The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

As Urd appeared, the atmosphere around Davey chilled. He slowly opened his mouth at the smiling Urd to speak. "Was this what you meant by the words you said?"

[Be careful, for there is one who covets the blonde human by your side, perhaps?]

However, the difficulty had been not knowing exactly when and how things would erupt due to her not providing detailed information. Or rather, it was the complacency from not being able to trust the words of her, an enemy, that led to ill-preparedness.

"Sigh..."

"Starting to feel a bit of trust now?"

"I'll consider it."

Even if it might be a scheme, if Davey dug too deep, it would be endless. Thus, the only choice was to look for as many clues as possible.

"Return Verdandi to me, do that and I'll disclose the whole story about this incident."

"I decline, it seems I'm starting to grasp what's happened."

Though deceiving the power of Perserque had been impressive, if it was a lie, the pieces began to fit together.

Upon Davey's refusal, Urd paused momentarily in silence before playing a strong hand. She said, "Skuld and I will withdraw from this war that you and we are waging."

"What?"

"So would you return her then?"

Why was Verdandi so sought after? While the ecology of the princesses of the abyss was unknown, at least, originating from the fragment of a god, all the princesses of the abyss and beings of the abyss were akin to one. If family love was to be mentioned, the actions of the previous princesses displayed far too much strangeness.

"A withdrawal from this conflict?"

"Yes, no matter what the outcome is, we will not interfere."

There was some temptation. Two princesses of the abyss: one, amongst the princesses Davey had encountered, possessed overwhelming combat capabilities, while the other, though not directly geared for combat, had the ability to analyze and hack powers.

"At least there are two of us on the line. Wouldn't you say that's a rather interesting trade?"

"Why would you make such a deal? If left alone, it would've taken a long while to get around to it, or we would've suffered significant damage."

If she had not known that the power of the abyss had been breached, the likelihood was high. The problem was that the more Davey struggled with the problem, the higher the likelihood Urd would find Verdandi. Nonetheless, to offer a deal meant...

"Even if the abyss wins, it won't be much help to you."

In response to Davey's statement, Urd fell silent for a moment. It was true; the gods had referred to her and her sisters as remnants of Hercules. Then she showed a quick smile.

"What will you do?"

There was no particular reason to refuse. Verdandi was a surveillance target, not a necessary hostage. King Grid, now able to live with her own mother without considering anyone's gaze, would object, but given Verdandi's origin as the princess of the abyss, regardless of whatever happened in the past, as long as she grew attached to this Tionis continent, the possibility of defection was ample. So...

"Fuck off," Davey said with a bright smile.

* * *

They said that if you were down on your luck, you could damage the back of your head even if you fell forward.

"Echo, these people really can't handle anything properly."

If Aina had been here, there wouldn't have been such a mishap of information. Echo Guild members claimed that Illyna had taken the stone of blessing to the orcs. The specific magic used by the orcs was the cause of this incident.

Of course, it wasn't planned by the orcs.

"Do you think they might be lying?"

"They must have been deceived by their disguise. Damn useless bastards!"

These unimaginative individuals. Using Aina as an informant for the first time had indeed been the right decision. Her information was mostly flawless.

"Ah, what a headache. All the evidence points to Illyna as the culprit, so even if you say it wasn't her from this point on..."

The optimal course of action was to suppress this matter. However, the dishonor inflicted upon Illyna wouldn't vanish. There was no intention to alleviate the situation, considering they had fallen into such a trap and caused the death of precious constituents. Davey had confined her to the guest room to prevent her from exacerbating the situation. Given that the enemy had targeted Illyna, not Perserque, there was a possibility of the enemy launching another attack on Illyna. Of course, due to this radical approach, if Illyna harbored resentment, he couldn't complain.

"There's still some time left tonight?"

"Hmm?"

Perserque looked puzzled at Davey's question, but he didn't answer.

A disturbance at the latter part of their wedding, and now to face an interruption afterward too? Absolutely not.

"Let's finish this within one hour."

The main criminal of this case was one. Though Davey told Urd to go away, Urd provided Davey with a few more hints regarding this incident's full story. Also, she left a hint that could immediately resolve the situation without any complicated issues.

[I’m not so sure about the princess of the abyss, but others are desperate to claim that woman by your side. Not just simple desire. It's like a wish rooted in instinct. But the one who caused this incident is not so simple.]

[Make it easy to understand.]

[Simply put, don’t you understand that they might gradually chip away at your surroundings? That's the end of the story I can give you.]

As Davey entered, Prince Rendos, who had been preparing to leave, looked at him.

"Will you be leaving immediately?"

"Yes, I need to report to my home country about Illyna's incident. She has disgraced the honor of the Pallan Empire, so, although it may not be a lethal punishment, she will need to bear the equivalent consequences."

Having said that, he resumed packing.

"Prince Rendos."

"Yes?"

"Will you also be stripped of your command over the Whitebird?"

At Davey's question, Rendos faltered. "Why would you ask that…?"

"Isn't that why?"

In response to Davey's question, Rendos looked at Davey and said, “I’m not too sure what you are trying to say.”

“No, I think the situation is a bit weird.”

“What’s so weird about it?”

“It just doesn’t make sense that Illyna did this.”

"As I understand it, Illyna has a special relationship with you... But was there really a need to go this far..."

"Of course. Not only is the fall of Illyna's honor problematic, but I also greatly value each and every citizen of this territory. Since one of our citizens, somebody must pay the price."

"Why are you telling me this…?"

“Would you be able to take the blame?”

Rendos furrowed his brow and responded, “I’ll pretend that I never heard that.”

“Can you please do so?”

“I have no reason to do so, and Illyna’s crime was crystal clear. Even though she is my younger sister, as her older brother, I cannot simply overlook her wrongdoing.”

“Yeah, that’s true. It’s really bad. How many people has she deceived?”

“Prince. Why are you doing this to me?”

“Let me ask this time, Prince Rendos.”

Slash…

Davey slowly drew his sword, Blue Ribbon, and questioned him. "Exactly why did you do this to me?"

"Ha... Hahaha, that's an excessive joke. To suggest that I orchestrated this incident… Illyna put a curse on the Stone of Blessing through the orc magicians and put some of the effect on the accessories of Lady Perserque. Those are very clear."

"Because it's true, hence why I came. Everything is pointing toward Illyna. Even my personal lie detector is also suggesting that Illyna is the perpetrator."

Davey’s words were met with a scowl from Rendos, who glared back at him. "Are you pushing absurdity now, knowing this much?"

"But then, Prince Rendos."

The prince paused at Davey's call.

"No, you parasite. Come to think of it, when did I ever publicly claim that the decoration on Perserque's head could amplify such effects?"

"..."

"And neither did Illyna's visit to the orc shamans."

In response to his words, Rendos became silent.

"Well, such wordplay is truly meaningless, so let's get to the heart of the matter."

[Demonic Sword]

[Drawing Technique]

[Prune]

Thud!

As if delicately slicing through flesh, the blue sword moved across his body. Although not as sharp as Red Ribbon, Blue Ribbon was still a formidable weapon. Surprisingly, not a single wound marred his body.

"Indeed, I might have been convincingly deceived if I hadn't known about the lies of abyssal powers."

“Cough!”

"It was amusing to witness your schemes while you devoured Prince Rendos' body."

Rendos, now sprawled on the ground, began convulsing. Simultaneously, a pale, slimy substance reminiscent of a slime started oozing from his body.

“Gurgle... Gurgle…”

As the squishy form became more apparent, Davey promptly stomped on it.

Squash!

Instantly, the pale figure, previously masquerading as Prince Rendos, jerked.

"You can't escape, can you? Haven't you heard? The repercussions of indulging in taboos are regulated by a power as defiant as you, rejecting even the authority of gods."

A wholly independent power that resisted divine forces. This power posed a lethal threat to abyssal beings as it didn't discriminate among its targets.

“Kruk... How... How did you?”

The abyssal form, a parasite, questioned Davey while being stomped on. The truth unfolded exactly as Urd had shared, but there was no reason or loyalty to divulge that information to the creature.

"Well, what reason or loyalty do I have to tell you that?"

To Davey's question, the eyes of the parasite, having assumed Rendos's form, twisted viciously.

Grrr…

Without moving, the creature's form started rising slowly.

"Damn lucky guy!"

As the figure swelled up as if about to explode, it grew increasingly large.

"Now that it has come to this, I will plant a deep curse on you!"

The abyssal being was unaware that Davey had a curse immunity.

It was known that Davey had employed power, enough to kill Sleesia, to vanquish Baersha.

As the figure of the parasite swelled as if about to burst, Davey once again spun Blue Ribbon, switched to a reverse grip, and assumed a horse stance.

"Let's not make a bloody mess on our wedding day, you bastard."

Snick!!!

The blue afterimage released, suffused with the power of a forbidden curse.

Instantly, the power that permeated his body disregarded the abyss's inherent defense capabilities, penetrated deeply, and shattered its core essence.

"Gag..."

"It seems that you wanted to reduce Illyna’s influence and seize Whitebird for yourself. I’m not going to ask for your motives.” Davey had no interest, and he already knew why.

"Aaaaaack!!!"

The creature screamed as it began to dissipate from the unexpected fatal wound. Generally, when it came to brute force, regular abyssal beings were overwhelmingly weaker than the princesses of the abyss. It was nearly indisputable that creatures like this could not withstand something even the princesses of the abyss found challenging to resist.

"Queen... My lady..."

The dying being called out for Perserque, and Davey remarked contemptuously. "My wife isn't your queen; she's mine."

He watched the creature disperse into smoke and then noticed Perserque, who had reappeared from his shoulder.

"What will you do about that man now?"

"He's pretending to be unconscious," Davey replied as Rendos's body twitched.

"Urd gave the hints from the starting point."

She told Rendos this the first time she left the banquet hall and met him.

[Ah, full of malice.]

While the parasite committed the act, Prince Rendos was the one who conspired with the creature to take command of Whitebird. He could not possibly be unaware of this incident.

"Isn't that right, Prince Rendos?" In response to Davey's smile, Rendos's eyes sprung open. "You have two options, prince. Either die here."

"..."

"Or confess to your wrongdoing. And in case you were thinking I can't simply kill a royal family member... I don't care about such things.”

As killing intent mixed in, Rendos's expression turned pale blue. Instinctively, he realized Davey would indeed kill him.

At the same time, he shot up, backing away and gesturing frantically for Davey to calm down. "Ha... I will confess! It was all a set-up! I had made a pact with an unidentified being to take away the command of the Whitebird Knights that Illyna had! He assured me that with his power, I could surely deceive you..."

"Yeah, I almost fell for it completely."

Parasite's ability was to parasite, but fooling Perserque's authority was no trivial feat. At his outcry, Davey revealed a satisfied smile and showed him the communication crystal he had taken out of his pocket.

"Sullivan, the crown prince. Such a dear brother planning to deceive, so what do you intend to do?" Davey said, showing the crystal with a man's face inside; Sullivan de Pallan, the crown prince of the Pallan Empire.

"Wha... Brother?" Rendos stared with panic.

[The moment that scum returns to the empire, I will use every means at my disposal to kill him. You would not want to miss out on taking revenge yourself, would you?]

“Right. His life is mine.”

Rendos, his face horrified, attempted to cry out. But… his shout never made it out. His head was already flying through the air.