The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 52

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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 52. Dale Han’s Secret Private Life (1)
After that meaningful reunion(?) with Yuren.
My daily life flowed by so frantically that even the phrase “not a moment to breathe” felt insufficient.
‘Academy lectures, assignments.’
Every evening I met with Berald and Yuren to teach them martial arts and swordsmanship, squeezing in personal training whenever I could find the time.
‘I’m absolutely exhausted.’
Well, in my case I’d probably bounce back quickly enough.
But the mental exhaustion wasn’t something that could be recovered even with Resurrection’s blessing.
‘Ah, I want to rest.’
If I had my way, I’d sprawl across my bed and laze around all day long.
‘How blissful that would be.’
Imagining a drowsy afternoon nap bathed in the warm spring sunlight streaming through my window, I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry.
A burning thirst for rest that scorched my throat.
I barely managed to rein in my screaming mind and dragged myself up from the bed with effort.
“Phew… but I still have things to do.”
Today was Saturday.
There were no lectures, no scheduled meetings with Berald and Yuren, a true weekend—yet that didn’t mean I had nothing to do.
“First, let me visit Professor Jade.”
I gazed down at the elixir contained within the square box.
The elixir was a mana-enhancement potion I’d received from Yuren.
Naturally, those with abundant mana wouldn’t see much benefit, but for someone like me with mana as insignificant as an ant’s—no, a mouse’s droppings (though it had grown somewhat lately)—it was quite a valuable elixir.
‘Taking it as-is wouldn’t produce poor results.’
But now that I had the elixir in hand, wouldn’t it be ideal to visit Professor Jade, who could be called an authority on alchemy, and ask how to amplify its effects?
“After that… I should meet with Juliet.”
After visiting Yuren’s private training ground before, my desire for one of my own had only grown stronger.
‘Especially after sparring with Vincent, I’ve been drawing way too much attention.’
Honestly, it was interfering with my training.
‘Yuren and the other top-ranked candidates don’t train in private training grounds for nothing.’
The moment I step into the public training ground, spectators swarm like monkeys at a zoo—how could I possibly concentrate on training?
“Maybe I should send a message first.”
I clicked on Juliet’s contact and sent a message.
[There’s something urgent we need to discuss today. Do you have time?]
[W-what do you need to talk about?]
A reply came immediately.
[I’ll tell you when we meet, so contact me again in a bit.]
[O-okay. I’ll call you.]
The application fee for a private training ground wasn’t a small sum, but as long as I held Juliet’s “weakness” in my hands, he’d have no choice.
‘Let me check if those photos are still safely stored.’
I clicked on the album file in my Hero Watch.
“Ugh, my eyes—”
The moment I opened the album file, what greeted me was a photo of Juliet dressed in women’s clothing, striking a coquettish pose.
No matter how much I told myself it was for leverage, the fact that I’d saved such photos in my Hero Watch was almost unbearable.
‘If I manage to extort—no, borrow money this time, I’ll have to delete all these photos.’
By now, I felt I’d repaid my debt for all the torment Juliet had inflicted on me in my past life, so I was planning to leave her alone.
“Well then, shall we get moving?”
I was about to prepare myself to drag my exhausted body out when—
Knock, knock.
The sound of someone knocking on the door echoed through the room.
“Huh?”
Was there someone who would visit at this hour?
Creak.
I tilted my head in confusion and opened the door, only to see Iris standing there with her expression twisted into a scowl.
“What brings you—cough!”
“You rotten bastard!”
Iris grabbed my collar roughly and unleashed her fury.
“Why… why are you doing this?”
“Why? You’re asking me why right now?”
Iris ground her teeth and continued.
“Why haven’t you contacted me for the past few days?”
“But you told me not to contact you for a while….”
“So you actually don’t? Really? You’re so oblivious, it’s infuriating!”
Iris stretched my cheeks outward on both sides and stomped her feet in frustration.
“Fine. I was wrong to expect anything from you, Dale.”
Hmph.
Iris snorted and stared intently at me in my outdoor clothes.
“Where are you going on the weekend?”
“Oh, yeah. I have some business at Jade’s Research Laboratory for a moment….”
“You’re going to work again, aren’t you?”
Iris shot me an accusing look.
“It’s not really work—I have a favor to ask.”
“Either way, you’re not resting, are you?”
“Well… I suppose not.”
Throb.
A thick vein bulged on Iris’s forehead.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me along as she spoke.
“Come play with me in Valhalla City today.”
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
“Surely you’re not thinking of refusing, are you?”
Iris smiled sweetly.
“…I’ll get ready right away.”
It seemed I’d have to put off visiting Jade’s Research Laboratory until tomorrow.
* * *
Iris and I made our way toward Valhalla City, the sprawling metropolis that encircled Hero Academy.
“By the way, where’s Camilla?”
“I snuck out without telling her.”
“…Is that really okay?”
“With you here, I don’t need a separate escort, do I?”
Well, I suppose that’s true enough.
“You won’t tell Camilla about this, right?”
Iris flashed me a radiant smile and gave me a playful wink.
“Got it.”
Her innocent charm made me stifle a laugh.
“So we’re heading to Valhalla City… are we going to the Orphanage?”
“No. I have somewhere else I’d like to go with you today.”
“Where?”
“Ta-da! Look at this!”
In Iris’s hand were two tickets bearing a thick fist emblem.
“I heard the Republic made a movie about Iron Fist Ryu Jinseong’s story!”
“Ah.”
Now that I thought about it, Iris had mentioned before that she liked Iron Fist Ryu Jinseong from the Five Great Heroes.
“It’s been out for a while, but… I really wanted to see it with you.”
“I’m fine with it.”
“The Movie Theater isn’t very far from here.”
“Where is it?”
“Just a bit further into the city center.”
A Movie Theater, huh.
“I’ve only heard about them—this will be my first time actually going to one.”
“Huh? You’re from the Republic, but you’ve never been to a Movie Theater?”
“I never really had the chance.”
To be precise, it wasn’t that I didn’t have the chance—it was that I couldn’t afford it.
During my time in the Candidate Program, I’d scraped by on meager Republic stipends with no room for luxuries, and after graduating, I’d been grinding away as a mercenary on the Southern Front, where cultural facilities were practically nonexistent.
“Have you been to one before, Iris?”
“Yes, I’ve taken the children from the Orphanage a few times.”
“Really? Then would you mind showing me the way?”
“Hehe. Just trust me and follow along!”
Iris puffed out her chest confidently and strode ahead.
We arrived at the Movie Theater.
The title of the film Iris mentioned was “Iron Fist: The Legend Begins”—a rather uninspired title.
The poster plastered inside the theater depicted a muscular, bald man with a thick beard, his fists clenched as he roared (though there was no historical record of Iron Fist Ryu Jinseong ever being bald).
‘Why on earth did they make him bald?’
I let out a hollow laugh while looking at a poster hanging in a corner, when Iris suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me along.
“This way, Dale.”
“Huh? Isn’t this the opposite side of the entrance?”
“That’s right. We buy snacks here first before going in.”
“Oh, really? You can eat while watching a movie?”
“Of course. When you come to a movie theater, you absolutely must have popcorn.”
Iris headed skillfully toward the concession counter.
After ordering a couple’s set at the counter (she ordered without hesitation the moment she saw the word “couple”), Iris entered the theater with a beaming smile.
“How is it? Tasty, right?”
“It is tasty, but… we’ve already eaten more than half before the movie even starts. Is that okay?”
“Popcorn is supposed to be finished before the movie starts.”
Iris said this while picking up a piece of popcorn.
“Here, say ‘ah’.”
“I can eat it myself….”
“Say ‘ah’.”
“Fine.”
Like a baby bird being fed by its mother, I ate the popcorn Iris offered me, and just then the lights went out as the movie began.
The film itself was a light action movie with little to speak of in terms of artistic merit.
It was the story of Ryu Jin-sung, who had crossed over from a strange otherworld, and how he came to be called the “Iron Fist” after grueling training.
Except for the fact that Ryu Jin-sung, who had shaggy hair before training, somehow became completely bald after three years of training, it was exactly the story of Ryu Jin-sung we learned in textbooks.
Apart from the decent action sequences, it was a film difficult to find other merits in, but Iris seemed quite fond of it, completely absorbed in the movie with her fists clenched tightly.
“Please…! Get up!”
Ha.
Iris really does have rich sensibilities.
“Yes, that’s it! Smash those bastards’ heads in!”
“….”
Though perhaps a bit too rich.
‘Well, there are hardly any people around, so it should be fine.’
Perhaps because the movie had been released long ago, as Iris said.
The spacious theater had almost no other audience besides Iris and me.
‘It’s nice being able to watch comfortably because of that.’
I spent a leisurely time watching Iris beside me muttering in a low voice things like “Fold him in half!” and “Yes, tear his limbs apart!” (more entertaining than the movie itself).
After leaving the theater, we had a light meal nearby, stopped by a coffee shop for casual conversation, and then took a walk through the park where warm spring sunlight was streaming down.
‘I can’t even remember the last time I rested this comfortably.’
I sat on a park bench, basking in the sunlight pouring down, and stretched with a satisfied groan.
Since my regression, I’d been rushing through such a hectic schedule that I hadn’t even thought to take leisure time like this.
“Dale.”
“Hmm?”
“Lie down here.”
Iris, sitting beside me on the bench, patted her thigh invitingly.
“L-lie down there?”
“Yes. No one’s around to see anyway.”
“But….”
“Come on. Lie down quickly.”
Iris grabbed my hesitant form and pulled me down onto her thighs.
The sensation of softness beyond measure transmitted through the back of my head as it rested against her thighs.
Iris gazed up at the sky while gently stroking my forehead.
“Isn’t the weather lovely today?”
“The weather?”
“Yes. The breeze is just right, and the sky is perfectly clear without a single cloud.”
Following her words, I turned my head to gaze upward at the sky.
A magnificent curtain of blessing draped before my eyes.
I couldn’t even see the sky itself, let alone her face within my field of vision.
Taking in that wondrous sight, I couldn’t help but let out an exclamation.
“Wow, they’re really big… Ah, I mean, it’s nice.”
“….”
Ahem.
“…What’s big?”
Iris narrowed her eyes and pressed me for an explanation.
“Well, you see… it’s just that…”
As I broke into a cold sweat searching for an excuse, Iris gently pinched my cheek.
“You’re incorrigible.”
She playfully pinched my cheek, then took my hand with that same hand and drew it toward her chest.
“If you’re that curious… would you like to touch?”
“Huh?”
Holy saint.
If you say such things here, I might lose myself.

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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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