The Last-Seat Hero Has Returned

42. The Same b*stard (3)

“Huh?”

Did he hear my voice?

Berald, who was proudly holding the crumpled door in one hand, turned his gaze towards me.

Berald’s eyes sparkled like stars when he saw me.

“Well, if it isn’t Brother Dale?!”

Berald shouted loudly as he approached me.

“Hehe. I’ve been hearing a lot of rumors about you lately… What on earth happened?”

Berald was the only one who had a connection with me before my regression.

‘Well, it wasn’t a good connection, but still.’

I first met Berald during last year’s seasonal supplementary classes.

We both failed one of the mandatory liberal arts courses, ‘Principles and Understanding of Magic.’

They say fools recognize each other.

Berald, who had the nickname of the ‘Scoundrel of the Ryu Family,’ and I, who was always at the bottom of the candidate list, naturally became close.

“They say you knocked out Professor Lucas with one punch, and made the next Holy Kingdom’s Sword kneel with a single gesture…”

Even as he spoke, Berald trailed off, as if he couldn’t believe it himself.

“I heard that during the recent monster incident, you sliced through dozens of monsters in one stroke… Is that true?”

“Well, to some extent.”

“To some extent? So, it’s not entirely a baseless rumor?”

Barreld’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Well.

From the perspective of someone who knew me before, I understood better than anyone how absurd that rumor was.

“Did you really pick up some elixir from behind the school or something?”

“That’s not it…”

I pondered for a moment on how to explain it to make Barreld understand, but soon concluded that there was no need to rack my brain over it.

“Should I call it enlightenment? Well, something like that happened.”

“Oh! Enlightenment!”

Barreld exclaimed, his eyes shining.

Enlightenment.

It was a term often used when a hero, blocked by the wall of their limits, suddenly grew.

‘Honestly, it’s a ridiculous excuse.’

No matter how enlightened one became, could it be possible for a cadet who had always been at the bottom of the rankings to grow overnight to the point of beating up a professor?

But.

‘If it’s Barreld, he wouldn’t doubt my words.’

It wasn’t because he was stupid.

It wasn’t because he had a personality that couldn’t doubt others.

There was one reason why I thought he wouldn’t doubt my words.

“Ah! I knew you could do it, brother!”

Barreld exclaimed, clenching his fists tightly and exhaling forcefully.

“…Really?”

“Of course! Didn’t I always say from the moment we first met that I had a feeling? That you were destined to become a great hero!”

As expected.

This guy had always had an unreasonable belief in me.

‘I still don’t know what he saw in me to believe that.’

Even when I graduated at the bottom of the class in my previous life, Barreld never wavered in his belief and would always say,

-Don’t worry! You will definitely become a great hero!

A pure belief with no basis or logic to be found.

That was exactly why I thought Berald wouldn’t question my absurd excuse that I “gained enlightenment and became stronger overnight.”

“Hahaha! This feels so refreshing! You’ve really been through a lot, brother!”

“Yeah. Thanks, man.”

Berald, with an excited expression as if he had gained enlightenment, patted my shoulder.

His gaze, which had been patting my shoulder for a while, turned to the person next to me.

“By the way, who is this person next to you?”

“Oh, this is Juliet Kang. She’s my friend.”

“Oh, so she’s your friend! Nice to meet you. I’m Berald Ryu!”

Berald grinned and extended a hand as big as a pot lid.

“Oh? Uh, yeah. I’m Juliet.”

“Hehe. How do you know each other?”

“…That’s.”

Juliet’s expression hardened.

I turned on the Hero Watch with a smirk.

“Let’s see… This friend has a rather unique hobby?”

“Eek! No, don’t!”

As soon as the Hero Watch screen turned on, Juliet screamed as if having a seizure.

I looked back at Juliet, who was on the verge of tears, and chuckled.

“Why?”

“Why, you ask! You promised to keep that a secret!”

“Hmm? What kind of hobby is it that you’re so scared?”

“Ah, it’s nothing! Really!”

Juliet hurriedly changed the subject.

“By the way, if you’re Berald Ryu… you’re from the same ‘Ryu’ family as Principal Lionel, right?”

Lionel Ryu, the Thunder God.

A hero shining as the third-ranked hero in the current Three Kingdoms Hero Comprehensive Ranking, and the principal of the Hero School.

“The Ryu… family.”

Berald’s face momentarily stiffened.

But only for a moment.

Berald nodded with his characteristic hearty smile.

“Yes. Although we belong to the same family, I am from a branch family, so I have no special connection with Grandfather Lionel.”

“Oh, really? Still, being from the Ryu family… that’s impressive.”

Juliet looked at Berald with eyes full of admiration.

Juliet’s family was also one that could hold its head high within the Republic, but it couldn’t compare to the Ryu family.

The Ryu family had produced outstanding wizards comparable to the ‘Bastian’ family of the Empire.

It was one of the prestigious families that had firmly established its position since the Republic people came over from the world called ‘Korea’ 500 years ago.

“…Is that so?”

Berald’s words trailed off with a somewhat bitter smile.

Juliet didn’t seem to notice, but with my memories of a past life, I could clearly see Berald’s feelings.

‘He can’t be too pleased with the praise for his family.’

Berald had grown up under severe contempt within the family for not being able to handle magic properly since he was young.

‘Not only was he from a branch family with no tradition, but his magic skills were also poor.’

The nickname given to him was ‘The Scoundrel of the Ryu Family.’

It was a derogatory term given to him for ignoring the history and tradition of a family that had produced outstanding wizards for generations and indulging only in fistfights.

‘No wonder he was close to me in our past lives.’

A minor hero and the scoundrel of the family.

Isn’t that a fitting combination?

“By the way.”

This time, Berald changed the subject.

“Did you have lunch?”

“Yes. And you?”

“Hehe. I just had a hearty meal.”

Berald patted his belly with his thick hand.

“What did you eat?”

“Of course, stir-fried pork.”

“As expected, you know what’s good.”

“Hehe. Did you have stir-fried pork too, brother?”

I nodded cheerfully at Berald, who was looking at me with a grin.

“If you’re a Republic citizen, it’s got to be stir-fried pork.”

“Ha ha ha! As expected, we are on the same wavelength, brother!”

Berald burst into hearty laughter and threw his arm around my shoulder.

Berald, swaying his body as if dancing, with his arm around my shoulder.

His rock-hard muscles didn’t make for a particularly pleasant sensation.

‘Being like this brings back old memories.’

The days when we roamed the continent to prevent the resurrection of the demon with our comrades.

Gathered around the campfire, drinking heavily with our arms around each other like this.

-Come on, let’s down a drink, brother!

-Yes! Let’s drink today and just die!

-Ha ha ha! Even if you die, won’t you come back to life?

-Everyone knows we have to get up early tomorrow, right?

-Hey~ don’t be so stiff, Yuren, come over here and have a drink with us!

-Berald. Shut your mouth, you’re disturbing my reading.

-Hey. Isn’t it because you’re reading books late into the night that Sister Sophia isn’t growing taller?

-Do you want to die?

-Ha ha. Everyone, drink moderately. As Yuren said, we have to get up early tomorrow.

-Heh heh. So, sister-in-law, are you not going into brother’s tent tonight?

-Oh my, that’s a different story.

-Ha ha ha! How can those of us without lovers live out of envy?

Berald and I, noisily pouring drinks.

Yuren quietly approaching to scold us, and Senior Sophia quietly reading a book in the corner.

And Iris, who watched us with a warm smile.

A memory of an ordinary time.

An incredibly precious, yet painfully torn page of memory.

“…Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue briefly at the memory that surfaced in my mind.

‘I can’t wallow in misery forever.’

If a page of memory is torn away.

I just need to create a new one.

‘Because I’ve been given the chance to do so.’

I sharpened my gaze as I looked at Berald, who was smiling brightly.

Seeing him burst into hearty laughter, one might think he lived without a care in the world.

‘Only those who don’t know Berald would say such things.’

I know.

Only I know.

How much he suppresses himself beneath that hearty laughter.

“Haha. Enlightenment, you say… Then it seems I won’t have to attend supplementary classes with you anymore.”

Berald continued, with a bitter smile.

“It’s embarrassing to admit, but… I think I’ll fail again this time.”

“The semester has just started.”

“Haha. Indeed.”

A deep sigh escaped from between Berald’s lips.

“I’ve been learning magic for years now, but I still can’t properly create a simple magic bullet… Haha. If that’s a talent, then it’s a talent, isn’t it?”

A self-deprecating smile.

“Anyway, I’m glad that at least you have seen the light this time.”

“……”

I kept my mouth shut as I watched Berald’s shoulders slump.

‘Come to think of it, this was before Berald properly started martial arts.’

He had been throwing punches here and there.

But that was just swinging his fists wildly based on his innate strength.

It wasn’t proper martial arts.

‘This is perfect timing.’

I was planning to visit my comrades soon, and now I meet Berald at this moment.

In Iris’s words, this must be a situation guided by the ‘Seven Gods.’

‘According to my original plan, I was going to sweet-talk Juliet to get the gold needed to apply for a private training ground.’

But something much more important than a private training ground has come up.

“Hey, do you have any plans after this?”

“Hmm? No, nothing special.”

“Great, then….”

I grinned widely.

Suddenly.

A memory from a past life flashed through my mind.

The memory of being taught martial arts by Berald.

Despite my clumsiness, he never uttered a harsh word, even as he repeatedly taught me the same technique over and over.

Always with a hearty smile on his face.

He silently guided me.

‘In that case.’

Now.

“Do you want to learn martial arts from me?”

It was my turn to guide him.