The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 7

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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 7. Building a Foundation (3)
Inside the Laboratory, the chaos was beyond description—as if a battlefield had erupted within its walls.
The acrid stench of unnamed reagents and alchemical tools assaulted my nostrils with palpable displeasure.
“Do you know what a stigma is?”
Professor Jade Bastian, perched upon what could charitably be called a chair—though it resembled nothing so much as a moldy leather lump—posed the question to me without preamble.
I cast my gaze about the Laboratory in search of a place to sit, then abandoned the effort and opened my mouth.
“Is it not a blessing bestowed by the Seven Gods?”
“…A blessing, you say.”
Tee-hee-hee.
Professor Jade Bastian’s shoulders trembled with laughter at whatever amused him so.
“Then what of a blessing’s manifestation?”
“It is a special ability that manifests in only a select few among those who have awakened a stigma.”
“What do you believe is the greatest characteristic of a blessing’s manifestation?”
The greatest characteristic of a blessing’s manifestation.
The answer to this question was not particularly difficult.
I had felt it acutely across hundreds—no, perhaps thousands—of years.
“Once it manifests, it cannot disappear no matter what measures one takes.”
“Hmm.”
A glimmer of intrigue flickered across Professor Jade Bastian’s eyes.
“A peculiar answer indeed.”
“In what way, sir?”
“Typically, when asked about the greatest characteristic of a blessing’s manifestation, people cite its ‘uniqueness.’ Unlike stigmas, blessings manifest differently in each person.”
….
In that moment, my words caught in my throat.
Indeed.
As Professor Jade Bastian said, an ordinary person would likely identify the uniqueness of a blessing’s manifestation as its greatest characteristic.
Few would struggle so desperately to erase a blessing they had finally obtained.
“In any case, as you say, once a blessing’s manifestation appears, it neither changes nor vanishes.”
Professor Jade Bastian continued his explanation with arms crossed, his tone measured.
Gone was that first impression—drool dripping from his mouth, cackling with wild laughter—replaced now by a remarkably composed demeanor.
‘This man should not be like this.’
The Professor Jade Bastian I remembered from my past was eccentric, bizarre, and somehow fundamentally broken.
Why had he suddenly become so composed?
“Then, returning to the matter of stigmas.”
Tap-tap.
His wrinkled fingers tapped against his left chest.
“Stigmas typically awaken around the age of ten on average, though cases range from as early as three years old to as late as eighteen.”
This was knowledge I already possessed.
“While there is some variability in which of the Seven Gods’ stigmas one awakens, fundamentally, children inherit the same stigma their parents possess in most cases.”
“Isn’t that content taught in first-year basic humanities classes?”
Why would you bother explaining something even the lowest student in school knows?
“A trait inherited through bloodline… a phenomenon that manifests at a specific age. Once it awakens, it never disappears. Doesn’t that ring a bell?”
“I’m not sure, honestly.”
As I shook my head, Jade Bastian opened his mouth with the most serious expression imaginable.
“Hair loss.”
Pardon?
“In other words, logically speaking, all heroes who’ve awakened stigmas experience a phenomenon similar to hair loss.”
“No.”
What kind of nonsense is this man spouting?
“Why? Don’t you think it’s an apt analogy?”
“I’m not sure if it’s apt, but it’s certainly an analogy that would get you beaten if anyone from the Holy Kingdom heard it.”
If I told Iris what Jade Bastian just said, she’d probably crack his skull open with her scripture while wearing that gentle smile of hers.
“Is that so?”
Jade Bastian shrugged and continued with an unperturbed expression.
“Well, since I’m still in one piece, you’re not from the Holy Kingdom.”
His gaze settled on me calmly.
“And you’re not from the Empire either, where faith in the Seven Star Church runs deep, regardless of other differences.”
That left only one place.
About five hundred years ago.
A nation founded by ‘foreigners’ who crossed over from another world during the Demon God War.
A nation where faith in the Seven Star Church is relatively weak, and which officially holds ‘freedom’ as its highest national ideology.
“You’re from the Republic.”
“….”
So all that nonsense earlier was just to figure that out.
“You could have just asked where I’m from. That would’ve been simpler.”
“The mouth always speaks lies, after all.”
Of course.
This is definitely the eccentric professor I know.
“By the way, what would you have done if I were from the Holy Kingdom?”
“Thrown you out immediately. I don’t want anything to do with Holy Kingdom people.”
Fair enough.
From the Holy Kingdom’s perspective, which worships and follows the Seven Gods, Jade Bastian’s research on artificially influencing stigmas would be close to blasphemy.
‘There are even rumors that the Holy Kingdom pressures him every year to stop his research on stigmas.’
Looking at the state of this laboratory now, the pressure from the Holy Kingdom is probably more than just rumor.
The only reason Jade Bastian hasn’t been expelled from the academy despite suffering the Holy Kingdom’s pressure every year is one thing.
He is a descendant of Julius Bastian, one of the five great heroes who sealed the Demon God in the past and a legendary hero known as the ‘Great Sage.’
“So, you want to participate in research on potions that affect stigmas?”
“Yes.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
“Is it because I’m from the Warrior Department? If that’s the concern, you don’t need to wor—”
“No, that’s not the reason.”
“Then… why is it difficult?”
“The reason is simple enough.”
Professor Jade Bastian continued with his characteristically eccentric smile.
“There’s no research funding.”
“….”
Ah, so that was it.
‘Looking at the state of this Laboratory… there’s definitely no funding to be found.’
I gazed around the interior of the Laboratory—which resembled nothing so much as a haunted house—and exhaled deeply.
Even so, it was remarkable that someone claiming to be the heir of the “Great Sage” had fallen into such dire straits as to lack funds for research.
‘The problem is, I don’t have a single coin either.’
What money could an orphan candidate possibly possess?
The only reason I could attend school at all was because the Republic subsidized my tuition.
“How much research funding would you require?”
“Well, it depends on what we’re researching, but we’d need at least one million gold, minimum.”
“….”
One million gold.
Converted to the Republic’s old currency unit of “won,” that amounted to roughly one billion won—an astronomical sum.
‘Damn it.’
I never imagined the plan would be derailed for such a reason.
‘I could abandon the stigma amplifier, I suppose.’
But the problem was that Professor Jade Bastian’s value extended far beyond merely inventing a stigma amplifier.
Jade Bastian.
Living up to his name as the heir of the “Great Sage,” he possessed a genius-level intellect, razor-sharp insight, and a developmental prowess so extraordinary that others could scarcely hope to emulate it.
‘Though for some reason, the man’s personality is decidedly unhinged.’
Contemplating what he would create through his research in the future, I couldn’t help but feel the current situation was desperately wasteful.
‘If things continue like this… will it happen again?’
In my previous life, Professor Jade Bastian developed the stigma amplifier and led humanity to victory in the war against the Demon God, only to take his own life not long afterward.
The exact reason for his suicide was never publicly revealed.
But if one of those reasons was that he lacked even this research funding and languished in a garbage-heap of a Laboratory, wasting away his days,
‘then humanity would lose the heir of the Great Sage once more, in the most pathetic fashion imaginable.’
Both the stigma amplifier and Professor Jade Bastian were far too precious to lose like this.
“I will… find a way to secure the research funding somehow.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. How do you intend to manage that?”
“By any means necessary.”
With that, I turned and left the Laboratory.
Stepping out from the dreary confines of the Laboratory into the sunlight, I felt as though I’d emerged from an underground mine—the warm rays bathed me in their glow.
“Sigh.”
How on earth was I supposed to gather one million gold?
‘There are methods, though.’
None of these were tasks I could accomplish as a candidate.
‘I can’t just abandon my candidacy for money.’
Without graduating from the academy, I wouldn’t receive an official Hero License, so whether I hunted demons for mana stones or captured demons for bounties, everything would have to go through illegal channels.
‘I can’t drop out of school.’
Besides, my former comrades from my past life were here at the academy.
I couldn’t abandon school if I wanted to reunite with them.
“Ugh.”
As I continued pondering and made my way back to the Dormitory.
“Hey, floormat! Where are you going?”
A voice calling from a distance.
For reference, “floormat” was a derisive nickname directed at me—someone who consistently maintained the lowest rank in the comprehensive evaluations each semester.
‘That voice…?’
I turned toward the familiar voice and saw a blonde-haired male student grinning wickedly, with three female students huddled behind him.
“….”
What was that bastard’s name again?
I couldn’t remember.
“Ha, look at this guy. When I call, you should come running—what are you doing?”
The blonde-haired male student let out a hollow laugh and waved his hand, beckoning me to hurry over.
Seeing his arrogant gesture, a sudden flash of old memory struck me.
“Ah, I remember now.”
Juliet Kang.
A candidate from the same Republic who had often bullied me.
Since we hadn’t crossed paths after graduation, I’d completely forgotten about him.
‘To think I’d meet him again like this.’
An unexpected reunion with this old nemesis drew an involuntary chuckle from me.
“…Hey. I said get over here now—why are you grinning like an idiot? Huh? Want to die?”
“Juliet senior~ isn’t that the guy? The one who’s always last in the comprehensive rankings?”
“And he’s an orphan too, right? Sigh~ this is why this academy is hopeless. They just automatically accept any vermin with a stigma….”
“I think only people with solid backgrounds like you, Juliet senior, should be admitted!”
As Juliet struck a pompous pose and spoke, the female students huddled behind him let out shrieks of excitement.
“…Sigh.”
Faced with such a pathetic display, I shook my head and turned away.
I didn’t have the energy to deal with idiots like that.
I needed to figure out how to earn one million gold as soon as possible….
“This bastard thinks he’s something because he got lucky winning one non-mana duel? Huh?”
Juliet approached with a vicious expression.
“Oh right, I heard rumors you were hitting on the Saint? Tsk tsk. Anyway, you floormat bastard don’t know your place… well, I understand how you feel though.”
Juliet smiled with a sinister edge and continued in a low voice so the female students behind him wouldn’t hear.
“Our Saint’s ‘blessing purse’ is a bit… well, no man could just walk past that size, right?”
Snicker snicker snicker.
Juliet Kang flashed a sinister grin, his hands moving crudely across his chest in a vulgar gesture.
“….”
I stopped dead.
My footsteps toward the Dormitory came to an abrupt halt.
“Look at you, all pissed off again. Oh my, how terrifying. Why are you like this between friends? Huh? Want me to throw a punch?”
Watching Juliet Kang shake his body with exaggerated movements, I smiled faintly.
‘Now that I think about it.’
A forgotten fact suddenly surfaced in my mind.
‘Wasn’t the Juliet Kang family one of the top five conglomerates in the Republic?’

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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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