The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 944

Davey deeply scared Rudelite, to the point that he looked like he might bolt at any moment.

But ultimately, he didn’t.

Instead, he stayed while constantly sneaking glances at Davey, as though fretting over whether his true identity had been discovered. He couldn’t figure out why Rudelite didn’t leave despite knowing that being exposed here wouldn’t end well for him.

Although various possibilities crossed his mind, he decided not to dwell on it. There was a far more pressing matter to worry about than Rudelite’s motives. It was a task that he had been avoiding—deciphering the stone tablet.

As he well knew, knowing one’s enemy was key to securing victory. By studying the constellations, Davey could better equip himself to face any potential threats.

It was foolish to consider all constellations hostile when there were constellations like the strength-obsessed Taurus, but aside from it, Davey remembered that most of them had goals fundamentally opposed to his interests.

For instance, when he faced Constellation Libra, someone had been controlling hordes of monsters. The mastermind behind that chaos could only have been a dragon or a constellation, and Davey leaned heavily toward the former.

“Looks like it’s time to raid a nest,” he muttered as he stood from his chair.

“Rinne, what’s your take on this?” Davey asked, hoping she might offer a clever solution given her immense computational power.

Rinne, with her expressionless face, tilted her head and looked at him. “Master Davey. Rinne evaluates laziness as unproductive and inadvisable.”

“Could you not?”

“Rinne predicts the perpetrator to have been either a dragon or a constellation. Rinne requests starting with what can be verified if the constellation’s presence cannot be confirmed.”

‘Something that can be verified huh...’

Davey knew he would’ve sensed a constellation if it had awakened. The fact that he hadn’t would have meant one thing: the constellation was actively concealing its presence, which he knew wasn’t easy to pull off.

If it wasn’t a constellation, then it had to be the work of a dragon. Still, he couldn’t figure out why a dragon would suddenly take action after lying dormant for so long. Dragons were supposedly extinct, as well.

Then again, the existence of the red dragon Rudelite proved that the extinction theory was nothing more than a rumor.

“Master Davey, Rinne requests permission to investigate dragon lairs. Meeting a dragon could provide valuable information, and the potential for looting treasures also exists—Rinne evaluates this highly!”

“Looting?” Davey asked, raising a brow.

“Most of a dragon’s hoard consists of stolen treasures.”

She wasn’t wrong. Dragons were infamous for taking what wasn’t theirs, and anyone who stole from others had to be prepared to lose what they’ve hoarded.

While Davey didn’t particularly relish the karma of looting, just as the karma of death, as long as he didn’t die or lose what he took, the rest didn’t matter.

Conveniently, there was one unoccupied dragon lair he knew of. He looked at the piece of paper Rudelite had handed over, detailing some brief information about dragons.

“An unclaimed dragon lair...” Davey murmured, a cold smile spreading across his face.

“Let’s go with your suggestion. Could you bring Evangeline here for me?”

“Are we having a picnic?” Rinne tilted her head curiously.

“Yeah, we’re going to check out a dragon’s nest.”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Dragon lair. Rinne determines there will be highly exotic culinary data to acquire. Rinne evaluates this highly.”

“If you keep saying things like that, people will think I’ve been starving you.”

Despite being a biological golem, her obsession with food was surely one of the worst in the entire continent.

Thrilled at the idea of raiding a dragon’s lair, Rinne dashed away, her bare feet pattering against the floor. It wasn't long before she returned with Evangeline.

Much like with Darian, Red Ribbon, and Blue Ribbon, Evangeline had grown up fond of Rinne. Her popularity among children was strange, but undeniable. Perhaps it was because she was small and unbothered by the kids tugging her around like a toy.

“Maybe it’s because you’re short like the kids.”

“Master Davey, Rinne’s emotional circuits are rapidly overheating. Rinne determines this as extreme anger,” she said, crouching slightly as if preparing to launch a missile dropkick at him.

“Oh. Did I say that out loud?”

“...”

She glared at him expressionlessly. Her eyes seemed full of murderous intent, as if she wanted to get rid of him right away however she could.

There was a new variable within their perfect family outing.

Rudelite.

Apparently, he had used his position to become Evangeline’s escort mage, and was now latched onto her like glue.

“And why are you here?” Davey asked, turning to him.

“Ah, well... I heard you were heading to a dragon’s lair...”

“That’s right. There’s a site near Surtr’s Labyrinth, in the Pallan Empire. I think we might’ve found a dragon’s lair there, so we're gonna go check it out. Interested?”

Rudelite froze at the mention of the labyrinth, his shocked expression immediately giving him away. Seeing his pale face, Davey was sure that Rudelite was tied to the enhanced sandworm incident.

After a moment’s thought, Rudelite nodded. “Of course! I’ve always been deeply interested in research on dragons.”

“Is that so?” Davey muttered under his breath. Rudelite flinched, likely consumed by the paranoid thought that his true identity had been discovered.

“Don’t tell me you’re interested in Evangeline.”

“Hrmph...”

“Not that it matters. Well, I take that back. It does matter for me, as her father.”

“N-No! I’d never—how could I even think—” Rudelite stammered, his panic palpable.

“Of course not! Rudel is my friend!” Evangeline interjected brightly.

Rudelite let out a sigh of relief while he made a face hinting at his pride being shattered into a million pieces.

* * *

Davey didn’t know the exact location of the dragon's lair.

To further complicate matters, the site was within the territory of the Pallan Empire. If Davey just barged in and started poking around, there was a high chance of it becoming a diplomatic issue. The question became if he should just slide in quietly, take what he needed, and leave without a trace. Doing so would be hypocrisy at its finest, as he certainly wouldn’t let others do the same.

The situation was irksome, but Davey wasn’t too interested in looting—there likely wouldn’t be anything worth his consideration.

‘On top of that, the discovery of an intact dragon’s lair will undoubtedly cause a significant stir...’

Even so, with the Pallan Empire currently preoccupied with rooting out internal rebellion, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.

If people wanted to call him ruthless for exploiting the situation, so be it.

‘It’s not like they’d be able to find it on their own, anyway. I’m just going to take a peek at it, that's all.’

Using warp magic, Davey arrived at Surtr’s Labyrinth, confirming that an investigation team was still lingering nearby. He cast an invisibility spell to maintain their cover. Rudelite, who was visibly on edge, then asked,

“S-So, why exactly are we here...?”

Davey could clearly sense his terror. Most dragons in the midst of playing their games fully embraced the human they were pretending to be. Rudelite, however, had dropped that pretense entirely; his face was an open book of anxiety.

And it was only natural—the place Davey was investigating just so happened to be his home. He had every reason to feel uneasy.

“This place doesn’t really seem like the kind of area where a dragon’s lair would be.”

“Why’s that?”

“Just look over there,” Rudelite said, pointing toward the surrounding terrain. “The land formations aren’t suitable for a lair. And if the lair is underground, the unstable ground would make it prone to collapse...”

‘This guy sure is talkative.’

“Just follow me,” Davey said, brushing off Rudelite’s attempt at diverting attention.

His unease was palpable, and his efforts to distract Davey only grew more desperate.

“Well... actually, my mentor who taught me about dragons discovered what’s believed to be a dragon’s lair not long ago. It’s located on the Eastern Continent by—”

“Really? That sounds pretty interesting.”

“Then shall we head there right away? I can guide you—”

“No, we’ll save that for later. We’ll explore here first.”

“Y-Your Highness!” he said in a cracking voice as he suppressed a scream, his entire body trembling.

He was about to watch his own home get raided, but revealing that he was a dragon would only make things worse for him. He wasn’t foolish enough to let it slip.

“It’d be great if there really was a dragon inside,” Davey said, slipping past the investigation team without making a sound.

He reached the final chamber of Surtr’s Labyrinth, where the enhanced sandworm had emerged. He jumped down into the hole with Evangeline in his arms.

“Y-Your Highness! No matter how I think about it, this is just a sandworm’s nest—Ahhh!” Rudelite screamed as Rinne casually grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and leaped down after them.

Rudelite wasn’t wrong—this place was likely nothing more than a sandworm’s burrow. Even so, there was also a chance that it led to the dragon lair.

“The sandworm that showed up here... If it were a regular sandworm, you’d be right—it’d just be considered a random creature tunneling through the ground.”

Rudelite nodded fervently in agreement.

“But here’s the thing: Normal sandworms don’t tunnel through granite.”

“...”

“And what else, Evangeline?”

“Yes?”

“What did you think of the sandworm when you fought it?”

“It was... really tough.”

Her simple answer was enough to confirm his suspicions.

“Even mutant sandworms don’t get that tough. A natural sandworm? That’s just ridiculous.”

Rudelite averted his gaze, clearly uncomfortable. Davey could practically see Rudelite internally writhing and blaming the sandworm for the situation he found himself in.

“So, that thing was created and raised by someone or something else. And as far as I know, the only beings capable of creating chimeras like that are those lizards. In other words, if we follow this tunnel all the way, it’ll lead us straight to a dragon’s lair.”

“Ugh... It’s so dark...” Evangeline muttered, clearly struggling with the poor visibility. The faint light from their single torch wasn’t of much help.

“Evangeline, I taught you how to enhance your vision, didn’t I?”

Rinne, as if to demonstrate, cast a faint glow with her blue eyes. Following the example, Evangeline closed her eyes, channeling mana through her body. While she couldn’t achieve perfect night vision like Rinne, strengthening her eyesight with mana gave her an enhanced view of the darkness.

“Wow! It’s so much clearer now!” Evangeline exclaimed, bouncing in excitement as she looked around. However, lost in her excitement, she tripped over something and fell forward.

Rudelite immediately caught her before she could hit the ground. “Are you all right, Lady?”

“Ugh... Thanks, Rudel.”

“It’s no problem.”

“You seem to see just fine in the dark, don’t you?”

“Pardon?”

“Interesting. For a mage, you sure know a lot in general, and your magic control is pretty advanced...”

As Davey murmured, Rudelite flinched. Sweat rolled down his temple as he hastily replied, “W-Well, I picked up a lot of skills in my time as a mercenary mage! It’s all part of the job, you know! Hahaha!”

“Really?”

“Y-yes! Absolutely!”

“Hmm...”

His awkward smile began to fade, his expression growing darker with every passing moment. He had instinctively enhanced his vision in the darkness. Regardless of what circle a mage reached, such an act required a remarkable degree of precision and mastery. While it was technically achievable starting from the 3rd Circle, even some 6th Circle mages struggled to pull it off.

Davey knew that an ordinary mercenary mage wouldn’t have been able to perform such a feat. In fact, they would simply rely on a basic light spell instead. Showcasing such a refined technique had been a glaring mistake by Rudelite.

Of course, Davey already knew his true identity, so the slip-up didn’t change much. Still, it did give him an opportunity to play with him more, which was always a bonus.

“B-But finding a dragon’s lair here will be difficult. The passages are like a maze, and...”

“Rudelite.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Would you kindly shut up?”

“...”

‘This boy’s really getting on my nerves.’

Davey thought it was time to cut the nonsense short.

“You know, it’s kind of odd. It’s almost like you’re trying to keep me from checking things here.”

“...’

“You know, for a so-called 4th Circle mage, you’re suspiciously skilled. Your knowledge is extensive, your abilities are remarkable, and... well, there are one too many things suspicious about you.”

“W-What are you saying?” Rudelite said in a harrowed voice while hiccuping.

It was clear he was terrified. While the amount of mana someone possessed didn’t always determine their strength, the overwhelming amount that Rudelite had felt from Davey made him feel like he had no chance.

“Are you, by any chance... a dragon?”

Rudelite froze, his face seemingly turning to stone. Beside him, Evangeline tilted her head in confusion while Rinne’s eyes gleamed with excitement, clearly delighted as she began recording the moment to video backups.

“W-What do you mean...?”

“You’re not, right? Of course not; there’s no way a dragon would be this pathetic.”

“Ahahaha! Exactly! There’s no way someone as useless as me could be a dragon! Dragons are called the possessors of magic, after all!”

“Then shut up and follow me.”

Spreading his mana into the air, Davey began to walk forward.

“Let me explain something to you, first. Dragons are magical creatures.”

“Yes... that’s correct...”

“Now, do you think a dragon wouldn’t bother placing any defensive spells over its lair? I don’t.”

“And...?”

“We just need to trace those spells.”

His eyes widened to an almost comical degree. “T-That’s impossible! There’s no way you could track something like that!”

“No. It’s possible.”

“H-How?!”

“If you try. Hard—enough,” Davey said dryly, his lack of enthusiasm driving Rudelite to the edge of despair.

Soon after, Davey proved himself correct. They arrived at the end of the sandworm’s burrow, standing before what appeared to be the massive wall of a dragon’s lair.

Boom!

Without hesitation, Davey shattered the defensive magic and broke through the wall, revealing an extraordinary underground space. It was a sight that defied any natural explanation or formation—a cavern filled with shimmering, supreme glowing stones that lit the area with brilliance, luxurious items scattered throughout.

“Jackpot. Is this a red dragon’s lair? There’s a lot of fire spirits around.”

Rudelite followed silently behind him with an expressionless face, as though too exhausted to react. It was clear he hadn’t expected his human master to come and loot his own lair during his playful game.

Of course, even if Rudelite chose to drop the game and reveal his true form now, it wouldn’t change anything.

Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed through the chamber:

- Intruder... Intruder... Eliminate. E-li-minate...

“G-Guardian! Your Highness, dragon guardians are incredibly dangerous! Magic doesn’t work on them, and even Aura Blades are ineffective! We should retreat and come back—”

Crash!

“What?”

Before Rudelite could finish his sentence, Evangeline sliced through a massive golem with her Aura Blade, cleaving it cleanly in half. Meanwhile, Davey coated his bare fist in a thin layer of mana and smashed another golem into rubble with a single punch.

“I-Impressive! As expected of Your Highness! Don't worry, I’ll find the dragon’s treasure vault for you! Please wait here! If you move recklessly, you might trigger traps, and the entire vault could collapse—”

“Traps? Do you think a dragon obsessed with jewels would bury its treasures? If they get stolen, they’ll just try to take them back, not bury them for safety.”

‘I’m sorry, but I know all too well how dragons work, kiddo.’

Ignoring Rudelite’s protests, Davey walked to the door concealed within a wall, pressing against it lightly. It swung open without resistance.

“But... that should be sealed with lock magic!”

“It was,” Davey replied casually. “What’s the point of knowing and training to use dispel magic if you don’t use it? Do you make stew with it instead?”

“B-But that’s dragon-level magic!”

“So what? It’s just dragon magic.”

“It should be 8th Circle magic or greater...!”

“8th Circle? How underwhelming.”

His face twisted with disbelief. Even if he wasn’t a dragon, he would’ve made the same astounded face.

Trailing behind, Rudelite anxiously chewed his fingernails. He didn’t even realize that Davey had seen his tensed expression, and could already tell that Rudelite was scared to death.

For a dragon, their treasures were a key part of their very existence. And with no master currently in the lair, there was no one to stop Davey from taking it.

He and Evangeline had destroyed the guardians within mere moments.

Rudelite likely thought that if he could just make him wait for a moment, he could secure his treasures. But Davey wasn’t giving him a single chance, which probably drove him crazy.

Eventually, they reached the treasure vault. When Davey pushed the door open, he let out a low whistle of admiration.

“Wow. This is incredible.”

“Wooow! So shiny!”

“Evangeline! Let’s pack it all up! Get your Pocket Plane out!”

“Yes, Daddy!”

“If the dragon comes back—” Rudelite began.

“If it does, we’ll just capture it too. But judging by the lair, it looks like it’s been away for a while. So, I’ll just take the treasure instead. Generous, aren’t I?” Davey grinned.

Rudelite took in deep breaths, as though debating whether to defend his treasure or keep his identity hidden and stay alive. Either way, it only ended in pure agony for him.

While Rudelite racked his brain for a way to stop Davey, he continued sifting through the treasure. Among the glittering piles, something caught his eye—it was none other than a magic book.

“Huh, what’s this?” Davey muttered, as he brushed the dust off its cover.