The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 90: A Common Occurrence (2)

"...Lies?"

I recalled the conversation I had just had with a man named Harris.

'There didn’t seem to be anything strange about it.'

I glanced at Professor Elisha, who was smoking, with a puzzled expression.

"Did you figure it out using the Blessing of Insight?"

"No, the Blessing of Insight doesn’t have such a convenient ability to detect lies."

Professor Elisha gave a bitter smile and shook her head.

"Then why did you conclude that Harris was lying?"

"Time."

"...Time?"

What could be wrong with time?

As I stared at Professor Elisha, my confusion not fading, she took another puff from her cigarette and calmly continued her explanation.

"Harris said he woke up to some commotion outside around 1 a.m., right?"

"Yes."

"How could he know it was 1 a.m.?"

How could he know it was 1 a.m.?

"Well… wouldn’t he have looked at a clock?"

"There was no clock in Harris’ house. He wasn't wearing a wristwatch either."

"Ah."

Heroes, of course, have their Hero Watches, so they can check the time whenever they want, but Harris isn't a hero.

"Of course, he could’ve asked someone else for the time. But…."

"But who would run around asking for the time while a demonic beast was dragging away someone in the village? No one in their right mind."

"Exactly."

Professor Elisha nodded with a faint smile.

"...That's impressive."

I couldn't help but voice my admiration for Professor Elisha’s sharp insight.

I may not be the sharpest person around, but thanks to my previous life’s experiences, I considered myself pretty perceptive.

'But natural talent is still something else.'

I couldn't help but be in awe of Professor Elisha’s ability to see through someone’s lies with just a few simple words.

"There's nothing to be impressed about. I still have no idea why Harris gave a false statement."

Professor Elisha sighed, extinguishing her cigarette on the ground.

"We should hear from the other villagers."

"Let’s do that."

We went around the village's other houses to gather additional testimonies.

After visiting a few households:

"At least it’s true that a demonic beast appeared and kidnapped a villager."

"And the description of the demonic beast, including the number of its eyes, matches Harris’ testimony."

When we compiled the testimonies from the villagers, there didn’t seem to be any major differences from what Harris had reported.

"Hmm… I think I might have made a mistake."

Professor Elisha swallowed hard, looking slightly embarrassed.

Contrary to the initial assumption that Harris had falsified his testimony, the villagers' accounts were consistent with his.

"In that case, we’ll have to find the demonic beast ourselves."

The crocodile demonic beast that kidnapped a villager every night.

To find a connection between this case and the Archbishop of Beasts, we had to meet this demonic beast that resembled the Eight-Eyed Beast from the midterm evaluation.

"Alright. We don’t have time to waste here."

"Let’s go right away."

Professor Elisha and I set off toward the mountain behind the village, where the crocodile demonic beast was said to have headed.

At that moment—

"E-excuse me! Are you... heroes?"

A middle-aged woman with dark circles under her eyes approached us.

"Yes, we are."

"Oh! I knew you were heroes!"

The woman knelt down, her eyes shining like a priest of the Holy Kingdom who had just witnessed the Seven Gods.

"L-last night, my child was kidnapped by the demonic beast! Please... please save Lumi from that wicked creature!"

Tears streamed down her face as she bowed her head to the ground.

"I'm just a humble woman from the countryside, but Lumi has always been much brighter and more talented than the other children. She might even awaken a Stigma and become a hero one day! Please...!"

"Calm down."

Professor Elisha lifted the middle-aged woman from the hard ground, where she was repeatedly bowing.

"If your child is alive, I’ll make sure to rescue her. Don’t worry."

"Th-thank you, hero!"

The woman’s face was filled with tears of gratitude.

"......"

Wearing a bitter expression, Professor Elisha turned her back on the woman and started walking again.

Once we had walked far enough that the woman was out of sight—

"Sigh."

Professor Elisha took out another cigarette from her pocket, biting down hard.

"...I’ve made another promise I can't keep."

Her regretful murmur made me click my tongue softly.

"There’s almost no chance the child is still alive, is there?"

"Probably not."

Professor Elisha nodded with a sorrowful gaze.

"The only glimmer of hope is that this demonic beast seems to be kidnapping the villagers for amusement rather than for slaughter... but even so, it's unlikely."

She took a deep drag of her cigarette, biting her lips.

Although she tried to act nonchalant, the deep sorrow in her violet eyes was unmistakable.

"...Are you alright?"

"Heh. How many times do you think I’ve been through something like this?"

Professor Elisha shrugged and continued walking.

"Losing a child to a demonic beast attack in a small village like this is a very 'common occurrence.'"

"......"

"Well, you’re still just a cadet and haven’t yet experienced something like this as an active hero."

No.

This isn’t my first time.

In terms of experience, I’ve probably witnessed much more despair right before my eyes than she ever has.

People losing loved ones to demonic beasts, having their lives trampled by demons.

Tragedies widespread in parts of the world where the hands of heroes can’t reach.

All too common, nothing special, just the kind of thing you see everywhere.

But still…

"Let’s go."

Professor Elisha extinguished her cigarette and walked ahead with large strides.

"...Yes."

I quickened my pace to follow her.

* * *

"The demonic beast’s lair... seems to be around here."

With her glowing violet 'Cursed Eye,' Professor Elisha swiftly led the way.

"It’s pretty close to the village."

"The demonic beast probably thinks there’s nothing here that could threaten it."

It probably wasn’t wrong—if we hadn’t come today.

"That cave, over there."

Professor Elisha pointed to a large cave nestled between the cliffs.

"A beast mutated from a crocodile lives in that cave... One thing's for sure, it has a lot of 'eyes'."

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In general, mutated beasts often retained their pre-mutation instincts.

But that was only true for those with fewer 'eyes.'

The more severely a beast was mutated by demonic energy, the more it lost its original instincts.

"Let's go in."

"Yes."

Professor Elisha and I cautiously entered the cave, staying alert to our surroundings.

Splash, splash.

The sound of water pooled on the cave floor echoed quietly.

"Grrrrrr."

A savage growl came from deep within the cave.

The crocodile beast that had been lying on the stone floor, asleep, slowly rose upon noticing the intruders.

"It's coming."

Professor Elisha spread a thin silver thread around her, preparing for battle.

"Professor, wait."

I stepped in front of her, stopping her.

"What is it?"

"Look over there."

"...!"

I pointed to the far side of the cave, where seven unconscious people were strewn about the floor.

Three of them were no longer breathing, but the remaining four were faintly alive.

Among the survivors was the daughter of the middle-aged woman we had met in the village.

"...So, she was alive."

With trembling eyes, Professor Elisha looked at the freckled young girl with orange hair, barely clinging to life.

"I'll handle the beast. Please, save the survivors, Professor."

"...But."

"Your 'web' is far more effective at protecting them than my sword."

Once the battle started in earnest, the cave's structure would be shaken, sending stone fragments and stalactites flying everywhere—lethal for ordinary people without any protection.

Especially for those already weakened to the brink of death.

"...Alright."

Professor Elisha nodded and stepped back.

She stretched out her arms, and hundreds of silver threads formed a web around the survivors, shielding them.

"ROOOAAARR!"

The crocodile beast let out a fierce roar.

Its body was covered in steel-like scales, with a protruding snout, sharp claws, and a long, whip-like tail.

‘It's the same one from the mid-term assessment.’

I couldn't be sure if it was connected to the Archbishop of Beasts, but it was definitely the same crocodile beast I had fought before.

‘Back then, I barely won using ignition.’

So how would I fare now?

‘I’ve gotten a lot stronger since then.’

I twisted my lips into a smirk and bit down hard on my hand.

Blood flowed from the torn skin, and the droplets formed into the shape of a sword.

The demon sword Vescal.

A blade that grants immense power in exchange for blood.

Gripping it, my body surged with energy as if blessed by Iris herself.

"Grrrrrr!"

The crocodile beast let out a savage roar and charged.

Boom, boom, boom!

Every step it took sent shockwaves through the entire cave.

"ROOAAARR!"

Its sharp claws slashed toward my neck.

CLANG!

The clash of sword and claw echoed.

Whereas before I would have been thrown back, now my feet remained firmly planted on the ground as if rooted in place.

"Grurrr?!"

It was the crocodile beast that was pushed back, not me.

Its four sets of eyes squinted, as if unable to believe it had been overpowered by a human half its size.

"ROOOAAARR!"

Letting out an enraged roar, it swung its long tail like a whip.

The tail, covered in steel-like scales, sliced through the air with a terrifying sound.

‘This one, I should dodge.’

A thought suddenly crossed my mind as I was about to tilt my sword and step back.

- The swordsmanship you use, Dale. It doesn’t seem to suit you for some reason.

Yurina’s words flashed through my mind.

"......"

A body different from my past life.

Mana different from my past life.

But my memories were still wandering endlessly, trapped in that vast snowfield.

If that’s the case...

"Hah, I’m not used to this kind of thing."

I gathered all the mana in my body, as if igniting an explosion, and poured it into the sword.

Ash-gray aura and flames flared along the blade.

Instead of stepping back, I took a step forward and swung the sword directly at the incoming tail.

BOOOOM!!!

The entire cave shook with a deafening crash.

Amidst the swirling ashes and flames—

"ROOOAAARR!"

The beast's severed tail thudded to the ground.

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