The Last Place Hero's Return

“From now on, you are the Demon God.”

In the central plaza of the Hero Academy, where hundreds of cadets had gathered, the low voice of the Archbishop of Ruin echoed across the square. The cadets began whispering among themselves, their gazes gradually turning in one direction.

“W-what is that?”

“Isn’t that... him? That fourth-year bottom-rank cadet.”

“The delinquent who’s supposedly as strong as Yuren but keeps causing trouble on purpose so that he stays at the bottom?”

“I-I’ve seen him before!”

At the center of all those eyes stood a cadet with dark gray hair, a cadet known throughout the academy by a rather dishonorable nickname, the Last-Place Hero.

I bit down on my lip as I looked around at the concentrated stares. “Damn it!”

On the broadcast screen, the footage of Amon and me continued to play. It wasn’t hard to guess who had orchestrated something like this. The Prophet of Eternity’s words flashed past my mind. “I’ll help you reach the point where you want to end this world.”

So, this was his method. I twisted my face into a scowl.

The shocking content of the video, combined with my already terrible reputation, created a perfect storm. The commotion among the cadets gradually grew louder.

“Eek!”

“E-everyone, back up!”

“Hey, stop freaking out. Do you seriously think that’s real? He’s not even a Master. How the hell would a cadet become the Demon God?”

“B-but, you never know....”

“Right! And haven’t you heard the rumors about... that senior?”

“They say he gets disciplinary punishments like it’s his daily routine.”

“W-what if he actually joined hands with the demons?”

Watching the cadets slowly back away with uneasy expressions, I grabbed my head. I had never imagined my academy record would snowball into something like this. If the person in that video had been Yuren instead of me, the cadets’ reactions would have been completely different.

After all, the one they knew as Yuren had been the top-ranked student from the moment he entered the academy until his fourth year. Considering how dramatically a person’s reputation could shift based on their overall evaluation ranking, the wary reactions they were showing now could only be attributed to my academic standing.

And it was not even like I was bottom rank because I was weak. If I objectively evaluated my reputation within the academy, based on my performance in classes and other cadets’ testimonies, most people would agree that my ability was roughly on par with that of Yuren, the top cadet.

Yet, I repeatedly caused incidents that were borderline trolling, racking up every disciplinary punishment imaginable, intentionally maintaining my position at the very bottom. On top of that, rumors had spread that during my disciplinary periods, I constantly left campus and stayed out overnight, wandering outside the academy like it was nothing.

While those frequent outings were actually due to missions I carried out as a Special Operations Cadet, ordinary cadets had no way of knowing that I held such an unprecedented role in the academy’s history. It meant that if they pieced together all those rumors, the cadet known as Dale Han looked suspicious as hell.

If even the Empress herself had shown interest in someone that suspicious, how could other cadets possibly feel any different? To make matters worse, the rumor that finally pushed the already worsening chaos over the edge was the one involving Laneige. Some cadets immediately connected me to her.

“Come to think of it, what was her name? Laneige? There was a graduate this year who people called the Witch, right?”

“Oh, the girl who’s the daughter of the Archbishop of Frost?”

“Y-yeah! I heard that... that witch and Dale Han were really close.”

“Hey, not just close. I heard even after graduating, she visits Dale Han’s room every single day.”

“What the hell. R-really?”

“A friend of mine said he saw it himself.”

“T-then...”

“So, is he really... the Demon God?”

The suspicion spreading among the cadets was slowly turning into certainty. As my party members watched the situation deteriorate, their faces hardened.

“D-Dale, t-that...” Iris stuttered.

“Dale, I think it would be better if we left for now...”

“The atmosphere isn’t good.”

We couldn’t stop the video in the middle, and even if we did, it was already far too late to undo what had happened. Just as they said, if we stayed here any longer, the commotion would only get worse.

“Let’s go.” I nodded and left the plaza with my party members, returning to the party house.

* * *

The moment we returned, Berald asked in a pale, shaken voice, “B-Big Brother! W-what in the world happened?”

“I think the Prophet of Eternity interfered,” I replied.

“H-how could the Prophet of Eternity manipulate the victory ceremony broadcast?”

“I don’t know.”

Right now, figuring out how the Prophet of Eternity managed to tamper with the broadcast wasn’t the important part. The real problem was how to deal with the aftermath of this disaster. There was no use crying over spilled water. No, rather, this situation had exploded like a fountain.

But how the hell was I supposed to fix this? I was even beginning to think it would’ve been easier to clean up if the Church of Eternity had launched a full-scale invasion on the academy.

“S-sorry, D-Dale.” Laneige spoke up with a trembling voice, her face pale as paper. “I-it’s because of me, D-Dale... D-Dale is...!”

“It’s not because of you,” I assured her.

“T-that’s a lie! Didn’t you hear what the cadets were whispering?” she replied.

The final blow that had worsened the situation had indeed been the rumor that I was close to the Witch.

Laneige curled up as she grabbed at her hair in self-loathing. “It’s because of me! If I... If I just wasn’t here...”

She had almost forgotten while spending time with party members who accepted her for who she was, but in the eyes of the world, she was still nothing more than the Witch.

“Honestly.” I paused, then gestured my hand toward Laneige.

Laneige cried out as I flicked her forehead. She rubbed her now-red, swelling forehead with watery eyes. “D-Dale?”

“I told you it’s not your fault,” I said.

Even if the rumors about Laneige hadn’t existed, the chaos would have continued to grow. That was just how shocking the footage the Prophet of Eternity had shown truly was.

She still didn’t seem convinced. “B-but...”

“Hey, want me to keep repeating myself?” I asked.

Laneige hesitantly tugged at the edge of my clothes, tears shimmering in her eyes. “You really... won’t blame me?”

“There’s nothing to blame you for in the first place.”

“You... won’t abandon me?”

“Try running away again like last time and see what happens. I’ll tie you up and drag you back if I have to.”

“Dale.” Laneige finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into tears. “Uu, D-Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale!”

As if she would never let go again, Laneige buried herself into my arms and rubbed her cheek against my chest. Her tears and snot quickly stained my shirt, but rather than being annoyed, I felt it was cute. Well, actually, no, it just didn’t matter.

I gently stroked Laneige’s head as she curled up in my arms. “It’s okay. Everything will work out.”

“Y-yeah! If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll do it! Anything!” Laneige shouted while sniffling.

The tense, chaotic atmosphere in the room gradually calmed down. But if I were being honest, the situation wasn’t good at all. I couldn’t help but curse inside.

Unless someone possessed illusion magic, like the Archbishop of Dreams and Fantasies, there was no way to make the cadets forget. Moreover, even if they did, the rumors would probably spread far faster than anyone could manipulate the cadets’ memories. By tomorrow, the entire continent would probably know this rumor. Some people would shake their heads and dismiss it as nonsense. Others would believe the footage wholeheartedly and direct their hostility toward me.

And if we were to talk about the truth of the matter, I had indeed become the Demon God. It wasn’t a situation I could easily deny. I could only let out a deep sigh.

At that moment, Elisha, who had briefly stepped outside, returned to the room with a stiff expression. “Dale.”

“Yes.”

She continued, “The headmaster has summoned you. He asks that you come to his office immediately. Apparently, all the other Masters will be gathering there as well.”

Damn it. The news has already reached that far.

The moment they heard that I had been summoned to the headmaster’s office, Yurina, Iris, and Laneige immediately rushed toward me.

“Dale! I’m coming with you!”

“M-me too!”

“I-I’ll go too!”

They probably intended to accompany me and defend me before the headmaster. However, there was a higher chance it would backfire.

So, I said, “No. I’ll go to the headmaster’s office alone.”

“B-but...”

“It’s okay. I’ll try to talk them through it.”

Leaving my worried lovers behind, I followed Elisha out of the room.

* * *

I soon arrived at the headmaster’s office after following Elisha. Elisha turned to me. “I’ve been told to wait outside.”

Perhaps it was because of the close relationship between Elisha and me, Headmaster Ryu had specifically instructed her to remain outside.

She stood by the door, biting her lip tightly. “Dale...”

I playfully pinched her stiff cheek. “Don’t make that face.”

She stared at my hand for a moment before a faint smile appeared on her lips. “There’s just one thing I want you to know.”

“What is it?”

“Even if the entire world turns against you, I will still stand at your side.”

Saying something like that at a time like this, I’ll have to scold you about this later.

Feeling the heavy pressure on my shoulders ease just a little, I pushed open the door to the headmaster’s office. As I stepped inside, the scent of old books from the worn study filled my nose. Inside the room, I saw the gathered Masters. Unlike last time, when the meeting had been held through a projection, every Master had come here in person.

“So, you’ve come...”

“Please sit,” Pope Marianne said in a cold voice, completely unlike her usual gentle and kind demeanor.

The Sword of the Holy Empire, Johan Basilio, radiated a sharp killing intent as if he would draw his sword at any moment. Even Khalid Han—the Falling Petal Sword, who normally carried a bottle of alcohol even during war—sat there without drinking, staring at me with a hardened expression. The only exception was Camellia, who seemed lost in thought rather than openly hostile. The atmosphere was completely different from that during the last Summit Conference.

“You know why we called you here, don’t you?” Headmaster Ryu asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

He continued in a heavy, subdued voice, “The contents of that video. Are they true?”

I turned my head to look at Marianne, and she stared at me with wary eyes. I couldn’t hide the existence of the Primordial Flame. If there had been no suspicion, perhaps it would have been possible. But if Marianne truly investigated me, hiding the existence of the Primordial Flame would be impossible. Since I couldn’t hide it, there was only one option.

“Hurry and answer. Is it true that you inherited the power of the Demon God?” Headmaster Ryu asked again.

The deliberation was brief, and the decision came quickly.

Looking around at the Masters seated in the chamber, I quietly said, “It’s true. I... am the Demon God.”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!