The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
A few days had passed since Lanez's sudden proposal.
I was sitting in front of the school gate, waiting for Lanez.
There were about five minutes left until our promised time.
It was unusual for Lanez to be late—just as I was thinking that...
“Haa, haa! S-Sorry, Dale! I’m late, right?”
Lanez was panting heavily, having evidently run in a hurry.
“You’re not late. There are still five minutes left until our meeting time.”
“B-But....”
“It’s fine.”
I suppressed a smile as I reached out to fix Lanez’s hair, which had gotten messy from running.
“Hehe. T-Thanks, Dale.”
Like a puppy that had found its lost owner, Lanez rubbed her cheek against my palm.
Every little gesture of hers tugged at my heart with unbearable cuteness.
Especially today, since she had dressed up so much.
“But... isn’t that outfit a bit cold?”
I frowned as I looked at Lanez, who was wearing a white dress as if she were going on a summer outing.
Even if heroes had superhuman bodies, they weren’t immune to feeling cold or hot.
It wasn’t the kind of outfit one should be wearing in the middle of winter.
“It’s okay. If I’m with you, I-I feel warm.”
Lanez smiled shyly and gently took my hand.
“.......”
What was this?
Why was Lanez acting so unusually cute today?
‘Normally, she talks about cutting or splitting things apart, but now...!’
As I was internally shedding tears of joy, Lanez narrowed her eyes and looked at me.
“Dale, what are you thinking about?”
“Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking that your outfit suits you well.”
“Hmmm... That’s strange. That’s not the kind of thought I was sensing from you.”
Sensing?
Could she read my thoughts by scent now?
“Shall we get going?”
“Ah....”
I quickly changed the subject and pulled her hand along.
Lanez, who had been sniffing around as if trying to read my thoughts, hurriedly followed behind.
The place we arrived at was the magic vehicle parking lot right next to the Hero Academy.
It was mainly used by professors and staff commuting to work.
Click.
I got into the magic vehicle I had prepared in advance.
“By the way, Dale... You had a magic vehicle?”
“Hm? Oh, this is a car I borrowed from the academy.”
“From the academy?”
“Yeah. Since I became a special candidate, they provided me with a vehicle as well.”
Because this position involved investigating and handling matters outside the academy, a magic vehicle was essential.
‘Well, essential or not, this is actually my first time using it.’
Until now, the only places I’d been were Valhalla City right in front of the school or the imperial capital, which I could reach via warp gate.
So, this was my first time actually driving the provided magic vehicle.
“Wow. I didn’t know you could drive, Dale.”
“I used to do it all the time in my past life.”
“Oh, right.”
Remembering that I was a regressor, Lanez nodded in realization.
I sat in the driver’s seat and grabbed the steering wheel.
“Man, it’s been a while.”
“When was the last time you drove?”
“Let’s see....”
How many thousand years ago was it?
“.......”
Click.
“Wait. Don’t get out yet.”
“L-Let’s just warp to the nearest city instead, Dale!”
“Don’t worry. I’m good at driving.”
“B-But...!”
“It’s fine.”
These things are all about muscle memory.
“Ugh....”
“Besides, there’s no warp gate near the place you mentioned, right?”
“That’s... true, but....”
“And since the road there will be empty, it’ll be fine.”
If it were the capital of the Republic, infamous for its nightmarish traffic, it would be a different story.
But on an open, empty road, even Lanez—who had never touched a steering wheel before—could probably manage to drive.
“I’ll escort you safely, so just relax, miss.”
“U-Okay....”
After seating Lanez in the passenger seat, I started the magic vehicle.
Vroooom!
The engine roared to life as I stepped on the accelerator.
Thud!
“Oh. Which one was the reverse gear again?”
“Hic... Mommy....”
Even before arriving at her mother’s grave, my divine driving skills were already making Lanez think of her.
Perhaps it was a small blessing in disguise.
Apart from that initial minor mistake, we managed to reach the location of Lanez’s mother’s grave without any major incidents.
“We’re here, Lanez.”
“...O-Okay.”
Lanez exhaled a sigh of relief as she stepped out.
Following her out of the car, I was met with—
“.......”
I narrowed my eyes as I took in the sight of the frozen city.
‘It’s been 15... no, 16 years since the Archbishop of Frost went on a rampage, huh?’
Though more than a decade had passed since the incident,
the white frost covering the entire city had yet to melt.
A city where no one lived anymore... No, a city where no one could live.
As I gazed upon the frozen wasteland, I frowned.
‘If Lanez’s future hadn’t changed, half the continent would have ended up like this.’
The memories of wandering through endless snowy wastelands in my past life resurfaced, filling me with nausea and discomfort.
“Dale?”
“Ah, yeah.”
“...Are you okay?”
My expression must not have been good.
Lanez tugged at my sleeve, concern evident in her eyes.
“I’m fine.”
Forcing a smile, I nodded.
“By the way, is this where your mother’s grave is, Lanez?”
“Yes. Strictly speaking... it’s not really a grave. This is just the place where my mother died.”
Lanez slowly walked into the frozen city.
Perhaps memories of that day were coming back to her.
Her face, as she gazed at the frozen ruins, was filled with sorrow, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
“What kind of person was your mother, Lanez?”
I spoke up, hoping to ease her sadness even a little.
“My mom was....”
Lanez hesitated for a moment before smiling faintly and continuing.
“She was a warm person. Like you, Dale.”
“......”
“If I was crying after getting scolded by my father, she would quietly come over and hug me. She’d pat my back and tell me not to cry, that I looked prettier when I smiled.”
“...She was a good mother.”
“Yeah.”
Lanez nodded, a bitter expression crossing her face.
"Until... that day."
“......”
The Great Archbishop Rampage incident 16 years ago.
Even now, more than a decade later, no one had uncovered the reason why Seria Malam suddenly lost control.
‘After that incident, the relationship between heroes and demons became even more hostile.’
They had always been enemies, to the point where killing each other was considered natural.
But after that day, the animosity between them worsened.
‘A demon, huh...’
Just as a human who receives the Stigma of the Seven Gods becomes a hero...
A human who receives the Stigma of a Demon God becomes a demon.
In that sense, some argued that demons should still be considered human.
‘But that’s an idea no one would accept.’
The Stigma of the Demon God provokes violence and destruction in humans.
Of course, a handful of demons resist the temptations of the Demon God and live no differently from ordinary people, but most succumb to its power and become monsters that indiscriminately slaughter their own kind.
In such circumstances, who would accept the argument that demons should be treated with the same respect as humans, just because they were originally human?
“After that day, my life froze over... just like this city.”
Lanez looked around at the frozen landscape before turning her gaze back to me.
“But after meeting you, Dale, things changed.”
A faint smile bloomed on her lips, tinged with sorrow.
“Because of you, I learned to feel warmth again... No, something even warmer than before.”
She took a step forward.
Then, carefully, she wrapped her arms around me, resting her head against my chest.
“That’s why I wanted to show her.”
That I’m no longer trembling in the cold.
That I’ve found a warm flame to melt my frozen life.
So...
“You don’t... have to worry anymore...”
Lanez trembled as she buried her face in my chest, sobbing.
“......”
Silently, I patted her back.
“I’m sorry...”
“Hm? For what?”
“I know you’ve been really busy lately, Dale, and yet... I’m bothering you with something like this.”
Lanez slipped into her all-too-familiar ‘guilty’ mode.
I let out a small chuckle and gently pinched her cheek.
“If it’s a request like this, you can ask me a hundred times. So don’t say that.”
“Uu...”
She wiped away the tears pooling in her eyes.
“Alright, enough crying.”
“O-Okay.”
Lanez nodded and smiled bashfully.
“D-Dale.”
“Hm?”
“...Then, c-can I ask for one more favor?”
“What kind of favor?”
“Well...”
Lanez hesitated, glancing around nervously before closing her eyes.
Then, standing on her toes, she puckered her lips slightly.
“......”
It wasn’t hard to figure out what her ‘favor’ was.
“Mm...”
I gently pressed my lips to hers, sharing a kiss.
Not a deep, passionate one, but a soft, simple meeting of lips.
“Hehe. Dale, your lips are warm.”
Lanez touched her lips and beamed.
I stroked her cheek, smirking teasingly.
“But are you sure about this? Right here?”
“Huh? Why?”
“What if your mother sees you from up above?”
“T-That’s...”
“Maybe she’s thinking, ‘My daughter has grown up,’ huh?”
“D-Dale!”
Lanez blushed furiously and lightly smacked my chest.
If anyone else saw this, they’d probably groan and say something like, ‘Ugh, get a room.’
But who cares?
‘It’s just the two of us here anyway.’
Yeah.
This place was a ghost town, abandoned by all.
There wasn’t a single other soul he—
Click. Click.
Footsteps echoed through the frozen city.
Lanez and I instinctively turned toward the source of the sound.
And then—
“Ah...?”
Lanez’s eyes widened in pure shock, as if she had just seen a ghost.
Her shoulders trembled violently.
Staggering backward, she stared at the approaching figure.
“M-Mother...?”
Dark violet hair and crimson eyes.
The woman who was once known as the ‘Archbishop of Frost.’
A demon.
Lanez’s mother.
And—
The very person responsible for turning this city into an abandoned ghost town.
“Hello, my dear.”
Seria Malam looked at Lanez and smiled warmly.

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