The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 127: Cohabitation (2)

The A Dormitory, where only the noble families of the empire, high-ranking clergy of the Holy Kingdom, and the heirs of wealthy families from the Republic gather.

Though I'd been here a few times to visit Iris, the dormitory was always overwhelming in its grandeur and splendor.

'This isn't a dormitory; it's a hotel!'

I clicked my tongue as I passed by the large fountain installed in the dormitory grounds.

“Whew.”

After standing and hesitating for a while, looking at the A Dormitory, I slowly moved my feet forward.

“Ah, Dale!”

As I reached the dormitory entrance, Yuren, who had been waiting for me, waved cheerfully with a big smile.

“You got off with just a suspension this time, huh?”

“Yeah. Thanks for writing the petition for me.”

“Ugh. Do you have any idea how shocked I was when I first heard about it?”

Yuren crossed his arms and started scolding me.

“By the way, are you really okay?”

“Hm? With what?”

“Well…”

I glanced at the pendant hanging around Yuren's neck as I spoke.

“We're going to be living together until the break, right?”

“Oh, th-that’s true.”

Yuren blushed slightly (please don’t do that while in your male form) and scratched his cheek.

“Well, it's only for a week! There's a spare room too, so it'll be fine!”

“Well... if you're okay with it.”

Suppressing a smile, I followed Yuren into his room.

Click.

It was my first time seeing Yuren's room, and it was surprisingly neat.

The living room (yes, there’s even a living room) was clean and organized, with a sofa and table, and the soft ivory-colored lighting gave the room a pleasant scent.

“Uh... how is it?”

“It’s nice. Really clean.”

“Hehe, good.”

Yuren smiled bashfully, clearly pleased, though I pretended not to hear him mutter something about being glad he cleaned.

“Have you had lunch yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“Then wait a bit. I'll whip something up real quick.”

Saying that, Yuren headed toward the kitchen.

Somehow, he’d even managed to put on an apron neatly.

“Do you cook?”

I tilted my head in curiosity as I watched Yuren.

I had never seen him cook in our past life.

“Well… y-yeah. A little?”

He awkwardly smiled and avoided my gaze.

“…A little?”

“Anyway! Dale, just sit on the sofa and wait!”

Yuren pushed me out of the kitchen.

I sat on the sofa, waiting for the food to be ready.

Sizzling!

Soon, I heard the sound of something frying in the kitchen.

“Huh? Is the heat too high?”

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“Ahhh! I spilled oil!”

“Do I just throw the shrimp in with the shell on?”

“Huh, which one’s the salt?”

His anxious muttering wasn’t very reassuring.

After about 10 minutes...

“…What is this?”

I looked down at the charred thing on the table and asked.

“T-that's, uh… gambas….”

“…….”

“Ugh…! I’m sorry! I heard it was an easy dish for beginners!”

Yuren lowered his head, looking crestfallen.

Well, considering his family was still one of the empire’s top noble houses, despite having fallen on hard times, it wasn’t surprising that Yuren hadn’t cooked much.

“You could have just asked me to cook.”

“Well… Iris always makes lunch boxes and stuff for you, right?”

With a dejected expression, Yuren fidgeted with his fingers as he spoke.

“So… I wanted to make something for you too.”

“…….”

That was close.

I might have been more deeply affected if Yuren had been in his female form just now.

“Well, next time, I’ll teach you, and we can make something together.”

“Huh? R-really?”

“Yeah. I mean, we’re going to be living together for a week anyway.”

“Ah… th-that’s true.”

Yuren cleared his throat awkwardly and quickly turned his head away, seemingly realizing again that we were living together.

Ultimately, we had to make do with the baguette Yuren had bought to accompany the gambas.

Afterward, we sat side by side on the sofa, discussing our upcoming living arrangements.

“There are two rooms, but only one bathroom… so I’ll shower after you.”

“Thanks.”

“Uh… Dale?”

“Yeah?”

Yuren asked cautiously.

“You know that story about the magical artifact you brought back from outside exploding and starting a fire in the dormitory?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“That was a lie, wasn’t it?”

Yuren’s eyes gazed directly at me.

“I heard from a candidate who was nearby at the time. They said gray flames flared up for a moment and then suddenly disappeared.”

“…….”

“That flame… it was the one that appears when you use your magic, right?”

To be precise, the flame appears when I use the ‘Primordial Flame,’ not just my regular magic.

I nodded slowly and spoke.

“Yeah, it was.”

“…I knew it. So you were training with that ‘fire’ in your room, and that’s how the fire started.”

“It’s my fault.”

I had let my guard down because the Primordial Flame had never gone out of control before.

“Why were you pushing yourself so hard in your training?”

“Well…”

"Is it because of that Archbishop of Madness we met?"

"......"

I pressed my lips together tightly at Yuren’s words, which hit the mark.

The reason I had been pushing myself to accelerate my training in controlling the ‘Primordial Flame.’

Of course, there were other reasons besides the Archbishop of Madness.

But if I were to say that meeting the Archbishop didn’t factor into my decision, that would be a lie.

“So, it was that after all.”

Seeing my expression, Yuren seemed to guess the answer, his face hardening.

“When I met the Archbishop of Madness... I couldn’t do anything.”

Yuren slightly raised her head, recalling that day.

A space covered in crimson slime.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

The image of a boy approaching, shrouded in a blood-red aura.

The oppressive, suffocating aura of dark energy was so intense that Yuren couldn’t even draw his sword.

He just froze in place.

“You couldn’t help it. There’s no way a student who hasn’t even graduated yet could face an archbishop.”

“Hmph. If we’re going by that, Dale, you're still just a student too, right?”

“That’s...”

Unable to find a rebuttal, Yuren smiled faintly and untied the pendant around her neck.

Woooong.

With a soft blue glow, her once-golden hair turned into a gentle silver.

Returning to her original form as Yurina, she gently took my hand and spoke.

“I’ll become stronger.”

Her voice was filled with firm determination.

“I’ll become strong enough... that this time, I’ll protect you, Dale.”

So that from now on, you don’t have to push yourself so hard.

“......”

Her words left me speechless for a moment.

Her unwavering gaze directed at me.

The same look I had seen from her time and time again in my previous life.

Eyes that never flinched in the face of fear.

That didn’t tremble in the face of terror.

That never lost their light, even in despair.

Eyes filled with ‘courage.’

‘Ah.’

That’s right.

That’s how you’ve always been.

Back then, and even now.

“Haha.”

A quiet laugh slipped out between my lips.

‘Maybe I’ve been rushing too much.’

Since my encounter with the Archbishop of Madness recently, I had felt a constant pressure to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

And that led to the runaway incident with the Primordial Flame.

‘The future keeps changing, and nothing can be predicted with certainty.’

But still.

There were some things that hadn’t changed.

“Thank you.”

I squeezed her hand a bit tighter and spoke to her with sincerity.

“Ah...”

Yurina’s face flushed red.

And then, suddenly—

Woooong!

A silvery glow began to radiate from her chest.

“Huh? What’s this?”

The radiant silver light pouring out from her body.

It was the same light that appeared whenever she invoked the ‘Blessing of the Moonlight.’

“Wha— No, no! This is, um...”

Yurina seemed just as surprised, shaking her head in confusion as if she hadn’t meant to activate the blessing.

“W-Wait!”

She quickly jumped up and dashed into her room.

About five minutes later, the door opened, and Yurina stepped out, looking a bit tired.

“Phew. All good now.”

“What was with that sudden activation of the blessing?”

“Oh, uh... Well, Dale, you don’t need to worry about that.”

She coughed awkwardly and averted her gaze.

“Well... Anyway, I’ll be counting on you for the next week.”

Without pressing her any further, I extended my hand to Yurina.

She looked at it briefly before carefully placing my hand on her head.

“......”

So, she wants me to pat her head again.

Suppressing a chuckle, I gently stroked her hair, and a soft smile spread across her face.

“I’m counting on you, Dale.”

* * *

“Phew.”

After spending the evening training with Yurina in the practice yard and finishing dinner (which I made this time), I lay down on a mat in the room Yurina was using as a dressing room.

‘Things went better than I expected.’

Even though it was just for a week, I worried something might go wrong with two grown adults living together.

Thankfully, we had made it through the day without any issues.

‘Having two rooms makes a big difference.’

If this were a cramped single-room dorm like the ones in Building C, we’d have no choice but to bump into each other constantly.

But in Building A, where Yurina lived, there were two rooms and even a living room, so we had plenty of space to avoid each other if needed.

‘With conditions like this, we should be fine living together for a week.’

Besides, once the week was over, I could leave the school since the break would start.

“Break, huh...”

In my previous life, I had stayed at the school during the break to work and cover my living expenses, but this time, there was no need for that.

‘I should ask Iris and Berald what their plans are for the break.’

I wanted to use this opportunity to help Iris, Yurina, and Berald grow.

“Guess I’ll sleep now.”

As I lay there planning out the break in my head, I turned off my Hero Watch and snuggled into the mat.

Even though it was just a floor mat, Yurina had managed to find an incredibly comfortable one, better than the old bed I used to sleep on.

I was about to drift off to sleep when—

Creak.

I heard the door open softly.

Turning my head, I saw Yurina in her pajamas.

“Um... Dale.”

“What’s up?”

“I-I was wondering... Can I sleep with you tonight? Just for tonight?”

“...What?”

Her unexpected request jolted me upright from the mat.

“I mean, that’s a bit...”

“It’s fine! I won’t do anything!”

That’s not the point!

“I’ll just... hold your hand while we sleep! That’s all!!!”

“No.”

How could you say that line?

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]