The Last-Seat Hero Has Returned - Chapter 85



85. Interlude – Moonlight (1)

My head buzzed with a rising sense of happiness.

Even when still, the corners of my mouth curled up in a grin.

I felt as light as if floating on clouds.

– I’ve come to get you.

The moment I heard those words, how joyful I was.

How did Dale realize I was Yurina, not Yuren? Did he know I was to undergo the Rite of the Stigmata? Questions swirled in my mind, but the sheer joy of Dale coming to rescue me washed them away like dust.

– You don’t have to shine anymore.

I had lived to become a sun.

I had lived to glow.

I had to atone for the sins I committed.

I wanted to be loved by my mother again, just like before.

I had to become ‘Yuren.’

But.

The sun that was ‘Yuren’ felt so distant, so blinding.

No matter how I struggled, I could not reach it.

It was too hard. It felt like I was dying in agony.

Every day, swinging my sword until my palms were crushed, seeing my mother’s cold, lifeless eyes, dreaming of nightmares with my brother.

The more I moved toward becoming a sun, the more my life was filled with deep darkness.

And then, Dale appeared before me.

My first friend.

My mentor, my savior.

My new sun.

“I will no longer live to be Yuren.”

I have severed the chains that have bound me for the past eight years.

The fear of my mother, the guilt towards my brother—both have been erased.

To me, a coward who could decide nothing for myself, Dale taught me “courage.”

“Dale.”

Does he know how profoundly I have been saved by his presence?

Has he sensed the swell of emotions within me, threatening to burst forth?

I do not know.

No, it does not matter if he does not.

I can reveal it to him little by little from now on.

“From today, I will live for Dale.”

For the one who has given me a new life, I will dedicate everything.

If the moon can only shine because of the sun.

“My sun is Dale.”

Just recalling that truth brings an unshakeable smile to my lips.

A mysterious strength surges through my body, as if I have consumed a precious elixir.

“Ah, ugh. Ah.”

Clang.

A figure clad in black armor rose.

A puppet summoned by a man named “Faust” before he fled.

If I had received the stigmata exchange from him, would I have become such a puppet too?

“No, I was a puppet long before that.”

Before meeting Dale, I was no different from a puppet, merely lacking the strings.

But.

“Not anymore.”

I gripped my sword and summoned my magic.

The stigmata of the “God of the Moon,” etched upon my left chest, began to glow.

Whooom!

A golden aura enveloped the blade.

As I gazed at the golden aura, reminiscent of a brilliantly shining sun, I furrowed my brow.

‘It wasn’t this color before.’

The reason my aura shimmered in gold was solely because I had forced my magic to change its hue, imitating my brother.

‘There’s no need for that anymore.’

Breaking the habit, I ceased to regulate my magic and summoned it with all my might.

Cha-a-aang!

With a sound like something shattering, the golden aura gradually transformed into a silvery sheen.

The cold, moonlit silver aura surged fiercely along the blade.

“Ha.”

A thrilling shiver coursed down my spine.

A refreshing sensation spread throughout my body, as if the breath that had been held was finally released.

“…Ah.”

A soft gasp slipped through my lips.

Unfamiliar information flooded my mind, as if forgotten memories were resurfacing.

‘This is…’

Divine favor.

It was the blessing of the gods, manifested in only a select few among the awakened heroes.

‘The Blessing of Moonlight.’

Information about the Blessing of Moonlight flowed naturally into my mind.

‘The more you think of a cherished person, the greater the power granted.’

I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh at the information that seeped into my thoughts.

I had heard that some blessings possessed rather peculiar traits.

But to think that the more you think of someone else, the more strength you gain—that was something else entirely.

‘There couldn’t be a blessing more suited to me than this.’

I glanced back at Dale, a faint smile gracing my lips.

Just capturing him in my gaze sent a terrifying surge of magic swirling within me, as if it might burst forth.

“Uuuhhh!!!”

A creature clad in black armor charged at me with a monstrous roar.

From the great sword clutched in its hand, a dark aura blazed fiercely.

Even just by observing the sheer amount of aura flowing along the blade, it was easy to tell that this creature in black armor possessed immense power.

“Haah.”

I inhaled softly, gripping the sword.

Why was it, I wondered, that in the face of the fiercely burning black aura, I felt a sense of mockery instead?

“Solar Sword, Form Seven.”

A technique I had only known in theory, one I had never succeeded in executing until now.

The towering wall that stood before me, the realm beyond it.

I stepped forward boldly toward that realm.

“Light Ring.”

A silver circle formed along the blade.

The coldly shining silver ring wrapped around the great sword, which blazed with darkness.

Swoosh!

The great sword, engulfed in aura, split apart as if slicing through tofu.

“Ah, huh?”

I thrust my sword at the creature, which stared blankly at the severed blade.

Crack!

The sword pierced through the creature’s armor, driving straight into its heart.

* * *

The silver light illuminated the dark basement.

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I let out a soft gasp as I gazed at Yuren, enveloped in the silver radiance.

“Huh.”

Yurina’s magical power had always been immense.

But the magic I felt emanating from Yurina now was far beyond that ‘immense level.’

There was only one explanation for such a sudden change, unless she had stumbled upon some legendary elixir.

‘Divine Blessing.’

Memories of my past life naturally surfaced in my mind.

Yuren was undoubtedly the strongest swordsman of humanity, yet he did not possess the ‘Divine Blessing.’

After all, the Divine Blessing was not something one could attain through mere effort, so it was not surprising that Yuren had not awakened it.

‘To suddenly awaken the Divine Blessing like this?’

If that were the case, it meant that in my past life, Yuren had not been without the Divine Blessing; rather, he had possessed it but had never managed to manifest it fully.

‘…The future has indeed changed.’

In the opposite direction of what I had feared.

“Dale….”

With eyes alight, Yurina turned to me, having just felled the beast of her own terror with a single strike.

The moment she took a step forward.

“Ah.”

Suddenly, Yurina swayed as if about to collapse.

I quickly swept her into my arms.

“When you first awaken your power, your body will be overwhelmed by the strain of accepting it.”

“Ah, right… But how does Dale know that…?”

Cradled in my embrace, Yurina couldn’t finish her thought before her eyelids fluttered shut.

“Phew.”

I carried the sleeping Yurina out of the basement.

The mansion was half-wrecked from the magical bombardment, yet its vastness meant there were still a few rooms left intact.

Choosing a room that seemed reasonably whole, I opened the door.

“Eek!”

A maid, hidden within, trembled in shock at the sight of me.

“I-I’ll do whatever you say, just please spare my life!”

“…….”

I let out a deep sigh as I gazed at the maid, her face pale and hands clasped in desperation.

‘Anyone overhearing this would think I’ve slaughtered my way here.’

Of course, I hadn’t killed anyone while breaking through the mansion.

“I’ll be using this bed.”

“Ah, yes! Please, make yourself at home!”

The maid sprang to her feet, bowing repeatedly.

I laid Yurina down on the bed and placed the back of my hand against her forehead.

‘She’s burning up.’

It seemed her body was heating up as it struggled to accept the new power.

“I’m sorry, but could I ask you for a favor?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Could you bring me some cold water and a towel?”

“Ah… Yes. Understood!”

The maid dashed out of the room in a flurry.

As I pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down, quietly watching Yurina.

“Where is that arrogant hybrid brat from the Republic right now?!”

Had I fainted and then woken up?

Rosanna’s voice echoed thunderously down the hallway.

Bang!

Rosanna burst through the door, glaring at me with fierce eyes.

“You…! What the hell are you doing there?!”

“Can’t you see? I’m just taking care of the lady’s daughter.”

“You…!”

Rosanna strode toward me, her steps heavy with anger.

“How dare a Republic hybrid touch an Imperial noble family? Do you think this place is some ‘neutral zone’ like a hero school? Just wait. I will definitely inform the royal family about this, and you won’t get away with it…”

“You’ll inform the royal family, huh?”

I chuckled softly as I rose to my feet.

“What… what are you doing?”

As I stood, Rosanna flinched and took a step back.

I approached her, a sly smile creeping onto my lips.

“Go ahead, inform them if you want.”

“Hah. Where do you get off acting so tough? Do you really think you, no matter how strong you claim to be, can handle the Imperial family?”

“I can’t.”

No matter how much my abilities had surged recently, I couldn’t take on the Imperial family alone.

But.

“Then can the lady handle it?”

“What do you mean, can she handle it…?”

“The fact that she tried to collaborate with a demon and use the forbidden sigil exchange technique. What do you think will happen to the Helios family if this gets out to the royal family?”

“Wait a minute! Collaborate with a demon? What do you mean by that…!”

“Did you see the corpse in the basement earlier? If you investigate that body, you’ll find the magic.”

“……!”

Rosanna’s face went pale, her mouth agape in shock.

Even if one could overlook the fact that I had intended to use the ‘Stigmata Exchange Technique’—the moment it became known that I had allied with Main, the Helios family would be finished.

Collusion with Main was a crime of treasonous magnitude.

“I—I didn’t know he was Main!”

“Is that so? Well, if you insist on saying it that way, I’ll choose to believe you.”

I leaned closer, whispering into the ear of the pale, shaken Rozanna.

“I don’t know if the Imperial family will believe that.”

“Ugh…!”

Rozanna’s expression crumpled in despair.

“What do you think? Shall we join hands and go to the Imperial family together?”

“…….”

Rozanna remained silent, her head bowed low.

Though she pondered long, the choice for a noblewoman who valued her family’s honor above her own life was already set.

“…Fine. Let’s keep this matter under wraps.”

She nodded, biting her lip.

“Hmm.”

I gazed at Rozanna’s distorted face, narrowing my eyes slightly.

‘It feels a bit unsatisfying to end it like this.’

Thinking of the pain that Yurina had to endure because of Rozanna, I found it hard to simply let this slide as if nothing had happened.

‘What could I do to utterly crush this proud noblewoman’s dignity?’

As I continued to wrestle with such thoughts, a voice broke through.

“Um… I-I’ve brought the water.”

A maid peeked her head through the slightly ajar door.

“Ah.”

I smiled slyly at the maid.

* * *

Click.

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The door opened cautiously.

Through the open doorway wafted the rich aroma of black tea.

“Ugh….”

Rozanna entered the room, carrying a tray, dressed in her maid’s attire.

It was not without reason that the bloodline connected Yurina and me, for even at over fifty, Rozanna, clad in a maid’s uniform, boasted a dazzling beauty.

“Ho, I’ve brought the black tea.”

“You brought it?”

“I brought, I brought it.”

“Yes, yes. Speak politely, will you?”

I leaned back leisurely in my chair, giving her a little wave with my hand.

“How long will you stand there at the door?”

“Ugh….”

A lady of a prestigious imperial noble family, serving a mere candidate in the garb of a maid.

It was a humiliation so profound that I would rather bite my tongue and die.

“Let’s see. Now that you’ve brought the tea, how about you give my shoulders a little rub?”

“W-what did you say?”

Rozanna’s mouth fell open in shock, her expression frozen.

“How dare you call me that…!”

“‘You this guy’? What did I tell you to call me earlier?”

“Ugh!”

Rozanna’s face twisted in despair.

“Keep this up, and I’ll summon all the servants in this mansion?”

“Ah, no!”

To stand before the servants in this attire.

That was something I could never allow.

“Then… you know what to do?”

I looked at Rozanna with a smirk, my lips curling up.

With her head bowed low, her lips quivering, Rozanna squeezed her eyes shut.

“I-I will rub your shoulders. M-m-master…”

Tears streamed down Rozanna’s face, her expression contorted with shame.

I burst into a chuckle, turning my head to gaze out the window.

Night had fallen, darkness settling in the sky.

The gentle moonlight illuminated the Helios estate.