The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
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As the weather grew colder and winter approached, the once heated atmosphere of the school after the victory parade began to cool with the biting wind.
I headed to the meeting place I had promised with Lanez.
“Huh?”
Despite arriving 30 minutes early, Lanez was already there, waiting for me.
“Oh... D-Dale. You’re here?”
She waved at me shyly when she noticed me.
“When did you get here?”
“Not long ago.”
“And how long exactly is ‘not long ago’?”
“About... three hours?”
“...”
How early did she come to wait for me?
As I stared at her incredulously, Lanez blushed and fidgeted, pressing her index fingers together nervously.
“From now on, don’t wait so early.”
“O-okay. Got it.”
“By the way...”
I glanced at Lanez, scanning her outfit lightly.
A white dress, a thin beige cardigan, and slightly heeled shoes.
To top it off, she was wearing light makeup.
Lanez looked so beautiful that I doubted if this was the same person who usually exuded an ominous, witch-like aura.
“You look lovely.”
“R-really?”
Lanez beamed with excitement, like a miner who had just struck gold, and stomped her feet with delight.
“Yeah, it suits you very well.”
“Hehehe, thank you.”
“But... as much as you’ve dressed up so nicely, I’m sorry to say...”
I placed my hand on her shoulder as I continued.
“It’d be better if you took those clothes off.”
“...What?”
Lanez’s eyes widened in shock, and her expression froze.
She swallowed dryly, her face turning bright red, before giving a tiny nod.
“O-okay. If that’s what you want, Dale... I’m ready.”
She began slipping off her cardigan.
“No, don’t take it off here! I meant you should change your clothes.”
“...Huh?”
“Here, take these training clothes.”
“...”
“We’re supposed to train with your blessing today, remember?”
There was no way she could practice in a dress and cardigan.
“...Tch.”
Lanez pouted as she accepted the plain, unfashionable training outfit.
After changing in a nearby shared restroom, Lanez and I headed to the mountain behind the school.
Normally, students couldn’t enter the area without a class scheduled there, but with the access pass given to me by Professor Elisha, it was no problem.
“Are you ready?”
“Y-yeah.”
Lanez nodded nervously.
“Don’t worry too much. Take it slow and try drawing out the power of your blessing.”
“Whew...”
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused.
The mark of her blessing began to glow, spreading a brilliant white frost across the area.
Crack, crackle.
The vegetation touched by the frost froze instantly and shattered like brittle cookies, scattering to the ground.
It was a sight both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
The power of the witch who had once turned half a continent into a frozen wasteland was slowly awakening.
“Hah...”
White breath escaped from Lanez’s lips as she exhaled.
She carefully raised her arm and pointed toward a nearby tree.
The frost, which had been lingering like mist, condensed into the shape of a spear.
Whoosh!
The icy spear shot forward at terrifying speed, piercing the tree.
Then—
BOOM!
The spear exploded, freezing not only the tree but also the surrounding vegetation, rocks, and even tiny insects.
The radius of destruction was a staggering 20 meters.
The once-living area around the tree had become a frozen wasteland in an instant.
“...Wow.”
Lanez let out a soft gasp as she stared at the scene she had created.
Turning to me with a frightened expression, she mumbled,
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Hmm.”
My initial target had been just the single tree she first pierced.
But due to the overwhelming power of her blessing, the entire area had been frozen as well.
‘She still lacks control over her power.’
If this had been a battle, our allies would have been caught in the attack too.
“I-I’ll do better next time!”
Despite her resolve, every subsequent attempt ended in the same result.
“...Ugh.”
Lanez pouted as she surveyed the frozen wasteland she had created.
“I’m sorry, Dale.”
Seeing her shrunken posture and trembling face, I gently patted her head.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. This is why I suggested we do control training in the first place.”
“But...”
“It’s fine. No one gets it right on the first try, you know?”
I understood how she felt as someone who had struggled to learn even the simplest things.
“...Thank you.”
Lanez clutched my sleeve tightly and gave me a shy smile.
“Alright, let’s try this time like this.”
“Huh? How—Kyaah!”
I moved behind Lanez and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a back hug.
Because of our height difference, the back of her head rested near my chest.
“D-D-D-Dale?”
She fidgeted nervously, her face bright red.
“Focus and try using your blessing again.”
I lightly tightened my arms around her, igniting a faint ember of ash-gray flame.
Fwoosh.
The warm, gentle flames enveloped us without burning or causing pain.
It emitted only a subtle warmth, just enough to calm her.
Lanez closed her eyes, her face still flushed, and began channeling her energy.
Whoosh.
This time, the frost spread evenly like a thick mist.
Unlike before, the vegetation it touched didn’t freeze.
“...Huh?”
Lanez’s eyes widened in amazement.
She slowly raised her arm again, pointing to a tree.
Wooong!
An icy spear formed in the air, and then another, and another.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Two became four, four became eight, and soon, thirty-two icy spears hovered around her.
“Hah...”
She exhaled softly and whispered,
“Freeze.”
Shk! Shk! Shk! Shk! Shk!
Thirty-two spears shot off in different directions, embedding themselves into a tree.
In the blink of an eye, the pierced tree froze solid—but only the tree.
The surrounding ground didn’t freeze, nor did any of the insects get caught in the frost.
“H-Huh?”
Perhaps even she couldn’t believe what she had done.
Lanez gawked at the tree, flapping her arms in disbelief like she wanted someone to look at it.
“D-Dale! I did it! I really did it!”
“Good job.”
I patted Lanez on the head as she hopped around in delight.
‘So it was true—the Ashen Flame really does influence the Blessing of Frost.’
I had known about its influence for some time now, but I hadn’t expected it to create such a dramatic change.
“Is this... because of the fire you made, Dale?”
“Probably.”
“Hehe. Then all I need is for you to hold me like this forever.”
“No.”
There’s no way she could always use the Blessing while being hugged by me.
“You need to practice so you can do it on your own.”
“Mm...”
For some reason, Lanez pouted and fidgeted with a crestfallen expression.
I chuckled and ruffled her hair.
“Well then, shall we start again?”
“Okay!”
We continued practicing her Blessing control until the sun began to set.
Through today’s training, I realized two new things about Lanez.
First, her persistence far exceeded my expectations.
Even as her lips turned blue and she trembled from the cold each time she used the Blessing, she never once complained and focused intently on training.
And the second...
“Freeze!”
Shk!
With a clear shout, Lanez unleashed a Frost Spear.
The spear, fired at a terrifying speed, pierced a tree so massive it would take two or three adults to encircle it.
Crack! Crackle!
The Frost Spear exploded inside the tree, freezing the entire thing solid in an instant.
Unlike when she first created and fired the Frost Spear, this time, it didn’t scatter frost around her.
The ice was perfectly concentrated on the tree.
“W-Wow!”
Lanez jumped with joy as she saw the frozen tree.
“Hehe, Dale! I did it!”
She quickly ran over to me, clearly expecting praise.
“Good work.”
Although she didn’t fire dozens of spears simultaneously as she did while surrounded by Ashen Flame, her progress in just one day was astonishingly fast.
‘At this point, I can’t understand why she struggled so much to control her power in her previous life.’
The second thing I realized about Lanez:
Her talent rivaled that of Yurina, Berald, and even Senior Sophia.
Initially, she couldn’t control her power without Ashen Flame, but now, even when I stood far away, she was using her Blessing with ease.
‘As long as she doesn’t have a mental breakdown causing the Blessing to go berserk, there’s nothing to worry about.’
Lanez’s growth was nothing short of miraculous.
“How about we call it a day?”
I asked, glancing up at the darkening sky.
“Okay... sounds good.”
Lanez tugged at my sleeve hesitantly, her lips twitching as if she wanted to say something.
“I... I packed a lunchbox. Do you want to eat it with me?”
“A lunchbox?”
“Yeah, I made it this morning. It’s cold now, though...”
Lanez pulled a neatly wrapped lunchbox out of her bag.
“If it’s cold, we can heat it up.”
I placed my hand on the cold lunchbox and gently summoned Ashen Flame.
Before long, warm steam rose from the once-cold lunchbox.
Inside were stir-fried vegetables and Vienna sausages, rolled omelets, and stir-fried kimchi.
Just looking at it made my mouth water.
“I looked up the most popular lunchbox dishes in the Republic and made them.”
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
Having been quite hungry, I devoured the lunchbox quickly.
“...Is it good?”
“It’s amazing.”
“Hehe. I’m glad.”
Lanez beamed at me as I happily finished the lunchbox.
“Oh, right! Did you hear the news, Dale?”
“What news?”
“The school trip next week.”
“...What?”
This was the first I’d heard of it.
“Oh... I guess they haven’t told the third years yet.”
“Why a school trip all of a sudden?”
In all four years I attended the Hero Academy in my previous life, there was never a mention of a “school trip.”
“Apparently, the school walls were heavily damaged during the recent war, so they organized the trip while the repairs are being made.”
“A school trip, huh...”
I’d heard about school trips being common in other schools before adulthood, but having one at the Hero Academy was unprecedented.
“Where are we going?”
“To Thermal in the Holy Kingdom.”
Thermal.
It was a region famous for being the burial site of Grace, one of the Great Five Heroes, and a well-known tourist spot in the Holy Kingdom.
‘Though, to be honest, its fame has less to do with the tomb.’
Thermal was even more famous for another reason.
“T-Thermal is known for its hot springs...”
Lanez turned to me with a wide grin.
“I hope we can enjoy the hot springs together, Dale.”
“No.”
There’s no way that would happen on a school trip.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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