The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
A chilling silence settled over the conference room.
Faint sighs and muted groans echoed here and there.
“...Please mind your manners, Sir Khalid.”
Johann, who had just moments ago been boasting about his student with a foolish grin, now glared at Khalid with a gaze so cold, it was hard to believe he was the same man.
“Hahaha! My apologies! The liquor in Valhalla City is just too damn good, you see!”
Ignoring Johann's rebuke entirely, Khalid Han chuckled heartily and casually plopped himself down at the table.
I narrowed my eyes as I observed the gray-haired old man.
‘So, this is Khalid Han.’
The leader of the continent’s largest mercenary guild.
‘Though largest in scale, it’s mostly a mass of numbers with little real skill.’
In my past life, my first job after graduating from the academy as a low-ranking graduate had been as a mercenary.
Mercenary work was one of the most avoided professions among academy graduates, especially for heroes.
‘The work is dirty and dangerous, the pay is low, and there’s little to no honor in it.’
In the Republic, it would be akin to the last resort for those whose credentials were too weak to land positions as high-ranking civil servants or employees at major corporations.
And yet, Khalid Han was the idol of these mercenaries—a man who had clawed his way up from the very bottom to earn the title of Master.
Like a dragon rising from a muddy stream, he had become a hero after starting as nothing.
Of course, compared to other Masters, his skill and influence were lacking, which is why he was often scornfully referred to as the ‘Bottom-rank Master’.
‘Still, a Master is a Master.’
Among the tens of thousands of heroes, only five stood at the very pinnacle.
Bearing the title of Master meant his power was genuine and undeniable.
‘Though for someone so strong, he died quite anticlimactically.’
In my previous life, Khalid Han had met his end during the war between the Empire and the Republic, which erupted after the assassination of Empress Camellia.
Of course, back then, I was just a lowly grunt, far removed from the frontline, so I had only heard of his fate through rumors.
‘But this time, since I saved Camellia and prevented the war... that means Khalid Han is still alive in this future.’
Just like Principal Lionel, who was supposed to die at the hands of Archbishop of Madness, but was saved when I slew the archbishop instead.
Inadvertently, I had ended up saving more than half of the continent’s Masters.
‘It doesn’t quite feel real.’
Suppressing a wry smile, I turned my gaze toward the five Masters seated at the table.
“Let us begin the meeting.”
As Principal Lionel opened the session, the once-turbulent atmosphere instantly calmed.
“As you are all aware, the reason we’ve gathered here today is to form a Tri-Nation Alliance in response to the increasingly active movements of the Demons.”
The Sealing Festival Incident from the previous year.
The Beast Legion’s invasion.
The assassination attempt on Empress Camellia.
Until recently, the Demons had remained clustered in the southern regions of the continent without making any major moves.
But suddenly, they had begun to act.
“There is one more matter.”
Camellia, who had been quietly listening, raised her index finger.
“The Order of Eternity.”
A mysterious organization that had allied with the Archbishop of Corruption.
Though their ultimate goal was unknown, one thing was clear—they were an undeniable threat to the heroes.
“Ah, yes... them as well.”
Principal Lionel narrowed his eyes grimly and continued.
“The Apostles of Destruction and the Order of Eternity. To stop them, we must unite our strength.”
“I agree,”
Marianne chimed in with her characteristic gentle smile.
“In times of chaos, the light must shine even brighter. To prevent the resurrection of the Demon God, we must stand together.”
“The resurrection of the Demon God...”
Camellia’s eyes narrowed.
“That means, in the end, the Demons’ ultimate destination will be this place—the Hero Academy.”
More precisely, the ground beneath it.
The Abyss, where the Demon God had been sealed.
That was where the Demons would inevitably converge.
“...Indeed.”
Principal Lionel closed his eyes heavily, as if confirming the grim reality.
When the academy was built on the land where the Demon God had been sealed five hundred years ago, perhaps this future had already been fated.
But now, as the one responsible for the safety of the students, Lionel could only feel the weight of that decision.
“In light of this, I would like to make a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“What if we construct a Warp Gate connecting the Tri-Nation Alliance and the academy?”
“A Warp Gate? You mean like the one in Valhalla City...?”
Lionel’s face stiffened as he trailed off.
“You can’t mean... you want to build a Warp Gate inside the academy?”
“Indeed.”
Camellia nodded slowly and continued.
“The Warp Gate in Valhalla City is connected to the capitals of the three nations, but it isn’t situated in a location that allows for swift deployment of reinforcements in emergencies.”
No matter how close Valhalla City was to the academy, being outside rather than inside made all the difference.
Especially when every second counted during a crisis.
“......”
Installing a Warp Gate inside the academy, directly linking it to the outside world.
In times of emergency, students could evacuate quickly, and reinforcements from the three nations could arrive in an instant. It was certainly an appealing idea.
“...But you do realize the opposite could happen, don’t you?”
Yes.
It wouldn’t just be allies who could move swiftly.
If the Demons used the Warp Gate to pour into the academy, the resulting massacre would be unimaginable.
“Of course, I am well aware.”
“......”
Lionel fell into a brooding silence.
“In that case, how about this?”
Johann, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up.
“Instead of simply installing the Warp Gate, why not grant Principal Lionel the sole authority to activate it?”
“...You mean only I would have the power to authorize its use?”
“Yes. That way, we can prevent the Demons from using it to invade the academy.”
“Hmm...”
After pondering for a long while, Principal Lionel finally nodded.
"Very well. Proceed with the installation of the warp gate immediately after the proclamation of the Tri-Nation Alliance."
"If construction costs are lacking, let me know. The imperial treasury is overflowing with gold, rotting away from disuse."
"We will also spare no support where it is needed."
"Haha! Excellent! Everyone is quite proactive!"
Khalid Han guzzled down the liquor bottle he was holding and let out a satisfied sigh, curling his lips into a grin.
"We don't have gold or resources to offer, though."
"...You."
"What do you expect from mercenaries who barely earn enough to live day by day?"
Khalid Han chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.
"The only thing we have is our wretched bodies... so if you need manpower, we'll send some of our men."
"...Are you suggesting using heroes for manual labor?"
No matter how mercenary they were, they were still superhumans blessed with the stigmas of the Seven Gods.
They were not mere laborers to be sent to construction sites.
"Heh heh. You high-ranking folks must not know much about our situation, huh? There are plenty of mercenaries who end up doing grunt work because there aren’t enough requests coming in."
Just as Khalid said, there were indeed many heroes who sustained themselves through menial physical labor when they weren't taking on monster or demon subjugation requests.
‘I used to do that a lot, too.’
There was no helping it.
Subjugation requests didn't come every day, and large-scale, high-paying jobs were usually claimed by major guilds or state-affiliated heroes.
"If you're that insistent... well, fine."
"Haha! Just make sure the lads are properly paid!"
"That won't be an issue."
Principal Lionel nodded as he flipped through the documents.
"Then, moving on to the next topic...."
Thus, the summit meeting continued.
‘This is going far more smoothly than I expected.’
Perhaps it was because the movements of the demons and the Order of Eternity had grown more active recently.
The formation of the Tri-Nation Alliance was progressing far more smoothly than anticipated.
"Alright then, we'll wrap up the meeting with the decision to proclaim the Tri-Nation Alliance one week from now."
"Heh heh heh! Since the meeting concluded successfully, how about we raise a toast?"
Khalid Han suddenly produced several bottles of liquor from who knows where and placed them all over the table.
The Masters shook their heads with exasperated expressions.
Just as the celebratory drinking session was about to begin—
"I shall take my leave first."
Camellia rose to her feet.
"Hmm? Leaving already?"
"Stepping outside the imperial palace after so long has left me weary."
"Heh. I was hoping for a rare chance to share a drink with Her Majesty."
"I will accept the sentiment alone."
Leaving the drinking party behind, Camellia stepped out of the conference room.
I followed her.
"...What did you think?"
Camellia, who had remained silent the entire time we walked out of the building, turned to me and asked.
"Well, it seemed to have gone well enough."
"Yes. It proceeded smoothly."
Camellia nodded as though she had expected as much.
"By the way... why did you even summon me to the meeting?"
If she had anticipated that everything would go without issue—or even if she hadn’t—there was no reason to call me, who wasn't even a Master, to observe the meeting.
"......."
Camellia closed her eyes and remained silent for a moment, as though organizing her thoughts.
After a few minutes, her platinum eyes met mine.
"After the previous incident, I conducted a separate investigation into the Order of Eternity."
"Ah, yes. Did you obtain any results?"
"Results, hmm...."
Camellia clicked her tongue softly.
"There were results, yes. Though I'm not sure you could call them good ones."
"What do you mean...?"
"While in-person meetings like this summit are rare, the Masters regularly hold video conferences."
"...And?"
"I'm not entirely certain yet,"
Camellia continued, narrowing her eyes.
"But it seems that information shared between the Masters is leaking to the Order of Eternity."
"......."
That meant—
"Either someone close to one of the Masters... or."
Among the five Masters—
"One of them is connected to the Order of Eternity."
"......."
I stared at Camellia, my expression stiffening.
"...If that's the case."
"Yes, the reason I summoned you to this summit meeting was..."
Camellia's platinum eyes gazed steadily at me.
"I want you to find the traitor hiding among us."
"......."
One of the five Masters.
A traitor connected to the Order of Eternity.
"Why... are you asking me to do that?"
"Heh. Isn’t it obvious?"
Camellia's lips curled into a faint smile as she slowly reached out and gently caressed my cheek.
"Because you are the only hero in this vast continent... whom I trust with all my heart."

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