The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
"So, what do you think? Interested...?"
Maurice looked at me with sparkling eyes.
"Since you’re close with Empress Camellia, if you join us, you could be promoted to operator in no time... I mean, administrator!"
He grinned, clearly assuming there was no way I could refuse such a sweet offer.
"......."
No.
Was I really suspecting this guy just a moment ago?
‘Like father, like son... Oh right, they said he’s not his biological father.’
Well, whatever.
They say fools start to resemble each other just by being near, and Khalid Han and Maurice Jin were a perfect example of that.
‘The father’s a drunkard who spends all day drinking, and the son’s a pervert who wants to be trampled on by the Empress.’
What a delightful family.
Sigh.
A deep, hollow sigh welled up from within.
All that nonsense about him being a pawn of the Order of Eternity suddenly felt pointless.
"Why... why the sigh?"
"...It’s nothing."
Yeah.
It’s not like it’s his fault.
I’m the idiot who played both drums and cymbals over one suspicious guy, yelling about the Order of Eternity and all that.
‘Well... not that I can completely let go of the suspicion either.’
Anyway.
After talking to Maurice Jin, aside from the fact that he was hiding his power, nothing particularly suspicious stood out.
Sigh.
Letting out another sigh, I shook my head at Maurice, who was still looking at me with starry-eyed anticipation.
"I’ll pass. I’m not into being stepped on for fun."
"Oh, really? Then what are you into, Dale?"
"......."
Why do you care?
"Do you like tying people up? Or being tied up?"
If I had to choose... maybe tying—wait, no, that’s not the point.
"...I just like normal stuff."
"Haha. You’re just shy, huh?"
No.
Can’t someone just like normal things without being extreme?
Sigh.
"So... is that all you wanted to say?"
"Yeah. I didn’t really have anything specific, I just wanted to get closer."
Well, after that conversation, I’m not exactly in the mood for it anymore.
"Still, being in the same class two years in a row is fate, right? Especially during the most important time at Hero School."
Maurice shrugged and continued.
"Professor Lucas said at the beginning of the semester that finding good party members early is also part of being a hero."
Good party members, huh?
"Do you even know what my grades are like?"
"Haha. Of course."
He laughed lightly and looked at me with a soft gaze.
"But I value the person more than their grades."
With a gentle smile, he added:
"Dale Han. You’re the one I’ve been looking for."
"......."
What on earth has he heard about me to say something like that?
"Your dad said I’m a complete piece of trash though."
"Pfft! Hahaha! Sounds like my dad."
He chuckled, shaking his shoulders and reached out his hand again.
"Anyway, let’s get along from now on."
"Sure."
I still didn’t know why Maurice was hiding his power.
But knowing that, like Yurina and Iris, he was also way beyond the level of a mere “cadet,” there was no need to make an enemy of him unnecessarily.
"A-And also..."
"Hm?"
"If... if you ever get the chance... c-could you maybe... bring me one of the Empress’s shoes?"
"......."
I feel like there’s a reason behind this, but still.
"I-If the shoe is too much, a sock is fine too."
I’m seriously gonna lose it.
After all the classes were over.
I stepped out of the lecture hall and turned on my Hero Watch to check my messages.
"Let’s see... they wanted me to pick up some drinks and snacks from the store."
Tonight, we were having a reunion party with the rest of the party members.
‘We were supposed to do it on the day I got back, but...’
Due to various circumstances (?), it had been pushed to today.
‘Last time we met, it was all about me, so this time I’ll finally get to hear about what they’ve been up to.’
I was kind of looking forward to hearing what the others had done during winter break and how much they’d grown.
On the way to the store—
"Oh! Brother Dale!"
Berald came thudding over with heavy footsteps when he spotted me.
"Are you going to get drinks for the party?"
"Yeah."
"You shouldn’t be doing that yourself, brother. Leave it to your younger brother!"
"They said if I asked you, you’d end up buying way too much. That’s why I’m going."
"Who dares say such things?!"
Who do you think?
"Senior Sophia."
"Ugh...."
Berald flinched and swallowed hard at the mention of Sophia.
"By the way, how’d things go with her? Didn’t she go to your house over the break?"
"Th-that is...."
Uncharacteristically hesitant, Berald trailed off, sighed deeply, and shook his head.
"...I’ll tell you later."
"What? Why? What happened?"
"Uh... well, something did happen."
"......."
Don’t tell me.
Did this idiot go off about the micro-world or whatever again in front of Sophia?
"So, what happened?"
"F-First let’s focus on getting the drinks! Man, it was rough not being able to drink at home ‘cause of all the old folks’ nagging, you know?"
He blatantly dodged the question and ran off toward the store.
‘Seriously, what the heck happened?’
I tilted my head and followed him to the store.
After stocking up on drinks and snacks, we arrived at the party house, where the party members were gathered in the lounge.
"Oh, Dale. You’re here."
"Yeah. Got the drinks and snacks."
"Did you get what I asked for?"
"Of course."
Iris had asked for fresh cooking ingredients sold at the store.
"Thanks for the trouble. Lanez and I will whip it up right away."
"Hehe. G-get ready, Dale!"
Humming a cheerful tune, Iris and Lanez headed into the kitchen.
“I-I can cook too, you know...”
Once again left behind, Yurina sat on the sofa, hugging her knees, looking all gloomy.
I stifled a laugh and sat down beside her.
“By the way, did you find what you were looking for?”
“Ah, yeah. Want to see it?”
“Of course.”
Yurina gave a faint smile and reached out into the air.
Vwoooom!
Light burst out from her stigma as a silvery aura gathered in the air.
What formed in the swirling silver light was a single sword.
Even at a glance, it was clear that the artifact held immense power.
“Dawn.”
A sword passed down through the Helios family for generations.
It was famously wielded by Reynald Helios, the “Sun Sword,” and leader of the Five Great Heroes.
“The sword has a will of its own, right? Heroes who aren't chosen by it can't even wield it.”
Even among the heads of the Helios family throughout history, only a few had been chosen by “Dawn.”
“I used Dawn in my previous life too, so I wasn’t worried about being rejected...”
But.
Was Dawn always shaped like that?
“It looks... kind of different from what I remember.”
“Oh, right. You’d know what the original Dawn looked like, wouldn’t you, Dale?”
Yurina gave a wry smile and reached toward the silver sword floating in the air.
It slowly drifted down and settled into her hand.
“It used to shine with a brilliant gold, like the sun... but once I held it, it turned silver. The blade used to be thicker too, but now it’s slimmer.”
“...Is it because of your stigma?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
Yurina nodded with a bitter smile.
“...I bet that caused a stir.”
A sword passed down through generations, suddenly changing its form—surely that would’ve thrown the entire Helios family into chaos.
“Yeah. Especially my mother... she fainted on the spot.”
Makes sense.
She was the type of woman who tried to alter her own daughter’s stigma in the name of preserving family tradition and honor.
If she saw “Dawn” change form right before her eyes, fainting sounds about right.
“What happened after she woke up?”
“Well... chaos. Total chaos. She screamed that she’d disown me if I didn’t hand over the sword.”
“So...?”
“I tried my best to convince her.”
“What?”
That didn’t sound like something that could be resolved through mere persuasion.
“I brought the altered ‘Dawn’ and defeated the entire family guard. That’s when she finally acknowledged it.”
“......”
Ah.
So that’s what she meant by persuasion.
“She got pretty badly hurt during the ‘convincing,’ but thankfully her life wasn’t in danger.”
“Ah... yeah.”
I was momentarily speechless at Yurina’s fiery brand of filial piety.
“Hehe. It’s all thanks to you, Dale.”
“No, wait.”
Hearing that right now makes me feel... really complicated.
“In the past, I wouldn’t have even considered ‘convincing’ my mother like that.”
“...Uh, right.”
Well.
If Yurina’s okay with it, I guess it's fine.
“Oh, and don’t worry about Dawn.”
Yurina looked down at the silver sword in her hand with a soft smile.
“It may have changed in form, but its power... it might even be stronger now.”
“Stronger?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure if it’s because of my stigma or some blessing, but... it feels even more powerful than what’s recorded in the family’s history.”
“......”
If what Yurina said was true and Dawn had grown even stronger...
That would be like giving wings to someone who had already undergone explosive growth over the past year.
‘Guess I’ll need to spar with her to really get a feel for it.’
Just as I was starting to get excited about seeing how much Yurina had improved over the winter break—
“We’re done! Dinner’s ready!”
“We made tons, so eat up!”
The dishes laid out on the table rivaled the banquets of the Imperial Palace.
“Heh! Alright everyone, raise your glasses!”
Berald raised his cup high.
“““Cheers!”””
Clink!
As we shared stories from the winter break and the drinks flowed—
“Hehe. Now that we’re full and the alcohol’s kicking in...”
Berald grinned as he clenched his fist.
Vwooooom!
The tattered bandages wrapped around his arm began to glow, transforming into gauntlets.
“How about a sparring match, brother?”
“A spar?”
“Hehe. I want to show you how much I’ve improved!”
Berald exhaled through his nose in excitement, practically trembling.
I stifled a laugh and stood up.
“I’m fine with a spar, but...”
I was curious to see how much the party had grown over the break.
“Not just you, Berald. All of you come at me together.”
Yeah.
That would be a fair fight.

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