The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
It's been a week since the duel between Berald and Laios.
While the school was starting to buzz with final exam preparations, I had been frequenting the training grounds every day to get used to the new insights I had gained this time.
Of course, I wasn’t pushing myself to the extreme like before.
‘I might collapse again if I did that.’
Since the aftereffects of the Ashen Flames couldn’t be healed even by the Blessing of Revival, I had to be cautious.
Anyway.
After finishing training with Yuren and Berald today, I was heading back to the dorm room when—
“Ah, Dale!”
A familiar voice called out to me.
I turned my head and saw the Saintess, with her light pink hair, holding a thick paper envelope as she waited for me.
Iris came running toward me with a bright smile.
“Yuren, did you just return from the training grounds?”
“Yeah.”
“...You’re not overdoing it again, are you?”
Iris looked at me with suspicion.
“I’m controlling myself properly. I came back early today, didn’t I?”
“Hmph. You always say you’re fine, so I don’t really trust you.”
She still hadn’t dropped her suspicious gaze and turned on her Hero Watch.
“Wait a minute. I’ll ask Yuren for your recent training ground access records.”
“What?”
Since when did they start exchanging information like that?
“Your training volume has noticeably increased over the past week... but at least you’re getting enough sleep. Ah, and you’re eating properly, right?”
Iris carefully reviewed the records Yuren had sent, nodding as she went over the details.
Watching her check on me like a caretaker, I stifled a laugh.
‘This really makes me feel like a pampered child.’
It might seem like over-concern, but it wasn’t a bad feeling, reminding me of old times.
“By the way, what brings you here?”
“Hmm. Do I need a reason to come see you, Dale?”
Iris puffed her cheeks in a pout.
“No, that’s not what I meant....”
“Hehe, I’m just teasing.”
She smiled brightly, instantly dropping the pout.
“I came because I have something to tell you. And also....”
Iris trailed off, glancing around as if to check if anyone else was nearby.
“Shall we go inside first?”
“Yes.”
I opened the door and went inside.
Compared to Iris’ room, mine was old and cramped enough to make you doubt we were in the same school dormitory, but it had everything I needed.
“Tea? Or coffee?”
“Make me ramen!”
“No.”
Why was ramen the first thing she asked for?
“Eating that at this hour will make you gain weight, Saintess.”
“It’s fine. All my weight goes to my chest anyway.”
“....”
Did I just hear something that might turn half of humanity against her?
“Alright. Just wait a bit.”
Under Iris' strong insistence, I prepared some ramen and served it to her.
“Mmm~! It’s so delicious!”
The saintess eating ramen late at night in a guy’s dorm room.
‘Thinking about it like that, this feels unreal.’
I smiled wryly as I watched Iris empty the bowl.
“By the way, didn’t you have something to say?”
“Oh, right. Are you free this weekend, Dale?”
This weekend, huh?
“I’ll probably be in the training grounds most of the time, why?”
“We went to volunteer at the orphanage together before, remember?”
“Ah, yeah. We did.”
I nodded as the memory from a few months ago came to mind.
“I want to visit again before the finals make things too busy.”
“I see.”
“If it’s alright with you, would you join me again?”
Seeing her sparkling eyes, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.
‘How could I refuse this?’
I had been preoccupied with mastering my new insights lately, but it wasn’t like I couldn’t spare a single day.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Really? You’ll come with me?”
Iris beamed like a blossoming flower.
“Hehe, the kids will be soooo happy!”
“But did you wait outside my room late at night just to ask me that?”
Couldn’t she have just asked me to go to the orphanage over the Hero Watch?
“Well... there’s another thing I wanted to talk about.”
Blushing slightly, Iris hugged the thick paper envelope she had been carrying.
“Um, can you step outside for a moment?”
“Why?”
“Just for a minute!”
Without answering, Iris pushed me out of the room.
Puzzled, I stood in the dorm hallway for about five minutes.
“You can come back in now.”
Her voice called out from behind the door.
Click.
As I opened the door, what I saw was—
“Ahem. Welcome back, Master.”
Iris was dressed in a neat maid outfit.
With a pristine white apron and her hands neatly clasped in front of her, she bowed gracefully, standing as if measured by a ruler.
“...Iris?”
“Yes, Master.”
With a mischievous smile on her lips, she approached me.
“What is this...?”
“You said before that you liked maid outfits, didn’t you? So I decided to wear one for you.”
“Oh.”
Come to think of it, there was that ridiculous misunderstanding(?) incident before.
Since nothing was mentioned afterward, I just thought it was a passing episode, but I didn’t expect Iris to show up in a maid outfit all of a sudden.
"I had to alter the chest area a bit, so it took some time. How do I look? Does it suit me?"
Iris lifted the hem of her skirt slightly and spun around on the spot.
Her swaying light-pink hair and the sweet scent that tickled my nose.
Seeing the saint blessed by the Seven Gods standing in my room in a maid outfit was not just unrealistic; it felt like a dream.
‘I don’t think even when we were dating, we had events like this.’
At that time, we were in the midst of an intense war with demons, so we didn’t really have time to enjoy sweet moments like this (whether maid outfit role-play is something typical in a relationship is beside the point).
‘Thank goodness I’ve returned.’
As I was trembling with such overwhelming emotions(?).
"Does it not suit me?"
Iris looked at me anxiously, worried by my lack of response.
I answered her by giving a thumbs-up.
Her face brightened, and she pointed to a chair.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
"Here, sit down, master. I’ll give you a shoulder massage."
"No, you don’t need to go that far...."
"Tsk. Hurry up."
Iris tapped the chair with a stern look.
‘Who’s the master here?’
Suppressing a wry smile, I sat down on the chair as she commanded.
"Hehe. Let me know if it hurts, okay?"
Iris moved behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders.
Thump.
An indescribable soft sensation brushed against the back of my head.
"How is it? Does it feel good?"
"......."
Good or not, I couldn’t focus on my shoulders.
"Hmm... Am I not strong enough?"
"No, it’s not that...."
"It’s not that?"
"......."
How should I explain this?
That the sacred(?) sensation brushing the back of my head was so divine that I couldn’t care less whether my shoulders felt good or not.
"Well, let me put in a little more strength."
With that, she let out a spirited "Hup!" and started massaging my shoulders with more force.
Thump, thump.
Her body naturally leaned forward as she applied more pressure, intensifying the sensation against the back of my head.
‘Wait.’
Is she doing this on purpose?
As I fought to cling to my rapidly fraying sanity—
"Tsk. Strange... This should be enough to make him fall for me... Is this guy dense?"
A faint murmur reached my ears.
Had my physical abilities not been dramatically enhanced after becoming a 'firekeeper,' I wouldn’t have heard it at all.
"What did you just say...?"
"Huh? I didn’t say anything."
When I turned around, Iris looked at me with wide, innocent eyes.
"Well, that’s it for today."
She removed her hands from my shoulders and covered her mouth with her hand, giving a playful wink.
"I’ll wear it for you again next time, master."
"......."
It seemed that just because she was a saint-turned-maid, it didn’t mean her mind was pure.
Saturday.
I headed to the spot where I was supposed to meet Iris.
Camilla had arrived first.
"Long time no see."
I waved as I approached her, but Camilla crossed her arms and glared at me sharply.
"Hmph. I barely saw you in class lately, and now I hear you’ve been suspended? As expected, you’re just a delinquent."
"What, did you miss me and look me up?"
"Who—who said I was worried about you?!"
Camilla snapped angrily.
I chuckled and looked around.
"Where’s Iris?"
"The saint said her preparations were taking longer, so she’ll be a little late."
"Preparations? For what?"
"Sigh, exactly. She’s been fretting since the crack of dawn about what to wear, whether her hair’s neat, how to make her makeup look natural... Hours of it... Ugh."
Camilla rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache and sighed deeply.
‘Poor girl.’
I gave her a sympathetic smile and avoided her sharp gaze by turning away.
"Sigh. Anyway, it seems like it’ll be a bit longer before the saint arrives, so I’ll swing by the school store in the meantime."
"Why the store?"
"Father Antonio asked if I could buy some bread from the hero school’s shop for the kids at the orphanage. Apparently, they’ve been dying to try it."
"Ah."
Indeed, the store in the hero school was known for selling limited-edition breads that were hard to find elsewhere.
‘It makes sense, given that students from three different nations come here.’
Since the hero school attracted candidates from three nations, it was only natural that it offered many unique products you wouldn’t find outside.
"How many do you need to buy?"
"Let’s see... Considering the number of kids, maybe 50? Although, knowing how much they can eat, I might need more."
That was quite a lot.
"Let’s get going then. The competition for the limited-edition breads can be fierce."
"Oh, no need for that."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
I raised my arm to show her the Hero Watch I was wearing.
"I’ve got a friend who’s amazing at getting bread... You could say they’re my bread delivery service."
With a grin, I sent a message to my ‘friend’ through the Hero Watch.
"See? A simple click, and...."
As I killed some time chatting with Camilla, I heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
A blond young man came running from afar.
He had a large backpack on his back, like a traveling merchant’s.
"Huff, huff, huff! Dale! I—I got the bread!"
Drenched in sweat, Juliet dropped the heavy backpack full of bread and cautiously approached me, holding out his hand.
"A—and here’s your change...."
"Come on, no need for change between friends. You keep it."
Of course, I hadn’t given him any money for the bread in the first place.
"See? He brought it right away, didn’t he?"
I put my arm around Juliet’s shoulder and smiled broadly.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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