucent form of a girl.
[…Ah.]
The light of life—Grace.
One of the Five Great Heroes who had sealed the Demon God five hundred years ago and saved humanity slowly opened her eyes.
“You are….”
Iris gazed at the girl with trembling eyes.
Her appearance was quite different from the Grace depicted in the legends passed down through the Holy Kingdom.
Yet I could sense it instinctively.
The girl before me was Grace herself.
[…My child.]
“A-a child?”
[Hehe. Yes. Though we do not share blood, we are bound by a connection far greater than that.]
Grace gazed at Iris’s eyes, which sparkled with rainbow light, and smiled softly.
[You are like a daughter to me.]
“….”
Iris’s pupils trembled delicately.
Daughter.
For her, who had grown up as an orphan, no word could have been more unfamiliar.
“Ah….”
Why was it?
Why did that unfamiliar word feel so warm?
Iris bit her lip firmly, holding back the tears that threatened to spill.
[I never thought I would see you again.]
Grace’s gaze turned toward me.
[Hmm. Now that I think about it, didn’t you say before that you were in a romantic relationship with my daughter? What was the term for my daughter’s husband again? Ah, yes. Son-in-law. That’s what you called it.]
Grace let out a soft chuckle and waved her hand toward me.
[I’m glad to see you again, son-in-law.]
“….”
Beyond Grace’s translucent form.
I could see Yurina, Lanez, and Elisha standing with bewildered expressions, clearly not understanding what was happening.
“U-um. W-well, it’s an honor to meet you, mother-in-law.”
A cold bead of sweat trickled down my spine.

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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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