Chapter 86

After the commotion at the Helios Family settled, I returned to school first, leaving Yurina behind as she still had things to discuss with her mother.

“One week of suspension.”


“No.”


“What do you mean ‘no,’ you brat!”

*Bam!*

Professor Lucas slammed his desk with a red face.

“You skipped observation class, went out without permission, and even stayed out overnight, and you thought you’d get away with no punishment?!”


“Hmm.”

Cowardly hitting me with facts.

“Professor Lucas.”


“What?”


“I believe this.”

I continued in a distant voice.

“Life isn’t just about what you learn in class. There’s so much more to learn outside the narrow confines of school than within.”


“Oh ho.”


“Didn’t you have such times too, Professor?”

*Thud.*

He slammed the desk and shouted with a fiery voice.

“Times when passion burned in your chest! Moments when your soul was ablaze with fervor! Days of youth when you leaped for lofty ideals and beliefs rather than the reality before your eyes!”


“What are you trying to say?”


“Could you let it slide just this once?”


“……”


“Guess not.”

Too bad.

“Ha, haha. Youth… youth.”

Professor Lucas’s face twisted red and purple.


The fierce magic power emanating from him made the objects in the office shake.

‘Ah, this is…’

This might be dangerous.

“Candidate Dale.”


“Yes, Professor.”


“Have you ever heard this saying?”


“What saying?”


“Youth is painful.”


“If it hurts, you’re sick.”

Why is that youth?

“Haha. You’ll understand once you experience the pain.”

*Screech!*

Professor Lucas stood up from his chair.


As he rose, I quickly used ‘Wind Step’ to move toward the office door.

“See you in a week!”


“Stop right there, you brat!”

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

With heavy footsteps echoing behind me, I sprinted at full speed.

* * *

“Sigh. Suspension again.”

After barely escaping Professor Lucas.


I returned to my dorm room, let out a deep sigh, and shook my head.

‘Well, at least I can focus on training for a while.’

I had been thinking about pushing myself harder in training due to the recent events at the Helios Family.

‘Grand Archbishop of Corruption, Mephisto.’

Following the Grand Archbishop of Beasts, another Grand Archbishop was revealed to be lurking behind the scenes, plotting something.

‘What was his goal?’

Generally, the most plausible theory is that he tried to manipulate Yurina into becoming a puppet during the Holy Mark Replacement.

‘But in my past life, Yurina didn’t become Mephisto’s puppet.’

If the goal of the Holy Mark Replacement was to turn her into a puppet, it wouldn’t make sense that Yurina became one of the ‘Last Five Heroes’ and fought the Devil God until the end.

“Either turning Yurina into a puppet wasn’t the goal…”

Or.


The plan was disrupted by ‘another reason’ before achieving that goal.

‘Mephisto suddenly disappeared during the war.’

There were many speculations among the heroes about why he disappeared, but nothing was ever confirmed.

“Tsk. My past life memories are useless at times like this.”

Especially now that the future has changed, making it even harder to predict what’s to come.

“Let’s see then…”

I sat on the bed and slowly closed my eyes.


With no way to know what the Grand Archbishops are planning, there’s only one thing I can do.

‘Get stronger.’

To a level incomparable to now.


To a level where the Grand Archbishops would tremble in fear just at the thought of facing me.

“Deep breath.”

I slowly inhaled and created a Magic Power Orb smaller than a grain of rice inside my blood vessels.


At first, just creating the orb made me sweat profusely, but now I can do it as naturally as breathing.

*Crack!*

The Magic Power Orb shot through my blood vessels and shattered my heart.


A floating sensation and blurred consciousness followed.


But only for a moment.

*Whoosh!*

The ‘Blessing of Resurrection’ activated, and my heart regenerated instantly.

“Phew.”

Gray ash seeped out like breath.


After waiting for a while with my eyes closed.

*Sizzle!*

An intense burning pain spread from my left chest throughout my body.


Ignoring the pain, I focused my mind and visualized the ‘Mental World.’

*Whoosh!*

A raging fire that seemed to consume the world.


The Mental World unfolded before my eyes, filled with fierce heat.

‘Bloom.’

I slowly reached out toward the Primordial Flame.


The raging flames gathered in my palm, forming a flame the size of a human head.

‘Quite a difference from the beginning.’

Back then, only a candle-sized flame gathered, but now a flame the size of a human head burned in my palm.


A significant change compared to before.

‘But it’s still not enough.’

I reached out toward the raging flame.


A dry thirst burned my throat.


More, more, more.


Until I devour that flame entirely.


Until not a single ember remains.


I…

*Rumble!*

The Mental World shook.


Ash surged, and my consciousness returned from the Mental World.

“Whoa!”

I exhaled roughly and opened my eyes.

“…What was that?”

I tilted my head, recalling what had just happened in the Mental World.


The moment I reached out toward the Primordial Flame, burning with thirst.


The Primordial Flame, as if ‘terrified,’ hastily avoided my hand and collapsed the Mental World.

‘Did I see that wrong?’

The Primordial Flame, said to have burned the Tree of Creation in the age of myths, wouldn’t flee from ‘me’ and collapse the Mental World.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

I forced a bitter smile and shook my head, then checked the magic power within my Holy Mark.

“It’s steadily increasing.”

Though it didn’t surge like when my body was reconstructed, the total amount of magic power gradually increased like a snowball as I repeated ‘death.’

“Magic Power Practice is done… Should I go loosen up a bit?”

I opened the dorm room door and headed to Yurina’s Private Training Grounds.

“Huh? Dale?”

Then.


A familiar voice called out as Iris ran toward me.

“Professor Lucas told me. You suddenly went out and stayed out overnight… Did something happen?”


“Ah… well.”

I couldn’t explain the commotion at the Helios Family to her.

“Well, something came up.”


“…Hmm. What was it?”

Iris narrowed her eyes, unsatisfied with my answer.

“Was it… a girl? Did you stay out with a girl?”


“Well…”

I mean.


Technically, Yurina is a girl.

“Ah, I knew it!”

Iris grabbed my collar with a shocked expression.

“You, you brat! Who, who did you spend the night with?!”


“No.”

Excuse me, Saintess.


That… what’s the word, choice of words…

“Speak up!”

Seeing Iris on the verge of tears, I shook my head.

“It’s not like that.”


“R… really?”

Iris wiped her eyes and glared at me with a sharp gaze.


I nodded slightly, and she finally seemed relieved, patting her chest.

“Where are you going, Dale?”


“To Yurina’s… no, Yuren’s Private Training Grounds to loosen up a bit.”


“Ah, right. You’ve been training there lately.”

Using the Public Training Grounds would attract too much attention, so I had no choice.

“Could you tell me where it is?”


“Why do you suddenly want to know?”


“You’ll probably just grab something from the cafeteria and skip proper meals again, right?”


“Well… that’s true.”

I had planned to grab a quick bite from the cafeteria, so I couldn’t argue.

“Hehe. I’ll pack you a lunch after class.”


“You don’t have to…”


“Hmph. If you keep refusing, I’ll pack you a Holy Kingdom-style lunch.”

A Holy Kingdom-style lunch meant a box full of various vegetables with no meat in sight.

“I’ll be waiting.”


“Hehe. Good.”

Iris nodded with satisfaction.

“Ah, right. Can you register me for the Training Grounds access?”


“Sure.”

Normally, only the owner of the Private Training Grounds could grant access, but Yurina had given me ‘administrator’ privileges, so I could grant access to Iris.

“Then I have class, so I’ll go first. See you later, Dale~.”


“Yep.”

After seeing Iris off, I headed to Yurina’s Private Training Grounds.

*Beep.*

I scanned my Hero Watch and entered the Private Training Grounds.

“Huh?”

Yurina, in the form of ‘Yuren.’


She noticed me and waved with a bright smile.

“Ah, you’re here, Dale?”


“Weren’t you staying home to talk with your mother?”


“We finished talking, and I just got back.”


“Then why didn’t you go to the dorm? Why come to the Private Training Grounds?”


“Umm.”

Yurina blushed slightly and answered.

“I thought I might see you here.”


“……”


“Haha. Just kidding.”

Yurina shrugged and approached me.


I tried to calm my strangely pounding heart and asked.

“By the way, are you going to keep that form?”


“It’d be weird to suddenly say ‘ta-da, I’m actually a girl.'”

Yurina smiled wryly and brushed back her golden hair.

“…Aren’t you disappointed, now that you can finally be ‘Yurina’ again?”


“It’s fine.”

Yurina smiled faintly and took my hand.

“As long as you know I’m Yurina, that’s enough.”


“……”

Yurina has been getting too close lately.


I averted my gaze from her and coughed awkwardly.

“W-well, if you say so.”


“Hehe. So…”

Yurina undid the pendant around her neck.


A blue aura enveloped her, and she returned to her true form as Yurina.


Flowing silver hair.


A fragrant scent that tickled my nose.

“Take care of me from now on, Dale?”

Yurina pulled my hand toward her chest and smiled brightly.


The smile on her lips was as beautiful as moonlight shining on the night sky.