The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
Whooosh!
A fierce blizzard raged over the frozen city.
The sheer cold was enough to make one's lungs feel like they would freeze just by breathing.
Snowflakes swirled violently, and in the blink of an eye, the ground was transformed into a vast, white expanse.
‘...Ah.’
It was an all-too-familiar sight for me.
I had seen this scene countless times in my past life, wandering for thousands of years in search of the primordial flame, until my very soul felt crushed under its weight.
A wave of nausea rose within me as the trauma I had tried so hard to suppress resurfaced.
But then—
“This is....”
The snowflakes that touched my skin melted instantly.
Rather than the extreme cold, the sensation they left was surprisingly warm and comforting.
It wasn’t because the power of the Frost’s Blessing that Lanez possessed was weak.
After all, everything else around me froze solid the moment the snowflakes touched them.
‘She’s controlling the blessing.’
Lanez was deliberately adjusting the power of her blessing to ensure that the raging snow did not affect me.
‘Lanez.’
I gazed at her back as she faced off against Seria, a faint smile forming on my lips.
‘You’ve changed.’
No longer was she the Night Witch who had massacred thousands—no, tens of thousands—and frozen half the continent.
The one standing there was not a witch.
She was Lanez Malam.
A hero in her own right, one that no one could deny.
“F-First, I’ll freeze Dale’s arms and legs so he can’t run away... T-Then, I’ll strip off his clothes... Heehee.”
...A hero, right?
“What in the world....”
Seria looked around at the snowy landscape in disbelief.
Freezing an entire city was within her capabilities.
Summoning a blizzard, covering the land in white—she could do all that, given enough time.
Yes.
‘If she had time.’
“T-This is impossible. How could it happen so quickly...?”
From the moment the blizzard began to rage to when the entire area was buried in snow—barely ten seconds had passed.
There was no way such a phenomenon could occur naturally.
Even an avalanche wouldn’t deposit enough snow in just ten seconds to turn the entire land into a frozen wasteland.
In other words—
That meant—
“Lanez, you...!”
The power Lanez was displaying now was something that transcended the laws of physics.
It was a force that reached into the realm of gods.
“...Mother.”
Lanez slowly stepped toward Seria.
With sorrowful eyes, she gazed at her and raised her hand high into the air.
“Blossom.”
The raging blizzard suddenly ceased.
Then, in the empty air, dozens—no, hundreds—of snowflakes bloomed like flowers.
And then—
“...Full Bloom.”
CRACK!
The snowflowers burst open, releasing a torrent of snowflakes from within.
But these were no ordinary snowflakes.
Each and every one of them carried the power of the Frost’s Blessing.
“Kyaaaah!”
Seria hurriedly conjured an ice storm to fend off the blizzard, but she was instantly swallowed by it.
Her magic was forcibly dispelled, and the backlash caused her to scream as she coughed up blood.
“.......”
Lanez stood before her.
With cold, emotionless eyes, she looked down at Seria.
“L-Lanez... W-Why are you looking at your mother like that?”
“...I’m sorry, Mother.”
Snow gathered at Lanez’s fingertips.
“Eek! W-Wait!”
“I’m sorry.”
As Seria staggered backward, her face pale with terror, Lanez took a step forward.
She aimed the razor-sharp blade of ice at Seria and—
—Oh dear, did Daddy scold you again, my little girl?
Suddenly—
A memory from childhood surfaced.
—Come here, sweetheart.
Back then, when she was scolded by her father, Seria had gently embraced her.
That warm embrace, the comforting pat on the back.
—Don’t cry, Lanez. My little girl looks much prettier when she smiles.
That memory.
That warmth.
It came flooding back, breaking through her defenses like a collapsed dam.
“...Ah.”
Her hand trembled and stopped.
Lanez now looked at Seria with eyes full of sorrow, as if she were about to break down at any moment.
Transparent tears slid down her cheeks.
‘I have to... end this.’
Yes.
This was her burden to bear.
It was something she had to do.
So—
“Ah... Ugh.”
Her hands shook violently.
It felt like her chest was being torn apart.
She didn’t want to do it.
Even knowing that her mother was no longer in her right mind.
Even knowing that she had committed unforgivable sins.
“P-Please... Mother....”
She didn’t want to kill her.
She wanted to cling to the rotten threads of faded memories.
“Come back....”
“Yes, my dear.”
Seria smiled gently and reached out her hand.
“Come here, Lanez. Just like before... Let Mommy hold you tight.”
“.......”
Lanez knew.
She knew that Seria had not truly come to her senses.
She knew that her outstretched hand was filled with sinister magic.
Yes.
She knew.
And yet—
“M-Mother....”
Lanez reached out her own hand to take Seria’s.
Just before their hands could touch—
FWOOSH!
A raging ember burst between them.
And then—
THUD!
A blade, wreathed in black fire, pierced Seria’s chest.
“Ah....”
Seria’s eyes widened in shock.
The ashen flames coursed along the blade, setting her heart ablaze.
"M-Mother...!"
Lanez rushed toward Seria in a panic, only to be pulled back by the shoulder.
"Lanez."
I firmly grasped her trembling shoulders.
"I'm the one who killed her."
“...Dale?”
"Look me in the eyes and listen. You're not the one who killed her. The one who drove the sword into your mother’s heart... was me."
Yes.
The one who took Lanez’s mother’s life wasn’t her—it was me.
So.
"You don’t need to feel guilty."
She doesn’t need to bear the thought of having killed her own beloved mother with her own hands.
It wasn’t you.
It was me.
I’m the one who burned your faded memories to ashes.
"Lanez."
I wiped away the tears trailing down her cheeks.
The timid, hesitant girl who always worried about others’ opinions—seeing her now, trying to stand on her own with nothing but her own strength, was admirable.
I had cheered for her from afar.
But.
"You don’t have to carry everything on your own."
She doesn't have to shoulder everything alone.
“...Dale.”
Lanez burst into tears, throwing herself into my arms.
She buried her face in my chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
And then.
"L-Lanez...?"
A frail, almost broken voice.
Seria, impaled through the chest, stared at Lanez, blood trickling from her lips.
"Mother...?"
"Haha... I’m... glad."
Seria smiled faintly.
"You’re... alive."
"M-Mother! Mom!!!"
I realized it instantly.
The Seria before us now was not the rampaging Archbishop of Frost, the one who had slaughtered countless people.
She was the mother Lanez remembered.
'Did the ashen flames burning her heart somehow restore her sanity?'
I widened my eyes as I saw the light return to the once-empty void of Seria’s gaze.
The power of the ashen flames that burned stigmata.
That power had stopped her rampage.
Which meant...
‘Someone tampered with Seria’s stigma.’
Her stigma had been corrupted by another’s power from the very beginning.
And the most likely culprit...
‘The Leader of Eternity.’
I closed my eyes, recalling the one whose name I didn’t even know.
"M-Mother...!"
Lanez’s face went pale as she stared at the sword lodged in Seria’s chest.
"J-Just wait a moment...! I-I’ll call Iris! I’ll ask her to heal you...!"
“...No."
Seria gently shook her head.
"There’s no need. I already... died a long time ago."
"B-But!"
"It’s... okay."
Seria reached out a trembling hand, caressing Lanez’s cheek.
"Just... being able to see my daughter... one last time... is a miracle beyond words."
"...Mother."
"Lanez... come here."
Seria carefully pulled Lanez into an embrace.
"You’ve grown so much."
She gently patted her back.
"Hic... Hngh...! Mom...!"
How long had it been since she last felt such warmth?
The emotions she had been suppressing burst forth, and her tears fell uncontrollably.
"Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom!"
"Yes."
Seria smiled softly, holding Lanez closer.
After holding her daughter for a long time, Seria turned her gaze toward me.
"You’re Dale... correct?"
"...Yes."
"Thank you. Because of you... I was able to return to my senses, even if only for a moment."
"......."
"Heh. You’re wondering who did this to me, aren’t you?"
I silently nodded.
"Well... I don’t know who they are either. They always hid their face behind a mask."
Seria’s voice grew weaker, struggling with every word.
"The only things I know... are that they were a man... and that they had hair as black as the night."
A man with black hair.
The number of possible suspects was too great for it to even be considered a clue.
"Heh. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help."
"...No, it’s fine."
"If I had more time, I could tell you everything that happened after I met him... and maybe you’d find a new lead."
Seria glanced down at Lanez, still sobbing in her arms.
"But... I don’t have much time left."
"......."
"I know it’s selfish of me to ask... but could I spend my final moments with Lanez?"
"...Of course."
As important as gathering information on the leader was, I wasn’t heartless enough to press for answers in a moment like this.
I nodded and stepped back.
Giving Seria and Lanez their time together.
"...Lanez."
"Hic... M-Mom... I-I’m sorry... I’m so sorry."
"Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who should be saying sorry."
Seria let out a soft sigh, pulling Lanez into a tighter embrace.
"Now, now. No more crying."
"M-Mom."
"Lanez, you look so much prettier when you smile."
"......."
Lanez bit her lip, holding onto Seria even tighter.
"Haa."
Seria let out a slow, fading breath and smiled warmly.
"I’m glad... I got to come back."
She knew the leader had revived her only to use her as a tool.
Even so.
She felt grateful.
Because he had given her this brief, precious moment.
A moment to say the words she had once left unsaid.
"Lanez."
She smiled as she gazed at her tearful daughter.
"I love you."
"Mom...!"
"I may have been a terrible mother who failed to protect her own child... but giving birth to you... was the greatest miracle of my life."
She kissed Lanez’s forehead.
And held her as though cradling the most precious treasure in the world.
"So warm... my sweet daughter."
Though her body grew cold, warmth radiated from her embrace.
A warmth strong enough to melt even the harshest of winter storms.

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