The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 22 - So It Was You? (3)

"Ah... ugh, argh!"

A man groaned through his swollen lips.

I gazed down at the man with cold eyes, pressing the tip of my sword to the corner of his eye.

"Aren't you going to answer?"

Well, if that's the case, I have no choice.

"Let's start with the most useless thing first... your eyes."

"I-I'll talk! I'll talk, just please stop...!"

The man begsged desperately.

"Is that so? Then let's hear what you have to say."

"Th-that... the question you asked earlier... um..."

The man, as if trying to recall something from before he was beaten, lowered his head and shivers.

And then.

-Woooong!

A black aura burst forth from his left chest.

"You were asking how I wanted you to kill me, right?!"

The man, who had been slumped over, suddenly sprung up like a coiled spring, crossing his arms.

Two scythes appeared in his hands, now enveloped in a black aura.

He unfurled his crossed arms like wings, and the scythes swung savagely.

"You must've gotten so beaten up that your memory isn't what it used to be, huh?"

Seeing the man charge at me with a look of joy as if he'd found an opening, I smirked and take a step back.

'Point Pressure' is a technique designed to subdue opponents with relatively low mana easily.

I already knew that with my current meager amount of magic, I wouldn't be able to hold a demon for long.

'But.'

Just because I can't hold him for long doesn't mean he's an opponent I can't handle.

"Alright, I'll ask you again, so listen carefully this time."

Sun Sword.

First Form, Initial Eclipse.

A rising slash from an unseen angle.

My sword, manoeuvring like a dancer through the gap between the wildly swinging scythes, slashed the man's chest.

Flesh tears, and blood spurt out.

"Ah... ugh."

The man pressed his hands against his chest, which was now pouring blood, with a pale expression.

Clang.

The two scythes in his hands clattered to the ground.

"Wh-who are you...?"

"I said I'm the one asking the questions, didn't I?"

Crack!

I stomped down hard on the fallen man's knee.

A scream echoed through the cave.

"What was a demon like you doing here?"

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"Ah... ugh..."

"Now, what was it I said was the most useless earlier?"

"I-I was just following orders!"

"Whose orders?"

"That..."

The man averted his gaze slightly as if to avoid my eyes.

He bit his lips nervously, as if he was about to say something when suddenly.

"Argh... kah! Guh, cough!"

He suddenly clawed at his chest, writhing in pain.

His eyes, now bloodshot, were bulging, and gruesome veins spread across his face like twisted roots.

"This is..."

Had he placed a curse to prevent any information from leaking out?

I reached out towards the man, who was now foaming at the mouth and convulsing as if electrocuted, but...

"Tsk."

The light had already faded from the man's eyes.

From the moment I first subdued him, I had considered the possibility of a curse.

'A high-level curse, no less.'

Typical curses are triggered by speaking certain words or performing specific actions.

However, the curse placed on this man was a high-level one that cut off his life when he had the "will" to reveal information.

"Who the hell are these guys?"

Judging from his earlier mention of "priest," it seemed likely he was part of the Demon Church.

But the Demon Church itself had so many factions and operated in a decentralized manner, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly which faction he belonged to.

"Hmm."

I picked up the black nail-like object the man had been carrying.

'It seems to have some effect on the ley lines.'

This cave was a place where the ley lines were strong enough to support the growth of magical Seven Star Grass.

Seeing him drive the nail into the wall and channel demonic energy into it, I could only guess that it was intended to affect the ley lines somehow.

"But I don't know exactly what effect it has."

I wondered if this nail was somehow related to why the seal of the Demon God weakened in my past life.

'But that can't be it.'

If driving this small nail into the wall was enough to weaken the Demon God's seal, it would've broken long ago.

Even if there were dozens or hundreds of these black nails, the seal on the Demon God wouldn't weaken so easily just by affecting the ley lines slightly.

'Then what on earth is it?'

I continued to ponder but couldn't come up with a clear answer.

'Maybe I should look for more clues.'

As I reached out toward the corpse of the man lying on the ground.

- Step, step.

I heard faint footsteps in the distance.

I stopped reaching out towards the man and spread my magic through my body to enhance my senses.

'Three... no, four of them.'

It wasn't difficult to figure out who the approaching footsteps belonged to.

'It must be the ones who gave this guy his orders.'

They were probably coming to check on the situation because the man hadn't returned.

"Hmm."

The four figures approaching this way were likely not the entirety of the demons that had infiltrated the school.

'There must be more.'

While the purpose of their infiltration into a hero-filled school is still unknown, it was unlikely that such bold invaders were from a minor faction of weak demons.

‘Even if I capture them, I won't be able to extract any information due to the restrictions.’

A different approach would be necessary to trace the cult’s faction.

“Now, what should I do…”

As I continued to think, my gaze fell upon two scythes lying on the ground.

The moment I saw the scythes, an idea struck me.

“Aha.”

So there was a way, after all?

“Let's see… first…”

I beheaded the demon that had collapsed, coughing up blood.

'They won't think he died because of the restrictions.'

With a grin, I picked up one of the scythes from the ground.

And next.

Thud.

Without hesitation, I plunged the scythe into my own abdomen.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

* * *

“How long has it been since we lost contact with Husk?”

Four men, all draped in black robes.

The man with blood-red hair at the front turned his head.

His left cheek was covered with a hideous burn scar.

His eyes, sunken deep, gleamed with a chilling, blood-red light that sent shivers down one's spine just by looking at them.

“It, it’s been about 30 minutes.”

“Thirty minutes, you say.”

The man with blood-red hair who was standing at the front turned his head.

“I distinctly remember ordering that no fewer than two should go together for the ‘nail’ placement.”

“I-I’m sorry, Priest Calyx!”

The three demons standing behind the man called Calyx Priest bowed their heads in fear.

Calyx looked at his subordinates coldly before clicking his tongue and turning his head back.

“…I’ll deal with the punishment later.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Finding the demon who lost contact was the priority now.

“Lead the way.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Calyx and his subordinates quickly entered deeper into the cave, remaining vigilant of their surroundings.

When they reached the designated spot for placing the ‘nail,’ they saw:

“A… ugh, please… save… me…”

A student candidate, bleeding profusely from his stomach, and the decapitated body of Husk.

“Why is a student here at this hour…?”

Calyx frowned and looked back at his subordinates, one of whom quickly responded in a panicked voice.

“T-Today, there was no scheduled outdoor training!”

“Hmm.”

That means the candidate must have obtained special permission from a professor to enter the area.

“This is troublesome.”

From the scene before him, Calyx could easily deduce what had transpired inside the cave.

'The student, having received permission from a professor, must have encountered Husk.'

After a fierce battle, Husk was decapitated, and the student suffered a fatal wound from Husk's scythe.

“Pathetic.”

Calyx clicked his tongue, looking down at Husk's body with disdain.

Even though Husk was a low-ranking monk, he should not have lost to a mere hero candidate, not even an official hero.

It was an unforgivable disgrace for someone blessed by the Demon God.

‘The plan is ruined.’

Calyx frowned as if he had a headache.

Their covert plan, timed to avoid the outdoor training schedule, had been disrupted by the intrusion of some unknown candidate.

‘If he finds out about this…’

Calyx closed his eyes tightly, trembling in fear.

‘No matter what, this must be kept secret.’

If it were discovered that their plan had faltered, the corpse of Husk on the ground might very well be replaced with his own.

“What should we do with the candidate? If left as is, he’ll die of blood loss soon.”

A demon looked down at the gasping candidate and asked.

Calyx, without hesitation, gave a decisive order.

“Kill him.”

“What? But…!”

If it were discovered that the candidate had died, the ‘professors’ would surely get involved.

“Wouldn’t it be better to heal, silence, and send him back?”

“Silence him?”

A sardonic grin spread across Calyx’s lips.

Heal the unknown candidate, threaten or bribe him into silence, and then return him to the school, huh.

‘If only it were that simple.’

However.

“I don’t trust the living.”

A black energy began to gather at Calyx’s fingertips, aimed at the fallen candidate.

Woooom!

A black spear formed from the energy gathered from his left chest.

Then.

Thud!

The black spear pierced the candidate's heart in the blink of an eye.

“Urgh… ugh!”

The gray-haired candidate let out a final groan before dying.

“Get rid of the body.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Terrified by Calyx's ruthless actions, the demons quickly shouldered the candidate's body.

Calyx clicked his tongue again as he watched his subordinates carry the corpse away.

“If you want to survive in this world, remember this: never trust the living.”

The only thing you can trust.

“Is the dead.”

With those cold words, Calyx turned and began walking toward the hideout.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]