The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 91

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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 91. An Ordinary Matter (3)
“Haah.”
Ashen smoke curled through my exhaled breath.
My meridians burned hot, having unleashed a torrential surge of mana in a single, explosive moment.
Watching the severed tail of the Crocodile Demon Beast fall, I twisted my lips into a grin.
A thrill coursed down my spine.
Perhaps this was what someone who’d spent their entire life on a strict diet felt when they finally removed the limiter and indulged in gluttony for the first time.
Exhilaration and electrifying pleasure suffused my entire body.
‘So this is what it feels like.’
The moment I stopped conserving mana out of habit and swung my blade with everything I had, the destructive force far exceeded my imagination.
‘It’s true—the mana consumption is absolutely reckless.’
If my body hadn’t recently been restructured into a ‘furnace,’ dramatically expanding my mana reserves, this would have been unbearable.
‘But the power is undeniably certain.’
Even without using Ignition, this was the level of force I could achieve.
Had I been in Ignition state, the power would have been more than twice as devastating.
‘With Ignition active, mana recovers rapidly, so the burden would be lighter too.’
In every way, this was a swordsmanship that truly suited me.
“Ha.”
A quiet chuckle escaped my lips.
Only after swinging my blade without worrying about mana consumption did I begin to understand what Yurina had been saying.
‘I’ve trained in swordsmanship for thousands of years, yet I couldn’t grasp this myself.’
Or rather, precisely because I’d trained for thousands of years, I couldn’t have discovered it on my own.
‘A new swordsmanship suited to who I am now.’
I felt it wouldn’t be right to call this technique by the same name—’Solar Blade.’
The form of swordsmanship had changed completely; if the name remained the same, I’d unconsciously recall old habits.
‘Then.’
I gazed down at the blade in my hand.
Embers burning within the wavering ashen aura.
From that uniquely colored aura—one I’d never witnessed from any hero across both my past and present lives—I could easily discern the name of this new swordsmanship.
“GRAAAAAAHHH!!!”
The Crocodile Demon Beast, which had been frozen in shock while staring at its severed tail, suddenly unleashed a savage roar and stomped its feet.
A multi-ton behemoth, its entire body covered in steel-like scales, shot forward at terrifying speed.
A harbinger of destruction that would crush an ordinary person to pulp with merely a glancing blow.
I point my blade toward it.
“Tsssh.”
I spread the mana dwelling in my stigma throughout my body.
I stomp the ground roughly and draw mana forth in an explosive surge.
Unlike the Solar Blade, which meticulously controlled mana to deliver force only at the precise moment needed, this was a single strike that burned every last drop of remaining mana.
Ash Flame Blade.
First Form, Ash Severance.
A swordsmanship forged solely for Dale Han—and no one else—tore through the Crocodile Demon Beast’s body as it lunged forward.
A deep, resonant boom echoed across the landscape.
With that weighty roar, the five-meter-long creature’s body split cleanly in half from crown to base, cleaved into two distinct halves.
From the gaping wound, a pungent smell of gunpowder mingled with a sickly gray smoke that seeped into the air.
“Hah.”
As I exhaled and withdrew my mana, my body swayed slightly.
‘I must have expended too much mana in that single moment.’
Using my sword as a staff to steady myself, I examined the bisected corpse of the Crocodile Demon Beast.
‘No mana stone?’
Well, that figured.
Though I had been extraordinarily fortunate before, mana stones rarely dropped from Demon Beasts of the eighth rank or higher.
As I turned my head, trying to suppress my disappointment.
“…What on earth.”
Elisha’s voice trembled with astonishment.
“Dale, how did you possibly…?”
She stared at me with eyes that trembled as though what she witnessed defied belief.
Of course.
She was the sole witness who had observed my battle with the Crocodile Demon Beast during the midterm evaluation.
It was only natural she would be shocked—not long after that evaluation, I had defeated the same creature that I had barely conquered through desperate struggle with merely two sword strikes.
“Well, candidates in the program grow rapidly, don’t they?”
I shrugged with a wry smile, and Elisha’s expression darkened considerably.
“Are you calling that an excuse?”
While it was true that heroes experienced their most rapid growth during the Candidate Program, there were limits to such development.
To dispatch an eighth-rank Demon Beast—one that even most professors hesitated to face—as casually as one might catch a stray dog.
This was no mere transformation of a snake into a dragon overnight.
“I… I knew you possessed hidden strength, Dale, but…”
Elisha released a deep sigh and shook her head slowly.
‘When I spoke with Lucas Kane, he mentioned that you would eventually become a hero stronger than the Five Great Heroes themselves.’
Yet now I wondered if that “eventually” referred to a future far nearer than I had imagined.
“Regardless, how are the survivors faring?”
“…Fortunately, they appear unharmed.”
Though I had shielded them preemptively to prevent collateral damage from the battle, the true factor was that the combat had concluded so swiftly there was scarcely room for any aftermath to occur.
“Still, they’re severely weakened. We must transport them to the village with haste.”
“Yes.”
Thus, Elisha and I escorted the survivors back to the Rural Village.
“R-Rumi! Rumi, my dear!!!”
The moment we arrived, a Middle-aged Woman who had been waiting at the entrance rushed toward us frantically.
She wept profusely as she gazed upon her daughter cradled in Elisha’s arms.
“Thank you! Thank you so much, heroes!”
“Save your gratitude for later. Some are in critical condition—lay them on beds at once and prepare broth for them to consume.”
“Y-yes! Understood!”
Did the Middle-aged Woman’s cry reach the ears of the villagers?
The residents who had been hiding inside their homes rushed out and erupted in cheers.
“The h-heroes have slain the Demon Beast!”
“We’re saved!”
“Hurrah!”
“Thank you! Thank you, heroes!”
“May the blessing of the Seven Gods be upon you!”
The villagers wept with joy, their emotions pouring forth.
Of course, among them were those shedding tears for different reasons.
“Please… heroes. Have you perhaps not seen my husband?”
“Where is my mother…!”
“No! Philip! Phiiiiilip!”
Of the seven abducted by the Demon Beast, only four had survived.
In other words, there were those who would not return alive.
“….”
Elisha turned her gaze away from the wailing villagers, her expression bitter.
“Are you alright?”
“…Hmph. Who’s worried about whom?”
“There’s no rule against a Candidate worrying about their professor, is there?”
“Be quiet.”
Despite her cold response, the darkness that had shadowed Elisha’s face lifted slightly.
“We’ll continue the investigation tomorrow. Let’s rest for today.”
“Yes, of course.”
I had already expended considerable mana using the Ash Blade technique, so rest was necessary.
Elisha and I entered a nearby vacant house and took a brief respite.
Knock, knock.
Then came a cautious knocking sound.
“Are the heroes inside?”
Oliver’s voice came from beyond the door.
Elisha rose from her seat and opened the door.
“What is it?”
“As a token of gratitude for subjugating the Demon Beast… though it is far too meager a reward, the villagers have decided to hold a small Festival this evening.”
“A Festival?”
“Yes. It is a gathering to bless those who have returned alive and console those who have departed. I have come hoping that you heroes would grace us with your presence and honor the occasion.”
“I’m not interested.”
Elisha shook her head with a resolute expression.
Oliver continued, his face troubled.
“The villagers very much hope for your attendance. I would also like to offer you our village’s specialty—apple wine. Would you not reconsider?”
“Hmm.”
At Oliver’s earnest request, Elisha swallowed hard.
She seemed hesitant, clearly uncomfortable with the level of treatment that would affect the livelihood of the entire village.
‘Being too kind to people really does have its drawbacks.’
I stifled a chuckle and spoke to her in a low voice.
“I’ll contact the Helios Family later and ask them to send relief supplies to this village, so please feel free to attend.”
“…The Helios Family?”
Her eyes flickered with unspoken questions.
“I happen to have some connections with the head of the Helios Family.”
“Dale from the Candidate Program has connections with Rosanna Helios?”
I shrugged at the sight of Elisha’s incredulous expression.
“Sigh… The more I learn about you, Dale, the more questions I have.”
Elisha exhaled deeply and shook her head in disbelief.
“Fine. I’ll attend.”
“Thank you so much, heroes!”
Oliver’s face brightened as he bowed repeatedly.
“I’ll come fetch you once the festival preparations are complete!”
Oliver closed the door and left.
Elisha and I waited for a few hours, taking a brief rest together.
Soon, sounds of commotion began seeping in from outside.
“The festival preparations are finished, heroes!”
At Oliver’s call, Elisha and I headed outside.
A large bonfire came into view.
The tantalizing aroma of roasted meat and the sweet fragrance of fruit wine filled the small village.
“Wahhhhh! The heroes are here!”
“Thank you for saving our village!”
“To the heroes! To the Seven Gods!”
Some villagers were already quite drunk.
“H-hero. I brought you a cup.”
A small girl approached where Elisha and I were seated.
“You are….”
“Hehe! My name is Rumi!”
The girl with orange hair and freckles smiled brightly.
“You’ve already recovered?”
“Yes! It’s all thanks to you heroes for saving me!”
Perhaps because it hadn’t been long since she was abducted by the Demon Beast.
The girl’s condition appeared far better than I had worried.
“…That’s a relief.”
Elisha smiled faintly and accepted the cup of sweet apple wine from the girl.
“Now that the heroes have arrived, let us begin the festival in earnest!”
Oliver stepped before the bonfire and raised his cup high.
“For the heroes who have protected our village!”
“For the Seven Gods!”
The villagers cheered and raised their glasses filled with apple wine.
“Quite the ruckus, aren’t they.”
“Well, from the villagers’ perspective, it’s as good as being brought back from the dead.”
I stifled a chuckle and extended my glass toward Elisha.
Clink.
The glasses collided with a crystalline ring.
“Apple wine, hm? The aroma is certainly pleasant.”
Elisha brought the shimmering apple wine to her lips and took a sip.
And then.
“Ptooey!”
Elisha spat out the apple wine in her mouth.
“Professor?”
“Dale! Do not drink that!”
Elisha urgently knocked the glass from my hand.
Crash.
The glass shattered, and apple wine spilled across the floor.
“You bastard….”
Elisha rose from her seat and approached Oliver with a twisted expression.
“What exactly did you put in this alcohol?”
Elisha seized Oliver by the collar, her fierce eyes gleaming menacingly.

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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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