The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 172: Omen (1)

A mountain shrouded in deep darkness.

Atop a towering rock that rose like a spire, two figures sat: a young man with white hair and a golden monocle, and an old man whose body was covered in intricate tattoos.

Archbishop of Corruption, Mephisto, and Archbishop of Beasts, Jackal.

Standing at the pinnacle of demonkind, the two monstrous figures gazed down at Valhalla City and the Hero Academy in the distance.

“Keheheh!”

Jackal shook with laughter, his shoulders quivering as if he couldn’t contain his amusement.

“Well, well, well… It seems the esteemed Archbishop of Corruption is having a rough time, huh?”

“……”

Mephisto kept his mouth shut, unresponsive to Jackal’s mockery.

This latest failure had clearly struck a nerve; the ever-calm expression on Mephisto’s face had hardened noticeably.

“Yes… Even I didn’t expect the ‘Blessing of Frost’ to be dispelled so easily.”

“Keheh. Seeing that look on your face after so many decades… quite the spectacle.”

Jackal let out a phlegmy laugh.

“So, what now? Are you giving up?”

“Not a chance.”

Mephisto shook his head firmly.

“The plan hasn’t completely failed yet.”

It had creaked and wavered, but it wasn’t broken.

“The plan… is it?”

Jackal narrowed his eyes, stroking his chin.

“By the way… there’s something I’ve been curious about.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“What exactly is the goal of this plan?”

“The goal…?”

Mephisto let out a faint chuckle as if the question was absurdly obvious.

“Why, to release our Demon God from his seal, of course….”

“Keheheheheh!”

Before Mephisto could finish, Jackal burst into a raspy, metallic laughter.

“How long have we known each other, Mephisto?”

Jackal’s eyes gleamed, sharp and piercing as if they could see right through him.

“You’ve never intended to release the Demon God’s seal, have you?”

“……”

“Quite the opposite, in fact.”

Jackal turned to look towards the Hero Academy as he continued.

“All of it—trying to make Yuren Helios the ‘Sun,’ creating artificial stigmas, and even capturing that witch—was for one thing.”

His eyes gleamed ominously.

A low growl reverberated through the forest as hundreds, no, thousands of beasts surrounded Mephisto.

The tattoos on Jackal’s body glowed with a sinister light.

“To sabotage the seal release plan, wasn’t it?”

“……”

Jackal chuckled again, his shoulders shaking.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know that you’ve been secretly meeting with a hero?”

“Haha.”

Mephisto let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head.

“Well… this is quite the predicament.”

“I’m the one who’s surprised, honestly. Now, would you care to explain why a demon like you is conspiring with a hero?”

“Hm. The reason is simple.”

Mephisto wore a faint smile.

“He had something I needed, and I had something he needed.”

“And what exactly was that something—”

“And,”

Mephisto interrupted,

“I also have something you need, Jackal.”

“…What?”

Mephisto adjusted his golden monocle as he spoke.

“The way to enter the ‘Abyss.’ Don’t you want to know it?”

“……!!!”

Jackal’s eyes widened.

“H-How do you…?”

“Haha. Just as you saw through my secrets, I’ve uncovered yours, Jackal.”

Mephisto smiled slyly.

Jackal’s weathered face twitched in disbelief.

“Well then, what do you say?”

Mephisto extended a hand toward Jackal.

“For our mutual goals… shall we join forces, even if temporarily?”

“……”

The forest, cloaked in darkness, fell into a heavy silence.

* * *

After the rather unfortunate incident with Iris…

She had locked herself in her room, claiming she was unwell and refusing to respond to any messages.

‘Well… not surprising.’

I sighed softly, staring at the unanswered message on my watch.

“…Should I be glad there’s no class this week?”

Because the other mentoring groups hadn’t finished their sessions, this week’s “Practical Combat Training” was on hold.

“Haa.”

As I sighed and flopped onto my bed—

Ding!

A message alert chimed on my Hero Watch.

‘Is it Lanez?’

Though she no longer bombarded me with hundreds of messages a day, she still contacted me at least three or four times daily.

“Huh? Not from Lanez this time?”

When I checked, the message wasn’t from Lanez but from Professor Elisha.

[Cadet Dale. Could you come to my office immediately?]

Her office?

It was still early morning, barely dawn.

What could possibly require my presence so urgently?

‘Well, I’d better go.’

After replying that I’d head over right away, I left the dormitory.

Golden autumn leaves fluttered in the crisp breeze.

“It’s starting to get chilly.”

When I had returned to this time, it was early spring.

Now, more than half a year had passed.

Half a year.

It wasn’t long, yet it was long enough to completely turn my life upside down.

To the point where my life before regression felt like a dream.

‘No.’

I close my eyes.

A pristine white snowfield unfolds in my mind.

Frost settling on my skin and a blizzard swirling around me.

The sight of my comrades dying, and myself crying out helplessly.

‘This isn’t a dream.’

Yes.

It couldn’t be a dream.

That endless stretch of time, that never-ending nightmare, had shaped who I am today.

‘I can’t let my guard down yet.’

I couldn’t let myself get too comfortable, basking in the sweet happiness of this life.

No matter how much I had changed, there was no guarantee those changes would lead to a better future.

“…Let’s go.”

Pushing aside my tangled emotions, I made my way to Professor Elisha’s office.

Knock, knock.

After a light knock, I entered the office, where Professor Elisha sat with her legs crossed, smoking a cigarette.

“You’re here.”

“What brings me here so early in the morning?”

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“Hmm. That’s cold. Am I not allowed to call for Candidate Dale without a reason?”

Elisha stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray and rose from her chair.

Walking toward me with a leisurely stride, she smirked mischievously and gently touched my cheek.

“This week, there are no classes. Can’t I just say I called you because I wanted to see your face?”

“Well… I suppose there’s no harm in that.”

“Fufu. I’m kidding.”

She gave a light pinch to my cheek, smiling as she did.

Perhaps because she rarely smiled, seeing her like this always made my heart race.

“But anyway.”

The moment didn’t last long.

Her smile faded, and her violet eyes glimmered sharply.

“There’s a strange woman’s scent on you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hmm. It’s not Candidate Iris… nor Candidate Yurina.”

Her gaze sharpened as she scrutinized every inch of me.

“Have you been around another woman lately?”

“……”

No, seriously, what kind of blessing for insight is this?

You can figure that out just from scent?

I stared at her in disbelief, and she frowned, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Hah. It’s been just a few days, and you’ve already managed to woo another woman… Truly, Candidate Dale, you’re impossible to leave unattended.”

“No, it’s not like I—”

“Yes, yes. You had no intention of wooing anyone. Just like always.”

Elisha narrowed her eyes and increased the pressure on my cheek pinch.

“…So, why did you call for me?”

Realizing there was nothing to gain by continuing this conversation, I forcibly changed the subject.

Elisha, looking at me with a dissatisfied expression, turned and walked to her desk.

Seated once more, she lit another cigarette.

“I called you because of a report from the last mentoring session.”

“What kind of incident?”

“A Ten-Eyed-class demonic beast was reportedly sighted near the school.”

“…Near the school?”

Not all mentoring sessions involved venturing into the southern regions, where beasts frequently appeared, like in the Aaron Party case.

Most sessions took place in relatively safer hunting grounds near the Hero Academy, where beasts were typically of the Three or Four-Eyed class.

And yet, a Ten-Eyed-class demonic beast was sighted here?

“Of course, there’s no concrete evidence. The candidates who supposedly saw it ran off in a panic, so they couldn’t get a good look.”

“Hmm.”

“Personally, I think it’s more likely they misidentified it.”

Fair point.

If candidates had come close enough to visually confirm a Ten-Eyed demonic beast, they wouldn’t have been able to escape; they’d have been slaughtered on the spot.

“Still, we can’t rule it out entirely, so I plan to investigate. If a Ten-Eyed demonic beast is truly near the school… we can’t just let it be.”

A Ten-Eyed-class beast required a high-ranking hero—among the very best—to handle.

If such a creature were near the school, it could lead to significant casualties.

“And you want me to assist?”

“Fufu. A delicate woman like myself can’t go investigating alone, can she?”

She smirked mischievously, lighting her cigarette.

‘Delicate woman,’

Huh.

The phrase hardly matched Professor Elisha.

I couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle.

“Well, to be honest, I haven’t had much time to spend with you lately, and I was looking for an excuse to meet. This case just happened to come up.”

“…You’re being unusually candid.”

“What? Don’t you like honest women?”

She smiled playfully, her tone full of teasing.

Shaking my head, I sighed.

“Fine, I’ll go. There’s no class anyway.”

“Candidate Dale, bottom of the rankings but diligent in attendance, I see.”

“……”

Hey.

That phrasing makes me sound pathetic.

“Just kidding.”

Reeling from the factual jab, I clutched my chest as she chuckled mischievously.

But then her smile vanished.

“Well then.”

Her violet eyes glinted fiercely again.

“Let’s take our time during this investigation… and you can tell me, in painstaking detail, about this new woman in your life.”

“……”

It felt like I had walked straight into a spider’s web.

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