The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
“Gah... Argh...”
Along with a dying groan.
The light quickly faded from the eyes behind the wolf mask.
“Hah, hah!”
Yurina, panting heavily, pulled out the sword that had pierced the wolf mask’s heart.
“...Ah.”
She let out a low gasp as she looked at the fallen body of the wolf mask and then shuddered.
“Sorry, Dale.”
“Hm? Sorry for what?”
“We were supposed to interrogate him first about what he was doing in Valhalla City, but I...”
“Oh, that? It’s fine.”
I stifled a bitter smile and shook my head.
Initially, I had planned to capture and interrogate them, but I changed my mind during the fight.
‘Even if we interrogated him, we wouldn’t have learned much.’
It was clear that the fox mask and rabbit mask, who were far inferior to the wolf mask, wouldn’t know much even if we questioned them.
And the wolf mask, who seemed like the only one worth extracting information from, wasn’t the type to respond to interrogation.
“But still...”
“Not all information has to come through words, right?”
I approached the fallen wolf mask and removed his mask.
Revealed beneath the mask was the face of a middle-aged man with a square jaw and thick eyebrows.
His face was so scarred that it was hard to find an unmarked area, showing how many battles he had endured.
‘This is almost like stitching a person back together.’
The sheer number of scars made me wonder how he was even alive.
Frowning, I carefully examined the wolf mask’s face.
‘I don’t remember this face from my past life.’
Of course, my memories of my past life weren’t perfect, so I couldn’t be certain.
But at least this face wasn’t in my memories.
“Who could he be? His skills were easily in the upper ranks among the rankers.”
“Hmm... No one among the current top rankers looks like him.”
After all, the term “ranker” wasn’t based on any precise measurement but was a title given based on the whims of enthusiasts across the three nations.
It wasn’t uncommon for unexpected talents to emerge who hadn’t made it onto any rankings.
‘For now, I’ll take some photos.’
I used my Hero Watch to capture images of the faces of the wolf mask and the fox mask (the rabbit mask’s body was too burned to identify).
“Hmm... So, in the end, we don’t know who this person was?”
“Still, the academy might be able to uncover something.”
“The academy?”
“These guys aren’t demons; they’re ‘heroes.’”
“Ah.”
If they were heroes bearing Stigmas, there was a high chance they had come from a hero academy.
“What if they were operating without formal certification?”
“Well... In that case, it’ll be harder to track them.”
Unfortunately, if that were the case, there wouldn’t be much else to pursue.
“Let’s head back to the academy for now.”
Even after thoroughly searching the bodies of the wolf and fox masks, we found no clues to their identities.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have killed them...”
“These guys were wearing masks to deliberately conceal their identities.”
It was always unlikely we’d find much.
“But...”
Yurina looked dejectedly at the fallen bodies.
Perhaps it hit her again that she had been the one to cause their deaths because her expression darkened further.
I couldn’t help but give a bitter smile as I looked at her.
‘Well, this experience will help Yurina grow.’
Staining her sword with blood—this was something she needed to do to continue living as a hero.
“Let’s go, Yurina. We’ll report these bodies to the academy and have them taken care of.”
“O-okay.”
Yurina nodded and followed after me.
After returning to the academy, Yurina and I went straight to Professor Elisha’s office to report.
“You both did well.”
Professor Elisha smiled in satisfaction as she looked at the photos of the wolf and fox masks that I had sent via the Hero Watch.
“I didn’t expect you to find them in just one day...”
“We got some help from a local.”
“A local?”
“Yes. A child from the slums. We brought him back with us, so I hope the academy can provide protection for now.”
I had brought Luca and Ren back temporarily to protect them from any remnants of the masked group.
“Understood. I’ll take responsibility for their safety.”
“Thank you.”
“But we can’t keep them at the academy forever. What do you plan to do with them later?”
“I’ll ask Iris to arrange for them to stay at an orphanage she knows.”
“Ah, a state-run orphanage would indeed be reliable.”
Professor Elisha nodded approvingly.
“For now, I’ll investigate based on the photos you took.”
“Please let me know if you find anything.”
“Of course. Oh, and on a different note, the Headmaster wants to have dinner with you.”
“Headmaster Lionel?”
A meal with the headmaster seemed like an unusual combination, given my status as a mere candidate.
“Yes. This mission was directly ordered by the headmaster, so the dinner will likely include a discussion about your compensation.”
“Ah...”
Now that I thought about it, Headmaster Lionel wasn’t the type to leave things unresolved after assigning such a dangerous task to a candidate.
“Perhaps your disciplinary action might be revoked as well.”
“Haha.”
Disciplinary action... That was something to consider later.
“For now...”
Professor Elisha glanced at Yurina, who stood quietly by my side, her expression less than cheerful.
“Did something happen to Candidate Yurina? She doesn’t look well.”
“Well, something did happen.”
“Did Candidate Dale make a mistake during your date?”
Professor Elisha gave me a suspicious look.
Yurina weakly smiled and shook her head.
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what?”
“....”
After hesitating for a moment, Yurina hid her trembling hands behind her back and spoke.
“Those people... weren’t demons.”
“Ah...”
Professor Elisha let out a sigh, as if she now understood.
“Whew. The first time is always hard. Especially for someone as kind-hearted as Candidate Yurina.”
Professor Elisha gave a faint, sympathetic smile as she looked at Yurina’s downcast expression.
Then she turned her gaze to me.
“Perfect timing. Then, Cadet Dale, you’ll spend the night in Cadet Yurina’s room tonight.”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
“What?”
Wait, what?
Suddenly, I’m told to sleep in Yurina’s room?
“I was already wondering where to let the two kids Cadet Dale brought sleep. They can use your room, and you can stay with Cadet Yurina.”
“I’m not so sure about that...”
“Hmph. Then, are you planning to leave Cadet Yurina, who looks so down, alone?”
“...”
Professor Elisha shrugged her shoulders and continued.
“It’s at times like this that having someone dependable nearby is most important.”
“Urgh...”
I swallowed my hesitation and turned to Yurina.
“Are you okay with this?”
“Y-Yeah! I’ve shared a room with Dale before plenty of times!”
Yurina nodded vigorously.
And so...
After leaving the professor’s office, I headed to Yurina’s room with her.
Click.
As I opened the door, the familiar interior of her room came into view.
The spacious room was typical of the dorms in Block A.
“...”
“...”
An awkward silence settled over us.
Scratching my head, I broke the silence.
“Shall we... have dinner first?”
“Y-Yeah.”
Nodding, Yurina started heading toward the kitchen.
But I gently grabbed her shoulder and shook my head.
“You should rest, Yurina.”
“But...”
“You’re not in the mood to cook, are you?”
“...”
Silently, Yurina nodded and obediently sat on the sofa.
She placed her sword on the table, its blade still stained with blood, and stared at it with a blank expression.
Meanwhile, I prepared something simple for her to eat and brought it to her.
“...”
But Yurina sat frozen, staring at the steaming food in front of her.
Swallowing a bitter laugh, I quietly took the dish away.
“You’re not in the mood to eat, either, huh?”
“...S-Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
I gently held Yurina’s hand.
A faint tremor traveled through our connected palms.
“...Dale.”
“Yeah?”
“I... killed someone.”
“I know.”
“Did I... do the right thing?”
She tightened her grip on my hand as she asked.
“I’m not sure.”
Whether it was right or wrong, I didn’t know either.
“But it was necessary. Something that had to happen, eventually.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah.”
A faint smile crept onto Yurina’s lips.
“If it was something necessary... then I did well, right?”
“Well, if you put it that way, it was a job well done.”
“Then... don’t I get a ‘reward’ or something?”
Yurina looked up at me with eyes full of anticipation.
Her expression had completely shifted from her earlier gloominess to one of excitement.
Stifling a chuckle, I replied.
“Of course, you deserve a reward.”
Even if I’d half-pushed her to take that step, the decision to stain her blade with blood had ultimately been hers.
“Alright, then lean your head over—”
“W-Wait a second.”
Yurina shot up abruptly.
“Before that... can I take a shower first?”
“Oh.”
Right. After the battle, she hadn’t had a chance to clean up, and the smell of sweat must have been bothering her.
“Got it.”
“I-I’ll be quick, so don’t go anywhere, okay?!”
Yurina darted into the shower room.
Soon, the sound of running water echoed through the door.
‘Professor Elisha was right. I’m glad I came with her.’
Recalling Yurina trembling earlier, unable to eat even a single bite, I realized I’d regret it deeply if I’d left her alone.
‘If just being by her side brings her comfort, then I’ll stay with her as long as she needs.’
It was my role to guide and support those dear to me.
Thud.
“Hm?”
Something fell to the floor from where Yurina had set her things.
Curious, I bent down and picked it up.
“A... shopping bag?”
It was empty.
But I was certain it had contained something earlier.
Click.
The door creaked open softly.
“...D-Dale.”
Through the gap, Yurina stepped out, wrapped in a large bath towel draped around her like a cloak.
“I-I’m all... done.”
Under the moonlight streaming through the window, her face glowed red, as if it might burst at any moment.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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