The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 258

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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 258. Find the Traitor (2)
The next day.
Before the assault, I prepared makeup to conceal my face.
‘Even if I wear a mask, there’s a risk it could be torn off during combat.’
Since I’d already met Kalid Han face-to-face in the conference room, it was wise to apply makeup as a precaution against any unforeseen circumstances.
‘If only I had a magical artifact like Yurina’s pendant.’
With a disguise artifact that could alter not just appearance but physical structure itself, there would be no need for such tedious makeup preparation—but I couldn’t simply procure a disguise artifact crafted by the Great Sage from thin air.
So the place I went to prepare my disguise was—
—knock, knock.
“Oh, come in, Dale!”
The door opened to reveal Juliet Kang.
My friend possessed the most masculine hobby (?) that only men could truly appreciate.
“It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“U-uh! It’s been forever!”
Juliet Kang waved at me with a bashful smile (please don’t do that).
“The break isn’t over yet—why did you come back early?”
“There’s going to be a huge festival in Valhalla City soon!”
Juliet Kang’s eyes sparkled as she exhaled an excited breath.
“A festival? I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“Oh, you wouldn’t know, Dale. The most famous crossdressing cafe in Valhalla City is holding a crossdressing competition that accepts general participants!”
“What.”
A crossdressing cafe? A crossdressing competition?
“What exactly is—”
A profound dread washed over me as if I’d glimpsed the depths of the Abyss itself.
“By the way, the competition is called the ‘Amta’ competition.”
“…What does that mean?”
“Female Ta—”
“No, never mind.”
I don’t want to know.
Don’t tell me.
Please.
“I was too embarrassed to participate last year, but… oh, this year I really want to give it a try.”
“Ah, yeah.”
Right.
I hope you do well, my friend.
“It’s all thanks to you, Dale.”
“What?”
“Remember when you crossdressed to catch that mysterious criminal lurking in the Slums? After that… I gained the courage to face myself confidently.”
“Uh… yeah.”
“So, the fact that I could make the decision to participate in this competition is all thanks to meeting you, Dale!”
“….”
Stop it, you bastard.
My friend told me he gained the courage to participate in the female crossdressing competition thanks to meeting me, and now my head is absolutely spinning.
“Want to come watch me, Dale?”
“Oh, no. I have some other things to take care of.”
“Really? That’s too bad….”
What exactly is she disappointed about?
“Um… I, I hope you get good results.”
“Hehe. Yeah! I’ll definitely win the crossdressing competition for you, Dale!”
Please don’t say things like that for my sake.
“….”
For a moment, an image flashed through my mind of Juliet in full crossdress, hugging the championship trophy and beaming, “It’s all thanks to you, Dale!”
“By the way, where were you during the break, Dale?”
“Oh, yeah. Me?”
I quickly shook my head, erasing the imagination that had crossed my mind.
“I was at the Academy, obviously.”
“Huh? You didn’t go home and… oh.”
Juliet let out a small exclamation, apparently remembering that I came from the Orphanage.
“S, sorry. I didn’t mean to….”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
In my past life, I had carried inferiority and shame about growing up without even knowing my parents’ names, but now I felt nothing of the sort.
‘Because I found a real family.’
There’s an old saying in the Republic that blood is thicker than water, but the truth is, blood can be thinner than water once you actually live through it.
“So… what was this favor you wanted to ask?”
“I want you to do my makeup.”
“Makeup…? Oh!”
Juliet’s face suddenly lit up, her eyes sparkling like stars.
“D, Dale, are you interested in crossdressing too?!”
“No. Not crossdressing—makeup. I want you to apply makeup so it’s hard to recognize my face.”
“Ah….”
Why does she look disappointed?
“So you want special makeup applied so thoroughly that even other people won’t be able to tell it’s you, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Got it. Let me give it a try.”
Juliet nodded and dragged me to her room.
Her room was packed with all sorts of wigs, clothes, and cosmetics used for crossdressing.
‘This is incredible.’
I already knew how serious Juliet was about crossdressing, but seeing all these work tools(?) gathered in one place felt slightly overwhelming.
“Okay, sit here, Dale.”
“Mm.”
Sitting in the chair positioned before the large mirror, I felt as though I’d stepped into a beauty salon.
“What style would you like?”
“Just make it hard for people to recognize me.”
“Hmm. Then should I give you a more handsome look?”
“What the hell?”
So being handsome makes it hard to recognize me?
“Ah, no! That’s not what I meant! I mean… you know, kind of like a young nobleman!”
“…No, Juliet Kang.”
You don’t need to comfort me like that.
Right.
Now that I think about it, Iris once told me I looked like a weed too.
“That’s not what I meant!”
Juliet Kang pouted and stomped her feet.
Well, let’s drop the teasing.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Sigh. Yeah, leave it to me.”
Juliet Kang retrieved cosmetics from the table and began the full makeup application.
For an hour, she repeated the process of spreading, applying, and layering products on my face.
“All done, Dale!”
I’d kept my eyes closed throughout the makeup to avoid getting cosmetics in them, and now I slowly opened them.
What reflected in the large mirror was—
“Huh….”
A black-haired nobleman sat before me.
Judging purely by appearance, I looked exactly like a third-generation Republic conglomerate heir.
“What do you think?”
“…I can’t even tell if it’s really me, but if this is the result?”
I rose from the chair and stepped closer to the mirror.
The makeup was nearly flawless—it made me realize just how dramatically cosmetics could transform a person.
With the wig changing my hair to black, even I found it difficult to recognize my own face.
“Hehe. Thank goodness.”
Juliet Kang beamed with satisfaction, pleased with the quality of her own work.
She stepped closer for a final inspection, scrutinizing my face intently.
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“Uh, huh? Oh, no, it’s nothing.”
“….”
What’s going on?
Why does she look flustered?
“I just… seeing you like this, I thought… you’re actually… p-pretty handsome.”
“You just told me you couldn’t recognize me, and now you’re giving me compliments like that? It just sounds like mockery.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
Juliet Kang shook her head frantically.
Well, fine.
Let me take it as a positive—that makeup can cover up the base if it’s decent enough.
“Ah, and you don’t have a mask here?”
“We do, but… if you’re going to wear a mask, what’s the point of the makeup?”
“The makeup is just a precaution.”
Even if I’m called a “small fry,” attacking a Master is still serious business—I need to account for the risk of my mask slipping during combat.
“Here you go.”
Juliet Kang handed me a white half-mask, the kind one might wear to a masquerade ball.
“Thanks.”
I turned away, holding the white half-mask in my hands.
“Well then, I have business to attend to, so I’ll be going… uh, what I mean is, do well in the tournament.”
“Got it! I’m going to win first place and claim the title of this year’s top female!”
“…”
Right.
Do your best.
Fighting!
* * *
Good.
Now that my disguise is complete.
‘Time to go hunt down Kalid Han.’
I headed toward Valhalla City to find Kalid Han.
Camelia had already tipped me off about where he was right now.
I made my way directly to a tavern within Valhalla City.
“Gahahaha! Let’s drink till we drop today!”
“Whoa! This old man’s got guts!”
“What? Did you just call me old man, you brat!”
As I entered the tavern, I spotted Kalid Han mingling with the drunks, guzzling away.
‘Looking at him like this, he’s not a Master at all—just a genuine drunk.’
The other patrons had no idea he was one of the five Masters on the Continent, laughing and carousing freely as they drank with him.
I sat in a corner of the tavern and waited for hours for the drinking session to end.
‘How long is this guy going to keep drinking?’
As I watched Kalid Han continue to guzzle past midnight into the early morning hours, I found myself frowning.
“Um… sir. It’s closing time.”
“Huh? Already? How long have I been drinking?”
“Our shop closes at 2 AM, so…”
“Ah, I see. Well, I haven’t finished this bottle yet, so I’ll take it with me.”
Kalid Han clicked his tongue and stood up from his seat, heading toward the register.
‘At least he’s still lucid enough to pay.’
Was that why he wasn’t truly a Master?
Despite drinking nonstop for nearly six hours, I seemed to be maintaining my composure reasonably well.
“I love you~ I love you~ When I erase every word in the world~!”
No.
Was I actually in my right mind?
“Only this one word remains~ooooohhh~!”
Kalid Han belted out his song with such enthusiasm as he walked down the empty dawn streets.
He wandered aimlessly through the narrow alleys before suddenly coming to a halt.
“Ugh….”
Kalid Han stopped in the alley, steadying himself against the brick wall as his head drooped.
He opened his mouth and shoved his hand down his throat, then—
“Blearghhhhhh!”
Kalid Han began retching violently.
‘…No.’
Was that guy really a Master?
I watched from the shadows as Kalid Han heaved, my expression one of utter disbelief.
‘Now would be the perfect time to strike.’
Seeing Kalid Han gagging and retching, a deep sigh escaped from somewhere within me.
‘Well, I still have a job to do.’
I took a step forward, gripping the dagger Camelia had given me.
“Wait. Give me just a moment longer.”
“…!”
Kalid Han, still retching, extended his hand toward my hiding spot.
“Bleargh! Blech!”
Kalid Han retched once more.
“Grrrgh, ptooey!”
He rinsed his mouth with the leftover liquor he’d brought from the tavern, then flashed a grin.
“Phew. Now that’s much better!”
“….”
“Hmm? How much longer do you plan to hide there?”
Kalid Han chuckled, his shoulders shaking as he gazed toward the wall where I was concealed.
“You’ve been following me for quite some time now. Don’t you think we should at least see each other’s faces?”
He hurled the bottle he’d been holding to the ground.
Crash!
The bottle shattered into countless fragments.
With a casual gesture from Kalid Han, the shards scattered through the air like flower petals.
Boom!
The flying fragments obliterated the brick wall where I’d been hiding.
Upon discovering me behind the collapsed wall, Kalid Han—
“Huh?”
Kalid Han’s expression hardened into an icy mask.
He muttered something through lips drained of all color.
“…Ah, Father?”
“What?”
The absurdity of his words caught me off guard, and I couldn’t help but let out a sound of confusion.
‘Why in the world would I be your father, you lunatic.’
As my body froze in bewilderment at this incomprehensible situation, Kalid Han shook his head vigorously.
“Tsk tsk. Seems you’ve had quite a bit to drink.”
Kalid Han clicked his tongue disapprovingly and extended his hand.
A sharp crackling sound tore through the air.
Stone fragments from the shattered wall materialized in the void, coalescing before his palm into the form of a single blade.
“Since you seem unwilling to show your face… perhaps you’ll display something else instead?”
Kalid Han brandished the sword toward me with a menacing gesture.

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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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