The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
"What on earth is this...?"
Lionel Ryu, known among the citizens of the Republic for his dignified and solemn demeanor, even earning the title "Immortal," had completely forgotten the need to maintain the dignity and decorum expected of a Principal.
His mouth hung open so wide that a fly could have flown in without him noticing.
"You... just what are you?"
Principal Lionel stared at the cadet before him with trembling eyes.
Dale Han.
He had already known that, despite his grades, Dale’s strength far surpassed the level of an ordinary cadet.
And that Dale had never revealed the full extent of his powers.
But still—
'No matter how strong he is, there has to be a limit, a limit!'
The amount of mana Dale was now displaying wasn't just at the level of a Master.
No.
Saying he surpassed the level of a Master would be an understatement.
Even the Empress, a being regarded as a demigod, couldn't dare compare to the sheer quantity of mana Dale now exuded.
It was overwhelming, like standing before the grandeur of untouched nature.
"With the war against the Demons right on our doorstep, does my identity even matter right now?"
In this situation, there was no time to reveal that he was a regressor, or that he held within him the powers of the Primordial Flame and the Tree of Creation, and so on.
'Even if there were time, that information isn’t something you can just share carelessly.'
Even if he made a huge concession and decided to tell someone like Empress Camellia or Principal Lionel,
'Revealing to the Pope of the Seven Stars Church that I possess the power of the Primordial Flame would be reckless.'
Unless it was someone he could trust completely, like Iris, telling someone like Pope Marianne about carrying a demonic power would only breed suspicion.
Anyway.
He tried to brush it off using the war as an excuse.
"Right now, it may not seem important... I partly agree, but your powers are far beyond common sense, Dale."
Principal Lionel glared at him with determined eyes, as if vowing not to back down until he learned the truth.
‘Tch.’
As expected.
He had shown too much to dismiss it with just a few words.
"Tell me. How could you possibly possess such an immense amount of mana? Depending on your answer, I may have to exclude you from this operation."
"......"
What now?
[Exclude him from the operation, huh.]
As Dale furrowed his brow in thought, a mocking voice echoed through the room.
[What an amusing thing to say, Lionel.]
"...What?"
[The operation itself wouldn't even be possible without Dale. You're talking about excluding him? Can you activate the warp gate yourself, Lionel?]
"......"
Principal Lionel’s expression stiffened, struck squarely in the heart.
True, they had thousands of cadets to evacuate.
Without knowing Dale’s true identity and how he had such power, trusting him to activate the warp gate and lead the cadets to safety was a massive risk.
[If you're concerned about Dale's identity, I'll vouch for him.]
"...You will vouch for him?"
[If, during this operation, Dale’s mistakes or betrayal cause harm to the cadets, I will personally take responsibility.]
"Ha, take responsibility? What, are you planning to abdicate the throne?"
[If necessary, yes.]
Principal Lionel's eyes widened.
Outwardly, Camellia might seem like someone who looked down on all life as if they were insects.
But Lionel, who had known her for a long time, understood better than anyone else.
How much she had sacrificed to protect the citizens of the Empire.
How much burden she had borne to sit on the throne as Empress, carrying the weight of thousands, tens of thousands of lives.
And yet—
She was willing to risk that throne for a single cadet?
"...I don't even know what's going on anymore."
Principal Lionel looked at Dale with a complicated expression.
[And Lionel. I agree with Camellia, too,]
Said Marianne.
"...Even you, Marianne."
[Iris told me herself. Dale... well, cadet Dale for now, is a hero blessed by the Seven Gods. I don’t have the Seven Eyes to see it myself, but if the Saintess guarantees him, isn’t that enough reason to trust him?]
"......"
First the Empress, now the Pope.
"Sigh. Fine. I’ll put aside the matter of Dale’s identity for now."
Principal Lionel let out a heavy sigh and nodded.
"In that case, I’ll begin preparations to activate the warp gate before the Demons’ assault begins."
Clack.
Principal Lionel rose from his seat and walked over to Dale.
"Dale Han."
Standing close, Lionel extended his hand.
Using the cadets as bait to lure the Demons in—
Perhaps burdened by the thought that cadets might die because of his decision, his hand trembled faintly.
Even so.
"Please... take care of the cadets."
Principal Lionel did not withdraw his hand.
"Yes."
Dale grasped his wrinkled hand and nodded.
"I still have things to discuss with the Principal about the operation. Cadet Dale, you may return first."
After parting with Professor Elisha, I returned to my room.
"Ugh."
My vision wavered.
With unsteady steps, I stumbled to my bed and collapsed onto it.
‘As expected, using the Incarnation state really wears me out.’
Well, of course.
The Tree of Creation and the Primordial Flame.
It’s a technique that requires the combination of two powers straight out of mythology, so this level of aftereffect was only natural.
Bzzzzt.
"Hm?"
As I was rolling around on the bed, the Hero Watch on my wrist vibrated.
'A video call?'
When I turned on the Hero Watch, a holographic screen popped up, showing Camellia lying on what looked like a sofa, looking at the screen.
[Can you spare a moment for a call? Ah, even if you have other matters, you must speak with me.]
"......."
No, seriously.
If it was going to be mandatory anyway, why even ask?
"I can talk."
[Good.]
Empress Camellia leaned closer to the screen, staring intently at me from the other side.
"...Is something wrong?"
[No, I was just getting lost for a moment, admiring your face after so long.]
"We saw each other just earlier in the conference room."
[Hmph. That wasn’t exactly the right setting to properly appreciate it, was it?]
Camellia smiled faintly, scanning my face as if savoring the sight.
Come on.
Staring that hard is kinda uncomfortable.
"Ah... Speaking of which, thank you for earlier."
I hurriedly changed the subject, trying to hide the blush creeping up my face.
[Hm? Thank me?]
"You vouched for me, didn't you?"
I knew she trusted me, but even so, I hadn’t expected her to go so far as to put her position as Empress on the line to defend me.
[Hehe. It's not like I did it just for your sake.]
Camellia shrugged her shoulders and continued speaking.
[It’s also true that without you, there would be no one else capable of carrying out this mission, is there?]
"Well, that's true, but still..."
[I did it for the greater good.]
‘For the greater good,’ she said.
"I don't think that's something you should say so lightly. I understand very well just how much responsibility you bear as Empress."
It was too big a sacrifice for her to brush off so casually.
Her entire life, even, could be said to be on the line.
[...I see. So you really do understand.]
Camellia hurriedly turned her Hero Watch away.
The camera showed a modest room that hardly suited the title of Empress.
[Heh, hehehe.]
A small, almost silly giggle flowed through the Hero Watch.
A laugh that was strangely out of character for her.
[Ahem.]
The screen returned to her face.
Her cheeks, faintly flushed, were visible even through the hologram.
[In that case... I'd like to ask for a reward.]
"A reward?"
[Yes.]
A reward, she says.
Maybe because of some things that happened before, some... strange ideas started popping into my head.
"...What kind of reward?"
[After this mission is over...]
After a brief pause, Camellia took a deep breath and spoke.
"Ah, if it’s something like licking your feet or being stepped on again, I—"
[-I want you to tell me about yourself.]
"...Huh?"
[I want to know about you. Unlike those who are close to you, I... don't know who you are or what kind of life you've lived to become this strong.]
"......."
Come on.
When you put it like that, it just makes my earlier worries look ridiculous, Empress.
[...Would you be willing to tell me?]
Camellia looked at me with a slightly anxious expression, as if afraid I'd reject her.
An expression that hardly seemed fitting for someone called the "Empress."
A small chuckle escaped me before I realized.
[W-Why are you laughing?]
"Haha. It's nothing."
I nodded.
"Alright. Once this is all over... I'll tell you everything about myself."
[Ah...]
Camellia let out a small sound of surprise, then her face stiffened.
"What's wrong?"
[No, it's just that... the way you said that sounded a bit ominous.]
Ominous?
'Ah.'
Now that I think about it, it does sound like something you'd say right before dying.
"You don't need to worry about that."
Death flags?
At least for me, that's not a thing.
[Hmm. I don't know why you're so confident, but... alright.]
Camellia smiled softly and nodded.
[I’ll be looking forward to the day when I learn everything about you.]
She stood up.
[But for now, we need to focus on preparing for war.]
"Yes."
[Oh, and besides the personal reward, if you distinguish yourself in this war, I’ll also grant you an official reward as Empress. So you can look forward to that.]
"......."
No, seriously.
Please don’t make it weirder.
A few days after we began preparations for the war in secret...
Boom! Rumble!
“D-Demonic beasts! A massive number of demonic beasts have appeared in front of the school...!”
The war against the demonic beasts had begun.

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