The Last-Seat Hero Has Returned

25. Interlude – You Were That Kind of Woman

The hideout of the Demon Cult.

I staggered to my feet inside the hideout, where thirty-nine corpses lay scattered.

“Ugh… This really hurts.”

The aftereffects hit me as the duration of the stigma enhancer ended.

They said they didn’t consider the aftereffects at all when they made it, and the pain that twisted through my entire body was beyond imagination.

‘But at least the performance is guaranteed.’

Even though it’s just a prototype that can only increase the theoretical maximum mana limit by 30%, the effect is this strong.

‘If 30% is this powerful, what would a 100% version be like?’

I thought of the Seven Star Herb I had packed in my bag and smiled with satisfaction.

“Let’s see….”

The aftereffects were over, so it was time to start investigating the interior.

‘Honestly, I don’t expect much.’

The guy had placed high-level seals even on the lowest-ranking subordinates to thoroughly prevent any information from leaking.

Even if I searched this place thoroughly, the chances of finding useful information were slim.

‘But it’s better than doing nothing.’

I weaved through the corpses scattered on the floor and began investigating the hideout of the Demon Cult.

How long had I been searching every nook and cranny?

In a small room that looked like a warehouse, I found a pile of black nails.

“These nails contain the ‘curse’ that blinded Iris.”

The number of black nails piled up was at least several hundred.

The amount of curse contained in one nail was not much, but with this many, the story changed.

‘But even so, this alone can’t curse the entire school.’

I had learned about large-scale rituals from Senior Sophia before.

In large-scale rituals, what’s important is how many materials were prepared and how meticulously the ritual was crafted.

And.

‘Where the ritualist performed the ritual.’

For a large-scale ritual of this magnitude, it was difficult for the key ritualist to operate from ‘outside.’

Moreover, this ritual had to continue for several months until all the power of the ‘seven eyes’ was taken away.

No matter how high-ranking the demon who created the ritual was, it would be impossible to maintain it if the ritualist was outside.

‘That means.’

Archbishop Ashtaroth of Illusions had been hiding inside the school for several months while the ritual continued.

“No… no. It’s not just a few months.”

The demons had clearly said they had been preparing this plan for years.

It was highly likely that the ritualist had disguised themselves as someone and infiltrated the school long before the main ritual was activated.

That way, it would be much more convenient to activate and maintain the ritual from within the school.

‘In other words.’

Archbishop Ashtaroth of Illusions is currently hiding inside the school, disguised as someone.

‘It would be difficult to find them without knowing who they are disguised as.’

There were nearly a thousand candidates within the school.

In addition, if you included professors, various employees, and people working in research labs after graduation, the number would be much higher.

‘I couldn’t investigate all those people one by one.’

Even if I did investigate, it was doubtful whether I could find them if a high-ranking demon was determined to hide.

And most importantly.

“I have no reason to go looking for them.”

I chuckled as I looked around the blood-soaked hideout.

Yes.

What reason do I have to go out of my way to find them?

‘He will come to find me first.’

If he finds out that the plan I’ve been working on for years has leaked to someone, Ashtaroth will be desperate to find me.

‘I don’t need to leave any evidence.’

If I leave evidence too blatantly, he will be suspicious.

My job is to wait quietly until he finds me.

“Yeah… so you were inside the school.”

Before leaving the hideout.

I lightly flicked the black nail I had brought with me and looked up at the moonlit night sky.

I don’t know who you are disguised as.

I don’t know why you went to such lengths to target the ‘Seven Eyes’ that Iris possesses, or what you intended to do with the power you took from her.

In my previous life, you died at the hands of the ‘Sword of the Holy Kingdom’ before we even met.

‘But.’

One thing.

I know for sure.

“Ashtaroth.”

This time.

“You will meet me before the Sword of the Holy Kingdom does.”

* * *

On the way back to the school dormitory from the hideout of the Demon Cult.

Walking through the streets already shrouded in darkness, I frowned.

“Ugh… I’m tired from that fight.”

The wounds were all healed through the blessing of resurrection, but the fatigue was not completely gone.

The aftereffects of using the stigmata booster and the fatigue from fighting thirty demons hit me, and I felt drowsy.

‘I need to get in and sleep quickly.’

As I hurried my steps towards the dormitory.

“Huh?”

I saw someone squatting and dozing off in front of the dormitory room.

Pink hair peeking out from under a pressed-down robe.

“…Iris?”

When I carefully called her name, the woman who had been dozing off suddenly stood up.

“You son of a…! Ah, no, Mr. Dale! What on earth have you been doing all this time?!”

Iris stormed over, her face full of anger.

“I’ve tried contacting you so many times!”

“Oh.”

When I finally turned on my Hero Watch, I saw a pile of messages from Iris.

“I couldn’t get a reply, so I found out from Professor Jade that you got a permit and went to the outdoor training ground. Do you know how shocked I was?!”

Well.

If anyone had suddenly lost contact after getting a permit from Professor Jade, known as the ‘Student Killer,’ they would have been just as terrified as she was.

“It’s okay. Nothing happened.”

“Nothing happened? Then what’s with your clothes?”

“That…”

I looked down at my clothes, which were torn in several places.

‘The Blessing of Resurrection only regenerates the body.’

I had managed to wipe off the demons’ blood before returning to the dormitory, but there was nothing I could do about the torn parts.

“I… rolled down a mountain a bit.”

In the end, what came out of my mouth was a pathetic excuse.

“…Rolled down a mountain?”

“Yeah. The item Professor Jade asked for was in a rough terrain.”

“Hmm.”

Iris looked me up and down suspiciously, then grabbed my hand and pointed to the door.

“Open the door.”

“…Isn’t it a problem if someone sees me entering the men’s dormitory at this hour?”

“That’s why we need to get in before anyone sees us. Do you know how hard it was to sneak here without Camilla noticing?”

At Iris’s urging, I opened the door.

The inside was so shabby that it was hard to believe it was the same school dormitory as her room.

“Take off your clothes and come over here.”

“…Take off my clothes?”

When I looked at her with a bewildered expression, Iris’s face turned bright red, and she screamed.

“T-the wounds! I need to see the wounds!”

“Oh, right. But I’m really fine.”

“Sss. If you don’t take it off quickly, I’ll take it off by force.”

That would be a reward… No, that’s not it.

“Alright.”

I took off my top and approached her.

Iris examined my body with a serious look.

“Hmm. There are no visible wounds.”

“I told you I’m fine.”

“No. A hero’s body is often so tough that wounds don’t show on the surface.”

Iris carefully reached out and touched my body.

“You said you rolled down the mountain, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Judging by the state of your clothes, it seems you rolled down quite severely… You might have internal bleeding.”

Saying so, Iris carefully began to draw up her magic.

The light flowing from her stigmata seeped into my body.

Warmth spread through my body as if I had drunk hot soup.

“…This should take care of the internal bleeding.”

“It would have healed on its own even if you didn’t do this.”

“Sss! Didn’t I tell you not to say things like that?”

She lightly flicked my forehead with a stern expression.

“Do you understand? No matter how much of a hero you are, you shouldn’t treat your body recklessly. Heroes feel pain just like anyone else.”

“……”

Suddenly.

A faded page of an old memory flashed through my mind.

-You shouldn’t treat your body recklessly like that.

-But I’ll come back to life soon even if I die.

-But you still feel the pain the same way!

Ah, right.

You were that kind of woman.

In the past life, and even now.

Unchanging.

Always.

Always.

“Mr. Dale?”

“…….”

“…Are you crying?”

I wiped my eyes and shook my head slightly.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“…….”

An awkward silence settled in the room.

“Ahem, ahem!”

Unable to bear the awkwardness, Iris cleared her throat and stood up.

“Anyway! There’s a reason I contacted you today!”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t yet checked why she sent a message today.

“Mr. Dale, are you free this weekend?”

“I think I am… Why?”

“Would you like to go out with me?”

So that’s why she contacted me, to go out together this weekend.

‘A date with Iris.’

Of course, it wasn’t quite accurate to call it a ‘date’ yet, as our relationship hadn’t progressed that far.

But the idea of spending time alone with her was an irresistibly sweet proposal.

“Where are we going?”

“That is….”

Seeing her hesitate slightly, I smiled contentedly.

‘Where does she want to go?’

A theater in Valhalla City? Or a cozy café?

Given her love for food, it could be a famous restaurant.

‘Anywhere is fine.’

As long as I could be with her, it didn’t matter, even if it was a slum.

‘Though she wouldn’t suggest going to an anthill.’

I waited for her answer with a bitter smile.

“Mr. Dale… Have you ever heard of the Ant Nest?”

“…What?”

Are we really going to the Ant Nest?