The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
A heavy silence settled over the room.
In the deathlike stillness, Berald was the first to speak.
“Uh... well, um, sorry for interrupting!”
“W-w-w-wait a second! You’ve got it all wrong, Berald!”
“It’s fine! Love comes in many forms, after all!”
“It’s not what you think, you bastard!”
Smack.
Iris threw the riding crop she had in her hand at Berald.
With surprising agility, Berald caught the whip midair and turned toward Sophia with an awkward cough.
“What are you looking at?”
“N-nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“Hmph. Hand that over.”
“What are you planning to do with this...?”
“Tsk. You’re not giving it to me?”
Looking sheepish, Berald handed the whip to her.
“Oooh... hmm.”
Sophia examined the whip with great interest, and then suddenly swung it toward Berald.
Snap.
It wasn’t a hard strike—more like a gentle tap with the palm—but the sound echoed in the room.
The only issue was the sound had come from Berald’s butt.
“Wh-what are you doing...!”
“Oh, so that’s what it feels like,”
Sophia said, her eyes gleaming as she nodded in satisfaction.
She nudged Iris with her elbow and smirked.
“Thanks, I learned something new today.”
“Th-this isn’t what it looks like, sis!”
“Oh my, then can I have this?”
“S-sure! Take these handcuffs, too!”
Iris unlocked the handcuffs on my wrists and handed them to Sophia.
Humming a cheerful tune, Sophia gathered up the whip and handcuffs.
“...Ah.”
Berald’s expression darkened.
He looked at me with eyes full of blame.
What?
What did I do?
This is all your fault, brother!
I was the one tied up! Why is this my fault?
Deep down, you were enjoying it too, weren’t you?
I wasn’t, you bastard!
Even if you say otherwise, the body doesn’t lie.
Just shut up and take your beating.
While Berald and I exchanged a deep and meaningful (?) conversation—
“Berald. Let’s go.”
“B-but...”
“Clearly, he’s not injured or anything, so there’s no reason to stay, right?”
“Well, that’s true, but...”
“Stop whining and follow me. I’ve got something I want to experiment with.”
“Gasp! W-wait! Ugh!”
Berald was dragged away by Sophia, practically clawing at the floor.
As his figure disappeared down the hall, I offered a silent prayer for his soul.
“...Dale.”
“What were you two doing in here?”
Yurina and Lenez approached with eyes as cold and deep as the abyss.
“Ahem. I’ll just... head back now.”
Sensing an impending catastrophe, Camilla gave a dry cough and turned to leave.
“Ah, C-Camilla, wait!”
“Sorry, Saintess! Please survive!”
Ignoring Iris’s call, Camilla fled without so much as a glance back.
And so, it was just Iris, Yurina, Lenez, and me left in the room.
“Well then.”
“Care to explain what happened?”
Smiling sweetly as they approached, the two girls sent Iris into a panic.
“So... it was something Professor Elisha gave you, huh.”
“I-I really thought Iris had finally, you know, opened her eyes to something...”
After a long, desperate explanation, Yurina and Lenez finally nodded in understanding.
“But Dale... do you really like that sort of thing?”
“No.”
“If it’s for you, I-I can try it!”
“I said I don’t.”
“Don’t be shy!”
“......”
They never intended to listen in the first place.
“Okay! Th-then next time, maybe I could... try too...”
“I-I’ll show you how it’s done!”
“Thanks, sis.”
Professor Elisha... is this really the future you wanted?
Sigh.
As I let out a deep breath and tried to sit up from the bed—
“Ugh.”
A wave of exhaustion swept over me.
Thanks to the holy water Iris had given me earlier, I wasn’t in any pain anymore, but the fatigue had become even more intense.
“The effects of the holy water must be kicking in.”
“...This is because of the holy water?”
“Yes. It numbs the pain and speeds up healing, but it also makes you extremely tired.”
Iris quickly came to my side and began checking my condition.
“Pain? Dale, were you hurt?”
“D-Dale, you’re in pain...?”
Yurina and Lenez followed behind her, hurrying over to the bed.
“I’m okay. Just a bit tired.”
“Oh... come to think of it, Dale, you didn’t rest at all after fighting that demon. You jumped straight into the Demon Realm expedition.”
“The Demon Realm... that must have been hard.”
That wasn’t the real reason, but—
I didn’t want to worry them by bringing up the “Black Flame” right now.
“No need to worry. Iris gave me holy water, so I’ll be fine after some rest.”
“O-okay.”
“By the way, how’s the atmosphere at school these days?”
“...Everyone’s in a panic because of the demons. There’s even talk of an impending war.”
...War, huh.
‘It’s not impossible.’
Originally, a war with the demons was supposed to break out ten years from now.
But then again, the Three-Nation Alliance had also formed ten years earlier than it was supposed to.
‘Changes to the future don’t always lead to positive outcomes.’
If the formation of the alliance came ten years early, then a war with the demons happening ten years early wouldn’t be strange either.
‘I don’t know when or how they’ll attack, but...’
There’s no time to be lying around like this—
“Dale.”
Iris’s voice was calm and quiet.
“I understand how you feel, but your recovery comes first.”
“That’s...”
“You’re not seriously thinking of going back into the Demon Realm in your current condition, are you?”
“No, I mean... I drank the holy water, so...”
“No.”
Iris shook her head firmly.
I wanted to get up and do something, but seeing the look in her eyes, I knew there was no room for negotiation.
“Iris is right, Dale. I’ll go to the Demon Realm with Professor Elisha in your place, so focus on getting better.”
“I-I’ll go too!”
“Ehh... alright.”
With Yurina and Lenez saying this much, I couldn’t force myself to argue.
As Iris said, getting my body back to top condition was the priority right now.
“Iris, I’ll leave Dale in your care.”
“Mm, got it.”
“W-We’ll be going now then! Get lots of rest, Dale!”
Yurina and Lenez left the room.
Leaving just Iris and me behind.
“Dale, lie down here.”
Iris sat on the bed and patted her knee.
“I could just lie on the bed...”
“Tsk.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Obediently, I laid my head on Iris’s thigh.
A soft sensation spread through the back of my head.
Iris gently stroked my forehead.
“Oh merciful Seven Gods, please grant your child’s weary body rest.”
Iris’s eyes shimmered in rainbow hues.
Wooooong!
A wave of seven colors flowed through her hand and into me.
The weight of fatigue turned into a pleasant drowsiness.
Like sinking into a hot bath, then lying down on a soft bed.
Sleepiness hit me like I had taken a sedative.
“Sleep well, Dale.”
Her gentle voice tickled my ears as my consciousness faded.
“Ugh...”
How long did I sleep?
I swallowed and opened my eyes.
The room was pitch dark.
It must have been nighttime already.
“You’re awake?”
Iris’s voice came from above me.
“...Don’t tell me you stayed like this the whole time?”
“Hehe. Watching your peaceful sleeping face was more entertaining than I expected.”
I quickly sat up.
“Ugh... how long was I asleep?”
“About eight hours.”
“...Is your leg okay?”
“Mm. It’s a little tingly. Want to massage it for me?”
Iris gave me a teasing smile.
“How’s your body feeling?”
“Hmm...”
I did a light stretch.
“Oh.”
My body felt like a feather.
“I think I’m all better now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I actually feel even better than usual.”
“That’s a relief.”
Iris smiled softly, watching me bounce on the spot a little.
“Still, make sure you rest for the rest of today. There could be lingering fatigue.”
“Got it.”
“Now, lie back down.”
Pat, pat.
She tapped her thigh again.
“Wait, I don’t really need to lie down anymore...”
“Tsk. Didn’t I say you need to rest until tomorrow?”
“Ugh...”
I swallowed nervously and rested my head on her thigh again.
Maybe I hadn’t fully recovered, because the moment I laid down, I started getting sleepy again.
“See? I told you.”
“...You were right.”
I guess she really earned the title of Saintess.
I’d felt completely refreshed when I first woke up, but maybe there was still some hidden fatigue I hadn’t noticed.
“By the way, Dale, do you remember the promise you made me?”
“Promise?”
“You said if I joined your party, you’d grant me one wish.”
“Oh.”
Right, I did say that.
“What’s your wish?”
“Well... I’ve been thinking about it ever since I heard Sophia got engaged to Berald.”
...Wait, don’t tell me she wants to get married?
But that’s a little too much right now—
“I want to have a child.”
“...Excuse me?”
Wait a minute.
Marriage suddenly sounds like the less shocking option.
“W-What did you just say...?”
“Don’t you want one too, Dale? A child.”
Iris gently cupped my cheek and continued softly.
“I don’t want anything too grand. Just a small family... maybe two sons and three daughters.”
That’s not small at all!
“N-No, um... listen...”
My mind went blank at the bomb she just dropped.
A child?
She wants to have a child?
Now?!
“Hehe. No need to get so flustered.”
“No.”
How could I not be flustered?!
“I know it’s not realistic to have one right now. We haven’t even graduated yet, and the demons have been acting strange lately too.”
“Y-Yeah, exactly.”
“So...”
Iris smiled sweetly as she continued.
“–Instead, just for today, will you be my child, Dale?”
“...Excuse me?”
“That’s my wish.”
What.
How.
How am I supposed to respond to something like that—
“You’ll grant it, right, Dale?”
“Be your child? What does that even...?”
“I believe in you, Dale!”
No, seriously.
Why is she saying lines like she’s the heroine of some epic tale?
The next day.
Fully recovered, I headed straight for Professor Elisha’s office.
“Oh, feeling better now, Candidate Dale?”
“Dwuhta.”
“Dwuutai.”

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