The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 65

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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 65. Elixir (1)
[The Leech Demon is dead.]
I squinted at the message I’d received from Elisha, my eyes narrowing with concern.
‘The Leech Demon is dead?’
The Leech Demon was a crucial lead for tracking Jackal.
It was unthinkable that a creature Elisha had personally kept in a life-support apparatus to ensure it wouldn’t die had suddenly perished overnight.
[Did someone break in and kill it?]
[No, its body just suddenly burst apart and it died.]
Its body suddenly burst and it died, then.
‘It seems Jackal made his move.’
I clicked my tongue and sent a reply to Elisha.
[It must be Jackal’s doing.]
[I think so too.]
Regardless of the reason.
With the Leech Demon—our only real lead—now dead, further tracking was impossible.
‘Well, I’ve already gathered nearly all the information I could extract anyway.’
In fact, the Leech Demon’s sudden death had revealed new intelligence: Jackal could kill his familiars from a distance. It wasn’t a total loss.
[Then without other leads, we have no choice but to wait for him to make a move for now.]
[That’s right.]
[Understood. I’ll contact you again later.]
Just as I was about to close the message window.
[Wait.]
[c( ‘o’)っ]
Elisha sent a special character emoticon that had recently become popular among the Candidates.
‘No way, she’s using emoticons too?’
The Candidates used them frequently enough, but it was rare to see heroes of Elisha’s age(?) employing such things.
[What’s this? Suddenly I’m feeling quite displeased….]
Wait.
What’s the performance of Insight’s Blessing anyway.
[Candidate Dale. You’re not harboring any improper thoughts right now, are you?]
[I swear by my parents’ names I’ve never had such thoughts.]
[Hmm… but you’re from the Orphanage, aren’t you?]
[Are you now calling me a parentless bastard who doesn’t even know his mother and father’s names?]
[Ah, no. That’s not what I meant….]
Even through the text, I could sense Elisha’s flustered state.
I pressed forward without backing down, pushing her further into the corner.
[The narrow-minded notion that orphans wouldn’t know their parents’ names is an insult to hundreds of thousands of children like myself!]
[I apologize, Candidate Dale. My thinking was shallow.]
[That’s all I needed to hear.]
[As an apology, could you tell me my parents’ names?]
[So what were you trying to say earlier?]
[…Dale Candidate.]
Through the message window, I could almost see Professor Elisha exhaling a deep sigh.
[Let’s return to the main point.]
[Understood.]
[A Demon Stone was discovered in the crocodile Demon Beast this time.]
A Demon Stone.
It was a type of magical power crystal found within the bodies of Demon Beasts, used in various applications such as Artifacts, magical tools, and elixir crafting.
Even the Hero Watch I was currently using to exchange messages with Professor Elisha contained a Demon Stone within it.
‘Of course, the Demon Stones used in everyday items like this are mostly low-grade ones.’
Low-grade Demon Stones could be mass-produced without the need to hunt Demon Beasts, so they were primarily used in everyday magical tools like Hero Watches.
However, what could be created through manufacturing was limited to low-grade through mid-grade Demon Stones at best.
Anything beyond that grade could only be obtained by directly capturing Demon Beasts, which caused the prices of high-grade and above Demon Stones to skyrocket dramatically.
‘And capturing a Demon Beast doesn’t guarantee you’ll get one either.’
In fact, the more ‘eyes’ a Demon Beast possessed, the higher the grade of Demon Stone that could appear, but conversely, the lower the probability of a Demon Stone being found at all.
In other words.
The discovery of a Demon Stone from an eight-eyed Demon Beast was quite promising news.
[What grade is it?]
[High-grade, bordering on the highest grade, or so I’m told.]
[High-grade is high-grade—what’s this “bordering on the highest grade” business?]
[The amount of magical power contained within the Demon Stone rivals the highest grade, but due to inferior purity and quality, it was ultimately classified as high-grade.]
[Wow.]
Still, the magical power quantity alone rivals the highest grade.
[How much would that sell for?]
[Well, it should fetch at least 5 million Gold.]
5 million Gold.
Converting to the old Republic currency, that was over 5 billion—an astronomical sum.
‘With that money, I could even buy a house in the heart of Valhalla City, couldn’t I?’
It was far too large an amount to dismiss.
‘The problem is, I don’t have the authority to dispose of the Demon Beast’s corpse.’
As a Candidate without an official Hero License, I lacked the authority to dispose of Demon Beast corpses and claim spoils of war.
Moreover, the crocodile Demon Beast was Jackal’s familiar.
As long as it remained bound under the pretext of being an ‘investigation subject,’ it was awkward to claim a share of the proceeds.
“Ugh.”
While I was swallowing my regret, unable to shake the disappointment,
a clear chiming sound accompanied a new message from Professor Elisha.
[I’ll entrust the disposition of this Demon Stone to you, Dale Candidate.]
What?
[Does that mean you’re giving the Demon Stone to me?]
[That’s correct.]
[But that’s…]
[Wasn’t it Dale Candidate who slew the Crocodile Beast? Even without formal Hero credentials yet, I can’t dispose of your property as I please.]
“Hm.”
Right.
This is what a true educator looks like!
‘If it were Lucas Kane, even if he gave it, he’d make such a fuss about it that it’d be annoying.’
Elisha really does have exceptional people skills—her life experience is so abundant it practically overflows(?) that it shows in everything she does!
[…Are you perhaps.]
[If that is the Professor’s wish, then there’s no helping it. I shall accept it and put it to good use.]
[…]
[૮(⇀‸↼‵‵)ა]
Elisha sends an emoticon with a somewhat suspicious, sullen expression.
But even with the blessing of Insight, she apparently couldn’t read thoughts themselves, so there was no further interrogation.
[Have the Demon Stone sent through Vincent.]
[Understood.]
About thirty minutes passed after I finished my conversation with Elisha.
Knock, knock.
I heard the sound of knocking on my Dormitory door.
‘That was fast.’
When I opened the door, Vincent stood there holding a rectangular box.
“Professor Elisha asked me to deliver this to you.”
“You came quickly.”
“It’s the Professor’s order.”
In Vincent’s brief response, I could sense unwavering loyalty toward Elisha.
I chuckled softly and accepted the box from Vincent.
When I opened it, a Demon Stone emanated an ominous black radiance.
I held the fist-sized Demon Stone in my hand and nodded.
“It arrived well.”
“So it was a Demon Stone.”
“You ran the errand without even knowing what was inside?”
“It’s the Professor’s order.”
“…”
Does everyone become like that when they become a teaching assistant?
As I stared at him with a hollow laugh, Vincent gazed at me intently and opened his mouth.
“The Professor has been showing a lot of interest in Dale Candidate lately.”
“Yes, well. It does seem that way.”
Something about my appearance being her preference?
It was an absurd reason, but from Elisha’s actions alone, I could tell she held some degree of favor toward me.
“Are you perhaps jealous?”
“Surely not.”
When I asked in a playful tone, Vincent let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.
“To me, Professor Elisha is like a mother. She took me in when I had lost all hope and was wandering aimlessly through life.”
“A benefactor?”
“I’m also a survivor who lived through a Demon attack, just like Professor Elisha.”
Vincent’s expression grew distant, as though he were reminiscing about the past.
“There are many others who have benefited from the Professor’s kindness. After all, she even operates a Foundation for victims who have lost their homes and families to Demons.”
“…I see.”
It was the first time I’d learned that Professor Elisha was running such a Foundation.
“The Professor donates all the money she earns as a hero and her salary as a special-appointment professor to the Foundation. Meanwhile, she complains that even buying clothes at the start of the year is wasteful and stubbornly insists on cheap brands.”
“….”
“That’s the kind of person she is—living her entire life sacrificed for others.”
Vincent continued, his eyes gleaming with admiration for Professor Elisha.
“To be honest, I’m relieved.”
“Relieved?”
“That Professor Elisha has found another interest in Candidate Dale.”
Vincent offered me a faint smile as he looked my way.
“I….”
“Haha. There’s no need to take it so seriously. A person’s heart doesn’t change just because someone tries to force it.”
Vincent chuckled softly and shook his head.
“But I would ask that you remember this one thing.”
For a moment, Vincent’s eyes flashed with a fierce glint.
“If you hurt her… I won’t stand idle.”
Vincent’s hand brushed lightly against the sword hilt at his waist.
I stifled a laugh and nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Vincent bowed respectfully and turned to go.
“Oh, right—about that Demon Stone. Are you thinking of selling it? Or do you have another use for it?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure yet.”
If I sold it, I could easily pocket at least five million gold—it was an expensive item.
‘Using it would be better than selling it.’
High-grade Demon Stones could be refined into ‘Elixirs’ that increased magical power.
‘I still have the Elixir Yuren gave me before.’
With Professor Jade’s skill, it should be possible to amplify the effects by mixing the Demon Stone with the existing Elixir.
“If you do use it, you won’t be able to use it without undergoing ‘purification’ first.”
Vincent gestured toward the Demon Stone, from which an ominous black aura was emanating.
As he said,
a Demon Stone freshly harvested from a beast’s body couldn’t be used unless it was purified with holy power.
“If you need it, I can introduce you to a purification specialist from the Holy Kingdom who can purify Demon Stones.”
“No, that’s alright.”
I let out a smirk and shook my head.
Why would I need to entrust magic stone purification to a purification specialist?
“If someone can purify magic stones, I already know who they are.”
After all, I have a ‘Saint’ blessed by seven gods—someone incomparably superior to any mediocre Holy Kingdom purification specialist.

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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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