The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 23 - So It Was You? (4)

The city of Valhalla, built around the Hero Academy.

Valhalla was a city located in a "neutral zone" alongside the academy, where the cultures of the three kingdoms converged to create a flourishing civilization.

Rumor had it that Valhalla was more luxurious than the Empire's capital, grander than the Holy Kingdom's capital, and more advanced than the Republic's capital.

However, the brighter the city's lights shone, the darker the shadows that were cast below.

In Valhalla, there was a slum larger and more ominous than any other on the continent, known as the "Ant Nest."

A group of men in black robes moved through the gloomy streets of the Ant Nest, exuding an eerie aura so intense that even the ruffians, who were steeped in drugs and alcohol and feared nothing, flinched and turned away upon seeing them.

"Open it."

"Yes, Priest!"

Calyx’s subordinates entered the maze-like alleys of the Ant Nest and placed their hands on an empty wall.

-Whoosh!

As black energy flowed into the wall from three directions, a round entrance appeared where there had been nothing.

"Whew."

Back at their hideout, Calyx threw off his robe and sighed softly.

'Now, what should I do next?'

To ensure that the dead cadet was reported as "missing," there were many loose ends to tie up.

'First, I need to find someone who looks as similar to that cadet as possible.'

The plan was simple.

One cadet, unable to withstand the stress of his studies and the oppression of the professors, fled the academy and returned to his hometown.

To create this scenario, they needed to find someone who resembled the cadet as closely as possible to fabricate the alibi that he had returned to his hometown.

‘First, I need to figure out where that cadet is from.’

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be from the Republic, but…

Unlike 500 years ago when the people of the Republic first crossed over from a world called "Korea," their race had since intermingled with the continent's inhabitants, making it difficult to judge based on appearance alone.

'I need to wrap this up quickly before he finds out.'

Calyx bit his lip anxiously.

"Welcome back, Priest Calyx!"

"I heard that contact with Husk has been lost…"

As he entered the hideout, his subordinates rushed out to meet him.

About thirty demons of the Demon God Cult were carrying out the tasks necessary for the plan under Calyx's orders.

"Silence."

Calyx issued a stern command to his noisy subordinates and sat down.

"Priest Calyx, what about this cadet's body…?"

"Put it over in the corner. Husk's body should be chopped up and fed to the wild dogs."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Even though they were servants of the Demon God, the cruel order to dismember a fellow demon’s body and feed it to wild dogs caused the demons to stutter.

"By the way…"

Calyx's eyes glinted menacingly.

"Who was supposed to go with Husk to drive the ‘stake’ today?"

"Well…"

The demons’ gazes all turned to one person.

"Was it you?"

"P-Priest Calyx, I…"

The demon, pale with fear, stepped back and bowed his head at Calyx's feet.

"I-I'm sorry! I promise it won't happen again!"

"There won't be a next time."

Calyx smirked and reached out his hand toward the demon who was bowing his head.

"I don't trust the living."

"N-No!"

"The only ones I trust are always…"

The dead.

"P-Priest Calyx, please!"

Black energy gathered in his outstretched palm.

The demonic energy, which had taken the shape of sharp spikes, shot out like arrows, piercing the demon's head.

"Chop this one up and feed him to the dogs too."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Terrified, the remaining demons dragged the demon’s brutally pierced body into another room.

"Whew."

Having killed one of his subordinates in an instant, Calyx leaned back in his chair with a nonchalant expression.

"How is the work on the other ley lines progressing?"

"It's proceeding smoothly."

"None of you are foolish enough to wander around alone like that idiot, right?"

"N-No, sir!"

His subordinates answered with tense expressions.

"Tch."

Calyx clicked his tongue in displeasure.

Surely, there were others among them who were breaking the rules behind his back.

He wanted to find and kill all the rule-breakers, but doing so would leave him short-handed for the tasks at hand.

"Uh… Priest?"

"What is it?"

"So, should we halt the ley line work until we’ve created an alibi for that cadet?"

By tomorrow, at the latest, the professor who had given the cadet the permit would realize that the cadet was missing.

The risks of continuing the ley line work were too high until they had created the fake evidence that the cadet had run away on his own.

"Hmm."

Calyx thought momentarily, then shook his head with a serious expression.

"No, we'll proceed with the plan as scheduled."

"B-But…!"

"The professor who sent the cadet out won't report him missing just because he loses contact for a day or two."

If he did, he would also be held responsible, so he would likely act cautiously.

'At most, he'll search for him on his own.'

Of course, the risks of the work would increase regardless.

"If the work gets delayed, the plan will be delayed."

"But there's still a whole year left before the full-scale execution of the plan, isn't there?"

"You fool! Why do you think we've been preparing for this operation for years?"

Calyx clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Infusing the ley lines with a 'curse' little by little to create a large-scale spell is such a complex task that even 'He' had to prepare for a long time."

And more than anything...

'The moment it's revealed that the plan has gone wrong, I'm dead.'

No matter what, this incident had to be concealed.

"If you understand, then hurry and find someone who looks similar to that cadet."

"Y-yes, understood."

The demon lowered his head and approached the corner where the cadet's body had been left.

"Let's see... What did this guy's face look like?"

Earlier, things were so urgent that there wasn't even time to take a good look at the cadet's face.

As he walked toward the cadet's body, left in the corner...

"...Huh?"

Gray ash swirling in the corner.

"What is this?"

The demon frowned and brushed the scattered gray ash on the floor with his foot.

And then—

Swoosh!

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"...What?"

With a sharp blue flash, the demon's head rolled onto the floor.

"I see... So that's how it was."

The gray-haired cadet, who had been thought dead with his heart pierced, rose from where he had been lying.

"W-what?"

"What's happening...!"

The demons around him, as well as Calyx, stared in disbelief at the cadet rising to his feet.

"You were... alive?"

No.

That couldn't be.

'I definitely pierced his heart.'

Calyx hurriedly stood up from his chair to inspect the cadet.

The chest that the demonic spike had pierced was completely healed.

"W-what is this...?"

Even Calyx, who rarely showed his emotions, was so shocked that he stammered.

"Did you say earlier that you don't trust the words of the living?"

The gray-haired cadet, Dale, looked at Calyx and smirked.

"From now on, don't trust the words of the dead either."

"......"

Calyx's expression twisted into a scowl.

"I don't know what trick you used, but... did you really think you could escape from here?"

This place was the hideout of the Demon Cult, with over thirty demons gathered here.

And Calyx himself held the rank of 'priest,' a position within the cult.

Even a hero in active duty would find it difficult to face a priest-level demon, let alone a mere cadet.

"It seems you're under a delusion."

"...A delusion?"

Dale's lips curled into a smirk as he lightly tapped the floor with the sword in his hand.

"The one who should be worried about getting out of here isn't me."

The ones who should be worried are...

"It's you."

"...What?"

Calyx's face twisted in disbelief.

But Dale paid no attention to Calyx as he leisurely turned his head to survey the interior of the hideout.

Scattered throughout the hideout were black spikes, each about the size of a fist.

'They said they were infusing the ley lines with a curse, right?'

And the full-scale plan would begin next year.

"...Ha."

Given all these clues, if he couldn't figure out what their 'plan' was and who 'He' referred to, then he had no right to call himself a regressor.

- It was a curse.

- ...A curse? Who could have...?

Suddenly, a past conversation with Iris resurfaced in his mind.

The one who cursed the entire school, taking away her sight, stripping her of the title of 'Saint,' and even claiming the life of a dear friend.

The one who made it impossible for her to ever smile like a mischievous child again.

- The Archbishop of Illusions, Astaroth.

"Ha, haha."

They say that when a person is too angry, they laugh instead.

"I see..."

Dale pulled out a glass bottle containing a blue liquid from his pocket and downed it in one gulp.

"It was you guys?"

With the sound of the empty glass bottle shattering as it hit the floor...

Sun Sword.

Sixth Form: Radiance.

Pure white light filled the room.

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