The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Zzzt…

The sound of popping electricity crackled as he pulled the energy blade out from Koshia’s chest.

"Did you… kill him?" Illyna asked, her eyes narrowing.

"If I wanted to kill him, I would’ve used Red Ribbon instead," Davey replied calmly, for some reason clarifying that he hadn’t precisely “killed” him.

"A spirit, right? I could feel its essence in the blade," Aeria murmured, intrigued as she examined the glowing traces floating in the air.

As an Elementalist who was loved by spirits, she was naturally sensitive to their presence.

"It’s Time Spirit Altair. I simply reshaped its form into a blade.”

From the outside, his body seemed unharmed. It was his insides that had changed.

The power Davey had unleashed through the blade was simply a forced acceleration of mental time. The victim’s mind was racing at a speed his body couldn’t handle—he had performed mental time dilation on him.

Altair’s power was both dangerous and overwhelming, even for Davey. The price for using it was significant, but its effectiveness was undeniable.

Most wouldn’t last long in such a mental prison. Even lying still for an hour could dull the mind, but what had been done to Koshia was exponentially worse.

Though his face showed no outward change, his soul was writhing in torment.

Davey only decided to lift the mental time dilation after a bit of time had passed.

"Gaaahk!"

Koshia gasped and coughed violently, his body expelling fluids of every kind.

"Stop! Please stop! I was wrong!!"

Within mere moments in reality, he had endured what felt like an eternity of nightmares, leaving him in a state of panic.

"Please!! Please!!”

"Do you admit your mistakes?"

"Yes! Yes! I was wrong! Please, no more!"

"If you’ve done wrong, then you must face punishment.”

Zzzt!!

The energy blade of Altair glowed once more.

"Let’s go. To the Chamber of Reflection."

"No! No, please! Not again!"

"Yes, yes, again!”

As Koshia froze in fear, Illyna grimaced.

"Woah… So brutal."

"Hey, at least I’m sparing his life," Davey countered. "Now, what’s going on with Evangeline?"

"She started crying as if the world was ending, and now her whole body feels like it’s on fire. Perserque is taking care of her, but I think you’ll need to go take a look.”

* * *

Children often experienced growing pains, but Darian and Evangeline should be exceptions. The immunity-boosting blessings he had etched into their bodies were supposed to prevent minor ailments.

Even so, Evangeline was suffering from a high fever.

Wheeze… wheeze…

She breathed heavily and laboriously in her sleep. Her entire body seemed like it was boiling, with her sweat-soaked black hair clearly indicative of her intense pain.

‘Her temperature is alarmingly high, but it’s still within a tolerable range.’

Humans typically had body temperatures of 36-37 degrees where 40 degrees could melt the brain.[1] Evangeline was not too different, but for an ancient dragon to be in such pain, he figured the temperature she was experiencing had to be much higher than that of an average human.

"What if something happens to her?" Aeria asked, tears brimming in her eyes as she clung to Davey’s sleeve. Her own traumatic experiences with illness clearly weighed heavily on her.

Davey silently sat beside Evangeline, gently taking her tiny hand in his own. Her small, soft fingers instinctively gripped his as though clinging to a lifeline. Her breathing was ragged, and her little body radiated heat like a furnace.

Davey carefully used his mana to envelop her body, creating a thin protective layer to control her temperature and prevent the fever from causing her any more damage.

‘This is definitely an intense case of growing pains.’

This was something Evangeline had to endure on her own. All he could do was support her by channeling mana to sustain her energy and protect her from the heat. He knew she’d struggle to get through it, but it was necessary for her. If she could develop adaptive immunity instead of relying on medicine, nothing would be better.

Ordinary humans and ancient dragons are fundamentally different from birth. Although Evangeline observed Davey and learned from his behavior, she was clearly not human, making it misguided and mistaken to try to apply human common sense to her.

"Davey? The physician mentioned it might be similar to growing pains—do you think he was right?" Illyna asked.

"It seems so. But as an ancient dragon, it’s more intense for her," Davey replied.

Evangeline was the sole surviving ancient dragon, the daughter Eclipse had left behind. While Davey had taken on the role of her parent, her inherent nature and lineage hadn’t changed.

The cooling effect of his mana seemed to work; Evangeline’s breathing gradually steadied. He gently cradled her in his arms, supporting her neck and back.

She slowly opened her eyes and weakly reached her tiny hands toward him.

"Da… Da…”

"Hmm?"

"Da…bby?”

Evangeline made a small smile, her face lighting up despite the pain.

"..."

At that moment, Perserque and Illyna rushed to his side.

He didn’t expect a two-year-old to properly say mommy and daddy. Even though she had uttered a similar-sounding word, it seemed that the hearts of parents, no matter where they were from, reacted the same way.

"She just said daddy, didn’t she?!”

The overwhelming joy of hearing a child say mommy and daddy for the first time was surely unforgettable. Illyna and Perserque were basically in a frenzy—it was a herculean task to calm them down.

"She’s still sick; what are you two doing?"

"Oh..."

At his words, the two who had been shrieking moments ago froze. When Evangeline’s breathing grew labored again, they panicked and began stumbling over themselves.

"How embarrassing of me to act like that," Perserque muttered.

The joy of hearing her say “daddy” for the first time clashed with the sadness of watching her helplessly suffering from extreme growing pains, making for a bittersweet feeling. Depending on perspective, growing pains were something to celebrate. But they came with their own challenges, especially for someone like Evangeline.

"She just needs to sleep it off," Davey said. "Maybe I should sing her a lullaby."

As Davey prepared to hum, Perserque quickly stopped him, scooping Evangeline into her arms.

"Are you trying to make things worse for her?"

"What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t think I can sing a simple lullaby?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

‘Smh, this bitch[2]…’

Ignoring his glare, Perserque gently patted Evangeline’s back and began singing softly to her.

Her melodic voice and beautiful harmony captivated the room. Illyna and Aeria stood quietly to the side listening, while Evangeline’s breathing began to steady. She made a faint smile as she finally drifted into a peaceful sleep.

"I hope she doesn’t grow up too quickly—that’d be such a shame.”

They didn’t feel like they had been able to make enough memories just yet. Watching as a child grew and changed was something every parent wanted to cherish.

In the middle of her peaceful sleep, she began to emanate a faint light.

"Is this...?"

Illyna and Aeria made astonished expressions, while even Davey and Perserque found it fascinating to witness such a phenomenon they had heard spoken only in legends.

Evangeline, barely two years old, was beginning to grow. Slowly but surely, she was physically maturing—right before their very eyes. And it wasn’t a fleeting phenomenon or exception, but rather the natural growth process of an ancient dragon.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

They silently watched her grow with bated breath.

But in the middle of that tender moment, an unwelcome voice shattered the silence.

“Your Highness, it’s Amy,” she said while cautiously peeking her head through the door. “Archbishop Alice is here. She wants to know how you plan to handle the situation…”

“What’s there to handle? Tell her we’ll expel all the culprits and refuse to admit anyone from the Shan Kingdom from now on.”

Though he disliked discriminating based on nationality, he knew it was necessary to send a strong message to other would-be violators. It was no skin off his back, after all—though for them it was likely devastating.

“So make sure everyone involved, including Koshia Sharen, is forcibly expelled.”

‘Procedures? Grace periods? Second chances?’

Those were privileges reserved for people who actually deserved them.

* * *

Davey took swift action, punishing those directly involved in the corruption and publicly displaying the details on bulletin boards all across the academy. The boards detailed their names, what they did, and the consequences they faced. Inevitably, all the nobles attending from various nations saw these boards.

The two professors, who had until then lived off their reputations, summarily lost their knowledge and were socially defamed. Koshia, whom Davey had cursed with mental time dilation, was left mentally broken. He just blankly stared at the sky.

But it didn’t stop there. On top of the thorough purge of everyone connected to the scandal, it was declared that the academy would sever ties with the Shan Kingdom—moving forward, no students from the Shan Kingdom would be admitted to Heins Academy.

Some criticized the decision as excessive—asserting that severing relations with an entire nation over one noble student's wrongdoing was ridiculous. But Davey couldn’t care less.

After all, the Shan Kingdom had little to do with Heins Territory in the first place. Located in the central western region, it wasn’t heavily reliant on the trade goods Heins Territory provided, nor would a military conflict between the Shan Kingdom and the Rowane Kingdom pose any serious threat.

Of course, Davey had no intention of going to war with them, so he didn’t pose any additional measures on them as an intended display of leniency. But the king of Shan Kingdom seemed to think differently about the matter.

- We deeply regret the circumstances of this incident and wish to assess the weight of this matter… We hope… a more amicable relationship moving forward…

Davey ripped the letter full of gibberish in half without hesitation. Perserque approached him.

“Is that from Shan Kingdom?”

“Yeah, looks like it’s about this whole mess.”

“Seems like they’re trying to reconcile, eh?” she remarked with a smirk. “Hardly surprising. What king would be happy about an entire nation’s diplomacy being derailed over a noble brat with no official title?”

She chuckled.

From their perspective, the tarnishing of their national image was unacceptable. Though their letter expressed regret over the incident and their desire not to worsen the relationship, the diplomatic damage had already been done.

Trust, after all, was a fragile thing—hard to build and easy to destroy.

What amused Davey was that one of the key instigators, Duke Sharen, hadn't done anything in response. Whether the Duke was being cautious or scheming something else, it hardly mattered. Still, it was surprising that he showed no reaction whatsoever—not even a voiced suspicion. After all, his son had lost his hair and was cursed into impotence.

“Any news on Tadia?” Davey asked, shifting the topic.

"Looks like she's unintentionally drawn attention here and there. She might find it burdensome, but it’s not entirely a bad thing," Perserque answered.

Among the nobles, there were many who hadn’t fallen into the trap of elitism. While there were extremists like Koshia, there were also many of the opposite opinion. For instance, some of the noble children who had been around Koshia stood as a stark contrast. Though their families weren’t particularly powerful, they viewed one another as equals, rather than through the lens of social hierarchy.

‘Some of them are surprisingly decent,’ Davey thought.

“What about her siblings? They were being threatened, weren’t they?” Perserque asked.

“The easiest solution would’ve been to bring them here, but it’s not what they wanted. Instead, we’ve arranged through the Echo Guild for them to be protected until Tadia graduates.”

Although it had cost a significant amount of money, Davey hadn’t hesitated to ensure their safety. Tadia was a victim, and as the headmaster, he knew he had an obligation to protect her. Every student, whether noble or commoner, was equally valuable in his eyes.

“Shan Kingdom is still sending letters, saying they want to resolve this matter more discreetly.”

Unfortunately for them, Koshia’s threats didn’t faze Davey in the slightest. He had tried to leverage the fact that Heins Territory had to spend a significant amount of money on its academy and other projects, assuming that losing the donations the Shan Kingdom provided would severely disrupt its financial stability.

His reasoning was accurate, in a way—most academies would indeed struggle if a substantial source of funding disappeared. Knowing this, he tried to negotiate his punishment with Davey, but he couldn’t think two steps ahead.

He had undermined what Heins Territory was capable of. It was capable of generating income by innovations like moon grass, the wristwatches Aeonitia crafted, and prosthetic eye surgeries. They could make an unimaginable amount of money, at least on the same level as a kingdom.

Removing a bucket of water wouldn’t drain an entire lake.

After staying by Evangeline’s side until her fever subsided and she could sleep peacefully, Davey turned his attention back to pending academy matters.

“Would you like a potato?” Professor Olman offered as Davey reviewed the investigation report on the current state of the academy.

Unlike most nobles who preferred extravagant cuisine, Olman displayed an almost fanatical obsession with potatoes. He was like a soldier on the battlefield who missed the taste of sweet chocolate.

“Aren’t you sick of those plain potatoes by now? You could at least offer me some steamed ones,” Davey replied.

“Gah! The steamed ones are mine! Nobody gets those!” Olman exclaimed, clutching the potatoes like treasures and backing away.

‘I’m sorry. I must’ve made you this way,’ Davey thought.

He then made a bitter smile and looked back at the reports. “Is this everything?”

“Yes… My apologies. These are tasks we staff and faculty should’ve handled.”

“No need to apologize. Ensuring accountability to each faculty member is my responsibility as headmaster. Still, it’s fortunate we caught the issue before it got any worse. Nobody will dare try anything like this again after seeing what happened to those professors.”

“Certainly. In fact, the faculty has been talking about it. We’ll make sure neither you nor anyone else at the academy has to deal with such matters again.”

“Good. Let me know if you need any help.”

His preferred solution was to personally evaluate and guide the newer faculty members. Frankly speaking, he believed forcibly shaping their ideology would be best, but he also knew that it’d be pretty extreme.

“By the way, Prince Davey, aside from the corruption issue, there’s another matter we need to address. It comes by way of a suggestion from Archbishop Alice, actually. We believe the cadets need more field training,” Olman explained.

“Field training? You mean like hunting monsters?”

“Yes, but the problem is that you’ve exterminated nearly all the monsters in the area, so it’s not really possible.”

His thorough monster hunts had inadvertently left the cadets doomed to fall behind on practical combat experience. Combat-oriented departments like swordsmanship and magic were lacking practice—definitely a problem.

“Field experience is crucial. It’s what becomes their foundation.’

“But how can we train them if there are no monsters?”

“Oh, there’s a way.”

Olman, nibbling on a steamed potato, made an uneasy face.

"I’ll handle the preparations myself. Professor, just continue doing what you’ve always done. It’s an educator's duty to ensure students are ready to weather the storms of the real world after they graduate from the academy. I’ll provide them with every possible resource.”

At his words, the professor’s expression softened as if emotionally touched.

"It truly seems you genuinely care for the cadets without any ulterior motives. To provide an opportunity for learning, regardless of politics or vested interests… That’s no easy feat.”

"Think of it as an investment.”

Even with that slightly flippant response, the professor looked satisfied.

"Your Highness? Would you like a steamed potato?" he asked, offering the snack he cherished as treasure.

Davey realized that the man now trusted him completely. They had come a long way since their initial interactions.

* * *

“Heh… Hehehe…”

Practical experience was the key to growth. And so…

"Welcome… Is this your first time on a one-way express to hell?" Davey murmured with a sinister smile, standing before a massive labyrinth he had constructed in the underdeveloped northern area of Heins Territory.

He had used the power of spirits to build a labyrinth that exuded an eerie energy, akin to a Demon Lord’s lair. It spanned three floors underground and five above. Its design resembled a natural cave, so he didn’t even have to complicate things by getting help from the dwarves.

‘If they aren’t getting enough practical experience… I’ll give them one hell of an experience whether they like it or not.’

The only catch was that Davey only considered Ultra Nightmare difficulty as a norm. In his eyes, obscene difficulty was something the cadets had to get used to.

As Davey admired his creation, Archbishop Alice, who had chosen to accompany him for a preliminary inspection, twitched in disbelief.

"Prince Davey… If we train the cadets based on your standards, they’re all going to die. You seriously built this colossal labyrinth overnight just because we said they needed practical experience? Who are you trying to kill?"

"Archbishop Alice, people don’t die that easily.”

"Unbelievable… A psychopath like you, running the academy… The students’ futures are doomed.”

"Strong training makes strong people," Davey countered, his grin growing more ominous.

Hoping for some help, Alice looked toward Perserque, who was holding Evangeline. Unfortunately, she was too engrossed in considering ways to make the labyrinth even more sinister.

"Ugh… I’m sorry, kids. I failed to protect you… This is all my fault as a weak professor," she whispered mournfully toward the doomed cadets.

1. For our American readers, it’s talking about the normal adult body temperature being 97-99 degrees Fahrenheit and the brain boiling at 107.6°F ☜

2. It’s a joke. ☜

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts

Editorb’s Thoughts

They grow up so fast ;_;