The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 98

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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 98. Overheating (3)
Inside the Medical Facility located within Hero Academy.
A place primarily used by senior Candidate Program members who frequently suffered injuries from sparring matches and practical combat lessons. The facility also offered private treatment rooms for those willing to make a certain donation—though everyone called it an admission fee.
Among these private treatment rooms stood the most luxurious one, demanding the highest donation.
A lavish space that even prominent Empire nobles, high-ranking Holy Kingdom clergy, and Republic conglomerates hesitated to use.
“D-Dale!”
A woman with pale pink hair burst through the door in urgent haste.
Iris.
More renowned by the title “Saint,” she was said to have received the blessings of all Seven Gods in a single lifetime.
“Oh!”
The moment Iris saw Dale lying on the bed, her face drained of color and she clapped her hand over her mouth.
“D-Dale….”
Swollen lips and eyes devoid of focus.
Labored breathing that seemed ready to give out at any moment, and crimson liquid splattered around his mouth.
“No! Please, stay with me!”
I knew he possessed the “Blessing of Resurrection” that would revive him even from death.
Yet the moment I saw his gaunt form lying there, that blessing and everything else vanished from my mind.
“Who on earth did this to Dale….”
Iris clutched at Dale, her voice trembling with tears.
Perhaps he heard her voice.
Dale, who had been lying limp, trembled as he weakly pointed to one side with a shaking hand.
“Th… damn… b….”
In the direction his hand indicated stood a giant of nearly two meters in height.
Iris turned to look at Berald, her eyes narrowing.
“…Why Berald?”
“Haha. Don’t worry too much, Iris. My brother simply collapsed from overexertion due to excessive training.”
“His condition seems far worse than simple exhaustion.”
“Isn’t it common for the body to feel worse immediately after taking medicine? Since he only took it recently, that’s all it is. Please don’t fret.”
“…Is that so?”
Only then did Iris release some of her worry, exhaling in relief.
She glared at the figure lying before her and opened her mouth.
“Still, overexertion? How exactly did you train to end up in this state?”
“No, this isn’t because of training….”
I tried to explain the situation with an aggrieved expression.
But before my pathetic excuses could even finish, Yuren cut me off.
“Tch. What do you mean it’s not because of training? You haven’t even been sleeping properly, staying alone in the Training Ground until 2 or 3 in the morning every single day.”
“Until 2 or 3 in the morning?”
“Yeah. And then you’d show up at 6 in the morning? Every single day without fail.”
“….”
Iris’s eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
She turned to Yuren and Berald, opening her mouth to speak.
“I apologize, but could the rest of you step outside? I believe Dale will need some intensive treatment.”
“If it’s intensive treatment, shouldn’t we call a healer…?”
“My, have you forgotten who I am?”
Iris smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling with warmth.
“Ah.”
A soft exclamation escaped Yuren’s lips.
The healer stationed at Hero Academy possessed considerable skill, renowned across the Continent, but they could hardly be compared to the Holy Kingdom’s ‘Saint’.
“Right, understood. Then I’m counting on you with Dale.”
“Hehe! If it’s Sister Iris, we can trust her completely! Please take good care of my brother!”
Yuren and Berald exited the Medical Facility.
“….”
“….”
Silence descended upon the Medical Facility.
Iris stared down at me with eyes that had grown cold and distant.
“I….”
“Zip it.”
“Yes.”
The moment I tried to break the awkward tension by speaking, Iris’s voice came low and measured.
Her clenched fists trembled slightly as she bit her lip.
“Do you have any idea how shocked I was when I heard you’d collapsed?”
“….”
“And what’s this? Overwork? You were holed up in the Training Ground until 3 AM every single day?”
Crash!
Iris struck the shelf beside me with her clenched fist instead.
“I told you before, didn’t I? To take better care of yourself!”
“….”
I carefully reached out my hand toward Iris, whose eyes were glistening.
“I’m sorry.”
Even if I hadn’t known that my Embers had such a fatal weakness, I couldn’t deny that I’d been pushing my body too hard recently.
“You really… sigh.”
Iris shook her head with a deep exhale.
She gently placed her hand on my forehead.
A soft sensation traveled across my brow.
“You have quite a fever.”
“A little rest and I’ll be fine.”
I said I’d recover quickly to ease Iris’s worry, but truthfully, I had no idea when this ‘overheated’ state would resolve.
‘Still, resting seems to be helping. I’m better than I was at first.’
Better than before, yes—but I still couldn’t lift myself from the bed without difficulty.
“I’ll cast a restorative spell to help ease your fatigue.”
“No, walking won’t make much difference.”
After eating the tonic (?) that Berald had prepared earlier, the Academy’s healer came and cast a healing spell, but my “overheated” condition hadn’t improved.
“Still, you never know, right? If it’s the Saint’s healing magic, it might be different.”
“Well… that could be true.”
Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations.
No matter how blessed Iris was by the Seven Gods as a Saint, healing the overheated vital energy caused by primordial flames wouldn’t be easy.
“Then please just lie still.”
Iris extended her hand toward me and softly chanted a prayer.
“Seven Gods, I beseech you. Support your child who has collapsed from exhaustion.”
Whoooosh!
Her eyes transformed into a rainbow hue as pure white light seeped into my body.
I felt my body, which had been burning like a ball of fire, cool down slightly—as if I’d gulped down refreshing cold water.
‘What? It’s actually working?’
I opened my eyes wide and stared at Iris.
I had genuinely thought this would be difficult even for Iris to heal, yet it was actually having an effect.
‘Is this the power of the Seven Eyes?’
Watching her eyes gleam with rainbow light, I couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.
“Phew.”
Iris’s eyes, which had been shining with rainbow light, returned to their original blue.
Perhaps it was because she had used the “Seven Eyes” to cast the healing spell.
Beads of sweat had formed on Iris’s forehead.
“How is it? Did it have no effect this time either?”
“No, it worked.”
I said this and pushed myself up from the bed.
My body, which had felt completely lifeless moments ago, now had a slight spark of vitality.
As I tried to get down from the bed and stand on my own feet.
“Ugh!”
My body swayed and my legs gave out.
“Dale!”
Iris rushed to support me.
“Ugh… walking is still difficult.”
Her healing magic had slightly calmed the overheated vital energy, but it seemed I would need more time before I could fully recover.
‘Even after receiving healing magic that used the Seven Eyes, it’s only this much.’
Thinking about how long a complete recovery would take, a sigh escaped me naturally.
“Hmm….”
Iris laid me back down on the bed and let out a short hum of contemplation.
Iris, who had been quietly lost in thought, swallowed and opened her mouth.
“Ah, now that I think about it… um… ahem!”
Iris trailed off and let out a forced cough.
Like someone committing a theft, Iris glanced around cautiously before continuing her words.
“There… there is a way to increase the effectiveness of healing magic.”
“What way?”
“That is… *ahem*, *cough*!”
Iris continued, her cheeks flushed crimson.
“My healing magic is rather special, you see. The closer our bodies are in contact, the better the effect becomes!”
“…What?”
The closer our bodies were, the more potent her healing magic would be.
‘I never heard such a thing in my past life.’
Then again.
Come to think of it, in my previous existence, I had never received healing magic in the first place—not because of her burden of channeling divine blessing without the Seven Gods’ aid, but to spare her the strain. So perhaps I simply never had the opportunity to hear such a thing.
“Then, please turn onto your side and lie down.”
“…What are you trying to do?”
“I just told you. The closer our bodies are in contact, the better the healing magic works.”
Iris carefully removed her shoes and climbed onto the bed.
From behind, she wrapped her arms around me as I lay on my side, holding me snugly.
“So if I embrace you like this and cast the healing magic, it will be much more effective.”
“….”
I clamped my mouth shut and swallowed hard, my throat dry.
The impossibly soft pressure I felt against my back.
Her slender arms wrapped around my waist, and her long, stocking-clad legs intertwined with mine.
‘No, this isn’t about healing magic or anything else—this is the real problem.’
I desperately suppressed the surging desire coursing through me, cold sweat beading on my skin.
No matter that we had been lovers in my past life, our bodies intertwined… or rather, precisely because we had been, maintaining composure was all the more difficult.
“Then… let me cast the healing magic on you once more.”
A whisper, soft as breath, tickled my ear.
Soon, pure white light radiated from her body and flowed into mine.
‘Ah.’
Like a cool shower of water on a sweltering summer day.
As my overheated qi rapidly cooled, an indescribable warmth filled my entire being.
Along with that soothing sensation came an overwhelming drowsiness I could scarcely resist.
‘Well… with Iris here, I won’t need to worry about the aftereffects of the Ember’s Curse anymore.’
With that thought, I surrendered myself to the encroaching tide of sleep.
* * *
Inside the darkened Medical Facility.
The door opened, and a woman with long navy-blue hair tied in a ponytail entered.
“Saint, curfew at the Dormitory approaches soon. I understand your concern for that Dale fellow, but perhaps it’s time to return to the Dormitory….”
Camilla’s eyes widened as she stepped inside to fetch Iris.
On the bed, Dale and Iris lay pressed tightly against each other.
Camilla stood frozen in place, her mouth hanging open.
“S-Saint?”
“Oh, Camilla’s here?”
Iris rubbed her eyes drowsily as she sat up from the bed.
“Yawn. I ended up falling asleep with Dale without realizing it. Using the ‘Seven Eyes’ really does exhaust you, doesn’t it?”
“W-W-What exactly were you two doing just now?”
“Keep your voice down—Dale’s still sleeping.”
Iris frowned slightly as she climbed out of bed.
“And don’t worry about anything. This was purely for treatment purposes.”
“Treatment…?”
“You know as well as I do that my healing magic becomes more potent when used in close physical contact.”
“….”
Camilla’s expression twisted slightly.
“But the effect increases even if you’re just holding hands, doesn’t it? There’s no need to embrace while using it….”
“Camilla.”
At Iris’s low, measured voice, Camilla’s shoulders flinched.
“Shh.”
Iris smiled mischievously, placing her index finger against her lips.

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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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