The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned-Chapter 252

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Chapter 252: Interlude – Warmth

A city where the blizzard had ceased.

The snow, which had piled up to knee height in the blink of an eye, melted away as soon as Lanez withdrew her power, vanishing as if it had been a mirage.

What remained where the snow had melted was the wreckage of ruins.

And amidst the chaotic debris, lying still with her eyes closed, was the corpse of a woman with violet hair.

“…Will you be okay?”

I turned to Lanez, who was silently staring down at Seria’s corpse, and asked.

“Yes, I’ll be fine. Start, Dale.”

“……”

Hoo…

With a deep sigh, I lit the ashen flames.

The radiant gray fire engulfed Seria’s body.

So that her life would never be toyed with again.

So that not even her bones would remain, turning to ashes and scattering away.

“Ah…”

Lanez unconsciously reached out as she watched Seria’s body dissolve into ashes.

The ashes slipped through her fingers.

She bit her lip hard, suppressing the sobs that threatened to escape.

“You don’t have to hold it in.”

I gently pulled her into an embrace.

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“Hic… Hwaaahhh!”

Lanez buried her face in my chest and wept uncontrollably.

Just as Seria had done before, I lightly patted Lanez’ back as she cried.

Hoping that even a little of her frozen heart would melt.

“…Sniff.”

Who knows how much time had passed?

Lanez, her eyes swollen from crying, pulled away from me.

“Do you feel a little better?”

“…Yeah.”

She gave a small nod.

“Then shall we head back?”

“…Yeah, let’s go.”

Holding Lanez' hand, I led her back to where we had parked the magic vehicle.

I worried that it might have been destroyed by the aftermath of the battle, but fortunately, since we had parked it quite far from the city, it remained intact.

“Ugh… Dale, sorry. I’m… too tired…”

“Get some sleep. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

“…Thanks.”

Was it because she had overused the power of her blessing, or because she had finally released the burdens she had been carrying inside?

As soon as Lanez settled into the passenger seat, she fell into a deep sleep, as if she had passed out.

“…Mom…”

I gently stroked her hair as she breathed softly in slumber and pressed down on the accelerator.

The Eternal Pontiff.

On the way back to the Hero Academy, that name resurfaced in my mind.

Who is he?

A mysterious hero with the ability to control life at will.

I had never heard of such a being in my previous life, yet he lingered in my thoughts like a bloodstain on a white shirt.

His identity is intriguing, but…

The biggest mystery was—

What exactly is his goal?

Considering that Mephisto was cooperating with him, their objective wasn’t the resurrection of the Demon God.

In fact, it seemed to be the opposite.

Even this time, hadn’t he sent his forces alongside Mephisto’s to stop the Primordial Flame?

Yet, stopping the Demon God's resurrection doesn’t seem to be his goal either.

What meaning could there be in reviving Seria Malam, who had been dead for sixteen years, if that were the case?

And the fact that Seria Malam appeared just as Lanez and I arrived in the city…

That strongly suggested that the Eternal Pontiff had already been tracking our movements and had deliberately sent Seria there.

If so, his goal was one of two things:

To awaken Lanez.

Or—

I was the target.

I frowned at the thought that crossed my mind.

Why would someone who’s never even seen my face be after me?

The more I thought about it, the deeper the mystery became.

“Haa.”

With a deep sigh, I pushed away the tangled thoughts in my mind.

There wasn’t enough evidence yet to draw conclusions.

One thing is certain.

The Eternal Pontiff possesses a blessing that allows him to interfere with life itself.

And—

He cannot be left alone.

Recalling Seria’s final moments, I pressed harder on the accelerator.

* * *

“We’re here.”

“…Mm, already?”

“Well, ‘already’ might not be the right word—it’s nearly evening.”

By the time we arrived at the academy, the sky had turned dark.

Still half-asleep, Lanez blinked drowsily as I scooped her up into my arms.

Carrying her in the classic princess carry, I held her close.

“D-Dale?”

Fully awake now, Lanez stared up at me with wide eyes.

“I’ll take you to your room.”

“……”

“Now that I think about it, you mentioned switching dorm rooms, right? Where should I take you?”

“…No.”

Lanez shook her head hesitantly.

“Not my room… Take me to yours.”

“…My room?”

“Yeah.”

Until now, no matter how exhausted she was, Lanez had always gone back to her own room to sleep.

“Tonight… I want to sleep with you.”

She clutched my sleeve tightly and looked up at me with cautious eyes.

“…Is that okay?”

“……”

How could I refuse her now?

“…Let’s go.”

Still holding her in my arms, I headed toward my room.

Click.

Once inside, I gently laid Lanez down on the bed.

“You can sleep in the bed tonight. I’ll take the floor.”

“…No.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t… want that.”

Shaking her head, she tightened her grip on my sleeve.

“I want to sleep together.”

“……”

The way she clung to my sleeve, pouting like a child, was so adorable that I almost forgot to breathe.

[Translator - Night]

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“…Ah, fine. We’ll sleep together.”

Even I, despite often being scolded for my obliviousness in romance, understood that her definition of ‘sleeping together’ tonight didn’t simply mean resting side by side.

“…Ahem. I’ll go wash up first, then?”

Just as I turned towards the shower, thinking I should cool my heated head with cold water—

Tug.

A small hand grabbed onto my collar again.

"…Lanez?"

When I turned my head, I saw Lanez sitting up hesitantly on the bed, her face flushed red.

"Are you going to wash up first?"

"…Ah, no."

Lanez hesitated for a long moment, her lips slightly parted as if trying to say something. Then, she tugged at my collar and started moving towards the shower.

"L-Let’s wash up together."

"…What?"

"B-Because… you must’ve been really cold today too! S-So!"

She gulped and then threw herself into my arms.

"I-I’ll… warm you up."

"…Hah."

At her bold declaration, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

"W-Why are you laughing?!"

"No, it's just… hearing you say you'll warm me up is kind of surprising."

"I-I can warm you up too, you know?!"

Lanez, looking tense, grabbed my hand and pressed it against her chest.

Soft.

Despite her petite frame, what I felt in my palm was unexpectedly assertive.

The soft sensation filling my hand, the white skin peeking through the thin fabric of her dress—it was more than enough to heat up my body.

"W-What do you think? Isn’t it warm…?"

"Ahem. Y-Yeah, it is."

"Then…."

Rustle.

Lanez carefully began to remove her clothes.

Before I knew it, she had returned to her natural state, bare as the day she was born.

She then gently took my hand and led me towards the shower.

* * *

Ssshhhh…

"……"

"……"

The two of us stood in the shower together.

I had bathed with Elisha before, but…

Washing together in a spacious bathhouse big enough for ten people was one thing.

This—being crammed together in a tiny shower booth, pressed up against each other—felt entirely different.

"U-Um, Dale."

"Y-Yeah?"

Only the sound of water filled the quiet space.

Lanez, who had been turned away from me, avoiding my gaze, slowly began to face me.

Through the misty white steam, her figure gradually came into view.

"E-Eek."

Shutting her eyes tight, she suddenly threw herself into my arms.

Our bare skin pressed together, her soft warmth wrapping around me.

"Hehe. It’s warm…."

Resting her head against my chest, she let out a contented sigh.

Perhaps because of our height difference, her wet hair tickled against my skin.

"Are you warm too, Dale?"

"Y-Yeah. It’s warm."

"…That’s a relief."

Lanez smiled softly and tightened her embrace.

"You know… I was really scared."

"Scared?"

"That one day… I’d end up like my mother."

That I’d turn into a witch and hurt the people I cared about.

"Since meeting you, Dale, I’ve gained so many precious people."

In the cold emptiness of her life—

She had gained so much warmth.

"Iris, Yurina, Professor Elisha… and Sofia, and all our party members… I love them all so much."

That’s why…

She was even more afraid.

"I thought… if I ever hurt the people I love, it’d be better for me to just disappear. That’s why I left without saying anything before."

"……"

"But… my thoughts changed this time."

She had always believed that Seria lost control because she was a "Maen."

That it was inevitable, because she bore the stigma of the Demon God.

But…

— So warm… my dear child.

The last image she saw of Seria—

It was the same as how she remembered her mother.

"It wasn’t my mother’s fault… was it? She didn’t hurt the people she loved because she was a bad person, right?"

"That’s right."

Though I couldn’t be entirely sure, there was a high chance that the leader of the Eternal Order had played a role in Seria’s rampage.

"…I see."

Lanez’s lips curled into a faint smile as she lifted her head.

Our eyes met.

Her gaze, damp with emotion, locked onto mine.

"Thank you, Dale."

Her arms, which had been wrapped around my waist, slowly lowered.

The sensation from below made me unintentionally let out a small groan.

"For stepping in for me back then… for giving my mother peace."

If Dale hadn’t been there that time—

She probably wouldn’t have been able to kill Seria in the end.

She would have remained frozen, bound by faded memories.

And…

Seria would have died without ever finding peace.

"Thank you for… killing my mother, Dale."

"…Lanez."

"A-And, as thanks…."

Blushing so deeply that it seemed like she might burst, Lanez pressed herself against me.

And then—

Clink.

"…Huh?"

Water droplets gathered from the shower, forming an ice-cold pair of cuffs around our wrists.

Despite being made of ice, the cuffs weren’t cold at all.

In fact, they carried a warmth that was almost comforting.

It felt paradoxical—warm ice.

Yet, somehow, it made perfect sense.

"Ehehe."

Lanez grinned innocently as she looked at the ice cuffs binding my hands together.

"As thanks… today, I’ll make Dale feel really, really good.♬"

Her voice quivered.

"S-So good you’ll melt… Hehe."

For some reason…

As she dragged me toward the bed, bound in those cuffs, a chilling sense of foreboding crawled down my spine.

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