The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 942. Rudelite

The sudden appearance of a scruffy, red-haired boy with a swarm of monsters targeting him was an unusual sight. It was hard to believe that such a large group of monsters would gather just to hunt down a single child, but Davey decided to stand back and watch for now.

“Daddy! The monsters!”

“You can wait.”

Evangeline shook her head firmly.

“I just... I want to swing my sword more.”

She was referring to her new greatsword, Twilight. It seemed she truly enjoyed wielding her weapon.

“Make a promise with me before you go after them. Don’t push yourself too hard, don’t let your guard down—even with the monsters—and take them out as cleanly as possible. Got it?”

“Okay!”

Promises held a particular weight for the dragon race. Davey figured that, with this agreement, he might be able to curb her excitement—at least for now.

Before long, Evangeline stood on her horse’s back before vanishing in a blur of motion. She charged toward the monsters pursuing the boy, bombing them with physical assaults.

The sheer force, unimaginable coming from such a small frame, caused the surrounding ground to cave in and twist violently.

While traditional martial artists used techniques like the Thousand-Pound Drop to achieve such devastating results, warriors of Tionis often relied on increasing their body weight to deliver similarly destructive blows.

“Unbelievable... What kind of leg strength...?”

“Whoa...”

The returning investigators of the Pallan Empire were stunned. They gawked as Evangeline obliterated several monsters like ragdolls, gaping again when they saw her sword.

“I wasn’t mistaken after all!”

“I can’t believe she’s a Swordmaster...”

The onlookers were having a hard time comprehending the existence of the crimson Aura Blade enveloping her greatsword, Twilight.

Becoming an Expert was a realm often associated with innate talent. Those truly lacking in talent would struggle their entire lives to reach even the entry level of an Expert, if they could manage it at all. On the other hand, those with average ability—most knights, in fact—could reasonably aim to become Supreme Experts.

But overcoming the wall to become a Master was a different level of difficulty altogether.

Although it depended on the individual, crossing the threshold of aging and reaching the true realm of a superhuman was what a Master entailed.

Evangeline had unconsciously tapped into her unique powers, even learning to suppress her presence without realizing it. Davey himself had already lost track of her several times since she had grown stronger.

For most people, reaching the level of a Master was an unattainable goal, no matter how much of their life they dedicated to it. That was the consensus of lunch-table cafeteria chatter at schools... no, academic consensus.

But here was Evangeline, such a young age yet already manifesting the symbol of a Master: the Aura Blade. For knights who spent their entire lives striving toward becoming a Master, or those who finally achieved it after decades of effort, her feat could only bring disheartening and hollow feelings.

[Transcendental Longsword]

[Splitting the Mountains]

Boom!!

Yet none of that seemed to concern Evangeline. She continued to single-handedly crush the monsters with ease, showing no sign of slowing down.

“Having talent makes one the target of envy. It’s not always a blessing...” Davey muttered as he watched her move effortlessly through the chaos, slashing through her enemies with crimson blade energy crackling around her sword.

Her skills now far surpassed all reports Davey had received about her during the previous monster attacks. She hadn’t just overcome the wall of becoming a Master—she had grown even stronger beyond that.

It was almost as if...

“She’s like Hercules.”

He gazed over the onlookers, most of whom were dumbstruck by her performance. Eventually, his eyes landed on the red-haired boy at the center of the scene. He smirked as he saw the boy’s expression—it was a face of curiosity and a distinct sense of interest.

He recognized the expression—a face with an intense sense of possession.

Thwack!

- Kiii!!!

A troll screeched as its body convulsed in pain. Even with its infamous regenerative abilities, it couldn’t recover properly under the overwhelming pressure of Evangeline’s instinctive suppression.

- Buooo!!!

- Kiiiaaa!!!

The tide began to turn as the knights rejoined the fray. Recognizing that the odds were no longer in their favor, the monsters lost their resolve and scattered in all directions, fleeing without looking back.

‘There we go. You all shouldn’t have crossed the line in the first place.’

Davey dismounted from his horse with a smile on his face, reaching out to ruffle Evangeline’s hair as she bounced over. The gleeful grin on her face was clearly brimming with excitement.

“You’ve done it—you’ve fully surpassed the wall of becoming a Master. Congratulations.”

“Hehe! It’s all thanks to you, Daddy!”

Despite the intense and strict training he had her go through, she had followed through it unwaveringly. Her gratitude and recognition of his efforts touched him deeply.

“Thank you so much! You saved my life!”

Seeing that the monsters had retreated, the red-haired boy approached the investigation team with a relieved expression.

“Where are you from? Are you traveling alone?” one of the knights asked sharply. They were still on edge after the earlier rebel ambush during the dungeon expedition.

The boy stammered, glancing nervously at the gathered knights.

“I... uh, I’m... a mage! A mercenary mage, actually. I was working on a solo mission, surveying the area, when I picked up this strange stone. But the moment I found it, the monsters started swarming after me...”

“Stone?”

“Yes. It seems that it was a Dragon’s Gem. This area is indeed famous for being a dragon’s nesting ground.”

The statement brought a moment of silence before the knights erupted into laughter.

“Pwahaha! This kid must’ve read too many fairy tales!”

“Hahaha! Dragons disappeared from the world years ago!”

The boy froze, his expression confused.

“What? What do you mean...?”

“Hey, kid. You must’ve grown up in some backwater village. Consider yourself lucky. We’ll escort you to the nearest town. No complaints, right?”

“Wait! H-Hold on a second! What do you mean all the dragons are dead...?”

“Exactly what I said. There hasn’t been even a single record of a living dragon in hundreds of years.”

Of course, by that point, it wasn’t strange for dragons to be dismissed as nothing more than legends.

Even human history like the Joseon Dynasty only spanned five hundred years. A time span of that magnitude was unfathomable to ordinary people.

Still, the reason dragons were still in the public consciousness was that one from the Demon Realm appeared during the war with the vampires long ago.

“There was a corrupted dragon in the war a few years ago, but the Red Fox Duchess of Lyndis took care of it. Realistically speaking, dragons are extinct on this continent.”

“That... That can’t be...”

“Stop rambling and get in the wagon over there. Once the guild verifies your identity, you’ll be free to go.”

“There’s nothing to worry about—this is just a precaution. Things around here have been tense lately,” another knight added on.

Though the knights didn’t mention there being a rebel, specifically.

The red-haired boy introduced himself as Rudelite, which translated to Red Gem. Though it was a feminine name, the real surprise lay in his appearance.

Despite being a young boy, his features were so strikingly beautiful and lively that anyone who didn’t know better might mistake him for a girl, especially with the right outfit. Even some of the knights couldn’t help but feel a pang of self-consciousness when they looked at him.

Davey decided to wait and allow Evangeline to stabilize the vast amount of mana she had accumulated after breaking past the wall of becoming a Master, rather than return to Heins Territory right away. As they made their way toward a nearby minor territory, Davey caught up with Gandav.

“Sir Gandav, how is that matter progressing?”

“Ah... Yes. That...”

“You can speak freely. I’ve already dismissed unnecessary ears, and as this matter concerns me, I believe I have the right to hear about it.”

“I don’t know the full details... but it’s unlikely that the prince will survive. The Pallan Empire will see a storm of bloodshed for quite a while. A large-scale purge may be inevitable.”

“Seems like there’ll be nothing to gain from staying involved.”

Interfering in the affairs of another nation rarely led to good outcomes, and Davey had no intention of entangling himself further. He decided to let Emperor Sullivan handle the situation as he saw fit.

“Could you send a message to Emperor Sullivan?”

“Pardon?”

“Tell him to do whatever he wishes, but don’t make a decision he’ll regret.”

Hearing his advice that bordered on an outright warning, Gandav made a complicated face. But he eventually nodded in acknowledgment. Normally, someone daring to speak this way about their own emperor would face severe consequences. He instead looked at Davey with a gaze full of respect.

“I will be sure to keep that in mind. So... will you be returning now?”

“Yes. It’s time to go.”

“In that case, there’s a mana gate not far from here—”

“No need. We’ll just walk.”

Gandav let out a chuckle, cut short by a commotion coming from nearby.

“Let go of me!”

“Master, please! You can’t do this!”

“I’ve finally found a mentor to learn from—one skilled enough to teach me for the rest of my life! How can I just let this opportunity slip by? Let me go, you fools!”

“Stop him! If Master escapes, it’ll be chaos!”

The source of the ruckus was none other than the Chief Imperial Blacksmith, Sir Halphas. With a bundle slung over his back, he was desperately trying to follow Davey. However, the ankle-biters weren’t making it easy.

Sir Halphas had been so captivated by Twilight that he declared he could now die with no regrets after seeing it. Now, he was ready to abandon everything and follow Davey.

Though Davey recognized his skill and wouldn’t mind recruiting such talent, there were still implicit rules to abide by. He knew poaching someone of his caliber wasn’t exactly the right thing to do.

As for Sir Olman, the Swordmaster of the Pallan Empire who was working at Heins Academy, there were other reasons behind the approval of his move. In truth, Emperor Sullivan had issued a long-term transfer as an excuse to keep him close to protect Illyna.

“Excuse me, sir,” a voice interrupted.

“Hm?”

“Are you heading to Heins Territory?”

“I am. Why do you ask?”

It was Rudelite, the red-haired boy.

“In that case, may I join you?”

“Hm?”

“I may not look it, but I’m a capable mercenary. I can handle all kinds of odd jobs. However, I’m not very familiar with the roads in this region...”

“Is there a reason I should help you?”

“I’ll do fire guard duty and take care of any minor tasks!”

Davey narrowed his eyes on him. Given that he appeared to be of a similar age to Evangeline, she had an exceptionally friendly demeanor toward him.

“Fine. Let’s do that.”

“Thank you! I actually have some business in Heins Territory, so this works out perfectly!” he said while gleaming.

Sir Gandav leaned closer to Davey, speaking in a low voice. “We conducted a background check: He’s clean. Apparently, he’s a local who’s been active in this area for some time. His skills are also pretty decent.”

“Well, that’s good enough for me.”

“Let me go! Prince Davey! Please take me as your student! I’ll even be your footstool! Anything, as long as you can teach me how to hone a soul...!” Halphas cried out.

He was wailing as if he was being eternally separated from a family member.

Sir Gandav sighed heavily. “Normally, we would invite you to the royal palace and treat you with the proper courtesy, but...”

“I understand, considering the current state of the Empire. I have my own pressing matters to attend to, so will also be making my way elsewhere.”

“Thank you for your consideration. We’ll return now to assist His Majesty.”

After parting ways with the investigation team of the Pallan Empire, Davey led Evangeline and Rudelite to a remote area.

“Uh... Prince? Why are we—” Rudelite asked hesitantly, glancing around nervously.

“Get ready,” Davey interrupted.

“Pardon?”

“You might feel a bit sick.”

Whuuum!!!

As soon as Davey finished speaking, a massive magic circle materialized beneath their feet.

“Wait, what is—Aaaah!!!”

The world around them shifted in an instant. Before long, they reappeared in the open grounds of Heins Territory.

“Ugh... urgh!”

Rudelite collapsed, vomiting uncontrollably.

"I told you, you’d feel sick," Davey remarked nonchalantly.

"Ugh... What... What was that...?"

"Welcome to Heins Territory,” he said as he led Evangeline inside the territory. Rudelite hurriedly followed after them, trying to keep up.

While trailing behind, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, gazing upward in awe.

"My goodness...”

There were massive streams of water suspended in the sky. The magical sky canals and floating water spheres were part of the sweeping changes that had transformed Heins Territory into a thriving and beautiful magical city—a sight that had drawn countless tourists to the region in recent years.

"You seem overly fascinated—almost like you’re not human or something. What’s the matter? Been asleep for a few hundred years?"

Rudelite flinched.

"W-What? What are you saying...?"

"Nothing. Just idle talk. Well, we’ve arrived in Heins Territory. If there’s nothing else I need to help you with, let us part. But anyway, welcome."

For a moment, Rudelite made a blank face. But soon after, he bowed deeply.

"P-Please hire me! I want to serve under you!"

Davey’s face grew cold and unreadable at his sudden request.

The boy, who appeared out of nowhere in the forest, pursued by monsters, had come straight to him. It was almost like a staged game, seeming suspiciously similar to the playful antics dragons were known for, though he didn’t believe there were still living fire-breathing flying lizards.

He wasn’t sure why Rudelite was after him—well, precisely speaking, Evangeline. But regardless, a living lizard was not something was not something a person crossed paths with everyday.

"Alright.”

"If you just—wait, what?!”

"Follow me. I’ll conduct a more thorough interview myself.”

"Yes! Then... Ahh!!!”

As he tried to follow Davey through the door, he screamed and stumbled to the ground.

"Oh, this thing broke again," Davey muttered, tapping on the peculiar door frame of the castle with a curious magical device attached to it.

"W-What is this thing?"

"It’s a detection device designed to identify non-human beings disguised as humans. It’s got a bit too much firepower, so it can be... aggressive. Don’t worry—it malfunctions sometimes,"

Rudelite broke into cold sweat at his words.

The device, interestingly enough, was the collaborative creation of Evangeline and Milpieu, the half-vampire. Though he rarely used it, Davey couldn’t resist the occasional opportunity to mess around with it for fun, and the device worked as it was supposed to. Still, the firepower on it seemed a bit too weak.

"Apologies for the scare. Don’t worry—I’ll take this incident into account when reviewing your application," Davey said with a faint smile.

Whether Rudelite noticed his true thoughts or not, his expression brightened considerably, clearly believing things were going his way.

Dragons were known for mimicking humans, with unnerving accuracy, when playing their fun little games to pass the time. Whether the emotions Rudelite displayed were genuine or fabricated, Davey couldn’t yet say.

For that reason, Davey didn’t feel particularly fond of this lizard.

‘I’ll uncover who you really are, little boy, and then I’ll make Megalodria teach you a lesson.’