The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 268

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 268. New Semester (2)
“So, what do you think? Are you interested…?”
Morris gazed at me with sparkling, eager eyes.
“You see, Dale, since you’re already acquainted with Empress Camelia, if you join here, you could become an operator in no time—well, not ‘in no time,’ but it’s definitely possible!”
Morris flashed a grin, his expression suggesting there was no way I could refuse such a sweet offer.
“….”
No.
Had I really been suspecting this guy?
‘They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree… though he did say Kalid Han wasn’t his biological father.’
Well, regardless.
It’s true that incompetent people resemble each other just by being close—and that was exactly the case with Kalid Han and Morris Jin.
‘The father spends all day drowning himself in alcohol, and the son fantasizes about being trampled by the Empress. What a household.’
Things are certainly working out well for that family.
“Sigh.”
A wave of emptiness washed over me from deep within.
All my suspicions about the Eternal Order and its connections suddenly felt pointless.
“Why, why are you like that?”
“…Never mind.”
Right.
What fault could this guy possibly have?
I’m the idiot who played both the drum and the gong myself, spinning theories about the Eternal Order’s connections based on one uptight guy.
‘Though… I can’t completely drop my suspicions either.’
Anyway.
After conversing with Morris Jin, aside from the fact that he was hiding his true power, there was nothing particularly suspicious about him.
Sigh.
I exhaled deeply once more and shook my head at Morris, who was still watching me with hopeful, sparkling eyes.
“I’ll pass. I’m not into being trampled and enjoying it.”
“Oh, really? Then what’s your preference, Dale?”
“….”
No.
Why is he even curious about that?
“Are you the one doing the tying, or the one being tied up?”
If I had to choose, I’d say the one doing the tying… no, that’s not it either.
“…I just prefer normal things.”
“Ha ha. You’re just shy about it, aren’t you?”
No.
Why does this guy have to be so extreme? There’s nothing wrong with preferring something ordinary.
“Sigh. So… is that all you wanted to say?”
“Yeah. I didn’t really have anything specific to say—I just wanted to get closer to you.”
Though after this conversation, that desire has completely evaporated.
“Being in the same class two years in a row—that’s fate, isn’t it? Especially during the most crucial period at the Hero Academy.”
Morris shrugged and continued speaking.
“Professor Lucas Kane said at the beginning of the semester that finding good party members early is part of a hero’s role, didn’t he?”
Good party members?
“You do know what my grades look like, right?”
“Ha ha. Of course I do.”
Morris chuckled lightly and gazed at me intently.
“But I tend to look at the person before the grades.”
He continued with a subtle smile playing at his lips.
“Dale Han. You’re the person I’ve been looking for.”
“….”
I had no idea what he’d heard about me to say something like that.
“Your father told me I was a worthless bastard.”
“Pfft. Ha ha ha! That’s so like Father.”
He chuckled, his shoulders shaking, and extended his hand once more.
“Anyway, I’m counting on you going forward.”
“Sure.”
I didn’t know why Morris was concealing his true strength, but I was aware that he, like Yurina and Iris, was a powerhouse far beyond the scope of the Candidate Program.
There was no reason to be hostile toward him.
“Um, and….”
“Hmm?”
“If… if you get the chance, could you maybe bring me one of the Empress’s shoes?”
“….”
There seemed to be a reason for this.
“If… if shoes are too much, socks would be fine too.”
This guy was truly hopeless.
* * *
After classes ended.
I stepped out of the classroom and activated my Hero Watch to check my messages.
“Let’s see… I asked someone to stop by the Convenience Store and pick up some alcohol and snacks.”
This evening, a celebration party was scheduled with my party members to commemorate our reunion.
‘Originally, it was supposed to happen the day I returned.’
But due to various circumstances, it had been postponed to today.
‘Last time, I monopolized the conversation with my own stories, so now I can finally hear what the others have been up to.’
I was curious about what had happened to my other party members during winter break and how much they’d grown.
As I made my way toward the Convenience Store.
“Oh, Dale!”
Berald, who spotted me, came running with heavy, thunderous footsteps.
“Are you heading out to buy alcohol for the party tonight?”
“Yeah.” “Ah, you should’ve left that to your junior! Why did you come alone?”
“She said that if I ask you to buy things, you’ll bring back unnecessarily too much, so I should go myself.”
“What?! Who dares say such a thing?!”
Who else could it be?
“Sophia.”
“Ugh….”
The moment Sophia’s name came up, Berald flinched, his shoulders trembling as he swallowed hard.
“Anyway, what happened between you and Sophia? You went to your family home with her during winter break.”
“W-well, about that….”
Berald trailed off uncharacteristically, hesitating before letting out a deep sigh and shaking his head slowly.
“…I’ll tell you later.”
“Huh? What is it? Did something happen?”
“W-well, something did happen.”
….
Don’t tell me.
He didn’t spout off about microscopic worlds or some other nonsense in front of Sophia again, did he?
“So what happened?”
“L-let’s buy some alcohol first! Phew, when I was at home, my parents nagged me so much I could barely touch a drop. You have no idea how hard that was!”
Berald blatantly avoided answering and rushed toward the Convenience Store.
‘What on earth happened?’
I tilted my head in confusion and followed Berald toward the Convenience Store.
After buying plenty of alcohol and snacks at the Convenience Store, we arrived at the Party House, where I could see the party members gathered in the Rest Room.
“Ah, Dale. You’re here.”
“Yeah. I brought some alcohol and food.”
“Is that what I asked for?”
“Of course I did.”
What Iris had asked for were fresh cooking ingredients sold at the Convenience Store.
“Thank you for your trouble. Lanez and I will prepare them right away.”
“Hehe. G-go ahead and look forward to it, Dale!”
Iris and Lanez hummed cheerfully as they headed toward the Kitchen.
“I-I can cook too….”
Left alone again, Yurina sat on the sofa, hugging her knees and pouting.
I suppressed a chuckle and sat down beside her.
“By the way, did you find what you were looking for?”
“Oh, yeah. Want to see?”
“Sure.”
Yurina smiled faintly and reached her hand into the empty air.
Whoooosh!
Light erupted from her stigma as silver luminescence gathered in the void.
The silver light coalesced into a single sword.
It was an artifact that radiated an unmistakably formidable power at first glance.
‘Daybreak.’
A sword passed down through generations of the Helios Family, famously wielded by Reynald Helios, the leader of the Five Great Heroes and the Sun Swordsman.
‘The blade itself possessed consciousness, and only heroes chosen by the sword could wield it at all.’
Among all the heads of the Helios Family throughout history, those chosen by Daybreak could be counted on one hand.
‘In my previous life, I wielded Daybreak, so I wasn’t worried about failing the sword’s selection….’
But.
Did Daybreak originally look like that?
“Something feels off… it looks different from the Daybreak I remember.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, Dale would definitely know what the original Daybreak looked like.”
Yurina swallowed a bitter smile and reached toward the silver blade suspended in mid-air.
Daybreak drifted slowly through the air before settling into her grasp.
“Originally, it gleamed with a brilliant golden radiance like the sun… but when I took hold of it, it transformed into this silver. The blade was thicker before too, but it’s become thinner.”
“…Was it affected by your stigma?”
“Yes. That seems to be the case.”
Yurina nodded with a rueful smile.
“…It must have caused quite a commotion.”
The entire Helios Family would have been thrown into chaos when a sword passed down through generations suddenly changed its form.
“Yes. Mother especially… she fainted right there on the spot.”
Well.
A woman who tried to alter her own daughter’s stigma under the guise of preserving family tradition and honor would certainly faint if she saw Daybreak’s form change before her eyes.
“What happened after she woke up?”
“Well… it was absolute chaos. She threatened to excommunicate me if I didn’t hand over the sword, screaming at the top of her lungs.”
“So….”
“I persuaded her thoroughly.”
“What?”
That shouldn’t have been something that could be resolved through persuasion.
“I fought and defeated all of the family’s knights while wielding the transformed Daybreak, and only then did she acknowledge me.”
“….”
Ah.
That was a different kind of persuasion entirely.
“Mother did suffer quite serious injuries during the persuasion… but fortunately, there was no danger to her life.”
“Ah, right.”
The fervent filial piety radiating from Yurina left me momentarily speechless.
“Hehe. This is all thanks to Dale.”
“No.”
Something felt distinctly strange about hearing such words at this particular moment.
“In the past, I wouldn’t have even considered ‘persuading’ Mother in this way.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Right.
Well, if Yurina was fine with it, then it was fine.
“Ah, and don’t worry about Daybreak.”
Yurina gazed down at the silver blade in her hand, a faint smile gracing her lips.
“Its form has changed, but Daybreak’s power remains intact… or perhaps it’s even grown stronger?”
“Stronger?”
“Yes. Whether it’s because of my stigma or the blessing, I’m not entirely sure… but it seems to perform better than the records passed down in our family about Daybreak.”
“….”
If Daybreak had indeed grown more powerful as Yurina said.
Then for Yurina, who had already achieved explosive growth over the past year, it was as if she’d sprouted wings.
‘I’ll really feel the difference once we actually spar.’
I was brimming with anticipation to see how much Yurina had grown during winter break.
“Alright~ the meal preparations are complete.”
“Come on, I’ve made plenty, so everyone eat well!”
As the dishes from the kitchen were laid out across the table, a feast spread before us that rivaled the banquets I’d enjoyed at the Imperial Palace.
“Hehe! Everyone, raise your glasses!”
Berald lifted his cup.
“””Cheers!”””
Clink!
As we shared stories from winter break and the drinking session grew more lively.
“Hehe. Well then, our bellies are full and the alcohol’s starting to kick in.”
Berald grinned wickedly, clenching his fists.
Whoooosh!
The shabby bandages wrapped around his arms glowed, transforming into the shape of gauntlets.
“How about a sparring match with me, brother?”
“A sparring match?”
“Hehe. I want to show you how much I’ve grown!”
Berald exclaimed, snorting with excitement.
I stifled a chuckle and rose from my seat.
“Sparring sounds good, but….”
I was curious myself about how much my party members had grown during the break.
“Don’t just come at me alone—all of you come at once.”
Yes.
This is the only way to keep things balanced.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————