The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 260

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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 260. Find the Traitor (4)
“A son…? Of the Eternal Cult Leader?”
I dropped my jaw at this bombshell revelation I never could have anticipated.
Kalid Han offered a bitter smile and nodded quietly.
“That’s right.”
“Wait, hold on. I’m having trouble understanding… You mean a real son, connected by blood, correct?”
“Yeah. Created when a man and woman’s passionate X led to an egg and sperm meeting-.”
“No, I didn’t ask for that much detail.”
“By the way, I used to chase women back in my day too. Just never had any kids.”
“What’s that supposed to mean.”
Here he was, spouting nonsense just when things were going well. What a drunk.
“Sigh. So what happened after the Eternal Cult Leader came looking for you?”
“I lived with Father for a while. Though it was only a few months at best.”
“And after that…?”
“I was abandoned again.”
“What?”
Abandoned again.
What kind of nonsense was that.
“Tsk tsk. Father told me I wasn’t the ‘seed’ he’d been searching for.”
“….”
“Pfft. If that was the case, he shouldn’t have come looking in the first place. Don’t you think?”
Kalid Han rummaged through an envelope and pulled out a fresh bottle of liquor.
The deep sorrow veiling his gaze made my expression harden.
“What kind of person was the Eternal Cult Leader?”
“Who knows. I’d like to know myself. He always hid his face behind a mask, and he rarely even spoke.”
“He wouldn’t even show his face to his own son?”
“Heh. If he truly thought of me as his son, why would he have abandoned me in the first place?”
“….”
“But… yes.”
Kalid Han tilted the bottle and continued bitterly.
“He seemed lonely.”
“…Lonely, you say?”
“Yeah. Like someone left alone in an endless Snowy Wasteland… he seemed to be constantly wandering, searching for something.”
“….”
A person left alone in an endless Snowy Wasteland.
Memories from my past life naturally surfaced in my mind.
That distant, unending hell of existence.
“Have you not seen the Eternal Cult Leader since then?”
“No. I’ve met some of the Eternal Order members a few times, but none of them knew Father’s whereabouts.”
“Then….”
So we’re back to square one after all.
A sigh escaped me.
As I shook my head with that deep exhale, a scene suddenly flickered through my mind.
“Wait… didn’t you just call me ‘Father’ a moment ago?”
“Ah, that was just a momentary confusion on my part.”
“…Are you saying you confused me with the Eternal Cult Leader?”
How could there be any confusion when you’ve never even seen his face?
“The scent.”
“…The scent?”
“Yes, your Father carried the same ancient wood scent that you do.”
“Hmm….”
The scent of ancient wood.
‘Could it be… that the Eternal Cult Leader also possesses the power of the Tree of Creation?’
From extending the lifespans of others to resurrecting the dead.
The power wielded by the Eternal Cult Leader certainly transcended the realm of ordinary blessings by a vast margin.
Yes.
Much like the ‘Blessing of Resurrection.’
‘So I wasn’t the only one who possessed the power of the Tree of Creation.’
My thoughts tangled into a complicated knot.
A deep sigh leaked from between my lips.
“Tsk tsk. Why the serious expression?”
“…My mind is a bit cluttered.”
“There’s nothing better for that, is there?”
Kalid Han swirled the bottle of liquor in his hand with a gentle sloshing sound.
I suppressed a smirk and tilted the bottle I hadn’t yet taken a single sip from to my lips.
“Ugh.”
The scent of alcohol bloomed across my palate.
Not the refined alcohol aroma of premium whiskey or wine, but the harsh, chemical tang of cheap liquor assaulted my nose.
I squinted at the green bottle and its contents with disdain.
“How on earth do you drink something so bitter?”
“You mean soju?”
“Yes.”
Though soju had become quite popular throughout the Republic, it wasn’t to my personal taste, and I rarely drank it.
“Heh heh. I see. Does soju taste bitter to you?”
Kalid Han clicked his tongue and shook his head with a knowing smile.
He gazed up at the pre-dawn sky with those keen, cold eyes and continued.
“As you live life, you too will… come to find soju tastes sweet….”
“….”
I’ve lived a hundred times longer than you, you drunken fool.
If that tastes sweet, there’s simply something wrong with your palate.
“Sigh.”
I swallowed the words rising in my throat and shook my head slowly.
‘If Kalid Han isn’t the traitor… then who in the world is?’
Raonel? Or perhaps Pope Marian or Johan Basillio?
‘It doesn’t seem to be them….’
There were far too many inconsistencies for them to be puppets of the Eternal Cult Leader.
“Tsk tsk. Are you wondering if there’s a traitor among the Masters?”
“…Your intuition is frustratingly sharp, isn’t it?”
“An old man ought to have sharp intuition, shouldn’t he?”
I let out a soft chuckle as I watched Kalid Han flash a sly smile.
“So, do you know something about this?”
“I’ve investigated quite thoroughly myself… but my conclusion is that there’s no traitor among the Masters.”
“Then….”
“I suspect the traitor is likely among the close associates who have intimate connections with the Masters.”
“….”
Among the Masters’ close associates.
“Are you certain?”
“I can’t be certain. I’m not capable of peering into people’s hearts, so how could I be sure?”
Kalid Han shrugged and shook his head.
“To be honest, until recently I was suspecting the Empress herself… but seeing how she sent Janel, it seems the Empress has no connection to the Eternal Order either.”
“You suspected Her Majesty?”
“The Eternal Cult Leader has the ability to extend human lifespans, doesn’t he? Powerful people tend to covet immortality, so I thought the Empress was a possibility.”
“…By that logic, aren’t all the Masters people of power?”
“Tsk tsk. That’s true enough.”
Kalid Han nodded and tilted his soju bottle.
“In any case, if you’re going to continue investigating, try focusing on the Masters’ close associates.”
“Hmm… well, I understand.”
I said I understood, but if we’re including associates, the scope becomes far too broad.
‘An immediate investigation would be impossible.’
Tsk.
As I clicked my tongue and tilted my soju bottle following Kalid Han’s lead.
“Oh right, you said you were a third-year, didn’t you?”
“I’m a fourth-year now.”
“Ho. Then you’re the same year as my son.”
“Your son?”
I tilted my head curiously and turned to look at Kalid Han.
“Didn’t you just say you have no children?”
“Ah, not my biological son. I adopted a child some time ago.”
“You adopted a child?”
He doesn’t seem like the type to raise a child.
“There’s quite a story behind it. I had a subordinate I was fond of, and when he died during a mission, I ended up taking in his son.”
“I see.”
So that’s how it came to be.
“His name is Morris Jin… have you heard of him?”
“Ah, yes. He was in my class last year.”
“Oh, so you two were friends!”
Kalid Han’s eyes sparkled at the news that his son had been in the same class as me.
“…I wouldn’t say we were friends. We’ve barely exchanged a word with each other.”
“What? You were in the same class though?”
“I’m not the type to make friends indiscriminately.”
“Ah, that’s true. Looking at you, you’re not exactly the type to get along with everyone.”
“…”
No.
What’s wrong with my personality?
“Tsk tsk. What a shame. Anyway, if you happen to see him later, at least acknowledge him for me.”
“Understood. I’ll try to talk to him if the opportunity arises.”
“Tsk tsk. Not just because he’s my son, but the boy is truly bright and kind-hearted. He often helps with my work too. Oh, and just recently he even placed second in his year! And furthermore…”
Kalid Han began rambling on about his son’s accomplishments.
‘I thought he only cared about drinking, but he turned out to be quite the chatterbox.’
If I left him alone like this, his boasting would likely continue until dawn broke.
“Well then, I should be getting up and leaving.”
“Huh? You’re leaving already?”
“Already? It’s nearly time for the sun to rise.”
“Tsk tsk tsk. Then why not just drink until it sets again?”
“…”
I turned my steps toward the Academy, leaving the drunken fool behind.
‘Morris Jin, then.’
He was a Candidate I’d already found somewhat suspicious.
‘Despite Camilla growing to the point where Johan Basillio was astonished, she couldn’t surpass Morris.’
It was still merely speculation, but there was a strong possibility that Morris was also hiding his true abilities.
‘The Master mentioned there was someone from the Eternal Order among his close associates.’
Though not his biological son, seeing Kalid Han smile proudly while boasting about his child, it wouldn’t be strange to call him someone in such a position of closeness.
In other words.
Morris Jin could be a pawn of the Eternal Order—
‘No, that might be going too far.’
I couldn’t make hasty judgments without having exchanged even a single word with Morris.
“For now… I should go report to the Empress.”
Just thinking about reporting today’s events to Camelia made me sigh deeply.
“Ugh.”
Though it wasn’t entirely without yield.
Looking at the results alone, this operation came perilously close to a complete failure.
‘Not only did I fail to find the traitor, but my identity was completely exposed as well.’
My footsteps grew heavier without reason.
“Sigh.”
Another breath escaped my lips.
Since the one who commissioned this task was none other than the current Rank 1 and the Empress who ruled the Empire, I had secretly harbored expectations about what the compensation might be.
“…It seems I’m not worthy of receiving a reward.”
I moved my heavy feet forward, heading back to the Academy.
* * *
The Staff Dormitory within Hero Academy.
Inside one of the rooms specially renovated to accommodate distinguished guests or VIPs for several days sat a platinum-haired woman.
“Hmm.”
Camelia stared intently at the holographic window that materialized before her eyes.
“Oho… I see. So men these days prefer such things.”
Having completed her research (?), Camelia’s lips curved upward in a smirk as she nodded her head.
“Very well, I shall make this the reward.”
A satisfied smile played at the corners of her mouth as she nodded.

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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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