The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
A few days had passed since the successful conclusion of the undercover investigation ordered by Principal Lionel.
Life at school had returned to normal, but there were a few notable changes.
“Ehehe, Dale~.”
To be honest, the biggest change was undoubtedly—
“You worked hard training today. Let me wipe your sweat. Come on, let me.”
“I can do it myself—”
“Shush! Don’t say that~ Here, hold still!”
Actually, if I’m being honest, I don’t really want this right now, especially with Yuren looking like this—
“Ugh.”
“Haa... Dale, your sweat smells... nice.”
Please, don’t blush like that in that form.
“You worked hard today. Oh, by the way, do you want to grab dinner together later? And, um, if you have time... maybe come to my room...?”
With a shy smile and his gaze lowered, Yuren (Yurina) hesitated, unable to finish his sentence, twisting his body in embarrassment.
He looked utterly adorable, but—
I clenched my fists and glared sharply at the pendant hanging from Yuren’s neck.
‘Didn’t they say it was a magical artifact gifted by the Great Sage Julius to the Helios family 500 years ago?’
I still couldn’t fathom why someone as great as the Sage would create a magical item for gender transformation and disguise, but—
The magic embedded in the pendant, Polymorph, was incredibly intricate and refined, unmistakably touched by the hands of a master.
So, what I want to say is—
‘Even knowing it’s Yurina inside, I just can’t get used to this.’
Humans are highly reliant on visual perception, and even for someone with the superhuman body of a hero, that didn’t change much.
“Dale? What’s wrong?”
“A-ah, it’s nothing.”
As I avoided the twinkling eyes of Yuren, looking at me expectantly—
“Heh, you two seem awfully sweet these days.”
“Hmph. Even during training earlier, your minds were clearly elsewhere.”
Iris narrowed her eyes at us while Camilla clicked her tongue, arms crossed in disapproval.
“Pfft, want me to tell you why~?”
“...No, thanks. I can guess why Yurina’s been acting like she’s missing a screw lately.”
Iris clicked her tongue again, shaking her head.
Even though she said she understood, she seemed annoyed, her lips pursing as she pinched my side hard.
“Ugh.”
The sharp pain shooting through my side made me wince.
Iris leaned in close to my ear, whispering softly.
“Don’t forget, Dale, I was first.”
“Ahem.”
Was she feeling left out after seeing Yurina so happy lately?
Iris’s voice carried a subtle hint of resentment.
‘But honestly, I’d prefer Iris’s anger to this.’
I glanced at Lanez, sitting a little distance away, hugging her knees, biting her nails nervously.
In a barely audible murmur, like a curse, she muttered:
“Yurina’s so lucky. I want to do more than just kiss Dale... I could do it better. I could give him everything he wants... But why doesn’t he ever come to my room? Is it because I’m not attractive enough? That must be it, right? Guys like tall, slim girls... but I’m short and not slim... That’s why Dale doesn’t look at me. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? Maybe I should just freeze his arms and legs and force him—”
I swallowed dryly as I watched Lanez, who was radiating a dark, foreboding aura.
‘Please tell me this won’t lead to another Blessing of Frost incident.’
When Iris and I became close, the mood was more like,
‘It’s okay, we’ll all be happy together.’
Now, it felt more like,
‘Wait... weren’t we supposed to all be happy together?’
‘Professor Elisha... I miss you.’
This was exactly the kind of situation where Professor Elisha should step in and play the big sister, but she hadn’t been around lately, tied up with investigations from the recent incident.
‘If I say anything now, it’ll probably just make things worse.’
As I mulled over what to do—
“What are you mumbling about over there in the corner?”
Sophia, who had been quietly observing the situation, sighed and approached Lanez.
“S-Sophia?”
“Ugh. Honestly, why are you so hung up on someone like him...?”
“Ugh...”
“Haah. Well, it’s not like I have any room to talk.”
Sophia cast a sharp glance at Berald, who was grinning obliviously in the midst of the tense atmosphere, asking,
“So, when are we going to dinner? I’ll join too!”
“Well, whatever. Stop moping around. Didn’t you all promise to get along?”
“T-that’s... true, but...”
Lanez curled up like a pill bug, fidgeting with her fingers.
Even though she understood logically that she hadn’t lost her place just because Dale and Yurina were together, emotions didn’t always follow reason.
Every time she saw Yurina clinging to Dale, jealousy surged from deep within her heart.
“By the way, brother, when does your suspension end?”
“Hmm... I think I’ve got another month to go.”
“Huh? Isn’t that after the final exams?”
“Yep, pretty much.”
I sighed, lowering my head.
For context, the midterms had already ended ages ago.
‘What’s the point of midterms or finals when I’m barely hanging on as it is?’
I considered asking Principal Lionel to lift my suspension but dismissed the idea.
Since the midterms had already passed, lifting the suspension wouldn’t change the fact that I’d missed the exams.
‘And it’d just stir up unnecessary drama.’
Having the school principal personally revoke the suspension of a candidate under severe punishment?
People would definitely start questioning my relationship with the principal, among other things.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
‘Worst case, word about those masked individuals might leak.’
In any case, the risks of lifting the suspension outweighed the benefits.
“Hmm... But this place does feel a bit cramped with everyone here.”
Berald glanced around, surveying the training hall.
This was Yuren's personal training hall, which had recently been used as a semi-hideout.
Though the name suggested it was a “personal” training hall, its vast interior made it more than sufficient for solo use.
However, with seven people gathered there, the space felt quite cramped.
"Ah."
A spark of inspiration crossed my mind.
"Should we ask the principal for a party training hall this time?"
"A party training hall?"
"Yeah."
As the name implied, a party training hall was a facility designed for group training with systems suitable for 3 to 5 members.
Due to its exorbitant costs and complicated prerequisites, only a few parties utilized such facilities.
However, it was within the principal’s authority to secure one if necessary.
“Oh, I think that’s a great idea. While this place is good for one-on-one sparring, it’s not ideal for party training,”
Yurina agreed, nodding.
"Now that you mention it, aside from during ruins exploration, we haven’t had many opportunities for dedicated party training,"
Iris added with a nod of agreement.
“Oho! Then we’ll actually have our party’s hideout within the academy!”
Berald’s eyes sparkled as he exhaled excitedly, clearly enamored with the word “hideout.”
“Well... I also need a space to practice magic, so it’s not a bad idea,”
Said Sophia, giving her approval.
"Alright. I’ll bring it up to the principal later."
With Sophia’s support, there was no reason to hesitate anymore.
Just as I resolved to contact Principal Lionel, my Hero Watch pinged with a chime.
Ding.
A bright notification glowed on the device.
[Candidate Dale, can you come to the principal’s office immediately?]
It was a message from Professor Elisha.
“...The principal’s office?”
Not the faculty office, but the principal’s office?
Could this be related to the masked group’s identity?
I tilted my head in curiosity and stood up.
“Sorry, I don’t think I can join you all for dinner tonight.”
Leaving my curious party members behind, I headed to the principal’s office.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
The principal’s office of Lionel, the current Rank 3 hero and idolized as the "Thunder God," was surprisingly plain, contrasting with his illustrious reputation.
An old wooden table, worn-out sofa, and a bookshelf filled with nameless old books.
It felt more like a quiet countryside bookstore than the office of one of the continent’s most powerful figures.
“Apologies for summoning you on such short notice.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Originally, I had planned to host a proper meal to show my respect, but we’ve received critical information about the masked villains you encountered. That’s why I called you here.”
Lionel stroked his beard, his expression grave.
“What kind of information?”
“That, I’ll explain,”
Said Professor Elisha, stepping forward.
She manipulated a magical device to project a hologram into the air.
It was a photo of the wolf mask taken after its removal.
“This is the photo you took of the wolf mask, correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Do you believe this individual is the leader of the masked group?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
There was an unidentified figure that the wolf mask appeared to obey.
“Then would you say they’re at least a high-ranking officer within the group?”
“Hmm... Yes. I’m not sure about their exact rank, but they didn’t seem like a mere pawn.”
“I see...”
Lionel sighed deeply.
“Is there a problem?”
I asked, tilting my head.
Professor Elisha switched the holographic image.
The new photo showed a young man with a striking resemblance to the wolf mask, albeit without the scars and appearing about ten years younger.
“This is...”
“His name is James Jean. We found his identity in the academy’s alumni records.”
“Oh.”
The idea that a hero, rather than a demon, might be behind the mask made sense given that we could trace their information within the Hero Academy.
I studied the face closely.
Though he looked younger and scar-free, it was undoubtedly the wolf mask.
“The issue is...”
Professor Elisha frowned, continuing.
“James Jean graduated from the Hero Academy about 300 years ago.”
“...What?”
Wait.
Three hundred years ago?
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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