The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 156: Oh, Youth (1)

Upon interrogating Serpente, I couldn't glean much useful information.

Serpente herself was nothing more than a puppet moving at Mephisto's command.

She didn’t actually know what "plan" Mephisto had in mind.

Other minor bits of information about Mephisto were also restricted, likely under some kind of magical seal.

‘That’s disappointing.’

I had thought this would be a great opportunity to gather valuable intel on Mephisto, one of the six archbishops—now only four left—and the most unsettling of them all.

But there was little to show for it.

‘Now, what’s left…’

I gazed down at the unconscious Serpente, squinting slightly.

‘The decision now is… whether to dispose of her or not.’

As a general rule, eliminating a demon on the spot would be the least troublesome option.

‘But it’s a waste to discard a potential card that might be useful against Mephisto.’

Even with memories from a previous life, I didn’t know much about Mephisto.

I had no clue about the extent of his power, his goals, or why he had suddenly vanished in the middle of the war in my past life.

He remained the most enigmatic among the archbishops.

“Well… I’ll need to consult Professor Elisha first.”

It wasn’t a decision I should make alone.

Hoisting the unconscious Serpente onto my shoulder, I started heading back to the academy.

* * *

Three Days Later

After receiving minor treatment from Iris, I finished visiting Professor Jade, who was recovering in the intensive care ward, and then made my way to Professor Elisha’s office.

Knock knock.

"Come in."

When I opened the door, I found Professor Elisha sitting in her chair, legs elegantly crossed.

Looking at the clean, organized table, I tilted my head in surprise.

“You’re not smoking today?”

“...Ahem.”

Professor Elisha avoided my gaze, letting out a short, awkward cough.

“I’m trying to quit.”

“Quitting smoking? What brought this on all of a sudden?”

I was taken aback.

Professor Elisha, who always seemed to have a cigarette in her hand, was quitting?

She looked a little embarrassed as she scratched her cheek.

"Well... doesn’t Cadet Dale dislike the smell of cigarettes?"

"……."

Could it be?

Was her decision to quit because of me?

I held back a laugh and shook my head.

“It's true that I don’t like it, but there’s no need for you to force yourself to quit for my sake. Besides, it’s not really harmful to your health.”

Heroes’ bodies, fundamentally, have a remarkable ability to detoxify, so a little smoking wouldn’t harm her health.

“But still…”

“And honestly, a Professor Elisha without her cigarette would feel like beer without its fizz, don’t you think?”

“What kind of image do you have of me, exactly?”

Professor Elisha narrowed her eyes at me, looking rather displeased.

“Anyway, if that’s the reason, there’s really no need to quit. You actually suit smoking quite well, Professor.”

Even though I didn’t have a particularly positive view of smoking itself, I couldn’t deny that Professor Elisha and her cigarettes were a striking combination.

“Really?”

Looking slightly relieved, Professor Elisha opened her drawer and took out a cigarette, smiling as she placed it between her lips.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly towards me, almost as if she were asking for a light.

Fwoosh.

I flicked my fingers, igniting the tip of the cigarette, and Professor Elisha took a deep drag.

“Whew. Now I finally feel some of the stress from the past three days melting away.”

“You’ve been busy?”

“What do you think?”

Professor Elisha’s expression grew more serious after recalling something from three days prior.

“Honestly, when you brought in that woman and showed me the forced interrogation video, I was at a loss for how to handle it.”

“Hey.”

The way she put it made it sound like I was some kind of sleazy criminal.

I looked at her in exasperation, and she shrugged playfully with a mischievous grin.

“Just kidding. Anyway, we’ve taken some steps regarding that demon for now.”

“What did you do?”

“I had her locked up in the demon holding facility at Valhalla City, where she can be used as a bargaining chip if needed.”

Valhalla City’s demon holding facility, huh?

“Is that secure enough?”

I knew the security there was supposed to be tight, but Serpente wasn’t the kind of demon that could be contained easily.

“Is it because of her 'Whispers’ Blessing’?”

“Yes.”

“Then there’s no need to worry. She won’t be able to use it.”

She can’t use it?

I gave Professor Elisha a questioning look, and she responded with a cold smile.

“The Whispers’ Blessing requires a voice to activate, doesn’t it?”

“Well… yes.”

“She can’t use her blessing with her mouth sewn shut, can she?”

"……."

The thought alone made my skin crawl, and I closed my mouth tightly.

For a moment, I wondered how they planned to handle her meals with her mouth sewn shut, but I didn’t ask.

The important thing was that we had secured a useful card in Serpente.

“I can’t predict what Mephisto will do next, but…”

Since the future held so many uncertainties, it was always better to have one more card at our disposal.

“Cadet Dale.”

“Yes?”

“I have been very, very busy these past three days.”

Professor Elisha stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray and looked at me with a sigh.

“I’ve been drowning in meetings since the start of the semester, pulling all-nighters every day.”

“Just when it seemed like things were finally calming down, you bring me a bombshell in the form of a Fallen Bishop and irresponsibly drop it on my lap.”

“Do you have any idea how challenging it is to handle all these major issues discreetly, without the school’s higher-ups finding out?”

She finally let out a flurry of pent-up complaints.

“Ah… I apologize.”

While I didn’t have much choice, it was true that I had left all the hard work to her.

“Are you really sorry?”

Professor Elisha smiled slyly, her eyes glinting mischievously.

She got up from her chair, moved to the guest sofa in the middle of the office, and sprawled across it, looking back at me.

“So, Cadet Dale, will you personally relieve your professor’s fatigue with your own hands?”

“…Are you asking for a massage?”

“Haha, why else would I lie here like this?”

Professor Elisha, lying on her stomach, swayed her slender legs enticingly.

I sighed, approaching the sofa where she lay stretched out.

Professor Elisha grabbed my hand as I knelt beside her to start the massage.

“Climb on my back.”

“Is that really necessary…?”

“Wouldn’t that be uncomfortable for you as well in this position?”

Ugh.

Reluctantly, I awkwardly straddled her lower back.

Placing my hands on her back, the pale outline of her spine faintly showed through her white shirt.

“Ngh…”

Pressing firmly, I used my thumbs to stimulate the muscles around her spine.

Despite her delicate waist, she had firm muscles beneath my fingertips.

“Ah… Haah…!”

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“Please don’t make such sounds.”

“Hah, but… I can’t help it…”

“If you keep doing that, I’ll stop.”

“Ngh…”

Professor Elisha bit her lip, trying to suppress her voice.

But only for a moment.

When I began to knead her tense muscles in earnest, a moan escaped her lips again.

“Cadet Dale…! You’re too strong! If you press there like that…! Ngh!”

“Not really.”

“I can’t… hold it… ahh!”

Why are you doing this to me?

‘I’ll probably need to put up a soundproof barrier outside the door.’

When I got up and opened the office door—

Thud!

Something heavy hit me, and I felt it get pushed back.

“…Albert?”

I looked down to find Albert sprawled on the floor, staring up at me.

Holding a stack of documents, he scrambled to his feet, stammering.

“I-I came for Professor Lucas’s errand, but… so…!”

“Wait, calm down, Albert. It’s not what you think.”

“I-I-I didn’t hear anything, Dale!”

With a face flushed red, he shook his head frantically.

He didn’t look like someone who hadn’t heard anything.

“Don’t worry! I won’t tell anyone!”

“No, it’s not that—”

“I’m so sorry for interrupting your… uh, quality time!!!”

Before I could explain, Albert darted away, racing down the hallway.

“……”

Well…

Right.

‘Wasn’t the Hoover family the empire’s biggest information guild?’

This is bad.

* * *

“…Sigh.”

After leaving Professor Elisha’s office, I sat on a bench, pulling at my hair in frustration.

“What’s got you looking so miserable?”

Then, a familiar voice reached my ears.

When I looked up, there was Senior Sophia, arms crossed, gazing down at me.

“…It’s nothing.”

“For ‘nothing,’ your sigh was loud enough to be heard from far away.”

“……”

I firmly clamped my lips shut, avoiding Senior Sophia’s gaze.

“Well, if you don’t want to tell me, fine. It’s not like you’re short on secrets.”

“…What brings you here?”

The building for fourth-year students was quite far from here.

“I came to find you.”

“Me?”

“I wanted to thank you and ask for a favor.”

Sophia then bowed her head towards me.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to clear up a lot of misunderstandings.”

She wore a gentle expression, as if she had let go of a heavy burden from the recent incident.

“Does that mean I’m allowed to speak to you now, Senior?”

“Huh? What do you mean… Oh.”

Recalling our first encounter, Senior Sophia gave a soft chuckle.

“Well, do as you please. We’ll run into each other often in the lab from now on.”

“The lab?”

“I’m going to assist Professor Jade with his research.”

“Oh.”

A joint research project between a future Grand Magician and the heir of a Great Sage.

‘I wonder what they’ll create together.’

I nodded, stifling a grin.

“What’s the favor you mentioned earlier?”

“Well….”

Sophia blushed slightly, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

“So… you’re close with Berald, right?”

Ahem.

She cleared her throat and continued.

“C-Could you maybe give me his contact information?”

“……”

It was autumn, the season when romance blossoms.

A fresh breeze of youth was blowing in.

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